Today was our group’s first full day in Senegal, where we started off with an orientation at the study abroad office of the School for International Training (SIT) in Dakar. A brief series of orientation topics were covered by the SIT staff which covered essential information that will create a safe and fun trip for all of the students involved. For example, in the orientation it was explained to us how important greetings were in the Senegalese culture as a sign of respect and overall friendliness and was coupled by a “survival” Wolof lesson. In Wolof we practiced a dialogue that went similarly to this:
After our introductory Wolof lesson, we had the national dish of Senegal called “ceebu jën” in Wolof which is a spiced rice, fish, and vegetable meal eaten communally in a large serving dish.
The communal meal isn’t something I have ever experienced before but highlighted how the Senegalese value community and being together. This aspect of community was a reoccurring theme during the day and came up during our tour of Dakar with Dr. Cheikh Thiam. He explained how in Senegalese culture a person is valued and respected based on how they contribute to their community. Coming from the United States and being used to a very independent and individualistic society this was a completely different perspective to consider and shows how selflessness manifests in the Senegalese culture.
In our end of the day debriefing someone made the connection of community at Saint Michael’s College and the communal society in Senegal which isn’t something that I had considered before. Similarities being that Saint Michael’s prides itself on fostering intimate connections and creating a support network which seemed to be the case in Senegal also from my initial impression. Specifically to this group, the community feeling and the connections being made are strengthening as we came together during our travel experiences to Senegal as well as everyone getting to know each other better with each day. I hope to see more of the community aspect of Senegal over the next two weeks and am excited to visit the Waranka school in Guinaw Rail and experience even more of Senegal!
I attached some of the many photos I have been taking. Enjoy!
Tiana Dunne
Senegal: Culture and Service 
Looks fantastic! Hope you all are having fun and learning a ton.
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Tiana, I am so glad we finally made it after a long travel experience! Your pictures really highlight Senegal’s beauty that can be found around every corner. I am so excited to be on this journey with all of you! The tour of Dakar was helpful (even though I have no sense of direction and forget where everything is) and the Wolof lesson was essential! I definitely need to brush up on my Wolof skills so I can communicate better! -Delaney
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After lots of traveling and flight cancellations the first day was exhilarating on its own. Not only did we get our first taste of Senegalese cuisine but learning a different language, more specifically Wolof. Its not every day you get to learn a native language to a particular area or part of a country. It was really something else to take part in. -Luke
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This was in my opinion one of the best days, only because it was the start of our trip. We had no idea at this time what we were in for, and it could not have turned out any better. We made so many new friends and had so many new experiences thanks to the few words we learned in Wolof. People were so impressed when we said a simple “hello, how are you” in Wolof and it felt great to be recognized. Not to mention we got to meet all the AMAZING SIT members who became like family.
Be benen
-Samantha G.
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