Salaam alaikum! (Greetings, peace be upon you!) My name is Mary Blair, and I'm a recent graduate of the University of Chicago. If you'd told me this would be my life a few years ago, I wouldn't have believed you. I grew up relatively sheltered in St. Louis, Missouri, and even just going five hours away to Chicago for college seemed like a big leap. It wasn't until I won a study abroad scholarship to Senegal in 2018 that the world really opened up for me, and I've had the travel bug ever since!
Since studying abroad in Senegal, I've been to The Gambia and Thailand, and I am currently back in Senegal conducting research on Gorée Island and The House of Slaves (an infamous port during the Transatlantic Slave trade) thanks to the U.S. Fulbright Program. I'm so excited to share my journey with you all and looking forward to learning from you all as well!
