We arrived quite later than expected and I quietly excused myself to fulfill my Rotary responsibilities. There is a very hospitable club in St. Louis and I was able to present myself and my projects to them. I was excited to see women in the club, being that my club is the only club without females in Senegal.
(Me with President of Rotary Club in St. Louis)I returned to the school around 9:30-10pm and the kids had still not eaten dinner and there was no water until morning (think: 40 kids, 10 adults, after a day on the bus, who couldn’t drink, brush their teeth, wash, or flush until morning). It was a pretty good indicator for how the week was to go in terms of organization. For example, the daily schedule allotted 30 minutes in the morning to wake up, wash 45 handicap kids and prepare for the day, when there was only 1 bathroom, w/ 1 working shower and the toilets were constantly overflowing. I can barely get myself ready in half an hour! Go with the flow…I’m glad I wasn’t in charge!
Besides the frustrations with the management and organizational elements, the kids were absolutely fabulous! They emote such an innocent and unbridled happiness. It was really cool to see the moments where they just let go and danced, or sang or colored. They knew they were safe without societal threats or physical dangers; they were appreciated and understood.
After everybody was ready for the day, we did some easy school projects which consisted of arts, ceramics and simple games. They were so proud of their work, it was fun to share! After lunch, the first day we all went to another large park/reserve but didn’t see any animals.
You can’t really expect 40 mentally handicap kids to stay quite for 2 hours as they walk through a park looking for animals…some of them can’t even walk for two hours! The second afternoon we all went to the beach to play soccer and just chill. Even despite some physical difficulties their passion was not lacking for the national game!The first night after dinner we had a camp fire w/ djembe music. I am still utterly amazed at the innate reaction Senegalese have to music. The drums start and within the first few beats they spring from their chairs in what Westerners would find to be a random flinging of arms and legs. Of course, a camp fire in the middle of 40 overly stimulated mentally handicap kids who are wildly dancing makes any Westerner with a sense of legal liability cringe, but, we got through it and even got a limbo line going! The second night we opted for a ‘simple’ dance party without fire, though “simple” once again undermines the fervor of the dance.
It was an exhausting week—I might have averaged 4 hours of sleep a night to muster up patience for special needs kids with whom I don’t share a common language. Whereas prior to this week I noted a significant absence of physical contact and hugs, during the week the kids hugged me, held my hands, and cuddled next to me enough to make up for the previous 3 months and perhaps get me through the next 3! It was such an honor to work with these special kids and see such an intimate side of culture- what they do with their special needs citizens. When in Iwol, the Basari mt. village, there was a young girl with obvious physical deficiencies and most likely mental issues. In the village they shunned her, the kids threw rocks at her and one adult even beat her when she tried to sit next to us. I can’t imagine the struggles this little girl will encounter in her life. The kids at Centre Amintata Mbaye also encounter many struggles that are easily avoidable in the States, however, in the school setting, they are understood, loved, and appreciated. It was great to see and wonderful to share in these experiences. I really feel like I have a special place in that school’s community and look forward to working with them again!
So, Friday morning Lies, Jonathan and I gladly saw all the kids off as we were to stay to explore St. Louis for the weekend. After a week of less than desirable bathrooms and sleeping conditions, it was once again such a treat to enter a simple hotel room—there was a bed! And there was a shower head! And the shower had hot water!! ahhh, simple luxuries! Friday we walked around St. Louis, and it is GORGEOUS! It really reminded me of Seville, Spain. (Seville: Madrid; St. Louis: Dakar). It’s accessible, friendly, clean, and allows for real life opposed to bustle of city life. St. Louis is an island cut from mainland Senegal by the Senegal River. A huge fishing community sits on the coast and claims the best seafood in all of Senegal. The buildings, while collapsing/disintegrating, were beautiful and whisper of a colonial story. The active colors in the streets in combination with the odd angles of falling building in the middle of construction could be a photographers dream. St. Louis is simply charming.
Saturday morning we pulled ourselves out of bed early because it was Independence Day and we were in Senegal’s first capital and another school needed our help. We went to Jonathan’s school, where he gives six English classes a week to 60-80 students per class! That morning a select class was to march in the Independence parade. The kids were superbly behaved and marched like a well trained army. Once downtown, we waited for over 2 hours for the rest of the parade participants. Finally we began to march- the first school behind the military!! They were soo proud. We marched in front of the mayor and all the people who think they’re super important. We marched for all of 45 seconds and that was the end! Of course, that’s a parade in Senegal: prepare the kids for weeks, get matching t-shirts, wake up early, wait over 2 hours then be extremely proud to march for 45 seconds! Either way, all the profs and my family think I’m super cool because I marched in the Independence Day Parade in the original Senegalese capital!!
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