Around St. Louis...

St. Louis is a delightful city. Beauty can be found everywhere, from the people and the shops to the bridges, making it a true pleasure. The sounds and smells of city waft by as we drive to school each day. We continued getting to observe and teach lessons. It is such a joy to cross language and cultural barriers and to connect with our students. They have taught me more than I've taught them. The energy and genuine love of learning and curiosity of the students is so refreshing.

This experience has been incredibly life-affirming for me. I genuinely love teaching and learning, and it has been a joy to teach the wonderful people of Senegal. In addition to teaching, our host teacher has been giving us experiences in the city. One of the experiences was a boat ride on the Senegal River.

We departed from the Flamingo, the restaurant and dock area connected to our hotel, La Poste. We boarded the boat and ventured onto the water. I enjoyed watching the local people on the shore—families at the market, under tents, on the beach, and even children on boats.

The captain of our boat brought out a large garbage bag filled with bags of chips. He distributed them to us, and as we traveled through the channel, we tossed the chips to children diving off the boats to catch them. It seems he does this on every trip he takes out, as his way of giving back to the community. I was captivated by St. Louis' shoreline. As we cruised, some green trees in the distance were pointed out. They were in Mauritania, a neighboring country. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to go to Mauritania. Those who know me well know that I'm always trying to check off another country on my map.

Waiting for Chips

Our captain