An excellent Friday

Friday afternoon after class seven of us walked from WARC to the real downtown area of Dakar. It took over an hour and I was tired after a long week, so I definitely got cranky on the way in, but we walked on a road that overlooks the ocean and saw the sun setting over the water and it was pretty and I started feeling happier. And the sunset reminded me of The Lion King and the sunrise at the beginning of Circle of Life, so I started to sing. Come to Senegal and live your Disney inspired childhood dreams.

While we were walking, a bus stopped by the sidewalk near us, and sitting by the windows were four other study abroad students from WARC, waving for us to get on. Because in a city of a million people, obviously a bus carrying four of the only maybe twenty-five people you know in all of Dakar will of course pull up right next to you as you’re walking along. Another occurrence that happens more typically in animated musicals.

Then we went to N’ice Cream, where I purchased amazingly rich triple chocolate and intensely raspberry-y raspberry ice cream for the exorbitant (by Dakar standards) price of $3 for two scoops. I’m going to be so confused when I get back to the US and have to actually start paying realistic prices for things. The ice cream was so delicious and there were so many other flavors to choose from (at least 35, including one called ‘Obama’) that we decided we’re going to have to make going to N’ice Cream a weekly event. Score.

After ice cream, some people wanted real food, so we went to this total dive restaurant where I just wanted to split a plate of fries with two other people, but not only was the plate of fries we were bought gigantic and overflowing, but our waiter brought us a second plate for free, so I ate so many fries that it was ridiculous and greasy and delicious. While we were eating, the TV in the corner was playing a show whose name was unfortunately mistranslated as ‘Arab’s got talent’.

After gorging ourselves, we headed to the Institut Français, a cultural center for Dakar’s expat community, where we had tickets to a concert by Youssou N’Dour, who is probably the most famous living person in Senegal and is definitely the most famous musician. My host mother was in fact appalled two weeks ago to learn I’d never heard any of his music. Anyway, I rectified that situation by sitting center at the concert, three rows from the front, and swaying and dancing to the mbalax music and being overwhelmed by the ridiculously high energy all around me. But I have to admit, my favorite parts were the sappy moments where we all waved our lit cell phones because that’s just so iconically ‘concert’ and I was at my first concert (not counting Lawnparties, anyways) and I was doing just that and I just felt so cool.