September 6, 2024

Halfway through the summer semester in Dakar and I can’t believe only three weeks remain. My time so far has been a blurry collection of beach, bissap juice, and bus rides. Taxis jetting across the city, words flying in French and Wolof, sitting down for dinner with my host... Read More

December 16, 2022

I’m back to tell you about the last part of a full and fascinating week in Dakar! Our day trip here was a visit to Gorée Island. Originally inhabited by Lebu people, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach the island back in 1444. Dakar and Gorée are at the... Read More

November 28, 2022

It’s now our third weekend in Dakar! Things are moving fast, especially when our days are so jam-packed. I’m dividing last weekend’s events into two posts since there’s just too much to say. We kicked off the weekend last Friday afternoon with a trip to the... Read More

November 15, 2022

One of the most interesting parts of studying abroad is getting to know a city as a student, which is so different from just being a tourist. Tourists don’t need a good working environment with WiFi for multiple hours on a regular basis! All of us have WiFi and space to study... Read More

July 19, 2022

Greetings to everyone from Dakar, Senegal! It has been a whirlwind experience arriving in the « pays de Teranga » (country of Senegalese hospitality) and acclimating to daily life here. As someone from a predominantly Catholic, Midwestern area, one of the main questions I... Read More

July 27, 2021

After eight busy, exciting, interesting, adventure-filled (and exhausting) weeks, here I am at the end of my time in Dakar. A lot of people have been asking me what I enjoyed the most, and while there are so many cool things I got to see and do, what’s really stood out to me... Read More

July 19, 2021

My classes and activities are starting to wrap up, and though I’ve had a wonderful time in Dakar, I am starting to count the days until I head home (eight). There are some aspects of Senegalese culture that I won’t miss – the traffic congestion and car exhaust, the lack of... Read More

July 12, 2021

This week passed without any major excitement – but I realize that if this was my first week, I would be saying it was full of excitement! I had a literature class, another session of dance and djembe (the best one yet!), a museum visit, and I made good progress on my projects... Read More

July 12, 2021

This week was all about Dakar. A lot of my outings so far have taken me to the outskirts or outside of the city, but there’s so much to do right here! It’s always fun to get out and about, explore different regions, see new places, but I think a lot of times people forget... Read More

June 28, 2021

This week marks the halfway point of my time in Senegal – already?? I’m starting to miss home a little bit, but it’s currently over 100 degrees F in my hometown of Tacoma, and the city of St. Paul where I go to school is covered in mayflies…so I’m happy to be in Dakar.... Read More