Jenn Bu Mak Ak Xac Bu Tutti (The Big Fish & The Little Dog)

Note related images/video at fishing, surf, & Mamelles1.

We're moving this summer to a flat within five minutes of Plage de Ouakam, a traditional Lebu fishing community.  The plage is a beautiful spot, nestled in a cove, adjacent to the high basalt cliffs of the Mamelles.  The beach is lined with narrow, wooden fishing pirogues, and tends to be a bustle of activity, with kids swimming, fishermen tending their nets, and the occasional goat reluctantly dragged into the shorebreak for a wash-up. 

Winter upwelling is serious here, driven by stiff off-shore winds.  The winds have begun to subside now, and the water is gradually warming.  The air is still this morning, much as it was when we first arrived last August.  The change in water temperature drives the migration of tuna along the Senegal coast, as they move north into cooler waters.

ISD teaching colleague, Bruno, and I headed out fishing with guide Momodou yesterday for an action-packed morning.  Over the course of about four hours, the three of us caught on the order of 60 skipjack tuna, varying in size from small to medium-size, 10 pounds plus.  Momodou explained that the local fishermen were catching tuna everywhere, in both shallow and deeper waters.  

Bruno and I each kept several of the larger fish.  The rest were divided-up amongst two dozen family members, each of whom walked away with samples according to their status, I assume, to be cooked fresh on little charcoal grills.

I intend to spend a lot of time on the plage next year.  I've kicked myself for not getting out more often to go snorkling along the cliffs, particularly to see the grouper and tuna migrating within meters of the shore.

They build pirogues on the plage.  I'm interested in documenting this in film next year, a nice opportunity to practice my Wolof, and build connections in the community.

The surf can also break big in the cove, but not often.  It requires a southeast swell, which occurred only once this year.  For over a week, the swells were breaking high, 10 feet plus.

Field Trips to Dakar & Ile de Madeleine With High School Students

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Photo 1:  Brad's class poses with our rented car rapide before departing ISD;  photo 2:  weavers from Guinea Basseau work along the street near the university;  photo 3:  we stop for breakfast in Almamy's vibrant neighborhood of Fass;  photos 4/5:  a visit to Almamy's home;  photos 6/7:  riding in the car rapide;  photo 8:  taken in the area of Marche Sandaga while students barter for school supplies;  photo 9:  en route to Ile de Madeleine with Gabi's marine biology class.

I joined two high school field trips last week, one with Brad's sociology/economics class, who toured several areas of Dakar, and Gabi's marine biology class, who explored Ile de Madeleine.

With Almamy's assistance, Brad arranged a car rapide for the day.  Student teams were given 10,000 CFAs (roughly 20 USD) and assigned to barter for school supplies in an open air market specializing in it.  The aim here was to observe the difference in prices between a western-style grocery store and the African market, where the local Senegalese would shop.  It was, too, an opportunity to experience and more deeply understand/appreciate Senegalese culture.

It was a full day.  The class visited a local public high school, walked through Almamy's neighborhood of Fass (quite a contrast to the students' exclusive expat community of the Almadies), had breakfast (baguette with a bean spread) and cafe Touba (a chicory-based drink, heavy with sugar), visited two tailors, toured Marche Sandaga, bartered for school supplies, and had a late lunch at a popular Cap Verdian restaurant.

The next day, I accompanied Gabi's marine biology class to Ile de Madeleine, where I guided them around the island, and we went snorkeling.

My own students were NOT pleased about my abandoning them to go to Madeleine.  We twice tried to go to the island as a class, once in the January and again a few weeks ago, and I twice cancelled due to poor weather and turbulent sea conditions.  The kids blocked the classroom door Friday morning, in protest of both my going to Madeleine, and my leaving them with a mean sub.  Poor darlings.

Reflection on Time & Trajectories

These are notes from a presentation to a class of graduating 8th graders which will not be given.  

The image above is that of a protractor, graded in degrees, from 0 to 180, and is here used to denote one's life, the zero point referring to birth, 180 degrees referring to one's death at the age of 90 years.

The arrow in red refers to the 8th graders, now at the age of 13 and 14.  The arrow in blue refers to my own position, at the age of 54.  The three green points mark the death of my mother, Elsie, my father, Albert, and my mother-in-law, Jeanette.

The span from the orange arrow to the red is the life thus lived by my former students;  and the span from the orange arrow to the blue arrow is the life I have thus lived.

Conversely, the span between the red arrow and the green is the life yet to be lived by the 8th graders, assuming they live to 90, a good enough estimate;  and the span from the blue arrow to the green is the life I have remaining before my own death.

Beneath the protractor are a series of images, meant to represent the roles and personalities about which we tend to identify ourselves:  George Clooney:  the suave actor, object of envy;  the lion:  the image of courage and strength, the predator, object of fear and respect;  the prince and princess:  an image of romantic love;  Mick Jagger:  the aloof artist, bad boy, rock star, performing to audiences of thousands;  Jesus, the Christ:  spiritual Master, worshipped, Divine;  the tiger:  beautiful, deadly, and exotic;  and Michael Phelps:  Olympic gold-medalist, the perfected athletic, fastest in the world.

Two essential points:  Our lives are fabricated stories about which we identify;  and the clock ticks.  What to do?

Final ROV Dive to Ile de Goree

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Photos (top to bottom):  photo1:  Will, Damir and Yoel on the bow of the boat headed toward Goree;  photo2:  Damir pop, Colin and the Oceanium boat operator;  photos 4-7:  fisherman haul in a net teeming with sardines.

We made our final ROV dive of the season today with a less than impressive trip by boat to the lee side of Goree.  The conditions were poor, with a stiff off-shore wind, a southeast swell, and visibility reduced to a couple of meters.  Still, we tried.  Colin and I agreed that this was a year of learning, both of us being new to Senegal.  Next fall we would jump start the ROV team, with the knowledge of where to go and how to get there, and with plans for a redesign, the battery on-board, and thrusters controlled by solid state relays.

The weather continues strange this spring.  With the off-shore winds blowing late into the season, as today, the upwelling has continued, and the water is downright chilly, likely around 60 degrees F.   This is sub-Saharan Africa, isn't it supposed to be toasty warm?!

On the way in today we passed a fishing pirogue pulling in their nets, filled with sardines, to be dried and eaten.  Black kites (a bird of prey in this part of Africa) swooped in to snag a fish.  The water was thick with sardines, schooling beneath our boats.  I would love to have had the chance to jump into the water with my camera and dive gear.  Another time. 

ISDakar 25th Anniversary 4

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For the complete set of photographs, see BOT (Galleries 12 & 13).  Contact me for the required username/password. 

ISD teacher Gaucher K. (photo 1) organized the wrestling demonstration for the school.  Gaucher was also responsible for the extraordinary Senegalese Awareness Days last month.  

A highlight of the day was seeing the ISD maintenance and housekeeping staff break into dance (photos 3-7).  The drumming was infectious. 

ISDakar 25th Anniversary 3

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For the complete set of photographs, see BOT (Galleries 12 & 13).  Contact me for the required username/password.

Photos 1-3 feature two Senegalese wrestler who demonstrated how it's done.  Photos 4-6 feature 6th grade tigress Filipa in her match against a 7th grade friend.  The girls are not dancing in photo 5, they're struggling to maneuver the other to the sand for the win.  In photo 6, the girls dance with the professionals after their bout. 

ISDakar 25th Anniversary 2

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For the complete set of photographs, see BOT (Galleries 12 & 13).  Contact me for the required username/password.

The 25th Anniversary featured a Lutte Senegaliase (Senegalese wrestling) demonstration, both by professional wrestlers and a few ISD students, including 6th graders Lee and Yann (photos 2-4), and Will's 4th grade brother Teddy (photos 5-7).  Photo 5 shows Teddy being splashed with gri-gri water, empowered with magical, fortifying properties by his pretend marabouts.

ISDakar 25th Anniversary 1

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For the complete set of photographs, see BOT (Galleries 12 & 13).  Contact me for the required username/password.

ISD celebrated its 25th birthday this week with a variety of events, including a week of spirit days (photo 1 offers a taste of Crazy Dress Day), and the commemorative whole school photo, shown being set-up in photos 2-5.

Yesterday, Friday, was celebration day, with the afternoon and early evening devoted to a whole school assembly, cultural events, cake cutting, and lots of play.  The 6th graders were highlighted in the assembly (photo 1), and performed a series of songs from Sound of Music.  Very impressive.  See BOT for the video.