Our Introduction to the YMCA Senegal School

Day 4 of our journey brings us to the purpose of our trip--the children.  We were immediately greeted by the YMCA President Jean Bassene and the School Director Mr. Mamkabou who escorted us around to greet everyone.  There are ten classrooms encircled by a wall and small dusty courtyard. Each classroom has 30-40 children and just one teacher. The children are double-seated and sometimes even three at each tiny desk. Some children have small chalkboards while others have rulers and protractors and their notepads. Their clothing is a mix of YMCA uniforms and smocks, while others are wearing jumpers, pants, and even a Michael Jordan shirt. You can see small glimpses of American culture trickling in with the occasional Nike or Converse shoes or a Dora backpack.

The students were eager to welcome us into the rooms. The open air construction gave us a slight breeze but it would be a difficult task to keep the constant shuffling of dusty feet from tracking in a fine layer of dirt on the tile floors. They didn't seem to mind and the juxtaposition of the floors and their grammar lessons written in perfect cursive on the chalkboards was an interesting contrast.  Most students were attentive and ready to greet us in unison as proof they not only knew we were coming but had prepared a special greeting for us.  We introduced ourselves by "bonjour,  je m'appelle" and our American and Senegalese names followed by a "merci beaucoup" and a nervous grin.

Again and again we walked into each classroom and watched the young faces analyzing our shoes, our smiles, and our size. (as some of us truly towered over the smaller children) We worked our way down in age ranges until the final two classrooms of 3-4 and 5-6 year olds. We decided to sit on the floor and this is where the magic happens.

The youngest classrooms had prepared a song with gestures and clapped when their performance ended. We countered with our own impromptu rendition of 'head and shoulders, knees and toes'.  The tiniest hands pressed their palms into ours as if fear of strangers had never entered their minds. They traded toys with our group and tossed balls across the room to us even without the teachers' promptings.

Then came recess and a pouring of little feet out in to the dusty playground for morning snacks and laughter. Despite the broken equipment and meager toys, they found ample ways to be entertained chasing each other around and sneaking glances at their new American friends.  Although our time with the children was short today, we know we will be back for more activities on Wednesday with the children. Despite the language barrier, there is a universal warmth among the students and teachers at the school eager to welcome us during our journey. And the children's desires are the same as back home--the eagerness to learn, the desire for love and human connection, and the need to be surrounded by positive adult roles models and other children growing together in a positive and safe learning environment.

Can't wait to teach them how to play American football on Wednesday.

Today's blog post written by: Hillary Brodofsky