Abraham and I took the camera with us on Friday as we ran our errands. We’re starting to do this with increasing confidence, no longer intimidated by the craziness of downtown. Still, we have to be discreet. I still stand out, obviously much more than Abraham, and people constantly approach me, either selling me something, directly asking for money or trying to scam me for money.
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There are days when I wind up spending most of the day in the apartment. I’m either helping Abraham with his project, researching our upcoming trip to Ghana (more on that in another posting), or just being lazy. Eventually I find some reason to step outside, and I’m usually struck by what I see. There is always something going on, people walking around, someone to say “Salaam alekaam” to, some interesting juxtaposition. Life is going on, and all I have to do is step outside to witness it, to become a part of it.
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A few weeks ago we visited an interesting island located 20 minutes by ferry from downtown Dakar. It’s name is Ile de Goree, a busy trading center in the 18th and 19th centuries that is also famous for being a slave-shipment point. However, it is probable that very few of the 20 million slaves taken from Africa passed through Goree.
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