First Impressions

When I travel, I always have a wide variety of feelings. Of course, there is an overwhelming excitement, but there’s also a bit of a sadness. Saying goodbye, even for only a brief period of time, is always hard. I must admit that with this trip came a bit of anxiousness. Sure, part of that was traveling to a country unlike any I felt like I have been to before, but part of that was also meeting new people from around the country that I would be spending my every waking hour with for the next two weeks. Let me say now, that that part of the anxiety is gone!

Today was long. There’s no easy way to put it. It was a two hour flight to Chicago, eight hours to Brussels, and six hours to Dakar. Plus, of course, layovers in two cities as well as time going through customs and exchanging money. From the time I left my house to the time I stepped foot into the hotel, it had been well over 24 hours. My mind and body are tired, but eager to start fresh tomorrow.

I met many of my colleagues in Chicago and the rest along the way, minus the two that have, unfortunately, been delayed because of air travel and will be here tomorrow. We have instantly bonded. We all seem to be under the realization that we are doing some thing meaningful, in a collaborative way. We know that education is not a competition, but yet a team sport. We are all here to support one another and learn from each other. After meeting these amazing men and women, I’m even more honored to be included amongst them.

We come from all over the country: Oregon, California, Texas, Minnesota, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, New York, DC, Arkansas, and Georgia. Our teaching assignments are almost as varied as our home states. We have fourth grade teachers, a high school assistant principal, middle school science teachers, high school social studies teachers, global studies educators, a French teacher, an English teacher, engineering, and more that I’m sure at this late hour I am forgetting.

But after seemingly endless hours of travel and excited introductions, we have arrived in Senegal. The airport was about a 45 minute bus ride away from our hotel. While we were all, of course, eager to arrive at our hotel, I must admit that a bus ride is an incredible way to get a first impression of a place.

The major roads are smooth and well organized, but the small side streets are unclear as to if they are one way or two way. They are also covered in sand as we are right next to the beach and surrounded by desert. The smell in the air is similar to that of which you would smell at the beach. There’s a smell of the ocean air, mixed with a light, marine life smell.

As we drove past buildings, we noticed many of the concrete block structures were half completed. I’ve seen this before in other places, particularly Bolivia, last summer. It seems that this has lots of different causes. Perhaps, the owner lost funding while it was being built. Perhaps, the owner decided mid-construction to build elsewhere, and instead sold the partially completed home. It is also possible that people are living in these partially constructed homes, as we saw evidence by hanging clothes lines, and are waiting to earn enough money to complete the building. 

We saw kids playing soccer games in the streets and on sandy “fields”. Despite that in the area, we frequently saw horses in the middle of dilapidated buildings, or open areas of sand. Apparently, they are often used as work animals. Reusing resources such as huge water bottles, cut off and re-purposed for growing plants, is common. There were fruit stands with a seemingly endless supply of local fruits. Many of these looked familiar, but some are new to me. I can’t wait to taste them! Just as many of the birds flooding by seems familiar, several stuck out as new to me. I love finding commonalities in a place where the differences seem to be even more highlighted.

The land is flat, sandy, and desert-like. We saw giant mythical-like trees, palm trees, and areas with very little vegetation on our drive to the hotel.

But just as expected, the clothes are stunning! Men and women alike are dressed in beautiful long cloths that keep the sun away while also keeping you cool and presentable. The swaths of bright colors, the landscape and the people give the city some incredible vibrance!