Day 3

Monday January 8, 2018

            Today I woke up at 6:30 and attempted to get wifi. I sat by the outside router and it actually worked. Most of the people were still asleep so that is probably why the wifi was faster than usual. We ate breakfast at 8. All they had for breakfast was bread and bananas. We then departed for Goree Island. This is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of Senegal. Five minutes away from the Hotel, Buba asked if we all had our passports. Myself along with six others did not bring our passports. I was always told that the passport is not something to causally carry around. Apparently, we needed the passport to get on the ferry to take us to the island.  I thought that I just needed my passport in the airports. We had to turn the bus around so we could go back to the hotel and get our passports. An hour later, we arrived at the port and we took a ferry to Goree Island. Goree Island was a slave trade island. Today, the island has 1,800 permanent residents and is a huge tourist attraction. The island is very rustic and old. We got to see the slave chambers as well as a tour of the whole island. The sights of the Atlantic ocean from the island are beautiful.

Goree Island and views from the island

            On our way to the island, Buba pointed out that most buildings are unfinished. He explained that families will generally build only the first floor of the home because they do not have enough money to build the rest. They do not use machines, and this was obvious as we saw a man bring each brick up to the second floor. I realized that the people in Senegal make the most of what they have. They literally build up from nothing. These people have so little but are still so happy and friendly. Many do not have jobs so they make their money by selling fresh produce or homemade goods. Salespeople will do anything to try and make a profit from you. They weave in and out of cars on the busy highway. They pulled classmates into their “shops” on Goree Island. They followed us around the island. They will say their name and then say “remember me and come to my shop.” If you do not come to their shop, they will track you down and pester you more. This culture is so different from American culture where we have everything we desire.

            We had shrimp and chicken for lunch and the shrimp was definitely my favorite food so far. I have eaten so much rice and chicken on this trip. I am starting to get sick of it. We left Goree Island and then began touring the city center of Dakar. The city center is busy and industrialized. We saw Range Rovers, Mercedes, and Ferraris. Buba explained that these cars are a major status symbol in Africa and cost way more than they would in America. Buba also pointed out the Presidential Palace, as well as several government buildings and embassies. We stopped the bus to go inside the largest catholic church in Senegal. 90% of Christians in Senegal are Catholic. The other 10% percent are Muslim. This church is very conservative. A few classmates were wondering why none of the crosses had the body of Christ on them. We asked around, but no one seemed to understand our question.

            We then headed toward the Renaissance Memorial. This is a huge statue of a women pointing downwards, representing the past of Africa, a man in the middle on the rock, representing the strength and current status of Africa, and finally a small boy pointing to the sky, representing the future of Africa. There is a large staircase to climb to reach this amazing masterpiece (which was built by the North Koreans). The views of Senegal from the top of the stairs were breathtaking. We arrived just as the sun was setting.

Renaissance Monument and views of Senegal from the monument

            On our way to the Renaissance Monument, I noticed tons of people jogging on the street. Buba explained that exercise is taken very seriously here, and people will do it daily. An aspect of this culture that I found quite interesting was that parts of there beaches are covered with gym and exercise equipment. Hundreds of natives were running, using the machines, or playing soccer. I have noticed that the African people are always outside and are always moving. They seem to have quite a lot of free time.

            We had chicken and rice for dinner again. The wifi is even worse tonight. We are moving to another hotel tomorrow and I cannot wait to leave these mud huts. A warm shower, my own bed, and some good wifi would be nice. I began to open important emails from the University of Vienna for my Study abroad so it is essential that I get good wifi. I wish I did not have these negative feelings as I should be grateful for what I have, especially after seeing how these people here live. I hope my attitude changes quickly. 

Goodnight from Senegal,

Andy