So I just left GEEP to go find some lunch and I just started walking around and I went into a tiny market and just started chatting with some guys and I was basically like, I need to find some lunch. And one of them was like, oh ya, no problem, let me walk you. What kind of food do you want? Senegalese? Fish? Pizza? Ok, here's a really good pizza place. And he is like here, take my number, I live around here, if you want to find more places to eat just call me and I'll help you find something. Ok, cool, bye. And he just left. (All in French of course, and he tried to help me with my Wolof when we first started talking) No hassling, no rudeness or impatience, no hitting on me, just a really nice dude that wanted to help me find some food. SO refreshing. =)
Also, there's a 5 day conference being held at GEEP right now called "South-South relations and Globalization – Chinese migrants in Africa and African migrants in China." Not sure what it has to do with GEEP, maybe it's just being held in the building, who knows... but my Director sent me the agenda and was like, just pop in there whenever one of the topics interests you. So I sat through 2 presentations this morning and they were actually super interesting because it's something I've really never thought about before. I had no idea that there were enough people immigrating/emigrating to/from each of these places to have enough material and interested people to be able to hold a 5 day conference. The people attending seem to be part of various academic institutions from the US, China, Africa, the UK, France, and probably more, so there's a really funny and interesting language dynamic going on. About half the people are most comfortable in English, and the other half are most comfortable in French, and I would say about 90% of them speak both languages to some degree. I'll tell you what, these people put the majority of Americans to shame when it comes to intelligence. Not only are they talking about things way above most people's comprehension, but they're explaining it relatively clearly in two different languages. I'm highly impressed. Also there was a little bit of discussion about one of my favorite academic topics (whatever you want to call it): borders, boundaries, fences, gates, security, etc... like how people base their realities and identities on arbitrary lines on a map or very permeable physical barriers. Not exactly sure if I could explain why, but those topics absolutely fascinate me.
So today is a very good day. =) My weekend was awesome... I took 330 pictures and it's probably going to take me all week to get everything sorted out and write about it all.... but I will begin that task now...
Enjoyed this post very much, Nikki. And here's a secret: There are many, many people as intelligent as those conference-goers right here in the U.S., you just have to make an effort to find them. And you will. And they will become some of your best friends, because it's a joy to spend time around really sharp, educated, motivated people.
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