Life in Senegal

Imagine walking by an abandoned teenage autistic boy. He was on the ground near the children’s ministry, ironically, rocking himself back and forth with drool falling from his mouth while shrieking a noise that sounded like fear covered up by laughter. He wore a thick coat of dirt on his feet and he was itching himself. I couldn’t help but notice the people walking by him and their reactions; they had none. A classy woman on the phone passed by without acknowledging him, a man in a traditional gown too. As soon as I turned the corner, I broke into tears because the worst part of this boy’s situation was that I couldn’t do anything about it; nobody could. Going from Canada, a first world country, to Senegal, a developing country, is quite interesting. There are so many details about this journey that I want to share but I would have to write down thousands of words. There are some things that affect me on a daily basis like: being the only young white woman amongst millions, white prejudices, economical injustice, cultural differences and homesickness.

Let’s start off with being the only white woman amongst millions. Everybody stares, but everyone also says hello. Senegalese love white people. I get hit on by at least one man a day, if not more, and sometimes a baby will stare at me so hard I know that he’s never seen a white person before. I find it crazy that they love white people so much, considering the history behind slavery. But then I remember that they know that black people sold black people to white people. It doesn’t justify slavery, but I am forever grateful that Senegalese are not racist in a negative way, though they are still racist considering the racism is defined as “the belief that difference races possess distinct characteristics, abilities, or qualities, especially so as to distinguish them as inferior or superior to one another.” The racism here is definitely in positive way, if that’s even possible and I’ve only been discriminated once. Let me share some of the prejudices towards white people that the collective shares.

Unfortunately, all white people in Senegal are perceived as rich. I can see why considering the only time I actually see white people is when I am at an overpriced cafe or the super marché. But sometimes, this prejudice makes me feel as if I am literally walking around with a million dollar bank statement on my forehead. Every taxi will beep at me expecting I can afford the ride, every salesman spots me from afar and tries to charmingly persuade me into their shop. Everybody always comes to me for money, and being my hyper sensitive, life is abundant, empathic self, I mostly always give in. It can be a burden because I am a few years away from being rich and in this moment, I too am financially strained. I live with a budget and I have a hard time staying faithful to that budget. But, with all of that being said, I am aware of my privilege considering that I live in a brand new two bedroom apartment, I get my groceries at the super marché and my child is attending school. Most people here live in environments similar to camping, which leads us to the impact of poverty.

“75 percent of families (in Senegal) suffer from chronic poverty.” Bam. You read that correctly. It’s hard to digest this fact and even harder to see it on a daily basis so let me give you a little taste of what it feels like to see people suffer from poverty. After witnessing the autistic boy, I would have to say that the most pitiful form of poverty would be the handicapped people. You’ll see many people who have amputated limbs… The luckiest ones are in wheelchairs but sometimes you’ll see people crawling. Yes, actually crawling—through traffic too. These people beg for money. A shy second place would go to the Talibé’s. These boys are sent out to a Marabout who teaches them the Quran and in order to attend this “school”, they have to fork up 1$ a day, which too comes from the streets. Highly neglected and mistreated, these boys aged from 4-18 make up for 100,000 kids in Senegal. Next up we have the working class heroes. Damn, these people are highly respectable. You should see the labour they go through to come back home with a maximum of 5$ a day. Not per hour, per day. This money is used for food, electricity, rent and other necessities. You see many children working as mechanics or electricians, women selling fruit and other little objects, washing clothes under the hot sun, carrying huge baskets/buckets of water on top of their heads, men pushing tons of steel, selling gadgets and just straight up doing dirty work. They are always working. Most people might take sunday off but sometimes they don’t because 5$ a day can’t do shit in Senegal. I get so angry at the thought of how the world works and how we can even let people suffer and Senegal has it easy compared to other countries in the world. But, we often hear that people who have nothing are often then happiest, which seems to be true, (most of the time.)

I come from Canada and for those of you who have been to Canada, you know Canadians a freaking nice. But I didn’t know what kindness was until I moved to Senegal. Senegal is known as the country of hospitality. It’s kind of unreal how generous people are here with the little amount of commodity they own. But that’s why they are so nice, because they have next to nothing—they treat others as they would like to be treated. I’ve known generosity because I was blessed and born into a higher class family but I thought generosity could only exist if you live with abundance. Though it’s not true. In Senegal, everybody shares. They eat in the same plate, and if you haven’t eaten all day and you go to your friends mother’s house around 2 o’clock, you will leave with a full tummy. They also share their money. Sometimes I wonder if that’s why so many people are poor, but I know that it’s not the case; people are poor here because of the corruption and the unjust economy. Although poverty is common, it would be harder to be poor while living in New York. Senegalese are generous, caring, humble and just straight up raw. So if you ever need help, it’s not far away. There is also a lot less judgment here because people are so focused on their own path they hardly give judgment their time and “only God can judge you”. It makes living here a lot easier even though at times it can be tough.

Last but not least, the hardest part about living in another country is exactly that; it’s another country... It’s not home. I fall into moments of intense homesickness. During my life, the longest that I have traveled away from Canada was 6 weeks. When my plane would land after my trips, I would literally want to get on my hands and knees and kiss the Canadian soil. Not only the soil, but Canadian people, Tims, my mom and I would just be so happy to come home to my room. Now, after being away from home for almost 8 months, I miss the shit out of it. I miss (especially) the food, my family, my home, the ocean, the tranquility, the nature, the clean fresh air, I even friggen miss my neighbours. It’s pretty difficult to adapt in a foreign country. I find myself mostly complaining about the alarm clock that goes off every morning around 4:45 am. “Allah ho akbar, alllllllah ho ak bar”… Yeah, our apartment is right beside a mosque so hello to early mornings! Also, it’s hard to get used to the dust that creeps in between the tiny cracks. The floors get so friggen dirty! Don’t ask me HOW, but I feel like I am always cleaning. Finally, the culture shock. From men being able to marry up to four women, to most women only marrying for money, to seeing children playing on the streets without supervision and it being safe... There is a lot more I could say about the multiples shocks that I have received since my arrival but those are the main that affect me the most.

That pretty much sums up Senegal. I don’t know when I will be coming home to settle down, but I just feel good here. I feel as if manifesting happens so quickly because everyone is so natural and manifestation is a part of human nature. There is also not much fear here (COVID-19 is basically non existent). My energy matches the energy that the collective creates. Everybody salutes and acknowledges each other, and wishes peace onto one another. Amidst the chaos, I have never felt such peace and I can tell you that if it weren’t for the people of Senegal, I wouldn’t be here. I fell in love with their wholeness, sincerity, humility, with the oneness, and sense of unity. Here, I am you and you are me, everything is love; and now it's my home away from home.