Welcome to Thies (pronounced like chess)

Saturday, April 22, 2017

We drove 70 kilometers to Thies which would be our host city for the next week. We checked into our hotel and then headed out to explore what the city is known for--TRAINS!

The most celebrated strike during colonization happened in Thiès in the rail track company. 

Thiès is an industrial city and is referred to as the rail track capital.  

In Dakar

Saturday, April 22, 2017

After visiting the fishing boats, we headed to the Pink House--their version of the White House. We were about to take pictures when we were stopped by the armed guards and told that it was not allowed for security reasons. Instead, we took a picture of the sculpture that was across the street. It was created by the same sculptor who made the African Renaissance Monument.

Emergence--the birth of the nation in 1960

We then walked to a popular park in the city and saw a fountain with lions. Lions are one of the national symbols of Senegal. Unfortunately, the fountain wasn't working.

And then we watched a group of elementary school students walking on a field trip. It looked familiar!

Fishing Boats

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Our trip to our host communities was delayed by a few hours which allowed for an impromptu trip to see a few more sights in Dakar.

First stop was a place we had passed on several occasions that had a lot of the fishing boats. The owner of the place was happy to share with us a bit about the boat making. His family had been making boats there for many years. Some of them are large enough to hold up to 40 people. There is storage for fish and other supplies below the floorboards. Smaller boats go out for the day, some for a few days and others have gone for weeks at a time. They were impressive!

Last day in Senegal, but more to say...

Monday, May 1, 2018

To those of you who have been checking in on my blog posts, THANK YOU! I really appreciate you taking the time to share with me the incredible experiences I have had. I would like to encourage all of you to keep checking back. In my posts, I only wrote about 3-4 days of my time here but there is so much more to share. I plan to continue writing and posting daily, so please come back and visit this blog. I leave tonight and travel for over 24 hours. I may not write for a few days, but I will be back. Thanks again for your interest and support in this journey.

Team Senegal Before

Team Senegal After

West African Resource Center

Friday, April 21, 2017

We visited the West African Resource Center (WARC). Anyone who is researching this part of the world is welcome to use their resources. They have a library with 3 computers and the internet available for them to use. They also host conferences, speakers, and other related events. Their goal is to promote research on West Africa and facilitate exchanges among West African scholars and their counterparts in the U.S. It is the only place in Senegal that provides online access to international scholarly journals.

I learned on this visit that Senegal does not have public libraries. Think about that and how it would impact your life. They do not have the easy access to books and other information that we so often take for granted and may not even consider. WARC provides an opportunity for learning, community, and growth.

Beach Fitness

Friday, April 21, 2017

We decided to take a walk down the busy street along the beach after the visit to the U.S. Embassy. We came across a fitness area. It was established in 2016 to acknowledge the friendship between China and Senegal.

There was so much equipment available to the public. When we went by later in the day, it was PACKED with people using it! I loved seeing everyone out walking and exercising. 

A little monkey bar action for me!

The U.S. State Department Visit

Friday, April 21, 2017

We started our day with a visit to the U.S. Embassy in Dakar. The security there was very intense. We had to check in with our passports and our names had to be submitted in advance so there was a crosscheck. They took our phones away so no pictures could be taken inside or outside of the embassy. We had badges, security check and escorts to the one room we could enter. It was all very serious and very formal. The room was a typical conference room with flags of both countries, podium, projector, chairs, tables and pictures on the wall. The pictures date back to 1960 when Senegal first became an independent nation. There were 8 pictures of the Senegalese presidents with our presidents from Kennedy to Obama (Carter was missing).

The U.S. has a healthy relationship with Senegal. We have between 220-260 peace corps volunteers in agriculture, agroforestry, and health. It's one of the biggest peace corps programs in the world. In addition to that, there are over 200 employees in 19 agencies and each agency is working toward common goals: to advance democratic values, promote peace and security, promote economic growth and health, and improve trade and development.

While at the embassy, we met with the Senegalese Minister of Education, Aminata Ndiaye.She shared that there is a plan to develop reading using local languages to learn basic skills before learning other languages (most people are fluent in 3!). English is a mandatory language to learn and they study it from 6th-12th grade. There are challenges in teacher training with a lack of opportunities. Also, most classes are at a minimum, 45 students up to 100 in a class. There are limited resources to equip schools. However, there are increased opportunities for in-service training with teacher advisors. ATES (Association of English Teachers in Senegal) is the equivalent of our NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English). They are very involved in promoting English through professional development, exchange visits, affiliation with other countries, and the biggest thing I have seen--English Clubs. These English Clubs made up of students are very active throughout the country with meetings, festivals, competitions, and what they refer to as Opening Day (although it's not at the beginning of the school year--several are coming up next week). Our host teacher, Mouhamadou Sadibou Diouf (who goes by Pape Diouf.), is the president of ATES and has done much to promote English language learning.

Pape Diouf is in the brown and another club sponsor for the middle school is in blue. High school students visiting the middle school were encouraging the younger students to continue their English studies.