A Day in the Life of ALEX JUE (The Fasting Edition): 26/9/2008

7:45 AM: Alarm goes off (hit snooze).
7:50 AM: Alarm goes off (hit snooze).
7:52 AM: Finally wake up and take a shower.
8:18 AM: Leave for ACI Baobab Center: Wolof is at 8:30 AM … DID NOT EAT!!!
8:30 AM: Arrive at ACI Baobab Center.
8:37 AM: Wolof begins. **Class consists of: (1) Exercise 6: Expression de la Contradiction avec “Axakay”, (2) Leson Fukk: Waxtann “Tapha ak Vera ñungiy waxtaan”, and (3) Questions de Revision: Leson Fukk
9:15 AM: Zator (my Wolof teacher) asks us if we do not like his outfit….we respond we love it! In Senegalese culture it is rude to give too many compliments, but apparently there is a way to compliment and not be rude…someday I will figure this out! After this comment, we all say how much we like Zator’s plaid shoes…he responds with they cost me 5 000 CFA and I will have the shoemaker come on Monday to get your sizes if you want! We are all extremely excited for what we are calling the Exclusively Zator’s Class Line.
9:35 AM: Pause-café…. AHH!!! Want to drink coffee, but I can’t!
9:45 AM: Wolof resumes with the continuation of the above mentioned activities/exercises.
10:32 AM: Wolof ends and we have homework…
10:35-10:50 AM: I walk around looking for a specific magazine that I think is called Afrique Jeune, this issues cover story reads “La Relation entre Senegal et France”…I think that is very interesting and could be useful for the future. My search is NOT SUCCESFUL!
11:07 AM: L’Histoire de l’Islam finally starts…only 7 minutes late today.
12:18 PM: Pause-café…. so I have decided that these are pointless…. at least today. Our professor is talking to some of us about how Americans do not speak English, but instead we speak “American” (apparently this is a faster version of English…)!
12:23 PM: L’Histoire de l’Islam resumes on the following topics: (1) L’Islam de cour, (2) Deux remarques sur l’Islam de cour, and (3) La conclusion de la premiere partie: Xe-XVIe siecles.
1:09 PM: L’Histoire de l’Islam ends… now what do I do for two hours, since I am not going home to eat lunch.
1:15 PM: Head to MyShoppe (gas station/convenient store) with Myra and Val, so they can buy food for lunch…I watch.
1:30-2:03 PM: I walk around trying to pass time…also attempting to find this magazine, however, I forget that everything is closed from 1-3PM in Dakar!
2:05-2:45 PM: I don’t know what I did… I mean I sat in ACI Baobab Center and read some of “Dreams of My Father”, watched people eat, and sent an email... I think!?
3:06 PM: Dakar en Transition begins and all I can think about are the next fours hours I have before I will be breaking fast…tick, tick, tick…
5:08 PM: Dakar en Transition ends after a discussion on cohabitation between the indigenous people of Senegal and the European colonizers.
5:15-8:00 PM: I joined an English Club because I need to practice my English…. actually this club is a group of Senegalese students at The University of Dakar, who are in the English department. The club meets from one to two times a month. Today’s meeting we discussed this year’s program and watched a movie on the Talibe (child beggars) in Senegal called “Almadou”. Following the movie there was a discussion with the director. The movie was shown once on Senegalese television, but has since been banded and threatened because of its content that is anti-marabous.
7:00 PM: I BROKE FAST!!! I ate beignets and dates & drank water and pop!!! This was some of the best food that I have eaten…probably because I the last time I ate or drank was the night before at 9ish! It had been about 12 hours since I woke up…WOW!
8:15 PM: Arrived back at my home...waited to eat dinner
8:49 PM: Hear the sounds of dinner being set up downstairs… I think that dinner will be ready in the next 5 minutes!
9:01 PM: Dinner time!
9:16 PM: Done eating…I ate way too much at the movie when I broke fast! Anyways, we had fish meatballs in a spicy sauce over white rice…as usually, it was very good. SO FULL!
10:03 PM: TYIF (Thank ‘Allah’ It’s Friday)!!! I am heading out!
11:23 PM: Two Senegalese students show up to the bar that we are at; they were at the movie screening earlier. I have the opportunity to talk politics and react to the movie with them. It was a really great opportunity to practice my French, and I think that we are going to be hanging out with more Senegalese students again!
12:05 AM: The countdown begins to what could be an opportunity to watch the FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE!!!
1:00 AM: The FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE between Obama and McCain comes on in the bar! We were able to watch the debate, but unfortunately there was no sound….so it was pretty much pointless. However, I now know that I can watch American politics in some way on TV5MONDE: Afrique!
1:31 AM: Time to go home.
2:03 AM: In bed.