Île de Gorée

I apologize for my absence. The weekend leading up to Tabaski (Eid al-Adha) was spent in a little touristy artsy community tucked away in Toubab-Dialow, and post-Tabaski, I was taken ill. There was no appropriate time window to pop in with a post and pictues. So hello, this is me writing to you at the end of week 3 here in Dakar, Senegal. In all honesty, time has been passing by so quickly I get freaked out thinking about it. Once our schedules were set in place, things just proceeded in their own momentum. These first couple of weeks at school have been great. I feel more connected to my classes through living in the "reality" of our discussions on development and progress in economic, social, and environmental matter. Field trips and classes seem to go hand in hand when it comes to learning, as opposed to the system of theory before application. You're pretty much thrown into the midst of it all here and then gradually working on organizing the pieces you pick up. (And they are too many!)

On with the post. CIEE took us to visit Gorée Island on our first weekend here. We took the morning ferry from the port downtown at 10am. We stood outside the gate for 15 minutes, our passports in hand, before being let in. The ride was about 30 minutes, and we got to be on the top deck because the lower deck was full and so we could grab nice pictures of the whole island.

When we got to the island, we dropped by the House of Slaves (Maison des esclaves) and took a short tour of the place. It was really helpful that they have a standing exhibition of the place's history and significance, as well as a researcher/guide on site who gave a short background lecture. The island was one of the first places in Africa that the European colonizers settled in, having Portugese, Dutch, English and French ownership before Senegal's independence. Although it is difficult to trace the history of Gorée Island as the slave port of Western Africa, the place still stands in remembrance of the colonial and slave trade history.

There were two other museums on the island - Historical Museum of Senegal and . Albeit sightly run down, they both housed interesting information about archaeological research in Senegal, religious history, and important Senegalese figures pre and post independence.

After the tour, we had lunch and then hit the beach. There were also small market stalls tucked behind the receiving area of Gorée Island, where determined vendors invited us to look at their products. The architecture of the buildings on the island were reminiscent of the vibrant Carribean scene, but without the lively community that comes with it. At noon, the island was teeming with life. Tourists and locals alike flocked over to enjoy one of the more well-managed beaches here in Dakar, and to take in Gorée Island as it is.

Till the next one!