Mangi fi rekk - I'm Fine

I arrived in Dakar, Senegal on Sunday August 24th at 5 AM. I stepped out of the airport and was greeted by a wall of humidity, the smell of gasoline and the sun starting to peek out over the horizon. there had been about 25 people from my program on my flight so we met up with someone from the program who took us to our home for orientation. we're staying in Mermoz, one of the wealthier neighborhoods in dakar. it's a decent cab ride from downtown dakar but is near some beautiful beaches. after arriving, me and a few of the guys (there's only 9 guys, compared to over 40 girls) went down the block to see what looked like some kind of festival. it was still only around 6 am so we were the only tourists out at the time. as we walked through the crowd, it seemed to follow us. i asked a man what was happening here and he explained in french (with a thick senegalese accent) that the hundreds of people were here to listen to their 'guide', their 'marabout' speak. to them he is more than a pastor, he is a messiah. each of them had an picture of him hanging around their neck in worship and out of respect. as this man explained to us his beliefs and how he came to be one of his disciples, kids peeked in between our shoulders and everyone watched us as we nodded along. afterwards we went on a long walk around the neighborhood. it was surprising to see how many people are out at that time. everyone rises early to pray. We walked along a cliff which stood above a beach where are the fisherman had docked their wooden boats and a beautiful mosque with two large towers. it felt like india again. i couldn't seem to get away from the stickyness. there was litter and dirt everywhere. there were children begging. but everyone is incredibly nice and welcoming. it's part of senegalese culture to greet everyone you pass (a hard concept to understand for a new yorker who doesn't even like to make eye contact.) we began our wolof classes yesterday, learning the greetings one needs to know in order to get by. It's a really interesting language with influences from a lot of different languages. On my walk to and from campus, I'll say to people Asalaamaleekum, Nanga Def? (Hello/Peace be with you, how are you? ). the language sounds like nothing else but is a lot of fun to use.

Some phrases in Wolof:
Jamm rekk, Alxaamdulilaay. (Peace only, praise god) = (yes, i did sleep well)

Mangi Fi Rekk. (I'm doing well)

Jurejuf (Thank you)
Bo Ko Nokk (You're welcome)

For the past few days the power's been out. this has meant that there's been no AC or fans. i've been going to bed sticky and waking up sweaty (but it has made the cold showers incredibly enjoyable). luckily yesterday the electricity was restored and everyone slept in this morning. by slept in, i mean getting up at 7.30. partly because of the jet lag and partly because of the heat, i've been getting up at around 5.30. my first morning here i went on a jog with my two roommates. we ran up to to the top of the cliff overlooking the beach and the mosque. i couldn't believe i was actually here. and still can't. it really is a beautiful country.

p.s. when the power kept cutting in and out it sent a power surge through my laptop, frying the motherboard. no cell phone, no laptop, no hot water. in spite of all that, or maybe as a result of it, i love it here.