Done with classes, moving to an island

I wish I had more time this week to write a real post about the next chapter of my adventure, but a brief one will have to suffice. I'm officially done with classes for the semester. Yesterday we had language testing in both french and wolof, and we also had a giant cooking party with our language professors to celebrate.

Today marks the first day of my "Independent Study Project." I am moving to Gorée Island to study and work with students at La Maison D'Education Mariama Ba, the most prestigious all girls high school in Senegal. After a lot of stress finding housing, I found a wonderful home stay family that lives right next to the school and will rent me a room for a reasonable price. I have only met them once, but they seem like a lovely young couple and they have a two year old son, which I'm really excited about. I spent the last week traveling back and forth from the island meeting with this family, professors and the directrice of the the school. Today I will be bringing my backpack there to move in for awhile. A bunch of other students on my program are going with me because there happens to be a giant party on the island this weekend called "Goree Diaspora Festival".  (check out http://www.goreediasporafestival.org/)

I will be back and forth between the island and Dakar in the next few weeks because there is a major holiday coming up that I want to spend with Nogaye, and all of the SIT students are hosting a Thanksgiving together. More details about my project proposal and research are coming soon, I promise! Wish me luck.