Behind the Scenes
Senégal: Home away from Home
Colorful streets, bustling fish markets, and a people who’s hospitality is endless. This is Senégal, the most western country in Africa. I think it was here that I felt the most at home. From the call to prayer blaring over the intercom from nearby mosques, to catching fish and drinking Touba Coffee as the sun sets with locals, Senégal was my home away from home.
I have traveled to thirty-eight countries at the time of this publication. From the churches and ruins in South America to the stupas and temples in Asia, my travels have led me to far away places, met interesting people with stories that will inspire and enchant you, but for some reason it was in Senegal, along the many beaches of Dakar that I felt something truly special. From the moment I landed and sat in the taxi on my way to my hostel, I had this feeling. The conversation I shared with the man driving me, it was just a feeling, a feeling of belonging I had for the first time.
I preceded to venture through the country spending time in Dakar along the rocky beaches. I remember the first sunset I witnessed sitting alongside the rocks of one of the many coasts. The way the sun dipped beneath the horizon, the spectrum of colors it painted on the sky behind a backdrop of crashing waves created a beautiful picturesque setting. I watched and journaled, trying to capture the moments in words.
“The way the sunset dipped beneath the horizon, the spectrum of colors it painted on the sky behind a backdrop of crashing waves”
Now I have witnessed powerful sunsets, but this one was different. Maybe it was the calm orange hue of the sun, or the splashes of ocean spraying my face. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I felt at peace. I felt a sense of tranquility I hadn’t received in other places.
This theme continued, as I journeyed east to Touba. The solitude I discovered amongst the cool tiles and woven prayer mats of the grand mosque that sat in the center of the city was incomparable. It was in Touba that I began to discover the other gem that this country offered, its people. Their hospilitatlity, their warmth, I could bask in it. Souleymane was one of the many people that I met in touba. His vibrant orange turban was impossible not to notice. Within moments he had become a mentor and a friend. Even has I journeyed more north to the coastal city of Saint Louis, the colorful welcoming personalities of the people enticed me to what to stay. To set up roots in this foreign country, to never want to leave. And now, as I reflect on my time in Senegal, I continue to fall in love. I’m reminiscing on the coffee I had shared with some locals as we fished and further discussed life. The peace I felt sitting amongst fellow worshippers. Senegal and all its personality and color had become my home away from home.