Mga napulot ko sa aking pagala-gala... (Picked up from my wandering about...)

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Just a Ride

On my way to work, I could not help but smile when I read this Isaac Newton quote in the "Trains of Thought" series on the bus today:

"I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me."

That's not all. Once I transferred to my train, I had to
suppress a giggle when I saw this poster:The picture is just from my phone's camera so it's a bit blurry ... but if you're looking for a unique Halloween costume or want to be a superstar as advertised, you can be Kanye West! I think it's an ad for Absolut vodka but I really had to read the fine print to find that out. Funny how no one else in the crowded train paid it any attention.

Then I did a search on Google and found this (will also upload the video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TrkrSdyIHY

Crazy old big apple indeed!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

First and Last

You know that first day high? It feels strange but good having another one of them. Today was my first day as a working girl in New York.

Dressing, grooming and making myself up to look professional. I haven't done that for years. I found this photo of me at my last day at my last real job. I looked so happy then. Probably because I knew it was an exciting ride ahead. But I had no idea of all the adventures I would get myself into.

Now I'm back to office life. Back to getting lost on the floor, not knowing where to get water, and feeling awkward needing a badge to use the bathroom. Anyway, nothing too crazy happened but today is proof that the New York chapter of my adventure is not over yet.




Monday, October 13, 2008

Thies Village Banks

My last week and first time on the field in Thies.

Walking around Thies

Night at Cathedrale Sainte-Anne, Thies

This is the cathedral right across the street from where I lived in Thies. I think it was around 9pm and there were lights inside the church because there was choir practice. It had just finished raining and I went outside with my camera gear, super fantastic tripod, and my travel umbrella (good thing too because it was still drizzling). I soon had to go back inside though because I was being devoured alive by mosquitoes. Thies was part two of my summer internship (the first part being in Kolda).


Tourist spots: My trip to the Gambia



Finally, here is my entry on the Gambia. I do not have time to edit the photos so any suggestions and advice would be very much welcome. I know I still have much to learn about lighting, especially outdoors.

My trip to the Gambia...Taking a long ride on a sept-place (7-seater), crossing the border and convincing border officials to let me through with a visitor's pass instead of a visa (which was more expensive than I'd have hoped), weren't easy but were accomplished.

I wasn't sure if I could survive it alone but I surprised myself by making the trip and having fun too.

First, everything was so much cheaper compared to Senegal. And English was a national language so since I communicated easier in English than French, I thought it would be a good change. I stayed in Bakau and I was able to get a real bargain on it because it was no longer peak season and prices were so much lower. The owner and guards were really nice and friendly too.

Next, transportation was easy to figure out. On my first day I was able to take the cheaper shared vans instead of the more expensive private taxis tourists usually take. I was also able to use more Wolof than I ever did in Senegal and the people were very helpful.

I was in awe watching fishermen at the beach at Bakau coming in on their boats at sunset with their catch as crowds of people waded into the water to meet them with empty buckets on their heads, and then came back to the shore buckets-filled with fresh fish. They didn't want their picture taken so after a lot of unsuccessful no-look shots, I finally just settled down and watched them while chatting with some friendly kids and some rastamen who were eager to teach me new Wolof phrases. I would also be approached by people who wanted to have their photo taken.

The second day I took a long trip to Bijilo Forest Park where I met the park keeper who was so kind. I forgot his name though because it's taken me so long to post this. He would take care, with each step, not to scare any of the birds and animals away, and he would point out every plant, butterfly, bird and animal. It's too bad I didn't have a telephoto zoom to capture the birds and animals but I was amused by this gentle man who was my model for a lot of the shots. Upon leaving the park, I was approached by the guy selling souvenirs, who offered to show me the Abuko national park, a bigger and more famous park, not too far away.

Immediately, warning bells started ringing in my head. But I was so tempted when he talked about all the wildlife we would see and so when he said I was free to decide the price of the tour, I agreed. His name was Foxy and to make a long story short, he was a lousy guide and ended up pissing me off and almost messing up my perception of the Gambia. Lesson learned. Next time listen to those warning bells.

The trip back to Senegal took me to Banjul, then on a ferry ride to the border. I then took a 7-hour ride on a Ndiagane Ndiaye (40+ seater) which was very uncomfortable and time-consuming but at least it was something to add to my unforgettable experience.

All in all, my two-day adventure in the Gambia was not bad at all (or was it not all that bad). I had fun and had a few interesting stories by the time I'd returned to Senegal. My Pinoy friends were definitely impressed.

Weekend in Dakar

After discovering that taking the local public transportation from Thies to Dakar was relatively quick, cheap and painless, I decided to spend the weekend with a friend at Bel-air. The sunset at the beach there was nothing I'd ever witnessed in Africa. It was not the typical picture of an African sunset but I enjoyed every minute of it. We also had dinner at a nice restaurant by a casino which had Asian food which isn't rare in Dakar































Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Monsieur Ibrahim et Les Fleurs du Coran - Eric Emmanuel Schmitt

Excerpt from the German-French book my foster sister sent me from Switzerland and a shot at translation:

Lorsque tu veux savoir si tu es dans un endroit riche ou pauvre, tu regardes les poubelles. Si tu vois ni ordures ni poubelles, cest tres riche. Si tu vois des poubelles et pas d'ordures, c'est riche. Si tu vois des ordures a cote des poubelles, c'est ni riche ni pauvre: c'est touristique. Si tu vois les ordures sans les poubelles, c'est pauvre. Et si les gens habitent dans les ordures, c'est tres tres pauvre.

If you want to know if the place you're in is rich or poor, look at the trashcans. If you don't find any trash nor trashcans, it's a very rich place. If you find trashcans but no trash, it's a rich place. If you see trash beside the trashcans, it's neither rich nor poor: it's touristy. If you see trash with no trashcans, it's poor. If there are people living in the trash, it is very very poor.

*How accurate is it? The translation and his observation? I would highly recommend this book to French learners since it's a pretty easy read (easier for me than 'The Little Prince') and it's got some interesting words to add to your vocabulary. They even made a movie of it but I haven't watched it yet.