Markets, dancing

So a few new little things. This was our last full weekend in Dakar and it was a relatively productive one. We went out dancing in place in the fishermans village, along the water on Friday night (not the best smell ever, but you learn to live with that here). Then on Saturday we went to what I think is the biggest market here: Marche Sandaga. It was quite an experience. The market spreads out over a lot of streets and you can find almost anything there. I was particularly looking for fabric, but first we were found by a group of guys trying to get us to come to their one shop. No amount of saying no, or not saying anything at all, running away, or staying in one place could shake them. They were harassing us and grabbing for a full 40 minutes - very discouraging. It took a fatay (like fried dough but with meat and onions inside) and the most amazing ice cream at the really good, famous Dakar ice cream parlour in order for us to recover. Then we were finally able to go out and actually look at things (though everyone is still constantly all over you - browsing is impossible). I finally found some really nice fabric that I hope to have made into an outfit. The price was decent, though I'm sure there was a toubab mark-up. By the end, we were exhausted and came home and napped.

Then we got to go to another "family meeting," this time at the house of one of Maman Amitie's daughters. She and her husband and their three daughters have lived in the States, Britain and France and now they're building a bed and breakfast, so the house was very nice. While the adults did their meeting thing, we hung out with the kids, who speak English and a few other francophone cousins. One of the girls was so excited that we knew Harry Potter that we ended up playing the Harry Potter board game "scene it." That's one thing I didn't expect to do in Senegal. But though we were definitely at the kids table, it was still fun to see the family and see a different part of town. It was also fun to see Maman Amitie after a few too many - we were introduced to many members of the family many times and I got yet another tour of the family photos in the living room at 1 a.m.

Now we're into our last week of classes here. There have been a few minor exams but it's nothing like finals in the states. All in all, though I like Dakar a lot, I'm getting very ready for a totally new experience in the ecovillage. I've posted a picture of a mangrove to celebrate. Additionally, there's a picture of the whole group from the first week at the president's palace.

Oh and it's Mohammad's birthday today, so it's a national holiday and most things are closed and the kids don't have school. Happy Gamoul!