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Senegal SST Units
Senegal SST
Talibé
On Friday of our second week in Thiès, we spent the morning and afternoon with the Talibé in a variety of settings. The Talibé are boys from between three to fourteen years of age who often come from rural settings to live with a Marabout (Sufi Muslim teacher) in what…
Lac Rose
On Monday of our second full week in Senegal we visited Lac Rose, spent some time on the beach, and attended mass at Keur Moussa, a Catholic monastery, where we heard traditional harp-like instruments, called “kora,” in the service.
Gorée Island
We visited Gorée Island on a very hot Friday at the end of our first full week in Senegal. Gorée Island is located about 3 kilometers east of Dakar. In the past it was an important trading center and military outpost. It currently serves as a symbolic evocation of the…
Centre d’Acceuil, de Formation, et d’Etudes — The C.A.F.E.
We spend most of our formal class time at the Centre d’Accueil, de Formation, et d’Études, or simply the C.A.F.E. The C.A.F.E. is a project of the Baptist Church in Thiès and is attached to a private Christian school called John Hoffman. We often hear the raucous bustle of students…
Finding Homes in Thiès
On Friday we traveled from Dakar to Thiès for orientation. On Saturday evening students met their host families. This weekend, Thiès was also hosting the 50th anniversary of the Baptist Mission in Senegal. We got to attend their opening event of choral singing and dancing on Friday night. Several of…
Bien Arrivé
We picked up the students around 10:00 p.m. this Thursday evening. We were a little late because our bus driver had fallen asleep, but the students were all there and so was all their luggage. They had made their way, or it had been made for them, to a holding…
Au revoir Sénégal!
Project Presentations
An SST requirement is for each student to prepare a major project that focuses on some aspect of Senegalese culture. We spent one day hearing short presentations from each student. These projects included observations, interviews, creative work, and some research.
Returning from service
Students returned from their service assignments to a conference center (Le Phare de l’Espérance – Beacon of Hope) in Dakar. The center is situated at the foot of Le Phare (lighthouse) near the westernmost point of Africa.