"Could you be barefoot from here?" The region of Touba is a holy place for Muslims in Senegal. It is a place where people from all over the country gather during Islamic events. There is a large mosque, which is a place where Muslims pray.…

A friend of mine who lives in the same neighborhood has just had a baby. Last month, I saw him and he said, "The baby will be born soon.” When I see him again after that, “The baby will be born soon." And then, the baby was born. I was inv…

An acquaintance told me about the dairy life of the children called “Taribe.” yuta7watanabe.hatenablog.com Taribe children ask for money from pedestrians on the street. Even if they are strangers, they do not hesitate to ask for money. Eve…

It's the new year. In Senegal, Muslims pray five times every day. The first praying is in the morning at sunrise around 6:00 am. An announcement is broadcast through microphones throughout the region informing the time of the praying. It i…

I bought a whole pig again as I did last year. Buying and eating a pork is like a festival for me because I only get occasions to eat pork only a few times a year in this town, which is almost 100% Muslim, where they do not eat pork. yuta7…

There are no member changes in elementary schools in Senegal. For example, a school has two third-grade classes. Class A has 50 students. Class B has 56 students. Why is it possible of the difference of the numbers? This is because there i…

A big annual celebration of Muslims across Senegal is "Tabaski", which is the "Sacrificial Festival" of offering sheep to the god. Anyway, everyone eats the sheep meat during the festival. Last year's Tabaski is below. yuta7watanabe.hatena…

The camp for children in a rural area ended. We had to leave the quiet campsite in a countryside. I could make good relationship with children I had never met before by greeting each other every day. We remembered names first, and we were …

In the morning, I woke up with the sound of birds singing, something I had never heard before. Here I am in a quiet region on the outskirts of a town I have never been to so far. I am at the "YMCA camp". There is an organization called YMC…

At 4 AM, it was in the early morning. I felt a strange feeling and woke up. It was from a sound. And I noticed the sound was the rainy sound. It is in July now. This is the first time since last October that we have had any rainfall. That …

The day of 5th of June in 2019 was the festival of "Korite", which was the end of Ramadan (fasting). I was invited to a my colleague's house for the celebration. The main dish was chicken. My collegue shared his food with neighbors. On the…

The 30-day period of Ramadan (fasting) ended. Right after Ramadan finished, Ramadan festival called "Korite" took place. Korite is a national holiday. The date is decided based on the phases of the moon. Therefore, it was not decided until…

The end of Ramadan (fasting) which lasts for 30 days is almost there. However, I am not fasting. Even if I could stop food to some extent, it would be very hard to spend time without drinking water! I have to have a strong faith of the rel…

It was a national holiday named the Feast of the Ascension of Christ on the 30th of May in 2019. There are more than 90% Muslim in Senegal, but Christian celebrations are also holidays. The festival commemorates the Ascension of Christ. Th…

My silver tooth came off. I was eating a meal when I felt eating something like a small stone. When I took it out from my mouth, the silver tooth came off. I have had my wisdom teeth removed and cavities cured for living in Senegal, but th…

Now is the period of Ramadan. Muslim in Senegal is fasting now. Despite Ramadan, trainees of teachers came to elementary schools for taking traning. In Japan, in general one studen learn teaching in each class. But there were 8 or 9 traine…

How do elementary school children spend their time during the 30 days of Ramadan (fasting)? In fact, most children are fasting. I can actually see those children in schools. When I went at some classrooms and asked children, "How many of y…

Since I arrived in Senegal, I have experienced the highest temperature of 45 degrees Celsius. I'm wondering that the temperature will go up? At 45°C, that is 10°C higher than 35°C, so this is incredible hot. Fluffy sand is on the road, and…

"Ramadan" has begun. It should vary in each region, so I am writing only about what I see in the area I live rather than about Ramadan in general. In Ramadan, people do "fasting." Muslims abstain from eating and drinking. And the fasting l…

The 21st of April was Easter. Easter is a holiday that celebrates the resurrection of the Christian Jesus Christ. I wonder why every time this kind of things. Senegal where more than 90% of the population is Muslim. But Easter is a holiday…

"Ngente" is the baby naming ceremony in Senegal. Only the men attended the ceremony, which was held from morning until evening. Women were cooking during the ceremony. In Senegal, household chores are clearly divided by gender. I understoo…

In Senegal, "Ngente" is a baby naming ceremony. The ceremony was held in a village I visited recently, so I attended it to see what kind of event it was. I had heard that the waiting time for Senegalese events like naming ceremonies and we…

Compared to a month ago, plants have died and disappeared in one fell swoop! Currently I am in the "Dry season" with no rain. I recently bought and started using a blanket. I had been sleeping without anything over my body until recently. …

Living abroad, I have to remember lots of names of people and events that are written with alphabet. Japanese don't use alphabet very much, so it's hard for me.. The date of the 20th of November is named "Gammo," which means the birth anni…

The 1st of November was a notional holiday called "All Saints' Day." It is a Christian day to pray to the saints. And the night before the All Saints' Day is Halloween. I was invited to a home of a Christian of my friend and I had a feast.…

There is a festival named "Magal Touba", which is a Muslim festival on the 28th of October. Touba is the name of a region in Senegal that is a holy place for Muslims. On the holiday, people from all over Senegal gather at a large mosque in…

Today is a national holiday named "Tamahari" in Senegal. I heard that the day is the beginning of a new year in the Islamic calendar. The new year begins in September. In Japan, the dates of national holidays are already set at the beginni…

The 11th of August was a public holiday called Mountain Day in Japan. I had been thinking that I'd like to climb a mountain if Senegal had mountains. Because I used to climb mountains in Japan every year. But it seems not to be mountains i…