The University of Cheikh Anta Diop is worthless

Upon attemping to attend 2 weeks worth of classes at UCAD and failing each time because the professors refuse to show up, I have decided that UCAD is completely and utterly worthless. The campus is littered 3 inches deep in litter, because the concept of putting garbage in garbage cans is utterly foreign to the country of Senegal. Professors don't show up to their classes, even when the students do. The library has about 12 books, none of the remotely modern. The dormatories look like hell from the outside - I've as of yet been too afraid to try to enter. The English, Literature, and Religion departments still haven't posted finalized schedules. For these reasons, and the fact that I am very very frustrated, I have decided that UCAD is for losers.

In other news, I have reached the half-way mark of my study abroad experience, and feel I ought comemorate it with a mention. It's strange that I could have lived in this country for 3 months, and still feel so utterly conspicuous all of the time. Being here makes me utterly conscious of both my gender and my race almost all of the time. It is rare that I am able to walk anywhere without being accosted by a male in some form or other, and I attribute that to the prevailing belief that American woman are sexually promiscuous and monetarily gifted. Ultimately, while I do enjoy myself here for the most part, I continue to feel very much a "toubab."