One of my dearest friends from childhood works in a hospice center, where he cares for patients who are on the last leg of their life journey. I have never had the stomach or perhaps the heart for such a job, which is why I admire Greg all the more for what he does. We often swipe stories, me about my adventures in Senegal him about his adventures at his job. While we fill our days with completely different things, we always have plenty to talk about with each other. As I go into my 25th year of life and my 3rd year in Senegal, I can’t help myself thinking about something Greg told me when recalling the notable things that his residents say.
He told me that there are patterns in the people who are there, most of their friends already passed away and many of their families coming less and less to visit, if at all. He noted that there was a resounding consistency with one particular thought which plagued many of his residents.
They all speak of their regrets. Even when people meander aimlessly through their memories, their minds already mostly gone from this world, they speak of things they didn’t do and wished they had, they speak of the things they almost did, but didn’t have the courage to follow through with.
Not that I’m dwelling on this particular observation, but since Greg and I turned 25 a week apart from each other, we enjoyed reflecting on what these wise elders could tell us about how we live our still relatively young lives.
This being said (and reflected upon), I think 25 will be an amazing year, not only because I am happy with how I have lived my life and how I have grown into the 25 year old I am today, but also because I know the adventures are only beginning, the growing will continue, and I am happy with exactly where I am.
10 Reasons why it’s Awesome to Turn 25 in Senegal
- For birthday breakfast I treated myself to two croissants (one butter, one chocolate) and a cup of coffee all for the equivalent of $1.50.
- 25 and still learning. French and surfing are two new skills I will hopefully have acquired by the end of the year.
- In Senegal, most people don’t mark their birthdays anyway.
- Since I moved to Dakar and started hanging out with the other expatriates here, I’m still among the youngest. I keep them young, and they give me good advice. The perfect trade.
- On my birthday night I got to dance until 5:00 in the morning. Bars in the U.S. close at 2:00am!
- The expat community is so small, that my birthday party was the biggest thing happening that night, which meant everybody was there.
- My birthday cake was topped with fresh fruit! I love living in tropical places.
- I didn’t have to wear a coat, another coat, a hat, boots, and gloves out on January 27th. It was 80 degrees!
- People told me Bon Anniversaire as well as Happy Birthday. I love hearing happy birthday in two languages.
- I’ve lived 10% of my life in Senegal. Not a bad way to end a quarter of a century.
It's Time for Africa! 