By Jarlyne Felix Morel

We often complain about minor inconveniences without realizing how they can shut us off the door for a new experiences. For example, here in Senegal, when Mr. Alter warned us that we cannot use our phones because if he sees us using the Vortex, he was going to take it, and also the obligation of writing a blog post, the first thing that came to my mind was: “Really? This sounds more like a school trip instead of a vacation trip.” But then the following days, I understood what Mr. Alter wanted us to experience.

Being in Kecouta’s house gave me opportunities to try new things, and I will never forget those experiences. Kids. I am the last child in my family, and I don’t get along with kids; I always try to avoid the situation because I don’t know how to deal with them. There were a lot of kids at Kecouta’s village, at least 50. I got scared and didn’t know what to do at all, but watching all my friends building relationships with those kids made me realize that I needed to just try it. And guess what? Now I like kids. Being able to play with them, go to their school, and try to talk with them was a challenge because of the language barrier but it helped me discover the joy of connection, regardless of language. I can tell that now I understand why people like kids so much. You forget all your problems, and your mind is clear when you are with them. One night Ms. Olson said, “The kids are having a dance party and they invited us, let’s go.” When we went there, the kids started tickling us for like 30 minutes. Kids make you feel loved.

I don’t know and don’t like to cook either. My saying is “You cook, and I wash the dishes.” I was trying to help with the cooking at Kecouta’s house and accidentally cutting my finger, offered valuable lessons. If I had closed the door to this experience, I wouldn’t get the remainder of the importance of perseverance and trying new things, even if they don’t always go smoothly. Also, it is difficult for me to meet new people in a new place, and Kecouta always made that easy. We danced and sang with him, taking us out of our comfort zone and always making us feel at home.

Before coming to Senegal, I didn’t expect it to be like this at all. I thought that this was a place where everyone is friendly, treating each other as family, and that I would learn about their traditions. Senegal is more than that. The Senegalese people’s warmth, resilience, confidence, and hard working spirit were inspiring. Disconnecting from technology allowed me to appreciate the beauty of their traditions, the delicious food, and the diverse wildlife.

Not using my phone as much as I used to helped me to have time to spend just with me and my thoughts. It helped me to understand that we need to be more grateful for every opportunity and leave the door open to be excited about things. We need to enjoy every single opportunity and experience of our life because we don’t know when it’s going to be the last. Disconnecting to reconnect.