The neighbourhoods that we, students, live in are vastly different from downtown in terms of the magnitude of cars, people, and things to see/do. We were dropped off by a large conglomeration of market stalls selling everything from cuts of leather to fake Nike shoes, bags of fresh fish to syrup-ed Madd fruit in disposable cups, engine parts to wax clothing. Beyond the cluster stalls of waterproof tarp lie the dynamic informal economy that many Dakar locals and people who have migrated from rural areas and other West African nations depend on.
It was 10 am in the morning but our stray hair strands were already plastered to the sides of our faces, at the napes of our necks. There is no such thing as not sweating in your first-week transition period, and cold showers are your best friend. Being new to Dakar, I had no sense of place nor direction. To be frank, I did not know what we were going to be doing. But all in good exploration fun, no?
We split up into groups of 3 and walked around for a bit, stopping by at notable location and taking in the sights and sounds. One thing that was notable was that there was more green cover downtown than anywhere else. The shadow of foliage and concrete buildings covered our sweaty backs as we passed through bustling traffic, displayed merchandise, and people. We were also surprised to learn that there were two major hospitals in the city, one geared towards expats and civil servants and the other more cost-friendly for other people. We did not do much that day, as lunch took up most of our time. Serving lunch for 40 is not an easy task.
Here are some photos I took that day. Next post on our visit to Île de Gorée coming soon!
African Arts Museum
Parliament
Place de l'indépendance
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