For me, Dakar was inarguably the most interesting port we've visited thus far. After spending much of the Semester in Europe, it was really refreshing to finally observe a completely different culture than my own... even if it meant continually attempting to shake off armies of street vendors.

However, I found that the most rewarding aspect of our experience in Senegal was the time I spent at the SOS Village. It was inspiring to see the innovative program they have developed for orphans who live there, and it was eye--opening to take in their way of life. We led games for the children and taught them about basic sanitation, but it's debatable as to whether it was them or us who got more out of the interaction.

It's hard to describe the feeling you get playing and laughing with the children at the orphanage and going along with them when, without hesitation, they jump up onto your shoulders or grab hold of your hand to lead you to the next game. It was inspiring to see that even though they may not have many of the luxuries that we enjoy, and in spite of the hardships that most of them have undoubtedly faced, they still were some of the happiest and most energetic kids I'd ever met.

At the same time, I think that for many of us at the SOS Village, witnessing the way and quality of life that these children enjoy, broke down a lot of the stereotypes and reserves we had harboured about what African orphans would be like. We weren't a world away from them anymore, we were holding them in our arms, and we were allowing ourselves to just relax and have fun with them during our time there. You were able to laugh it off when a little girl accidentally went "number one" while sitting on your lap, or to, without hesitation, hand over your $80 sunglasses to the kid on your shoulders and pose for a picture that another little boy took with your camera (being able to enjoy everything about that picture even if the boy may have blocked half of it out with his finger).

I think for me, the most rewarding part of our time in Dakar, was standing with at least three children hanging off of me, and stopping to look around and feel comforted by the innocence they all shared. It was almost surreal to look around at the smiles on their faces while they were kicking a soccer ball or chasing a bubble, completely oblivious to their own problems or the problems of the world, and united in their simple desire to have fun.