Crazy Adventures in the Life of a Redhead

After a few months absence, I have returned to the fabulous village of Sandiara to participate in the Beersheba Project , an admirable Christian endeavor centering on Biblical studies and environmental preservation: two interests that have lately preoccupied my musings. I have my own room, into which I have comfortably settled, unpacking my enormous backpack for the duration of my month-long internship. Although I am rather fond of my nomadic tendencies, I am always grateful for a home base and my own space. Living with a group of Serer Senegalese and an English/Dutchman, my daily rhythm has substantially and pleasantly changed from that of my other experiences. As the familiar epigram concludes, variety is the spice of life. Since I have one month to give you a picture of my activities here, I will set the stage and plunge into more detailed accounts in the preceding entries. As an aside, I have left behind the world of Ceb bu Jen, a fatty meal of rice, fish, vegetables, and a dr

Touba is a town unlike any other that I have experienced here in Senegal. Touba is considered to be a holy city because it is the chosen residence and the sight of the interment of one of Senegal’s historical religious leaders, Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacké, alias Serigne Touba, who fathered the Muslim Mouride brotherhood. An icon in Senegal, he is revered by most as a leader who aimed to bring the Senegalese people back to the foundations of Islam during the French colonial period of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Central to the city is the Grand Mosque—finished in 1963 and fashioned in a heliocentric pattern —which has promoted the movement of waves of settlers arriving from all regions of Senegal to inhabit this unique locale. The city is an agglomeration of several villages, which has become the second most populated region in Senegal, following Dakar; however, due to the poor infrastructure (sand-filled streets and salty water drinking water for example) and the use of ho

One of the greatest joys in life is a visit from an old friend. When planning my trip to Senegal, I learned that one of my dear high school friends, Danielle Mode, (http://africameetsdanielle.blogspot.com) intended to volunteer as a nurse in the course of that same period. I decided that I would not return to the States for Christmas in order to spend the holidays with one another. Arriving in the afternoon of the 28th of December, I had a packed schedule organized for her six-day vacation in Senegal. After four months of gallivanting around this lovely country, especially the Dakar environs, I have become quite familiar with its regions. With this six-day time constraint, I chose a diverse grouping of landscapes close to Pikine, Dakar: the ocean (Somone), the city (Dakar and some of its jewels), and the countryside (Taiba Ndiaye). Our adventurous spirits melded well together as we traipsed across a country I have come to cherish. The Ocean: Somone Back in October, as you might r