I figured I could not grow wrong with this brand that sells luxurious boubous and elegant dresses. Living abroad sometimes as African people we might have “get togethers” to attend..it might be a wedding , a baptism ceremony and you might want to wear something current & easy to wear no matter the different seasons. I went to their first boutique, I was greeted by a friendly woman who explained that they had moved to another location not too far..another woman who works there was kind enough to suggest taking me to the second location .We had a friendly chat about the brand as we we were walking there . We talked about how sometimes women me included want casual to wear for work or just for every day for the sake of feeling pretty in beautiful artisanal made in Dakar wear…
Once we reached their new spot we were greeted by other friendly sales women..I was in a hurry and Dior helped me find this beautiful lemon green tunique dress that we agreed was lovely …I also fell in a love with a white dress and a floral skirt…definitely another brand I would visit again. Their instagram ID is :
Hello out there, I hope life is treating you well:)
It was Saturday today, and I was in the mood to try a good burger somewhere by the beach and just take the time to chill and savourer the taste of ground beef, caramelized onions and veggies.After doing some research online, I read good reviews about Sen ‘Burger and saw that it was located by the beach of the Almadies. Their burger menu was quite diversified : veggie burgers, chicken burgers and so many different types..Of I went … I ordered a Yango ride, the driver was very friendly we talked children, education, the need d’avoir des reperes dans la vie…I shared some of my experience as a mother, we laughed about how kids are so bold now , he is an upcoming father and he shared how he wanted his kid to first learn the Quran before going to school.I thought that was great..its been said that children who study the Quran when they are young tend to have great academic abilities later on in life…bref it was a good conversation.
I also liked that the staff was chill, probably because it was hot and they themselves were probably enjoying the quietness before customers arrive later on this evening. I also liked that you could enjoy a nice view of the sunset early eveningI also had a fresh smoothie all natural no added sugar…definitily a place I would go back to…it’s chill, cozy , unpretentious .
On my way home I had a different conversation this time with another Yango driver, he asked what type of music I liked and encouraged me to chose whatever I wanted to listen to. He is a die hard soccer fan , we had a good chat about la defaite de l’equipe Senegalese at the World Cup, I was interested in what he had to say about the loss and why did he think we did not succeed…bref a nice outing. Here is the website:https://www.senburger.com
Salam out there, hope this post finds you doing well:)
” Make sure your life is full of I cant believe I did it instead of I wish I did”.
I don’t know the author of this quote but I came across it while I was debating going to watch the game at a popular Dakarois restaurant I had never been to..Coming across it, definitely encouraged me to take my daughter and I on a football date..mind you, I have not watched yet in its entirety any of the WC games..only clips and it was enough for me, watching all of these people travel to the USA under these complicated and unwelcoming conditions but while there enjoying themselves has been really cool..watching the video reactions of some Americans who had no real knowledge of the global football culture was amusing. It truly was the big “American sleepover” as they call it.I have enjoyed watching the Norwegian and Scottish fans bringing their culture and their enthusiasm to jaded Americans.
I also felt bad for the Iranian players having to travel back and forth from Mexico to the USA on game days. It has also been a joy to watch the Senegalese and Ivoirian fans welcoming the soccer teams at the various airports ,loved the reactions of the world to the Congolese team who represented for the legendary Congolese sapologie and also brought heart and talent to this International event . From this WC ,I will remenber the tenacity of the Cap Verdian team, and the sense of fun the team of Curacao brought..
A la porte , it was already a vibe a friendly bouncer told me that it was 10 000 francs CFA /person to watch the game with a free homemade cocktail..I already knew that because I had called the day before. We had the choice to pick our seats at this beach restaurant….des fauteuils des petites tables..they were smart and I am sure they made “good money” that day. In the crowd were young French Senegalese men on vacation smoking hookak chasing stress away… men coming from work ..there to enjoy the game with their friends, young shy hijabi girls who probably just like us had seen an ad for this collective viewing experience online.There were also young charming young mothers with their little kids, you could tell they took their time to pick their outfits, put on their makeup and dress their children.I imagine the mental gymanistics it takes to be present feel pretty and still deal with early motherhood.
Les maillots du Senegal were on full display: vert jaune rouge just like those good old CAN days..My lil one who is not used to smokey environments kept mentioning here and there the heavy smoke…yako! We ordered some food, I had a delicious “poulet moyo” with des alocos..African style and she had a delicious tiramisu…At first we really thought we were going to to win, Senegal quickly score, 1 goal and another 1 goal…the Belgian team seemed defeated..people in the restaurant were cheering dancing, the music was on ” Charger , charger” lol ..bref we really thought we got this…unfortunately we lost…people are blaming the coach of course, there were some huge technical errors…ect..of course people are very angry and disappointed.
Hello out there..I hope life is treating you as softy possible. I have been in the mood lately to wear more tradi -modern fashion . There are so many local fashion houses so I needed help to figure out where to go . I decided to turn to the always helpful chat -gpt…l asked suggestions for casual linen African inspired clothes and one of the option they offered was @la_maison_du_boubou…the name of the fashion house actually sounded familiar, it’s one of those places I had wanted to visit..donc cela tombait bien.One of the good things with Yango is that if you don’t know the place, and you put in the name of the place, they would take you straight there..so of I went:)When I reached , I was greeted by the owner, a friendly and serious woman , she was rather amused when I told her that I found her atelier through artificial intelligence..she was positively surprised I think lol..She suggested I took a look on my own..which I like…I enjoy going through a store without stressful vendors who stand right behind you.
I ended up wearing the tunique tonight to hang out with a friend of mine au restaurant @restaurantlapointedesalmadies…I had not been there in over a year , it was the perfect summer occasion to enjoy dinner pas loin de la mer..Comme partout les cartes sont chĂšres…my friend who was visiting from abroad was shocked at the prices..and I told him that’s how it is nowadays…all restaurants are expensive..
I chose les brochettes de gambas with un gratin de pommes de terre and he chose un thiof with atieke…donc atieke poisson quoi…les plats etaient copieux, I didn’t finish my meal and I think he enjoyed his…c’etait sympa..we caught up… cela fait du bien to have good and honest talk …’till next time InshAllah:)
Hello guys, hope you are doing well under this heat, especially the Dakar’s heat …it’s only June so we have a long way to go …summer heat lasts here sometimes up to late November…who I am kidding? not sometimes…all the time …till November…so let’s brace ourselves. I took my daughter for brunch at the very famous Lagon 1 restaurant by the beach..it’s always nice sitting on the terrace , facing the water, watching from afar Goree Island. I have enjoyed having dinner there a few times , never did brunch or early lunch there. We got there close to 12 pm , the terrace was not crowded so we could chose our seats sans problems, a few people were already there enjoying the sun and going for a swim.
It’s always nice catching up with my little one..without her phone, catching up on her” personal tea” ..teenagers are people of a few words unless they really want to share lol…I had les brochettes de poulet et de la puree and she had carbonara pasta…I enjoyed my meal , it was quite healthy and the portion was enough, for dessert I always enjoy leur tarte aux pommes chaude et sa boule de glace…my little one wanted to get ice cream I warned her that it might be a big coupe de glace but she insisted she was up to it..until it was on the table: Chantilly, vanilla , and chocolate …she looked at me and as any mother I said ” I told you so “ lol
by the time we finished our lunch , people were coming in among them a lively group of beautiful hijhabi women were meeting up for lunch, young Lebanese couples with their children were meeting up with friends…My goal was to have a pleasant calm brunch with my child..so I was grateful..it’s good to create memories when we can , life is tough and expensive here..so I am grateful that we were able to share this culinary experience. Here is their webbie: https://www.lelagondakar.com/lelagon1
I know Mother’s Day was about a couple of weeks ago, but I still wanted to document how I spent it. My daughter who is close to being 13 years old surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers…I knew she was planning on buying me a gift but I didn’t expect her to order and have flowers delivered to our home…kids nowadays have so much confidence in planning things, going to the florist for example picking with arrangements they want to surprise their parents with..I was really moved with this delicate attention, plus it had this feminine vibe which reassured me in thinking that even for herself she can appreciate the art of gifting and of enjoying the simple things in life like beautiful flowers..It made me smile to know that those are little gestures that she can expect as she grows up from her future partner InchAllah.That same day, she had a dance showcase Ă Daniel Sorano, her dance school was invited by another dance studio to perform a short piece.The months before ,every weekend they were committed to practicing for this show, their dance instructor asked them to either commit to each practice or not…which is a good thing , its teaching these young girls to make sacrifices and have discipline. At Daniel Sorano, plenty of bilingual parents were in attendance rooting for their children, during the 2 hours of the dance spectacle the young dancers were encouraged through dynamic and loud cheers by their friends their families. The one thing that really moved my heart is at the end of the spectacle the owner of the dance studio, Aicha teared up thanking her young dancers and their loved ones..I was really touched when closed people to her came on stage with flowers, a beautiful moment..afterwards we ended our Sunday evening outing @lamaisondesarts.sn, cute little spot where their offer des ateliers creatifs…it was a nice Mother Day’26…:)
I also tried the Chinese restaurant La Mer Ouest with my cousin. She had been there before and gave good reviews.. was in the mood for du riz cantonais and I also wanted to enjoy l’air marin..so it was perfect. If you are looking also for a quiet spot on Saturday for lunch this could be a good option. I dont know if weekdays it’s busy around that time but I am going to assume so since there are many NGos in the neighborhood.
…. Reminiscing about younger new years’ eves days…. I remenber the excitement in in my twenties, partying somewhere in an African club in New York au sous-sol surrounded by total strangers, but people I became familiar with.. seeing at the club every weekend, far away from our continent …feeling safe within a community of African people pursuing studies and jobs , careers..I remenber singing and dancing like crazy all night ..and now decades later, spending New Year’s Eve calmly with my parents , eating un doux repas de fĂȘte, kissing them on their aging cheeks and being grateful to still have them Alhamdoulilah…reflecting on trying to live as softly as possible and with the intention of appreciating those precious and humbling moments of humanity..This week the boxer Anthony Joshua lost 2 of his friends in a car accident in his home country of Nigeria..both young men seemed like solid good people, their stories touched me particularly the one of Abdou Latif a christian born man who converted to Islam and who seemed to live in and for his faith while pursuing a career , looking handsomely in shape …he deserved to live ,they deserved to live but Allah chose different, Allah knows best, may they be granted Janah, Ameen . It just made me reflect on how time is both precious and fragile…you could have the best plans for humanity, you could have the best goals , great career, love , family friends ..yet God..life will decide that your time on earth is done…so as I celebrated the new arrival of ’26..I felt calm, humbled by life and hopeful for better…Happy new year to you guys who might read this post:)
Dakar is a bit chilly latelyâŠa sweater, or long sleeves are definitely necessary..we had the choice between sitting inside au chaud or the terrace..hesitated , tried both and decided to stay outside ..the decor is lovely the colors , the tiles⊠we were offered by the lovely staff the use of comfortable plaids, so comfortable that my daughter wanted to take one home lol. Tonightâs rule was less phone during dinner, I told my lilâ one that we are not bots and need to just enjoy each otherâs company:) She ordered a pizza and I ordered the self titled Noliane burger which was so good..lately its been hard finding tasty and good burgersâŠin general restaurants are very expensive latelyâŠbut as her generation says âcâetait rentaââŠI enjoyed the meal âŠit was really good..itâs a definitely a restaurant I will go back to InshAllah ..:)
âJâavance et jâavance pas Ă pas....âcomme dirait la jeune chanteuse Frenchie Ivoirienne Dendenđ
Anywhoo a dear soul Sister of mine who was visiting our hometown gifted me with some beautiful tea from Kenya .Every time I enjoy a cup of it I smile thinking of her, thinking of making duahs for her.. Itâs interesting how as we get older, when weâve âlivedâ a little bit..gone through major and minor trials, thoughtful gifts like this means a lot..
It makes me think of how lucky we are to still be here, it makes me grateful for those friendship moments when we can talk, be a witness to our growth, talk about our children and be happy for each other. So yeah .. every time I use a tea bag I think of her, of how beautiful is her focus in life, how proud of her accomplishments I am, of the woman she is and keeps on becoming..
Letâs not take for granted friends gestures, itâs their way of acknowledging their care for usâŠ:)
Dakar ...Creating life memories..:) 