A Changed Outlook

Yesterday, I was more than ready to give up on Senegal. I was terrified for my health, both physical and mental. I was horrified at the idea of spending another day in Senegal, let alone three weeks (with two of those completely alone). My dad and I went to sleep very disturbed. 

And then we woke up. Just the light of day was enough to make us feel infinitely better, and I found myself excited to explore this bizarre, other-worldly place. After a very meager breakfast, my dad and I headed to the nearby beach. 

Gate to the beach

The ocean was calm and even welcoming, the sand fine and very peaceful. The beach was clean, relatively empty, and teeming with large crabs that would hide in holes every time one walked towards them. Along the beach, men traveled on horse-drawn carts, cleaning fish and selling it to locals. We encountered various people exercising or playing soccer, but we didn't talk to anyone. 

The straw roofs served as sort of umbrellas to shield from the sun

The sand was clean, and not too hot or rough. 

The beach was far from crowded

There were lots of these stands

There was a dog on the beach.

The Atlantic Ocean

"Sport and sex is forbidden"

A dead pufferfish

We reached our first step of the day, the mausoleum of Seydina Mouhammadou Limamou Laye, the founder of the Layene sect of Sufi Islam. Laye founded this sect in 1884, claiming to be the reincarnation of the prophet Muhammad. Obviously, claiming to be the reincarnation of the founder of the second-largest religion in the world is not without its controversies, and Layeneians are considered to be heretical. We tried to enter, but it was closed. We were told that someone would open the door in 30 minutes, so we waited, but it was in vain, as no one came. We'll come back later another time, probably with my host family.

The graveyard next to the mausoleum

The mausoleum sits by the beach

The mausoleum from farther away

A hut by the beach, next to the mausoleum. The stink of rotten fish is overwhelming.

Upon giving up on the mausoleum, we took a taxi to Place Du Souvenir, where we found a square filled with pictures of famous black figures. I was very excited to see American revolutionaries such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr, and I was also very happy to see Obama. It was a nice monument to great black heroes, one that I think is very important to a continent suffering from huge identity problems. After colonialism, without foreign European governments dictating how to dress, what to speak, and what to think, how will these nations decide how to move forward? What do they take from their old cultures, and what do they take from the European cultures? Amidst this identity crisis, and the crisis of poverty, a testament to these great men and women is much needed.

Obama in Senegal

An interesting juxtaposition

We headed towards the market since my dad needed a hat. It was a long trip, during the hottest hours of the day. I was already much more comfortable and at ease, more and more excited about the idea of staying here for so long. We had a good lunch, if not a very Senegalese one (I had a cheeseburger), and went on walking. Water was a very important resource.

Buses exactly like this are found all over the city.

Along the road, we found a large number of fruit stalls, filled with mangoes, bananas, melons, oranges and the such. All were very appetizing, but we were too scared of getting sick, and so we kept our hunger, much to the disappointment of my dad and I. In addition to the fruit stalls, we found numerous stalls selling horns, furs, dried animals (frogs, chameleons, etc), porcupine quills, bird heads, animal dung, monkey paws, and more. This was a very exciting sight to a weird kid like me, and we found out that they were good luck amulets called "Gris-gris". They bring good luck, and it turns out most people here have them. I definitely want to buy some, but we were unsure about the legality, or the ethics, so we abstained for now.

One of the many stalls selling gris-gris.

We went to two markets before arriving at the big one. These were definitely an interesting experience. The first one was close to stagnant water, and so an overwhelming stench of feces and putrid water, mixed with very close quarters and hordes of mosquitos, quickly drove us out. This was the market that worried my dad. The second one was indoor, and the corridors were no wider than a foot and a half. It was dark and very smelly. I felt as though we were being followed. We definitely drew attention, as the only two white people within a range of four miles. I turned to the left and saw ten or so live chickens, half a foot away. I walked three more steps and found myself face to face with rotting chicken meat. We turned right and the stench of rotten meat and blood, mixed with the dark light and the sight of hanging meat attacked my senses, and we rushed out as soon as possible. This was a very scary experience for me, but it was definitely an interesting experience unlike any I had ever had. 

We continued towards the main market. Finally, we arrived. We were singled out as fresh meat, two foreigners filled with money and inexperience. A man started talking to us, and he introduced us to his Italian-Senegalese friend. The friend showed us around his shop, trying to get us to buy something. My dad had to buy the hat, and so after haggling, we bought it, obviously at an astronomically higher price than normal. We left, and after walking around a bit, we took a taxi home.

At home, we showered and headed to Isabella's house, where we were invited for dinner. It was a pleasant, friendly way to end a very interesting, eventful, great day. 

I have changed my outlook on Senegal today. I think I might have a very good time these next few weeks. It'll be a challenge for sure, but I'm sure it'll be an incredible experience. Today was a good day.