With the recent visit of my Dad and Dani we have officially had visits from each of our parents here in Senegal. We are so thankful for this blessing and for the immense support our family has given us, though we know it is no small sacrifice on their part for us to be here.
My Dad and Dani came for about a week, but wasted no time jumping right into life here. School was out for Adam and Mia and the trip actually fell on the Muslim holiday of Tabaski so we enjoyed uncharacteristically good traffic. On the actual day of the holiday we did a driving tour of the city and happened to go out as Senegalese families sat on their front porches and in roads slaughtering and cleaning their lambs for the meal later that day. This was certainly a cultural experience!
We were able to take them to our church Sunday as well which was very special to share with them despite the fact that it’s only in French and Wolof so they couldn’t understand anything. This was also Father’s Day so we enjoyed a lunch out to one of our favorite restaurants Eric Kayser (my dad is a huge fan of baguettes and they have the best ones in town!)
Later in the week we visited the Western-most tip of Africa (and were allowed access to it despite it being privately owned), Gorée Island, one of the more ornate mosques on the ocean and The African Renaissance Monument (which we climbed up to for the first time). We also took them to Hann Park and even walked through the Zoo.
In addition to these big outings we had lots of time together: we ate lots of different foods, drank A LOT of coffee, played Euchre (we miss this!!!) in the evenings, watched a movie (Dune 2), bought souvenirs, enjoyed the roof, drew together, read lots of books and played Playmobile (some of the kids favorite activities these days).
We cherish these special times with family and are so thankful for the sacrifice of time, money and energy that so many of our family have made to visit us in France and now in Senegal! What a gift to show them this beautiful country we call home.
– Selina
