SNACKS!

(this was written about four days ago but I haven't had internet to post it yet, so bear with me.)

I am back at the Baobab center eating delicious snacks with my friend Joleen. We went to a supermarket and bought yogurt and cookies. A treat for sure! Here's a little bit of an overview of what I have done the past week. I might just use bullet points because I can keep your attention longer that way...

- A few days ago I went to the beach along the Atlantic coast with my host sister Mariama, Andrew, Kate, and Joleen. It's just a 15 minute walk from where I live. It's incredibly gorgeous there and I know we'll be spending a lot of time chilling by the sea shore, as it were. The sand was soft and there were lots of guys practicing la lutte (wrestling/martial arts), which is very popular in Senegal.
- Ataaya: It’s a green tea that is carefully prepared and then loaded with mint and sugar. I’m pretty sure it’s the Senegalese version of a triple espresso latte. You’ll be buzzing with energy after drinking it. The making of ataaya is a long and somewhat intricate process, although it should be noted that the actual drinking of the tea isn’t the important part, it’s the coming together and socializing that happens while you wait for it to brew. It involves boiling the tea, adding the correct amount of sugar. Then comes the tricky part, which is getting the mousse to form. Ataaya is served in little shotglass sized glasses and you pour the tea back and forth between two glasses from a ridiculous height until you get a nice foam in the glass (easier said than done.) The tea is drunk in three rounds, each round more sugary. I’ve had ataaya twice but haven’t been able to get to the third round because I’ve had to leave before that both times I’ve had it.
- Power outs: These happen everyday. All the time. For most of the day. It is very unusual if the power doesn't go out. It'll usually be down for a few hours. The worst is when it's out at night and then your fan doesn't work. Sounds harmless enough but it's impossible to fall asleep while swimming in pools of your own sweat.
- Meals: Nearly all meals are served around a communal bowl and you eat with your right hand only. That's a pretty important rule because your left hand is reserved for personal hygiene.

I'm running out of energy, so i'm just going to leave it at this for now.

It's hot.

Yesterday=First time at the beach y'all. And lemme say, dang I love the ocean.

I don't have much time to write because I'm off to class. But, still alive and thriving. I promise I'll write more soon.

xoxo

Hello!

This is my first post from Senegal!

Everything here is so wonderful. Except the heat and humidity. It is 79% humidity and 86˚F (which is pretty nice compared to how it's been the rest of the week.) It's essentially impossible to leave the house without sweating off the litres of water you have to drink.

I'm just giving you the quick low down because i've got class in five minutes. I'll make a longer post with all that I've done (which will actually be quite difficult because it feels like I have lived here for weeks but it's only been three days.) The food will take some getting used to and I know Kate, Andrew, Joleen, and I are praying the for the end of the rainy season to come early, which will mean an end to the ridiculous humidity.

Sheep (which look like goats), cats, and dogs all roam the street. I also try to watch out for the cows and horses which occasionally dot the divider of the highway.

Class time! I'll write more later.

jamm ak jamm (peace with peace)

Hannah

Mails?

Hello All-

I am preparing and attempting not to panic too much in these last two days before I leave. If any of you are interested in sending me mail over the course of this following year, here is the address where you can send your letters and/or packages filled with nothing less than the most exquisite and rare treasures the world has to offer:

Hannah Boldt

c/o Baydallaye Kane

Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis

B.P. 234

Saint-Louis, Senegal

Hugs and kisses, H

Senegal: The Basic Facts

Full name: Republic of Senegal

Population: 12.5 million (UN, 2009)

Capital: Dakar

Area: 196,722 sq km (75,955 sq miles)

Major language: French (official), Wolof

Major religion: Islam

Life expectancy: 54 years (men), 57 years (women) (UN)

Monetary unit: 1 CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) franc = 100 centimes

Main exports: Fish, peanuts, petroleum products, phosphates, cotton

GNI per capita: US $970 (World Bank, 2008)

Internet domain: .sn

International dialling code: +221

For the Senegalese, political participation and peaceful leadership changes are not new. Even as a colony Senegal had representatives in the French parliament. And the promoter of African culture, Leopold Senghor, who became president at independence in 1960, voluntarily handed over power to Abdou Diouf in 1980.

The 40-year rule of Senegal's Socialist Party came to a peaceful end in elections in 2000, which were hailed as a rare democratic power transfer on a continent plagued by coups, conflict and election fraud.

Senegal is on the western-most part of the bulge of Africa and includes desert in the north and a moist, tropical south. Slaves, ivory and gold were exported from the coast during the 17th and 18th centuries and now the economy is based mainly on agriculture. The money sent home by Senegalese living abroad is a key source of revenue.

A long-running, low-level separatist war in the southern Casamance region has claimed hundreds of lives. The conflict broke out over claims by the region's people that they were being marginalised by the Wolof, Senegal's main ethnic group.**

The government and rebels signed a peace pact at the end of 2004, raising hopes for reconciliation.

On the world stage, Senegal has sent peacekeeping troops to DR Congo, Liberia and Kosovo.

• Information taken from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1064496.stm

** Note: To all those who may be mildly concerned about my safety, this region is on the opposite side of the country. I will be attending university in the northernmost region of Senegal in Saint-Louis. So, no worries about any run-ins with that.