After our first weekend we moved into a family home in urban Dakar. We are staying here for two weeks while we learn French at a school nearby. The area is called Mermoz. Our house is down a narrow alley of uneven paving stones and sand. The streets are like a dusty warren, simple concrete buildings made by hand tower above, blocking out the sky. New builds are erected daily whilst others stand forever unfinished despite being inhabited. Interspersing these streets are squares which are the hubs of communal life; fruit stands, small shops, women cooking on the corner, people gossiping and the ever present herd of sheep all watch the day go by.
Through an unassuming white metal door is our house, it is much larger than it appears from the outside. We live on the third floor with our younger ‘brother’ Ibu, and other guests. Our room is simple, two beds and one clothes hanger, it is just off a roof terrace that we share with an old sheep we have named Monsieur Henry. A set of steps leads up to another roof terrace where we have whiled away the days in the sunshine, surrounded by the noises of the city. These include sheep bleating across the rooftops to one another, the frequent and lengthy calls to prayer (the many mosques around us all run on different times), and the conversation stopping roar of aeroplanes overhead landing in the closely located airport. This made for an interesting first nights sleep, however now the soundtrack of the city is more like a lullaby!
The rest of the family live downstairs, they include Mama and Papa, an older brother and sister as well as two young domestic servants (which remains quite strange for us). Mama is the heart of the house making sure everyone eats enough and that the household runs smoothly. She is always magnificently dressed in reams of colourful traditional cloth with a head piece to match, her shouts of laughter can be heard throughout the house but she is clearly not a woman you’d want to cross! Papa, a former diplomat, is a slight man who always shares the choicest morsels at dinner and spends a lot of time at the mosque. The family have welcomed us warmly, giving us the names Rama (Tash) and Zainab (Harry) and treating us like their own daughters though we are free to come and go as we please.
Ibu, the youngest brother and the sibling we have become closest to is a 22 year old student who we have found a lot in common with. We have spent a lot of time together on the roof, chatting, drinking tea and listening to Senegalese reggae. An excellent brother to have found!
The living space is designed around an atrium open to the sky, and it is here that we gather for meals. All meals are eaten from a communal dish, lunches are more casual with us seated on stools around a bowl of rice and fish. In the evenings dinner is half a loaf of French bread each with either fish or mutton. Onions and spice form the basis of every meal with the meat acting as an accompaniment. We have already consumed a fairly obscene amount of rice, it really is the only thing you can eat a million of!
We go to French lessons every afternoon at the ACI Baobab Centre, a well known institution with people coming from all over the world to study here. Our 15 minute walk to school takes us through crowds of school children, over a six lane motorway and past many a nut selling street vendor. We have arrived on time everyday, if only sixth form had started at 3pm! Our teacher Thomas is great and someone we really get along with. Classes are always more enjoyable when there is laughter tea and cake.
Life here is comfortable, even the cold showers and clothes washing by hand have become a part of our happy routine! It has been a pleasure to be welcomed into a Senegalese family and we leave next week knowing that there is always a door open in Dakar.
