I should have done this in the beginning, but it’s time for some introductions! With a wild time ahead of me, I have no doubt that I will be making some amazing memories with my fellow Ivory Coast Fulbrighters. In order to easier share these stories with you, I’ll give you a short run down of who is on this team! They are some wonderful beings from all walks of life!
Olivia Domowitz, Paige Selber, Chris Hassan, Noah Barnett, Olivia Lyman, ME!
Photo -PDO July 2019
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Located in the economic capital and largest city of the Ivory Coast, these friends are making their debut in Abidjan! Although all six of us are not together in the same location, we are only a few hours away by bus and a few seconds by video chat. They are minutes from the U.S. Embassy, the beach, the airport, and their lovely schools.
OLIVIA
Connecticut College
“I fell in love with the Ivorian culture that I was exposed to from afar and was struck by how much Ivorian pride the families I met had- so I wanted to experience the country firsthand.”
NOAH
Boston College
“Ivory Coast…let’s goooooooo dudes!”
aka
Most energized and pumped up about everything! Life of the party!
PAIGE
New York University
“I was drawn to Côte d’Ivoire in particular for its diverse ethnic makeup yet strong sense of national identity.”
Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire
The administrative capital of the Ivory Coast, Yamoussoukro, is the village of the country’s first president, Félix Houphouët Boigny. If you can mix rural and city, here’s your place! The major tourist attraction is the Catholic Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, the largest church in the world. You can find us spending our time at the maquis trying the rodent bushmeat (agouti), taking long naps in between monsoon rains, and buying goods at the market! Meet Liv and Chris!
LIV
Dickinson College
“One of the most important facets of integrating into a new country for me is learning the local languages, as I learned Kinyarwanda and practiced my French in Rwanda.”
Fun Fact: Future English Channel Swimmer
Theme Song:
CHRIS
Bates College
“For my journey to Côte d’Ivoire, I am most excited, quite simply, to meet my neighbors and become involved in my community!”
Fun Fact: Read Immanuel Kant’s A Critique for Pure Reason on a first date
Theme Song:
Ivory Coast Times 
Yanks don’t travel well. Get out and be an African. No where in the world is like the USA (thank God), so don’t compare it to ‘home’. It will never be ‘like’ somewhere else. It does not want to be (wants your money of course!), so do not try to make it like anywhere else. It is different, that is why you are there. It has it’s own values. Find the good ones and reinforce those.
LikeLike
Annika, I can’t believe I’m just learning about your experience as a traveler. I agree with the need to immerse. I do want to hear more about that effort, since you mentioned feeling like a guest during the school-day.
LikeLike