The BALSA Senegal Service Trip met and surpassed all of my expectations—it was an amazing experience that I'm extremely grateful to have had. Spending the day at the Colombin Association was one of my favorite parts of the trip. The organization works to help deaf and mute children, who are largely ostracized in Senegalese culture. The children come to the organization to learn to read and write as well as create beautiful pottery. Before visiting Colombin, I definitely was not aware of just how difficult sculpting/pottery really is, but the kids were really great teachers. At first, there was some difficulty in communicating—although the kids knew or were in the process of learning American Sign Language (ASL), most of our group didn't know it at all or only knew the basics. However, we quickly overcame the language barrier and they got us straight to the business of sculpting boabab trees (an important symbol of Senegalese culture) and small pots. They were extremely patient and friendly, and it was really amazing to watch them easily sculpt beautiful pieces of art. Unfortunately, my baobab tree was not quite as beautiful in the end, but that didn't dampen the experience. The children and heads of the organization even went as far as to serve us Attaya, a delicious type of Senegalese tea, and ceeb u jën, a traditional meal of fish and rice, for lunch. It was by far my favorite meal of the trip. An important part of Senegalese culture is the value of Teranga, which means hospitality. The children at Colombin Association truly embodied this value and I'm so happy to have met and spent the day with them.
