We arrived in Dakar at 5:00am on May 13, eyes bright with excitement. We'd just arrived in Senegal! We drove to an apartment that we'd be staying in for a few days. Akon was blasting on the radio and we had the windows rolled down. We finally arrived at the apartment. After enduring an overnight flight, it was all we could do to lug out suitcases upstairs and pick a bed. Around 1:00pm that day, we all met for lunch in the common room and shared our utter shock at finally being in Africa...

Later that day, we walked as a group to The Baobab Center, approximately 10 minutes from our apartment. We passed goats, cats, children playing soccer in the street. We attracted a lot of attention as we awkwardly maneuvered around the speeding taxis and cautiously pulled out cameras. We were told to keep a sharp eye out for landmarks so we could remember the way back.

We walked in to the Baobab Center and were herded upstairs for a welcome session. ACI (Africa Consultant International) was the organization hosting us and set up our host familes, organized field trips, etc. Their mission: Promote cross-cultural understanding, social justice, health and well being of Africa's people through communication and training, etc. http://www.acibaobab.org