Week 2 in Senegal
Our first week with the clients was basically about understanding their situation and requirements and getting to know them better. Week 2 was then all about translating all the information into tasks and working on first drafts of our deliverables. This is done in an agile mode - we are constantly checking with our stakeholders if we are still on track and if they have any further comments. But we also want to have their buy-in, so that the deliverables are sustainable and will further be used, even when we are long gone.
In our lunch break and also after work, we explored the city further. It seems there is so much discover but so less time for that. For instance, the nice main station of Dakar. Or the place close to our hotel, where you can find colorful boats and fishermen selling whatever ended in their nets during the day.
The week past in no time. And it was Friday already. Match day. On Thursday evening, the complete city got prepared for this. There were people singing and dancing through the streets. Corner stones were painted in the color of the Senegalese flag. Big Flags were raised and everywhere was green & yellow & red.
We watched the match in a restaurant just next to our hotel. And then happened what everyone was afraid of — but nobody dared to think of. Senegal lost. 1:0. A pretty bad goal in 2nd minute of the match. Yet, on Saturday the Senegalese team was welcomed back by a huge crowd, as if they won the cup.
On Saturday morning, most of us left for a 3–4h ride towards the 10 square km big desert of Lompoul. We stayed in the Ecolodge, a sustainable place, where you only have electricity for some hours per day and water is being handled carefully. Besides dune surfing, camel rides and walking on the dunes, we had a lot of time to relax, read and just take a nap. In the evening before dinner, a band played on drums and everyone danced on the sand. After dinner we walked again on the dunes, getting a bit away from the lights of the lodge and the bonfire to see the stars. Unfortunately, there were again a few clouds that blocked the view on them. On Sunday after breakfast, we left Lompoul and headed back to Dakar.
Monday, week 3 starts already. We’ll continue our work on the deliverables at work and will try to explore more of Dakar, too.
