Every morning I’ve woken up in Senegal to the sounds of joy: soccer balls bouncing off feet, chat in at least three languages, women grinding grains, and laughter. Lots of laughter. I’m really grateful for that, this country, and this village.  Since it is Thanksgiving in the U.S., we travelers thought we would share what…

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By Sydney Pitts i am awake and aware of the presence  of color.  white butterflies fly over  the red earth- two forms of purity; one known and one natural.  connections of passion enhance the soul… the pathway to understanding.  the sky bleeds into the sea creating a horizon outlined  by immensity.  nature is upon us…

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By Kelsey English The more that I have come to know, the more I realize that I know absolutely nothing. Through every experience, I become increasingly aware of new and unknown aspects of life, which exist both tangibly and just above my realm of understanding. This magnificent place, surrounded by nothing but water, mangroves, and…

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By Charlie Lange As the days of my independent research slip into the African horizon, I think about reuniting with the group in the coming days. On the outside, it’s a connecting with my friends, the English language, and inside jokes I had forgotten. On the night before we returned to the Dakar airport, I…

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By Jack Corson When first flying into Senegal, I saw what looked liked thousands of building stacked into one giant cluster in Dakar. For an oblivious American like myself, you expect savannah with various exotic animals roaming throughout it. This first image was only the beginning of shattering the stereotypes built around countries in Africa.…

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The Sine Saloum Mangrove Delta is one of Senegal’s iconic protected areas.  It protects an incredible diversity of fish, mammals, birds and flora.  It is also home to communities that have relied on the area’s natural resources for hundreds of years.  These remote outposts are home to traditional ways of life that are found in few…

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The first day of the trip was jam packed – countless soccer games (on the beach, on a dirt road, on a local pitch against a real team), two traditional meals, and lots of good conversations and unexpected highlights.  We wrapped the day up with some deep thinking and great ideas – here is some…

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Greetings from Reserve de Bandia. We had an incredible morning [responsbility] seeking rhinos, Derby Elans, monkeys, and zebras.  We stopped at Bandia en route to the Sine Saloum mangrove delta, our home for the coming days. In the few baobab dotted kilometers we drove, we saw the terrain begin to change. This really is an…

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We have spent today soaking up this new place. Like anything special, words are totally insufficient. But, we’ve got to try, right? After landing in Dakar we feasted on pain au chocolat right under Dakar’s lighthouse, simultaneously overlooking the western most point of Africa and the African Renaissance statue. Then we wired—not weary—travelers hopped in…

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We will catch you on the other side!

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The week of November 11th to 18th was an incredible one for Charlie Lange.  After successfully pushing the school to allow him an extra week in Senegal to complete research for his senior project, Charlie found himself deep in the heart of West Africa’s most stable country.  He came to research ecotourism in the real…

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As the team prepared for another epic adventure (this is the second Global Education trip for nearly half of the group), we worked to develop a common language and approach to travel and learning.  Here are some of the results: Community We agreed that it was important to define community as a term and that the concept…

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We made it to Dulles and immediately found sustenance.  You know—the important stuff.  Here are some thoughts from our intrepid travelers: “We finished our lunch at 4:00.”—Weichen “I’m not a big blogger.” —Hunter “Let the adventure begin! But first, sleep.” —pretty much everyone 

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Christchurch families, faculty, and friends saw us off with some wise words [we chaperones were filled with joy when Mr. Byers told the students to take care of us on the trip too!], lots of hugs, and a few dog snuggles.  We couldn’t have asked for a better start to our adventure.  We are driving…

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Diligently we packed our bags. Frantically we finished our homework. Stoically we endured yellow fever vaccinations [most of us didn’t cry, anyway—looking at you, Mr. Kempe]. We’re ready to go. Tomorrow our team will board our noble CCS steeds [here’s to you, Bus 8], steadfastly persevere through any traffic, and board our flight to Dakar. We’re…

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