In January of 2018, I went on a trip to Senegal and the Gambia. This was part of a three week course that I was taking entitled Political and Social Systems in West Africa. My International Studies adviser, myself, and 15 other students attended this trip. At my college, we have a three week optional course that we take between the fall and spring semesters. Many travel courses are offered and students like myself take advantage of these travel opportunities. This was my first time ever traveling to a country in Africa so I really did not know what to expect.  

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Our first destination was Senegal. From the airport, we drove to where we would be staying which turned out to be these huts with straw roofs. After settling in, we headed out to explore the local lake called Pink Lake or Lac Rose and the market. To get to the lake, you need to pass all the merchants. They are very aggressive salespeople. They will physically put jewelry on you to get you to purchase it. They always want you to “come to my shop.” My professor tried explaining that none of the students had exchanged currency yet but I don’t think that any of them understood. The Pink Lake is aptly titled… it’s really a pink lake. This is a cool effect of the saturated salt in the water and the sun. The lake does not look pink in the evenings and the mornings because the sun is not up. The lake at its deepest, is 1.5 meters salt and 1.5 meters water. The local women row out to the middle of the lake every morning and shovel the salt into baskets and bring it back to shore. There are gigantic mountains of salt along the shores. They have these large quantities of salt but are still very poor. A bag of salt that we would typically buy to salt our driveways is $4 here. My professor would stop every few minutes when walking around the lake to point out some cultural or historical aspects.

 

The next day, we departed for Goree Island. This is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of Senegal. Goree Island was a slave trade island. Today, the island has 1,800 permanent residents and is a huge tourist attraction. The island is very rustic and old. We got to see the slave chambers as well as a tour of the whole island. The sights of the Atlantic ocean from the island are beautiful. On our way to the island, my professor pointed out that most buildings are unfinished. He explained that families will generally build only the first floor of the home because they do not have enough money to build the rest. They do not use machines, and this was obvious as we saw a man bring each brick up to the second floor. I realized that the people in Senegal make the most of what they have. They literally build up from nothing. These people have so little but are still so happy and friendly. Many do not have jobs so they make their money by selling fresh produce or homemade goods. Salespeople will do anything to try and make a profit from you. They weave in and out of cars on the busy highway. They pulled classmates into their “shops” on Goree Island. They followed us around the island. They will say their name and then say “remember me and come to my shop.” If you do not come to their shop, they will track you down and pester you more. This culture is so different from American culture where we have everything we desire.

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We left Goree Island and then began touring the city center of Dakar. The city center is busy and industrialized. We saw Range Rovers, Mercedes, and Ferraris. My professor explained that these cars are a major status symbol in Africa and cost way more than they would in America. He also pointed out the Presidential Palace, as well as several government buildings and embassies. We stopped the bus to go inside the largest catholic church in Senegal. 90% of Christians in Senegal are Catholic. The other 10% percent are Muslim. This church is very conservative. A few classmates were wondering why none of the crosses had the body of Christ on them. We asked around, but no one seemed to understand our question.

 

We then headed toward the Renaissance Memorial. This is a huge statue of a women pointing downwards, representing the past of Africa, a man in the middle on the rock, representing the strength and current status of Africa, and finally a small boy pointing to the sky, representing the future of Africa. There is a large staircase to climb to reach this amazing masterpiece (which was built by the North Koreans). The views of Senegal from the top of the stairs were breathtaking. We arrived just as the sun was setting. 

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The next day, we went on a safari! We drove around for about an hour and a half and saw so many kinds of animals. This was a giant wildlife reservation. We saw giraffes, rhinos, zebras, ostriches, all different kinds of antelope and birds, crocodiles, and water buffalo. It is so interesting to see these animals in their natural habitat and not in a zoo. They seem so free and come and go as they please. The reservation holds about 40 giraffes and 20 zebras. These were the animals I was most excited to see.

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After the safari, we went on a dune ride around the lake. This was also extremely fun but very bumpy. We got to see all the villages that surround Lac Rose as well as the countless piles of salt. We stopped in one village and met the chief. As we pulled in, numerous little kids screamed with joy and ran after our dune. We stepped down from the dune and the little kids all started shaking our hands. As the chief took us around his village, the little kids followed and held our hands. They wanted to take our bracelets, but the chief yelled at them. If there is one thing that I learned today, it is that Africans have so little but are the happiest, friendliest people that I ever met. The entire village has only one water supply through a well in the village center. We got to see a typical bedroom which is a straw hut with a blanket laid on a stone slab inside as a bed. I cannot think of one American that would be happy to be living in these conditions, yet these African people are so grateful to just be alive. Something that I noticed among Africans is that they always initiate a greeting. For example, my professor would walk into breakfast and would say, “Hello, how are you?” to every person he saw. They are always shaking hands and are always waving hello. I think myself as well as others need to be more grateful for what we have. I know that this is a cliché saying but when I view this living environment first hand in Africa, it really makes me revalue my own life.

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The next morning, we headed to Gambia. I did come back to Senegal on the last day of the trip where I was able to go quadding in the sand dunes and ride a camel. This was extremely fun. I really enjoyed Senegal but I do not know if I would come back. 

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