Cora!! 2nd weekend in Dakar

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.

Yesterday was horribly humid and muggy and smoggy anyway! But today was my day to relax. Today I bought a tasbih (it's like a rosary that Muslims use), and a young man showed me a downtown mosque. After this, I met another young man with some funny t-shirts, and he brought me to the shop. He plays a jembe, and there we met another young man who sings. Tomorrow, hopefully, I will bring the guitar which has been lent to me for us to play together. There was also a young man who was a kind of young Sufi, and gave me a sermon a little difficult to understand but he is also a writer and philosopher and has been to Quebec on a festival of culture (I'm afraid I don't remember the name).

After leaving there, I bought a cora by accident. It's not a real one, more for decoration, but I managed to figure out how to tune it and can play something on it. I paid such a low price for it (about $12 down from $60) that I felt bad, it was the only money I had left and the guy was desperate. So, I had wanted to eat at a lovely restaurant, la palmeraie where I ate my first night here, but had spent my last money on the cora!! So, I went home and had leftovers. I also have bought something very special for my mom, and must return to pay for it. It's good to bring a little money, but not a lot because it is so tempting and it's good to be able to say no. I thought about buying a real cora, but learning the instrument is very traditional and requires a teacher and long years of training, just like sitar which I do play. So it's good I have the toy cora!

I have so many more stories, but I must go to sleep! I am uploading to facebook an album of pictures. Hope it works, the wireless connection here is not that good. Enjoy the Cora (Kora).