I'm getting used to living in Senegal. I feel that a place is like a home town when I get used to live in the place. What are good points about getting used to? One is becoming familiar. I could feel a place is home. One is Becoming better…

From a port town I'm staying for the first time. I walked around talking with people passing by. A student champion of Senegalese wrestling, a soldier, a fisherman, a madam buying fish, children playing on boats, a hotel man, all of them w…

During a long-distance trip between rural towns, a taxi I was riding stopped in the middle way because the car got a flat tire. Flat tires are so rare cases in Japan, but in Senegal, it will occasionally happen several car troubles, includ…

I came to Dakar, which is the capital city. It is only urban areas where are lively relating to Christmas. Big supermarkets and restaurants are decorated with lights and trees. I saw a Santa Claus alone in a shopping mall, so I approached …

The first semester is done. It starts the winter break. Now is in December, but I'm still taking showers with cold water in my house. I'm feeling cold, but only cold water comes out from the faucet because it doesn't have a funtion to warm…

When I come home after my work at elementary schools, I always feel incredibly sleepy. Then I take a nap for sure. Why do I feel incredibly sleepy? My view is that my brain is tired because I'm talking to a lot of people being energetic an…

I walk only on sandy paths every day. This walking activity helps to strengthen muscles I never use in Japan. In December, the first semester ends in Senegal. The semester test was held at school. This exam takes two days. There is only on…

Saturdays and Sundays are my day off. I have basically been invited to Senegalese homes on national holidays, but it was the first time that I was invited to a Senegalese home on a normal day. I was happy and said immediately, "I'll go!" T…

During the break time between lessons, elementary school teachers gather in one place to take a rest, sitting closely each other on wooden benches. There is no staff room. There is only a roof. At that time, four female teachers start some…

In December, watermelons are still in season in Senegal! The daytime temperature is more than 35 degrees Celsius. This is a story when I lived in Tokyo. I stood in front of a small station. Three Japanese men, I thought they were 50s, were…

Students in elementary school carry backpacks every day. They always have notebooks, pens, they rarely use the pencil case, though. And then, there is an "ardoise". What's that? When I first heard about it, I had no idea what it was. It is…

I like to walk every single street when I start living in new place. So I walk around many different streets every day. In the neighborhood, there are many similar sandy roads lined with similar houses made of bricks. It is not so common s…

This happened when I went to the water department to pay my water bill. I hade a conversation with a Senegalese who was sitting next to me in the department. I said, "I'm from Japan." He excitedly answered, "I like manga!" I was curious wh…

When traveling long distances from city to city in Senegal, volunteer members basically use "7 plus (sept plus)". 7 is written "sept" in French, which is the same pronounciation as "set" in English . It is almost the same as a taxi. It is …

Japanese are "rare foreigners" in the rural town of Louga. This is oposite thing that there are few African in Japan. When I walk around in town, I can feel everyone's eyes on me. I can very easily. Whenever I pass by someone, eyes always …

I heard that a friend of mine who is an elementaly school teacher gave a class about "JOCV= Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers" at his classroom. And I heard that that material is now included in textbooks as a content . I first recogni…

Cut watermelon was sold on the street and I bought it immediately. It was tepid, though, so good! This is typical thing of the summer!. Since I moved to Louga, I've been on vacation for about a week so far. It is an unexpected break as I t…

It was the first day I walked from home to the market. There was a Senegalese man walking along the same street. He asked me where I was going. I answered, "I'm going to the market." "I'm going there too. I'll show you where the market is.…