Mungi dox, ndank ndank

5.26.08
Things have been moving along quite well here in Dakar. I’ve been working everyday in two different gardens with my counterpart. One garden is in the Fann Hospital and the vegetables that we produce help to feed the AIDS patients. It is a pretty impressive garden that has hopes to grow even bigger and feed ALL the patients of the hospital. (That’s where I come in). The other garden is big and beautiful as well and is located on the outskirts of the city in a very serene place. I’ve done a lot of watering, some planting, transplanting, and preparing hydroponic tables. Most days I feel pretty inadequate in my knowledge, but I’m quickly learning that everything comes “ndank ndank” (little by little.)
In my free time, I continue to become familiar with this massive city. It’s slowly starting to form in my head as more and more things begin to look familiar. Last weekend I took a nice day trip to Ngor Island. BEAUTIFUL! I had to take a little boat ½ mile to the island. The island itself is fairly small and the first thing I did was walk the perimeter of it. I enjoyed a nice lunch and sat on the beach for most of the day soaking up the tropical scenery. I enjoyed a few nice conversations with some woman who were selling all their wares to tourists. When they found out I spoke wolof, they became quite excited and sat to talk longer. By the end of our conversation, I had a nice cadeou (gift) from her! Before I left the island, I also met a few new friends; three people from Holland, and one girl from Canada. We all exchanged numbers and hopefully will hang out soon as they too are here for a while to work.

Some other things I’ve been learning:

When you offer someone a drink of your Fanta, he will probably take 2 sips then give it to a kid that’s walking by to finish. Hope you weren’t thirsty!

When you flag down a “jug n jay” (small bus) to take you somewhere, it doesn’t mean they will actually stop. You better start running and jump onto the back before they really pick up speed.

You can ALWAYS fit another person on a bus. Seats aren’t necessary.

The 5am call to prayer blaring over the loudspeakers is a great reminder that you still have 2 hours to sleep.

While small change is your worst enemy in the States, it’s your best friend here.


Well, I guess that's all for now. I have some pics of Ngor island to post, but I'll have to do it later. Check back again and they should be on here.