By Lucia Castillo

When I decided I was going on the Senegal trip, I heard a lot of stereotypes and different opinions about this African country. Both good things talking about how unique the country is for its culture, food and people, to not so good things like it is very dangerous, you should be careful, there is a lot of poverty there… These things were no impediment for me since I always believe that to prove something you have to experience it for yourself. That’s how I started this journey, full of excitement to clear up any questions, see for myself, and gain some new knowledge.

As soon as we got in the car and started driving, the Senegalese hospitality they were talking about welcomed us on the side of the road. People smiling saying hello to us really made me feel special.

However I realized what the real Senegalese community was not only by entering Bandia’s house, feeling just like a normal Sunday back home, going to my grandma’s house to have lunch with all my cousins and uncles. But also when we arrived in the village of Kecouta, where we were welcomed by more than 50 children who surrounded our van. We lived with them for four days, sharing laughs, dances, deep discussions, and even experiencing a fight between kecoutas wife’s, making it clear to us that we were not guests but part of them.Thanks to both families I truly understood why Kecouta said, “you left your house to get to your house.”

Thanks to the continuous warm hug feeling I have felt since I entered this country, it has given me the opportunity to take advantage of every little moment; from getting to know my group better, having conversations about different topics from discovering new songs and doing workouts with my teammates. To the connections I have been able to make, with little kids trying to understand them without knowing much French, to playing an entire soccer game with strangers on the beach until the sun goes down.

Now even being in the more developed part of Senegal and seeing the contrast between a smaller community where everyone knows each other and a larger, more populated area. Senegal confirms to me every day that it is a magical place with people who really live by the saying “one est ensemble”, we are together, here I do not feel afraid or ashamed to approach people and ask or start a conversation about them or their culture.

Before coming to Senegal, I didn’t know much about African history.  I had learned a little about the slave trade from humanities class but I didn’t know much, really.  I thought the culture would be about dancing, drums, and colorful clothes.  Now that I have visited, I think that people see Senegal and Africa in a totally wrong way.  People think it’s dangerous here and that you can’t trust people but it’s totally the other way around.  This makes me think that the history we learn could also be totally opposite from the truth.  Even though it is 2024 and the world is supposed to be connected, it feels like there are major disconnections.  Actually being here in Africa has helped me really see that.

I feel that there are a lot of secrets that people don’t want to come out so we are taught a fake reality rather than really revealing the truth.  I hope that we can see change with more people getting to visit a place like this.  The truth is important.

I hope to continue learning and enjoying the little moments that Senegal gives me, and at the end of this trip, I hope to be able to share the true reality of Senegal, not just through my personal experience but also by incorporating some aspects of the Senegalese way of living into my day to day life. These include the value of sharing and being kind to others, caring about your neighbors, spending time with friends and family, appreciating each moment, and realizing how important it is to be happy without material things.. I could keep naming things but the biggest lesson I’ve learnt is that because something is different from what you are used to doesn’t mean it’s better or worse, being open to discovering on your own whether it’s true is much better and more accurate than following others thoughts.