Day Two: Foot avec les garçons

2016 October, 15 Today, we had the opportunity to visit the weekly traditional market in Sandiara, where we had the chance to meet with local sellers and buyers, and witness the real experience of bargaining. First we explored the animal market and got to see how farmers gather the animals, and sell their cattle, sheep, goat, and horses. With people coming from Mali, Mauritania and many different ethnicities from the neighboring villages the market was truly multi-cultural. Next, we walked around the food market, which was colorful and purchased some delicious fresh coconuts. Also, we bought some cultural Senegalese fabrics. Overall the market was a very interesting experience because we got to get a taste of the real routines of people. It was also interesting to see how different our way of life is from here and how people get their resources. After the market, we gathered our swimsuits and walked down to the beach to cool down. It was a beautiful sunny day, 33 degrees and the ocean was the perfect temperature for a great swim. For lunch, we enjoyed fresh grilled fish with rice and curry, which is a traditional Senegalese dish. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing at Le Kenkeni before going for a guided walk around the village. There we got to see a very special cemetery where Muslims and Christians are buried together. This was a unique moment as it shows how no matter where you come from or what you believe everyone is treated equally. We also met the Chief of the village, Warang and we got to ask him a few questions about his life. Furthermore we went to a hospital founded by Germans who wanted to help the Senegalese community. Then, Lili and Laura dared to join the soccer game that was happening in the village square while the entire street was watching. Even though it was a short game it really made us feel like we are part of the community and we broke the stereotype of girls not playing football in Senegal. Also this experience really made us feel welcomed and we were amazed to see how excited the guys were to play soccer with us two girls. To end our walk, we stopped at the new boarding house for the deaf kids who are attending “Les Cajoutiers”, and gave out our presents. The kids were really happy and thankful for this small but meaningful gift. We also got to show off our sign language skills that we learned the night before. Finally we headed back to the hotel where a wonderful dinner awaited us and we discussed the great memories we made today.