The wrap-up

Hello world,

First of all let me just apologize for not having posted anything for three weeks or so.  After we left Saint Louis we went off to some primitive conditions and when we got back to a more developed area we had research papers and finals to prepare for.  So let me get you caught up and then wrap it all up.

Kedougou-
After Saint Louis we took a full day of traveling from the most northwestern point of Senegal to the most southeastern corner.  We switched buses in Thies in order to have one with air conditioning and boy were we grateful to have it.  Our new bus driver was an awesome man and is in fact the bus driver of the national soccer team of Guinea.  The whole day of driving took more than 12 hours.  We didn't make it to Kedougou the first night because we stopped to spend the night at the Parc Narurel du Niokulo Koba which is a national reserve to protect wildlife in the area.  It was very hot and humid in this area, the first night was rough due to the weather and the long day of driving, but it was worth it.  We spent the night in some cases (huts) and had a great next day.  That first night we saw baboons and warthogs.  We awoke to monkey everywhere!  They were literally everywhere and would eat right from our hands, it was so cool.  The park was full of monkeys, baboons, warthogs, and African antelope.  In the morning the group split in two and each did two "safaris".  My group went down the river first in order to see the crocodiles and hippos.  We saw a lot of crocodiles and a lot of baboons, warthogs, and birds.  The hippos didn't seem to be out and I began to worry that I was going to have traveled all the way to Africa and not see a hippo, but in the last ten minutes of our boat tour we found them!  They were so cool, so big, and so fascinating.  They make the coolest sound when they grunt.  In the afternoon we switched and my group went on the jeep tour.  The jeep tour was a bit less exciting, mostly just a bunch of antelope and warthogs, but we did however get off the jeeps and take a brief hike where we saw about ten more hippos!  After the tours we traveled another three hours to Kedougou.

We arrived in Kedougou to less than welcoming conditions.  None of our professors were familiar with the hotel we were staying at because the usual one they use on study abroad was closed.  Needless to say, our professors were told that we'd be getting one thing and we sure didn't.  We were sleeping in huts again, which wouldn't be so bad if the electricity worked and there was some sort of legitimate air conditioning.  The hotel had little to no electricity throughout the day - except the employees' television always seemed to work - and when the electricity did work, the small air conditioning units attached to the huts did very little to cool the large open space as they didn't blow that much cool air. Now this would all have been a lot easier if it weren't for the fact that it was over a hundred degrees all day plus humidity and with the huts being in the Sun all day, they baked.  When we'd go in them they were literally like saunas, it is not easy to sleep in a sauna.  We did our best to stay out talking or searching drinks as late as we could to avoid going into our huts.  But we did have some cool adventures in this area.

That Friday, 27 May, we loaded up early into a very small "bus" more like a 15-passenger van that the almost 25 of us, including guides and drivers, piled into for a three plus hour journey to a village of Bassaris.  This van had no air conditioning, and lets just say that the windows and doors didn't shut too well so the three hour journey and a red dirt road was full of dust, dust, and even more dust.  By the time we arrived at the village we were caked in red dirt and sweating under the extreme heat.  The Bassari people were really cool, but the day didn't go as planned. There village was nice and they had neat things to say, but there were some misunderstandings.  We brought our own lunch and thus didn't eat the mutton they wanted us to.  We feel that due to this mishap they were not all that willing to do their traditional dance as planned and after a few hours of sitting around waiting we decided to get up and begin the three hour return to town before dark, the road was just as hot and dusty the second time.  Andrew, Rebecca, Emily, James, Chloe, and I spent both legs of the journey in the back of the bus secluded from the others and the six of us went a little crazy as we began to call ourselves the "Peon Posse" and even created our own secret handshake.

The following day we went out to another village, which turned out to be the wrong one as our guide didn't take us to the one Mme. Thompson had requested.  There was a small hike up a rocky hill to get to this village which was relatively secluded from the world.  The people were extremely friendly and had some cool things to say.  After our time in this village we went on another hike up the river and through the jungle to a beautiful waterfall, definitely worth it.  Following the waterfall we decided to skip town early to find some better conditions in order to get a good night's sleep.

Mme. Thompson found us a pretty good hotel about halfway between Kedougou and la Petite Cote.  There was a pool at the hotel and pretty much everyone spent the evening in the pool just cooling off and trying to get the rest of the dust off of them.  We also were able to see the Manchester United vs Barcelona championship game.

La Petite Cote-
Sunday we made our way to the Petite Cote which is a resort/destination spot for French tourists and thus was very nice, being along the coast it was a lot cooler temperatures as well which was a relief.  We stayed at the Bougainvillees resort where it was fabulous!  Electricity, air conditioning, food (they had a buffet in the morning and evening) a pool, and the beach.  While there we went to Joal which was the hometown of Senegal's first president, Leopold Senghor.  We went to his childhood home and saw how he group up and the influence that his father and his upbringing had on both him and Senegal as a home.  The star on the flag, the baobab tree, the lion, and the color green, which all have some significance to Senegal.  That same day we went to an island called Fadiouth which is covered in seashells.  The streets and everything is just mounds of seashells everywhere.

While at the Petite Cote and the resort we also had the opportunity to see a music and dancing spectacle. A group of people came to the resort to play drums, dance, and breath fire.  It was cool.

Dakar-
We went back to Dakar for the last five days to finish classes, take finals, and prepare to return home.  It was good to be back in Dakar, we knew our way around town, had our favorite eating spots, and still had some cool experiences ahead.  Although this time in Dakar the city felt a little more dangerous, the vendors were becoming more aggressive and there were a lot more pick-pockets around, so that wasn't as fun, but none of us were successfully robbed.

We had the honor of being invited by the Tunisian ambassador to the Tunisian embassy to visit with him and his wife.  They were very gracious hosts and their kids were adorable.

We finished on Saturday with a final big meal at Aminata Sow Fall's home where those of us who had purchased boubous wore them and had a lot of fun.  We spent the rest of Saturday packing our bags and saying goodbyes.  Sunday we left the hotel at 5:30 in the morning to head to the airport.  We left Dakar and flew to New York, the ocean wasn't that exciting of a view, but seeing the American coastline and the Manhattan skyline was one of the single greatest things I've seen after my experience in Africa.  We made it safely through customs, bought some Gatorade and a Golf Digest before boarding the second plane for the final leg our our journey.  We were fortunate to approach the airport from the southwest corner of the valley and were able to fly over Kennecott and see inside the pit.  I must say that seeing Salt Lake City, the Oquirrh Mountains and the Wasatch Front was even greater than seeing NewYork.

Gratitude-
I feel it appropriate to make a brief list of the things that I am even more grateful for than before this experience.  Some of them are cliches but still applicable.
Family, friends, the Gospel, and my job.  My education and the resources available at my university.  The little things such as; air conditioning, slurpees, ice, fountain sodas, fresh tap water, and clean clothes.
But I think I'm most grateful now for America.  I was always proud to be an American and have long been grateful for our country.  When I returned home from my mission I was happy to home, but when I came home from Africa, I truly felt like America is very special and very blessed place.  The freedoms and comforts we enjoy on a daily basis are amazing and I wouldn't trade being an American for anything.

Chloe and I continuing to live the gangster life

Pumba

Look out at the park

Yes, I braved such a scary bridge

Baboon

Blurry baboon

James giving up his orange

Brayden feeding a monkey

Big ol' crocodiles

Never smile at a crocodile...

Hippo, the picture doesn't do it justice, we were closer and they were huge

Hippo

Brayden with a termite hill

Our ceiling in Kedougou

Our van of doom

Bassari village

I was gross

The contrast of cleanliness 

Peon Posse doing our handshake

Bedick village

Inside a Bedick hut

their bed

Waterfall

Laundry is always best done in a jungle

Senghor home

Baobab at Senghor home

street of seashells at Fadiouth

those aren't rocks, they're seashells

cemetery using seashells to bury

Our resort

Tunisian ambassador and family

Our twelve-course meal at a Lebanese restaurant, took three hours

Last day at Aminata Sow Fall's

Me with Flor, Celu, and Ablaye who were with us almost every step of the way

All and all, the trip was a success.  We were extremely busy, worked very hard, and learned a lot.  I am grateful to have had this opportunity to see this small corner of Africa and to see another culture.  I am very happy to have seen le Pays de la Terranga.