Apartment Tour

written 20 january 2022

So for housing, all of the MSID students are staying in the same apartment building about a mile away from WARC. It takes about 30 minutes to walk to school. Dakar is divided up into different sections like Sacre-Coeur, Mermoz, Fann, Sicap, etc. The Sicap section is more residential and is divided up into further neighborhoods each with its own mayor and city center. Our neighborhood is called Sicap-Karak and we are located right next to the police training academy. I have absolutely no idea what our address is/street is called so that’s what I tell the taxi/anyone who asks and it seems to work.

The front of our apartment building

Previously, students were placed with host families, however due to COVID that is no longer an option. To make up for that experience, one of the staff’s sister cooks us supper each night and sends it over for us to eat together in the biggest apartment. We also have designated “cultural discussions” each Friday to go over the main points we may miss by living with other students instead of families.

Each apartment has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and some sort of balcony. I’ll insert an apartment tour below.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/b10236_0f4bbd38eb0a438cb93a86371e483b84/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

The roof of our apartment has some goats and chickens- a recent endeavor by our landlord, and the famous washing machine only for the MSID students (I tried it out and it works great!).

The laundry room

Across the street is a small convenience store where we can buy eggs, soap, coffee, ect. It is nice to not have to lug those items a long distance. Next door there is a fruit stand and a pharmacy about a block away which is also convenient. Around the corner is an American store with familiar brands and a gelato shop. There is a big difference between le quartier Sicap and le résidence Fann (where WARC is located). There is always noise here, whether a prayer call, music, political speeches, parties, animals noises, ect. In Fann, it is almost eerily silent (but good for studying). Crazy how a quick 30-minute walk can change a lot.

I'll insert some pictures here of our neighborhood/walk to school