All my life, writing has been a therapy for me. As soon as I feel uncomfortable or face a difficult decision, I grab a pen and write down my feelings and perceptions about the situation, it generally helps me clarify the issue and identify what should be the best course of action. However, over the past […]

It may sound like an odd choice of a word – explosion. Especially in the troubled world we live in. It really was the only word that kept coming back to me, and I certainly wondered if this was an “appropriate” choice. But the more I thought about it, and the longer it took to […]

Je suis arrivée. La chaleur à l’aéroport Léopord Sedar Senghor à Dakar, la minute où l’on pose les pieds sur le tarmac. Tout ce que j’ai pu penser ou anticiper a “pris le bord” dès que je me suis enfin assise dans la camionnette de Cheikh: le trajet vers La Demeure, le petit hôtel où […]

I have landed. The heat at Léopold Sedar Senghor airport in Dakar as I step on the tarmac. Whatever I thought or anticipated flew out the window the minute I sat in Cheikh’s minivan. The drive to La Demeure, a guesthouse where I am staying for the next few days, is short but long enough […]

Le strict nécessaire. Que veut dire “voyager léger”? Un simple bagage à main? Une valise remplie de vêtements de plein air que je ne porterai finalement pas au Sénégal? Voyager léger veut dire complètement autre chose pour moi: cela signifie que je n’apporterai rien d’inutile et que je laisserai derrière tout ce qui est trop […]

« Unpacking» What does travelling light mean? Just a carry on?  Just a suit case filled with technical clothing that I will end up not wearing while in Senegal? Travelling light means something quite different for me: it literally signifies that I will NOT carry any excess of unnecessary baggage. Personal and spiritual baggage, that is. […]