High Waves and Strong Winds Prevail

As Hurricane Irene  wreaked havoc on the East coast of the U.S. in August, a similar summer cyclone storm was developing in the Northwest Pacific Ocean heading toward Japan.  This raging storm became Typhoon Number 12.  Most damage was done in Wakayama Prefecture as the typhoon slowly moved across the lower middle section of the archipelago, eventually moving away from Japan in a northeasterly direction.  The Yomiuri Shimbun (newspaper) reported  29 people had died with 51 people missing on September 6.

Typhoons are simply intense cyclone storms (large low pressure systems) that develop as warm waters make contact with rising moisture from the ocean’s surface.  They become typhoons when winds reach at least 56 miles per hour.

Hurricanes are usually given names, but in Japan typhoons are numbered from the first one that might form as early as May to the end of the typhoon season usually in October.  August and September are peak months for the formation of typhoons in and around Japan.  Each year is different, but as many as 30 typhoons may form each year.  Okinawa Prefecture may be affected by as many as one-third of the typhoons in the area.  However, any area of Japan might be influenced by a typhoon.

The most recorded damage from a typhoon occurred during the Hakata Bay Typhoon of 1281.  It was reported that 65,000 people lost their lives.  15,000 more people perished in the Nagasaki Typhoon in 1828.  The Isewan Typhoon in 1959 cost the lives of 5,000 people.  The largest recorded loss of life unfortunately happened in the Bay of Bengal in the Great Bhola Cyclone in Bangladesh in 1970.  It is unimaginable to me, but 500,000 lives were lost.

A Super Typhoon Developing

Luckily I have never experienced any real danger during a typhoon.  I do not live near water where there is often casualties, but I have felt the strong winds and sudden downpours that a typhoon does bring.  Japan is a wonderful place to live, but I do remind myself that not only earthquakes, but also typhoons can cause a lot of problems for people living here.

With the hot days of summer limiting my outside activity, I spend a lot more time following the famous National High School Baseball Tournament that is played in August every summer and shown live on NHK television.

Japanese baseball ‘yakyuu’（野球）is Japan’s most popular sport.  This is the 93^rd year that the summer high school baseball tournament is being held with 49 teams vying to be crowned the top high school baseball team in Japan.  I find this time period in Japan to be comparable to March Madness in the U.S. where the best college basketball team is finally decided.

High school baseball tournaments are held  all over the country in July to decide one team to represent its prefecture.  Five or six games might be played just to get into the big tournament played at Koshien Stadium in Osaka, the home of the pro baseball team the Hanshin Tigers.

The games are played with great enthusiasm and are very exciting to watch as the level of play is quite high.  Most high school baseball teams practice every day throughout the year to see if they can participate in the spring or summer tournament.

One of my favorite moments happens at the end of every game.  After both teams bow to each other and shake hands, the winning team will line up  facing the centerfield flags above the scoreboard from home plate.  Their school song is played as a camera pans in on each happy player’s face of the winning team.  Then they rush to the outfield on either the left or right field side of the stadium to bow and wave to their classmates, family and friends.

I have watched this tournament every summer and spring for 38 years, and each year is as memorable as the year previous.  Many years ago I had the opportunity to see a Championship game live at Koshien Stadium and it was that day that I found Japan’s ‘Field of Dreams’.

Congratulations to each high school baseball team that has has filled my heart with  their spirited play down through the years.  Play Ball!

Professor Roland T. Chin, provost, deputy vice-chancellor, and chair professor of Computer Science at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) will be giving a free public talk titled “Internationalization of Higher Education in Hong Kong” on Monday, October 3, 2011, 4 – 5:30 p.m. | 206 Ingraham Hall.

“The internationalization of higher education is very fast moving and dynamic,” explains Professor Chin, “In this talk we explore various issues of internationalization in higher education and share our experience of this transformation that has taken place in Hong Kong in the last 15 years.”

Professor Roland T Chin is Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, and Chair Professor of Computer Science at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Prior to joining HKU, he was deputy president and vice-president for Academic Affairs (2006-2010), vice-president for Research and Development (2003-2006), and chair professor of Computer Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. From 2001 to 2003, he was vice-president for Information Technology of Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI). Since 2005, he has been the chairman of the Research Grants Council in Hong Kong.

Professor Chin studied electrical engineering at the University of Missouri, Columbia. He subsequently worked at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland for two years prior to joining the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1981 to 1995.

Professor Chin will visit UW-Madison under the auspices of the Global Studies in Higher Education (GSHE) initiative.

Much Too Early!

I gazed at my alarm clock and it once again read 4:15 a.m.  The warblers outside my window along with the cicadas were having their morning meetings making sure I was awake.  But it is only 4:15 a.m. and I am wide awake as light begins to filter through the cracks of my drapes declaring a new morning..  This summer time pattern for me has worn out its welcome.

I have an ingenious idea!  How about converting over to summer time or as I used to know it in Wisconsin as daylight saving time?  I wonder if there is any chance of that morning sun postponing its greeting to me by an hour.  This thought enters my mind almost every day as I honestly think that no one has to be up at the crack of dawn, especially when it is only a bit after 4:00 a.m.!

Japan along with S. Korea and Iceland are the only countries among the 30 members who belong to the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) that do not follow daylight saving time.  Japan has tried daylight saving time, but that was during the Allied Occupation between the years 1948 and 1951.  It was eventually considered inconvenient and the idea of daylight saving time may have been considered since then, but never put into effect.

The major earthquake in Japan in March of this year has officials talking about the idea of adopting the Western concept of daylight saving time once again.  Japan has very hot days and nights during the summer months and the thought of going to daylight saving time would help people to focus on daylight hours and use less electricity at night.  With The Fukushima plant and other thermal plants being affected due to the earthquake, the Japanese government may need to have blackout periods during days where it is so hot and electricity is not available to everyone.  There is also the idea that with the extra hour of light that it might give the hard working Japanese people time to reflect on their lives away from their jobs.

On the other side of the totem pole, there are people who feel that making that one hour adjustment would be quite cumbersome as there would be a lot of clocks and electronic devices that would have to be changed, they would lose an hour of sleep and many workers would be forced to stay longer in the office due to the longer daylight hours.  They also contend that the change to daylight saving time would not affect the amount of electricity that would be consumed during the peak afternoon hours when air conditioners would be used anyway.

So which is it going to be?  Will there ever be a change?  Do I need to purchase thicker drapes and soundproof windows that will not let in the light and sounds of an early morning in Japan?  Would I be able to stand the searing daytime heat knowing that nightfall would be an hour later?  Is it at all practical?

Hiding From The Light

The pros and cons of converting to daylight saving time is probably discussed in the countries that use it every year and I am sure not everyone is pleased with it.  It has been over sixty years since Japan has tried daylight saving time and it might be something that people can truly enjoy.  The government is discussing this now and might be still in discussion when fall rolls around.  Either way, I can still imagine, can’t I?

If daylight saving time does not become reality, you can easily envision me waking each morning to the sound of birds chirping and the morning milkman who manages to defy sleep with his early morning delivery – Yes, at the first sign of daylight!  And just when I try to justify why I need to wake up an hour later each summer morning, a smile comes to my face knowing that at least change might be possible!

I hope you are all enjoying your summer holidays!

Eighteen academically-talented high school students from China and the United States recently wrapped up a unique, three-week residential experience at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where they explored global issues of sustainability and the promise of solutions through various emerging technologies.

The new Global Wisconsin Idea Program was developed by the Wisconsin Center for Academically Talented Youth (WCATY), part of the School of Education, and the Division of International Studies.

The Chinese students came well-prepared for their in-depth learning experience here in Wisconsin, says Carole Trone, director of WCATY.

“Although this is the first visit to the United States for most of our Chinese students, they arrived with excellent English language skills and an energizing curiosity about research and innovation occurring here in Madison,” Trone says. “Our discussions between our American and Chinese students about globally important issues such as sustainability have been inspiring.”

The program consisted of three weeks of lectures, discussion, demonstrations, and field trips to sites around Madison designed to help students to understand ecosystems and to adopt a systems perspective. They also learned about environmental sustainability and using social and digital learning games as tools to explore ideas.

The final week also included a hands-on workshop about the science of stem cells, hosted by the Morgridge Institute for Research and held in the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery building. The workshop featured an overview of research in the stem cell field and provided students an opportunity to use laboratory techniques developed by scientists to maintain, propagate and direct stem cells into specialized cells.

Read the rest of this entry »

[Editor's note: Sarah Zink interned in Ireland's Parliament during fall semester. Read all of her posts on the International Academic Programs Study Abroad Correspondents site.]

Sarah Zink

And now for the dreaded blog post, fated to come since the day I bought that RETURN ticket. That’s right folks, tomorrow I get on a plane back to Chicago.

Since I last blogged I took amazing trips to both Amsterdam and Barcelona, but in my current state of mind, there is nothing else I can discuss but Dublin.

Strolling down in city centre for the last time this afternoon, the mess of abandoned work projects caught my attention. When I first came here, I realize I did not even mention this aspect of Dublin — kind of shocking, considering it is everywhere you look. City blocks are riddled with the skeletons of buildings that have ceased being built. I can only imagine that this is something like it would have felt like to live in the ruins of the Roman Empire. Not that Ireland ever came close to world domination (being an officially neutral country with a population of 4.4 million, hegemonic status isn’t really in the cards), but they did go through a period of tremendous growth in the 1990s, enough to garner them the title Celtic Tiger and make them feel invincible.

The Leinster House, inside of which I interned for three months!

Now recession has hit hard, spurred on by outrageous lending to developers who broke ground on corporate offices and apartments, only to go bust. Half-constructed buildings are blocked off by massive sheets of plastic, and on the plastic are computer-generated images of the how the buildings were to look at completion; computer-generated people move industriously along to their appointments in formal business attire, comfortable in their environment of glass offices and an unnaturally sunny sky (by Irish standards).

Jimmy and me on my last day, posing by the GIANT Christmas tree right outside the Houses of the Oireachtas

Next to all this unfinished business are the stores that have closed, and some still managing to do alright. Many pubs are in trouble, but you can still enter one and feel a sort of warm Christmas feeling I previously thought couldn’t be experienced without the accompaniment of snow. This is why I have come to love the city so much I think — the place itself and the Irish people have been through so much, even in the recent past, but there is still an attitude of contentment. Not in as in everyone is happy, in fact to the contrary, people are unhappy, going on strike over public sector pay cuts, for example. What I mean is, they seem content in a solid sense of identity. Dublin feels like a city that knows about ups and downs, and so even during the downs, they are not lost.

Over the course of these past months I have been gaining a more nuanced picture of Ireland and Irish life, beyond the leprechauns and four-leaf clovers. What I have found is a place that manages to be both old and new simultaneously. They push to move forward, but always with thought to what is behind. I feel some balance at work here that just isn’t quite the same back in the U.S.

Family picture of all my intern buddies! Miss you guys!

On a different note, I am sincerely going to miss the friends I have made on this program. Study abroad friends operate on a kind of fast track. A bunch of students pushed together in a foreign environment equals instant buddies. I was lucky to meet some really great people who I will certainly keep in touch with, both friends from my program and from my travels. I was pleasantly surprised that facebook is useful for more than just all those farmville updates, and I will definitely be making use of it to help keep in touch.

I have a funny feeling when I actually get home, this whole European adventure thing is just going to feel like a long dream. A long, excellent dream that did some serious damage to my bank account. Only time will tell I suppose…

[Editor's note: UW-Madison engineering student Jeff Schacherl spent his summer interning at Plexus Corporation in Penang, Malaysia. We lifted this post from his blog, with permission.]

Jeff Schacherl

Hi!

I haven’t had time recently to update the blog because I have been very busy with work! Two of my projects are at critical points and two deadlines are Monday and Tuesday of this coming week. Monday, I have a design review for my project that I need to prepare for, and Tuesday the Penang Mechanical team has to submit part designs for a different project.

Mechanical group at Plexus PDC

My birthday came and went last Tuesday, but I was too busy to do too much. I went out for lunch with some friends for work and they got me a cake, so that was nice! Then, back to work! :)

Yesterday (Saturday) I did get to relax a little bit- I went on a small organized fishing trip with seven people from Plexus. We took a boat from a jetty on the north side of the island- the weather was great which was very lucky! Rain can come unpredictably. We stopped at a somewhat remote beach to fish from shore. It was pretty rocky and I couldn’t catch anything! The group caught maybe 10 or 12 small fish including a baby shark and green puffer fish!

The best part was the scenery and hiking around to finding the fishing spots. We were climbing all over these giant rocks and through the jungle- and you think that fishing is falling asleep in a gently rocking boat! I only got my hook stuck off in the rocks and lost a lot of sinkers and bait.

Most people think that the moon influences the tide, but actually its people like me losing so many things in the ocean that increases the water level…

Fishing on the north side of Penang Island

My camera battery died so I have no pictures! Sad… but other people took pictures and I will try to get my hands on some to put up here! Otherwise, check back for more photos from Thailand- I am still working on uploading more!

Last night, did some karaoke with some friends and ate some Fillipino home cooking, mm!!!

-Jeff

Roby in Bamburi, which is a village near Mombasa, Kenya.

Bridget Roby, from St. Paul, Minnesota, is a UW–Madison senior, graduating with degrees in international studies and journalism, as well as a certificate in African Studies. She studied abroad during the spring of her junior year (2009) in Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya through the Minnesota Studies in International Development program (MSID) which is co-sponsored by UW–Madison. Roby says the experience changed her life and she can’t wait to get back. She will be enlisting in the Peace Corps next year.

Roby shares her most memorable experiences:

Why did you decide to study abroad with the MSID program?

I knew I wanted to have an international opportunity as an undergrad and that I wanted to participate in a different kind of program than a classic study abroad program. I wanted to immerse myself in a culture and to be in the developing part of the world because it would help me experience how the rest of the world lives.

The MSID program caught my interest because it focused on development work and provided me with a learning experience as well as a living experience with a Kenyan family. It was the perfect opportunity for me to get a feel for the rest of the world and learn more about it.

Why did you choose to go to Kenya?

I took six semesters of Spanish, but Latin American programs weren’t what I was interested in because I wanted to be engaged in something that was really off the beaten path. Although I didn’t have prior experience with Africa, Kenya seemed like a perfect fit.

What were you doing while there (studying, internship, etc.)?

Roby sits with a few girls from a program she volunteered for in Nairobi.

In Nairobi, I studied Swahili, development, Kenyan history, and current issues. In a small class, I also studied microeconomy and business. I also volunteered in the local community.

I interned with the Jumbe Organization, a small grassroots microfinance organization. Almost all the businesses we financed were run by women. One woman started a business selling water bottles on the street and she needed a loan to purchase a cooler, another started a fabric shop, and another started a convenience store.

I worked in the Jumbe office with one other full-time employee. My job duties included taking savings, bookkeeping, trips to the bank, and follow-ups on the women who had taken out loans to start their businesses. We only had one computer and I spent time trying to enter in all the data from our work as well.

And when you weren’t studying or working, what did you do in your free time?

I went on a few weekend trips with friends to Lamu, Tanzania, and Uganda. But mostly, I tried to hang out with my family. My host sister and I went dancing a few times—Kenyans love to dance and they will dance all night without even getting a glass of water because they can’t afford it. But most often just stayed home and played cards.

Where did you stay?

For the first seven weeks I stayed in Nairobi. Then I participated in a week-long orientation in Lake Nakuru National Park. I spent my last six weeks in Shanzu, a village on the coast near Mombasa where my internship was.

I would come home every night to Shanzu and to my family there. We lived in a small one-story cement house where I had my own room with a bed and a table. It was quite comfortable and although we didn’t have running water, we had minimal electricity. Mama had six kids and seven grandkids and they all lived together in houses around ours so there were always people coming in and out of our home.

Roby and her host family in their village Shanzu.

I loved my family!

We would spend a lot of time relaxing and eating together as a family. We would follow the shade during the day: moving from one cool place to another to eat and relax away from the hot sun. I felt like I was really part of the family, but a special guest at the same time. I am the first student they have welcomed into their home.

What is the most invaluable experience that you had in Nairobi and Mombasa?

Spending time with my family on the coast, coming home to them, having dinner, and sitting around in the living room was the most invaluable experience I had. I miss them a lot. If I could relive a day in Kenya I would spend it relaxing and eating with them. I hope I will be able to go back there sometime soon, which is one reason I applied to the Peace Corps.

What was one of the most jarring experiences you had there? Why?

The hardest time was in Nairobi. I had to switch host families there.

It’s a cultural practice in Kenya when you have enough money to hire a house help. But the mother in my first host family was disrespectful and mean with her house help. It was hard for me to live with. From a Kenyan perspective the house help was well off because she was getting income, housing and food. From their perspective you are doing these people a favor by hiring them. But I don’t think that means you have to treat them so poorly. It made it even harder because I got close to the house help—it’s so hard to be privileged, to see another person who has nothing and not be able to do anything. Some cultural things are hard to get used to. Apparently the house help left that family but she hasn’t found another job since.

What languages did you need there? Do you feel proficient in any other languages than English?

In Nairobi I didn’t need Swahili, but the farther away I got from the big city the more I needed it. It really depends on what region you are in. Most of the people from the Jumbe Organization understood English, but only spoke Swahili. I didn’t know any Swahili before I left for Kenya. I feel like I can get by with my Swahili skills now, but I can understand more than I can speak. I’ve decided to take Swahili here at UW–Madison now.

How do you think your experiences in Kenya will help you after you graduate? Do you plan on returning there?

It’s hard to overestimate how much it changed me, the way I view the world, and my place in it. I now definitely want to go into international development as a career. I also want to go back to East Africa to work.

What advice would you give a person who is planning on traveling to Africa?

Really try to experience every moment you have there, don’t waste your time talking to people at home. If you throw yourself into the life there you will fall in love with it and the people. Let the experience happen to you.

Jenny Parker first lived and worked in Senegal as part of her Professional French Masters Program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. After completing her program she decided to return to Senegal. Here is what’s been going on since that time.

Could you give us a little summary of how you ended up back in Senegal after you internship ended?
Actually, I basically came back to Senegal to do the same thing I had been doing last year as an intern. I am still working in the chancellor’s office and am teaching again in the English department. It may sound odd that I would come back to do the exact same thing, but to be honest, the university needs me (or needs a native English speaker) and I need them. I wanted to take a year “off” after finishing my masters to work and have evenings where I don’t need to research, read, or worry how I’m going to get that paper done. Senegal and more specifically the University afford me the best place possible to do that.

During your internship you worked in the Chancellor’s Office at the Université Gaston Berger (UGB) in Saint-Louis. What were some of your duties and how did those responsibilities help you post-internship?
Well, as someone who wants a profession in a university, being at UGB and seeing the inner-workings of a university in its infancy has been amazing. I’m inspired by their drive to see not only their university grow, but their country, their region and even their continent. They’re dreaming big over here, as they should be.

My main job in this position has been translating documents for the Chancellor. Most of them are prospectuses telling the world about what they’re trying to do at UGB. I can’t say exactly how this knowledge will help me, but I know that what I’m getting to experience is unique for any American, even occidental person and it has given me knowledge that few have.

One of my other significant jobs over here has been teaching English. It may seem banal, but at a university where the majority of students majoring in English will never travel to an English speaking country, much less live in one, they are in need of interactions with a native speaker. My work as a teacher here is just as important as anything else I’ve done. I don’t want to paint a picture of them not being able to live without me, but I do bring an important type of knowledge to the students. Clearly this part of my internship will help me in my career as a teacher!

View of Mosque from Market

Can you express the benefits of doing an international internship and what should be some factors when deciding where to go?
Living in a different culture is a challenge, working is a whole other world. Working in a different culture requires much patience, openness, willing to do anything and nothing (often happens that you sit around doing nothing!), putting aside your belief of how things should be done and trusting that their methods may not be so crazy. It will introduce you to new ways of thinking and problem solving that you never dreamed of. It will challenge you in ways you never expected and maybe didn’t want, but in the end will give you an amazing skill set and insight into another culture. I also did an internship in France for six months after my undergraduate study and I can tell you that that short little section on my resume definitely opened doors for me in terms of interviews.

Now that you have lived and worked in Senegal, have your perceptions changed about Senegal, its people, culture, etc., since before you arrived?
It has and it hasn’t. I was going to write a thesis on this country so I did a lot of in-depth research and talked to a handful of friends from Senegal prior to leaving. In a way I knew what to expect, but at the same time, words can never fully express what it is to live in this country and on this continent. I mentioned in my last interview the hospitality that Senegalese people pride themselves on … you CANNOT understand the depth of that until you experience it. Until you are welcomed into a family’s house for a day that you don’t know. Until that family feeds you, gives you a place to take your afternoon nap and would even give you the clothes off their back if you really needed it. And all of that in the name of their duty to you as a visitor, no “thank you” necessary.

Also, I must mention the work ethic stereotype. Many people, including people who have been here, mentioned to me the slow pace of life and laughed at a 40-hour work week when I referenced it. Yes, there is a different pace of life here and yes, nothing is as urgent as we Americans seem to think it is or should be, but I can tell you that I have met many very hard working people who only have one day off a week. People working in everything from the Chancellor’s office to construction. Senegalese people work hard, but they know what is the most important thing, family and community, and when to stop everything else for that.

In my boubou and fulaar

Can you describe some of the personal relationship you have established and how they may differ from relationships in the states (how you socialize, what you discuss)?
Well it must be noted that for whatever reason, most females that come here as an exchange student or like me, as an intern, leave with more male than female friends. I’m still trying to figure that one out. It could be a phenomenon unique to UGB campus or not. I’m not sure.

Most social time is spent at someone’s house. Unless you’re in Dakar most people don’t “go out” for a coffee or drink or go have a meal at a restaurant. All of that simply because money is scarce. So you go to a friend’s house and have attaaya (traditional Senegalese tea – FANTASTIC!) or you go to their house to “yeendu.” “Yeendu” is to spend the day. Yeendu-ing involves going for lunch, having attaaya after, then maybe some fruit and just relaxing with the person and their family if they have one. You do not usually leave before 5 p.m.

Topics of discussion vary as they would anywhere. Colleagues from work and I tend to talk about work, and people at work. Friends on campus (other masters and PhD students) tend to talk about fun things like music or serious topics like society, politics, differences between our countries, etc. Of course they ask a lot of questions about America. Until I become completely fluent in Wolof, I will not know for sure what topics are on the docket at gatherings!

I understand there will be another Presidential election in 2012. What has the political atmosphere been like?
There is a lot of talk about whether the current president should run again, he’s 84!!! He wanted his son to replace him, but the people were categorically against that idea for several reasons, one being him not being Senegalese enough.

Also, does religion seem to influence politics at all? And how does living in an predominantly Islamic culture change your day-to-day compared to home, or doesn’t it?
I don’t think I should attempt to answer the first part of this question. I am interested in politics, but not an expert and don’t feel I can answer intelligibly this question with accuracy.

While I was home this summer, I realized that I missed the five daily call to prayers. It’s a small thing, but it is a part of everyday and it starts to become a comfort of sorts to hear it. I must also admit that I completely relished wearing shorts all summer while I was in America as they are something that one shouldn’t wear here if you wish to respect the religious culture of Senegal. There are many little things that become a part of daily life that aren’t hard to accept but that are different in a society that is predominantly Muslim. I have to admit, I love it. It’s a complete change from anything we know in America and it constantly challenges the senses and your view of daily life. Things like saying “mashallah” when you compliment someone on their clothes or how cute their kid is. Mashallah is kind of like “knock on wood.” You say it so that the thing you’ve just complimented doesn’t change or stop. Of course no one makes you say it, but you can sometimes feel how uncomfortable it makes them if you don’t.

By Flannery Geoghegan, Division of International Studies

Jenny Parker is a student in the Professional French Masters Program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. As part of the program she is required to do an internship in a francophone country. Because she already spent five years in France she decided to do her internship in Senegal this year. In the following Q&A she tells us about her experiences there so far:

What are you doing there (studying, internship, etc.)?

I am doing an administrative internship in what is called the rectorat, or the office of the chancellor at the Université Gaston Berger in Saint-Louis. I am also fortunate enough to be teaching English at the university. It’s fun and a nice challenge!

And when you aren’t studying or working, what do you do in your free time?

If I can, I love to go dancing! Senegalese people love to dance and it is so fun to learn their dance style, mbalax (even if it is quite hard to look good doing it!). Otherwise, I am often invited to my co-worker’s house to yeendu, which means literally “spend the day at someone’s house.” You arrive for lunch then you just hang out, watch TV, or take a nap, yes, I said take a nap! Any good Senegalese host will offer you a bed to rest on after eating! Then you have attaaya, the Senegalese specialty tea. You are served three glasses: the first is slightly bitter and then the two other are a lighter version with mint. It is delicious! Before you leave the house you are offered fruit juice or actual fruit. The yeendu does not usually end before 5 or 6 p.m. Sometimes you even stay for dinner! Otherwise, I like to go to Saint-Louis and shop at the tourist shops or even better, go to the market to find great Senegalese material!

What is the most invaluable experience that you have had so far?

I just recently got back from a stay with a friend at his house in Guediawaye (suburb of Dakar) where I really got to experience Senegalese culture. I got to see the day-to-day living of a family with eight kids. They have so many financial constraints and yet manage to make life so warm and fun. I also learned how to cook Senegalese food. Most importantly, I got to see over and over again teranga (Senegalese hospitality). It is amazing what they will do to make a guest comfortable.

What is one of the most jarring experiences you have had there? Why?

This will sound a little ridiculous, but the heat in the month of October was quite jarring. Even though I grew up in Texas, I forgot how hard it is and how you have to take care of yourself by drinking plenty of water and staying out of the sun as much as possible.

What languages do you need there?

You can easily get around with French, but knowing Wolof, the national language spoken by more than 80% of the population is invaluable! Young kids don’t speak French. Lots of older people in villages don’t speak French either. If you are anything like me, those are exactly the people you want to speak with! So learn a little bit or a lot of Wolof! It’s worth it!

How do you think your experiences in Senegal will help you after you graduate? Do you plan on returning there?

I’m hoping the internship and the teaching experience will help me to pursue an international career in education. I would love to return, but I guess I have to leave first to return!

What advice would you give a person who is planning on traveling to Senegal?

There is a ton of information available on what to pack and how to prepare for coming to Senegal, the IAP office at UW has some great tips (of which I helped write!). Read those and follow them! They will help you to be prepared for your time over here.

Follow Up with Jenny Parker

Jenny Parker first lived and worked in Senegal as part of her Professional French Masters Program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. After completing her program she decided to return to Senegal. Here is what’s been going on since that time.

Could you give us a little summary of how you ended up back in Senegal after you internship ended?
Actually, I basically came back to Senegal to do the same thing I had been doing last year as an intern. I am still working in the chancellor’s office and am teaching again in the English department. It may sound odd that I would come back to do the exact same thing, but to be honest, the university needs me (or needs a native English speaker) and I need them. I wanted to take a year “off” after finishing my masters to work and have evenings where I don’t need to research, read, or worry how I’m going to get that paper done. Senegal and more specifically the University afford me the best place possible to do that.

During your internship you worked in the Chancellor’s Office at the Université Gaston Berger (UGB) in Saint-Louis. What were some of your duties and how did those responsibilities help you post-internship?
Well, as someone who wants a profession in a university, being at UGB and seeing the inner-workings of a university in its infancy has been amazing. I’m inspired by their drive to see not only their university grow, but their country, their region and even their continent. They’re dreaming big over here, as they should be.

My main job in this position has been translating documents for the Chancellor. Most of them are prospectuses telling the world about what they’re trying to do at UGB. I can’t say exactly how this knowledge will help me, but I know that what I’m getting to experience is unique for any American, even occidental person and it has given me knowledge that few have.

One of my other significant jobs over here has been teaching English. It may seem banal, but at a university where the majority of students majoring in English will never travel to an English speaking country, much less live in one, they are in need of interactions with a native speaker. My work as a teacher here is just as important as anything else I’ve done. I don’t want to paint a picture of them not being able to live without me, but I do bring an important type of knowledge to the students. Clearly this part of my internship will help me in my career as a teacher!

Can you express the benefits of doing an international internship and what should be some factors when deciding where to go?
Living in a different culture is a challenge, working is a whole other world. Working in a different culture requires much patience, openness, willing to do anything and nothing (often happens that you sit around doing nothing!), putting aside your belief of how things should be done and trusting that their methods may not be so crazy. It will introduce you to new ways of thinking and problem solving that you never dreamed of. It will challenge you in ways you never expected and maybe didn’t want, but in the end will give you an amazing skill set and insight into another culture. I also did an internship in France for six months after my undergraduate study and I can tell you that that short little section on my resume definitely opened doors for me in terms of interviews.

View of Mosque from Market

Now that you have lived and worked in Senegal, have your perceptions changed about Senegal, its people, culture, etc., since before you arrived?
It has and it hasn’t. I was going to write a thesis on this country so I did a lot of in-depth research and talked to a handful of friends from Senegal prior to leaving. In a way I knew what to expect, but at the same time, words can never fully express what it is to live in this country and on this continent. I mentioned in my last interview the hospitality that Senegalese people pride themselves on … you CANNOT understand the depth of that until you experience it. Until you are welcomed into a family’s house for a day that you don’t know. Until that family feeds you, gives you a place to take your afternoon nap and would even give you the clothes off their back if you really needed it. And all of that in the name of their duty to you as a visitor, no “thank you” necessary.

Also, I must mention the work ethic stereotype. Many people, including people who have been here, mentioned to me the slow pace of life and laughed at a 40-hour work week when I referenced it. Yes, there is a different pace of life here and yes, nothing is as urgent as we Americans seem to think it is or should be, but I can tell you that I have met many very hard working people who only have one day off a week. People working in everything from the Chancellor’s office to construction. Senegalese people work hard, but they know what is the most important thing, family and community, and when to stop everything else for that.

In my boubou and fulaar e

Can you describe some of the personal relationship you have established and how they may differ from relationships in the states (how you socialize, what you discuss)?
Well it must be noted that for whatever reason, most females that come here as an exchange student or like me, as an intern, leave with more male than female friends. I’m still trying to figure that one out. It could be a phenomenon unique to UGB campus or not. I’m not sure.

Most social time is spent at someone’s house. Unless you’re in Dakar most people don’t “go out” for a coffee or drink or go have a meal at a restaurant. All of that simply because money is scarce. So you go to a friend’s house and have attaaya (traditional Senegalese tea – FANTASTIC!) or you go to their house to “yeendu.” “Yeendu” is to spend the day. Yeendu-ing involves going for lunch, having attaaya after, then maybe some fruit and just relaxing with the person and their family if they have one. You do not usually leave before 5 p.m.

Topics of discussion vary as they would anywhere. Colleagues from work and I tend to talk about work, and people at work. Friends on campus (other masters and PhD students) tend to talk about fun things like music or serious topics like society, politics, differences between our countries, etc. Of course they ask a lot of questions about America. Until I become completely fluent in Wolof, I will not know for sure what topics are on the docket at gatherings!

I understand there will be another Presidential election in 2012. What has the political atmosphere been like?
There is a lot of talk about whether the current president should run again, he’s 84!!! He wanted his son to replace him, but the people were categorically against that idea for several reasons, one being him not being Senegalese enough.

Also, does religion seem to influence politics at all? And how does living in an predominantly Islamic culture change your day-to-day compared to home, or doesn’t it?
I don’t think I should attempt to answer the first part of this question. I am interested in politics, but not an expert and don’t feel I can answer intelligibly this question with accuracy.

While I was home this summer, I realized that I missed the five daily call to prayers. It’s a small thing, but it is a part of everyday and it starts to become a comfort of sorts to hear it. I must also admit that I completely relished wearing shorts all summer while I was in America as they are something that one shouldn’t wear here if you wish to respect the religious culture of Senegal. There are many little things that become a part of daily life that aren’t hard to accept but that are different in a society that is predominantly Muslim. I have to admit, I love it. It’s a complete change from anything we know in America and it constantly challenges the senses and your view of daily life. Things like saying “mashallah” when you compliment someone on their clothes or how cute their kid is. Mashallah is kind of like “knock on wood.” You say it so that the thing you’ve just complimented doesn’t change or stop. Of course no one makes you say it, but you can sometimes feel how uncomfortable it makes them if you don’t.

By Flannery Geoghegan, Division of International Studies

You can read more about Jenny’s experiences on her blog.