What A First Day

Two days ago I was in San Francisco. Yesterday, I was in New York City. Today, it is completely unreal that I am Dakar, Senegal! It is truly crazy all the places an airplane can take us. If you've never taken an international flight, just wait because those who have can agree that the flight is an experience within itself. I arrived at my gate very early (having had a 9 hour layover @ JFK) and when I got there I got my first taste of Senegalese culture. Surprisingly, however, I was so surprised at the array of people who would join me on my flight. There were African men in suits, American and African families alike, young couples who I later found out work for the United States Embassy here in Dakar, and a crazy African-American lady telling wild stories like how she convinced a man to let her and her family stay in his beautiful mansion for the ripe rent payment of $1.  From what I could tell, I was the youngest solo person traveling.
After a 6 1/2 hour flight, I arrived in Dakar this morning at 7am (Dakar time). When I got through customs, I was bombarded by men trying to get me to take there taxis and buy the SIM cards they were selling. Thankfully, someone from the organization I will be working for was on his way to pick me up. Once we arrived at our flat in a suburb of Dakar called Pikine and I caught up on a few hours of sleep, we had "breakfast". Now, breakfast is probably, I would wager, my favorite meal of the day (lunch and dinner coming in close second), but breakfast here is a bit of stale baguette with butter and very red looking sausage from the market. Oh yeah and not to mention the Nestle Instant Coffee- if I wasn't such a coffee fiend there is nooooo way I would have finished that cup, so gross, I wouldn't wish it upon anyyyone!
After breakfast I had a French lesson (not much to say about that) and played with the young boy who lived down stairs. "Le petit" Abda is my new favorite friend. This 4-year old and I played with a blow up bouncy ball and everything I did seem to make him smile. Abda, however, does not speak French; he speaks Wolof which sadly I cannot speak- language barrier at its finest. It was so funny, Abda has this little plastic toy camera that easily split in half and I was trying to help him put it back together but one piece did not quite fit. I kept putting it together and he kept taking it apart. After I put it together for about the fourth time he turns to the man from that has been showing me around (his name is Abda as well) and says something in Wolof. Abda, the man, then starts laughing saying that "le petit" Abda says I am putting it together all wrong! PS there was no other way to put the toy together.
Then comes lunch! We ate Thiéboudienne, the national dish of Senegal. C'est tres delicieux! When I say "we" I mean a boy a few years older than me from Holland, Tom, and me. Tom is here visiting Abda for 2 weeks and then will be returning to Holland. After lunch, the three of us, me Abda and Tom, ventured to the marché in the suburb a town over to get a few essentials like toilet paper which is not commonly used here. Wait, let me say that again in case you missed it: toilet paper is not commonly used here!!! YIKES! Anyways, the marché was wild. There are these vans painted crazy colors, called car rapides which is a misnomer I've been told, going up and down the sandy dirt roads. Both sides of the road are jam packed with stalls of people selling anywhere from bath towels to sequin scarves to bras to oranges.
Once we arrived back at our flat there is not much to do being as there is no TV, no board games, and not even a deck of cards (which I will be buying next trip to the marché). So, Tom and I sat on the balcony and read our separate books, until it was time for dinner. I have always been a reader but when there is so much else to do, reading takes a very back seat so I am actually very thankful that I'll be able to get in a lot of reading while I'm here.
Dinner was delicious as well but for the first time I realized how truly different the culture is here. We ate dinner with the family below us and when I walked in the mother was putting the food down on a mat (no kitchen table) and the little girls helped her bring in the food. There was baguette, fish meat balls with sauteed onions in this amazing sauce, potato wedges, and a salad. After they were finished bringing out the food, however, they retreated back to the kitchen. I ate dinner with Tom, Abda, the father of the family Abou, and Abou's nephew. The women here do not eat with the men. However, because I am white, I was able to eat with the men because my race puts me at a higher social standing then the woman who live here.
My first day here has felt like a week and is finally coming to an end. Hopefully in the morning I will not be awoken by goats making their loud noised as I was woken up from my nap earlier.

I almost forgot to mention the weather. Very warm and very humid, makes the fact that they only get cold water for showers no biggie. :)