Second Week in Senegal

We began the week by listening to lectures at the John Huffman School on the history, geography and ethnic groups in Senegal.  Students also began their study of French and Wolof. On Wednesday we hosted our first weekly meeting at the unit apartment. On Thursday morning we headed for Dakar where we stayed at a very nice hotel.  The day began with an excellent lecture on the complicated history of Goree Island that prepared us for our visit to the island.  After we left the university campus we climbed the long set of steps to the African Renaissance Monument where we had an impressive view of Dakar.  After lunch at an ocean front restaurant we went to an Artist Village where we talked to artists who paint, create sculptures and ceramics.

In the evening we walked from our hotel through a residential area of Dakar to a restaurant where we enjoyed dinner under the stars in the cool of the evening.

After an intense drive through the morning rush hour of Dakar we took the boat to Goree Island.  This island has had an important role in the history of Senegal that included an era when it was a major trading outpost for Europeans and played a role in the tragic history of slavery.  It was a beautiful day to visit a somber setting.