Care & Community - SENEGAL Volunteer Stories

2 Week Special Care & Community with French in Senegal - Hannah Keenleyside

After endless hanging around in airport waiting rooms, being bored stiff (quite literally) in uncomfortable aeroplane seats and waiting a whole day for a connecting flight in an air-conditioned Lisbon hotel, finally arriving in Dakar, Senegal was like entering another world. Even in the early hours of the morning the streets were hot, humid and noisy, packed full of people, bikes, buses, cars and taxis. Immediately I felt a sense of excitement as I realised that the next two weeks of my life were going to be very special, and I was not disappointed.

Despite the initial hustle and bustle I had witnessed at the airport, I soon learned that the Senegalese live a very relaxed lifestyle. I speak from experience when I say, if you agree to meet someone at 5 o'clock, expect them to turn up at any point between 5:15 and half past 6! As I am usually 10 minutes early for everything, this was difficult to get used to at first, but ended up being one of the things I grew to love about the country in the short time I spent there.

The Senegalese value family and friendship very highly, and one of my favourite things to do was to sit on the back porch with my host family and their friends, talking and drinking tea for hours on end. As well as being known for their relaxed lifestyle, the Senegalese are also famed for their generosity and friendliness, which I found very touching. Whenever we ate together, my host family would always make sure that I got the best parts of the meal, and I was constantly pushed to eat more food; once, I put down my bread to get a drink of water, and my host mother immediately asked me, "Why aren't you eating?! You need to eat more!" which became something of a running joke. At the end of my stay, my host mother presented me with a beautiful skirt that she had made for me, which I wear with pride, a lovely reminder of my stay there.

My day to day routine was very busy but I loved every minute of it. My roommate and I would usually be delivered breakfast in our room by one of our host family members, after which we would walk or take the pirogue, a small boat seating around 10 passengers, to our French lessons at a local 'lycée'. I found the lessons very interesting and I liked the informal, chatty approach - a nice change from what I was used to in England! When the lesson ended at midday, the sun would be at its hottest, so a visit to the air-conditioned internet café or a shaded restaurant would be very welcome.

Our afternoons were spent with the other volunteers at the talibé centre for street children, re-plastering and painting the walls, which were badly in need of work. I was amazed by how energetic and optimistic the children at the centre were, despite leading such difficult lives - they were always willing to work with the volunteers and help in any way they could. Playing with the younger children, both at the centre and on the local beach was one of my favourite things about the trip; they were all so full of life and energy. Bringing a bag of fruit pastilles to the beach and offering them to the local kids proved a big success, and even earned me a genuine Senegalese name!

After work we were free to do whatever we wanted, and would usually spend a few hours with our host families having dinner and relaxing before heading out with all the other Projects Abroad volunteers to a club or bar, which always proved to be enjoyable (not to mention cheap!) nights out. Although I spent barely two weeks in the country, I had so many amazing experiences and now have many unforgettable memories, some funny, some emotional, and even some which are plain embarrassing, such as getting myself locked in a nightclub toilet cubicle and having to climb out over the top!

By far the most memorable experience was our weekend trip arranged by Projects Abroad into the Mauritanian desert. After a very, very bumpy ride in a desert truck, we found ourselves in a small village, where we had tea with a family who lived there. Again, I was touched by their friendliness, and decided to buy some handmade jewellery from one of the women to thank her for her hospitality. Another truck ride took us to our campsite, which seemed at first to be in the heart of the desert, but turned out to be just a few minutes' walk from the coast. After a swim in the sea, I decided to sunbathe, which I would not recommend unless you have enough sunscreen - in less than fifteen minutes my back turned as red as a lobster, and my skin was sore for weeks afterwards! Despite the intensity of the sun, however, the atmosphere in the desert was amazing - the sand dunes were simply breathtaking, and I will never forget the night we spent sleeping outside under the stars, telling riddles and stories around a campfire.

My arrival in Senegal was something of a shock, but it was nothing compared to arriving back in the UK. In just a few weeks, I had become so used to fending off market traders, waving at children in the street, and trying not to trip over goats that for several days I found it impossible to walk through the streets of the town I grew up in without feeling very odd. Senegal is a wonderful country, full of amazing sights and amazing people, and I am sure that it will have a profound impact on anyone who goes there, no matter how long or short their stay is.

Hannah Keenleyside