Day 13: Lectures and school stuff.

Before I write this, let me say that the past (almost) 2 weeks have been quite an experience (obviously). Given that, I have had a ton to write about. However, now that we’re starting to have more classes, things will get busier, and I won’t have as much to write about in my journal. I don’t anticipate that I will need to write every day, because it would just get repetitive and boring for the reader. With that said, here’s day 13:

For the first week and a half, the only thing that was served with our baguette in the morning was this chocolate spread stuff. Not being a huge fan of sweet foods, I would pass this up everyday while Rich would practically slab it on his. Last Friday, my “mother” asked me if I wanted anything else, and I told her I liked butter. Now that we have butter in the mornings, it’s a lot easier to eat an entire baguette of bread…

This morning at Cresp, we went over last week’s Senegalese history lesson. The Americans went through with the Senegalese students, and everyone spoke in English to make sure that we understood what had been said. We were then asked to come up with three questions that would couldn’t answer, and give them to be discussed by everyone. I found our end discussion very interesting and engaging.

At around 11, the power cut out, and we were left sitting in Cresp with nothing much to do. (Note: I think today was the hottest day we’ve had since we’ve gotten here. Without AC or fans or anything, there’s you can do really besides sit, sweat, and complain. Also, when it gets this hot, people who have air conditioners tend to use them, which overwhelm the power grid, and everyone is left in the dark.) We tried to do a lesson/lecture thing with Marian, but it was just too hot, so everyone went home a little early for lunch. To our dismay, the power was out at our house as well, and lunch was spicy, which didn’t contribute to the overheated state that I was already in. We got back to Cresp at 1500, and the power was still out. Shortly thereafter, I found myself sprawled on the tile floor because it was a lot cooler than sitting anywhere else. Anyway, just as we were being herded back in to our classroom for a lecture, the power came back. The AC was immensely appreciated. Another lecturer came at 1600 and we didn’t end up finishing till 1815, which was frustrating, as a normal day would only last till 1700. It figures, because it’s Monday.

Then we went off to the beach, where the water was gross and dirty today, with some pieces of trash floating around. It’s the first time we’ve seen it like that, but we had to keep the beach streak going. I have to check, but I think it’s been about ten or eleven days in a row. Before departing for Africa, I never imagined that I would be swimming in a beautiful ocean nearly every day…it has been quite a nice surprise. Off to sleep early…