After less than a week away, I was back in Dakar on Tuesday for Junior Achievement's annual festivities. My Senegalese boss was kind enough to drive Alyssa, Kerry and I to Dakar in his classy purple Peugeot so the ride in was easy.
On Tuesday evening we attended a cocktail reception at the US Ambassador's ridiculously nice house. It was a hoppin' event, complete with many honored guests from the Senegalese government and local NGOs and of course the US Ambassador herself. I also met the Vice President of Junior Achievement for all of Africa and it was great to speak with her about the program here in Senegal and how much we've all enjoyed teaching. Apparently there is a Junior Achievement office in Seattle so I'm hoping I can get involved somehow once I'm back stateside and settled. We also watched a television segment that's currently being aired on Senegalese national television in which Alyssa and I starred. By starred, I mean I said some awkward things in French and Alyssa had one hilarious line. The best part was we were both wearing the same outfits that we had on in the video. What can I say, Peace Corps volunteers are poor and nice clothing is scarce!
at the US Ambassador's house, actually looking clean
Wednesday morning we all headed to the national theater in downtown Dakar to celebrate Junior Achievement and the students who have completed Junior Achievement courses throughout the year. The theater was packed with Senegalese students from various middle schools and high schools, all of whom were beyond excited. In typical Senegalese fashion the program included many long speeches, but also several presentations by student groups who have created business ideas in their Junior Achievement classes. One group that I found particularly amusing called themselves "Delicious Pancakes". The program concluded with performances by several famous Senegalese musical artists and an impromptu dance fest on stage.
speech by the US Ambassador, Marcia Bernicat
Delicious Pancakes!
We headed back to site on Wednesday afternoon and apparently it's a good thing we did because Dakar has seen a frenzy of violent riots and protests since then. The protests were in response to a proposed change to the Senegalese constitution on behalf of the President that would have made it easier for him to be reelected. I won't comment on the nature or politics of the protests, but I will say that everything is normal and calm here in Pout. Peace Corps as an organization has received negative criticism lately in regards to their safety and security programs, but Peace Corps Senegal handled this particular situation very well and I continue to be impressed by their attention to volunteer safety. As usual, I feel secure at my site, but I definitely don't plan on visiting Dakar for a little while. If you'd like to read about the protests, check out these two news articles:
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