Want to study in West Africa?
First impressions of Senegal and the West African region and basic tips for students interested in heading to the same area.
Meghan Walsh is currently studying in Dakar, Senegal, a West African capital city teeming with sunshine, ocean views, multilingualism, stray animals, garbage, hip hop, and artistic exuberance.
The Humboldt State University senior, a native of McKinleyville, Calif., is taking part in a two-month immersion and academic program run by the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE).
Her interest in the program is linked to her academic concentration, a double major she admits is a mouthful: French and francophone studies and international studies with an emphasis in post-colonial African studies.
In the Q&A below, Walsh discusses her first impressions of Senegal and the West African region and lays out some basic tips for students seeking to follow in her stead.
Q:What's your initial take on the Senegalese people?
A: The people are extremely friendly. I studied in France last summer and there's such a huge contrast. In France, if you don't speak the language well, they don't want to talk to you. Here, if you don't speak it well, they'll give you a mini-lesson on the street. It's very nice. Everyone knows that you're a foreigner, so they want to talk to you. They start conversations with you. You definitely want to leave yourself an extra 15 minutes because you will get stopped, a lot.
Q:What's been the most surprising part about your West African experience so far?
A: I guess just how much I stand out. That's probably been the most frustrating-slash-interesting thing. Toubab is the word for a white person here. People will shout out Toubab to you in the streets. That's obviously not something we do in the states. And they don't do it in any derogatory way. I know it's something that past students have said annoyed them the most, getting that all the time. But the locals don't mean it in a bad way, so it hasn't bothered me yet. But it's surprising. It's different. It's like, "I have a name!"
Q:What's it like being a woman in the region?
A: A lot of the men do see you as a way to the U.S. and a potential better life. I think that's why local men are a lot more friendly at times, because I'm a girl. They do come on strong, a lot stronger than in the states. The first time they meet you they'll tell you they love you and that you're the woman of their dreams. But I feel comfortable. I wouldn't walk around at night by myself, but I don't think I'd do that in the states much either, depending on the area.
Q:At this point, what's been the toughest part about living in Senegal?
A: For me, the host family has been the toughest part. To be clear, everyone else in the program seems happy with their host families for the most part. I just haven't been as welcomed into the house. A lot is linked to language. I took French in school for three years. . . . I can listen to someone and understand it, but it takes me a long time to respond and I have to think about it. My host family has told me multiple times I don't speak French very well, especially my mom. And she'll laugh at me when I get a word wrong. I don't think she means any harm by it. It's a cultural difference. But it doesn't motivate me to try to talk to her.
Q:What are the language challenges? What should students know?
A: You might want to have basics in Wolof before coming. I think only 15 percent of Senegalese people speak French. Wolof on a day-to-day level is really the dominant language. People want you to make an effort to at least try. They completely help you on the streets. Salaam maaleekum is the basic greeting, for example, and on the streets they want to hear that. People are really friendly and may laugh at you when you don't know something, but they do it in a really friendly way.
Q:What about money?
A: Of course locals will know you're foreign. Some will want to rip you off. So you want to talk to locals you trust about how much things should be, such as taking a taxi from here to there. On a lot of the purchases though, it might not be worth haggling too much. I feel like in many cases they need the money more than I do and what might be an extra dollar to us is an extra 500 [francs] to them.
Q:What's the social scene like? What do locals and visitors do for fun?
A: Since it's a mostly Muslim country, I was surprised there is a big club scene here. There are concerts and festivals all the time. There are also lots of museums and cultural centers to visit. And the city itself is so big you can spend a lot of time just going to different parts. Each neighborhood has its own personality. There are also a ton of beaches.
Q:What other tips do you have for students looking to study in Senegal or West Africa?
A: Don't drink the water, get the right vaccinations, sleep with a mosquito net, and just know that it is a Third World country. Even if you're in the city, there will be things you have never seen before in the states. For example, trash is a huge thing. I go to Humboldt, which has been rated the number-one greenest school in the country. Here, trash is everywhere, just everywhere. There are many places even without trash cans.
I was at the market the other day and asked someone to point out a trash can so I could throw something away and they laughed at me. They said, "You're in Senegal, just throw it in the streets." And even if you throw something in a trash can, it seems to end up in the streets anyway. So don't expect recycling or anything like that. That's a completely foreign concept here.
Also, if you're homosexual, don't say it. You will be shunned. That's something you want to keep hidden. Otherwise, expect the Toubab thing, even if you're not white. It's basically for any foreigner. We have an African-American student with us in the program and she's been called a Toubab. It's just the locals' way of pointing out a foreigner and getting your attention when they don't know what else to call you. But just know they don't mean it to hurt your feelings.
And don't give anyone your phone number. That's not so much for safety reasons. It's just to avoid being annoyed. Students in the program before told us they'd give someone their number and literally they'd walk across the street and the person would be calling. It will be months of them continuing to call and text you. But at the same time, you want to meet the locals. That's part of the point of the study abroad experience. So it's definitely a balance.
Dan Reimold, Ph.D., is a college journalism scholar who has written and presented about the student press throughout the U.S. and in Southeast Asia. He is an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Tampa, where he also advises The Minaret student newspaper. He maintains the student journalism industry blog College Media Matters. A complete list of Campus Beat articles is here.
This story originally appeared on the Paste BN College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.