5:30 a.m. and a sleepy, quiet Dakar welcomes us with the salt-soaked smell of ocean air and an entourage of eager young men waiting to assist us with our baggage. Our Senegalese trip leader swooped in to inform us that only two men were allowed to touch our bags and we should leave it all to them. A tip-based porter culture. That means, please stand aside as these men drag your 50 lb suitcases from the carrousel and stack them 10 cases high on the airport trollies. Only after all the suitcases have been strategically placed upon the carts do we all realize that “customs” requires them to be put individually through an x-ray before leaving the airport. But whose is whose? No worries, again our Senegalese guide confidently struts up to the man in uniform standing by the x-ray machine, says a few words, and motions for us all to pass. So we begin our journey to Senegal with a privileged bypass of the system that is assumed to monitor the border. On our way…
Senegal is…under construction. In fact, one of the other trip leaders compared it with a study abroad he had once led to the Gaza Strip. A half constructed building here…a half-finished sidewalk there. That’s the story of a country in development. Ambitious construction projects begin in a city with promising growth, only to run out of money halfway through and remain on standby for some indeterminate amount of time. Like other countries in Africa, Senegal also suffers from the plastic bag crisis. Lining the streets and decorating the fences, trees, and alleyways, plastic bags are everywhere. I’ll be sure to take all my plastics home—not that I think they will fare any better on our side of the ocean.
We arrived to the amazing place we’ll be staying for the next 17 days. This compound is run by nuns and is home to many physically challenged children. Standing next to the one-story, modest school compound looms a polished, modern Ericsson building, which casts a shadow of globalization across the street vendors and broken sidewalks only steps from its doors. Senegal awaits us and the day has only just begun. The schedule’s packed full with meetings, lunches, museum visits, and maybe a little extra time for sightseeing. First up, the Mother of Senegal, Mere-bi, and lunch served in giant bowls designed for communal eating!