Class...

Today I had a class with a very bizarre professor. He is really eccentric, has an amazing chuckle-y laugh and constantly makes fun of the students in the class! But he spent the first 40 minutes of class explaining how we shouldn't talk in class and how, if we have 26 in class hours, we need to do 54 independent hours of work...I felt as if I was back in highschool - and this is a fourth year course! Granted, they are just implementing a new system and so many students don't really know the requirements of it but...honestly that was just too much. He didn't actually discuss critical anthropology once in a two hour time period!!
The professor I had yesterday was equally bizarre. He showed up 45 minutes late...walked in talking on his cell phone...didn't tell us his name...went on and on about sustainable development being all about science and technology...and then at 10 walked out without saying anything.

Did someone make it a rule that to be a professor you have to be super strange??? I am hoping some of the other professors are a little less odd but I am not holding my breath!! I suppose it does make the courses a little more interesting. The first professor today made this big huge joke about how we Canadians had a problem in our development because we always carry bottles around with us...clearly we haven't made the step to adulthood. It was pretty funny!!

Tomorrow political science courses begin! I have high-hopes for some interesting classes there...

I will post more pictures tonight. Including ones from a soccer game we went to last night...GOOOO TONNERRE!!!

Oh - everyone here is talking about the US elections! Our prof told us he stayed up all night following them and so did Luigi our Italian friend. I found out about the results when I woke up and saw a text from Luigi at 4 in the morning!
There is an overwhelming sense of relief that Obama was elected and lots of talk about what this means for Africa. It is really interesting because we met one guy this morning who was all excited about the elections and what great changes this would mean for Africa and the world...then our prof stressed the point that Obama is still an American president looking out for American interests! Quite the opposing views...the prof made the joke that Africans have to be careful not to think that this means their millet porridge will turn into a juicy steak!!!

It will be really interesting to follow the discussions on campus as the year rolls out...

Senegal...first week photos!!

Sitting on the back porch of our villa!


Flowers here are so beautiful!

This was our 'goodbye villa' party...note the classy table and table cloth!

In Senegal people dance Mbalax...for lack of knowledge of a traditional Canadian dance I taught our new friends my friend Maxime's finger wagging dance...I guess I didn't really think it would catch on...but it did :( Now they think all Canadians dance like that!! Sorry!!

Our creative welcome sign for our party! Duck tape art!!!!!


Genet, Mass, Me, Omar, Raff, Joel, Lenny, Baba...an evening at the beach!

Omar - mid-flip

The waves don't look it in this picture but they were huge! And dangerous...

The short haired ladies!!


Joel - mid-dance

Our Social Committee friends...really great guys!

We are so classy we drink beer from cut up water bottles!

Siesta in our villa living room...

The hallway to our rooms...two rooms on the right, one on the left, and a bathroom!

The kitchen! I already miss the fridge.

Welcome to the villa!

Ahhhhh...finally a cold beer!

Saint Louis from the famous Pont Fedherbe

The 'aaah we made it' face on our first morning here...

The 'aaah we made it' face on our first morning here...(more like YEEEAAHH)

The 'aaah we made it' face on our first morning here...

The 'aaah we made it' face on our first morning here...

Toilet and shower...these weren't even the worst...

This was the hostel in Mauritania...

A relaxing day at the beach in Dakhla!

We got a ride out here to this 'resort' for free!!

Hour 8 or 12 or 17 or 22 or 27 on the bus...

Beautiful landscape through Morocco!

Travelling ladies...Raff, Genet, Annie, Lenny

This picture I took to match my picture of bikes from Holland and my picture of vespas in Spain!

No laundry or you will be sent to the roof without dinner!!

Marakesh train station!

This was a common site on our travels. ''What do you mean the map shows a street that doesn't exist?''

I wish this picture better conveyed how cramped we were! As it is, we just look like beautiful travelling train ladies!

From the front...

From the back...no wonder no one wanted to mess with us!!

Mosque in Casablanca...apparently the biggest after Mekkah



Beach along the Corniche in Casa



MMM ice cream on a hot day!

That is Rick's Cafe in the background...

Entrance to the Medina where the hostel was.


Hotel California...we managed to both check out and leave despite what the song says...

Tangiers from the water.


Good bye Tarifa!

Kite surfers!

Oil spill on the beach in Tarifa.

A good ol'fashioned sand castle that Maria and I built...it even has a moat monster!


Atlantico

Mediterraneo

An old fort in Gibraltar



The only monkey we got to see...and it wasn't even real!

It really was like being in England!!