Sunday Meal, Conversation Partners

The last of our group arrived this morning . . . at 5:oo AM. Apparently I was the only one that heard the door, so I ran to open it and was happy to see friends from Eugene. I stayed up with them for about an hour and shared some breakfast before going back to bed. There is a rooster somewhere near the apartment complex that hangs out in the bushes with a goat. Im not quite sure who they belong to, but they are there all the time. Im seriously considering killing the rooster and eating it because he kept crowing every fifteen minutes for about 4 hours. Yep, I wonder if there are any special Senegalese dishes that feature rooster . . . ;-)

In the afternoon I went to meet our conversation partners for the trip. There are four students studying at the local University here in Senegal. They are specializing in English, History, and Geography, which is great because there are tons of things to talk about. We speak French and a little english with them for now, and soon we will start wolof lessons. Its nice because I am able to converse with all of them easily, thanks to my background in french. I think I will be placed with a partner who does not speak much english, which will probably be better for my language progress. They are really cool, and we will be placed in groups tomorrow so that they can take us around the city. We had a traditional Senegalese meal called Yassa au Poulet, which is chicken, olives, onions, carrots, and spicy sauce served over white rice. There were six or seven people around each low coffee table, and we ate with our hands (always the right hand!), balling up the rice and scooping it into our mouths. Mangoes were cubed and served as dessert. It was soooo good, and I can't wait to learn the recipes so that I can make it for all my friends and family back home.

After our meal, we drank sweet minty Ataya Tea, which is always taken after the meal, and aids digestion. We also walked around the house and the grounds to look at the different types of trees and flowers. Everything is beautiful and wonderful. Im so happy with our location, just outside the hustle and bustle of the the downtown area. Prof. Dennis Galvan took us on a small tour of the local area and showed us where the good markets, stalls, and pharmacies are. When we were standing outside the local corner store, I heard what sounded like drum beats and horns. I looked up the road, and there was a military marching band followed by a "colorguard" (all males) that were holding tall torches. I guess the procession was the tail-end of some kind of music festival. I was just excited to see some form of marching band!

After my first shower tonight, I feel so good, and now we are sitting around our living room table coloring pictures to put up in our blank walls in our apartment. My roommates are great, and we are all excited for school to start tomorrow and take our first steps into downtown life with our new companions. More to come soon!