After arriving in Dakar on Monday, our team is slowly adjusting to Senegal. Actually, we are not-so-slowly adjusting in some important ways [heat, language, time zone] thanks to the hospitality of our campus minister and two of his students.
In no necessary other, here are some early impression from the city:
1) Dakar is really hot. I'm not kidding. It is almost November and as a Pennsylvania boy, I'm ready for winter jackets and hot chocolate. The sun is unrelenting, but if you get close enough to the ocean, there is a nice breeze.
2) There are more young children begging in the streets near campus than I anticipated. As an American, this is very new. As a Christian, it is disturbing. Most of the children work for local political/religious "leaders" who profit from the children's begging.
3) Senegalese food is good. I've yet to have a bad meal. Mainly egg-based products and breads for breakfast, sandwiches/panini for lunch, and chicken or beef dishes for dinner.
4) The US dollar goes a long way in Senegal. The purchasing power of our dollar should appreciate further as the US economy moves out of recession in the next six month or year.
5) English is more widely understood than I anticipated. That said, we cannot live here without learning French. Right now, we are getting by on the French skills of Ryan, Ashley, and Dayton. Christy and I are learning [more rapidly than I expected---thanks Rosetta Stone and shout out to Bubba Heisler].
6) Our hotel is cheap by western standards [roughly $26/person/night], but expensive relative to anticipated monthly rent. Two weeks of living in a hotel chews through a month's rent; hence our desire to finalize an apartment or apartments soon!
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Dear Ben and Team,
ReplyDeleteThe updates are GREAT! Thank you! Thanks for being specific about your experiences. We will keep praying for God's choice of housing and the teams ability to learn French.
God would you please continue to give Ben, Ryan, Dayton, Ashley, and Christy good rest, energy, and a great sense of humor even in the heat. Please continue to fill Your team with Your compassion for each other and for the people with whom You bring to them to build relationships. You have miraculously provided the means for them to be in Dakar. Please now help them to keep taking the first steps toward sharing the good news of your saving grace. Thank you for their boldness in stepping out in faith and dependence on You. Amen.
With love,
Diana