• Sevilla
• Paris
• Florence
• Dakar

Open your eyes to Dakar

Housing

The home stay is an important aspect of the program, as it allows students to experience first hand the Senegalese way of life.

All Wells College program participants are housed with Senegalese families, generally near the university or downtown. The student usually has her/his own room, furnished with at least a bed, a study desk, and a closet. Families are chosen not only for their ability to provide the basic necessities, but above all for their interest in sharing their lives with their guests. Our students have greatly enjoyed the warm welcome they have received, as well as their total and unexpected integration into these families. Many lasting friendships have resulted.

Meals are taken with the family at least twice a day (morning and evening). Transportation and lunch money are provided each month for those living too far from the university to return home at noon. The food is varied and wholesome; vegetarian students adapt particularly well to the steady fare of rice, couscous, millet, and fresh vegetables. Others will enjoy the chicken, lamb, and fish that are staples of the Senegalese diet.

Costs

The cost of the Program is fully covered under the Wells College semester registration fee and includes:

As of Spring 2006, the comprehensive cost of the program is $10,950. (Please check with the Director to see if any adjustment has been made due to the US dollar exchange rate or the flight costs for Spring 2007.)

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Director

André Siamundele (Ph.D. in French, Yale) is Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Wells College. He has taught several years at a Peace Corps training center in Bukavu (Democratic Republic of Congo) where he led cross-cultural workshops aimed at introducing American youth to African cultures. His research interests include the African identity crisis as a pathological linguistic phenomenon through the emptiness of political discourse in the post-colonial era.

"I love the opportunity to introduce students to Africa, not only in the classroom but also on less formal grounds. My goal is to extend students' views on Africa."

Orientation

A weeklong orientation precedes the semester. Meetings, lectures, and guided tours are set up to familiarize students with every aspect of the program: academic goals, cultural life of the city, museums and library facilities, transportation network, banks, post offices, stores, etc. The host family and the student adviser provide a constant supply of information about the city and its surroundings.

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