Firsts...

This weekend was full of firsts for me. Every time I did something new I chastised myself for not having thought to have my camera with me. Regrettably I have gotten into the habit of traveling light.

Friday after school was my first trip to King Cash, a Costco style warehouse grocery store. Things are not necessarily sold packaged in bulk, but you often get better prices if you buy more than one unit of any given product. King Cash is also a North American favourite because they sell products that we would otherwise miss. For example, they had taco shells and seasoning mixes, cake mixes, and a KD equivalent. This particular trip also happened to be my first time driving with our school director who recently came with his wife from Guatemala. He is a great driver. We were caught in crazy traffic because of an accident and he navigated very easily around it, just like the Senegalese. A Shell tanker had jack-knifed (a fancy maneuvre) across the two-lane (which really means 3 or 4 or 4 1/2 lane) road. Two large trucks had then tried to pass the accident in different directions and had crashed into one another blocking the entire road. It looked like they were leaning on each other for support. Fortunately we were able to cut through a gas station parking lot to get around the mess.

Friday night Kari and I had dinner with a family from school. They live around the corner from a beautiful beach and it was my first beach visit since arriving, my first time wiggling my toes in the Dakar sand. It was a gorgeous evening even if we did get caught in the rain (NOT a first). For dinner we ate Senegalese style for the first time. We sat on a mat with the family (six of us total) and ate from a large bowl together. Everyone's body had to be turned in the same direction and we all ate using the spoons in our right hands. Each person has an imaginary pie-shaped section to eat from, and anything in the middle is up for grabs. Once you've had enough it's polite to burp to convey your satisfaction with the meal. The food itself was maafe; veggies and chicken in a peanut sauce over rice. Delicious! We finished a great evening watching The Man from Snowy River (also a first as I had never seen that movie before).

Saturday morning was a shopping trip, which is always a fun outing. I took it easy in the afternoon and enjoyed reading on my patio for the first time. I even managed to finish the book, Bud, Not Buddy before bed that night. It was another book that I had purchased on my Kindle to read that I just happened to come across in hard copy.

I enjoyed a homemade pizza dinner and games night with good friends and met some new friends who introduced me to Pass the Pigs, a fun and hilarious game for all ages. Once they showed us the game (which involves miniature pigs) I realized that it wasn't the first time I'd played, but I can't remember when or where I'd played it before...so I'm making the executive decision to call it a first. I've also made the executive decision to add the travel version to my Christmas list.

Sunday morning was my first taxi ride in Senegal...ever (and also, coincidentally, my second). I attended Eglise Evangelique, a French church here in Senegal with my friends Tim and Nabrissa for the first time. It was a great experience and I look forward to visiting again soon. I was impressed with my comprehension. I followed nearly the entire service. The most challenging parts were the scripture references because I'm not used to the French translations. I've also decided to add a French language Bible to my Christmas list.

I think that's as far as the firsts went this weekend. I'm looking forward to other cultural novelties as the year continues. I was recently out with a missionary friend who has been in the country for 12 years and said (more than once or twice) that she is still learning and discovering things for the first time. I hope and pray that even as I become increasingly comfortable here in Senegal and leave the honeymoon phase behind, that I will still be open-minded about new experiences and even search them out.

The Man-Eating Bunny Catastrophe of 1932

A few months ago, on a mellow Friday I evening I headed over to the local library to rent a movie. Normally I would be more inclined to check out the recent releases at Blockbuster, but money was tight leading up to my move to Senegal, so the library seemed like a reasonable alternative.

As I browsed through the shelves I noticed the librarian return a DVD to its place entitled The Man-Eating Bunny Catastrophe of 1932. I studied history in University and had never come across this movie-worthy event. When I inquired, the librarian assured me that it had been a widespread issue in Newfoundland, though the worst suffering community was a small town on the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland. I was intrigued. My grandma had been a young girl, about 10 years old at the time and had lived in Port au Choix, the hardest hit community, but she had never mentioned this tragedy.

That evening after watching the movie, I was heartbroken at the horror experienced by so many people around the country. From what I understood of the documentary, a man rabbit trapping had unknowingly set a trap using infected bait. It is assumed that a rabbit had managed to eat the bait without being trapped. The rabbit must have become infected and spread the disease as it reproduced. The rabbits in the area began to grow 4x their normal size and developed fangs that injected poisonous venom. They would attack unsuspecting children playing in yards, or men hunting in the woods. Towns became deserted even during daytime hours and it was too dangerous to do gardening or other outdoor chores. People lived in terror.

I could hardly sleep that night thinking about some of the personal stories I had seen in the film. I also couldn’t understand why Nan had never mentioned the catastrophe before. After a fitful night I called Nan early the next morning to get her perspective of the story. As I asked questions she became increasingly quiet, her answers more and more abrupt. I soon realized that this must have been a painful memory and I let the topic drop, but a few days later a moose-hide journal and clothes-pin showed up in the mail. It was Nan’s diary from 1932. I was surprised at how articulate she wrote for a ten year-old.

As I read the diary I realized why it was such a painful memory. Nan’s two younger brothers and cousin had been attacked by Man-Eating rabbits. They had all escaped with their lives and survived poisonous bites, but the recovery was slow and they were traumatized by the experience. It suddenly made sense to me why my great uncle Lloyd was agoraphopic.


Photo from:http://s1010.photobucket.com/albums/af221/TYRANIDMASTER123/?action=view¤t=evil20bunny.jpg&newest=1

As I continued to read I discovered that Nan herself had also been a victim. Her mother had insisted that the laundry still needed to be hung on the line in spite of the possibility of a bunny attack. While my ten year-old grandmother hung her family’s underwear on the line, a man-eating bunny had hopped out of the woods and taken her by surprise. She only had the laundry and clothes pins with her so she did the first thing that came to mind and started pinching the clothes pins in the bunny’s direction. The clothes pins had been a recent purchase. The new spring loaded “pinch” pins that had only recently arrived in the local store. As the bunny closed in on her she closed her eyes and pinched blindly in the bunny’s direction bracing herself for the pain of the attack, but the pain never came. When she opened her eyes the bunny, with the pinch-pin on its nose, sat contentedly nibbling the long grass.

My grandmother had been the town heroine. Knowing the secret of taming the man-eating bunnies, local authorities were able to contain the bunnies for testing and treatment. I hadn’t recognized the young girl in the documentary as my grandmother because she had been so young that my great-grandmother would not permit her name or picture to be published in local records. The pinch-pin my grandma had included in the parcel, was the very pin she had used to save her life.


Author’s Note: This story was created and told orally (with a few less details) to my grade 6 Social Studies class to illustrate oral history, primary and secondary sources, and artifacts. None of the details in the story are factual. I’m pretty sure rabbit trappers do not use bait and that there’s no such thing as a moose-hide journal. My grandmother would certainly not be pleased if you thought she was 88 years old, and she’ll give you a weird look if you ask about her brother Lloyd who does not exist.

Help me be...

Help me to be brave.
Help me to be hopeful.
Help me to face cheerfully and openly-
rather than reluctantly and resentfully-
whatever is coming next, wherever it is that I am going.
~Joan Bel Geddes

This quote was included in a much-loved booklet of daily inspirations compiled by a close friend and sent with me when I left for Senegal. It never ceases to amaze me that something created days, weeks, or months ahead of time can be so exactly right for a moment in the "now". This particular quote resonated with me, and has become a true reflection of my heart in the last few days.

Timely words of encouragement can make a huge difference in the face of adversity. Many of your comments, e-mails, cards, and messages have cheered me up and reassured me as I have waded my way through frustration, uncertainty and doubt in the last week. Thank you for being my trans-continental (and local) cheerleaders!

I am happy to report that each day has had its victories, small as they may be. Each day has been an improvement, and though the work is not easy and I am extremely tired, I am content.

Since the last time your heard from me...
I slept-in on Saturday (as late as I could in the heat with the power out).
Kari and I went on our first independent shopping trip.
I have had at least three lengthy conversations in French with nationals.
I created rough plans for each of my classes until the end of the month.
I taught a lesson using Dr. Seuss's The Lorax to demonstrate human-environmental relationship.
I used a melon and apples to teach the Earth's structure (core, mantle, crust).
I helped my students create nifty study tools for their definitions.
I created a story about The Crazy Bunny Catastrophe of 1932 to illustrate artifacts, primary and secondary sources, and oral history.
I was given the most amazing chocolate cake by a student's family.
I received a care-package from a friend (who loves me very much) with a book to replace one that is unreadable due to my Kindle misfortune.
My Kindle made is home with friends who traveled back to Canada. (It may even make it back to Senegal by the beginning of September)
Our house-help started working so we are living in a freshly cleaned apartment.

And my greatest personal achievement in the last week: I made delicious (and almost like home) chocolate chip cookies that were a huge hit at the Sandcastle dessert potluck last night. Things are looking up or at the very least, my perspective has changed.


Who wouldn't feel better with warm chocolate chip cookies, made from scratch, in a foreign country and the satisfaction of having made them yourself?

First Days of School

The good news is I survived my first two days of school. More good news is that there were ONLY two days of school this week. The bad news is that I am feeling the hugeness of this task and praying very hard that I will live up to the challenge. I am so relieved to be more confident in myself as a teacher after three years experience at Royal Orchard, but a new environment ultimately means change and adaptation. I have found myself wishing I were back in the "comfort and ease" of Royal Orchard. Those of you who have heard my stories about my first three years teaching, know that says a lot.

Please don't misunderstand me, the kids are great. Not just great but FABULOUS. They are polite and considerate. They listen attentively and participate. Their parents are invested and involved. I am going to have a lot of fun with my middle schoolers especially. I enjoy grades 6-8, as much as I complain about it sometimes. My personal challenge, and where I am feeling overwhelmed is with the subject content. I am not as concerned about Ancient History (gr6) and Geography (gr7) because I have great resources and I can do supplementary research and prep where needed. My first shock came yesterday afternoon when I met my middle school and high school French students, respectively, and was impressed with their level of spoken French. In both classes students could converse easily with me. That was when I started to freak out. I can teach French, but when I realized the students are as advanced as they are I didn't know what I could offer them. I was given a course curriculum which I am very comfortable with, but they seemed beyond that. I came home feeling discouraged yesterday, but not devastated and dejected like my first day in Brampton. I didn't cry, I just kept wondering what I had gotten myself into.

This morning I was anxious when I woke up and nervous as I prepared for school. I was not worried about today because I had good plans, but the year loomed ahead. I found my principal to ask an unrelated question and as an aside he mentioned that several students had been into his office yesterday wanting to drop my class. He was quick to add that they were finding it too hard and were stressed about the year, so I should maybe consider easing up on the French for the first little while. I cannot describe to you how relieved I was. Apparently I misjudged the two classes based on the assurance and assertiveness of the stronger students. I am still not excited or confident about where I'm headed, but I feel that it's a lot more doable. The French levels are not well defined or measured for a newcomer to the school, so I am still struggling to get my head around it, but knowing that the kids and I were in the same boat on the first day makes me feel that we can figure it out and have a successful year.

I have the weekend to regroup and I am sooooo looking forward to a sleep-in tomorrow. Life always looks better when you're well-rested. You can quote me on that.


Miss Black's First Day of School at Dakar Academy.



My classroom is conveniently located across from the (air conditioned) office building.


This is the view from the doorway. There is no air conditioning. Apparently the class used to have good air flow, but a new building was constructed behind and has prevented a cross current. Rumour has it that maintenance may have an extra air conditioning unit, but it's not necessarily an imminent possibility.

My classroom expectations, the Ancient History board and Geography board.


The view from the back left corner. The "j'adore francais" section of the wall is partially blocked by a huge stack of textbooks.


The back of the classroom. The French bulletin board features pictures from French-speaking countries around the world.

Home Sweet Home...

This is the Sandcastle, my new home. It is in a quiet subdivision. From our rooftop you can see the highway just over the next row of houses. We have four floors and are one of the tallest structures in the area. On a clear day you can see the the school, the Dakar skyline, the ocean, and the African Renaissance statue, among other things.



We're on the third floor at the top of the stairs to the left. You can see our doorframe behind the banister. The climb isn't bad and the stairwells are well lit at night.



The front door of our apartment. On our floor our one neighbour's door is directly to our right. Across the hall is another set of neighbours. They are all teachers at the school and have been great to us.



This is our front foyer. I love the painting and furniture they provided with the apartment. Kari brought the black and white print boxes from Ikea that we use for shoes and purses. Yesterday on our shopping excursion we picked up the orange mat.






When you come in the door of the apartment, this is the view straight ahead, into the dining/living room.



This is the living room. The open door to the left is one of our two balconies. The couches are huge and relatively comfortable although they creak when you move. My "spot" is on the right below the window on the biggest couch. I can catch a nice breeze even when the power is out.



The dining area is immediately to the right of the room's doorway. It is behind the smaller of the two large couches.





The living room balcony is a pleasant place to read and relax in the evenings. My bedroom window overlooks the balcony and therefore shares the same views.



The hallway leading to the remainder of the apartment is to the left, rather than straight ahead as you enter the apartment.



This first doorway on the left is the kitchen. The second balcony door is at the back right of the kitchen. There is a small deep-freeze, clothes line, and cleaning supplies out there so it is more utilitarian.



The green stacked bucket structure is our water filter system. We use filtered water to drink and cook. We use tap water to wash dishes but then we must rinse them in a bleach and water solution. All the dishes get washed twice.





Though it is uncommon to find computers in the kitchen this has been my office for the last few days. The small electrical looking box to the left of the computer is a regulator. I charge my computer and use it here so that the regulator protects it from power surges, especially when the power cuts in and out. So you can now envision me standing or sitting in the middle of the kitchen blogging or checking e-mail.



The second doorway on the left is the bathroom. I brought the shower curtain and green towels to make it feel like home. With the heat it is not uncommon to shower two or three times a day to cool off.





My bedroom is the only room on the right side of the hallway. My bed is amazingly comfortable (including the pillows), the armoire is plenty of room for my linens, clothes and extra toiletries. I'm a little bit sad that the stretched canvas above the bed is so high, but I used existing screws for two of them. I am also fortunate to have a desk, Kari doesn't have one in her room. I definitely lucked out on my bedroom. I don't have air conditioning in my classroom at school and she does, so we figure it's a trade-off.








I enjoy the view from my room. My first couple of days here I was convinced there must be a newborn baby nearby but as it turns out our neighbourhood goats like to hang out on the rocky ruins of the building across the street and their bleating sounds like a baby's cries. You may be able to see one if you look hard. There are also several young guys who use the steep incline to train. They often meet in the evenings and run drills up and down the hill.

This is the view straight off the balcony.


This is the view to the left


The view to the right.

The first week in a nutshell...

Monday and Tuesday were uneventful. Mostly sleeping late to recover from jet lag, unpacking and enjoying delicious meals hosted by missionary families from the school. Our first night we had a traditional Senegalese dish, Chub (probably not at all like it's actually spelled and maybe not even how it's pronounced). Rice with vegetable and an onion sauce. Definitely a food I could eat regularly. We were initiated with our first power cut walking home from dinner. It lasted roughly five hours which is relatively short.

Wednesday was spent at school dusting and cleaning. Literally everything in the room was covered in a chalky dust. Thankfully I teach middle school. Other teachers are still cleaning two days later because of the amount of manipulatives and other supplies teachers have at the elementary level. I got some of my bulletin boards done and it's starting to feel more like "my" classroom. I've had to remind myself more than once that it's not home, it's just different, and I'm resourceful. As a side note, sticky tack works amazingly well here because of the humidity.

Wednesday night was our first dinner at home. We have been surviving off the groceries the school provided but were limited in our options. We made spaghetti, which turned out quite delicious if I do say so myself. Though a simple meal required more effort than you might expect:

1. Make a glass of powdered milk
2. Add powdered milk to tomato paste with various spices from home.
3. Realize the element is not on and the apartment smells like gas.
4. Go to neighbours across the hall for demonstration on how to light the gas stove without blowing yourself or the apartment up.
5. Heat sauce
6. Thaw, cook and add ground beef to sauce
7. Filter water
8. Bring water to a boil and cook pasta
9. Serve sauce over pasta
10. Enjoy the meal under the cooling (not cool) breeze of a ceiling fan.

Thankfully the two power cuts that evening were both after we had prepared our tasty meal.



Thursday: The good news is we didn't have any power cuts, the bad news is the phone company was on strike therefore no phone (including cell) or internet service.

It was the first day of orientation which included a presentation from the board on the history and policy of the school and presentations on the day-to-day stuff like mail, transportation, utilities etc. In the evening there was a potluck on campus.

Dakar is home to many missionary families working for various missions and DA is a hub of activity. One of the most amazing things is how they all work together and embrace fellowship with one another. I think it's a small slice of what heaven will be like. I headed over with my roommate (hereafter just Kari) thinking there'd be five or six families, but the place was packed. It was fun to meet so many different people all doing amazing things here in Senegal.

I happened to meet the mother of a student I supply taught last year when I visited Dakar. She remembered me and told me that I made an impression on her son because it had been his first day at a new school, in a new country, and the only person he knew was the teacher who left suddenly because she was sick. Apparently he came home talking about me and I helped his first few days go smoothly. It was an encouragement for me because you don't often hear or realize the way you influence people.

Today is Friday, day 2 of orientation, mostly teacher training. A few of our Dakar Academy neighbours in the building hosted us for an incredible meal on the rooftop. I can't believe I've gone almost a week without going up there. You can see the ocean on one side, the African Renaissance statue and lighthouse on the other side, and Dakar's entire skyline. The evening temperature was comfortable and it was a pleasure to get to know such amazing people. It felt like the rooftop dinner party scene from Julie and Julia minus the twinkle lights and dressy clothes. I love living movies in real life. Real life is always better!

Tomorrow is our first big day on the town. We are going on a guided tour of Dakar to some of the local stores and markets. It's all about practical living in Dakar. I'm just hoping it won't cost me too much...we all know how much I like shopping :)

Pictures are still coming. I apologize for the delay. Don't give up on me just yet.

Dakar, I have arrived!

My journey was not short but any means. I left home in Mississauga Friday morning at 8am with the entire family. We celebrated Nanny Black's 80th birthday in Kingston. The goodbyes in Glenburnie were difficult as I left my extended family as well as Dad and Joshua. Mom and I continued on to Montreal where we spent Friday night and Saturday with family friends. It was a restful time after the chaos of packing and goodbye-get-togethers during the last few weeks.

My flight was scheduled to leave Montreal's airport at 10:10pm Saturday night. Mom, our family friend Viv and I were at the airport shortly after seven with a quick stop at Starbucks for my last caramel macchiato compliments of Jenn. Unfortunately I had to pay overweight and extra luggage fees, but otherwise I got checked in and through security in no time. Mom and I kept out goodbye very matter-of-fact, though I know that doesn't reflect what either of us was feeling.

My 7 hour flight to Casablanca was more pleasant than I had anticipated. There was no in flight entertainment but I struck up a conversation with the girl sitting next to me and the time passed quickly. She was a 28 year-old doctoral student at the University of Montreal. She was on her way home to Tunisia for a summer break. I'm sure our conversation was annoying to the passengers trying to sleep around us, but I was pleased to feel so at ease.

Over the course of the flight I discovered that the two ladies sitting behind me were also traveling to Dakar. I asked if they minded if I followed them to find the shuttle for our layover at a local hotel in Casablanca. We managed to get separated through customs, but I followed instructions and found my way to the shuttle before they did. The hotel was simple enough, unfortunately my room was not ready when I arrived...but the housekeeper was nearby and made it up for me while I waited. I was still not thrilled with the cleanliness but I slept on top of the sheets and got some much needed rest. My sleep was not deep because I was worried about missing the return shuttle but I was just happy to have somewhere to lay me head.

I was very thankful for the two Canadian ladies traveling to Dakar once we arrived back at the airport. It was quite a maze but between the three of us we figured it out. As content as I was to find the gate and wait for my last flight to Dakar, I was horrified to discover that my brand new Kindle was damaged and not working. I have since tried different things but to no avail.

The Casablanca-Dakar leg of the trip was not as comfortable or pleasant, but tolerable nonetheless. When disembarking the plane I noticed a lady with two small kids struggling with her carry-on luggage. She was an English speaker, so I introduced myself and she was pleased to have my help. On our transfer from the tarmac to the terminal we discovered that she and her husband are with Christian Missionary Alliance and they know teachers and families at DA. I was thrilled to see a friendly face. I helped her through customs and getting luggage. I benefited because they rushed her through with her young kids and I tagged along helping with her carry-on luggage. In the end it was a good thing I stayed close because her luggage did not come through the conveyer. I stayed with the kids and the other baggage while she straightened things out. Thankfully it had come on an earlier flight and was in a separate area to be claimed.

Dan, the assistant director at DA was waiting for me and brought me back to my apartment. I'm on the third floor of the Sand Castle, off-campus staff housing. It's a 5 minute walk from campus and houses at least 12 DA staff and their roommates or families. I crashed pretty quickly which was reasonable considering I had been traveling for 25+ hours with limited sleep and it was 2am.

Our apartment has two bedrooms. We also have a foyer, living/dinning room, kitchen, bathroom, and two patios (pictures to follow soon). My roommate, Kari, arrived later the same morning and we've been working on getting the apartment and our classrooms set-up before new staff orientation begins tomorrow.

So far everything has been great. The school provided groceries for our first few days and people have been very helpful in answering questions and offering help when it's needed. If you had been worried about me, you don't need to worry anymore.

Look for more posts about my first few days coming soon...