Days 39 and 40 (Saint-Louis)

Yesterday was our first day in Saint-Louis. We’re here for a baby naming ceremony that will take place on Saturday, but we wanted to spend a few extra days here.

We left Dakar at about 8 a.m. on Wednesday. After driving for about an hour-and-a-half we stopped at a village called Ngaye Mekhe. At this village there is a sandal-making shop. The sandals are made out of leather from either cow or horse. The shop opened in the 1930s. They have the capacity to make about 500 pairs of shoes each day! The shop unfortunately did not have any shoes in stock, so we had to go into town to buy our shoes. We were surprised that they had more men’s shoes than women’s and that they did not have very many styles and colors to choose from. But we were still able to find some cute shoes!

When we got to the hotel later that afternoon, Kari and spent the day by the pool reading and tanning (not burning).

On Thursday Kari and I woke up early and spent the day at the pool again. Around 6:30 we met Jonathan at the village where he used to live. We met his Senegalese family and others who live in the village. The village is made up of different compounds where a group of families live. The grandfather starts a compound, and everyone related to him lives in the same compound. The compound is made up of a courtyard with a community kitchen and bathroom. There are between 8 and 10 rooms off the courtyard where the families live. The rooms are about 7 feet by 7 feet.

We tried our best to not look touristy while we were in the village, so I thought taking my camera would be a bad idea. But first we sat in the courtyard on a mat and talked while the kids played. The entire village basically raises the children—it’s a community effort. Jonathan’s brother, Pape, just got a new boat, so he took us down to the river (which is just behind the compound) to see the boat. Jonathan’s brother had to go pray so we walked around the village while he was praying. Then we went to the room where Pape, his wife, and their 2 children live. The room consisted of a bed, a TV, a computer, a window, and an armoire for clothing, dishes, and other items. We sat on a mat on the floor and talked while Pape’s wife cooked dinner for us. For appetizers we had fatayas, which Pape’s wife made to sell on the beach that day, and pineapple soda. For dinner we had laax (lah), which is like cooked oatmeal with yogurt and fruit on top. Pape, his wife, Kari, Jonathan, and I sat on a mat on the floor around a big bowl of laax and ate together. I almost forgot to eat with my right hand, but luckily I remembered! Whew! Pape speaks Wolof, French, and some English. His wife only speaks Wolof, so we spoke in Wolof (they did, I didn't) for awhile, then switched to French, and then let Pape practice some of his English. His English is actually pretty good.

 Morning walk on the beach

Hanging out in the village