I arrived safe and sound in Dakar last night after 30 hours of traveling. This ordeal included a 2.5 hour delay from a Chicago storm, a rescheduled flight in Europe, layovers through Belgium and Portugal, and a lost luggage. It is unfortunate that I do not have my main luggage but apparently, this happens all the time with the Portuguese airline I used and I should expect the bag to arrive tomorrow (fingers crossed). As I myself at the Senegalese airport at 1 AM local time without my luggage nor a working phone to call the my pick-up person, my first few minutes in Africa was less than ideal. But through the help of strangers, I found my liaison from the Baobab Cultural Center and took a taxi to my home-stay, where my new <<Mama>> graciously showed me my room. Since most of my toiletries were lost along with my bag, I could not take a real shower nor brush my teeth after 30 hours of traveling. Still, I was grateful to at least rinse and fall asleep safely.
My first full day in Senegal has been great. With the help of the Center, I was able to buy toiletries at the grocery store, withdraw money from the bank, and buy a cheap cell phone. I had my first Senegalese meal prepared by my home-stay mother: a delicious mixture of hot rice, beans, fish, beef and vegetables. Some cultural norms that I am already becoming accustomed to include J-walking the highway and constantly hearing prayers projected through speakers at nearby mosques.
Despite the travel chaos and foreign atmosphere, I find myself as happy as I have ever been in recent years. After working hard and waiting for this trip for months, I feel great to finally live in this country on my own. This coming week, I will finish settling in, begin taking language courses at the cultural center, and establish my partnership with the West African Research Center.
A meal prepared by my home-stay mother
The highway I must j-walk everyday to commute