During our orientation, our on-site program director warned all the girls in the program to be careful about the intentions of Senegalese men. We all quickly learned why. When you are walking down the street you may very well get a marriage proposal thrown at you, or an affirmation of love. For some Senegalese men, meeting an American woman can be a sort of jackpot. American women are often assumed to be wealthy, fun loving, more “liberal” sexually (sometimes), and great entry ways into the United States. For others (the majority I’d say) an American woman is simply something different and, in many ways, exotic- someone new to talk to and learn about! When some Senegalese men spot a foreigner they turn on the charm. Because I am African American and look more like Senegalese women, I experienced this on a smaller, yet still notable, scale. My white female friends in the program were frequently courted and/or proposed to. When it was discerned that I was foreign, and American, I would also experience the “Senegalese seduction”. The attention can be overwhelming and annoying at times but then again you are a walking anomaly. Once you accept that that there is generally no ill will behind the stares (or proposals), you can just use the attention as another way to make friends in a new environment.