Use your left hand

Last day in Dakar. Too many things need to be done. I finally saw the Monument de la Renaissance. It was incredibly huge and windy.
But also I have to say goodbye to people. Which is awful. I would much rather just slip away and pretend it wasn't actually happening. But unfortunately this is rude in any culture... So when you say goodbye here, it is appropriate to shake hands with your left hand, which means you will hopefully return.
So that's what I've been doing.
Also, thank you kind people who have been humoring me and reading my blog and telling me they've been enjoying it. It's nice to know I have friends and family who will lie to me to make me feel good. Kidding. But really, thanks for reading this and I can't wait to tell stories in person.

The statue of the African Renaissance. 

A lot of money, and time, (and did I mention money?) went into this.

My attempt at being rebellious provides an idea of the scale.

Dancers came to Ndaali, our hotel on the beach in Mbour for our last night. They may have shown us a few things about dancing.  I probably would have benefited from these lessons in the beginning of the semester.

The drummers that came with the dancers, sending the rhythm in vibrations shaking my entire body.

View from leaving the hotel to trying to find a taxi outside of the nearby hospital. Alisa and I took a taxi to the Mbour market and were actually able to find the things we wanted. Usually I'm too intimidated by all the eager vendors, so I felt good about this successful trip.  I guess it's better late than never to learn how to shop in Senegal.

Sign outside of our hotel. If you're ever in the area, I give this place 5 stars. And I recommend the bissap/bouye juice combination.

Cindy. This one is for you. Abby likes to have her photo taken. I have plenty more.

View from the balcony at the hotel. Unfortunately for most of our time here the jellyfish were killer. A few girls got stung. Nothing serious, just made swimming more of an adventure than a relaxing activity.

Another view from the balcony. Excellent chairs for getting fried in the sun. So I've heard.

Fortunately, each hut/hotel room had a laundry line so I could wash enough of the essential items to allow me to make it home relatively clean.

That's all I've got. Tomorrow I'm going to HLM - the amazing fabric/shoe market and also helping a friend find hair extensions and spending some good CFA. Then going to the airport and praying all my bags make it through. So this is it.

Also, hopefully I'll get to do something like this again soon so I can make another rambling blog for my family to feel obliged to read. Inchallah.

Ndaali

I'm done?  Junior year is officially over. Gross.
Today I gave my final presentation for my ISP project.
Now I have four more days in Mbor - a coastal town about 2 hours from Dakar. We're staying in the auberge Ndaali, one step away from the beach. And this is the type of ocean that people actually swim in. Coming from Oregon - it's a weird concept.
Tough week of finals.
Last Friday my first homestay sister invited me to a Sabar for a celebration at her banking school. Although there were a lot fewer people and a lot less dancing than the Sabar in the Mouit village - it was still incredible. Somehow I stood out in the crowd (weird, right?), so was picked out by the lead drummer and asked/forced to dance.

My sisters/cousins/nieces...(never quite figured out what to call them)...Rose on the left and Ndeye Marem on the right. Fortunately Rose recorded me dancing on her cell phone so that special moment can always be remembered...
She showed it to me the next day, when she came to our final party. Ouch.
This is not the Sabar. This is the Fete Final we had on Saturday at the SIT office. All of our families, project advisors, friends and teachers were invited. Amy is leading the way - our homestay coordinator.
Souleye Diallo in the blue is our Academic Director, and resident crazy man. Honestly, he can tell the most random, pointless lies with the straightest face. He's my idol. Moutarou in the Obama t-shirt was a Wolof and French professor. He also had a vespa - was another idol of mine. Behind them was the incredible food table - nems (Senegalese Chinese rolls), pastries, cookies, veggies, pizza, the best juice that I will miss so much (bouye, bissap, gingembre).
My dance instructor - showing us what dancing really looks like. I doubt I ever looked so happy when I was dancing. Behind her are the drummers that taught us during the music workshop.
Bouna Fall. Mayor of "Bounaboro" in Brattleboro, VT, where the SIT headquarters is located.

Amadou - the SIT guard and best way to start the day with his greeting at the gate. King of ataaya.
Papis - if you were ever so kind enough to send me mail, he's the one who got it from the post office (while doing many other things to help us survive in Senegal - such as getting us cell phones and phone credit and telling us how to take a car rapide).
Homestay family members and Phoebe - a girl from the SIT group. I bet you can't guess which one is Phoebe...
Mame Bineta, Keba, Me, Moutarou, Amy

Pikine

On Sunday I went to Pikine. It's a suburb of Dakar where many commuters live...like Beaverton, but better (kidding..).  I went with Coudedie. She is one of the girls I interviewed for my project, and being like all generous Senegalese, invited me to her house on Sunday, then to the suburbs. The picture above is down the road from her house in Mamelle - not far from the Renaissance Monument and highest point in Dakar. I think you can actually see the highest point - the lighthouse - in the background.
(Coudedie and her grandmother - who told me to greet my mother, my father and Obama)
When we first got to Pikine (after taking a car rapide and a njaaga njaay [a sort of mini bus]) we walked through some markets to Coudedie's aunts house. We (about 15 of us) shared two huge bowls of rice, fish and onion sauce (yassa jen).
Then we took a car rapide to the Pikine cultural center - Africulturban. They have classes, presentations, concerts and workshops. As it was Sunday, it was quieter than usual, but there was still a sort of presentation/dance performane. But Coudedie and I were there to sit in on a Cine-Banlieu class. Her film professor from Dakar University teaches free courses on film every Sunday in Pikine, so I got to tag along.

Matador - King of Galsen. (Gal-sen, switch it around = Sen-gal....Senegal). He is le Roi of hip hop Galsen, and I was able to meet him. Actually, I hung out in his office with Coudedie while we waited for the film class to start. He says he travels all over, but for some reason the US hasn't asked for him yet. So if any of you have connections...(He didn't ask for that, that's just me asking.)
"GALSEN" and "AFRICULTURBAN" in one of the concert/performance areas.