Two months have flown by, and tonight is the night {early morning, to be exact} that we take our missions intern / friend Hélène to the airport.
Since this was her first time in Senegal, I asked her to share some of her pictures, along with some of the things she loved about being here / this country / the people here:

[You're going to love what she has to say!]

+ I liked the terànga. Terànga is the Wolof word for hospitality and the Senegalese are amazing at it. Everywhere I went in Dakar, but even more in the villages, the people would offer me a seat, a drink and something to eat. In Senegal, I always felt welcomed.
+ I liked the culture shock. I’ve traveled a lot in Europe, and it might sound weird, but I was always hoping to be “shocked” by the culture. I’ve experienced culture shock, but nothing compared to my African culture shock. And this is perfect because learning about another culture teaches us so much about ourselves!
+ I liked the people’s generosity. They have so much less than what we have in our Western countries, and still, they share so much more. What a lesson to learn!
+ I liked the passion of the people. When they greet each other, talk, dance, play music, etc… they do it with passion. It might be overwhelming at first, but it turned out to bring me such joy!
+ I liked the languages. They speak French. I speak French. Awesome! But they also speak many other languages and are so proud of it!
+ I liked to see how proud most of the people are to be African. Not in an ethnocentric way. They are just proud of their culture, and they want you to really “bite into it”!
+ I liked the believers’ faith! They are in a Muslim country. Many of them have suffered persecution from their families… but they still believe, and they have the desire to share their faith and their love for Jesus. How inspiring!
+ I liked the friendships that I made. People are so interested in meeting each other and their kindness amazes me. In church, at the guesthouse, teaching English, going to a Talibé Center, visiting villages, doing evangelism, etc. I met so many people, and now saying goodbye to those people is heartbreaking, but I’m thankful that God allowed me to develop amazing friendships with so many of them!
+ I liked how they dance. As soon as the music starts, everybody (boy or girl, young or old) dances, and it is really pretty to see!
+ I liked the ocean. The beach, the palm trees and the powerful water reminded me how our God is great, powerful and such an artist!
+ I liked the fruit. Mangos, Papaya, other-fruits-that-I-don’t-remember-the-name-of, all delicious!

“When I travel, I focus on new places and once I visit a city, I kind of “check it off my list”, and plan my next trip. But Senegal was different. My two months there were so amazing, that there is no doubt that I want to come back. And I know that once I come back, I’ll be more than welcome because this is the country of terànga!” ~ Hélène

Thanks for Sharing Hélène! We wish you a good trip and a quick return to Senegal,

s&j