Dakar So Far
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 family and diving in with my right hand. A world so unlike that of Oregon, or Washington DC, or any of the other places I’ve had the privilege to call home. When I first decided to spend my summer studying in West Africa, I had no idea what to expect. My understanding of Dakar had come solely from watching Ousmane Sembene’s Borom Sarat and reading Mariama Ba’s So Long a Letter. While both these works painted clear pictures of Dakar, they did so from a position of around fifty years prior, leaving me with an outdated perspective. Dakar is a bustling city, and I was initially alarmed by how huge it is. The neighborhoods stretch out in every direction, all crashing into the sea that meets the city at... Read More
Senegal (2): Memories & lingering thoughts
May 2, 2024
As the semester comes to an end, a bittersweet feeling begins to emerge. On one hand, I would want to take a break from the constant travelling, from all the stress that comes with adaptation to a new environment and a new country. On the other hand, the nagging thought of not... Read More
Dakar (1): Africa
May 2, 2024
As we touched down, the heat hit us, much like it did between Paris and Rabat, but Senegal amplified it. Heat and sunlight were the first things on my mind. But Senegal, known for its Teranga, greeted us with unexpected kindness from random drivers who helped us with our... Read More
Paris (2): The adventures
May 2, 2024
Whilst in France, I had a mission: to test every kebab joint I could find in the neighbourhood. Ever since my installation in my host family, I started my meticulous research, and I am glad to say that I’ve tried out pretty much every single Arab/Turkish fast food place in... Read More
Rabat (1): The land of the setting sun
May 2, 2024
Have you ever seen a Moroccan Medina before? I haven’t before going to Morocco. And you should definitely visit one. When we arrived in a riad, a traditional moroccan house which is designed towards the interior (there are no windows towards the exterior and there... Read More
Morocco (2): Deserts, Seas, and Mountains
May 2, 2024
Almost every weekend in Morocco, I travelled. They were either APA organised visits or trips that were self-initiated. The first excursion was to Fez, the “Athens of North Africa.” The cultural (and geographical) heart of Morocco, Fez was constructed by the first... Read More
Paris (1): First Impressions
May 2, 2024
I remember stepping down from the aeroplane and breathing the cold, humid Parisian air. It was definitely a stark contrast to what I am used to: hot, torpid weather. Immediately, I was on edge. It was my first time in Paris since a short 3-day visit when I was 13, and I... Read More
Full Circle & Reflections in Paris
December 19, 2022
Just like that, the semester is at an end! While APA Multi-Country has technically ended for this semester, I’m still abroad. All of us flew from Dakar to Paris early on Friday, then went our separate ways. It was so strange to part with the APA group. We’ve all seen... Read More
Music/Dance/Culture in Dakar-Part 2
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
Music/Dance/Culture in Dakar-Part 1
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
Study Spaces in Paris… and Dakar!
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
A Day in the Life in Rabat!
November 14, 2022
As much fun as I’m having in Dakar, I HAVE to talk about the FMS experience in Rabat. I’ll take you through a typical day in my favorite (shhh don’t tell!) stop of the semester. 8:00 am: wake up for class in my lovely room at the top of my host family’s house! I get... Read More
Back to the Beginning in Paris!
November 9, 2022
Hello and welcome to the 2022 adventures of APA Multi-Country! Over the next few weeks I’ll be catching you up about our semester so far and giving you updates on what’s left of this incredibly unique study abroad experience. First, a little about me: My name is Maddy and... Read More
Dakar Summer 2022!
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
Goodbye (for now) Senegal!
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
