IDEX Program Officers Kat and Vini have made it to Senegal, but not without a few hiccups! Read Vini's story of their arrival in Dakar below.On our flight from JFK to Dakar, I was struck by the beautiful people dressed to the nines in each row of seats. I was inspired. As an immigrant to the US, I remember I used to be this way when flying home, back to India, was an event and the return to see your family demanded nothing less than the most festive of clothing. I mentally resolved to get back to dressing up a little for flights and laughed at my sweats. Little did I know at that moment that I would be in them for another 2 days.
During the flight, both Kat and I watched the films Sarafina and then Red Dust. Both films are a stark, sometimes hopeful, always outrageous reminders of life under apartheid. These films focus on important times. The first documents the Youth uprising of Soweto in 1976, and the latter covers the work of the Truth and Reconciliation commission. Although we had planned to sleep and do nothing on the flight, I felt motivated to read more about the organizations we will visit. I appreciated that IDEX's work is on the right side of history, and had a clear conviction that the work against oppression is still not done. It has been over a year since I last came to Africa and these movies combined with several million feet above sea level make me emotional.
After landing amidst reuniting families, we quickly realized two not so wonderful things about our own situation:
- Our luggage has not make it with us.
- Our ride was not there to pick us up.
Just when we were ready to take a long nap, we discovered that our budget hotel had dirty sheets. Luckily, at this point, we had our first encounter with legendary Senegalese Teranga. Teranga is proudly considered Senegalese hospitality but not just a one time thing, its considered a spiritual practice, a lifelong belief that when one is kind to guests, they too will extend the same to you in the future. The hotel attendant took our dirty sheets as a personal affront and not only did he correct the situation immediately, he saw to it that we are accompanied and taken great care of, all during the next 24 hours.
We had a non tourist tour of Dakar. Along with the usual sites of the central town, we got to see the beach and dip our toes in the Atlantic, and even had a lovely lunch. Never mind that we have no clean clothes and have not yet heard from our hosts, I was deeply grateful to be easing into a relaxed and patient rhythm. We ended up in the industrial area of Dakar while our folks from the hotel bought some tools.
This was the best part. We got to watch the comings and goings in the street - a group of young men playing football with a rock, a few elderly women watching and keeping and eye on the street, a group of brilliantly dressed young women giggling at the seamstress store, a lathing machine set up on the sidewalk outside the tool store with two men finishing a piece of wood. In the background we could hear the afternoon call to prayers. To me, it all seemed familiar, reminiscent of the Swahili coast of Kenya and yet new.
The interesting afternoon renewed my faith in the ability to have fun... I learned again that you cannot be impatient in Africa. Lost luggage, oh well. Dirty sheets, not the end of the world. No food, that's okay.
Buzzing from the first day's excitement and determined not to let jet lag get the better of us, we went to a club famous for the best in local live Jazz and Mbalanx music. Although it was a Sunday night and people had to go to work the next day, I was amazed to see how full the place was with people really engrossed in the terrific music of a live band.
When we returned to the hotel a few hours later, I fell sound asleep within a few seconds, filled to the brim with all the day's sights and sounds, waiting for more ahead.
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