We can't believe it's our last full day in Senegal! This trip has been life-changing on so many levels- the personal relationships we have made, the misconceptions vs. the realities, and the questions still swirling in our heads. This trip will forever be in our hearts and minds. After our delicious buffet breakfast at the hotel, we met with the group for our final curriculum session of the trip in a cabana by both the pool and the ocean. We talked about ways that we can bring all we experienced here home with us in a meaningful and impactful way. We loaded the van for our much anticipated visit with the prime minister of Senegal. We were supposed to meet with her (yes, she's a woman!) the Monday we arrived in Dakar but with the terrible flight delays of our companions, we had to reschedule. She was very accommodating in allowing us to meet with her on a Sunday. We got there only to find out that the prime minister had just arrived and wasn't ready for us. We waited outside and had a meaningful conversation about philanthropic foundations with some of the staff. We were escorted through with minimal security. We got into very small elevators, four people at a time, and went up to a waiting room. We learned that the prime minister is appointed by the president and is only the second woman to hold this office. Senegal has a law that 50% of government officials must be women. Even the police chief is a woman. That was empowering to see and hear about. We were escorted into a large meeting room with a long conference table and microphones for each person. We felt very official. The prime minister entered and we all stood up. She was an elegant woman who is very approachable and kind. She lived in New Jersey and worked in the UN for two years so her English was excellent. She asked us to all go around and introduce ourselves and was impressed and surprised to see a 14 year old in the group. Later on, she told Shayna that in ten years, she looks forward to seeing her holding a government position. We had an interesting discussion for about an hour. We asked her about corruption, LGBT rights, and how she is working to involve women in solving the conflict in the Casamance region. We presented her with homemade challot from the hotel, and an AJWS t-shirt, tote bag, and bracelet. We took many photos with her and thanked her for taking the time to meet with us. It was a once in a lifetime experience for us. We drove to a beautiful restaurant on a very nice beach for our final lunch together. It had a ship theme and felt very much like The Rainforest Cafe, with its big aquarium, diver mannequins and fish hanging from the ceiling. The meal was delicious and those eating fish and seafood said that it was the freshest they had ever had. We enjoyed our pesto pasta and "Brie candy." This was a well known spot as there were plaques with the many famous people who had visited the restaurant. I had the good thought to talk to Chariff, one of our tour guides about where he bought his souvenirs for all of us. He said that he would call his friend and she would meet us at the hotel to show us some of her work. Five of us gathered in our room for the shopping expedition. We lightened her load but made our once half empty suitcases hard to zip. We took one last walk over to the neighboring mall and grocery store to pick up some final Senegalese treats. Back at the hotel, we showered, face-timed, and packed up. At 7:00 pm, we said a sad goodbye to three of our fellow travelers, Bekah, Stefanie, and Toni and made plans to reunite in New York or San Francisco. The rest of us met up to go out for dinner before heading to the airport for our very early morning flights back to the US. At 8:00 pm, we checked out and gathered in the lobby. We went to a restaurant called Just 4 U, which is also a live music night club. Unfortunately when we arrived at 8:30 pm, our group was the only one there and we learned that the music doesn't start until midnight. Better than music though, the ten of us engaged in a lively and heated discussion about polygamy, a common practice here in Senegal. Rosalie gave the women's perspective while our two male tour guides shared their point of view. They both had grown up in large families, where their fathers had several wives and they had many siblings so we could tell it was not out of the question for them to do the same. At the present time, they each had one wife. Abdoul, our guide, wanted us to leave at ten in order to arrive at the airport four hours early. Many of us disagreed and delayed the departure by ordering dessert. I'm sure we made him very nervous when Julie made jokes about not needing to leave so early. First, she wanted to order soufflés, and then offered to take Rosalie home before heading to the airport. It was a night full of many laughs and fun memories. Shayna also received her 31st and hopefully last mosquito bite, as the restaurant was outside. We finally left at 10:40 saying a sad farewell to Rosalie, the on the ground program officer for Africa. We hope to see her on her visit to the Bay Area in March. Her warmth, incredible translation and upbeat attitude added so much to our trip. We will miss her. We said goodbye and went to the airport. When we arrived there at 11:00 pm, the check in counters had not even opened yet. By 12:15 am, we approached the check in desk for some security questions. We got through security and to the gate and had a lot of time for shopping. We met up with Ruth at the gate. She told us that they made her unpack her whole bag, claiming that the wooden statues could be used as weapons. She refused to check the bag and took it on with her. What a great traveler! We were very excited to spend our last 8,500 west African francs. We found ourselves in the duty free shop, buying kinder eggs and mini mentos. With only 2,500 left in our pocket, we went in search of the perfect souvenir and found it..a patch for shayna's Megillat tiyul (travelers scroll). Marc has been creating this for the girls from their birth, collecting patches from all of our travels. In the corner of a small shop, we found one priced at, you guessed it, 2500 francs! We met up with the group heading to New York and sat in a bar area to play a few games and visit before our journeys home. I opened my wallet to give Ruth 3 dollars for her peanut purchase only to discover 40,000 francs, equal to about $80, I totally had forgotten I had it. Debating whether to exchange the money back to US dollars since we don't know when we might be back in Senegal, we decided to do a last look around the airport shops. We discovered one we had missed, an artist gallery with Senegalese crafts. We found the perfect gift to take home, a handmade collapsible stool made of different colored leathers. The shopkeeper packed it up well and we added one more carry on to our collection. Saying goodbye to the rest of the group, we got in line for our flight, only to discover it was for Tunis airlines. Making our way to our line (they kind of all melded together) we went through another extensive security search where they took away the batteries in our flashlight. That was a weird one since we had gotten them through our five other flights. On board by 2 am and in the air by 2:30. We were a little concerned when the flight was nearly full when we boarded but soon realized it was coming from South Africa and we were joining a flight in progress. We slept most of the way (with two vegetarian meal services) and landed at Dulles on time to catch our flight back to SFO. We were able to go into the United Lounge (thanks to our premier card) for a quick recharge and a great way to end this incredible journey. San Francisco, here we come. If you are interested, we are happy to share more stories and photos in person! Thanks for joining us on this adventure!!

Saturday, the Sabbath has arrived and it appears many of us are ready to give our brains a rest, welcoming the chance to embark on a bit of sightseeing. Luckily, we made sure that we were early this morning. We were greeted by Sharef and his daughter Nabu, old friends of AJWS. Ruth and AJWS had sponsored them to come to New York for three months so that his daughter could get Cochlear implants. He was so grateful to all of us and presented us all with many beautiful handmade gifts at lunch. As he navigated us along the grande corniche, we visited Dakar University, the presidential palace, replete with an armed guard and a synchronized sprinkler system - both sharp contrasts to the better part of Dakar which seems in a questionable state of construction and deconstruction. We then took a stroll along the petite Corniche that reminded many in the group of the California coast. Goree island was the next site on our agenda. The ferry terminal filled with hordes of white tourists could have been anywhere in the world. Many of the Senegalese, doing their morning commute to Goree island, approached us to make conversation to do business and make us promise them that we would visit their shop and only buy from them. They were all competing for our business and it made us very uncomfortable. After a 20 minute ride we disembarked and a short walk led us to the main event on the island -the site of the old slave market. The slave trade ran from 1538 to 1848 and the structure we visited , built in 1775, was one of the last slave houses. The interior of the building was a haunting site. During the slave trade rooms were assigned for men, women, children and young women.15 to 20 humans were held in each respective cell, shackles and chains around their neck and arms, their backs against the wall. Hygiene was so bad that a plague epidemic eventually broke out. The isolation cells were particularly horrifying. In school in the US, we never learn about this side of the equation. The visit to the rest of the island was much lighter in tone. Despite the barrage of hawkers trying to sell us their wares, this island of 1500 inhabitants is a welcome respite from the bustle of Dakar. We passed the many colorful Portuguese houses once home to the slave masters that are now private homes. We learned about the mighty Baobab tree and its many varied uses. We also got to watch an artist who uses baobab sap and colorful sand from around the country to create works of art. I think we were all quite impressed with his work. We bought a small sand painting of a map of Africa that the artist inscribed for us as a souvenir of our visit. At lunch we all reflected on what we had seen. Karin kicked off the discussion with her travel to Treblinka to uncover her family's persecuted past. Then we all chimed in with our thoughts and feelings. How humans can inflict such suffering on other humans is beyond comprehension to us. We are glad this chapter of history is over but we know there is still so much human inflicted suffering that continues across the globe. Fortunately we now live in a world with a higher consciousness and we're slowly moving towards a collective mission that fights against hardship and oppression. After lunch we took the ferry back to Dakar and proceeded to the village d'arts, home to the numerous artist ateliers. Work ranged from paintings and collages to massive sculptures many made from recycled objects. One of our travel companions, Gene, bought a beautiful collage by moussa mbay, a nearly blind artisan whose work is apparently quite well known throughout Dakar. We bought a small colorful painting by the same artist that is very beautiful. We arrived back at the hotel with almost 3 hours to ourselves. We went to the neighboring mall and were very surprised by how American it was. We went to the supermarket (one of our favorite must see destinations on any of our trips) and got some candy for teachers and the students at school. We rounded out the evening with a delicious dinner at Calabasse, a fabulous Gospel Choir that was there serenading the bride and groom and wedding guests, a farewell to Jay (a fellow Bay Area traveler heading home this evening) and enjoyed our dinner with Awa Diop, our AJWS local connection who helped secure a meeting with the Prime Minister for tomorrow. It was a fabulously full day and we can't believe that we only have one more day in this incredible place! Much thanks to Cheryl, the writer of our group blog for today. We used much of her update for our personal blog entry for today, as we fell asleep before we could post. She helped us remember and record the important details of the day! Thank you Cheryl!

Child bride poem by Rebecca Dollinger

Child Bride/Forced Marriage Poem Read by Shayna set Shabbat dinner in Senegal I watched you walk down the aisle In the beautiful African bush of Uganda Empty eyes full of lost promise and lost childhoods Your tears so steamy they fogged up my glasses Heart so full of crushing burning that it sprints inside your chest Pulls your veins until he slips that ring on your finger The man who has just about as many teeth as years you had to grow The marriage I knew at first glance could in no way be consensual You deserved love You deserved a prince The Declaration of Human Rights states that a girl must be of full age to marry, and must be married with both parties full consent. Yet somehow that magically gets glanced over in these underdeveloped countries These are just little girls For girls that never had the privilege of the word no For girls who think that love is just a fantasy princesses obtain According to a recent statistic, approximately fourteen percent of girls in Yemen are married before the age of fifteen And fifty-two percent before age eighteen They are just little girls with dreams crushed by monster trucks of their fathers and future husbands For the eleven year old girl in Yemen who slits their wrists trying to commit suicide Three days after she gets married to a man twenty one years older than her When she tries to get a divorce order, the judge tells her they don’t divorce little girls She looks at him with a stare so hard it could melt ice and freeze water “Then why do you let them get married?” I asked my father later about that girl in Uganda He said it was not a child bride She was probably of full age But it was probably not her choice She probably did not get the gift of refusing a man Did not get the chance to say yes to a proposal The word no is written in her tears And the blood she sheds peeling potatoes for her baby one year later I want to change the world I want to mold in like silly putty burning through my fingers Want to erase all struggle and give girls the education they so much deserve Want to teach them about love Want to teach them understanding Want to finally teach them that there is a difference between making love and rape That there is a word called no That they have the power to stop the world if they want to That they are more than just a teenage womb That they are just a little girl And little girls deserve to play And run across the african dirt without worries They deserve to learn To teach To know And to imagine a world greater than their own When all they know is swirling pools of nerves flushing their heart rate like the steady beat of a drum slowly goes to silence I want to fix the world with metaphors Tell them every step towards their mother’s house is a step away from him and towards who they are meant to be That nights are just days when the sun has forgotten how to shine So when the line has blurred between rape and consent When you have forgotten there is anything in this world other than you and your children When you pray to the heavens that God will grant you a boy so that your daughter never has to feel the way you feel Just remember that the sun always remembers to get up in the morning and start a new day That it never gives up, no matter how many times the moon takes over I want to tell you this in the same way that I want to tell you to run away to your mother’s house That running away is just as strong as persevering Little underdeveloped girls from underdeveloped countries forget Forget their education Forget their dreams Forget that eyes are meant as vessels to your soul So they should be clear as the summer sky Not paths to the soul they only wish existed Eyes so clouded they have lost their will to speak Mouth that knows nothing but the hot breath of a man far too old for you Arms that only know abuse from everyone but yourself Ears that can only hear now, never say no The word no is a privilege too few girls are forced to drop on their long road away from their dreams I

It's 7:55 am. Shayna and I are in bed. Shayna is still sleeping and I am checking email. We have to be in the lobby by 8:50 to start our day. The phone rings and our tour leader is on the phone from the front desk. "Hey, where are you guys?" We were supposed to be in the lobby by 7:50, not 8:50. Oops! We got ready as fast as possible (a record two minutes) and ran down the hall to attempt to not hold up the group for too long. You know those people that are always late and make everyone else wait? Yup, that was us. After having a brief discussion in the lobby with one of the representatives from the organization we would visit, we got on the bus for an hour and a half ride to the village. On the way, we saw some very strange sights. For us non-animal eaters, the sight of unidentifiable animal corpses hanging from stands, that they called butcher shops, was less than appealing. We passed through many small towns and villages and open country roads with interesting trees holding huge nests. We arrived at the offices of Tostan, an amazing organization started twenty-three years ago to work with communities to end female genital cutting (FGC).Now they focus on much broader initiatives than that and they have made tremendous inroads in this area of the world. AJWS was one of its first supporters. The sole purpose of this stop was to use the loo, as the extent of a bathroom in the community would be a bush or a hole. Another 15 minute ride to the village, where we were once again greeted with dancing, singing, and many ADORABLE children awaiting our arrival. They had chairs set up for us in the shade for about 100 villagers and visitors. We heard from many people in the village about their experiences with the work of Tostan and the modules. Upon our arrival, a few of the children sang us a song about democracy. They told us that the children were the ones teaching their parents about democracy and human rights. We heard from the chief of the village, a true hero in this part of the world, as he was one of the first men to denounce FGC and spread the word throughout other villages in the region. One woman described her experience going to India as a representative of the village to learn about solar power. After our two-hour long meeting in the hot sun, we toured the village, which included the solar "repair shop", the preschool, and the health hut as they called it. In the one room repair shop, there was a bed and a table with solar circuits where the villagers could charge their cell phones. We found it strange that they didn't have running water or electricity (before Tostan) yet everyone still has a cell phone. They are especially interested in using texting to promote literacy. We saw many goats and chickens roaming through the villages and huts. Made us feel right at home. The young children welcomed us to,their preschool room by singing and reading us a book in Wolof. The teacher demonstrated to us the Tostan model of parenting which is speaking to the babies, identifying body parts, counting on their fingers and toes and looking at them and caressing them, rather than carrying them all day on their backs with little human contact. We said goodbye to the children and walked over to the two room health hut, where the babies are born. It was very sparse, two beds, handwritten charts on the wall and a scale to weigh the newborns. The midwife told us that since the "health center" was built, they have had no issues with infant death. The pregnant women get regular check ups during their pregnancy to maintain the health of the women and babies. The nearest hospital is 7 kilometers away, not an easy trek if there are complications. On our way to the vans, we were surrounded by many of the village children, gesturing to be photographed. They loved seeing their image on the screen. We waved goodbye and blew kisses from the van as we drove to the Tostan community center, for another delicious meal and conversation with some of the people who work for Tostan. We had the good fortune of being seated with Dome Gaye, who has worked with the organization for 20 years in a variety of roles. As the sole breadwinner, he supports his family of 15, parents, brothers and sisters. We bonded over his most recent trip to Berkeley and Stanford (his only visit to the states) and his love of the Bay Area. We invited him back for a return visit. Back on the van for our hour and a half drive to the hotel. We must have hit rush hour in Dakar because the streets were jammed. Back at the hotel, we were able to FaceTime with home and rest a bit before Shabbat. Our rest was interrupted when Shayna noticed a very large and unidentifiable bug on the floor of the bathroom. You should have seen us trying to chase this bug out of the room. Would have made a great video. We didn't realize this huge bug could fly and when it made its way onto the curtain, we both screamed. After numerous attempts of trying to catch it with our shoe (it was the size of our hand..ok maybe our finger!) we finally helped it escape to freedom through the sliding glass door, leading to the patio. We bid it farewell and hope it finds a nice home somewhere else! We joined the group for drinks in a cabana by the sea with Molly melching, the founder of Tostan and one of the most inspiring women we have ever met. Her most recent book, however long the night, has won numerous awards and she has been nominated for the Nobel peace prize for her work. She also joined us for Shabbat dinner, where we got to hear more in depth about her work in Africa, but especially her contribution to educating the population about FGC. We had a private room and it was an amazing experience to welcome Shabbat in Senegal, with candles, some of the most delicious challah we have ever eaten, wine, a 15 course meal, (no exaggeration!) and engaging and sometimes difficult conversation. Shayna read a poem that Rebecca wrote about child forced marriages and many in the room were brought to tears. It is still an issue in many parts of Africa, Senegal included. With Rebecca's permission, we will post the poem on the blog. We recited the blessings and heard thoughts and poems to welcome the Shabbat. This is one Shabbat we will never forget! We were told during dinner that the king of morocco was staying at our hotel and there was a dinner for 500 being hosted in the tent outside . Never wanting to miss an opportunity to meet a King, I convinced Shayna to come with me to crash the party. She was totally mortified by her mothers antics, but with some resistance, eventually allowed me to ask the security team if I could take a photo of the life-size portraits of him in the lobby. They conferred and agreed. (See photo on Facebook) still hoping for a live sighting tomorrow. Until then, Shabbat shalom from Senegal. Setting my alarm for 6:30 right now so we don't become known as "the late ones!" Laila tov!

Our final day in the Casamance region had us up early, packing and preparing for our day. After checking out of our hotel room, we grabbed a quick breakfast and concerned for another curriculum session. Jene read her blog from two days earlier and we followed with our blog reading from the following day. It was fun to share out all we had seen with the group. We had a curriculum session to talk about who "our people" are and how we make our philanthropic decisions. It was an engaging and enlightening discussion. The grantees joined us for a briefing at our hotel because the region where they work is too dangerous for us to visit. We met with 12 representatives from COPI, ASIPID, and CADP. They are three separate organizations that united to create peace in the conflicted Casamance region. We heard explanations of the work being done by the directors of the organization and testimonials from the people who benefit from this work. It shed a new light on the effects of the conflict to the people of this region. One of the most moving stories from a young man who works with the youth to bring change. Many of the youth living in the Casamance region are either lured by the rebels forces or the drug trade. This man spoke about dropping out of school and using rap music as a means of promoting peace for young people. He creates support groups that work on using education Asa an later native to growing marijuana. He took out a cd of his music and performed a rap. He told us that his songs are based on political speeches and he performs them all over the region. Bother woman spoke of her starting a small business, tie dying material to make into clothing. She was wearing one of these magnificent dresses. Another man told us of his refugee status in Gambia and the work of the organization to bring him back to Casamance. It was a moving experience to hear how he left his home for a year out of fear and then to return with his family. We said goodbye to our guests and the hotel as we headed for lunch at a. Local restaurant. (I'm sure they yelped this one too, Larry). This was our best meal yet. Such a great vegetarian variety: pizza that was really a quiche, green beans, rice with ratatouille, and fresh fruit for dessert. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to our local AJWS coordinator. We all went around and shared what Meram had added to our experience. It was so wonderful having her join us on this part of the trip to share her personal story of growing up int his area and what it is to be a woman raising a family in today's society. We were hurried to the and for our 15 minute drive to the airport. It was very tiny airport and let's just say dealing with 17 people and their baggage cam be a bit challenging, ok maybe more than a bit. After receiving our handwritten boarding passes, going through minimal security, we were escorted to a private, air conditioned, waiting room. Yay for AJWS VIP status. We played two truths and a lie and the shapes game (you can ask about this when we get home. It's more complicated than you think) while we waited to board the very small airplane. We were grateful to catch the only flight of the day out of Casamance to Dakar. Once we got in the air, the flight attendants came around and told us that it was time to land and that we need to put our tray tables up. Once we arrived, we traveled to the beautiful Radisson Blu Hotel. This time, we got a room on the first floor with our own private patio. While many members of the group opted for an evening out in Dakar, we decided to dine in the hotel with some of the staff. It was a fun evening of laughing and telling stories. It felt strange that we could have been anywhere in the world having this conversation. The meal was composed of Asian fusion. We had a cucumber AND avocado sushi role. See Russia, it can be done. (See Eastern Europe blog if you didn't understand that). After dinner we took the long walk back to our hotel room. We will hopefully be going to bed soon because we have a big day tomorrow. Goodbye for now, Shayna and Marci

"It's so much better to see something once than to hear it ten times." A member of the Senegal National Assembly shared this quote with us this evening at dinner. This has indeed been our experience during our stay in Senegal. We read so much about what we would see, the grantees we would visit, and the people we would meet before we arrived in the country, but actually meeting the people and learning their stories brought so much more meaning and understanding to this beautiful and conflicted region of the world. After a quick breakfast, (no honey this time), we went to a private room for a conversation with, Aboul Sarr, director of World Education:Senegal, an AJWS grantee. He spoke to us about his work with promoting peace in the Casamance region through radio stations and communication. Many of the talk shows are hosted by women dealing with issues of the conflict and the ways that they are working to make better lives for the people of this region. We departed the hotel for a short van ride to the Kassoumaye fm radio station. We were greeted once again by the local community singing and dancing and waiting in procession to greet us. We have experienced the incredibly warm hospitality of the Senegalese in all of our visits and we are hoping to bring some piece of this home with us. We all gathered in a large room to hear testimonies and meet the inspiring people behind the radio station. This radio station has been so successful that 17 others have begun across the region with the support of World Education: Senegal. These stations have enabled the local people to raise their voices for peace and human rights. Many of the stations are managed by women. Radio plays a big role in society here as people come together to listen, call in, build community and promote peace. Along with some of our other AJWS travel companions, we had the exciting opportunity to introduce ourselves on air with one of the radio hosts. Shayna was asked what she would like to say to the youth in the Casamance region. She responded saying, "I want the youth here to get involved with radio stations like this to create a new generation of peacemakers." We regathered to exchange gifts and say goodbye. We were treated to another spontaneous dancing and drumming performance, which we were invited to participate in. After many more hugs and handshakes, we departed for lunch at a local restaurant called La Kassa. (Don't worry Larry, we're sure they yelped this one.) it was another tasty carb filled meal for us vegetarians (French fries, rice, potatoes, vegetables and fresh fruit) and for those of the animal eating variety, they enjoyed a whole fish, head and tail included. We were told it was delicious. (We wonder if they cooked it on the front if the van, like in Uganda? See previous Africa blog from 2008 for details.) We had an interesting discussion over lunch about the many questions that have come up over the course of the trip. There is so much to absorb everyday and so many issues we are grappling with: power and privilege, the role of women, how to bring about a culture shift, how we can help and be respectful of all we are seeing and experiencing. It seems we often have more questions than answers. Our next visit was to AJWS grantee, PFPC (Platform of Women For Peace in Casamance), which is a federation of 170 women's organizations that have united to strengthen their impact. Again, we were greeted with dancing, chanting, and handshaking. We all met together in a large room to hear from many of the women who are members of this platform. We heard testimonies from the Senegalese women that brought many in the room to tears, including us. We heard from one woman who had seen her father dragged through the streets and murdered in front of his family. She told us that this was the first time in 20 years that she was able to tell her story without crying. Another matriarch in the community told us of her own struggle with the combatants. At one point, they had beaten her so hard, she was left for dead. She was beaten and tortured again, but was able to escape by stealing the knife of one of the attackers. She was arrested and jailed, all in the name of peace. These stories brought these struggles to life for all of us in the room and put a personal face on the conflict we have been hearing so much about. These atrocities had happened over 20 years ago, but the women told their stories as if it had happened yesterday. There is still unrest in the region and there is so much work to do that groups like PFPC are growing ever more important in uniting the people of Casamance. Shayna had the great opportunity to present the president of PFPC with a gift of bracelets and a plaque from AJWS. In exchange, the women gave us all handmade hats, scarves and vases with their logo. They are gifts we will always treasure (even though we have no idea how we will take them home in our suitcases). After photos and a farewell dance, we got back on the van for our short ride to the hotel. After resting for a bit, we walked around the beautiful hotel grounds and took pictures by the lake. We reconvened for dinner at 7:15 and went to hotel Aubert for dinner with two special guests. One was Robert Sagna, a member of the Senegal National Assembly, and on the special delegation appointed by the president to create a plan for resolving the conflict in the region. Also joining us for dinner was a high school teacher who specializes in the history of this region. We had a very interesting conversation with them over dinner, hearing their perspectives and ways they are helping to bring the feuding parties to the table. For the meal, we were treated to another whole fish for not only the animal eaters, but also for the vegetarians. Apparently vegetarians in Senegal eat fish. They quickly and deliciously brought us out plates of rice and vegetables and once again, we did not leave hungry. A very sweet fruit plate and cup of tea completed our meal. We took the short walk back to our hotel, observing the brilliant star filled sky and feeling so grateful for the opportunity to hear, see, and learn firsthand about the impact AJWS has made in Senegal. We are honored and privileged to be part of this pilgrimage.

Horray! Our first full night of sleep in three days. We woke up feeling refreshed and ready for our day's adventures. We woke up, showered and arrived at breakfast to eat with the group. It was basic but still delicious, kind of like our breakfasts in the Amazon. Bread, cheese, yogurt, and tea or coffee. Shayna was having yogurt so we asked one of the waiters for honey. He brought over a bottle of honey. Shayna immediately noticed something crawling around in the bottle. It wasn't long until we realized that the honey bottle was covered with little bugs. Gross! Having lost our appetite, we headed to our private room to start the curriculum session. We learned about how to be a sensitive and respectful tourist in a place that is completely different than our own home. We met in hevruta, small learning groups to discuss the gap between the privileged and the impoverished. It left us with more questions than answers and made us excited for what lay ahead. Senabu, one of the leaders of USOFORAL, translated to let's hold hands, met with us to talk to us about her work in the region and how she is helping women especially to become empowered to bring change to their communities. Since there was a language barrier, we have had a translator with us. We got in the van with Senabu and headed to one of the communities that USOFORAL supports. Two hours on dirt roads! What a journey! On the way we saw pigs, goats, chickens, cows, dogs, cats, and of course many people just hanging out by the side of the road. After an hour and a hoax ride, we spotted a gathering of women singing and dancing. We learned that this was the village we were stopping at and the women were there to welcome us. There were probably about 75 women that came to shake our hands, give us hugs, and invite us to dance. After our 10 minute "dancing parade" to their village, we found many more, probably 100 people, awaiting our arrival. We sat in a big circle, luckily in the shade, and learned about USOFORAL and their work in the community. We heard from many speakers through two translators - from Wolof, the local language, to French, and finally to English. When the women came up to speak, they were all adorned with necklaces, trinkets, and scarves, as they became the spokesperson for all of these women. What a cultural experience! Beyond words. Babies and children were passed to the arms of our fellow travelers and the many children in the village sat watching and playing in the background. After listening to many inspiring stories, we broke into two small groups to tour the village homes and community garden. The homes were made from very basic materials. There was no furniture, except for maybe a bed. There were maybe four small rooms off of one large room. There could be up to 20 people living in these small homes. The patriarch of the first home, the man, told us about how he had fled his home because of the rebel conflict and made his way to this village after increased threats and many deaths in his family. Another woman told us how she was holding three babies in her arms when the rebels attacked her village and threatened to kill her if it weren't for the babies in her arms. Her baby is now 18. They have found refuge in this village, away from the land mines and the conflict. We saw one other Muslim home with a family praying. The man invited us in to tell his story. His neighbor had been murdered by the rebels and had his home ram sacked while he was away, so he knew that he needed to flee. He has one of the larger structures to house him, his 18 children, and his two wives in a five room home. There was no electricity or running water that we could see. The community garden is a partnership between the seven villages. During the conflict, the villages had separated and didn't trust each other. Working together in the garden created a connection and relationship between these separate tribes. The garden was incredible and expansive. Each family has a plot that they can use to grow for their family and sell it to other outside villages. The women told us how, because of the dry season, they have to carry water from a well and water the plants by hand. Our guide, Abdu talked about the women being the strongest members of the community. They work the hardest both physically, and as caretakers for their families. Wes aid goodbye to the villagers and ate a wonderful box lunch en route back to Zinguichor to meet the governor of the region. Another very enlightening experience, as he became more and more animated as he talked about what he is doing to solve the conflict and how much America has stepped in to help. After a long talk and some photos with him, half of the group continued on to a crafts market, of course we went to get a taste of the local culture. We came back to the hotel for some FaceTime with the grandparents and about an hour to rest. At dinner, we were joined by a well known journalist from the region that in 1987, had an interview with a rebel leader, that got him kicked off of the radio station. It was quite a story. The Dollinger blog is not complete without food, so our meal of lentil soup, polenta, string beans, homemade chips, fries, fruit, beef and fish was quite delicious. We were completely satisfied. We then headed back to the room for some blogging. Good night (for us). Stay tuned for more! Marci and Shayna