WeekWithoutWalls: Ile de Madeleine 3.8

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Photos (top to bottom): photos 1-3: en route to the island via Soumbedioune fishing village; photos 4-6: touring the island; photos 7&8: greeting the arrival of our second pirogue-load of kids from the high bluffs; photo 9: discussing the significance of the island's protector jinn beneath the baobab associated with the spirit; photos 10&11: enjoying the view from the east end of the island; photo 12: swimming in the chilly waters of the cove; photos 13-15: returning to Soumbedioune; photo 16: beware the Eye of Anais; photo 17: the second group arrives (safely).

Week Without Walls is a middle and high school initiative begun this year, the intent being to get students out of classrooms and into our host country, Senegal. This week, the 7th grade spend several days in the Sine Saloum Delta, and the 8th grade traveled north to St. Louis.

For us, in grade 6, the Cap Vert Peninsula is a very rich geological laboratory, with two dormant volcanoes within walking distance at the Mamelles, basalt columns at Cap Manuel, and rich natural and cultural history at Ile de Madeleine National Park.

In the past two years, I have been unable to get my classes to Ile de Madeleine due to rough seas, common at this time of year. We finally made it this day. Despite the chilly waters, many of us swam in the protected cove. Of course, the pirogue ride to/from the island was a highlight.