The African Queen

I WILL NOT Miss... (continued)

2011-06-22T05:47:00.000-07:00

French Language

Sharing the Road with Animals

Rainy Season Heat & Humidity

Trash

I WILL NOT Miss...

2011-06-22T05:34:00.000-07:00

...in Senegal

Ramadan

Haggling & Selling of Wares

Utter Chaos on the Streets

Being Called a Toubab all the Time

What I Will Miss... (last one!)

2011-06-21T22:14:00.001-07:00

Jaia

My Class

Rainy Season

ORCA!

What I Will Miss... (still continued)

2011-06-21T21:45:00.001-07:00

Secret Beach

Other Beaches (like Popenguine & Somone)

Djembe Playing

Creative Club

The Continual Warmth

What I Will Miss... (continued)

2011-06-21T21:18:00.001-07:00

Music

Gazelle

Friends

Cars Trips in my 4X4

What I Will Miss...

2011-06-21T21:01:00.001-07:00

...in Senegal

Jenn Kellett

Pirouge Excursions

My Classroom

Kickboxing

It's All About The Talent

2011-06-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

My school hosts an annual Talent Show. Last year, I joined a big group of people and performed a Thriller Dance. This year, I joined some friends to put on a kickboxing demonstration. Picture this...Eye of the Tiger music pumping in the air...a little jump rope...our impressive kickboxing coaches on stage...each of us going through 2 routines each...some uppercuts, reverse kicks, jabs, front kicks...

ISD Fun Run

2011-06-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

One of my coworkers, Brad, organized a 10K and 15K run around Dakar this morning. The race ended at the Bungalows for a swim and brunch!

I didn't run, but helped out with the brunch and took part in the festivities.

World Cultural Month

2011-05-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

My school saw another World Cultural Month come and go. This time, I helped organize the Fashion Show, and my students sang a song in Wolof, the local language.

The Beach

2011-04-10T02:09:00.000-07:00

I am going to miss the beach. At times some of them can be trashy...but the sand is yellow-white and fine here and the lighting is perfect at sunset.

Football!

2011-04-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

There was a huge soccer game in Dakar between Senegal and Cameroon a couple weekends back. A big group of us went.

I was afraid to take my camera (because of pickpockets...as it was, one guy in our group got his wallet stolen on the way into the stadium. 5 minutes later, he got his camera stolen. Serious bummer!)

These pictures are from our meet-up spot before catching a taxi to the game.

Senegal won 1 - 0. Bravo!

Independence

2011-04-04T04:04:00.000-07:00

Today is Senegal's Independence Day. Look at what Google put up in honor of the day!!

The Job

2011-03-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back, we took the wee ones on a field trip to the lighthouse and statue. It was a lovely day for some walking...up the hill to the lighthouse, inside for a tour, and then back down. Then, up the never ending stairs to the statue, around the base, and then back down. Bon exercice!

Pirouge Excursion

2011-03-29T17:11:00.000-07:00

Also before heading back, we took a day for a pirouge excursion to
explore the mangroves and wildlife around the Casamance River. At one point, we got out and explored a village on the northern bank of the river.

Batik Man

2011-03-29T16:40:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention...when we were in Zinguinchor, we visited a man that makes batiks. They were the best I've ever seen. Apparently, he is quite well known around Senegal.

Ziguinchor

2011-03-29T16:12:00.001-07:00

Our last stop was Zinguinchor for 2 nights. It was a bit of a smelly, port town - not much to it, but that is where we caught the boat back to Dakar.

Carabane - More Pictures

2011-03-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

Carabane - Ultimate Serenity

2011-03-27T23:13:00.001-07:00

I can't imagine that more than a few hundred people live on Carabane. It was so quiet and beautiful. Annnnnnnnd, windy! We actually only stayed one night because the winds were so fierce. It would not have been pleasant beach combing and lounging the next day if we'd stayed. Too bad - I really liked it there.

Carabane Island - Where to Stay

2011-03-26T01:28:00.001-07:00

It wasn't hard deciding where to stay on Carabane. There are only a handful of choices. The nicest place is a hotel that used to be a catholic mission. The old chapel is now a cute bar where you can sit and have a drink.

Pirogue Ride: Sights along the way

2011-03-26T01:00:00.000-07:00

Off to Carabane

2011-03-26T00:30:00.000-07:00

After a few glorious days in C.S., we decided to hop a pirogue and travel the mangroved waterways to Ile de Carabane -- an island at the mouth of the Casamance river.

Bananagrams & Shantys

2011-03-25T23:54:00.000-07:00

We played a fair amount of Bananagrams.
Enjoyed beautiful sunsets.
Drank a lot of shantys.

To Cap Skirring

2011-03-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

Straight off the boat from Zinguinchor, we hopped a taxi to Cap Skirring. Ever since I arrived in Senegal, I'd heard a lot of good things about Cap Skirring (C.S.). It didn't disappoint. The night life was fun, and we stayed in a beautiful hotel to the north of the actual town of C.S.

Christians, Pigs, and Chickens

2011-03-24T09:14:00.000-07:00

Down south, the religion is different...mainly Christians.

Therefore, the diet is different...they eat pork.

Also, there seemed to be a lot of chickens around.

Looking at the Map

2011-03-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

First map - quite a simple one of Senegal in order to locate the Casamance area.

Second map - pay attention to where Ziguinchor, Cap Skirring, and Carabane are (Carabane is actually an island, but you can't tell from this map).

Sunrise on the Boat

2011-03-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

The sunrise while traveling along the Casamance river to Zinguinchor on Saturday morning...

The Osama Ferry

2011-03-24T07:24:00.000-07:00

It took 15 hours to journey from Dakar to Zinguinchor (the largest city in the Casamance region) on a ferry boat. The boat left Dakar around 8 p.m., traveled through the night, and then arrived in Ziguinchor around 11 a.m. the next day.

We decided to rent a cabin that had beds, a bathroom, and individual lockers for storage. The boat was extremely nice - I was pleasantly surprised.

And, on the trip down, dolphins kept us entertained by jumping around and playing!

Casamance - Spring Break

2011-03-24T05:20:00.000-07:00

Well, that brings me up-to-date. Yeah!

Last week was my Spring Break. I traveled down to the Casamance region (it is the southern part of Senegal, below the Gambia). I went with two of my Bungalow neighbors - Emily and Rachel.

Here are a few differences I noticed between the Casamance region and Dakar:

It is cheaper
The people are friendlier and less pushy with selling
More greenery around
It has a "small town feel"

The next posts will focus on my trip there. This picture is right before we caught the ferry to Casamance. A group of us grabbed some beers after school on the Friday.

Portugal 5 - The Edge of the World

2011-03-20T20:45:00.001-07:00

...well, maybe just of western Europe.

On our day tour, we stopped at the most western point in Portugal/Europe.

Portugal 4 - Sintra and Beyond

2011-03-20T20:43:00.005-07:00

Jenn and I went out of Lisbon on a day trip to a city called Sintra (and to some other places as well). Sintra is like a little city out of a fairy tale book - castles with turrets, beautiful gardens, lakes with swans...

It was a FREEEEZING, blustery day, but we were able to see more of the country.

Portugal 3 - The Digs

2011-03-20T20:43:00.003-07:00

I would like to fashion my future house after the decor in our Lisbon hostel. There was a computer nook....a super comfy t.v. room (we watched The Holiday twice)...a lounge area with beanbags and travel books...and an eating/hang out area that screamed "chill."

Portugal 2 - Lisbon, Modern City Extraordinaire

2011-03-20T20:43:00.001-07:00

Lisbon is amazing - cobblestone streets, good shopping and food, clean, right on the water...

Honestly, I was ready to move there. After being in a developing country for so long, I could not have asked for a better stop over. Jenn and I took in a movie, got a coffee every day, shopped for endless hours, and just soaked in the atmosphere.

Portugal 1 - The Starbuck's Experience

2011-03-20T20:42:00.008-07:00

First stop in Lisbon? Starbucks.

Morocco 4 - More pictures

2011-03-20T20:42:00.007-07:00

Morocco 3 - Rugs, plates, and travelling companions

2011-03-20T20:42:00.005-07:00

Morocco boast some amazing rugs and hand painted plates. I bought a small rug, but couldn't find the right plate for me in the amount of time I had. I guess I'll need to go back...

Also, we met up with some of Jenn's friends from a previous international school. They were great travelling companions!

Morocco 2 - Hostel

2011-03-20T20:42:00.003-07:00

We stayed in a colorful riad (guesthouse/hostel) down many winding alleys. The staff served up steaming mint tea many a time and made our stay very comfortable.

Morocco 1 - Marrakech

2011-03-20T20:42:00.001-07:00

Marrakech is a city teeming with life - packed souks (markets) for shopping, snake tamers, cheap fresh squeezed orange juice, delicious tangines...I could go on and on.

It was fun taking in the sights and shopping!!

Winter Break

2011-03-20T20:29:00.001-07:00

This is going to be my last year in Dakar. I've decided to take a little time to travel and have a small break from working next year. We'll see how long I can make it last!

With that in mind, I decided to stay "around" the Africa area to travel during the Winter Break. My friend Jenn and I visited Morocco (1st picture - spices and tea!) and Portugal (the city of Lisbon in all its glory behind me) over a ten day period. Both were simply amazing!!!

Desert Concert

2011-03-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

A big group of us headed to the Sahel region in Senegal for a concert. It's a bit odd to see a stage and all the trappings set up far from a village/town smack in the middle of a desert. There was a band from Mauritania that performed, as well as an Ethiopian singer.

Never Ending Birthday

2011-03-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

My friend Jodie and I have birthdays 3 days apart from each other. We managed to celebrate our birthdays with a few separate events. At this one, we had a bbq at the Bungalows.

Fancy Resort

2011-03-20T20:09:00.001-07:00

Before my mom left, we went to a posh resort down south for the Thanksgiving Break. It's a good thing we visited when we did because the place burnt down to the ground a month after we were there...

Best Overseas Thanksgiving EVER!

2011-03-20T20:04:00.000-07:00

Has it really been that long? Yes. I am that far behind. This one goes back to November.

My friend Rebekah made the most amazing food ever for Thanksgiving. I literally could not move for hours after the meal (as it should be). In honor of the meal, only food pictures will be posted.

Tabaski #2

2011-01-23T00:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm going to try and do a marathon catch-up here! (At my mom's request...)

My second Tabaski was spent at my friend Aliou's place. His family are excellent hosts. They treated us like gold!

New Hair Cut

2011-01-23T00:18:00.001-08:00

Long hair...soon to be short! (See my later posts)

La Madre

2010-12-04T21:52:00.000-08:00

My mom visited for a month... It's great to have family come (especially when they bring 3 quarts of their AMAZING pickles with them!!!), but alas, the time has already come and gone. We had a nice visit, and she was an easy and accommodating guest!

Internet...and Marlins

2010-11-16T22:23:00.000-08:00

My Internet connection has not been the most reliable this year. It's okay for checking emails, but it takes forever to load pictures for the blog and other projects. A little bit frustrating and the reason I haven't been posting as much.

These pictures were taken on the beach in Ngor. There was a marlin contest and the biggest catches were being weighed.

Masks

2010-10-31T01:27:00.001-07:00

A mask shop in Somone. I tried forever to get one of the photos loaded the correct way, but it just wouldn't work!

Lovely La Somone

2010-10-31T00:58:00.000-07:00

Jenn, Carly, and I took a night away in one of my favorite places - Somone. We lounged around on the beach, did some mask shopping, explored, and dined at one of the best restaurants around Dakar...a little French one that is some of the best food put on Earth.

Beach Party - Senegalese Style

2010-10-28T17:33:00.000-07:00

Before Hillary left, Aliou and her hosted a beach party for friends and family. Fish was grilled and a bonfire made...before we knew it, a bunch of Aliou's friends/family were drumming with sticks on plastic containers.

Carly's Visit - N'gor Island

2010-10-28T17:10:00.000-07:00

My friend Carly, from my time in Aberdeen, was able to come for a visit. Right now, she's working/living in Germany, so she came from that part of the world for her first visit to Africa! Of course we had a great time - visiting N'gor island, exploring the city, beaching it up in Somone, bargaining for gifts to take back, and relaxing and catching up. She's a stand up comic, so the laughs were plentiful.

The next few posts will be pictures she took while visiting here.

BIG 3-0 in Africa

2010-10-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

(Pictures from Hillary's party at Bungalow B.)

Exactly one month ago today, Hillary got to celebrate her 30th birthday in Dakar... very cool for all of us here. Now she's gone. Back to Seattle and wearing sweatshirts and being cold. Best of luck back home, Hill!

Radisson Blu

2010-10-12T16:48:00.001-07:00

I would like the Radisson Blu hotel to hire me as their NUMBER ONE fan! I'm ready to shout their awesomeness from every rooftop in Dakar.

So, Hillary's been visiting for the past month or so. It just so happened that her 30th birthday was at the end of September during her visit. In celebration, we spent a night (and parts of Saturday and Sunday) at the Radisson Blu.

Bliss is the best word to describe the experience.

Dino Party!

2010-10-07T23:06:00.000-07:00

My friend, Rachel, recently had a birthday. The theme? Dino B-day Party. People were super creative, and pulled together costumes at the last minute. My favorite accessory was an empty Corona 6-pack carton placed on the head to represent some sort of fin...or horn...or??? I like it! My costume paid homage to foil. I was Aluminiumosaurus!

Revisit to Popenguine

2010-09-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Popenguine was one of the favorite places that I visited last year. So, I decided this year I needed to go back...hopefully, several times. Weekend before last I did just that. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it's one of many trips for the school year. Jenn and I did some drumming on the beach, the group meals were delicious, and the water and beach were just beautiful (well, maybe the beach was a bit more trashy than I remember). All in all though, a good weekend.

Korite in Pictures

2010-09-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

New Place...New Neighbors

2010-09-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

I moved houses this year. Now I live in a community of people that I work with - each one of us has our own bungalow and a private pool to share. My neighbors/coworkers are awesome, and we've already had a lot of fun times together. I look forward to many more!

ISD in VT

2010-09-15T15:59:00.001-07:00

There was quite a sizable ISD crew (past and present people connected to my school) at the wedding in Vermont. Go team Dakar!!

The After Party

2010-09-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

There were some wild dance moves on the floor, and we boogied until the wee hours of the morning. Such a great wedding, and I wish Mike & Devon the best on their traveling adventure!

Mike & Devon

2010-09-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

Mike and Devon got married next to a pond around Burlington, Vermont. One of my favorite weddings ever -- cool people, beautiful setting, and so much fun!

Oh...the Food

2010-09-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

Vermont is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. Not only will you find the Ben & Jerry's Factory there, but delicious cider and cheese as well. One day, a group of us went on a little drive of the senses.

Vermont Wedding

2010-09-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

Okay...I decided to finally finish cleaning & unpacking my bedroom. Granted, this was long overdue, but definitely worth it. I finally found my "lost" camera cord - the one used to download pictures to my computer!! This is the reason there's been a dearth of posts lately.

Anyway, I am back in Dakar. (More photos to follow about that later.)

Let's go back to August first. Before I left the states, I was able to attend a wedding in Vermont for my friends Mike and Devon. I taught with them last year at my current school, and now they are taking this year off to travel the world. A year long honeymoon around the Earth. The next few posts will highlight the weekend of wedding festivities...

Camping

2010-08-02T01:46:00.000-07:00

Trina, Michelle, Jenny, Aunt Cherie and I camped in Idaho weekend before last. Some "best" highlights:

Best animal spotting - the adorable barn owl in the tree
Best game - Bananagrams
Best drink - Hoegaarden
Best dessert - Smores (of course!)
Best storyteller - Aunt Cherie
Best snuggler - Trina
Best cooks - Jenny & Aunt Cherie
Best person to visit wineries with - Michelle

Oh Canada!

2010-07-19T21:00:00.001-07:00

I had the opportunity to do a quick visit to see the Kelletts in Canada on my way home. We drove from Vancouver to Calgary through the Canadian Rockies - AMAZING - and even caught some of the famous Calgary Stampede.

Team Beers, Anyone?

2010-07-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

Three boats banded together this trip. We had team beers quite often, had dinners together, and June was always making coffee for everyone. The team consisted of Thassos (Chief & June), Zante (Derek and Emma), and Nereus.

Beautiful!

2010-07-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

Buildings and Street Life

2010-07-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

Nereus - My Boat

2010-07-18T02:03:00.001-07:00

I Found Flipper!

2010-07-17T16:47:00.001-07:00

I just had to travel all the way to Greece to see him (and several of his relations)!

To start off my summer holiday, I spent 2 weeks sailing the Ionian Islands in Greece. I learned a lot about sailing, saw some great ocean animals, and was lovingly ribbed by a bunch of Brits everyday.

It was a good time.

The following posts will be some of my favorite pictures from the sailing trip.

First Mocha...

2010-07-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

...in a loooong while. It was delicious!

In Search of Flipper

2010-06-14T00:19:00.001-07:00

My coworker's husband invited me on a fishing expedition last weekend. This trip held a lot of promise because he had made the same one a month ago and mentioned seeing "hundreds" of dolphins next to the boat for a good portion of the afternoon.

How can one resist seeing dolphin upon dolphin flipping through the sparkling blue waters?? Well not me. That definitely grabbed my interest more than the fishing part.

Fast forward to the day --

I lasted about 2 hours on the boat, and I was so miserable with seasickness the entire time that the guys offered to drop me back on shore. They were so kind about it.

And, the closest I got to seeing Flipper was a table in a restaurant where we booked the trip. I guess I'll just have to take my chances with SeaWorld from now on...

Farwell Dinner

2010-06-13T01:11:00.000-07:00

Our school staff met one last time for a farwell dinner.

Around 12 people are leaving...some back to the states or Canada, others for different jobs to Argentina, France, and Thailand. One couple is taking a year off to travel the world.

I wish all these wonderful people the best!

Staying up Late!

2010-06-13T00:08:00.000-07:00

My friend Desvaux has connections.

She got us into an unspecified club (as in workout/swimming/cabana) the other night at 1.30 in the AM to watch the Lakers vs. Celtics basketball game. The late hour was due to the time difference between the states and here obviously...

PR quickly got the television in order, I hopped on pouring drinks, and Desvaux chilled.

The Celtics won, and we all made it into work the next day at 8 a.m. Not bad for staying up until around 4!

Au Revoir

2010-06-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

Today was my last day of school.

With my line of work, it's easy to mark the passage of time. Another school year gone...I now have a decade of teaching under my belt. That is incredibly hard for me to believe.

I'm here in Dakar for one more week to get settled into my new place - it has a pool! And then I'm off to do some sailing in Greece with my friend Jill.

Au revoir for a little bit, Senegal.

Brazilian Rooftop Dinner

2010-06-08T23:40:00.000-07:00

One of my friends recently had some pre wedding festivities. Part of the night was spent dining on the rooftop of a Brazilian family in Dakar. The family opens up a restaurant one night out of the month, and serves delicious meats and side dishes for those that reserve a spot. I'd heard about this fun dining experience a few months back and had always wanted to go.

I'm so glad I got the chance! I'll try for a repeat next year...

Creative Club

2010-06-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

About every 3 weeks, I got together with some other artsy gals to be creative. I usually painted or made cards, Jenn and Jazzy liked to scrapbook, and Stacey funked it up and worked on different projects.

We recently had our last get together for this year at Stacey's. She cooked homemade pizza and cookies...so delicious! Very bittersweet because Stacey is moving to Argentina next year. We'll miss her.

THRILLA

2010-06-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

With a group of teachers at my school, I learned Michael Jackson's Thriller dance. We've been practicing for the past 3 months or so and finally performed for our school's talent show yesterday. We did pretty well and had loads of fun!

Here is the YouTube link. I'm in the back middle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpmWbUE4iB0

Eh? (Said with a Canadian Accent)

2010-06-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

I forgot to write about my new roomie, Monika! She's now been here 2 months living with me. She just finished doing her student teaching in the upper school where I work, and recently got a temporary job until the end of the school year.

Monika is from Canada, speaks French, English, and Polish, and loves African dance and culture. Senegal is the perfect fit for her!

St. Louis - Out and About with Friends

2010-05-26T14:48:00.000-07:00

St. Louis - The Music and Street Scene

2010-05-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

St. Louis - The Beach & Lodging

2010-05-26T13:00:00.001-07:00

St. Louis Jazz Festival

2010-05-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

A bunch of us headed up north over the three day weekend to catch the Jazz Festival in St. Louis.

http://www.saintlouisjazz.com/

We stayed at a beautiful place right on the beach. It was the nicest beach I've seen in Senegal thus far. The next few posts will be pictures from the weekend.

Badminton...or Bust!

2010-05-21T16:19:00.000-07:00

My friend Gabbie talked me into playing in a badminton tournament at school. So we did.

Little did we know that we'd be the only ones to dress up in costume - me as PINK GIRL and Gabbie as SPARKLY GRRR-L. Little did I know that the tournament was immediate elimination if you lost.

Our 12 minutes of glorious (un)fame were fabulous. It just so happened that our first and only game was against the eventual tournament winners. We were doomed from the start.

D-d-d-djembe

2010-05-14T17:25:00.000-07:00

I started taking djembe lessons from my coworker's Guinean husband about a month ago.

The djembe I use has more fur around the edges, but this pretty much looks like the drum I use. It is a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Mermaid Dress

2010-05-01T00:45:00.000-07:00

I had an African dress made to wear for the Closing Ceremony of World Cultural Month. My movement was very limited in the dress, but it was fun to wear for an afternoon. I had a headband and special shoes made to match my dress as well. As you can tell by the close-up shots of the shoes, I love them!

World Cultural Month Activities

2010-05-01T00:15:00.001-07:00

Closing day of World Cultural Month happened yesterday. Parents set up country themed booths around the school, and students visited the booths to learn more about their world. They took a 'passport' with them and received a stamp after visiting each place. Most booths had food samples, and they were all decorated amazingly. The kids loved it! Later, my students performed a theatre piece in front of the school. We had African print outfits made for the kids. I have to say, they did look adorable.

The Wall

2010-05-01T00:02:00.000-07:00

April was World Cultural Month at my school. It involved parents and volunteers coming in to share food, stories, artifacts, etc. from their country. The art teacher had students repaint a wall in honor of the event with famous structures and symbols from around the world. C'est magnifique!

我喜歡中國食物！

2010-04-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

Yummy!

I love one of the Chinese restaurants in town. Tonight I went with some friends, and it was delicious once again. My favorite dishes are chow mein and the green beans. The picture I'm posting is actually from January when Hillary visited and we went to Chinese, so this demonstrates to you the many times I've been to eat there!

School Happenings

2010-04-22T23:29:00.000-07:00

We had Sports Day and some entertainment to go along with it last month.

Check out one of the videos a colleague put together after the event:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcL-wlvPd8Y&feature=player_embedded

Goodbye & Goodbye

2010-04-10T01:18:00.001-07:00

I've had to say goodbye to two lovely friends in the past week.

First, Jill continued with her vacation and went to Morocco to do some charity work after Senegal. We had a great time catching up and seeing the sights around Dakar and beyond. She was game for anything, and is the type of person that is consistently upbeat and generous with others. I'll miss her!

Then, Hillary came back to visit me for a week after spending 2 months studying art in Paris. We laughed a lot and enjoyed beach time, chilling, and good talks. Her surf instructor, Aliou, came along on some of our outings. Love both of them!

Controversial

2010-04-09T13:30:00.000-07:00

Dakar's controversial African Renaissance statue was opened to the public this past weekend.

Read the following articles if you're interested --

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36158049/ns/world_news-africa/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/arts/2010/01/100129_senegal_statue.shtml

The Beach

2010-04-03T03:29:00.000-07:00

I started taking photos of all the odds and ends you can find on a beach in Senegal. The Palmarin beach was a bit trashy, so the photo opportunities were rich. The dead animal in a bag was definitely the freakest.

Also, there was an old ship wreck that sat slightly off the coast. I found it fascinating, and it had my mind buzzing with all the possibilities of why it was there.

Salt & Hyenas

2010-04-03T02:52:00.000-07:00

One night while in Palmarin, we took a horse ride out to the salt flats to see hyenas in the wild. They live on a protected nature preserve, and they have a favorite gathering place each day around dusk. Waiting for them involved patience and hushed voices...

Along the way, we stopped and viewed some areas where families harvest salt from pools. A 50 kilogram bag of salt is sold for less than a dollar. A lot of work for little profit. Much of the salt gathered in this region is shipped down to The Gambia for sale.

Tam Tam Jam

2010-04-02T16:37:00.001-07:00

A Tam Tam is a type of drum. In one hand, you hold and play with a stick from a tree. The other hand is free to bang on the drum. You alternate rhythms by using your hand and the stick on the top of the tam tam.

One afternoon, we decided to take tam tam lessons. Directions in hand, we headed out to the third (or was it the second?) village in Palmarin to meet up with our Tam Tam instructors by the Catholic church. Turns out, a Peace Corps volunteer that Steve knows from Dakar was with the guys because he is stationed in Palmarin. We all jammed and had a good time. I'm not going to lie, we rocked the tam tam in a serious way!

A Near Perfect Dinner

2010-04-02T16:03:00.001-07:00

Ingredients for A Near Perfect Dinner:

nondescript blue and white building (aka a restaurant)
t.v. playing Latino or Senegalese soap operas
plastic chairs and table
ridiculously small kitchen
room temperature Gazelles
yassa poulet
broken rice
no electricity on the second night
candle light
locals drinking palm wine

Oh man! We had the best dinner out at the local (and I believe only) restaurant in Palmarin. The building was dingy, the t.v. was behind a metal grating and constantly played soaps, but you could tell this was the place to be SEEN in Palmarin. We were pretty much celebrities being the only tourists in the room, and everyone was super friendly. This was the sort of place frequented by locals, and it was pretty cool because most people around Palmarin spoke some English because of the close proximity to The Gambia (where English is spoken opposed to French).

To sum it up, it was one of the best meals I've ever had. We loved it so much we went back the next night, but due to my broken French, we ate fish that time instead of the more beloved chicken. Still delicious though!

Island School

2010-04-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

Definite highlight here...

We got to visit and stay for 10 - 15 minutes in the village school. It consisted of a smaller building divided into two rooms. The room I spent my time in was filled with elementary students - the oldest was 9 years old. There were about 24 students in this room. The other room had maybe 10 students that were middle school aged. The younger students were studying the numbers 1 - 12, writing as well as speaking them. They were also learning to write the letter 'e.' Obviously, there were some other studies mapped out on the board, but the lesson we observed concerned the numbers and letters. The headmaster had a leather strip that coiled up into a circle, and when the students misbehaved, he marched over to their area and forcefully slapped an end of the coil on their desk. I've never seen students quiet down so quickly. The burning question on my mind? Where can I get one of those leather coils for my classroom???!!!

Island Living

2010-04-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

We also visited a traditional island village on our pirogue tour. Children followed us all over during our walking tour of the village, asking for a cadeaux (a gift)!

A Muddy Job

2010-04-01T03:46:00.000-07:00

At one point on the pirogue tour, we pulled up to a wet 'sand bar' to witness some families digging through mud, collecting small clams to eat and sell. We joined right in, digging away and collecting our own pile of mollusks (okay, I honestly only contributed two to the bucket). It was dirty work, and there was a girl as young as 4 1/2 digging and collecting as well. The most amazing part were the conditions... all of us promptly sank into the mud as soon as we stepped off the boat. I went down a bit more than the others and had to be rescued as I tried to pull myself out of sucking mud that was knee deep! Anyway, the work is hard and the ladies and kids were all smiling and seemed to be having a good enough time. Unbelievable to me how easy my life is. I wanted to clean the kids up and take them away from such back breaking work.

Winding Through the Mangroves by Pirogue

2010-04-01T00:58:00.001-07:00

We rented a pirogue for a day to explore the mangroves.

In Palmarin

2010-03-31T16:07:00.000-07:00

We rented an uberlarge hut at the place we stayed. It was right by the beach, had a pool, and boasted a sacred baobab tree that looked like the profile of a person. Hmmm....

In one of the pictures, you can see us inspecting the inside of the fruit from the baobab tree.

Road to Palmarin

2010-03-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

Jenn, Steve, Jill, Jaia and I packed the car up the other day to drive 3 1/2 hours south to the Sine Saloum Delta. The Kelletts planned the trip, and Jill and I were along for the ride. We stayed in a small place called Palmarin that is made up of 4 villages. It is more of a remote location...known for its mangroves, wildlife, and waterways. LOVED it. My next 4-5 blog entries will focus on what we did while there.