Today was a calm day. Angeline and I checked out Kermel Market, and I picked up a mother's day present that I hope you'll love, mom. After lunch, I gave Addie and Debbie an attaya lesson at the Baobab Center, which led right into our end of program dinner.
This was amazing, as much of the ACI staff, our professors, and even a few family members attended. Rama, our primary coordinator, nearly cried, as she said that she felt like a mother to us and that her daughters had grown up and were leaving her. The staff and professors thanked us for being wonderful, free, curious group, but it was truly us who needed to be thankful. There was much laughter as we shared inside jokes, and Pape Samba gave a demonstration of us wading through sewer water to get to the bus stop. We also got a chance to share our favorite memories. I talked about our spring break trip, and how it really connected a lot of things we'd learned in the classroom and gave us a more complete picture of Senegal. Gary, ACI founder, said he appreciated those thoughts. He told us that it was clear we'd embraced the spirit of nit nitay garabam: a person is another person's remedy. Addie and I sat across from each other, and we realized just how hard it was going to be to say goodbye. Doyen, resident security expert gave me a massive hug, and reminded me of my first night here, when I was jet lagged and about to go to bed when he knocked on my door with his chipper self and lovely smile.
Djiby showed up late, as he had a religious ceremony to attend. But I went over to his house and we just enjoyed each other's company. I can't imagine how I'll feel a week from now if I'm already this sad.
Feel free to leave comments about why America's awesome.
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