"Fierce battle against mosquitos and flies rages on." --It seems as though there will never be an end to the war against flying insects here in Dakar. Fighting persists on two main battle fronts, and it is not looking good for the humans. The two main offenders are the flies and mosquitos, and though they have different offensive strategies they are each a force to be reckoned with. While the flies are relatively powerless as individuals, they seemed to have taken up a strategy of strength in numbers, and attacking during the day. The mosquitos on the other hand have been implementing their war strategy in the usage of stealth technology. It seems as though they have developped the capability approach their victims without being seen or heard. We'll keep you posted on this breaking news as the story develops.
"Classes have commenced at West African Research Center" --Classes at WARC have started for the 17 students in the Minnesota Studies in International Development Program. These Americans are into their second week of intense classwork before being set loose into the rest of Senegal. Classes include International Development (accompanied by tracks in Environmental Studies, Health, Education, Microbusiness, and Literature), Country Analysis of Senegal, Language courses in Wolof and French, and Research Methodology. These courses will be given for the duration of 7 weeks, and include field trips of all sorts. The students are already being challenged, and are intrigued to see where the classes will take them.
"Blackouts and failure of internet frequent and unwanted" --Dakar has been struck by a series of blackouts much to its inhabitants' dismay. At least once a day, different regions are left without electricity for extended amounts of time. One resident tells us that often times it will go off at night and still won't be on come morning. She also told us that they just have to cope with not having lights or internet access, which can be frustrating to say the least. There is still hope though that once it comes back, maybe it will stay...
"Cockroaches throw surprise party in shower" --Last week, the cockroaches who inhabit the shower of the Gomis Residence in Dakar threw a surprise party for one of the showerers in the house. Amy Brown, the american student living with the Gomis family, said that she is used to taking showers with Abbot and Costello, the two cockroaches normally found in the shower. "One night last week" Amy tells us,"I turned on the light and there were five or six of them hanging out on the wall..." When asked about her reaction, she says that she just shrugged and turned on the water.
And now for the Weather:
As Senegal is now reaching the end of the rainy season, there have been fewer and fewer storms. Whether or not this is a good thing is debatable, because the sun has been shining its scorching rays without break for several days now. Temperatures hover somewhere in the high eighties to low nineties and the humidity is fairly consistent in the very high percentages. Keep those cold showers coming...
Health and Wellness:
This week we talked to Amy Brown about what it's like to live in Dakar from a health standpoint. Here is a segment of her interview:
"Well, so far I have stayed completely healthy...I take my vitamins and malaria pill everyday, and they both seem to be working fine. It was an adjustment to get used to the diet here, because it's very high in carbs with a little protein and a tiny bit of fruits and vegetables. But I make an effort to have fresh fruit everyday for lunch, and that seems to be going just great, the fruit is just so good here! Besides that I walk for an hour everyday to and from school, so I'm getting exercise and a WONDERFUL tan at that..."
Well folks, that's all we have time for this evening. Thanks for tuning in, and if you have any questions or comments about any of the stories seen on our broadcast, feel free to email us at artmus987@gmail.com
We hope you are enjoying your day and ask that you join us next time to hear about these stories:
Cars Rapides: Killing machines or efficient transport?
American students wandering aimlessly in Dakar and how they found their way out.
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