First Visit to a Senegalese School

Today was a very busy day. VERY. We started off the day by visiting a Senegalese school in Dakar called CEM Ousmane Diop Coumba Middle School (OCDP) de Soumbedioune in Dakar. A teacher named Abdoul Aziz Niang spent a few hours taking us around the school and letting us visit classrooms. It was amazing to see the students hard at work! Some were taking tests. Others were learning French, or about geography or history. All of them seemed engaged in their learning and were attentive and responsive to their teachers. I learned so much today about the Senegalese school system - much more than I could ever write in a BLOG post. I took over 100 pictures today, too - much more than I could ever include on a BLOG post either. So I will just start with highlights of the day.

First of all, our trip to the middle school was indeed a highlight. I enjoyed seeing students in the classroom as well as at break time talking, hanging out and being "kids" together. I was able to see a Senegalese "lunch lady" of sorts selling bread and bean puree or eggs for the bread. Kids would bring her coins and she would take out a baguette and make them a sandwich. Then, she would wrap it up in paper. Not just any paper - school papers, like old homework papers. I wish I had a picture of that. Students handed her some old school work paper - and I kept thinking - is she checking their homework? Then I saw that she wrapped up their sandwich in the paper!

Most of the teachers in Senegal are men. We got to meet the principal of the middle school, who was a woman - and she was a teacher for over 20 years. Her vision is to get girls more interested in

STEM-related learning, especially science. They are trying to have computer science classes available for students - but the internet connectivity seems to always present an issue. We asked the students what would happen if they took out their cell phone in class - and they said they would get in trouble. They are not allowed to use their phones in class. I did notice as soon as they were on "break" - they ALL took out their cell phones. So, they HAVE devices, they can't USE them in class.

Their school days go Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm. They take an hour break from 12-1. During that time, students can leave campus if they want to go home or go get food from a street vendor. They don't have to stay on campus. On Weds and Fridays, they get out at 2pm.

Their middle school had about 400 students, with approx 40 students per class. I noticed that all of the students were extremely respectful. They all stood when they spoke and, as a class, stood when the teacher entered the room. They primarily learn in French - but many speak Wolof, in addition to learning English at school. Some were shy about asking questions, some wanted to know what we liked so far about Senegal, where we came from, and what we all teach. The classrooms were modest, with long tablets that sat 2-3 students in a row. Although they sat next to each other, they worked independently. The teacher had a long green chalkboard to write notes for instruction. One interesting fact to note - the classroom belongs to the STUDENTS, not the teacher. The teachers are the ones who rotate through the classes, while the students stay in that room. Typically a class lasts an hour, never more than two hours.

We visited a market after the school. I noticed SO MANY things. First of all, every piece of fabric in Senegal is BEAUTIFUL. I am not typically a "fabric person" (I know many people who are, I am not one) - HOWEVER - after seeing all the amazing fabric in Senegal, I think I have become one. There are so many bright colors and fun patterns. Some have gold or silver. They are ALL stunning. I found a woman who was able to take a skirt she had in the shop and alter it for me on the spot. It was too long and the waist needed to be resized - she literally did it in 5 minutes. Five minutes! I can't wait to wear it!!! I also found that many of the men's shirts (and some of the women's clothing) had a waxy type feel. The fabric has a waxy coating. Not all fabrics, but many of them.

I also had a unique experience at the market. There was a young man who I saw carrying around a cage FULL of little birds (they looked like finches). When we asked him (through broken French) what he was doing - he said we could pay him 100 CFA (about $0.16) to liberate a bird. Yep. He wasn't selling them as pets, or selling them for any other reason - just to liberate them. It took me aback. I was immediately intrigued. He wasn't begging for money. He wasn't selling chachkies. He caught and "jailed" these birds and people could pay money to free them. At $0.16 per bird - I was in. I wanted to free some of these birds. I handed him 1000 CFA (approx $1.67) to free 10 birds. He reached in and grabbed a bird and handed it to me - and I happily watched it fly away. It was an incredible feeling. I can't put it into words. It was a completely different feeling than handing someone spare change on the street. I felt drawn to the helpless birds and felt good freeing them. I'm not sure how many customers this young man has on a daily basis - but if I see another man walking with a cage of birds, I would pay money to do it again. In my head, I know he will go catch

more birds. But the $0.16 I paid per bird to release them was worth it. And I can't imagine how he goes around catching all those little tiny birds. It is definitely an experience I won't ever forget.

After we left the market (with lots of gifts in hand) - we went to NGO called Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE). There, we met with the president of FAWE and learned about women in African culture. Again, there is no way I could put into this BLOG all that we talked about and all that we learned today. This organization is trying to help increase the success of young African women in schools (especially in science and STEM-related fields). They try to help girls graduate from high school (and pass the BAC, the exam they have to pass to go to University). We talked about how women need to be empowered to feel like they CAN do the same things as men/boys in society and can be just as successful. FAWE has worked to provide some empowerment supports at schools by having "cells" where girls can learn and get support in many different ways.

After FAWE, we had a traditional Senegalese lunch of "chep-bu-jen" which is rice and fish at a restaraunt called Little Buddha.

Finally, after our full day - we went to Musee de la Femme Henriette Bathily- which is a museum about African women. It was originally open in 1994 on Goree Island - and is a tribute to all women. This museum encompasses all aspects of a woman's life - from rituals and rites of passage around pregnancy and birth to household duties/chores to sports and science achievements. This museum was the first of it's kind on the African continent. Now there is one other museum like this in Mali. This museum was since moved from Goree to Dakar, which is where we visited. If you are interested in learning more click here for the link. I am super tired and off to bed. Tomorrow we visit the US Embassy! I can't believe the time is flying by so quickly!