My alarm clock goes off at 7:21 am but I usually get woken up three times before it goes off-- twice by the call to prayer blasting on speakerphone from the local mosque (it is Ramadan, afterall, and I am in a Muslim country) and at least once by most host brothers screaming at the top of their lungs just because thats what they do when they wake up each morning.
I get ready in about 15 minutes by getting dressed, brushing my teeth, and applying exorbitant (yet necessary) amounts of 30% < deet. Then, I sit down on my stool at the 2ft high table and eat a typical French breakfast complete with cafe au lait and bagette and "vache qui sourit"-cheese. I leave the house by 7:50 latest and meet Shanah and Stephen across the dirt soccer field by the Cocacola stand. We then walk together to the bus terminal ten minutse away where we meet up with Allison. While we sit on the bench waiting for bus #10 to arrive, a group of 3 or so talibe boys will come and ask for money.
Once the bus comes, we run onto the bus with the crowd of passengers and throw our stuff onto a seat. Then we pay 150fCFA (30 or so cents) to the money collector and reclaim our seats. The bus usually gets pretty full by the time we need to get off, so thats always a task in itself. So far I haven't missed my stop yet, knock on wood.
Class starts at 9am at the WARC. Sometimes the power works, sometime it doesn't. More often than not, the internet is down. At some point in the day, we grab lunch. Some people walk down the road for 15 or so minutes to the MyShop for western style food while others walk the complete opposite direction to the supermarket for cheaper eats. I usually go to a stand right outside of WARC because I am lazy as hell and have no desire to walk far in 90 degree heat. There I buy a baguette and fanta orange (though I prefer fanta Cocktail), the drink of choice in this country.
Classes go until 6pm. On the days when they don't, I like to go to the beach with whoevers willing to accompany me. I need to find a new beach though, as the last one Ive been going to has little boys who throw rocks at Toubabs like me.
After I take the bus all the way to the end of the line where we started in the morning, we walk home repeating our salutations to people passing by. We've developed some sort of cordial relationship with sidewalk regulars, and now greet them everytime they are hanging around-- Mamadou being one of them.
I usually get home between 7 and 730. Right when I step through the door, I make sure to greet each family member and ask about their day (this is very important in Senegal). Then I play soccer in the courtyard with my two host brothers for a while until I go take a shower. Last week I was 6 for 7 in bucket showers. Shortly after I finish my shower, we have dinner.
Dinner consists of sitting around the same 2ft high table from breakfast. In the middle of the table is one large platter which everyone eats from. You have to eat only from the section directly in front of you usually with a fork or spoon (as opposed to traditional Senegalese meals which are eaten with your bare hands).
After dinner, I usually sit in the living room while the kids watch French cartoons. And like that, my night wraps up and before I know it, a new day begins.
I get ready in about 15 minutes by getting dressed, brushing my teeth, and applying exorbitant (yet necessary) amounts of 30% < deet. Then, I sit down on my stool at the 2ft high table and eat a typical French breakfast complete with cafe au lait and bagette and "vache qui sourit"-cheese. I leave the house by 7:50 latest and meet Shanah and Stephen across the dirt soccer field by the Cocacola stand. We then walk together to the bus terminal ten minutse away where we meet up with Allison. While we sit on the bench waiting for bus #10 to arrive, a group of 3 or so talibe boys will come and ask for money.
Once the bus comes, we run onto the bus with the crowd of passengers and throw our stuff onto a seat. Then we pay 150fCFA (30 or so cents) to the money collector and reclaim our seats. The bus usually gets pretty full by the time we need to get off, so thats always a task in itself. So far I haven't missed my stop yet, knock on wood.
Class starts at 9am at the WARC. Sometimes the power works, sometime it doesn't. More often than not, the internet is down. At some point in the day, we grab lunch. Some people walk down the road for 15 or so minutes to the MyShop for western style food while others walk the complete opposite direction to the supermarket for cheaper eats. I usually go to a stand right outside of WARC because I am lazy as hell and have no desire to walk far in 90 degree heat. There I buy a baguette and fanta orange (though I prefer fanta Cocktail), the drink of choice in this country.
Classes go until 6pm. On the days when they don't, I like to go to the beach with whoevers willing to accompany me. I need to find a new beach though, as the last one Ive been going to has little boys who throw rocks at Toubabs like me.
After I take the bus all the way to the end of the line where we started in the morning, we walk home repeating our salutations to people passing by. We've developed some sort of cordial relationship with sidewalk regulars, and now greet them everytime they are hanging around-- Mamadou being one of them.
I usually get home between 7 and 730. Right when I step through the door, I make sure to greet each family member and ask about their day (this is very important in Senegal). Then I play soccer in the courtyard with my two host brothers for a while until I go take a shower. Last week I was 6 for 7 in bucket showers. Shortly after I finish my shower, we have dinner.Dinner consists of sitting around the same 2ft high table from breakfast. In the middle of the table is one large platter which everyone eats from. You have to eat only from the section directly in front of you usually with a fork or spoon (as opposed to traditional Senegalese meals which are eaten with your bare hands).
After dinner, I usually sit in the living room while the kids watch French cartoons. And like that, my night wraps up and before I know it, a new day begins.
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