A Peaceful Return to Senegal


After an uneventful plane ride (the best kinds) back “home” to Senegal, I landed in the early morning, in the darkness. I grabbed my bags and set out to find a way home. (You would think that maybe I would have hailed a taxi at the airport given the time, but I am always out looking for a cheaper means.) I found a communal taxi that took me to a more visible spot where I hailed a cheap cab back to Pikine. No one really knew when I was to arrive, so the surprise was quite fun. Exhausted and a bit jumbled, I fell into bed for a few hours. It was Election Day and no one knew what would happen. Everyone was praying for the best and expecting the worst. Fortunately, the elections were peaceful and Abdoulaye Wade, the current president, conceded to losing the first round of elections, which necessitates a second round to be held on March 25. This pronouncement was significant and about 75 percent of the people hope that the opposition, Macky Sall, will win the victory. In order to mitigate possible ballot corruption, all public transportation was forced to stop running between regions one day before and one day after Election Day. I remained in Dakar for two days before returning to my internship with the Beersheba Project. Actually, I am quite thankful that I stayed for those two days. It was nice to be with my host family in Pikine to spend a little time catching up.


This is how you make charcoal from tree clippings; it is an intricate process.

Now I am back in Sandiara where I will be until March 13th. There are now two other white people (“tubabs”), living in the guesthouse, which has certainly changed the dynamics a bit, but is also quite diverting and interesting. Since returning I have participated in the assembly of the charcoal pile, the pruning of trees, and the preparation for and the planting of a grove of trees. This coming week I will be working on translating a book entitled, Let’s Restore our Land, from English to French. I plan also to complete my tree book I had started before my trip to the U.S. I do love it here in this village. There is everything that I could want: calm running trails, basic sundry items, and millet. I love millet! I made millet doughnuts with my adopted family in Sandiara, and they were delicious. I took over the housekeeping duties at the house this past week because all the other girls and the guard’s wife had all returned to their villages to spend time with their families. It is nice to keep house for a short while. Soon, I will once again be venturing out into the cultural unknowns for which I am quite keen on pursuing. Be blessed!

When I leave Senegal, I am going to burn this green outfit!


Tip #13 for Surviving in Senegal: When you don’t have proper food to eat, chocolate peanut butter spread is a great alternative. I am sure that you have all heard of Nutella ® but have you heard of Chocoleca, Chocopain or Chocomousse? I am sure these names are quite unfamiliar. Well, they are household names here in Senegal and are the favorite breakfast spreads of local families. High in calories, very tasty and with a very strong chocolate and peanut taste (Imagine that!), they are perfect on bread or on a spoon in the African bush.

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