2017-03-18
She shines the flashlight into the well. 5:00 before sunrise, she fetches water so that her husband can wash and perform the Morning Prayer. Her family is Muslim. Muslim men are allowed 4 wives – She is the second. She still has to care for all children of the household, even if they’re not hers....
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2017-02-01
Teranga – best translated into English as hospitality – is a quintessential element of Senegalese society. The word is painted with the same enthusiasm and gravity as religious sayings (and oh are there many) on the sides of public buses and the walls of restaurants and inns. Teranga is everywhere and instilled in everyone. If...
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2016-12-16
A disclaimer. More like an excuse. This blog post has been long overdue. To my friends and family who have missed my incoherent writing, I apologize. This life in Senegal has been like a piece of coal, imperfect. And of course, the typical excuses: Work, precious internet connection, demotivation, fatigue, Malaria, relationships, blogger’s block. One...
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2016-10-02
“You know, you should really skype your family and show them what we look like here in Dakar. Make sure they know you’re not hanging around with funny people. We know what Africa looks like to them. Let them know we have a bit of civilization.” This was what my aunt was telling me in perfectly fluent English when...
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2016-09-08
Jamm rekk is the most common Senegalese saying, at least in my experience. Translating from Wolof, the most spoken language in Senegal, to English, Jamm rekk literally means peace only. Jamm rekk is a word so telling of Senegalese culture. It has all and every meaning, which conveniently makes this saying the answer to all...
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2016-08-28
Hi. I'm Jasen. This is my blog. It is a blog of a perpetually confused, endlessly blabbering teenage adult. A Singaporean who never served, a Hong Konger who escaped home and politics to distant lands. Senegal. I write this in honorable memory of the coming adventure and under the obligation of my scholarship (Cheers Katie)....
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