By Thomas Gilchrist 

DAKAR, Senegal–In France, cafes are closing in record numbers in light of a down-turned economy and recent smoking regulations, causing some to wonder whether or not the culture of the French cafe is disappearing little by little as doors continue to close.  Here in Dakar, however, where there are surprisingly few French cafes, the culture is thriving, albeit at an unlikely location: the gas station.

MyShops are similar to any one-stop travel plaza in the United States, with a small convenience store and a court of fast-food eateries.  Only while in American travel plazas one finds a few weary truckers and a lot of really tired people dreading their return to the highway, MyShops are home to a vibrant social culture not unlike the fabled French cafes of old.

Here, one can find nearly every social strata Dakar has to offer.  On a Friday night like this one, people sit in green plastic chairs on the patio that stretches the length of the convenience store, and an empty chair is not to be found.  Young toubabs (white people) choosing to forego one of the many bars so as to drink four dollar bottles of wine under the blinding florescent lights, the young nouveau riche of Senegal in their hipster clothes held up by bejeweled dollar sign belts, families who have brought their children to a rewarding dinner at Pizza Inn, old French Ex-Pats begrudgingly smoking cigarettes with their presumably rich Senegal counterparts.  Small children race about young couples on a romantic night out, groups of men having intimate conversations over who knows what, but probably football and politics.  One man is dressed in a grand boubou, appearing to be some sort of religious leader; a child in rags begs through the metal railing.

The social scene at a MyShop epitomizes every socio-intellectual aspect of French cafe culture, only with an air of the superficial amidst the flimsy plastic chairs showered in gleaming florescent lights, almost as a artificial placeholder for the cafes of old.

Like America’s diner culture, there is something undeniably real about a French cafe, something grand and extraordinary, steeped in tradition and shrouded in marble walls and enclosed in wrought iron fences–an elitism, not of people, but of culture. Here at Cafe MyShop, however that elitism of marble and wrought-iron, hardwood interiors and cobblestone sidewalks is sacrificed to the linoleum and plastic-y florescent, vinyl tablecloths of superficiality and weakness.

Despite these chintzy surroundings, the culture of the French cafe is alive and well here in Dakar, even if there aren’t any real cafes to support it.  While sustaining a popular platform for people of all spectrums to gather in a spirit of discussion and camaraderie, MyShops leave one feeling encased in plastic and florescence, wishing only they could be gathered with friends on the Paris streets of old.

photos, Thomas Gilchrist

By Martin Goffeney

 Kalamazoo, MI–Like many Sophomores preparing for their next year at Kalamazoo College, Richard Moore had just received
his acceptance letter from the Center for International Programs. This suddenly
changed when Moore received a second letter, from the program in Turkey, informing him that his acceptance was premature–Moore had been rejected from study abroad. "They
really gave me no explanation," Moore said. Instead of applying for another program, he made the decision to not go abroad his Junior year.

"I wasn't really excited about any other programs and I never was much of a language student," he explained.

Moore is in the minority at Kalamazoo College. K consistently boasts of high acceptance rates into study abroad programs and repeatedly ranks high in lists of colleges sending students abroad. According to the CIP, the college ranked seventh in 2008 for study abroad participation on a list of colleges compiled by the Institute of International Education. However, every year, dozens of students are either rejected from their programs of choice, or choose not to go abroad. This puts them in an unusual position on a campus that prides itself on its study abroad acceptance rates. However, choosing not to go on study abroad does not preclude a student from experiencing the world outside of Kalamazoo College. Many of these students make use of the various internships and study away programs also offered through the school.

Moore made use of the college's partnership with the GLCA New York Arts Program. Moore, now a Senior, spent winter quarter his Junior year in an internship at a local theatre in New York City. With help from the program, Moore found an apartment in the city and spent three months working with professional actors and technicians.

He spoke highly of the program, "New York offered me a chance to put into practice things I had been learning in school. I was ready to be doing something rather than just learning stuff."

Moore is not the only one to make this decision. Anne Renaud, a Junior, made the decision not to go abroad, even after her acceptance into the Kenya program. Like Moore, Renaud found other ways to learn outside the bounds of Kalamazoo's campus. Renaud spent the fall of her Sophomore year in Philadelphia, working on an internship through the Philadelphia Center. Renaud raved about her internship with the Pennsylvania Prison Society, a social justice organization for prisoners and their families.

"It was an amazing use of a quarter," Renaud said. "They help you with your resume and you go on interviews. The professional support was very helpful."

Mathew Duggan, a Senior, also decided to stay on campus his Junior year. Like Renaud, Duggan spent the fall of his Sophomore year completing an internship through the Philadelphia Center.

Duggan noted the practical experience he received, something he thinks study abroad lacks in some aspects. "We got a lot of autonomy that people on study abroad don't," he said. "The Center gave us a little help, but for the most part we were left on our own to find an apartment and a job."

Duggan was accepted into his study abroad program of choice, Egypt. However, cost made Duggan reconsider the program.

"Financial aid was definitely an issue," he said. "I did not have the financial resources to go on study abroad and live off-campus as a Senior."

Questions about the cocst of study abroad are on the minds of college administrators as well. Dr. Joseph Brockington, Associate Provost for International Programs, said that the CIP is also looking into the issue of the falling value of the dollar in international standings.

"That's something I would love to know," Brockington said. "We're going to be doing some studies of our own." Brockington added that the actual price of study abroad has not change–as it has always been, the cost of study abroad remains the cost of the tuition at the college. However, tuition has risen considerably the past few years. Recreation and travel expenses are also not included in the program fee.

"It's different when you look at expenses not from the cost of the program, but from the perceived cost of being there over and above the program," he said.

It remains to be seen whether or not the falling value of the dollar will have any sort of impact on study abroad participation rates. Even if students do become discouraged with study abroad programs, several domestic programs remain that give students the opportunity to leave Kalamazoo's campus, without having to worry about unfavorable exchange rates. Other than the programs in Philadelphia and New York, there are several other programs, which, according to Brockington, are often overlooked by students. Options include the Oak Ridge Science Semester, open to Juniors and Seniors, that partners students with researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.  Another is the GLCA Border Studies Program, open to Sophomores and Juniors, that takes students through Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico. An additional program is the Newberry Library Program in Chicago, but admissions to this are limited, Brockington explained, as only Seniors traditionally participate in the program. As the global economy changes and students reconsider their options, these programs may soon be seeing an influx of new participants.

Martin Goffeney is a regular contributor to The Kosmopolitan. He is a Junior English major at Kalamazoo College.

Photo Courtesy of Anne Renaud