On my first day in Senegal, I somehow lost 40,000 francs CFA. Welcome to Africa, kid. Since then, I’ve received plenty. Free love! And also, completely for free:
-A leather/snakeskin pouch from a guy in the touristy artisanal market who tried to rip me off, but then softened when I told him I had no ‘xaalis’
– An ‘I Love Africa’ necklace from a random guy while I was enjoying a plate of French fries
– A soap dish
– Senegal Report 2009 (in English!) from museum guide in Saint-Louis
– A plastic marabout calendar from the Leona pharmacy
– An extra orange to my kilo from a lady in Louga after a round of bargaining in Wolof
– Motorcycle rides
– Backstage access at a concert celebrating the inauguration of the Pont Faidherbe in Saint-Louis
– Clothing
– Ray Bans
– Fabric scraps from various tailors in the Potou/Leona area
– A pink razor (Christmas gift)
– A big shell from a rather rancid pile on a fishing beach in Joal
– A neon purple plastic beaded bracelet from a girl in my village
– Water and blessings from a pilgrim returned from Mecca
– Cookies from the baker at the house of Serigne Fallou in Touba
– Amoxycillin
