Exciting news folks! Everything has seemed to fall into place so quickly, my application for studying abroad is complete and in process of being viewed and hopefully (fingers crossed) accepted. Yes it has come to my attention that there is a chance that I might not get accepted, however with all the work and effort I am putting into this journey and my professors are behind me enough that I have faith that I will be accepted!
Now for the exciting news! Last night there was a informational meeting and I have a feeling that this post might get abnormally long! Ready, prepare!
Dakar is located right on the Atlantic Ocean and will be over 100 degrees when we are there and extremely humid. The area that we are staying in is walking distance to so much! This includes the beach, one of the best ice cream places right next to our hotel, the Presidents house, the embassy, the University, many shops, art, and local music. Our hotel is used for business mainly and is five stories, air conditioned (which is a huge deal), and located in a culturally rich neighborhood where all businesses, etc are own by the families in the neighborhood. The main languages are French and their local language which we will be learning beforehand and while over there. More details later!
The main goal of the trip is to witness the impacts and relationships of education policies, health policies, and literacy aspects are impacted through our areas of interest. There are many areas in which we will look into some of the examples that were given were how food is produced, technology, loans, world bank, world trade, and how all of these systems used connects back to the policies and aspects of interest. Overall the main goal is to check out globalization and the positive and negative aspects what it can have on a culture. We were told yesterday that while in Senegal we will see that some issues are being solved quicker or more effectively in Africa even though it is not as developed as in the U.S. But we will also see where the U.S is aiding and progressing in areas as well.
We will also be observing the structures of daily life there compared to daily life in the U.S. For starters during our three week pre-departure classes we will learn the customs and rules etc. for being respectful over there. For some of the places we visit the females will have to wear head coverings. Females also need to dress is long and baggy clothes, if we'd like we can purchase fabric and there are people who will make you outfits overnight that are custom to their culture, they are beautiful! Very vibrant and colorful, cannot wait! We cannot use our left hand for anything, that is seen as a large insult and that hand is seen as what you use in the restroom to put it nicely. Regardless of anything you have to eat what is served, often times you will not know what you are eating. Did I mention you eat with your hands, and all is served by the male with his hands too. Bring it on!
If you haven't caught on Dakar is a Muslim culture it is said that there are more Mosques in Dakar than anything else, we will tour some of them and from the sounds of it they are beautiful! Dekar itself is a relatively rich culture and very political but in a non-violent way. Our site leaders said more than likely we will see students protesting because education in Dakar is such an important part of the students lives. The University we will be studying in is very competitive to get into and only select students are able to attend. Tuition is around $100/year. The developmental schools that we will be working in are around $20/year however many families are unable to make that or have to make extreme life changes to move near a school that their children can go to.
We will be working in the following areas and will be creating a project to work in these communities and will be conducting research to bring back to Western. I will focus my research in one of these areas, however I am very interested in all of them so I hope to make it to all of them. Our afternoons will be filled with working at the placements. There are so many great opportunities to chose from and your trip can be made to fit your interests. More details later.
-Autism School
- Tonal/Deaf School
- Pikine
- NGO Museums
- Suburb School (slums)
- Local Hospital Psych Ward
Lectures will be given to expand our knowledge on local organizations and we have the opportunity to work at the university there which is very prestigious and tough to get into! Below are just some of the people/organizations which we will hear from:
- UN Speakers
- Non-governmental projects
- Network with Homeless (National Association)
Adventures: we will be sight seeing as well, from what we were told the city and surrounding areas are amazing and absolutely beautiful not to mention the ocean as the backdrop to the city we are staying in. Excited for these trips too!
- Gorgui Island: This island has reminiscence of slavery, rich in culture and is a ferry boat ride away.
- Yoff: This is the capital of 1 of 4 of the Islamic brotherhood in Senegal we will looking at the urban farms and getting a look at apartheid firsthand
- Angelous Davis School: Here we will be painting and meeting with parents in the community. We will then go on home visits where we will bring ingredients to make dinner with them. This allows to bond with families of the students we are working with or parents that we are partnering in with for our projects. The painting that we will be doing is to improve the school and that is the favor they have asked us to do! The school is located in Pikine which has 1.2 million people and this school has the highest success rate of the test that gets students into the competitive university.
Lots of new information, but all very exciting! Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, continue to think good thought and send prayers! Updates soon I hope!
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