Bonjour! So my flights went just fine and I was luckily seated far away from any crying babies. I landed in Dakar and was greeted post-Customs by Dr. Dick who drove me back to the guest house at the research station where I will be staying this first week until the MicroTrop conference starts up next week. Small room, but it has a bed, sink and shower, so I should be alright! We went out to dinner last night (we being myself, Dr. Dick, and the two undergrads working in Dakar; Owen and David). Today we have just been meeting with a lot of people and doing basic introductions (and WOW do I need to learn my French quickly - maybe 1 out of 10 people speak any English, and I need to learn to communicate with them!) and I should figure out what I'll be up to this week before MicroTrop starts.
As of right now I am in a sleep-deprived stupor and as such I haven't been able to process much at all. Being here is definitely a bit of a shock in may ways, but right now I am just trying to figure out how to communicate with people and where/what I can eat! As my mind returns to me I'll be able to actually process what is going on a bit better, but for right now I need sleep and a meal.
Au revoir!
A few French tips:
ReplyDeleteoui = yes
non = no
merde = shit (may help you locate a bathroom)
croissant = will get you fed