Sally’s Blog post

As the round orange sun slowly goes down, many sparkling stars begin to appear in the sky of Senegal.

Today was my day to be leader of the day. To be honest, being a leader was tiring and made me feel uneasy. I had to think about other people first and my interests second. However, this role helped me to pay more attention to what happened around us.

One thing that impressed me a lot today was our visit with a local wise man. He believes in Islam and spreads the knowledge about this religion and his life experiences in the village.

When we went to visit him, the man was sitting under a nice, bamboo-made shed. He listened to our questions patiently. Besides, there was always a smile on his face. I could tell that he was trying his best to tell his life experience to us.

“You peng zi yuan fang lai, bu yi le hu.” This Chinese saying stuck in my head while I was listening to his words. It was said by Confucius, and it means that when friends come from far away, we shall be happy and joyful.

After meeting and listening to the Imam and thinking about his wise words, Mr. Alter said, someone’s simple words can spread a great power to the people around him. Perhaps this is the power of humbleness and love that comes strait from heart to heart.

I feel really thankful for having the opportunity to visit him. I have a fresh view of Africa after today.