Dakar …Creating life memories..:)

Tag: fiction

  • Histoire 2 fin de vacances!

    “Comment ?  
    Ah bébé je dois faire comment ?  
    Pour pouvoir toucher ton cœur hé  
    Comment ?  “

    Comment/TRK

    Salam out there, hope life is treating you well:)

    Summer holidays are almost over for my daughter. School is set to start early September. Her school publishes on their website the list of supplies very early on during the summer. This helps parents organize themselves. I chose to go buy them early before rush week. The bookstores are always packed the week before la rentrée with parents who are understandably a lot of times. Some parents have several children in different grades and with different needs. On top of that once children enter bookstores they turn like kids in a candy store.

    Every year la Librairie du 4 Vents hires temporary help to make things easier for them and the customers. Today I didn’t bring the supplies list with me but when I gave them her school name and grade they already had it printed out . The employee picked up quickly the supplies and my daughter assisted her with choosing the colors of her notebooks ect.I remember enjoying buying my supplies with my mother & siblings. Picking my trousse and school bag was always a special moment for me:)

    While my daughter was picking her school supplies with the help of 1 of the bookstore employee, I was busy picking a coffee Table book. After browsing the many pretty and interesting books I ended up choosing ” Wax & CO. Anthologie des tissus imprimes d’Afrique” by Anne Grosfilley. I love wax fabric and I am curious to learn more about it.While standing there I noticed a beautiful Senegalese woman behind me with great energy. We smiled at each other and she asked if my outfit was by Thiané and it sure was 😊 …une conaisseuse😉.

    She herself was dressed beautifully in a dress made Senegalese style but in a flowery inspired fabric. After I complimented her on it she shared that she bought the fabric in Bangladesh . How cool is that ?! We shared a nice chat, it’s always lovely when you meet like minded people. We exchanged information and planned on maybe getting together one afternoon and have coffee . I hadn’t met organically in a while o a Senegalese woman that I found interesting and cool so it was a nice encounter.

    While browsing the Muslim section a man who seemed very versed in spirituality suggested a few books.He mentioned Islamic authors that I had never heard of 😅.I could tell he was very far in in his spiritual quest but I noticed that he didn’t seem judgmental or arrogant about it. Sometime people who are well advanced in their spiritual voyages can act self righteous. At the end of our bookstore sortie, my little one had her supplies and I , beautiful encounters and a press book.

    Before going home we decided to go get our “nails done”.I had not taken her to the nail salon in a couple of years . I chose my signature black nail polish while she chose white. It was lovely watching her enjoy getting pampered a little bit. It’s important from time to time to let her enjoy girly moments.We are little by little creating our bank of memories 💕💕.

    “Till next time InshAllah:)

    Yaye

  • Breakie @ Teddy’s Coffee Dakar!

    “Why you gotta be so rude?
    I’m gonna marry her anyway”

    Rude – Magic

    Salam out there, hope life is treating you softly:)

    I took my daughter & I on a breakie date. Teddy’s Coffee located in Almadies has been on my summer list for a little while now. On our way the friendly Yango driver was trying to show me tourist places to visit. He thought que j’etais une vacancière 😂 & I of course didn’t correct his assumption. He shared that the night before Youssou Ndour hosted a big concert downtown Dakar. Yesterday was August 15th & in my country it has always been as long as I remember a big summer holiday.People go out and party all night!Every year it rains on that day.If you ever are in town on August 15th pay attention to it 😁.

    We arrived at Almadies around 10 AM and it was surprisingly quiet! This area of Dakar is always lively. There are many popular restaurants and coffee shops in that zone. It’s pleasant because it’s close to the Ocean. The Yango driver shared that because people probably partied the night before ,they would start going out around late lunch time. After a short ride in Almadies, we finally arrived at the coffeeshop. We were greeted warmly by 2 young waiters.We debated whether or not we wanted to sit outside facing the Ocean or inside . We first tried the outdoor area but it was really hot and soon decided to sit inside.

    The restaurant is spacious with warm and vivid colors. The teddy bear theme was quite present with kids drawings on one wall and a few teddy bears inside of the restaurant. The menu was pretty diverse. My pre -teen chose le croissant Italien and I chose les oeufs Bénedicte with du bacon de dinde. We started with a strawberry milkshake for her & a delicious chocolat viennois pour moi😊. While we waited for our breakfast my daughter shared “a bit of tea” on her school life

    . I told myself internally do not share your opinons before she shuts down lol. I have learned to keep my opinions to myself for a later time when she chooses to share . I remember being her age and thinking my mother did not or would not understand what I was going through.

    At that age , children tend to forget that their parents have experienced “life” before lol. I am learning that it’s a trust bond that needs to be built for the long run, may God help me 😅. In the background was playing the song Rude by Magic. I love that tune and it brought me back to times when Trace TV was a thing for for my friends and I maybe 16 years ago.

    A time when I was not a mother yet and was going out a lot with my friends here in Dakar. Music sometimes reminds you of seasons of your life and this one brought a smile to my face.My daughter said “tu aimes cette chanson à ce point” lol. This was also the perfect time for our date , we avoided rush hours .There were just a few other customers. They all were Americans we were the only locals.

    We really enjoyed the food, it was really good! Of course it was a bit pricey , que dire it’s the norms nowadays 😅. I asked my kid if this a place she would like to come back to and she said yes:) I wanted to try the Creme brulée, mais ce sera pour la prochaine fois InshAllah:)

    “Till next time:)

    Yaye

    “Why you gotta be so rude?
    I’m gonna marry her anyway”

    Rude – Magic

  • Story’oo de Pineapple smoothie:)

    “Baby girl you bad o
    Girl, the way you whine
    I dey mad over you, girl
    I dey mad over you, girl”

    Mad over you -Runtown❤️

    Salam out there, I hope you are enjoying the remaining of your summer:)

    I am learning to just listen to mes envies-you know les petits plaisirs de la vidad. I had an acupuncture therapy session today and from the moment I woke up this morning I had a craving for a pineapple smoothie. I had visited the Maison des Arts a couple of times already , et je me sens à l’aise dans cet endroit coloré. Maybe it’s the art enthusiast in me or maybe it’s the quietness of the space. It might be both, I really enjoy this unpretentious & pretty eatery. The staff is attentive and not overbearing.

    On my way to my acupuncture session, I rode with a very young impolite Yango driver. He was arrogant , played music super loudly, had this” I dont want to drive yet I am driving” vibe to him.I remained calm et il s’est défoulé as he pleased .Once we reached my destination, he was looking for change and stopped traffic for a few minutes.I suggested he parked further and he responded that the other drivers could just wait. I didn’t reply back,I knew the best way to teach him a very needed lesson would be to grade him via the Yango online survey. The worst part was that both his vehicle & his driving were decent but it was uncomfortable being around him.Anyways thus continues the Yango chronicles 😌.

    At the medical center, while waiting for my appointment I was observing the various patients sitting with me in the waiting area.I paid attention to each person’s shoes , body language & vibe. There was a Senegalese woman who seemed worried, 2 Indian men who had this disciplined vibe and were wearing leather thongs. There was a French seasoned man with his child who was playing with color pencils . He seemed enamored with his child, was not saying much but was very attentive to him. A 20 something young Lebanese man was busy on his phone . He was wearing a pair of cool Nike sneakers and a gold bracelet à son poignet. A delivery man came in full of enthusiasm greeting every one. An artsy Senegalese man with locks was busy filling in paper work. Once he was done, he opened a book he brought and immersed himself in it. Then there was me, bopping my head to some old R& B songs . I was reminiscing of times when we rushed home to watch new videos, it was exciting back then.

    After my appointment , I finally got to enjoy for a few minutes a pineapple smoothie. The waiter asked if I wanted something else and I said with a smile no:) It’s ok to just go to a restaurant for a simple drink if that’s all you wanted. I sure enjoyed it!

    ‘Till next time 🙂

    Yaye

    “Baby girl you bad o
    Girl, the way you whine
    I dey mad over you, girl
    I dey mad over you, girl”

    Mad over you -Runtown❤️

  • Boubou …. à La Pointe des Almadies!

    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.

    The store was nice , bien éclairé, spacious…the fashion line est tres sobre , pas trop chargé..clean, beautiful embroidery work..She shared that she likes solid colors, we had a nice conversation about embroidery work..one of the kaftan she designed was named it after her mother, the embroidery work was intricate and had many irregular lines on purpose because it reminded her of her mother’s tenacity to find her way through life. When she spoke about her mother, her face lit up…I could tell she could talk about her impact forever..she paid hommage to the hard work behind the embroidery done by the artisans she hired..I fell in love with two beautiful tuniques and ended up buying one.We also discussed how people steal designers like her ideas, and go to China to mass produce it cheaply and for very little..and she added people don’t understand that it’s art…Here’s their instagram address @la_maison_du_boubou.

    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 chères…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:)

    Yaye