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!

Day 4- Islamic School visit

The dialogue today was amazing! The college students from the Islamic school talked to us about Islam. I can't wait to actually get some of the video posted. Then Internet service here won't allow that much bandwidth but the recordings will be worth the wait. I found it so interesting that the students asked us Americans about the image of women in the states. They have such high respect for their women and couldn't understand why the images they see in our papers and on tv depict women in very little clothes and always looking very sexual. It was hard to explain that it was only a stereotype, but is it? Have we let our values in the US get to a point where now it is expected for women to dress a certain way in order to feel accepted? They also explained to us that women now have equal rights outside the home, but in their own households the men are still king and that is perfectly acceptable. They wanted us to know more about Islam in that it is not a violent religion. They are a peaceful and respectable religion and what we see on TV is not true. Our trip to the homeless shelter for children ages 4-14 was powerful. These teachers take these kids off the street and take care of all their needs. They made leather purses to raise money and of course every woman in the group bought one! We met a young hip hop artist named "seck" that has created a movement here in Senegal. He has encouraged everyone to vote and stand up against dictators. We are actually going to his concert tomorrow night! It's funny, we have all settled in very quickly and things have become familiar. We ventured out every night for dinner and truly enjoyed the atmosphere and the company. We have begun to learn our way around and my French is getting better!

Day 3-School Visits

Today we are visiting an Elementary, Middle, High and Quaranic School today. We 1st visited the West African Research Center to get a brief history of Senegal Education.

The population of Senegal is about 13 Million approx. the size of South Dakota. It is the western most country of Africa. It was colonized by the French in the 16th century.

Senegal has 40 ethnic groups and languagues. Wolof is understood by 80% of the population. Education becomes a problem when you have that many languagues. However it is expected that you will learn French and English if you continue with the education system.

52% of the population is female and 56% are under the age of 20. The population doubles every 25 years.

Pre-School eduation is not a priority. Most will homeschool their children because it is too expensive to send them.

Formal Education is as follows:
Pre-School- 3 years
Elementary- 7 years - here is where you pass an exam in order to move on to the next level.
College - (Middle School)- 4 years
High School- 3 years
Baccalareat Exam will then determine if you go on to University

College for here is about 10 dollars each year
Teachers are paid about 120-200 a month
Doctors are paid about 400 a month

The most well paid jobs in Senegal are:
Civill Engineering
Computer Science
Agricultural Engineering
Science and Math

Day 2-Goree Island

Todays trip was tough. I had such a range of emotions that it is hard to put into words. I will have to upload the video amd images later. The history of knowing that I stood in a cell where my ancestors stood was powerful, they spoke of the cell for virgin women, children and men who were less than 130 lbs. they would be taken to another cell and forced to eat until they weighed enough. The virgins were chosen by the guards and hoped to get pregnant. If they did, they were freed because of the child that would have had lighter skin. It is difficult for me to wrap my brain around the notion that they would actually try to get chosen to be raped by the guard. The "door of no return" was where I finally lost all composure. This is the door where the slaves boarded the boat for the middle passage. Many slaves chose to jump into the ocean and be eaten by sharks. They sharks would actually follow the boats waiting for them to throw a sick slave overboard. Standing in that doorway was tough for me. I really felt the pain of my ancestors. They didn't know where they were going or for what. They were husbands, wives, kings, queens! They had families. That doorway changed a nation of people and many countries. The effects are still present today. On another note, it has been an eye opening experience for some of my colleagues who have never been

Day 1- Dowtown Senegal

Being in Africa has set off many emotions. I wasn't sure how I would feel and being here has caused me to be very reflective.

We visited the newly built Senegal Renaissance Monument that cost 24 million dollars. However, the North Koreans built it. It has been a source of controversy because the people of Senegal are struggling to work and the jobs were given to Koreans.

The image itself is controversial because the woman isnt appropriately represented. Her clothing is more revealing than the women here and her features are not African (pictures to come) Tomorrow will be the day that has made me lose sleep. We will visit Goree Island, the last stop before the Mid-Atlantic passage.

A Day of Travel

The time has finally come! We are all meeting at Raleigh-Durham Airport today at 8:15am to start our overnight travel.

We will be flying to Dulles Airport to board South African Airways to Dakar.

Our flight is a long one! We leave Dulles at 5:40pm and arrive in Dakar at 5:10am!

More information about Dakar, Senegal can be found at the Embassy's website: http://dakar.usembassy.gov/

We have a 4hour time difference between the U.S. and Senegal (they are 4 hours ahead).

World View Study Visit Information

June 18-June 30, 2012

I was lucky enough to win a $4000 grant that will allow me to be a part of the
2012 World View Senegal, Africa Study Visit!

Click Here for WORLD VIEW INFORMATION

It will be an exciting trip and I am looking forward to it!!

STUDY VISIT GOALS
The goal of the Study Visit is to help educators become leaders for global education by looking beyond the borders of North Carolina and experiencing a culture, country, and people different from their own. Educators will explore significant cultural and historical sites and interact with Senegalese families. This Study Visit is intended to be a unique and challenging professional development opportunity—not a tourist trip!

The estimated $4,000* fee includes:

• Round-trip airfare from Raleigh-Durham International Airport
• Hotel accommodations
  
• Some meals in Senegal
  
• Ground transfers & transportation in Senegal (per itinerary)
• Entrance fees to cultural and historical sites
• School and non-governmental organization visits
• Services of local guide/translator
• Supplemental health insurance 

STUDY VISIT GOALS
The goal of the Study Visit is to help educators become leaders for global education by looking beyond the borders of North Carolina and experiencing a culture, country, and people different from their own. Educators will explore significant cultural and historical sites and interact with Senegalese families. This Study Visit is intended to be a unique and challenging professional development opportunity—not a tourist trip! Knowledge, strategies, and experiences from the seminar, the Study Visit, and the follow-up workshop will give participants the ability to add global content to their teaching and help their schools and colleges become more global in focus.


Interesting Video Called: The Danger of a Single Story