11. Thiadiaye Laa Dekk
Sophia Richter
February 18, 2015
I’m from Thiadiaye. Saint Louis is almost as far north as you can go in Senegal and since I was heading there anyway for our second training seminar, I decided to take advantage of it by visiting all the Fellows north of me along the way. Besides the people in my own community, the rest...
Read More10. Wolof Rekk
Sophia Richter
February 18, 2015
There comes a point in a girl’s life when she realizes it’s time to learn Wolof. When she realizes it’s time to explore the vastly unfamiliar and to accept the glamourless reality. When she realizes it’s time to take ownership of the present and wring it of all its opportunities. And when she realizes that...
Read More9. Senegal Food Focus: Tiga-d̩g̩
Sophia Richter
February 1, 2015
Senegal Food Focus! Peanuts are a staple in Senegalese cuisine. They have also become my first love. Tiga-dÌ©gÌ©or peanut butter is one of the most wondrous byproducts of these locally harvested peanuts. And since one of my New Year’s resolutions was to learn to make tiga-dÌ©gÌ©, I would like to share with you what I’ve...
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5. A Taste of Perspective and a Transformation in Returning
Sophia Richter
January 31, 2015
I’m sitting on a beautifully woven met stretched out over the cool sand and beneath the dark sky. There is a light breeze that rustles the leaves on a nearby mango tree and causes a roosting bird to take flight. Reflecting on my day, I can hear the rhythmic drumming of a marriage celebration. I...
Read More8. Peanuts and Pooh: A Lesson in Peace and Presence
Sophia Richter
January 31, 2015
Gripping the small rough shell, I press one end between my thumb and fore-finger until it cracks and falls away in halves revealing two reddish peanuts inside. Rolling the two beads in my hand, I flick the red casings, letting the wind carry them away. I lean back against the warm yellow wall of my...
Read More7. The Community Concerto No. 1
Sophia Richter
December 23, 2014
I hope you wake up to the sound of music every morning”. These words have been floating around my head ever since my father spoke them during our last conversation. Music. My whole life has been intertwined with the presence of music. Everything from music lessons and bagpipe band competitions
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6. Mango Tree Revelations
Sophia Richter
November 21, 2014
When I first arrived in Thiadiaye in the beginning of October, everything was new and fresh and begging for my attention. Yaay would take me to the Luma (the farmers’ market of Senegal) and every basket was full of vegetables, every table laden with fresh fish, every tent offering colorful cloth, and beautiful jewelry, and...
Read More A Taste of Perspective and a Transformation in Returning
Sophia Richter
October 16, 2014
I’m sitting on a beautifully woven met stretched out over the cool sand and beneath the dark sky. There is a light breeze that rustles the leaves on a nearby mango tree and causes a roosting bird to take flight. Reflecting on my day, I can hear the rhythmic drumming of a marriage celebration. I...
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4. Roller Coaster Rides
Sophia Richter
September 24, 2014
First of all: Sheep. Now that that is taken care of – Dakar. Dakar seems to be a good place to start. It’s where I’ve spent my first two weeks in Senegal and yet I still cannot seem to put a finger on what exactly Dakar has done to me. Done for me is different....
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3. A Day in Dakar
Sophia Richter
September 24, 2014
It’s 6:30 and already I can hear our “domestiques” sweeping the tiled courtyard in front of my bedroom door. It’s the same sound every morning: little consistencies like that make me feel a bit more at home. The domestique? I actually have two of them. They are essentially maids but are treated like family: they...
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2. The Introductory Epilogue
Sophia Richter
August 13, 2014
Hello! So I realized that my first post was probably rather boring and random to a lot of you who aren’t yet* familiar with how my brain works. I figured it would require a follow-up introduction to the previous introduction. It’s an introduction to the introduction except that it came after the first introduction! Ok,...
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1.Some Psychology, Philosophy, and Other Things I Know Nothing About
Sophia Richter
August 13, 2014
Did you know that there is a part of your eye that is actually blind? Yea! I won’t go into all the details but basically there is a spot in the back of your eye where the optic nerve fibers pass through the retina so that there aren’t any light detecting cells on the surface....
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