I (Joyce) recently returned from taking Justine (13), Alexis (16) & our friend, David (16) to Senegal.

Senegal is a third world country - so this was less of a vacation & more of a "field trip of a lifetime" that afforded us an up close and personal understanding of what real life is like in Senegal ... a culture & climate as far away as it is far different from what we're used to in America.

We stayed w/ my brother (Uncle Jimmy), who teaches elementary students in Dakar, & his wife, Aunt Ramona. We visited The Door of No Return (former slave house) on Goree Island, capital city of Dakar, the school where my brother teaches, outdoor marketplaces, the beach, a wild game park... and Justine finally met her pen-pal!

In the days leading up to our departure I posted here what I knew & was learning about where we were headed. Once we arrived in Senegal, I had the kids post some things as well. Justine was our main photographer.

We're back now & still trying to record our experience as it was hard to keep up while we were there.

Friday, April 16, 2010

We're here!

We're here! We arrived around 5:00AM Dakar time. We were shuttled on a bus from the plane to the terminal ...it was packed & Alexis is convinced one man tried to get in her backpack. Almost as soon as we exited the airport terminal Justine was ready to turn around and go home! She was frightened by all the men/boys who wanted to help us carry our bags. They are VERY up close & personal in an "in your face" sort of way! We were pretty much swarmed by a group of them that hovered around us all the way to the car! - even went so far as attempting to grab bags away from us & even touching Alexis once...not inappropriately really - but nonetheless when you just arrive in a foreign country and it's dark, the last thing you want is for a stranger to get that close. One guy started messing w/ a pocket on David's long shorts...Just waaaay too close for comfort. A BIG cultural difference from the US where for the most part personal space is protected & respected more. Something we will have to get used to dealing better with. Even as we were pulling away, one stuck his head in the truck...hoping to get paid for having "helped" us. Justine was pretty much terrified at that point. Took a bit of time to get her settled down but she's better now. Alexis & David handled themselves very well. Alexis has no problem holding her own! I was encouraged to see that.

I tried to help Justine remember the scene as it actually happened as opposed to what she saw once fear gripped her...really none of the boys (mostly teenage) were mean or trying to hurt her. What they actually wanted was to do something and get paid for it (a job!). The fact that there were several of them and the dialogue got rather intense a few times and half of it was foreign...well you can just imagine ...

We're all good now. My brother & his wife live in quite a nice home. We arrived just after the morning calls to prayer ...but I believe there is another coming up shortly...:)

My brother and his wife live in a rather nice place. They have a guard and a housekeeper...really both are a necessity here. It's very quiet outside now. The weather is beautiful. We're heading out for the weekend - to a beach house - so I won't be back on here til Sun night or Mon morning. Maybe by then I can get the kids to share something too & hopefully I'll have some pics to share.

Just wanted you to know we made it...safe & sound...and we're looking forward to exploring a bit and meeting new people here shortly. We're heading out for the weekend ... to the beach ... so I will be out of touch for a few days...probably back on here Sunday night or Monday morning.

- Joyce
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3 comments:

  1. UnknownApril 16, 2010 at 5:56 PM

    Hi, glad you made it. Sorry things got scary. When I'm stressed, I try to member that God is right there ALL the time. We will keep praying for your trip :)

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  2. UnknownApril 18, 2010 at 7:34 PM

    Alexis,

    Sounds like your experience is beyond classroom expectations. I'm sorry to hear about the airport experience. Enjoy your time and I will be thinking about you.

    Mrs. C

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  3. Joyce, Justine, Alexis & DavidApril 19, 2010 at 7:44 AM

    Mrs. C,

    It really was quite an experience! But my uncle has reassured us that the airport was the worst of it. So far the trip has been very fun and exciting! I can't wait to come back and tell you all about it! =)

    -Alexis

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