“Hassan, Abdou Rachman, Fatou, Aminata, …” now Simon begins to talk some more, he names all his classmates (and those are not the easiest names). He often plays with Abdou and Fatou, and Aminata gives him a hug every morning. The little Senegalese girl with beautiful colored beads in her h[...]
Archive for the ‘Family’ Category
Sinterklaas in Senegal
Who would think that Sinterklaas (St. Nicolas) – since he sails north from Spain – would pay a visit to Senegal (about the same distance but to the south) as well? When we suddenly received four chocolate letters in an anonymous envelope, we started get our hopes up… Will the good [...]
Water is precious!
As a little boy I once went on an excursion to the water tower in Utrecht. As a reminder I received a sticker that read: “Water is precious , so go easy on the tap!” Oh, how often have I thought of that sticker in the past weeks. Water is precious![...]
Summer holidays are over again
Summer holidays! That means: Swimming at a friend’s home Playing with the neighbor boys Eating ice-cream and playing with my grandparents Stomping in puddles when it rains, Vacation Bible School at the American school Petting (and eating) sheep in rural areas Sending mail to family And endless[...]
Family life in the village
Frankly, I (Jan) was a bit reluctant. I feel relaxed and at home in the city, but the countryside is full of dangers. I prefer to meet a gunman at night than a snake… But still, our good contact with Dr. Soh and the opportunity to participate in a medical campaign made us decide to […][...]
Doctor at school
“Who wants to be a doctor?” “me me me!” 17 children are screaming at a time. Maria and her classmates swarm around me as I give a short lesson to the 4-year-olds about what a doctor actually does. A white coat and stethoscope in your ears, they’d all love to do that. What d[...]
To school
A taxi pulls over right where I try to cross the busy road with Simon on my arm. A head is put out the window asking me if I want a ride… It is the mother of a child from Simon’s class. This mega city does feel like a small village at times… In a […][...]
Taxi
“Tomorrow I want to blow bubbles in the taxi. Then all the bubbles will glide through the window so the people outside can enjoy them.” For Maria, the many taxi rides aren’t a punishment: there is plenty to see and do. She can hear the black and yellow cars coming from afar. Sometimes because [...]
A new beginning
We’ve heard it many times before: “in order to work properly, you need a safe haven for yourself and your children.” We are now experiencing firsthand what a peace this gives. It is good for the children, and we have enough energy to do our jobs. We had the opportunity to take over this rental[...]