Intercultural Dimensions
Crossing Cultures Senegal, West Africa Program
Intercultural Dimensions ©2009, info@interculturaldimensions.org, telephone: 617-864-8442
Meghan, Columbus, Ohio
In December 1995, I was a senior double majoring in Anthropology and French at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. I had just taken a class called Ethnographies of Africa, and was desperate to spend some time there during my winter break. For four, heady, amazing weeks, I was fortunate to learn things about Senegal that almost no typical Western travelers have access to. Because John and Janet have maintained such close ties with their adoptive country, I walked away from my time in Senegal feeling like I had a substantial understanding for the people, languages, and cultures.
But the impact of my trip to Senegal with Intercultural Dimensions goes beyond Senegal itself. I am now finishing my second year as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Danlí, Honduras. It is amazing how all the things I thought were important eight years ago, aren’t even on my radar these days. The Crossing Cultures Senegal program was my introduction to the real world—with all its layers and complexities—to issues that mean infinitely more than paychecks or cars or status, and to a way of thinking that I think enriches my life infinitely.
Meghan, left