My family

It is raining really hard, so most of us are staying sheltered at WARC. I decided to write about my family while I wait.

I live in the Ouakam neighborhood of Dakar. My house is very near to Ouakam beach, which is home to a mosque. From the beach there is a clear view of the African Renaissance Monument. My house is fairly modest, with three bedrooms and one full bathroom. There is a second, much smaller bathroom that borders the living room and kitchen. We also have a nice courtyard in the backyard where I spend most of my time at home. To be honest, I haven't even really seen the other bedrooms in the house and have slowly just figured out what is there without a tour. My bedroom is nice, with shelves for me to store my things and a mirrored dresser. The dresser is in use, but I can put some of my toiletries on top, which is nice because anything that doesn't fit in these two spaces must be kept in my backpack in between uses. Sometimes it is difficult to find what I need when I need it. My host mother is very generous and patient. She oftentimes has to repeat her questions and comments to be sure that I understand them. She was widowed close to two decades ago when her husband got into a car accident. Khadim, my host brother, is 25 and a student studying transportation logistics. He is what the Senegalese call a Baye Fall. Think rasta, but from Senegal. My host brother doesn't smoke though, which is pretty rare among the Baye Fall. He is passionate about religion and justice and often talks to me about his opinions on religious issues and politics. It is really interesting to hear him speak about Africa. I also live with a married couple and I honestly don't know if they are biologically related to my mother and brother. They are fun though. Moustafa sits every night smoking his hookah for hours while he makes attaya, sweet Senegalese tea that is poured over and over to create a foam on top. I would love to learn the process to make attaya, but we'll see if that comes next! My host brother also has a dog, named Hera, who is so sweet and unbelievably obedient. She is some sort of pit bull and really seems to love me. Whenever she is around, she doesn't leave me alone. I really like her a lot. Hopefully there will be pictures to come!

With any luck this rain will stop soon and I will be able to get home without taking a taxi.