Advice for Université Chiekh Anta Diop Exchange Trip
Dakar, Senegal
The University
Dakar is a pretty large city and
therefore it has several
universities. It only has one that is
a public university and that is the
Unversité Cheikh Anta Diop
(pronounced: Chaykh anta jope.)
The others are private schools.
The University Library (Called the BU)
Chiekh Anta Diop is a sprawling campus that opens right up on the sea. When you
first get to Dakar, take a few days to visit the campus and familiarize yourself
with it. There are several cafés,
restaurants, and outdoor food stands that
are delicious and safe. They are also
extraordinarily inexpensive. One of the
most popular things to do between class
among students, is to sit behind a coffee
stand on benches and discuss everything
from politics, to social issues, to gossip.
Not only is this a great way to meet new
people, but is a perfect opportunity to
practice your Wolof. Normally, people do
not look down on strangers joining the
group and will especially warm to you if
Café Touba, Senegalese coffee
you can speak some Wolof or if you simply
show an interest in interacting with them.
Resources on campus:
UCAD has an enormous and beautifully built library that is available to student use.
Unlike the universities in Kansas, you will have to get a library pass to enter the
library and check out books. How this is done is to go over to the cyber café next
door to the library, fill out the form and pay a small fee. Then you will take the
form over to a special office in the library where your form will be submitted and
then in a few days you receive your library pass.
There are also cyber cafés all over campus and
campus has wireless internet connection.
Cyber cafés are usually relatively inexpensive
and quite often available for use. And the best
part is that they are air-conditioned. Two of
the main cyber cafés are next to the Library
and in the UCAD II campus building.
UCAD II building
Le Couloir de la Mort (Death Alley)
Despite its slightly morbid nickname, this is actually a great place to go on campus
for school supplies and other odds and ends. It is a long stretch of road where
merchants have set up shop to sell notebooks, paper, pens, books, bags, candy, you
name it. It earned its name from the occasional rioting that occurs there on some
Friday afternoons. In my experience, rioting in the Couloir is pretty rare and easy
to avoid. The lane is actually a great way to find supplies and books for classes and
it cuts right through to some of the buildings on campus.
Rioting does occasionally happen on campus particularly due to the late payments of
scholarships. Once again, these are easy to avoid, just be aware of your
surroundings and you will be fine.
Location and Lodging
The University is located in a safe and friendly part of Dakar called Fann. It is
surrounded with shopping districts and apartment buildings. It is bordered by the
ocean on one side with several embassies and hospitals nearby. When you first
arrive, take a few days to venture
out and explore the turf around
campus, particularly the view of
the sea. The majority of beaches
in Dakar are not available for
swimming as the current is far too
strong. However, there are some
tourist beaches that allow
swimming.
Dress
Dakar is a very fashionable city and the students of UCAD almost always look their
best when they go to class. When packing for your trip, definitely include dress
pants and dress shirts as well as other nice outfits. Dress pants are a great idea
because they look nice and they are comfortable in the hot weather because they
are light. It would also be worth it to buy some traditional Wolof outfits, which are
generally worn on Fridays, even at the university.
Transportation
Transportation in Dakar is very accessible with many inexpensive options.
Bus: Buses in Dakar are the kings of the road, they go where they want and other
cars naturally yield to them. The best tactic is to know which ones you will need is
to ask a Senegalese person which ones to take and where they go. For buses the
prices are absolutely fixed and there will be a ticket taker in the back who accepts
money and issues tickets. Try to do this as soon as he or she gets on the bus. The
method of paying for tickets is a little different from America, you usually pass
your money to the people behind you and tell them where you are going, they then
continue it back to the ticket taker who will issue your ticket and your change in
the same manner. If you are sitting next to the ticket taker, don’t be surprised if
someone hands you money and says a place. Just pass it on to the ticket taker.
Throughout the bus ride, the controlleur may get on the bus and ask to see tickets.
If you are caught without a ticket you are forced to pay a fine and if you refuse,
they call the police. Buses are a good bet because they generally go the same
places every day and have around the same stops. They are pretty regular. The
one drawback to a bus is that they are rather crowded.
Taxis: There are two types of taxis in Dakar. There are the bright yellow ones for
longer trips and the clandestine ones for shorter
jumps. The difference is that the yellow
standard ones will take you just about anywhere
in Dakar and only you. These prices are not fixed
however, and you may be overcharged if you are a
tourist. It is acceptable to haggle the price with
these taxi drivers. Taxis are best for long, direct
trips if you are in a hurry to be somewhere and
do not want to ride with other people. I would
however, encourage taking other forms of
transportation because they cost less and are
more fun. Also, I would discourage taking taxis
through the university, as this can seem rather pretentious to other students.
The clandestine taxis are just regular cars with drivers who hang around popular
areas or sometimes drive around the streets. They are usually going a certain
direction and will refuse to let you in if you need to go a different way. It takes a
while to get the hang of these cars. The best way to get one is to wait until the pull
up and tell them where you are going. If they are going that way you get in.
Usually, they stop for other people going the same way. For a female tourist, this
can be nerve racking, as it feels like you are getting into a random person’s car.
However, they are generally safe and often there are other people around.
Car rapides
These were by far my favorite way of getting around in Dakar. These buses look
more like vans and are painted an exuberant yellow and blue with intricate designs
covering them. Normally they sport inspirational logos like “Alhamdoulilahi” (Thanks
to Allah) or “Bonne Mère” (Good Mother.) The benefits of taxis and car rapides is
that you can stop wherever you want by telling the driver you are getting off. For
the car rapides they will stop the bus by clicking coins on the back window to signal
to the driver to stop.
The interior of each one is
usually decorated to the tastes
of the driver and his first mate
(generally with famous
wrestlers.) The passengers sit
together on benches or stand
using the railing or for the
particularly adventurous hang
off the back door. There is a
footman waiting to collect a fare,
who also announces the
Car Rapide
destinations. The fares tend to
be fixed however they depend on
how far you are going and tourists often have escalated prices. It is better if you
learn quickly from someone who is Senegalese how much is normal.
Language
This exchange trip does require a certain level of proficiency in French. While
some people speak English, you definitely do not want to go there alone only relying
on English. As you improve your French skills, you may also consider taking some
Wolof language courses in Dakar. One place that offers them is called ACI
Baobab. It is run by former Peace Corps volunteers and is an excellent tool for
learning the language, as UCAD does not have a Wolof class for beginners. ACI is
pretty close to the campus. You can get around Dakar without Wolof, but it is much
more useful to know some or to at least try.
Food
The food in Senegal is absolutely delicious. It is mainly based on rice or salad with
fish, mutton, or chicken as the main
entrée. There are several restaurants
around the University that sell
traditional plates of Yassa, Cu Boulette,
and Ceebu jen. Yassa generally is
prepared with either chicken or fish
over rice in a mustard based sauce. Cu
Boulette are meatballs prepared over
rice with a tomato based sauce. Ceebu
jen, generally eaten as the midday
meal, is fish and vegetables over palm
oil soaked rice. While it is possible to
Yassa poulet (Chicken Yassa)
get individual plates at restaurants,
the normal way of eating in Senegal is
to share the meal. Families generally eat together from a communal bowl, which in
my opinion builds solidarity and family cohesion.
Phone service
Dakar has three main phone companies: Orange, Expresso, and Seddo. Each is
equally useful and reliable. It is probably for the best to buy a phone in Dakar,
rather than bringing your own. Phones tend to be relatively cheap and easily
activated. From there you can continue buying calling cards. Here is where the
price can begin to escalate unfortunately. From my experience, twenty dollars
usually bought me about an hour on the phone.
If you would prefer to bring your computer and skype, that is always an option as
well. Many students have their own computers and laptops, it simply depends on
whether you feel comfortable having it with you. Obviously there is always a risk
that it could be stolen or that the power conversion would hurt it but it is
absolutely up to you. I knew quite a few people who had one but I got around just
fine without one due to the availability of cyber cafés.
Vaccines
One of the most important things about traveling is to make sure that you
have all of your vaccines in order. Most CDC websites say to go to see a doctor 4
to 6 weeks before your trip but it is actually
better to go the minute you have decided to take
your trip. The reason for this is that some
vaccines like Hepatitis A and B and Rabies (if you
will be working with animals) are the most
effective if you start the regimen of shots a few
months in advance. Also, it is best to go to a
travel clinic rather than going to your regular
doctor. You should see your regular doctor first to get a check up and to get
medical records of all of your vaccinations but do not get your vaccinations at
those places. The reason for this is that family doctors simply do not know as much
about the specialty vaccines (such as typhoid and yellow fever) as the people who
work in travel clinics. These special vaccines sometimes conflict with the regular
vaccines like the mumps, measles, and rubella shots. It is also just better to get all
of your vaccinations in one place, so that they can set you on a timeline that will
make sure you get all of your vaccines taken care of before you leave. Lafene
Health Center has a wonderful travel clinic that deals with students studying
abroad frequently.
Here is a list of the vaccines currently (2011) recommended for Senegal:
Hep A
required for entry into Senegal)
Hep B
Meningococcal
Typhoid
Rabies: Optional depending on
Polio
whether you will be near animals or
Yellow Fever (This may or may not be
not.
Other medical concerns
Mosquitoes are a real concern in Senegal, even in the city. They are
particularly bad at night during the months of the year that are hot and rainy.
Malaria is a serious disease that is spread by mosquitoes and it is very important
that you take medication to prevent it throughout your entire stay. There is no
vaccine for malaria, but there are medications that your travel doctor can
prescribe for you. This is also something that you should begin working on early
particularly if you will be staying for several months. There are several reasons for
this. One is that getting enough of the medicine to last you several months can be a
real pain and incredibly expensive. Secondly, they do not sell some of these
medications in Dakar, for example Malarone, a very common and effective drug for
malaria prevention is not available in Dakar.
There are many other diseases that are spread by mosquitoes that do not
have vaccinations or medication to prevent them. It is therefore, very important,
to remember to bring mosquito repellent and to wear long pants. Mosquitoes are
mainly a problem at night, so it is more important to be fully covered when you
sleep than during the day. People in Senegal will often sleep with a sheet covering
their entire body to prevent mosquito bites. Mosquito repellent is not something
you want to go without so bring enough with you when you go over. They make
several sprays for clothing that protect against mosquitoes. Repellents with some
degree of DEET in them are preferable but if you have sensitive skin you may need
a kind without DEET for your face and neck.
When it comes to mosquitoes remember: YOU WILL BE BITTEN. A LOT. So
don’t freak out over one tiny mosquito bite, or even four or five. Remember to stay
calm and don’t panic because a mosquito bite does not necessarily mean you will get
sick. However, you should go to the CDC website for Senegal and familiarize
yourself with the side effects of popular diseases so that you have an idea of what
to watch for. One thing to watch out for is if you get a migraine that lasts more
than a day, and they are uncommon for you, you should go to have your blood tested
for malaria. The faster you catch it the better.
Treatment and Health Care in Senegal
If you do get sick, and it is not serious, try going to a pharmacy before seeking out
a doctor. In Dakar, as with many places in the world, pharmacists are medically
trained and are often sought after more than doctors. Trust their advice but be
shrewd at the same time, just as you would with any doctor. Pharmacies in Dakar
are generally a light green color with the standard cross on the front. They are
everywhere, and almost always very clean, safe, and trustworthy.
Sight-Seeing
When you aren’t going to school,
make sure you get out to do some
sight-seeing! Dakar is a wonderful
city that is visited every year by
thousands of tourists from Europe
and other parts of Africa. One of
the tourist opportunities is a trip to
Gorée Island. Gorée Island was an
old Dutch slave port, which once
held around seventy slave houses.
Today only one remains, to serve as
a museum and a reminder of the
atrocities of mankind. The rest of the island is now inhabited by artists who have
done their best to make the island a beautiful and positive force in the world. Now
it is the best place to pick up beautiful works of sand art, wood carvings, fabrics,
and musical instruments. There are several other great opportunities for tourism in
Dakar so get out there and sight-see!