Je vois les Baobabs!!!

A Baobab tree, the symbol for Senegal, is a pretty cool sight to see. Their trunks are huge; I'm told that there is a Baobab to the east of Dakar that supports an entire house in its branches. The Baobabs remind me of the book Le Petit Prince, because the little prince mentions that his planet was consumed by Baobabs... although that probably makes little to no sense to anyone who has not read that book.

Anyway, one of my larger concerns before coming to Senegal was my dietary situation. I've been a vegetarian for almost ten years, and a vegan for a while too. Sadly, I abandoned my veganism in the name of studying abroad, but I seriously cannot eat meat. Thankfully, I have had some great vegetarian food since coming here. The Senegalese eat an extreme amount of carbs, as rice and/or bread is incorporated into every meal. I seriously am missing fruit, which is not commonplace in the Senegalese diet. Yesterday I had some kind of stir fry involving corn, pineapple, onions, and carrots, which I mixed with rice. Tonight I had some dish resembling ratatouille mixed with cous cous (I'm told that there is a large Lebanese population here). Breakfast usually consists of bread and nutella, along with coffee. People drink a lot of coffee here, although it is not regular brewed coffee, but instant coffee. After being rather jet-lagged, nothing looked better than a nice cup of instant coffee.

I must admit that I am rather relieved to be leaving many conviences of the first world. I do not have an iPhone to give me internet access anywhere at anytime, nor is there a Starbucks anywhere for miles (as far as I know). There is air conditioning in the dorms and the classrooms though.

Today we began our Wolof classes. The Wolof professor does not really speak English, so we are being taught this completely foreign language in French. It is pretty great (for lack of a better word) actually, as it really reinforces my knowledge of French. We also took a French placement test today, the first French grammar test I've taken in over a year. We had a security orientation, where we were taught to part with our purses if confronted with a machete. Also, I need to be sure to stay away from the "Baye Fall," a.k.a. Senegalese hippies.

Although my grammar is not too stellar, French in general is becoming easier to understand, even if this is only my third day in Senegal. I've heard so much French in the past few days that I have started to think in French, which is kind of maddening. Hopefully it all pays off.

I will try to post pictures as soon as possible, but unfortunately my camera is obstinate and does not like to take non-blurry pictures.

À toute à l'heure!