The soundtrack for a morning walk to school

Each morning my day is set by the pace in which I take that half-hour walk to school. I step out of the calm and cool of my host family's house with a stomach full of nescafe--now taken with three clumps of sugar--and baguette bread spoon-smeared with bissap jam and butter. It seems like it all gets resolved there in that dance and game of chance I play dodging dump trucks exiting the trash dump; escaping leering but genial men who just want to faire ma connaissance (otherwise known as 'get to know me' which is more complicated than it sounds); skipping over holes in the sidewalk; waving away slowing taxis who seem to have a toubab-radar on the top of their yellow and black cruisers; passing horizontal rows of women carrying water buckets on their heads and babies on their back. Then I cut through the rich, quieter toubab residences assalem malekum-ing the Senegalese security guards, drivers, and human car washers with their big square sponges and bright blue buckets. Finally exiting out onto Rue de Ouakam to meet all the traffic heading into downtown Dakar. A dash across the street because no one's going to wave you across and the traffic's not slow enough to weave through. Slow down as I hit the thick sand on that side of the road feeling my sandals fill up with rocks and granules ruining that morning-shower just-clean feeling. Say "bonjour" to the random guys making crafts who somehow know my name--or just guessed it? And finally round the corner into the guarded, gated, Suffolk University parking lot. And somehow the walk never feels ordinary.

Photos courtesy of my brother, who had the foresight to take them since sometimes you forget to take photos of the most obvious things. Though I didn't ask if I can use them (Timmy is it okay?)

The intersection by my house. The buildings in the background are the start of my neighborhood, Sacre Coeur 3.

Road in front of my old family's house.

Suffolk University campus where I take most of my classes. Me and Mike just chillin'.

Astou's stand. A haven all of us have come to cherish: ultimate omelet sandwiches, nescafe between classes, and morning greetings "Naka suba si?" Tsilat, my new roomate, is sitting next to me. Plus, random Suffolk students.