2018-05-04
One of the questions I’ve been getting the most is, “how does it feel being home??”. I honestly wish I had a more interesting answer than the fact that it feels normal. The roads are the same, the buildings unchanged, and my room was just as I left it. So no, it doesn’t feel strange...
Read More2018-04-13
My Gap Year i[vc_video link=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LveuFrKSjWg&feature=youtu.be’]n Senegal Throughout this year I’ve taken many videos of my experience in country and would like to be able to share just a small portion of my time in Senegal. Please enjoy!!
Read More2018-04-12
Sénégal, wow. It has been quite a ride. You've taught me so much about what it means to me part of a community, to feel homesickness, to engage in tough love, to live with less, to live out of my comfort zone, to shower with a bucket, to sweat constantly, to eat rice everyday single...
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2018-03-25
As I sit squashed next to a woman openly breast feeding her son in a sept place on my way to Joal, I think about the odd relationship between Senegalese society and women’s sexualisation. On one hand, Senegal has progressed far beyond the U.S. in terms of public breastfeeding. Mothers can openly breastfeed anywhere in...
Read More2018-03-08
The other day, as I watched ten grown men attempt to load a fully grown bull into a rusty old pickup truck I once again found myself thinking, “Huh, didn’t think I’d ever see that.” I find myself thinking that phrase quite often nowadays. At least once everyday, I see something I couldn’t have come...
Read More2018-02-14
As I will be officially going home in two months from this very day, and because it’s a day to celebrate love, I thought I would share a video of pictures and video clips from the past 5 months here in Senegal, a place that I love, with the people I love. I thought I...
Read More2018-01-09
Nelson Mandela is famous for the quote "If you talk to man in a language he understands it goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language it goes to his heart" for a good reason. Since being in Senegal I have developed a new understanding and passion for language learning. Not...
Read More2017-12-29
The concept of voluntourism has been debated about for many years. Opinions on the issue vary from the belief that it is another way for white people to exploit developing countries, to people who believe that exposure to other cultures will cause progress in terms of international development. While in the past, I’ve tended to...
Read More2017-10-30
Growing up in a town where taking time to step back and reflect on life was viewed as a waste of time, and self care meant hopefully finishing homework before 1AM so you could get a few hours of sleep, life in Senegal is a big transition. I remember begging my dad at least once...
Read More2017-10-10
October 3, 2017 Anyone remember TBH’s? Talking about them now seems juvenile and trivial, but I remember at one point in middle school getting in a fight with one of my best friends because I didn’t write her a long enough TBH on her Facebook wall (don’t worry we made up love you Grace (:...
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2017-09-17
One of the first things you learn at Global Launch is the idea of the W curve. A wavy line that roughly resembles a W is shown a projector and the GCY staff tries to make it clear that in the beginning you will feel great, the top of the curve, aka the honeymoon phase....
Read More2017-09-07
Dallen ak jamm!! AKA, welcome to Senegal!! This phrase was printed on a huge banner in our main classroom at the Tostan Training Center where I’m currently staying during my first week in Thiès, Senegal. That phrase is written in Wolof, the second national language, behind french, in Senegal meaning it’s spoken by nearly 50...
Read More2017-08-14
When I first thought of going to college, as I began my college apps nearly a year ago, I was excited for all the same things my friends were looking forward to. The prospect of decorating a dorm room, having classes I was passionate about, and way more freedom than I was used to, were...
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