What are the odds...

...here's the story...
  

For some context  - our kids attend a bilingual French/American school called Ecole Bilingue (EB for short - for those who don't know). At the school there is a parent - Penda-  with whom Manning and I were put in touch with - who is Senegalese.  During our process in considering this year abroad here, Penda was very supportive and excited about the prospect of us, as an EB American family spending a year in "her country" ;+}  When we were looking at one prospective school she provided us some insight into the particular neighborhood we were having to consider called Mermoz.

 

When the first school fell through  we ended up confirming with Sainte Jeanne D'arc in a new neighborhood - Plateau  (and I might add with special thanks to Brigitte the Director of Admissions at EB in helping us get back on track with applying to some new schools).  Penda assured us that in the end the 2nd school was equally as good if not actually a better school. With this new change and many things to do now before departure, I don't recall that we had talked to Penda further about the neighborhood the school was in.  What  we knew now is that we  had to wrap our heads around the prospect of searching for an apartment in a different neighborhood than the one we had envisioned and heard so much about.

So today I received a post from Penda - after she is now catching up on our exploits and our living on Felix Faure (revisted) post  - mind you in that post I only mentioned the street name with a few photos and nothing more - she wrote  "I think I lived in that same apartment in the 80's, it looks so familiar!" and she provided me the actual street address. Which to my shock was the exact address. Then I  wrote her back and described a bit more the 'complex' of the one main house and our house divided into 2 apartments - one with access from the ground floor courtyard and ours up a flight of steps. I then provided her the link to The Apartment (Revisited) - her reply back

 "OMG!!!!!  It is the below one, the one bedroom appt. I lived in it from 83 to 87. I know Bouba Diallo very well (the proprieter). He might not remember me but I tutored his daughter (Mounira) in Math when I was in college. Unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Keep in mind - upon landing here - our first few days we are in complete mayhem and madness (even though we may look refreshed in the photo below)  in a 3rd world country in which we know nothing about the customs and the culture. The next few days we are working to figure out the mobile phone setup and time is ticking with our plans to stay no more than 10 days at the hotel. We have only 2 websites we can barely decipher to find some apartments to look at. With either websites showing no more than one photo and minimal descriptions. Our selection of furnished apartments in Plateau is limited to less than one hand that are close to the school. We have solicited one immbolier to show us a few apartments they have in their inventory and Penda's uncle Mamadou (who she put us in contact with who lives here) was willing to make himself available to come to the hotel and  talk to contacts for some of the apartments on the website. 

After Mamadou makes a few calls - he informs us (regarding this apartment from the one photo) and his conversation with the immoblier - "while the place could use some decoration,  this was the best choice, a good price and the right location and we should check it out." Now I'm certain that while Mamadou after the phone call had knowledge of the location - he did not have the actual street address - nor even perhaps recall or consider Penda having ever lived downtown - as he certainly never mentioned any inkling of it.

The domino effect of all the events and people who  played a role that has led us to this apartment (with hindsight now) seems so incomprehensible.

It's maddening, crazy, unbelievable, cosmic, coincidental and serendipitous - we are in the same small complex in Dakar, Senegal that  Penda lived in 28 years ago.

Really, what are the odds....