Our time in Temento Samba is quickly coming to an end. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed the students’ reflections and keep an eye out for more to be posted by next weekend! We’ve opened up the itinerary discussion to include a stronger......Read More
If you ask someone who lives in Senegal to choose one word to describe their home, they’ll most likely say “teranga” (in Wolof) or “teddungal” (in Pulaar) — a word that most closely translates to “hospitality.” The linguistic......Read More
The other day, the night before our departure to Kolda, our I-team sat us down to explain the day ahead. Their words were something like, “5 am wake up for a 10 hour drive” and my immediate response, as if I were some pre-programmed robot was,......Read More
This feels like the start of real connection with my peers. I’m starting to develop a real fondness for them. I recognize all the different personalities and accept them all. I peeked my turtle head out of its shell as we swapped stories,......Read More
Hey yak board, it’s been awhile. I really should post more but laziness sticks with you wherever you go is what I’ve learned. Don’t worry loyal yak readers that may or may not have been concerned about my lack of posting, I’m......Read More
When I was with my home stay family in Thies, I was given select opportunities to be reluctantly shown how to cook traditional Senegalese dishes. Being a man in the kitchen isn’t the most common thing in Senegal, so the first time, my sister......Read More
As I go through my journey in West Africa, I realized that the stars I would say take my breath away have changed. The stars are rare, so usually anything that makes me gasp in realization is not what’s in front of me. I would say it’s......Read More
Author: Akiva Axelrad-Hausman Title: Senegalese Baby Log One baby 2 baby three baby 4, I’ve seen sooo many babies here, But I’d love to see some more, Number one was the neighbor’s baby on the police officer’s back, Boy oh......Read More
Its 6:45 am in Dindefelo. The hazy clouds have come down from the mountains and the town feels serene, but there’s anticipation building for the day ahead. We stumbled out of the hotel feeling worn out and slightly frustrated about the early......Read More
We have been in the Kedougou region for the past few days focusing on health before traveling onwards. We used that time to visit our favorite waterfall in Dindefelo, learn about shea butter in Thiabakare, and find a link between local yogurt......Read More
Dear Adoring Fans, We have just returned to Kedougou after trekking to Bedick villages and waterfalls while making our way through Bandafassi, Ibel, Dindifelo and Dande. Now we are heading off on our next trekking excursion through Guinea!......Read More
Salaam Alekum, sunuy xarit and mbokk, Peace be with you, our friends and family, This week is many things at once. A time to say goodbye, exchange email addresses, take family photos, and soak up time with our homestay families in Thies after......Read More
Dear Loyal Readers, Our Senegalese adventure has been very enjoyable and relatively smooth for the past week. There has been some sickness, aggressive sunburns, and strong fatigue, however this is nothing we can’t handle. This week the group......Read More
Someone very wise once told me that you can’t come home unless you dare to leave. After just a few short weeks, Thies feels like home. We have our program house, a (fairly regular) daily routine, big family lunches with the group and big......Read More