Hi again! Greetings from Zinguichor in the casamance region. What a busy and full day we had. It definitely doesn't seem like we have only been here one day. This morning, we arrived in Dakar, the capital of Senegal at about 6:30 am with no flight delays or complications, unlike our fellow travelers who were delayed many hours in New York and ended up arriving just hours before us. We picked the right flight! We went to our beautiful hotel room on the ocean at the Radisson Blu hotel. We slept for about an hour. We got up and headed down to breakfast, only to find nobody there. Everyone had decided to sleep in. Back to the hotel room for another hour of sleep. We met up with our fellow travelers, 17 of us in total, and got on the bus to meet with our first grantee, Yen a marre. They are a group of young rappers and activists, who are working to engage youth in political activism and betterment of the country. As we drove through the streets of Dakar, we saw a crowded marketplace, goats on the street, and horses carrying goods. Once we arrived, we got out of the bus and headed up many flights of stairs to meet with About 20 Senegalese young men and three women on the rooftop of their offices. It was very windy, but we were so engaged by this grassroots organization that the noise didn't bother us. After our two hour visit, we had many opportunities for photos with the young men and women. Next stop, picnic lunch. We pulled over on the side of the road, took out our bag lunches and had a wonderful lunch. Next, we headed to the airport for a 45 minute plane ride to Zinguichor. Once we arrived, we had a surprise visit by some of the grantees on the runway. They brought us a bowl of rice as a welcome present. The airport had one tiny runway and our guide informed us that only one or two flights go through this airport everyday. Next stop, kadiandoumagne hotel. We could be in Hawaii! It is right on the water and we are surrounded by beautiful flora from the Tropics. Our rooms are comfortable and clean and we will be sleeping under a mosquito net tonight.We just had our first dinner with the group. It is turning out to be a very interesting and educational trip as expected. Goodbye for now! Marci and Shayna