By Egecan Tezcan

I was so excited to go to Africa because I was wondering what other Muslims do, their lives and their business, etc. It was our second day in Senegal and we went to Hakuna Matata. There we had a really good discussion about home. And the next morning I woke up with the best sunrise ever I had, and I was like, “yes this place is my new home.”

After we had lunch we went to village next to Hakuna Matata and we started exploring and the first thing I saw was a church and mosque in the same village. I was so confused because in some places people fight for every small thing, but in this village they are living together. In the village they have one big tree, and in that tree the middle is connected to another tree. The craziest part is that this makes the one tree. Also, in this village Muslims and Christians can get married. The people living in the same village together have parties or dinner together. They are so happy in that village.
When I saw the little kids with no shoes or good or clean clothes I was really sad because these people have only want they need. Maybe 2 shoes, 10 t-shirts, a couple of pants, but if we look at ourselves we have lots of clothes, and we don’t need that much. Other than clothes the kids love to play with toys, but these kids maybe have a couple toys.  
When we went to Kecouta’s village I saw the kids making stuff for themselves. In Kecouta’s village kids go to school every day and they come back for lunch and they go again back to school and they come back to home or go to play soccer. When it’s getting too dark they come back home to sleep, but some often try to help make dinner or make fire. Their parents normally say, “I don’t want you to do it.” It is not that they can’t do it, they can, but their parents want to let children do their homework and learn their lessons. My experience so far has been what another community needs and wants, and I understand many things in Senegal.