I finished up a whirlwind tour of Top 20 trainings in late August (I ended up in 25 different schools in the last 30 days).
I flew from Burlington, VT to NYC and had a wonderful one-day visit with my son Dillon (Italian dinner, hiked all over The High Line, The Battery, Central Park (11.7 miles!). After some solid son time, I met my training partner Matt at JFK in the Delta Sky Lounge. We then we boarded at 10:30 pm flight to Dakar, Senegal. We will be training students, parents & teachers at The International School of Dakar.
The entourage on our plane was a diverse, colorful swirl of humanity. It was a lively group that had very little experience in the efficient boarding and stowing process on a plane! Matt and I were joined in our three-seat row by (go figure) the largest human being on the plane, but we slept a bit through the night and landed around 11am.
It’s hot. Really, really, really hot. Our hosts picked us up and took us to their school-provided home. After that it was off to the beach for a quick lunch and a chance to meet several local entrepreneurs hawking wooden hippos and live birds. The countryside looks like…well, Africa. We passed by many affluent-looking buildings and several structures that look far less developed.
Next Monday is Senegal’s major holiday, Tabaski. It celebrates Abraham’s sacrifice of his son,…but here it’s the local goats that star in the sacrificial role of Isaac. There are goats for sale on nearly every street,…and a week from tomorrow there will be a whole lot fewer standing around Dakar. Matt and I will be attending a Tabaski feast (with goat + rice).
More to follow. We’re tired and excited. Stay tuned!
