"Bonjour les Toubabs!"

"Toubab" is a Wolof term for a white person (or a tourist in general). Many Senegalese people think that all Toubabs are wealthy, so it is typical to have many people, kids especially, come up to us and try to sell us things or ask for money. Apparently it is common here for Senegalese men to try to marry white women so that they can get green cards or a free trip to the United States or Europe. I had no idea that even smiling at the wrong people could end in trouble. Thankfully I learned this before venturing downtown by myself. For the first time ever, I am in a country where I am the minority, not to mention an object of attention. Needless to say, it is a very eye-opening experience.

Last night we watched a documentary called Democracy in Dakar that demonstrated Senegal's trials and tribulations through its hip hop industry. Senegal transitioned to a democracy in 2000 after decades of socialism. With the election of President Wade, the Senegalese were filled with hope that poverty would be resolved and infrastructure would grow. After a few years, most Senegalese found themselves in an even worse situation in the new democracy than they were under socialism. As of 2007, the unemployment rate in Senegal was over 50%. Many people have tried to flee the country on tiny boats to immigrate to Europe, but few are actually successful.

On a more positive note, everything is still going well for me. Tomorrow is the last day of orientation and the first day with our host families! I also got a piece of fruit today with dinner, which is the first piece of fruit I've eaten in days. At least I am getting a lot of vegetables, as the cafeteria here has accommodated to the vegetarian crowd quite nicely. I've started to adjust really well to my surroundings here in the dorms, so I hope that it will be smooth sailing with a host family. Things that bothered me on day one, such as the general smell of things or tiny colony of ants living in the dorm room, barely phase me now, after just a few days. The style of dress is also different here; people do not wear clothing above their knees, although showing shoulders is not a problem. Things are a little more conservative than usual because it is currently Ramadan. I must say that it is actually nice wearing longer skirts and dresses all the time.

There is one exception to the conservative dress rule: the beach. A bunch of us have gone to the beach pretty much every day now, and people treat beaches here pretty much the same as they do in the US. The water is a little dirty, but it is not cold in the least bit. In order to get to the beach, one must essentially walk/hike down this cliff (getting back up is not that much fun). It makes me feel like I'm in the wilderness for a split second though, so I like it.

We picked our classes today. I will be taking a French grammar/oral expression class, a beginning Wolof class, règlement des crises (an international law class), societé et culture sénégalaise, and an internship seminar class that will be paired with an internship one day a week. I have no idea what that internship will be just yet, but I hope to find that out soon. One great thing about the class schedule is that there is a two and a half hour block for lunch, giving me plenty of time to eat lunch with my host family on a daily basis. Africa time is much less rigid than American time, so it is common for us to have multiple breaks per class (or orientation session) along with a lunch break of at least two hours. I could get used to this veryyy easily.