Dakar …Creating life memories..:)

Blog

  • MOTHER..DAY ’26

    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 à 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…:)

    Until next time 🙂

    Yaye

  • Un petit tour over @ SistersofAfrica!

    Hello out there..as Chris Brown would say:)

    I hope you are doing well. It’s already February… ca y’est we are champions d’Afrique .!There was so much tension and joy this past month with the CAN..mais ca y’est it’s done..the whole country celebrated , my hometown was painted in our national flag colors..yes,it was a time:) On this post I wanted to share my experience over @sistersofafrika, a Senegalese owned clothing brand, they offer beautiful & colorful ready to wear dresses, des ensembles/ pantalons et chemises, afro modern boubous ect..I used to go to their first store years ago.. I hadn’t been to their new store over at Ouakam..It was lovely discovering the space, it’s well decorated, I love the afro modernism vibe of the store, minimaliste tout en gardant ce coté chic afro..I tried couple of pieces and fell in love with this yellow cache coeur piece…:) Definitely would recommend it for chic afro modern work wardrobe, or for cocktail attire or a nice modern wedding….

    Their webbie is:.https://sistersofafrika.com

    Sisters of Africa

    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.

    The prices are decent…if you live in Dakar, you have probably noticed how expensive restaurants are, le rapport qualité-prix etait ok vraiment..hope they stay reasonable:)

    Oh and their homemade sauce piment & soja…une pépite comme les jeunes disent:)

    @lamerouestalmadies

    Donc voila..un tout petit peu des coins que j’ai découvert lately:)

    Till next time Insh’Allah.

    Yaye

  • Goodbye’25, Bienvenue’26:)

    …. 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 fête, 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:)

    ‘Till next time InshAllah:)

    Yaye

  • Noliane Cafe..Nolianement:)

    Hello out there ..to those who still check the blog from time to time:) I am back for one of those random billets..this one is about my Christmas Day culinary trip to Noliane Café- Fann- Mermoz…I like to try new restaurants au coup de coeur as in if I randomly come across their instagram page and something about the visuals make me want to visit, or if I pass by physically and the architecture or the restaurant exterior seem inviting or enticing…in this particular case, both checked out and I decided that you know what ..today would be the perfect time to try it out with my preteen. I called and asked if I needed to make reservations and the nice hostess recommended I did so just in case… I didn’t know if dress code was required because it’s the holidays but dealing with a pre teenager these days ,convincing them to dress more formal is peine perdue anyways …

    Dakar is a bit chilly lately…a 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. Tonight’s rule was less phone during dinner, I told my lil’ one that we are not bots and need to just enjoy each other’s 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 burgers…in general restaurants are very expensive lately…but as her generation says “c’etait renta“…I enjoyed the meal …it was really good..it’s a definitely a restaurant I will go back to InshAllah ..:)


    Joyeux Noel ’25 🎄

    Yaye

  • Tea for the soul..

    “J’avance et j’avance pas à pas....”comme dirait la jeune chanteuse Frenchie Ivoirienne Denden😄

    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.. It’s interesting how as we get older, when we’ve “lived” 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..

    Let’s not take for granted friends gestures, it’s their way of acknowledging their care for us…:)

    Merci Amy🌸🥰

    Voilà another random billet of May’ 25…

    ’Till next time InshAllah

    Yaye:)

  • Avec moi…

      « Avec moi il n’y a pas de compétition.. » comme dirait le chanteur Ya Lévis…

    I went for a late night run this evening and as I was running my mind went to all the female runners that have died while doing the same exact thing as I was doing..working out.

    I thought of nursing student Laken Riley who was abused and killed last year .. I remember her trial, the pain of her mother and loved ones .. her broken dreams .. I imagined her passion for the outdoors , for running.. for that feeling of freedom that I know and feel so well when I go work out..

    It reminded me not to take for granted those nights when I am able to come home safe , it could be me , it could be you. Thinking a lot about their families the pain they must have felt, prayers up 🤲🏾🕊️

    Stay safe out there..

    random billet du mois de mai ´25:)

    Yaye

  • Menu vibes…

    So we are in it… the first week of school has officially started.. and so has began la saga des différentes envies culinaires.

    As a little girl , i just ate what I was given for lunch ( typical African upbringing « don’t complain , eat un peu de tout »)😄which actually is not bad teaching..

    Cartoons, tv programs and teachers at school strongly encourage kids nowadays to eat healthy; vegies, fruits ect… Ce qui est très bien d’ailleurs 👏🏾…

    My little mademoiselle asks me to pack her serving of vegies and healthy meals.., it’s actually fun composing her little lunchbox..

    She’s excited to open it and share it with her friends at school..I guess we are creating memories:)

    Until next time, take good care of yourselves:)

    Yaye

  • Étiquettes tu colleras:)

    Ca y’est c’est the big rentrée 😄🥳, comme d’habitude les parents sont super contents, enfin la fin du boucan in za casa..

    One of my daughter’s fav’ tradition is “colling” les etiquettes sur ses effets la veille.. donc moi j’écris son nom et elle ..elle colle:) She always looks forward to that scolaire tradition of ours… and I do too😊

    C’est le big CM2 InshAllah can’t believe we are already here.. bon on va relativiser already here 😅… il y’a encore du chemin .. mais Alhamdoulilah c’est déjà pas mal ce que l’on a parcouru déjà..

    i asked her what 3 words she wants to focus on this year and among the 3 she chose patiente.. and I said yes , last year she had a bit of a hard time navigating little girls friendships😅… the “ you are my best friend “.. “no she stole her from me “ ect ect … we had to learn to try to navigate those situations..so we’ll see this year..

    Anywhoo très belle rentrée à tous & toutes!

    Until next time, take good care of yourselves:)

    Yaye

  • Waiting … but not in vain:)

    I don’t know if you feel like me .. but waiting at the doctor’s office for a consultation is “something😅”… not complaining but sometimes it feels like it can take for hours and hours …

    Alhamdoulilah for being able to even afford the cost to see a doctor…. we are all aware that the cost of health can be “spicy” . Living in Africa, I think of people who have to call their family members to come to their rescue in order to buy médecine, surgery ect ..

    I think of people who look at their loved ones desperately sans ressources malheureusement..

    Ce n’est vraiment pas facile, la vie n’est pas facile and will humble you très vite….

    I truly believe that if you can help your loved ones , there should be no hesitation.. May we be able to show up for others, Ameen:)

    Until next time, take good care of yourselves:)

    Yaye

  • Soft life this and that..

    Whenever you go to the doctor or you read anything wellness related.. the message is always the same : “try to live a stress free life.. “

    Now how do you go about that 😅..life in its nature is just stressful , the uncertainty, the various problems that can occur ;health,love, spiritual challenges, finance ..I can go on an on..

    The older I’m getting, life humbles me.You realize that you cannot solve everything and you are not even supposed to.. The advice I’ll give my daughter if she asks me one day ( even if she does not who I am kidding💁🏾‍♀️😄) would be simply do your best and do not be too hard on yourself.. it won’t solve anything but just add on the stress of it all..

    It’s ok if things take time to be fixed and some things will just never be fixed and that…. is ok as well.

    Those lil’ silly moments of joy are important, they make you feel human.

    So yeah that whole “soft life “ concept might seem idealistic but incorporating a lil bit of it when we can is not so bad..:)

    Until next time, take good care of yourselves:)

    Yaye