School

written 20 janvier, 2022

So I thought I’d devote a blog post to where I attend school. The West African Research Center (WARC) is not in fact really a research center. Rather it hosts a variety of different programs, one of which is MSID. WARC houses the permanent offices of the MSID staff. Its goal is to connect the United States with West Africa; you can read more about it here. The center also houses a variety of study abroad programs from other schools and Fullbright scholars. Currently, there is our program and a group of students from UChicago who attend classes at the center. There are also a variety of political and education events that happen daily at the center.

The entrance to WARC

The school itself is relatively small and open. When you first walk in, to the left is a kitchen where a group of about 5-6 ladies prepares lunch everyday. The students and professionals who work in the neighborhood (and honestly anyone who comes by) can buy a plate for 1500 – 2000 CFA (which is about $3-4) and it’s a TON of food! Most days I can’t finish my plate, to which the ladies greatly disapprove.

The lunch tables and MSID offices

The view when you first walk in; the main dining area.

There is a courtyard and garden filled with tables for the “restaurant.” The front of the building hosts the MSID offices and a library for research. The middle of the building is lined with small classrooms of various sizes with tables and chairs. The far side of the building hosts more offices. And there is a new addition to WARC where we spend most of our time, a large conference room, complete with A/C and a projector.

You can kind of see the outside hallway and classrooms in the photo to the right.

Around the backside is a tent and chairs to have class outside (it’s a favorite spot for everything). We can also lay out mats to sit on the ground.

A typical lunch

The center is located in le résidence Fann which is on the very western tip of Dakar about 5 minutes from the coast. It’s super quiet in the neighborhood, so while at WARC, I feel very sheltered from anything outside. The neighborhood is home to a ton of different embassies and residents. The houses are very large and modern. Not sure who lives there, but it’s fun to walk around and see the top halves of the houses.

More of the outside hallway to classrooms.