Too early for nostalgia

Last night I sat on my roof watching the clouds pass in front of the full moon, listening to the melodic chants come from the school across the street, and thinking about the short two days I have left of this experience that has become…

02 May, 2012

Bare feet and labels

During my stay in Senegal I have been asked countless times who I am. To my Dakar host family, I am Haby Ndiaye. To the stranger on the street, I am toubab. The vendors call out ‘my sister!’ or ‘my friend!’ To my Potou host…

28 March, 2012

Bucket Hands

If you’re not familiar with the game ‘would you rather’ here’s an explanation. A group of people basically go back and forth asking each other which scenario the other would prefer to be in. ‘ Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?’…

14 March, 2012

Blinded by the trash

I still remember my first impression of my village. When I looked at Potou through the rolled down window as we were driving through my senses were overcome. All I could smell was burning trash, rotting trash, and fish. All I saw were dirty animals…

06 March, 2012

Adventure Time

A fellow and friend, Awa (Megan) introduced me to the phrase ‘Adventure Time.’ Adventure time was started in Dakar, when we would go downtown, meet new people, and see where the day took us- usually ending with a good, crazy, interesting story to tell.  The…

04 January, 2012

Powdered milk can’t save the world

Bilat is my three year old cousin. We’ve recently adopted him and his 5 year old sister into our family because his mother is mentally ill and left him to his father, who chose not to raise his two kids. The kids here play rough,…

16 December, 2011

Adaptation and fish guts

  I’ve recently been reading a book called The Minder Brain; it discusses the functions of the human brain and the ability we have to adapt. Adaptation. What an interesting concept. I have also been considering the connection between adaptation and fear. Most of us…

09 November, 2011

The Easiest Language in the World

I’ve been postponing blogging because it seems that every day I gain something new, and my understanding of Senegalese life changes and grows. I have officially been living in Senegal for over a month now, and the most apparent observation so far is the overall…

06 October, 2011

The Wild Thornberrys

Hello, Kaya Hartley here. For starters, I believe I was 5 or 6 when I first decided I would travel the world. It all started with the TV show ‘The Wild Thornberrys.’ For those of you who haven’t had the opportunity to watch it, It’s…

08 July, 2011