December 8-9 — We’re here in Dakar, weeks before our boat arrives, for a few reasons. We want to make sure our boat gets from the shipping container to the water safely and efficiently, and has a secure place to store her while we put her back together and wait for the best weather for launch. We also want to make sure we reach some kids here in Senegal and make a push with the local media. Thanks to Hurricane Sandy, boat shipment got pushed back a few more weeks than we expected so we have a month to do all this… plus a lot of surfing. This means we need to go make friends, and that’s what we were doing tonight.
Nejma and Conner are flying out on the same flight tonight for Madrid. Conner heads north to the wet and cold of Dublin and Nejma to a slightly less cold and wet Nice, France. We invited them to a dinner of rice and beans before we all head over in the pirogue in the dark to the mainland. They are lovely and funny people. We shook hands and hugged and they headed to the airport.
Tonight we were out at the Club Charly Suunigal to see a band named Takeifa (takeifa.com). We would be meeting Amy from the Peace Corps. Club Charly was only a few blocks away from the beach along the busy road that runs close to the coast.
In stark contrast to the slums a few blocks away, the club was casual chic with a large pool, stylish furniture and a slowly growing well-dressed cosmopolitan crowd. We grabbed three gazelles, the local lager at almost twice the price we had been paying for them – roughly 4 USD – and sat down to wait for Amy. A young man and woman walked up and introduced themselves. They were Danielle and Albert, also of the Peace Corps. We sat down and shortly after, Amy joined us. I’ve had two Peace Corps volunteers as housemates and have found them to be interesting, smart, fun and resourceful people. The exact type of people you would like to talk to when you are in a new place for the first time.
Amy had planned on going to the peace corps after college, but life interceded and it was not until twenty-years later that she was able to make it happen. She represents a growing number of peace corps volunteers who have decided to join later in life with a full career of experiences to apply to their service.
The music starts at 11 and the large outdoor patio fills with a mix of acoustic guitar, hand drums and base. The pace quickens and slows and quickens again, at the same time melodic and rhythmic. The crowd stands up and moves closer, drinking and gyrating to the beat, and the six of us move in and out of a conversation revolving around the peace core experience and ocean rowing.
After the first set Markus pulls me over to meet Gavin. Gavin had overheard the word “rowing” and introduced himself as Gavin from the Canadian embassy, and one of the people we had been planning to meet with later in the week. Turns out Gavin and Markus may have played at competing schools when they were in high school. It’s a small small world. We make plans to meet later in the week.
Takeifa finishes its second set at 12:30am and the DJ picks up seamlessly. We meet more embassy people, workers from various NGOs and a reporter headed to Mali. At two the conversations have tapped out and all that’s left is dancing. At three we tap out early, leaving the party in full swing to head to the island.
Just another Saturday night in Dakar.