First and foremost, there are palm trees. Even more have been planted
along the Corniche since I took this picture.
And then there are baobabs. There are three in this picture.
And there are these prickly plants, like the ones in our garden at home in Dakar.
Kinda like a palm tree, but not. Also, everywhere.
Flowers!
Pine-y kinds of shrubs like this grow into big trees.
Mangroves in the salty water of the Atlantic.
This one was taken near Toubakouta, not Dakar.
And now for something completely different:
The other day, I was along for the ride while my host brother Ousmane and host sister Mama ran errands (faire des cours) in Dakar. Ousmane's iPhone rang. It was another American student (Senegalese name: Mame Dialla) who had stayed with the Toure family back in fall of 2008, and she's kept in touch, calling every month or so. That afternoon in the car, after she spoke with Ousmane and Mama, the phone was handed to me--and we chatted about how wonderful the family was, how relatively eas our respective programs were while here in Dakar, and how excited she is to come back and visit. She said that she felt very lucky to have her family, and I feel that they must have been very lucky to have HER. She has her own blog, too--and her entries are fanastic. Check it out: http://senegirl.blogspot.com/
I just read all of your posts and I LOVE hearing your stories!!! I'm so excited to bridge the "generations," so to speak, of honorary Touré family members.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I did not know Ousmane had an iPhone. When did he become such a baller??
Keep posting; I can't wait to keep reading.
Funny story about Ousmane's iPhone. He was explaining to me how it was a real status symbol, and how people are too materialistic--and I pointed out that he had bought one (used), so wasn't he materialistic? And he said no, no, he was just "playing the game," letting others judge him as more stable, and more cool, when they see that he has an iPhone. So, yeah. But its screen is cracked and he's thinking about ditching it and his old computer to get a little laptop, which I hope comes to pass.
ReplyDeleteVery happy to see Senegalese plants!!! BAOBABS! how wonderful!
ReplyDeletemiss you a ton!