My Senegal journey and how it changed my life
I learnt a lot from the trip I made to Senegal. It is so true that when you travel, you learn!
That journey wasn’t my first nor second, to another African Country other than my home country, No, but it was the most memorable. I saw life and true beauty from another angle, as I stepped my feet onto the sands of Senegal.
Now, let me share with you, 7 great lessons I learnt from that experience:
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Take life easy – It wasn’t hard for me to fall in love with Senegal’s ‘Take Life Slow and Easy’ philosophy. I found that it was their way of life… life is slow paced and gentle, even their drivers drove slowly and gently. Oh my Gosh…comparing it to Lagos or Port Harcourt driving is like comparing tortoise speed with the antelope (Well this is a bit of an exaggeration). I found it refreshing to learn that life doesn’t need to be a hustle and bustle.
In fact think about this: I am used to a proverb in Igbo (my native language) that ‘Eme ngwa ngwa, emeghara odachi’ – literally meaning ‘when you do things fast fast, you will avoid problem’ ……equivalent of the English proverb, ‘A stitch in time saves nine’. And now in Dakar, I learnt of their own proverb, ‘ndank ndank mooy jaap golo ci naay’ (I apologize if I didn’t write it exact), which means to take life slowly slowly to avoid problem. Nice isn’t it?
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Gym on the streets – I was surprised to see lots of outdoor gyms on the streets, lots of people doing press ups, lifting weights… and then continuing their daily activities; jogging on the streets sidewalks, biking, just to incorporate exercise into their normal life routine. Dakar love fitness!