Five days in Dakar: Part 2

The next day I was woken up at 5 a.m. by the call to prayer emanating from Dakar's mosque, not something we have in Aix. And then I was woken up again at 7 a.m. by the early sunrise. Once it was actually daytime, Alex and I went to the Ile de N'gor, a small island not far from the coast of Dakar. To get there, you take pirogues from the beach, which are boats only in the sense that they float. The bottom was filled with water and the boats aren't much more than elongated canoes that can hold far more people than you'd expect. If I recall correctly, it cost 500 CFA per person for the roundtrip. Which is $1.

The island is very, very pretty, with big houses that are presumably very expensive—people tell me that singers Akon and Peter Gabriel have, at separate times, lived on the island. On one side, you stand above huge cliffs facing the Atlantic Ocean, and it's really desolate; we saw a driftwood sculpture and a man fishing. On the other side, facing Dakar, are numerous beaches. They look like they came straight from a postcard for tropical island vacations, although there are few spots on sand left which haven't been commandeered by locals who want you to pay to sit on a mat. Yes, we swam in the ocean, although it was surprisingly cold.

Back in Dakar, I ate with Alex's host family, although due to a recent death in the family, her Momma Coura wasn't there. Instead, the maid Astou had made us thiéboudienne, which is kind of the national Senegalese dish. The word comes from Wolof, the local dialect, for "rice and fish", which is pretty accurate. Ours was rice with chunks of fish, chicken, and assorted vegetables. After, we had atthaya tea, which takes an unreasonably long time to make but is sweet, refreshing, and minty.

On Saturday, Alex and other American students from her dance class were to give a spectacle showing off all the African dances they'd learned through the semester. In the morning was the practice session, then in the evening was the actual performance. I won't embarass her with the video of the dance, but here are the djembe players who accompanied the dancing:

Saturday night we ate with Alex's host family again. This time I'm not sure what the meal was called, but it was millet with beef in some kind of sauce. As is proper, we sat on mats and ate with our right hand only. You're supposed to grab the meat in the sauce and sort of grab the millet all around it, so it all sticks together in a ball. I wasn't too successful and ended up dropping most of my food on the floor until Astou told Alex to get me a spoon.

Afterwards we went to Koulgraoul, a monthly dance party on the beach for students. It was absolutely packed even until the wee hours of the morning. To get there, we took a taxi. The driver stopped at least seven or eight times to ask directions from other taxi drivers, people on the street, etc. Apparently this is normal in Dakar. Traffic and taxis in Dakar is another post in itself.

Sunday was my last full day in Dakar and, after eating chocolate spread on a baguette with instant coffee and instant milk, we went to Oakum. Oakum is a little village outside of Dakar where two other University of Michigan students live. It really is a different planet than the United States or Europe. One of the girls lives in a house with 20 people. Chickens and foot-long lizards wander around. As they pointed out in the comments on my last post, toilets and sinks are just a dream. At the Oakum market, flies buzzed around raw meat and the whole place smelled absolutely disgusting. But rather than being a terrible experience, it was eye-opening and I'm glad I saw it.

In the evening we walked toward the coast. There wasn't the spectacular sunset over the Atlantic you'd expect; as the sun dips toward the horizon, it just kind of disappears into haze. We did, however, play on what Alex and her friends have named Bouncey-Doo. On cliffs overlooking the ocean are a set of trampolines. For just 500 CFA—$1—you get 15 minutes to bounce, leap, and spring all about. I don't know why, but it was fantastic fun. Also, I've never been on a trampoline so close to the ocean.

And that, sadly, was the end of my sejour in Senegal. I had to go to bed early and sleep so that I could get up early for my flight back Monday morning. I was only there for four full days after my flight was delayed, but it was truly unforgettable. The whole experience was eye opening and I am really, really glad I went.