Sitting around the Campfire

I am back from the village and in the beautiful city of Saint Louis which is situated right next to the ocean and always has a cooler breeze coming off the water. I say cooler because it is not at all cold or even cool, but it is cooler than the temperature here, so it is nice. So far this is my favorite place. It is not dirty like Dakar and the people here are very friendly. People in Dakar are also friendly but a little too pushy. We are staying in a hotel that is on an island in the middle of the river that runs through here. The island is downtown Saint Louis. I love it. The city definitly has a European influence, but at the same time still feels like Africa to me. Oour hotel is way too nice. I could not believe it when we first got here, but it isn't very expensive so I guess, why not?

The village experience, for me, went pretty well. I was amazed after the 4 days, how different everyone's experiences were. Some really wanted to leave, others, like me, had good experiences, and others absolutely loved it and wanted to stay. I was honestly a little disappointed with how modern it was. My dad was a taxi driver in a nearby city, and my older brother had a skooter and a cell phone and looked like he could have come off the streets of the U.S. And...this is what killed me...at night, when it was dark (no electricity) we all sat outside under the stars and WATCHED TV!!!!!!! I was confused how this is possible with no electricity. I figured out they hook it up to a car battery and bring it to the nearby city to recharge it. I guess wherever roads take you, you will find more modern technology. I wish I could visit a village that you can't get to by roads.

So one night, Melissa (another student) and I compared the TV to a campfire, because that is what role it seems to play in the village. People gather around it and stare at it, but really they don't care what happens on it. It is just a focal point. It lights up the area a little just like a campfire. The people in the village only spoke Wolof, which was really challenging for me, so they don't even understand what they are watching because it is in French. SO they sit and talk while staring at it for hours, and every once in a while something catches their attention, just like a marshmallow that caught on fire would catch ours.

Ok, I am out of time at this cyber cafe, but I will write more about my experience later!