Since we played a very intense game of soccer yesterday, I woke up at 6 am this morning to take a nice shower. Many of us had already showered last night, but I fell asleep right after dinner. At 8, we all went to breakfast where we had the usual bread (with choco mousse or butter) and a hot beverage. Kelsey and I then got ready to teach the kids of CE2, who are the second youngest kids at the school. After having had taught yesterday, we learned from our mistakes and thus improved our strategy significantly. We played many games and even gave out candy to encourage participation. They learned colors, numbers and various body parts. However, they did get rowdy after a little while. The majority of the class understood the concepts, but a few struggled to communicate and learn the proper wording. Kelsey and I were equally shocked by their willingness to learn English. After class, they came up to us and even used some of the greetings we had talked about: hello, how are you, my name is, I am fine, thank you. It was rewarding to know that we were making a difference and that they could actually take something away from our lessons. Afterwards, we came back to the house to change into our work clothes. For our service project of the day, we helped clean the school. By splitting into three different groups, we cut the hedges, sifted through the sand for trash, and cleaned the bathrooms (yes, they were squat toilets). The heat was unbearable for many of us and we were exhausted after about 45 minutes. We went back to our house for the siesta, where I lay down on the bed with the fan directly on me. At about 4, we left for the animal reserve (which was right outside of Saint Louis) to see the tortoises, oryx, addax, gazelles, and monkeys. We learned a lot about the origins of the species and how the reserve has protected them from the industrialization Senegal is currently going through. I was quite surprised that the baby turtles have to be kept in a separate area in order to protect them from predators that are attracted to their soft-shells. After taking many pictures, we left for the village. On the way, we stopped in Saint Louis for some pastries. I tried a hazelnut cake that was very sugary and delicious. Then, we stopped on the road so that we could walk to a mini mountain, which had a refreshing breeze as well as a splendid view of Mauritania and the River Senegal. As we walked back, we saw both the village mosque and the religious school (the Dara), which all boys must attend in order to memorize the Koran. It was then time for dinner where we ate a salad with fresh tomatoes and carrots. Then, we all went back to the house and got ready for bed.
-Sachi
