Senegal adventure part 2

Thought I would break this post up a little.....here is part 2!

Breaking our two weeks into two different trips `with Sal`and `without Sall`made the break seem much longer!

Our plan after Sal left again was to head to Ziganchour in Casamance on a big ferry boat that makes the route twice a week. Unfortunately the tickets were sold out so instead we decided to take the long, dusty road! We heard that there was a bus that left from near the port every morning around 6 am so we planned to grab that. Tuesday morning we were off on a bus to Banjul...well, to the border with Gambia. We met a really nice family on the bus who had been in Dakar for a wedding and they sort of took us under their wing and helped us with border formalities, changing money, and getting to the ferry!
You find amazing people in every corner of the world!!!

After Banjul the three of us had different ideas of where to go. Lenny wanted to head south to Casamance as quickly as possible in order to spend some nice relaxing days on the beach. Samantha and I were more up for an in-country trip in the Gambia to explore a little more. So the day after arriving in Banjul we split up.

Samantha and I went to a place called Denton Bridge in search of a boat to take us up the river to a place called Tendaba Camp. Unforunately, the Gambia river is not used so much for commercial reasons and so our only option would be to rent a touristy-boat thingy for lots and lots of money! Much more money than we could afford!! So - back to the road!!

We spent two nights in Tenadaba camp which is a fancy-little place that has had several owners in its history but currently is owned by a Gambian and employs about 90 people!! It was really nice! We got to walk a little in the mangroves and forests and then took a pirogue ride to try to see crocs! Unfortunately the crocs were all hiding but we did see a Fishing Owl, apparently quite rare!

Gambia is an interesting place. It was bizarre to switch to english so quickly and we spent the first two days talking to everyone in French and getting blank looks in return. The english is quite different though and so at times I almost wished I could explain in French because it would have been easier! Funny eh!!

The Gambians we met were super interesting. They seemed to be more relaxed and willing to help but at the same time the `business` folks we met were a little more coniving then Senegalese. We met a taxi man, for example, who told us that there were NO buses that would take us to Ziganchour and so we had to take a taxi - that turned out to be a blatant lie. That hasnt really happened so much here in Senegal!

We met this really interesting young Gambian who recently won an essay competition held through the American Embassy in Banjul. He wrote on the topic of Barak Obama`s new administration and what it could bring to the Gambia. It was really interesting and he told us about his dreams of becoming a journalist and bringing truth to all the things that the Gambian government hides. The Gambian government does not look well upon Journalists and this boys parents were very worried for him but he felt that it was important to encourage freedom of the press even if it meant putting his life in danger! He was quite a brave young man....

Tendaba camp to Ziganchour! In Ziganchour we were supposed to meet with a friend that the girls had made in December when they were travelling but he had gone home to his town for the holidays and so instead we met a friend of this friend! He helped us find a place to stay and that night took us out to see a traditional Lutte! Wrestling is the main sport in Senegal after soccer. Not wrestling like we have back home but traditional wrestling. It was soooo interesting! If ever there was an example of violence breeding violence it was there that night. The engery level and testoterone level was so high that there were constantly little fights breaking out and yelling and intensity after every bout! But as quickly as people started to argue that stopped again and put all of their energy into cheering and supporting their chosen wrestler! People were so intense that to be honest most of the time I couldnt tell if they were yelling because they were angry or because they were encouraging! Wow - intense!!!!!

That night we met up again with Lenny! She had travelled South into Casamance and we all re-united in Zig. We also went out dancing in Ziganchour with Lamine, our new friend, and a friend of his Pica. Both of them are barbers in one of the neighbourhoods! Very nice guys!

From Ziganchour Lenny headed off again to a place called Isle de Karabane for her relaxing beach time. Samantha and I were a little less clear of our plans. We decided to head to a town called Oussouye for the afternoon and then play it by ear where we spent the night. Oussouye was interesting but rather small so after a failed attempt to join Lenny at Isle de Karabane we decided to go straight to Diembering and join the friend that we had originally wanted to meet in Ziganchour in his home town.

Israel (yes, like the country...it gets better, his father`s name is American...that`s right...American) met us when we got to Diembering and took us to his house where he lives with his whole family, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles! We had a fantastic time in Diembering. It is a largely Christian town so with Easter around the corner it was party time in the village!! We hung out at the beach, went dancing Saturday night with ALL of the young people at Diembering, drank way too much Palm Wine and even went to Mass on Sunday!!

If I was the kind of person who could live in a village for the rest of my life I think it would be Diembering! It has such charm and character. Little tiny sandy streets weave in between family courtyards and houses! Chickens, pigs, goats roam all over....children run and play on the roots of HUGE HUGE trees! The beach is a 10 minute walk away and stretches as far as the eye can see in either direction! Because it was easter everyone was home for the holidays so there was life and people in the streets all the time!! Israel and his family were so welcoming and I haven`t eaten that well in a long time! Oh, we ate Pelican!!!! mmmmm

Sunday Lenny joined us in Diembering for the day because when we told Israel`s mom we were leaving right after Mass she told us we couldnt because she had killed an extra chicked for us! So...we spent the day and headed in to Cap Skiring in the evening.

That was the ride of `merde`. On Easter Sunday people go to Mass in the morning and then start drinking Palm Wine and continue until the next day. The car that we took in to town was an open top, open sided jeep. Like most transportation is was way overloaded with two people hanging of the back and two people hanging off the sides! The driver was driving fast but not crazily scary! Then someone decided it would be a good idea to open a bottle of wine!!!! One of the guys asked everyone not to pass the bottle to the driver...but oops, somehow that happened anyway. Lenny, Samantha and I started yelling and told the driver to stop and we freaked out a little. That was okay, he was sorry...he wouldnt do it again and we continued! But then surprise surprise he grabbed the bottle again and started chugging down the wine. Lenny reached forward and pulled the bottle from his hand and in the process spilled wine all over his shirt. That didnt make him happy! He stopped the car and we all proceeded to have a yelling fight with us asking people to move so that we could get out of the car, the driver telling us to get out, and everyone else asking us to sit down so we could continue! No one would let us out and in reality we were a number of kilometers from town. The reality is that the driver had probably been drinking since the morning anyway and every trip he took he put more and more people`s lives at risk. I don`t care what anyone says but his reasoning that ¨this is Africa not Europe¨ is totally unacceptable! When it was all over he still didnt seem to understand that drunk driving is dangerous but he did seem a little upset when Lenny told him that he had disrespected us all in the car! Disrespecting people here is a big no-no and so even if he didnt understand why he had disrespected us, he felt a little guilty!

Patience, Patience, Patience....the word has never meant so much to me as it does here. I am finding it much easier than you would think to have patience! I have learnt that about myself...thank god!!

So - our last night in Casamance was spent in Cap Skiring. Another one of Israel`s friends met us and helped us find a place to stay. Kelly works as a gold caddy at the club med in town and so he knows all the ins and outs of town! He also helped us negotiate a car back to Ziganchour the next day. I love this concept of the African Family - the girls met Israel at Christmas, so as friends of theirs he opened up his home to us to stay, in return all his friends opened their arms and all without expectations or demands! Of course they would help us out...we are guests and strangers in their country....what else would they do!!! I love that mentality...

At this point our trip was almost over! All that was left was a loong boat ride from Ziganchour to Dakar! A boat trip that for the girls had resembled a horror movie with people stumbling around being sick everywhere but for us was relatively tranquil and painless! We slept calmly all night in comfy reclining chairs and arrived in Dakar safe and sound the following morning!

And now we are back on campus. Classes have started up and so far look very promising. So far I have been to two classes - Sociology of Water and a Population and Migration class! I have a number that I am hoping to take this semester including a African Women class, Senegalese Politics, Gender and Society, African Litterature, Cultural Identity, Family and Health, and Physchology. Who knows if I will stick with all of those but those are the ¨trial courses¨!

That was that adventure! At the end of every trip I always look forward to arriving in Dakar because there I know how things work, what prices are, where to go for things...and that feeling only grows once we hit Saint Louis and then campus. Here we are based and at this point there are very few surprises each day. It feels nice to feel home once we get on campus! It feels nice to appreciate my village and my room.

It feels like home!