While there are a lot of languages spoken in Senegal, in Thies there are two very popular languages. French is the national language in Senegal, yet outside of tourist locations, Wolof is primarily spoken. Wolof is a combination of French and Arabic.
In Senegal, we use CFA which is the Central African Franc. 1 USD is worth about 625 CFA. In CFA there are 25, 50, 100, 200, and 500 CHF coins. There are also bills which come in 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, and 10,000.
A small bottle of water (0.5 liters) usually costs 725 CFA or $1.15. However, most people buy the big 1 liter bottles which are 1100 CFA or $1.75. Why do you think people buy the big water instead of the little one?
The best meal I had this week was Thieboudienne with red rice. Thieboudienne is a dish with rice, fish, and a variety of vegetables. People make it with red and white rice, but I think the red rice tastes better. I had this meal at a friends house for a ngente. A ngente is a type of baptism in Senegal. It is both a religious ceremony and a baby shower to celebrate the child.
