Day 11- Friday Prayer at the Mosque & Packing Up!

We are on our final day in Dakar. It has been an experience I will never forget. It's funny how a place becomes familiar once you have been here a few days. I have learned my way around and picked up some French and Wolof along the way. Today we will attend Friday prayer at the Mosque. The women must be covered and the men can wear short sleeves. I have never been inside a mosque and I am truly looking forward to the experience. With all that I have learned about Islam, we all pray to the same God and we try to all live by a code of ethics. We will have our farewell dinner tonight with a little light, last minute shopping. Packing up all that we have already purchased will be interesting for everyone! I hope to have all the videos and pictures uploaded by Sunday to this Blog!

Day 10- ISM visit, Lecture on Islam and Paint Artist

Today was quite a busy day. We really enjoyed visiting the international business school and learned a lot about how they are one of the best business schools in Senegal. The lecture on Islam was very interesting and more information is forthcoming. I also enjoyed meeting the artist who specializes in glass painting. We were surprised to find ourselves in the middle of a political rally and I have video of the people in the streets and on top of our bus! The candidate drove right by us in a stretch Lexus and a BMW! We are all exhausted and ready to go home now. Tomorrow is a day of prayer and shopping!

Day 9- Game reserve- Travel back to Dakar

We woke up to a beautiful morning! We have no electricity at the hotel but somehow we have Internet access. We are all up having breakfast of croissants and coffee (the African standard). We will have another 5 hour trip back to Dakar but we stop at the Game reserve for lunch 1st. Lunch today was very entertaining! We were entertained by the monkeys stealing my bread and a crocodile staring at us the entire time. The food was delicious and we all chose not to do the safari. We learned that it's a tourist trap and all of the animals were imported from other African countries. We may as well just go to the Ashboror zoo. We all ate well and opted to just regroup tonight instead of going to dinner. I am surprised at how much money we have all had to spend. With almost $25 for dinner each night and having to bargain for gifts we have all quickly run out of money. Thank goodness we are leaving in two days! We pray there is no exit fee!

Day 8- Sippo Island- wrestling match

The boat trip to the island today was serene. This village sustains itself through fishing and the visitors that come. What I find fascinating is that they still value education and have school for their children. There is no electricity and they make do with what they have. They have taught their children not to beg but to earn their money. Tonight we go to a wrestling match but for now, we are finally enjoying some down time by the pool! There are no words for what we experienced at the wrestling match. It it so far from American wrestling and the "show" we put on. These men were wrestling for 2 bags of rice for their families. The video and pictures that are forthcoming will tell a better story. Each man prayed before wrestling and wrote their prayer in the sand. They drew a 5 pointed star and at each star they pinched the dirt and each point represented a verse of the Koran. The expression of our faith is so different between the religions. In Christianity, we are always reminded to pray and show our faith and be in constant prayer. In Islam, it is so very visible. They show their faith in all that they do. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to have been immersed in such a rich culture. For some reason it doesn't feel foreign to me. I quickly have become very comfortable with my surroundings. The only thing that I haven't gotten use to are the enormouse bugs (pictures to follow)!

Day 7- a day of travel

We spent the majority of the day on a bus from Dakar to Toubacana. We should never complain about another pothole in the US! I would say the best part was having lunch at the mayors compound. His family was so gracious and welcoming. They served fish and chicken and we all at together. Some chose to eat with their hands while I chose a spoon. The new hotel is absolutely stunning! It reminds me of a resort in Jamaica with beautiful beaches and lovely scenery. We ate dinner together at the hotel and then was entertained by an African dance troop. The night was wonderful and we were all exhausted by the day of travel.

Day 6- Day with Senegelese teacher

This was by far the best cultural experience yet. Marguerite was our host and she was the most gracious woman I have met in a long time. Most of the teachers were Muslim, but she was Catholic. Her husband was away on business but we met many of her relatives. Her children were most adorable. I pulled out my iPad and the first thing her daughter did was to play angry birds! Her house could have been any house in the US. She had the tv on cartoon network and there were pictures of her family on the wall. She showed us her wedding album and then brought out a tray of wine, beer and liquor!

Day 5- Senegal-American teacher panel

The discussion today was very enlightening. Even thou we are an ocean apart, we all have the same struggles with educating our children. We have issues of the curriculum being changed. Not enough money for our schools and trying to make our students global citizens. The only difference is that they have to do it at times with no electricity. We all discussed our love for teaching on all levels. The college professors were just as concerned about their students as the Elementary principals. They asked us questions about the No Child Left Behind Law as well as the purpose of HBCU's (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). We all have funding issues and problems with some schools getting more than others. We spoke of private vs. public school issues. Even though we are a private school it was important for them to understand that we still have our own problems with students, parents and faculty. No one school was immune. I think they were surprised to hear of the poverty that we have in the US. We have a wide range of NC school represented with our group and they didn't realize that some of our kids can't afford lunch either. We had a teacher speak of "backpacks" that they would provide to kids so they could eat over the weekend and how some would have to take these home every night in order to have food. We really aren't that different when it comes right down to it. We all want the best for our students no matter what the age. We all struggle to work with the resources we are given in order to achieve excellence. I am looking forward to our day that we will spend in these teachers homes. They seem even more excited to host us. This has been an amazing experience thus far! Last night we had dinner together and I couldn't help but think that I felt like I was at a fancy resort restaurant in the Islands. We were on the rooftop with the ocean as our backdrop and the breeze was wonderful. Our meal was a little pricey and the place was owned by a French man that was married to an Ivory Coast woman. Nevertheless, the food was delicious and the company even better. Our group is so unique in our backgrounds and we have really bonded and gotten to know each other very well. No one had enough energy to go clubbing last night. Secretly I'm glad because I am exhausted. We have been on the go since we stepped off the plane. The "Yen en Marre" concert was shut down due to sound issues, but you never know if there was something more. The group is trying to start a movement here to get Senegalese people to stand up for their rights, vote and take better care of their county and each other. With that comes resistance. They are doing good work though and I will keep a close eye on the news now. For some reason I feel very connected to the people here and the culture. Well, today we are off for a day with the teachers and their families. We are divided up into groups of 4 and I'm looking forward to this. More to come later!