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Went to the celebration of the Chinese New Year at UCAD, the university. Very fun, food was delicious

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Waaw Góor!

Papa and I were talking the other day and I told him I just learned the word "luwel" which means "the first round of tea."

Apparently, luwel comes originally from Arabic "al-owal" which means "the first." Cool stuff, I'm going to try and keep my ears open for other Arabic influences in Wolof beyond the basics of "alhamdulilah" and "inshallah."

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Here’s a group picture taken in front of this ancient Baobab. Abdul Aziz, middle, was our tour guide throughout the Sine Saloum region.

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Good old fashioned tourist pic taken inside the 900 year old Baobab tree! Be careful to avoid the bat poop falling from the top. 

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Christopher and I befriend this 900-year-old Baobab tree. This tree has a circumference of about 30 meters. Baobabs is the third symbol of Senegal and used to be a traditional burial site for animists before the arrival of Islam.    

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Some cows go for a stroll in the Sine-Saloum region. 

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This weekend a number of us journeyed to the village of Saly, a beach town maybe 90 minutes south-east of Dakar. We rented an affordable AirBnB and spend the weekend luxeriating in the quiet and beauty of Saly. Here’s an action shot of the gang sitting down to a well-deserved home-cooked meal.

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Jon and Jainaha take advantage of a break in the waves to go for a dip in the Madeleine Bay.

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The Ile de Madaleine group, as seen here searching for turtles on the side of a windy cliff. 

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Our guide Amadou, found here explaining the history of Madaleine Island to Gabe, Jen, and two french ornithologists 

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Group shot on Ile de Madaleine

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Some beautiful pictures from Madaleine Island

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Goats on our neighbor’s roof, with Dakar as the backdrop. These goats are very loud and obnoxious, unlike the goats on our roof who are very quiet, well-behaved, and [I’m told] delicious. 

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Christopher and Papis armwrestle while Lamine remains focused on the soccer match.

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A concert at the local bar, Le Mermoz, from last week

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Me and Mama this morning!