By Anson Huang

I don’t think you can imagine how comfortable it was to drink that drink – the juice which is a mix of bissap juice and orange juice. It’s awesome. But the local people seldom drink in this way. They like the simple bissap or orange. Maybe it’s time for a mix.

Yesterday I went to the capital city of the Senegal — Dakar. There I found a big statue on the top of the mountain next to the city. When you climb on the top, you can see the hard work that local people did. From that place, with the view I had some ideas I had never thought before. I had heard that the government are looking for a way to protect the culture while the same time develop the tourism. On the mountain, I feel that will be the future of this country.

From the eastern part– Kecouta’s village – to the western part—capital city – I can feel that everyone in this country is very nice, but their living situation s are quite different. People in the eastern region live like one big community. Everyone can visit other houses. If someone in the village need help other villagers can know very fast. When we were there, we felt immediately part of it. But if you live in the city, you may not even your neighborhood’s name.

So, if they can mixture two cultures together like people in the city can take care of people more and people in the village can have more material support, I think this country will be better and find its right path.

Senegal is the first African country I went to. I feel super surprising how the world develops here. I used to think that this trip will be horrible in some ways because of the dangers of this country. But the truth is I was totally wrong. Senegalese people are super nice and friendly. Everywhere we’ve gone, I’ve felt totally safe. From wrestling on the beach with locals to exploring the village on my own to buying things in Dakar. The environment has a little bit of mess, but I saw the government are already working on that. I believe this country will be better and better in the future.

I want to thank for my parents, teachers and other students who are in this trip.

In the end, I want to use a Chinese old saying to describe this trip: du wan juan shu ,xing wan li lu(Read more books, travel more places). The reality might surprise you. You might find the sweet mix.