1. Baobab trees, which are common in Sénégal, are known for their large circumference. They are also hollow, and this particular tree was used to bury religious storytellers. Even with eight of us holding hands, we were not able to reach all the way around!

2. While visiting a small village in the Sénégalese countryside, some of my friends and I were left to play with the children. We introduced them to the game of “Duck, duck, goose”, but instead called it “Chien, chien, chat”, which is French for dog, dog, cat. They caught on quickly, and enjoyed chasing us around the circle!

3. “Les Elephants” is a unique statue in the middle of downtown Chambéry, France. It’s quite a surprise to see four elephant torsos in a quaint French town! The monument was erected to honour a local count who spent many years in India.

4. Though a camel ride itself is quite amusing, there is a funny story behind this one. If you look at me, the one in the red hat, you’ll see that I have my right leg up, resting on my left knee. This strange posture was brought on by the behaviour of my father’s camel, who took a liking to my foot. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a camel’s mouth and their greenish spit/foam, but having one nuzzle your bare foot is not a pleasant experience. Thankfully it lost interest when I removed my appendages from its reach.

5. Driving along the (one and only) Sénégalese highway, we came up behind this taxi, overloaded with supplies, and with an interesting slogan on its back window: “Sound Boy – Only God can Judge Me “. With the big pots tied to his roof, the whole contraption looks a bit unsafe to be driving, but I’ll let God judge him on that.

Despite the hardship of leaving, however, these years in Senegal have been wonderful, memory-filled years which I wouldn’t give up for anything.