Dakar …Creating life memories..:)

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  • Football..ement, la Coupe du Monde Edition’26:)

    Salam out there, hope this post finds you doing well:)

    ” Make sure your life is full of I cant believe I did it instead of I wish I did”.

    I don’t know the author of this quote but I came across it while I was debating going to watch the game at a popular Dakarois restaurant I had never been to..Coming across it, definitely encouraged me to take my daughter and I on a football date..mind you, I have not watched yet in its entirety any of the WC games..only clips and it was enough for me, watching all of these people travel to the USA under these complicated and unwelcoming conditions but while there enjoying themselves has been really cool..watching the video reactions of some Americans who had no real knowledge of the global football culture was amusing. It truly was the big “American sleepover” as they call it.I have enjoyed watching the Norwegian and Scottish fans bringing their culture and their enthusiasm to jaded Americans.

    I also felt bad for the Iranian players having to travel back and forth from Mexico to the USA on game days. It has also been a joy to watch the Senegalese and Ivoirian fans welcoming the soccer teams at the various airports ,loved the reactions of the world to the Congolese team who represented for the legendary Congolese sapologie and also brought heart and talent to this International event . From this WC ,I will remenber the tenacity of the Cap Verdian team, and the sense of fun the team of Curacao brought..

    I will also remember our Senegalese team working hard but having a very difficult time…their parcours at this WC has not been easy with polemiques and unfortunate results…let’s just say these were not the glorious days of the CAN yet no one can say that they did not deserve their spot there…My daughter and I started our mother & daughter date first at @chiktayafrica (on Instagram) where we enjoyed some crepes salées and watched the end of the Congo/ England game…I really hoped they would have won ..it’s always a little weird when you watch an all full African team competing with an European team with African players..there is nothing wrong with it per say..I just imagine when they win the complexity of feelings they must feel .from joy to compassion and maybe a bit of guilt for winning against their “brothers” …anyways it was a good game… We chilled there a little bit before walking across the road to go to our final destination the restaurant Exotic Beach to watch the Senegalese team.

    A la porte , it was already a vibe a friendly bouncer told me that it was 10 000 francs CFA /person to watch the game with a free homemade cocktail..I already knew that because I had called the day before. We had the choice to pick our seats at this beach restaurant….des fauteuils des petites tables..they were smart and I am sure they made “good money” that day. In the crowd were young French Senegalese men on vacation smoking hookak chasing stress away… men coming from work ..there to enjoy the game with their friends, young shy hijabi girls who probably just like us had seen an ad for this collective viewing experience online.There were also young charming young mothers with their little kids, you could tell they took their time to pick their outfits, put on their makeup and dress their children.I imagine the mental gymanistics it takes to be present feel pretty and still deal with early motherhood.

    Les maillots du Senegal were on full display: vert jaune rouge just like those good old CAN days..My lil one who is not used to smokey environments kept mentioning here and there the heavy smoke…yako! We ordered some food, I had a delicious “poulet moyo” with des alocos..African style and she had a delicious tiramisu…At first we really thought we were going to to win, Senegal quickly score, 1 goal and another 1 goal…the Belgian team seemed defeated..people in the restaurant were cheering dancing, the music was on ” Charger , charger” lol ..bref we really thought we got this…unfortunately we lost…people are blaming the coach of course, there were some huge technical errors…ect..of course people are very angry and disappointed.

    Ce que j’en retiens c’est que there is real potential, talent, grit and that in 4 years we will better prepared InshAllah. My little one who watches soccer games with her grandfather who is a die hard football fan felt disenchanted…but I guess because it was a festive environment she didn’t cry, but on our way home I could tell the emotions were catching up with her.It took us some time to get home, lots of traffic ..I suppose many people had the same idea as us and went to watch the game at various restaurants near by..En tout cas… overall it was a cool experience to be all united by our citoyenneté and sense of hope..:)

    ‘Till next time InshAllah..

    Yaye

  • 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

  • Lagon..tu verras:)

    Hello guys, hope you are doing well under this heat, especially the Dakar’s heat …it’s only June so we have a long way to go …summer heat lasts here sometimes up to late November…who I am kidding? not sometimes…all the time …till November…so let’s brace ourselves. I took my daughter for brunch at the very famous Lagon 1 restaurant by the beach..it’s always nice sitting on the terrace , facing the water, watching from afar Goree Island. I have enjoyed having dinner there a few times , never did brunch or early lunch there. We got there close to 12 pm , the terrace was not crowded so we could chose our seats sans problems, a few people were already there enjoying the sun and going for a swim.

    It’s always nice catching up with my little one..without her phone, catching up on her” personal tea” ..teenagers are people of a few words unless they really want to share lol…I had les brochettes de poulet et de la puree and she had carbonara pasta…I enjoyed my meal , it was quite healthy and the portion was enough, for dessert I always enjoy leur tarte aux pommes chaude et sa boule de glace…my little one wanted to get ice cream I warned her that it might be a big coupe de glace but she insisted she was up to it..until it was on the table: Chantilly, vanilla , and chocolate …she looked at me and as any mother I said ” I told you so “ lol

    by the time we finished our lunch , people were coming in among them a lively group of beautiful hijhabi women were meeting up for lunch, young Lebanese couples with their children were meeting up with friends…My goal was to have a pleasant calm brunch with my child..so I was grateful..it’s good to create memories when we can , life is tough and expensive here..so I am grateful that we were able to share this culinary experience. Here is their webbie: https://www.lelagondakar.com/lelagon1

    ‘Till next time 🙂

    Yaye

  • 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