Dakar, Senegal: Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy Past Review
By Eli B (French, Birmingham-Southern College) for
CIEE: Dakar - Language & Culture
From studying abroad, I gained a much better sense of what it is and what it takes to interact with and become close to people from a background and culture alien to my own. I learned how to better connect to those who are different from me in myriad ways, and how to carry out respect for that difference. Through study abroad, I was able to improve enough in French (and gain enough credits) to graduate in three years with a French degree. Not only that, but the challenges I faced while in Senegal made me comfortable enough with myself and my abilities to decide that that was the right thing to do.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The CIEE administration was awesome: always accessible and eager to help. They were highly experienced with both Senegalese and American general and academic culture, and very helpful in easing any conflicts between the two. The program was a little larger than I would have liked, but other than that the administration was all I could have asked for. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It's not going to be easy, living with a family from a culture very different from your own, but I found it to be challenging, instructive, and all-around wonderful. CIEE arranged my housing, which was in a pretty safe area in one of the more affluent neighborhoods in Dakar. My house was an easy 15-minute walk from class, and some bars were within walking distance, though the most active nightlife was a taxi-ride away. I got along very well with my host family, and felt like a family member with most of them, though I was sometimes (by some of my family members) treated like a guest. |
| * Food: |
I'm normally a vegetarian, but that's really not viable in Senegal, where just about every dish has some kind of meat in it. By the end of four months, I was pretty tired of fish and white rice, but eating at little hole-in-the-wall places often gave me experiences I won't soon forget (from both ends of the spectrum). |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I feel like I was able to make friends with my Senegalese classmates and with my fellow American study abroad-ers, and that I got a good taste of the nightlife in Dakar. I also really treasure the connections I was able to establish with my host family. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced French with my classmates, my professors, my host family, and with people on the street. Very few people in Senegal speak English, and many speak Wolof or another tribal language more proficiently than they do French. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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