Ile de la Madeleine

One of my favorite places to go for a break from the hustle and bustle of the city is out to Ile de la Madeleine (Madeleine Island). I’ve been out to this small island off the coast of Dakar three times now and its beauty never disappoints! The island is a natural reserve, with it and the waters around it for 50 meters out, protected against any human activity such as fishing, hunting, or harvesting. It is the smallest national park in the world, and while not yet a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it’s been nominated as one and is on the tentative list. In order to go out to the island, we have to go to the National Forest office that manages the island. Once there, we can pay for a guide (which is required) and the small boat (pirogue) that will take us out there.

It costs 5,000-10,000 cfa per person (about $10-$15) for the boat, depending on how many people are in the group.  The guide costs 10,000 as well, but for the entire group. It takes about 15-20 minutes in the small engine pirogue to get out to the island, depending on how choppy the water is. Some of the guides will take you really close to the shipwreck that’s just off the island, so you can get a really good look at the fishing boat that sank in the shallow waters a few years back. The first time I went out we didn’t get anywhere near it, so I figured they usually steered clear of it, but then second time we got super close to it. I think it also depends on how calm the water is. Apparently the ship ran aground during a huge storm a few years back. There were no casualties, but the Spanish company just left it there… apparently they don’t have the means to remove the ship.

They were able to siphon off all the gas so it didn’t get into the water, but the debris from the ship has influenced the wildlife around the island. An example of this is with the turtles. They have a beach near the shipwreck they call “turtle beach” because it consistently had turtles laying their eggs on it, but they haven’t been back since the shipwreck. Some organizations are working to figure out a way to remove the ship, but they haven’t gotten very far. Apparently it’s an expensive endeavor.

Once past the shipwreck, the pirogue goes into a small opening in the sheer rock walls where a dock is set up. Depending on the tide, sometimes it is a very easy entry, while other times it has to be well timed with the swells of the tide. After landing, the guide gives a walking tour of the island so we can see the birds, baobab trees and beautiful coastal scenery. The first thing we do on the tour is walk up to the high point overlooking the little cove we entered by.

There have been a couple of attempts at building on the island, but it is said that the most powerful of the “genies” (or spirits) of the traditional Lébou tribes (the fishermen) inhabit the island. It is considered a sacred place where the tribal elders would come to petition the spirits.

Apparently a rich Frenchman tried to build a house on the island in the 1800s, but any time he got close to finishing his stone house, they would come back the next day and find it had crumbled. This went on for a few weeks before they gave it up as a lost cause. Someone else tried to put a structure up near the ruins of the old one, but just after they finished it, they came out to find it had collapsed… they take it as a very clear sign that any permanent human presence is not appreciated by the original inhabitants of the island.

The tour continues to the side of the island where we can see the other 2 islands considered as part of The Madeleine Islands. Although the one big island is commonly known as Madeleine Island, it is actually the largest of three islands. The other two are so close together it seems that they are one. Because they are small and steep, they’re not really accessible to humans.

It is said that while the main island hosts the good spirits, they play host to the bad spirits that cause shipwrecks if approached too closely. The shipwreck is not too far from them as we continue the walk around the rim of the island. Depending on the guide, sometimes the tour includes climbing down towards Turtle beach, although we’ve never actually gotten all the way down because the attraction is actually what’s hidden in the side of the hill.

Madeleine Island is home to one of the rarest birds in the world: Le Phaeton à bec rouge (Phaeton Aethereus Mesonauta: A red-billed tropic bird called the boatswain bird). It is only found on this island, which is home to 30 pairs, and two other islands in the world. They’re really easy to spot when they’re flying around because they’re pure white, have long tails and bright orange/red beaks. But they nest in the cliffs/hillsides, so when we’re walking down the trail, the guide can point out the birds in their nests. We can get pretty close, but when we push our luck, they are very vocal about it!

After visiting the birds, we continue our walk around the rim, now facing Dakar off in the distance. Seeing Dakar from far away always makes me glad that I am spending some time out of the city. The pollution layer can be seen from Madeleine Island, and I think about the air I’m breathing on a daily basis. Not much I can do about it, but I do wonder sometimes if there will be long-term effects on my health!

There is a beautiful little cove at the farthest point from the entry cove which I could sit for hours, just watching the water flow in and out. Unfortunately, there is a time limit on the island (well, since you asked, it’s 4 hours ;) ), so we head to our next viewpoint which is called penguin point because there are some legends (from a long time ago apparently) that talk about penguins inhabiting that part of the island. I was surprised, but then did some research and although I did not find anything about penguins in those islands, there are warm-weather penguins in the Galapagos Islands, which happens to also be one of the other two islands in the world that have the Phaeton… so I guess if they share that rare bird, maybe they also shared the penguins in the distant past.

After Penguin Point, we visit the main Dwarf Baobab (Baobab Nain) which is unexpectedly one of the biggest baobabs on the island. Our guide said that the first record of this particular tree was from 1778 when it was mentioned by a French explorer in one of his logs. It was already fully grown. Many of the baobabs on the island are called dwarf and are very particular, growing more spread out and lower to the ground because of the wind found on the island. Not all of them are dwarfs, since it depends on where they’re located. There are a few baobabs that are considered sacred by the Lébous and this is one of them. Not all of them are allowed to be visited/seen by anyone other than the spiritual leaders or elders of the tribes (which is one reason a guide is required).

Another sacred baobab that we are allowed to see is on the other side of the island. It is one of the largest and many people go there to pray/petition for something or some information that they want, most often leaving sacrificial animals, money, food, bracelets, etc. Unfortunately there is a new phenomenon happening on the island that may threaten all the baobabs on that side of the island, including this one. For the first time since anyone has been keeping track, the bird population has increased significantly and they have taken to nesting not only in the cliffs, but in the baobab trees. So many of them nest in each tree that their dropping are suffocating them, which was easily seen by their complete lack of leaves (or any color for that matter). Those who study the island as a habitat are trying to figure out why this is happening. They cannot interfere, so if this change means the death of half of the baobabs on the island, it is what it is, but they are studying the dramatic change.

About an hour later finds us end of the guided walk around the island and back at the cove where we arrived. So why do they limit people to 4 hours? Because there is a natural pool on the island and I bet people would spend all day there if they let them! It is very nice for swimming and the beaches are interesting because they aren’t sand beaches but shell beaches. Instead of sand, it’s just a ton of shells/shell pieces that make up the beach (so much better than sand, btw, doesn’t get stuck on everything!).

The natural pool is created by a short wall on one end, and if the waves are high enough on the other side, they come over the wall and trickle down into the pool. The first time I went it was super hot outside, so the pool was refreshing and we swam for a really long time. The second time I went, it wasn’t quite as hot out, even though it was sunny, and the water was pretty cold. We swam for a little while, but then spent about an hour napping/enjoying the warm sunshine.

Although it’s not part of the guided visit, if visiting at low tide, it is possible to go around behind the retaining wall of the pool. It’s a pretty cool area because there are a ton of tide pools and the rock formations are really interesting. It’s the western part of the island, so nothing but ocean for as far as the eye can see and there aren’t very many birds on that side, maybe because of the wind? The first time I went was at high tide, so we didn’t go back there, but the others times we were able to spend a significant amount of time exploring back there.

Mandy and Michaela exploring the island!

We’ve seen crabs, different fish and a ton of sea urchins in the little pools on that side. The last time I was there, we went later in the afternoon and we sat on the warm rock (they absorb the heat) and watched the sun sink lower. I’m sure the sunset would have been spectacular, but we’re not allowed to stay that late on the island, so we boarded our pirogue to head back to the city… already wondering when I’ll be able to go back!

Playing Tour Guide

So, most of you probably know enough about me to know that I love playing tour guide. I love showing people around, taking them to my favorite places, and generally showing them a good time. I have even done this professionally a few times

Playing tour guide over the years

; a year as a guide in a castle in France, 2 years as a concierge in Bend, TA for a study abroad in Martinique, 2 summers as a YALI student engagement leader at the University of Delaware. It should come as no surprise that I have taken up this role here in Dakar as well. Only a few days after I moved into my apartment, my first guest arrived: Debbie is a Fulbright ETA teaching in the Ivory Coast. She and I shared a room at the Washington DC pre-departure orientation, so it wasn’t our first time sharing a space. Debbie flew in from Abidjan on Monday and left on Saturday. While I did still have to teach (her school system was going through a strike, so she had some time to kill) we had some afternoons, and she was able to go some places on her own or with other people she or I knew here in Dakar.

American Breakfast with Debbie at Chez Fatou

Of course, she went to Gorée Island, but it was while I was teaching. She went to Ngor Island with a friend that had just arrived in Dakar while I was doing my conversation and film club at the US Embassy.

On Thursday I took her out to Île de la Madeleine, which is a small island off the coast of Dakar (and the subject of my next blog post).  Friday we went to the fabrics market (HLM) and the artisan market for some souvenirs. Her flight on Saturday was in the afternoon, so we decided that a lazy “American Breakfast” at Chez Fatou on the water was the perfect end to her time in Dakar. It was nice to have a visitor, as well as a reason to go to all my favorite places!

I have also been kind of mentoring/guiding the new students that stay with my host mom. The first of these was Mandy, who moved in a few days before I moved into my apartment. She was only in Dakar for 3 weeks of an intensive French course before she headed back to the University of Minnesota to continue her studies in biomedical engineering. On her first day in Dakar, my host dad walked her to the West African Research Center (WARC), and normally my host mom would have picked her up, but she finished earlier than anticipated. When phone calls to either of them went unanswered, she called me and I walked over to get her. She was there with Michaela, who had arrived at the same time and was taking the same French classes. Colleen, Brenna and I invited them to join us for our New Years Eve cooking fest and generally started including them in our shenanigans.

Mandy, Michaela and Me on Ile de la Madeleine

I took them both to HLM so Mandy could choose the fabric for her souvenir dress. My host mom, Mama Soda, offers a few yards of fabric to her host students as a gift to remember her by. The day after she chose her fabric, I took her to the tailor (Diouma) so she could get her dress made.

Mandy and Michaela went out to Gorée Island with Debbie while she was here, and on Mandy’s last day we went out to Île de la Madeleine (which was only 2 days after I’d gone with Debbie, but as you’ll see in my next blog post, going twice in one week isn’t a hardship!).

Mandy headed home after too short a time in Dakar, but Michaela is staying the entire semester, so she’s still around. My room was taken by Kari, who was only in Dakar for less than 2 weeks. I didn’t get to spend much time with her, but we were able to chat a few times when I stopped by my host family’s house, and then her last day in Dakar I took her to the artisan market for some last minute souvenirs. She had time to kill afterwards, so we went out to the park to see some nature and I introduced her to Rocco (the horse I lease). Kari was here on a short study abroad for the master’s degree she’s working on in international education/study abroad. She works for a private study abroad company, which I am super interested in, so we chatted about that throughout the day.

After Mandy and Kari left, the rooms were taken by two young ladies (Quianna and Nia) from Spelman College in Atlanta. They were here through SIT Study Abroad and they’re doing the coolest semester! They will spend 1 month in three different countries. They were in Dakar for 2 weeks to get started, then went to Touba for 2 weeks before flying to Italy where they’re spending a month in Turin and then finishing with a month in Guangzhou, China.

Quianna's super cute outfit by Diouma!

It seems like a random mix of cities, but the students are studying a specific Muslim brotherhood which has its origins in Touba, but also has a large presence in Turin and Guangzhou. Of course, one of the first things I did was take them to HLM to get their fabric. Then we went to see Diouma.

Part of their coursework included interviewing a business owner in Dakar, so when we went back to the tailor to pick everything up, I helped Nia interview Diouma about how he became a tailor. It was very interesting. Diouma never went to school and started his apprenticeship with an expert tailor at 15 years old, which is pretty late compared to other boys (I think I’ve mentioned this before, but most tailors are men/boys). He apprenticed for about 10 years before striking out on his own, and now he’s considered a master tailor himself with quite a few apprentices of his own.

 After Quianna and Nia headed to Touba, my host family accepted another Fulbrighter, this time a research scholar who will be here until June. Mama Soda had me talk to him on the phone, and while I haven’t met him yet, we’ve chatted and messaged when he’s had questions about the neighborhood. I’m sure it won’t be long before we meet in person. Unless someone comes in for a surprise visit, I think my next chance to play tour guide will be when my friend Angela comes to visit in 37 days (not that we’re counting or anything…) She and I have been close friends since the 6^th grade, even though we haven’t lived in the same state (or country for much of the time) since we were 15 years old. I go out of my way to visit her in San Diego when I’m in that part of the world, and she travels across continents and oceans to visit me in exotic locations. We always have fun together, so I’m looking forward to it!

Angela and Me in Shanghai... We won't need the winter gear this trip!

New Year, New Digs!

Hi everyone!

My new apartment building!

Sorry for my long silence, it’s been a crazy month! I hope everyone’s 2017 has gotten off to a great start! I finished 2016 and began 2017 intensely searching for my own apartment. My plan from the very beginning of my stay in Senegal was to be with my amazing host family only until the end of the year, so my room was taken starting the 5^th of January!

I’d been apartment hunting since early December, but had run into quite a few dead ends. I was looking for a one-bedroom that was not a studio. I wanted to have a room separate from the living room so that when I have guests we’re not on top of each other. Apparently this type of apartment isn’t very common. I almost caved in and got a two-bedroom, but at the last minute the agent got wind of a one-bedroom next door to the two-bedroom I was looking at… They showed it to me, but very briefly seeing as it was still lived in. I could tell, even in its messy/dirty state, that it was exactly what I was looking for!

Unfurnished and not-so-clean, but I'll take it!

I’m so glad I stuck it out and pushed for exactly what I was looking for. The rent was well within my budget as well, so that was definitely a bonus! My rent is 200k fcfa a month, which is a little under $350! This price was because it was not furnished, which was fine with me because I felt that I would be able to furnish it for much less than what it would have cost me to rent a furnished apartment (which would have been $1,000 a month).

It was the 30^th of December when I found that apartment, but the people who were still living in it were in the process of moving across the hall to the two-bedroom apartment. They said the place would be empty and I could start furnishing it on the 3^rd… which made for a pretty tight schedule seeing as I had to vacate my room on the 4^th. They did offer to sell me the dining table with chairs and their living room set, which worked out well for all parties. Otherwise, my first priority was to get the basic essentials I would need to be able to move in, meaning a bed, a fridge, and a stove.

New furnishings

 My host mom has “a guy” at the Marché Tillène (the main home goods market in Dakar) from whom she’s been buying all her household appliances for the past 15 years or so and she was gracious enough to go with me on the evening of the 3^rd. It was amazing! She’s a great bargainer; the guy would give her a price and she would just cut it in half and then go up a little. I got a bed frame and mattress, pillows and sheets, fridge with surge protector, gas stovetop/oven with everything to hook it up including a full gas can, fan, and a mirror, all with delivery for about $750. I picked up the keys to the apartment at 4:30, we got to the market at about 5:30pm, had everything delivered and were home for dinner at about 8:30. The next morning I was back at the apartment by 9am to meet the guys who were going to install everything (provided by the guy I bought all the stuff from!) before I had to work at 1pm.

My new place is a 10 minute walk from my host family, so Colleen came and helped me move my stuff over. We just did a couple of trips with my suitcases/bags. We got all the stuff moved over in time for me to head to work. After our last trip, Colleen and I were in my new bedroom and I was talking about how much I needed a broom and a mop so I could clean up a bit (the previous occupants did not value cleanliness as much as I would have hoped, so the state of the apartment was not the greatest). I was lamenting that I wasn’t even sure where I could go to get such supplies (not like there’s a Target or Walmart around the corner) when Colleen looked out my window and literally saw a bundle of brooms/mops/trash cans walking by my apartment, as if conjured by my complaining. I ran out to stop the guy and bought everything I needed (mop with bucket, broom, handheld broom with dustpan, and two trashcans!). It was great!

My courtyard/patio set

After work, I had a final dinner with my host family before heading back for my first night in my apartment. The next day I Decided to get wicker furniture from the guy on the main road who makes it right there... keeps the money local and such and it’s not like I need super long-lasting furniture for a 7-month stay. I walked over and bought an armoire for my clothes, shelves for the kitchen, and ordered a cabinet for my entryway that I would pick up a week later, since he had to make it. When I went back to pick that one up, I also bought a patio set for my little outdoor courtyard.

The market

Over the weekend, Arame went with me to the market to get some of the smaller stuff I would need, including everything for the kitchen, buckets for showers and laundry (no hot running water or washing machine), and some other odds and ends.

It was all quite an adventure and now I’m nicely settled in to my new digs. My host mom was a little worried about me being on my own, but once she saw the place she felt better because it’s on a small side road and there are a lot of guards in this area. We have one for our building, there’s one that literally sits next to my window (for the building next door) and one that sits directly across the one-lane dirt road that my apartment is on. I am on the ground floor and there are bars on my windows. There’s a little corner store about 3 minutes from my door, and I’m still within walking distance of where I teach (although it’s a little farther). All in all, it was super stressful for about a week, but it was absolutely worth it. I still see my host family often, and it’s nice to be in my own place! I have a couch and a guest bathroom, so if anyone wants to come for a visit, my door is always open. And I have good coffee...

Bonus of being in my own place: I can put my percolator to good use!