YOUTH and FRIENDS OF YOUTH: YAK is now accepting applications for Skills Link in Perth and Smiths Falls. But not for much longer... Apply now. Yes, right now at the link below. Its truly a once in a lifetime opportunity (sounds cheesy but its true!). Alumni linkers, please tell your friends! LAST CHANCE!!!!! It will take you 5 minutes to fill it out. Seriously!

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I'm a bit late to still be writing about my trip to Dakar, but I haven't finished the story. After the conference, the two other Canadians left one by one. But before this, we had the guitars out at Hotel Nina. There was an environmentallist from Kinshasha at Nina, participating in another conference I think. He played a sweet classical guitar, fingerstlye, and we played together in the Lobby, the Swahili tune Malaika and a song that he wrote about the environment. One of the Canadians joined us to play Hand Jive.

I got home June 3rd, but I hadn't written anything about the remainder of my trip to Senegal. I try to revisit now in my mind, before memories become more dilute.

I had worked very hard on the presentation, and then taken a break and ended up in the suburbs, with an interesting journey back to Dakar centre, as told earlier. I shift verb tenses willy-nilly, and I am sorry about that. I need a coruse in travel-writing, I think.

The majority of students in Africa today have access to at least the most basic of ICT communications, e-mail. With the arrival of 3G phones and the rapid diffusion of mobile telephony on the continent, in the near future there will be few barriers to communication among students worldwide, other than language.

The mango and the banana

I am sitting now at the restaurant Palmeraie on Ponty street in Dakar. I am feeling a little bad, but mostly fantastic and I should explain this and the title. It's a little bit of a long story, and very, very rambling, just to warn. Like a taxi ride in Dakar, it is a road that is messy, chaotic and full of life!

Today I went to meet the friends from yesterday to play music. I took just my guitar and fit the things I needed into its pockets. I'm speaking better and better broken French! Mon ami Amadou (very common name here) wanted to meet at midi (noon), but I spent the morning cooking a Polish stew that I had learnt from a fellow treeplanter way back in 95. It's called something like 'Gewedge', but I made it without meat and rice instead. Excellent!!

My second weekend in Dakar, and I've been helped by my hosts to get to know the city and how to do commerce and keep out of trouble!! So, I went out a couple of times by myself last few days. I've haggled, I think fairly successfully for some gifts and things for myself. I worked really hard on my presentation, which was behind, and for my summer job which is actually full-time, to meet a deadline. Up all night, and saw the sunrise over the Atlantic before sleeping. Here's a pic of me hard at work The Forum is on the 27th, you can view the programme here.

My first blog from Dakar, Senegal, unfortunately is short and will test my feed to facebook etc. I am setting up with hope to find time to blog in the next few days. Tomorrow I visit Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, and IFAN - google it!!!!!!

Arif

In between research on ICTs, access to knowledge and global development (see www.stratongina.net/ICTA2K4D), my new contract researching social housing and marking papers, Stratongina Unlimited designed www.morphysfallspub.com for the new owners at 12 Bell Street formerly the Leatherworks. That's why it's called unlimited!

Great people, and a fantastic location. It is actually stumbling distance from my house, though I don't get around to much stumbling these days.

Good food, great beer and on the banks of the Mississipi River. If you're in Carleton Place, Ontario, drop in.

Thank you Drupal once again, and the designers of the Four Seasons theme.

Arif