My arrival in Dakar

I took the plane on a Sunday in February to go to the African continent, more specifically to the capital of Senegal, Dakar.

I was very excited about leaving although I only spent a few months in Belgium as I was coming back from another trip. However, I knew that this experience would be totally new and different.

The flight wasn't very long, about six-seven hours of flight. In addition, the landscapes below were amazing. I flew over deserts. One would think that this landscape is the same everywhere but not at all. They vary and you can see dunes from the plane, it's very beautiful.

Once we landed, I got out of the airport and I immediately saw my Senegalese coordinator. The one that was part of the Syto agency, an agency that found work for me on site. I was pleasantly surprised to have visitors: another Belgian who was also volunteering in Dakar and who had arrived a month before me. It was already warm when I arrived although it was in February. I already started drinking my water. We took a taxi to go to the agency and to the hostel where I was going to spend my first night before being redirected to a host family.

The taxi driver didn't know how to drive. Finally, he was driving like a Senegalese taxi driver, without being too attentive to the priorities and other traffic rules. A few meters outside the airport and I already had an eye full: no traffic signs (which explains why they drive the way they drive - they all have cracks in their windshields! ), no priority right, people walking along the highway, between the highway ramps, who sold food on the ground between cars, etc. First cultural shock! People who are crossing (who are attempting to cross I should say) stop on the way because cars aren't slowing down to let them pass. It's normal I thought, they're crossing anywhere! Then I realized that it was the same for pedestrian crossings!

The beginning of my stay began with an orientation course so that I could get familiar with the city. We also visited some museums (one or two I think, it must be said that Dakar and in general the African capitals are not famous for their museums but rather for their traditions). I remember the Museum of Contemporary Art which was very nice and very different from those that can be found in Belgium. In general, I'm not a fan of this kind of museum. I also saw the Cathedral of Dakar, yes, although ninety percent of the people are Muslim there was a cathedral.

First impressions were very good even if some things scared me. I already felt at home and extremely relaxed, I was going to learn later that this feeling is part of the African continent and after it's difficult to separate from this feeling when you return to your everyday life.

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