Bien Arrivé

We picked up the students around 10:00 p.m. this Thursday evening. We were a little late because our bus driver had fallen asleep, but the students were all there and so was all their luggage. They had made their way, or it had been made for them, to a holding area with several other groups of mostly white people who were standing around comfortable looking buses near the airport’s departure terminal. The students were engaged in a variety of negotiations with local well-wishers who wanted to carry their luggage and help them get to whatever destination they were looking to get to. They were taking good care of themselves and each other. Christine, our local coordinator, took over the handling of the well-wishers and we made our way through a parking lot toward a large white bus that was not as comfortable looking as the ones we were walking away from. We threw our luggage on the roof, jostled our way through nighttime Dakar, and arrived at Le Phare de l’Espérance. To the chagrin of the drivers, we pulled our luggage off the roof. Then, we had a late night snack and headed for bed. It was a hopeful beginning to what is sure to be a meaningful summer.