West Coast Connection Forum
Lifestyle => Train of Thought => Topic started by: TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96' on November 11, 2010, 06:51:20 AM
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12 days to Departure.
Destination: Senegal then Gambia
Trip 3 to West Africa.
I'm supposed to have a car in Africa this time, so that should open up even more opportunities for me to explore the continent and it's culture. I'll be writing nearly every day in my journal there and be posting up words and pics at spots on the web periodically. Feedback welcome. Wish me luck
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i pray that prophet muhammed brings you the gift of malaria
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Good luck!
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i pray that prophet muhammed brings you the gift of malaria
hahahahahaha
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i pray that prophet muhammed brings you the gift of malaria
Ahh yes, because that's all Africa is right? Islamic fanatics, malaria, Aids, tribal wars, poverty, starvation, and lions and giraffes!
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Good luck!
thanks homie
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I slam for Islam
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Good luck to you young homie!
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i pray that prophet muhammed brings you the gift of malaria
Ahh yes, because that's all Africa is right? Islamic fanatics, malaria, Aids, tribal wars, poverty, starvation, and lions and giraffes!
youre leaving out the cannabilism, child soldiers and land mines
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i pray that prophet muhammed brings you the gift of malaria
Ahh yes, because that's all Africa is right? Islamic fanatics, malaria, Aids, tribal wars, poverty, starvation, and lions and giraffes!
Well the majority of Africans are in poverty, so once you factor in Islamic fanatics (not a whole lot), people with AIDS and malaria (plenty) and the wars, you've pretty much covered most the population. You are a tourist, so you only see what you want to see (the good stuff).
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Well the majority of Africans are in poverty, so once you factor in Islamic fanatics (not a whole lot), people with AIDS and malaria (plenty) and the wars, you've pretty much covered most the population. You are a tourist, so you only see what you want to see (the good stuff).
The two countries I'm spending time in have had less war than Americans have had over the last two hundred years.
Not every African country is like Rwanda, Somalia, Liberia or Sierra Leone. The people in the countries I've been going to, Senegal and Gambia, are very peaceful by nature; even amongst other tribes or religious groups. They are predominately Muslim, but when Christians go there as missionaries or with the peace corp they always come back saying that they have newfound believe in world peace after seeing these countries. The respect for other traditions is celebrated in the country.
And it's not about being a tourist, when I am there I am seeing the same thing anybody else is seeing, the countries are small, and with a little effort and some decent connections you can travel the whole country.
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You take this wigger thing way too serious.
Your right... maybe I should go backpacking through Europe? Or even visiting China might be acceptable for a white man, right? Get a skinny 5'0" Asian girl?
Or how about I just do what I want with my life and don't give a fuck about stereotypes because they don't exist in reality. In reality, we are all individuals and there is no such thing as groups. People follow groups only when it's beneficial for them as an individual, as soon as they aren't getting anything out of it anymore, suddenly they become and individual again. That's the real.
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Who deleted my comment? Fuck this censorship :-X
You take this wigger thing way too serious.
Your right... maybe I should go backpacking through Europe? Or even visiting China might be acceptable for a white man, right? Get a skinny 5'0" Asian girl?
That'd be a good idea. Asian women still know what loyalty and obediance is.
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You take this wigger thing way too serious.
Your right... maybe I should go backpacking through Europe? Or even visiting China might be acceptable for a white man, right? Get a skinny 5'0" Asian girl?
Or how about I just do what I want with my life and don't give a fuck about stereotypes because they don't exist in reality. In reality, we are all individuals and there is no such thing as groups. People follow groups only when it's beneficial for them as an individual, as soon as they aren't getting anything out of it anymore, suddenly they become and individual again. That's the real.
DOUBLE RAINBOW OH MY GOD!!!!
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I like TOT more when it's less G-Spottish.
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You take this wigger thing way too serious.
Your right... maybe I should go backpacking through Europe? Or even visiting China might be acceptable for a white man, right? Get a skinny 5'0" Asian girl?
Or how about I just do what I want with my life and don't give a fuck about stereotypes because they don't exist in reality. In reality, we are all individuals and there is no such thing as groups. People follow groups only when it's beneficial for them as an individual, as soon as they aren't getting anything out of it anymore, suddenly they become and individual again. That's the real.
Stereotypes don't exist?
Whatever helps you accept yourself.
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i pray that prophet muhammed brings you the gift of malaria
hahahahahaha
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lol@all the white people in this thread tryna piss the OP off
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I like TOT more when it's less G-Spottish.
The mods should make the direction of TOT more clear, because I think some of these kids are mistaking TOT for the G-Spot. I don't see how a post saying nothing more than "I slam for Islam" or "may Prophet Muhammad bring you malaria" or "LOL at white people trying to piss off OP" belong in this forum.
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You take this wigger thing way too serious.
Your right... maybe I should go backpacking through Europe? Or even visiting China might be acceptable for a white man, right? Get a skinny 5'0" Asian girl?
Or how about I just do what I want with my life and don't give a fuck about stereotypes because they don't exist in reality. In reality, we are all individuals and there is no such thing as groups. People follow groups only when it's beneficial for them as an individual, as soon as they aren't getting anything out of it anymore, suddenly they become and individual again. That's the real.
Stereotypes don't exist?
Whatever helps you accept yourself.
Stereotypes do exist, but that doesn't mean you have to let them run your life or conform to them. And I think it's probably best I accept myself how I am than try to conform to a standard decided by someone else that exists 6 inches above my head.
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Journal entry: 1 week to Departure
Just trying to get back into the flow of things. Author James Redfield writes about how we all follow a path in life, and how it is important for us to stay conscious of divine coincidences to push our personal evolution forward. So I'm starting to get back into the flow of things with just a week till departure.
I'm feeling the energy of my upcoming trip as it approaches me, and as I draw closer to departure I'm starting to take notice of coincidences surrounding me. Thoughts that have rested in the mud of my mind, have now emerged to the front and center. Lingering issues and questions are surfacing. People who were mere acquaintances are now becoming key figures in my life.
I've been slowly keeping up with all my contacts during my time away. But now my contacts here in the states and in Africa have been mobilized. Some friendships will stay the same, some will be forgotten, and I hope that most are being enhanced with every passing moment as my trip approaches and takes flight.
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i pray that prophet muhammed brings you the gift of malaria
Ahh yes, because that's all Africa is right? Islamic fanatics, malaria, Aids, tribal wars, poverty, starvation, and lions and giraffes!
youre leaving out the cannabilism, child soldiers and land mines
and flys on peoples eyes
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You're leaving while the Chiefs are still #1 in the West? Hope you get a satellite feed out there. Best of luck.
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You're leaving while the Chiefs are still #1 in the West? Hope you get a satellite feed out there. Best of luck.
Last time I was there I had an internet cafe in walking distance from my guesthouse. I went there often to charge my phone and charge up my ipod, and get on the net. So I will be able to check the scores and highlights from the game briefly, but I think part of the reason you travel is to do things you normally don't do back home. So I wouldn't mind forgetting about Kansas City all together, but somehow I can't resist checkin the Chiefs score.
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You're leaving while you haven't had paid child support in months and you haven't had a real job in years
Fixed for accuracy
My son will be out of the country anyway visiting his mom's side of the family in Dec. and January, and I have always taken care of him physically and financially. But thanks for your thoughtful contributions to the thread anyway. Hope you get do something with your life one of these days that matters. There's more to life once you get outside of your mom's basement, and I hope you find that out one day.
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You're leaving while the Chiefs are still #1 in the West? Hope you get a satellite feed out there. Best of luck.
Last time I was there I had an internet cafe in walking distance from my guesthouse. I went there often to charge my phone and charge up my ipod, and get on the net. So I will be able to check the scores and highlights from the game briefly, but I think part of the reason you travel is to do things you normally don't do back home. So I wouldn't mind forgetting about Kansas City all together, but somehow I can't resist checkin the Chiefs score.
Well, to be fair, you wouldn't normally be watching the Chiefs in the Superbowl while you're in Kansas City, so here's to a safe return by late January.
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I have been living on my own for the past couple of years and haven't asked my parents for any finacial support since I started working when I was 15. Try again you leech on society. Did your Dad fund this trip or did you finally get a real job ? But hey to show you I'm not a hard ass, next time you're in NYC let me know and I'll invite you over to show you how a functioning member of society acts like a man.
I'm happy to hear you've finally gotten out on your own a little bit. I don't talk to you so it's hard for me to know what you've been up to the past couple years. I know you've always been wrong in your assumptions about me, but I think that just comes from not having enough going on in your own life. So just remember, where there is a will there is a way. It's not always about money. Once you get away from all the societal traps and expectations others put on you, and you begin acting alone to seek out what interests you most; then you will find everything is much easier than you originally thought.
I don't have the best job (I work as a med tech at patient care tech at hospitals and nursing homes) but I've never had to "leach from society" and receive any help from the government through welfare, financial school aid, or unemployment checks. In fact, I'm a Libertarian and don't believe in those things anyway. All my trips to Africa I paid for on my own and sometimes I may come back in a little bit of debt, but what you see and experience nobody can take away from you.
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Well, to be fair, you wouldn't normally be watching the Chiefs in the Superbowl while you're in Kansas City, so here's to a safe return by late January.
thanks, good lookin out. And here's to your predictions coming true and the Chiefs not going in the tank and still being relevant in January!
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Yea you don't need gov't assistance when your parents still bail ya out.
You know whats funny, after all these years you still have nooo idea why people here attack you, shows how self absorbed you are.
There's nothing wrong with benefiting from family money. Everyone has to make the most of whatever resources are available to them.
My first trip to Africa was paid for all on my own, except I got stuck when I was over there. My parents loaned me around 400 dollars, and I also had two friends who loaned me a combined 600 dollars. I paid my parents back and one of my friends, and the other friend insisted that I didn't pay him back.
The second year I went I paid for everything entirely on my own. I also incurred debts during that trip but this time it was on my own credit card, so it didn't involve anyone else.
And my goal is not to try to figure out why people might attack me on here, because it's not worth my limited time trying to figure such things out (my time is better spent on people who do like me); some people will hate you no matter what. They usually don't like who you are, and some things we can't change even if we tried.
I don't like you either, and I promise you I'm not the only person that dislikes you. But there's not a person on Earth who is liked by everyone.
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Well, to be fair, you wouldn't normally be watching the Chiefs in the Superbowl while you're in Kansas City, so here's to a safe return by late January.
thanks, good lookin out. And here's to your predictions coming true and the Chiefs not going in the tank and still being relevant in January!
For the record I predicted a 2nd year playoff berth, but the Denver and SD collapse made a first year berth possible.
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-Departing-
"The sea that calls all things unto her calls me, and I must embark. For to stay, though the hours burn in the night, is to freeze and crystallize and be bound in a mould. Ready am I to go, and my eagerness with sails full set awaits the wind. Only another breath will I breathe in this still air. And alone and without his nest shall the eagle fly across the sun. Then I shall stand among you, a seafarer among seafarers. And you, vast sea, sleepless mother, Who alone are peace and freedom to the river and the stream, Only another winding will this stream make, only another murmur in this glade, And then shall I come to you, a boundless drop to a boundless ocean"
Khalil Gibran
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Yo, just loggin from the Gambia, West Africa. Landed in Senegal for a couple days, then on to Gambia where I've now gotten settled in. About a week into my trip, it's been good.
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No one cares
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No one cares
Then why are you wasting your time posting in my thread?
I made this thread for myself, to help me organize some of my pics and info for my trip. If anyone does care and wants to check it out and discuss, then that's an added bonus for me. But you don't have to waste your time reading and posting in my thread if you don't care.
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I just got back home safe. Many blessings on my trip, I am very thankful for everything. Expect a steady stream of pics and info from my trip to be posted up in this thread over the coming months. (I didn't want to post up anything while I was away, because I spend too much damn time on the net back here in America, and Africa was my time to get out and live a different life)
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i cant wait til i see Africa (all of it)
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seriously though how does infants gay little travel diary count as train of thought material? better yet just go ahead and delete this post like a bitch
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who's the one deleting posts?
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seriously though how does infants gay little travel diary count as train of thought material? better yet just go ahead and delete this post like a bitch
Pretty much.
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people hating, but thats just corny, such a high precentage of americans never leave their home town, or their state, or america, something like going to africa is amazing... however, being the super whiteboy that i am i aspire to go to europe cause that is of more interest to me. i havent done nearly enough traveling and very much regret it (i have been to israel, canada, mexico, and well i wasnt born in america but that dont count)
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people hating, but thats just corny, such a high precentage of americans never leave their home town, or their state, or america, something like going to africa is amazing... however, being the super whiteboy that i am i aspire to go to europe cause that is of more interest to me. i havent done nearly enough traveling and very much regret it (i have been to israel, canada, mexico, and well i wasnt born in america but that dont count)
i want to travel more, i heard south africa is alright. but ive been to mexico, canada, korea, china, japan (stopped there for a transfer), and italy.
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Here's the first set of pics from my trip. I will be resizing them and dropping some more info to go along with the pics later, but I just wanted to at least get something up for now...
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/hphpfns.jpg)
Restaurant on first day in Senegal visiting the historical Goree Island (former slave island)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/guesthouse.jpg)
My guesthouse I rented for over a month in Gambia
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/Idisoldhome.jpg)
My friend Idrissa's old home he grew up in as a boy, in the upcountry/province called Jowara, Gambia. That shirt I'm wearing was a going away gift from the head of the family. They were all very good to me during my stay there with his family.
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/Idiextendedfam.jpg)
Pic of my friend Idrissa's extended family in the Provinces
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/Seediandmeeating.jpg)
Local eating spot close to my place in Gambia. Usually we would eat, like 3 to 5, sometimes even 7 or 8 people around one big bowl of food. I think eating like this brings people closer together, also the food tastes better and your less likely to overeat like this.
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/clubgs.jpg)
At Gambia's #1 nightclub, chilling out before Viviane N'Dour and the Jolof Band take the stage (much more on this later)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/busysignalG.jpg)
Reggae concert in Gambia, Jamaican artists Busy Signal performing. Had to stop the show at one point because he was overcome with emotion, crying saying it was his first show he's ever done in Africa.
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/muhammadlebanon.jpg)
My homie from Lebanon, Muhammad, with us at the Busy Signal concert, speaks fluent Wolof, Arabic, French and English. Alot of Lebanese families that have been living in Senegal/Gambia for around around a century.
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This thread doesn't belong in this section. A mod should put it in the g spot
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people hating, but thats just corny, such a high precentage of americans never leave their home town, or their state, or america, something like going to africa is amazing... however, being the super whiteboy that i am i aspire to go to europe cause that is of more interest to me. i havent done nearly enough traveling and very much regret it (i have been to israel, canada, mexico, and well i wasnt born in america but that dont count)
nice post, I appreciate that, and I wish you the best in your future travels to Europe.
Some people travel for work, some people travel for fun. For me, I travel to find myself. Because the world is a big place, and what you need or identify with may not always be right at your doorstep.
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people hating, but thats just corny, such a high precentage of americans never leave their home town, or their state, or america, something like going to africa is amazing... however, being the super whiteboy that i am i aspire to go to europe cause that is of more interest to me. i havent done nearly enough traveling and very much regret it (i have been to israel, canada, mexico, and well i wasnt born in america but that dont count)
i want to travel more, i heard south africa is alright. but ive been to mexico, canada, korea, china, japan (stopped there for a transfer), and italy.
I've been to Mexico and Canada, never had any desire to go to Japan or China. Yeah, I've heard South Africa is nice, but from what I know you may not get a whole lot of local African culture if you go there, just because it is more of a mix of cultures, with whites who have lived there for decades/centuries, and also large populations of people from the Indian subcontinent, and I think even Japanese.
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This thread doesn't belong in this section. A mod should put it in the g spot
For your information, Overseer actually opened up this section of the forum back in the day (around the beginning of the Afghan war in 01') in response to threads and posts I was making... and I was the first moderator this section ever had, so I don't need you to tell me what is or isn't appropriate for this section of the forum. Let the moderators handle all that.
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This thread doesn't belong in this section. A mod should put it in the g spot
For your information, Overseer actually opened up this section of the forum back in the day (around the beginning of the Afghan war in 01') in response to threads and posts I was making... and I was the first moderator this section ever had, so I don't need you to tell me what is or isn't appropriate for this section of the forum. Let the moderators handle all that.
If you think posting pictures of your vacation can be seen as serious discussion you're a bigger idiot then everybody already thinks.
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If you think posting pictures of your vacation can be seen as serious discussion you're a bigger idiot then everybody already thinks.
Maybe if you would of taken your anti-anxiety meds this morning, you could be a little more patient. I just posted up the first set of pics, I will be going much deeper into all things religious, political, and social about the African culture that I experienced. Really, the thread is sufficient for the forum, as it is now; and if anybody has been steering it's content away Train Of Thought material, it has not been me, but rather people such as yourself.
But don't worry, I'm going to be going much deeper in this thread, into more serious aspects of reflection upon my travels. So you can keep checking back for this thread, as I see you are one of the most frequent visitors to my thread. I thank you for your interest.
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you think food tastes better when a bunch of people eat it off of the dirt with their bare hands hahaha you are a real piece of shit infant
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you think food tastes better when a bunch of people eat it off of the dirt with their bare hands hahaha you are a real piece of shit infant
LOL.. then if you are so wise, can you tell me why I was more healthy and strong by the end of my trip then I've ever been in my entire life?
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Looks like a really cool trip.
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you think food tastes better when a bunch of people eat it off of the dirt with their bare hands hahaha you are a real piece of shit infant
LOL.. then if you are so wise, can you tell me why I was more healthy and strong by the end of my trip then I've ever been in my entire life?
probably because your entire life you have been unhealthy and weak and at least in africa you were outside
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you think food tastes better when a bunch of people eat it off of the dirt with their bare hands hahaha you are a real piece of shit infant
LOL.. then if you are so wise, can you tell me why I was more healthy and strong by the end of my trip then I've ever been in my entire life?
probably because your entire life you have been unhealthy and weak and at least in africa you were outside
This. Lol at people who go to Africa to force themselves to get some air
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Looks like a really cool trip.
yeah homie, and I got to come back just in time to watch our Chiefs self-destruct against the Ravens in the second half of their playoff game. That's how bad the Chiefs get when Jamal Charles is "banged up" and there were rumors that Haley and Wiess (your guy) relationship had soured a couple weeks prior.
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Some photos from my first day in Senegal...
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/chiG.jpg)
This was my hotel after arriving in Senegal. It was near the airport. In the picture with me is a girl I met on the plane, named Ebony. She is a fashion designer and has a clothing line, store in South Side Chicago. She got a contract from one of the Afro-Centric Charter schools there to actually go to Senegal and have tailors in Senegal make their school uniforms. I thought this was a nice idea, because you have Afro-centric charter schools all over America with dress codes and the kids are wearing blue pants and white t-shirts. It makes sense if you are going to have an Afro-centric charter school that their dress code should reflect an African style and that it should come from African tailors in Africa.
This girl and I hit it off on the plane, and it was an 8 hour flight so we had a lot of time to talk and get to know each other. I knew my friend would really like her, and after I got off the plane we helped her with her bags, and got a cab, and helped her get set up in the hotel with us. Another guy in the picture is Ali, who was like her business partner in Senegal, he is a local Senegalese, and he lives in a big, unfinished apartment building that is all cement and still just under construction. Basically, I think he just pays them something when they aren't building and he made a nice room on one of the upper levels, has all nice stuff in there and even an ocean view. He was the man in Senegal and he took care of anything we needed when we were there.
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/Statue.jpg)
This is a key monument in Senegal and it has caused a great deal of controversy. One reason is that the statue was extremely expensive and the people felt like the President Abdul-Wade was misappropriating funds for this statue that could of gone to much more worthy projects within Senegal, such as sewage cleanup which spills over at times in some parts of the capital city. Also, the picture displays a bare-chested woman, so since Senegal is a Muslim country, they felt that the woman's image should be more modest then that. I'll show a few more pics of the statue later, basically it is a Man holding a woman and a child, with the young child pointing forward and towards the sky, to symbolize African strength and a bright future.
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/museaminside.jpg)
This is a pic of the African history museum that is inside the statue, as you can see there are images and of great African leaders like Hallie Sallasie-I, Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, Nelson Mandela and so on.
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/escalator.jpg)
Like the Empire State Building in America, you can also take an elevator to the top of this statue, and from there you can look out and see the capital city of Dakkar. Unfortunately m;y camera couldn't capture a good image of the skyline/view from atop.
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Since when do vacation photos belong in ToT? Mod please.
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Since when do vacation photos belong in ToT? Mod please.
The Mod has already replied in support of this thread...
Good luck to you young homie!
...So maybe it's posts like yours that should be subject to deletion...
This is culture, politics, race, religion, reflection all in one... I've never had a more pertinent thread to offer the Train of Thought than this one. Now if I had been vacationing to Disney World to see Mickey Mouse, then you might have a point; but even then, if I was reflecting upon it blog style, then I still don't think you would have an argument.
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How do you meet all these people in your photos?
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How do you meet all these people in your photos?
Every year I've gone by myself...
But the first year I went, I tried to get with some of my African friends that live here in the States and find out when they were going back home, to see if I could tag along with them. They would always talk about bringing me, but it was always just talk, because many of them come to the States and make plans to go back but never actually do.
So finally I just went on my own. However, they did help me that first year, because they gave me phone numbers, addresses, and contacts to their family members over there. So the first year that I went back in 2007 I didn't rent my own guesthouse/apartment. The first year I actually stayed with family members of African friends I had back here in the states. Some were good to me but some did try to take advantage of me. Like I had one guy here in the states, who I had not known very well at all, but when he found out I was going there he started telling me he had a mansion there on the beach, and that I could stay with his family and they'd set me up with a business so I could make millions and all this nonsense. The deal was that he wanted me to marry his wife, so that she could get a Visa to come to the United States. So stuff like that does come up from time to time. On the other hand, I did have friends from here whose families actually gave me way more than I gave them and even when I tried to offer them money in return they wouldn't take it.
But the important thing was that during that first year in 07' I was able to get around enough on my own to meet people who I bonded with. So by the time my second trip came around in 08' I knew my way around and I developed my own group of friends and people I could rely on and trust. Still, you will get people trying to run schemes on you, and sometimes it's okay as long as you can still get what you want out of the deal, I mean, nobody is going to jack you up and hold you at gun point; the worst that can happen is that somebody tricks you out of some money. Because the two countries I was in, you will never see a gun anywhere on the streets, only soldiers have guns. So people will argue and say anything from "I will fuck your mother" on the streets back and forth and still no fighting occurs and definitely no guns get involved.
One other factor, is that it's very easy to meet people over there. The job market is very scarce, so you have hundreds of people walking around without cars and without jobs, and with a lot of free time. It's also very crowded over there in the cities. So just going out to the store you may interact with 10 or so different people and get to know them. It's also part of their culture that people that they are very open and don't usually pass by without greeting and talking and getting to know one another.
So anyway... to answer your question, I guess the first year I relied on family members of African friends I had in the States to take me around initially, so by doing that I was able to meet people whom I really connected with, and just build my own relationships from there.
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Looks like a really cool trip.
yeah homie, and I got to come back just in time to watch our Chiefs self-destruct against the Ravens in the second half of their playoff game. That's how bad the Chiefs get when Jamal Charles is "banged up" and there were rumors that Haley and Wiess (your guy) relationship had soured a couple weeks prior.
I can't even blame the strategy or play calling. This was a case of losing momentum and losing focus. Had Charles not fumbled, they were driving very well and had they gone up 14-3 they would have wrapped up the game. What we saw was the difference between Belicheck and Haley. As great a strategic coach as Bill is, he's also a genius skills coach and keeps guys around like this. Parcells too may have changed this game. The Cheifs just lost momentum and lost the game. Too bad, because things are only looking worse now. Haley simply isn't head coach material, and I think it'll show even more next year. But as long as Romeo is there you guys have a chance. Although I would love to snag him for Buffalo, with a re new 3-4 that needs major work.
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Good to see you going out there and tryna find yourself and learn about different cultures and shit from what you've been raised into infinite. Travelling, meeting people from other cultures of life is an amazing experience and is something you should always grow from. I've done a lot of travelling myself and you learn more from that than you will ever do from just sitting and chillin in your own hood and just watching television all day.
Can be crazy fun too depending on what sort of reason y'all looking to travel! ;D
As for the comments in this thread, i wouldnt bother too much with the dumb comments left by some of the inbreds, keep posting, sounds like you had a top time, props.
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Looks like a really cool trip.
yeah homie, and I got to come back just in time to watch our Chiefs self-destruct against the Ravens in the second half of their playoff game. That's how bad the Chiefs get when Jamal Charles is "banged up" and there were rumors that Haley and Wiess (your guy) relationship had soured a couple weeks prior.
I can't even blame the strategy or play calling. This was a case of losing momentum and losing focus. Had Charles not fumbled, they were driving very well and had they gone up 14-3 they would have wrapped up the game. What we saw was the difference between Belicheck and Haley. As great a strategic coach as Bill is, he's also a genius skills coach and keeps guys around like this. Parcells too may have changed this game. The Cheifs just lost momentum and lost the game. Too bad, because things are only looking worse now. Haley simply isn't head coach material, and I think it'll show even more next year. But as long as Romeo is there you guys have a chance. Although I would love to snag him for Buffalo, with a re new 3-4 that needs major work.
That tackle and fumble was the play of the game. Before that, Jamal Charles was about to go off and have a huge day. After he got banged up on the play and fumbled, he was never quite the same after that, and you really saw how horrible the Chiefs would be without Jamal Charles. It looked like the Chiefs team in 09' when Larry Johnson was still the starting running back, and Haley was playing mind games with Charles and had him listed as the 3rd and sometimes even 4th string running back, behind the likes of no-names like Kolby Smith and Dontrelle Savage playing ahead of him
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Good to see you going out there and tryna find yourself and learn about different cultures and shit from what you've been raised into infinite. Travelling, meeting people from other cultures of life is an amazing experience and is something you should always grow from. I've done a lot of travelling myself and you learn more from that than you will ever do from just sitting and chillin in your own hood and just watching television all day.
Can be crazy fun too depending on what sort of reason y'all looking to travel! ;D
As for the comments in this thread, i wouldnt bother too much with the dumb comments left by some of the inbreds, keep posting, sounds like you had a top time, props.
thanks for the kind words, good lookin out
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(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/guesthouse.jpg)
Is that nigga wearin' Iversons??
LMAO.
Good for you homie! Must be an amazing experience!
If I was to ever travel, I would love to go to the Holy Lands..... wit Rapsodie. :laugh:
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(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/guesthouse.jpg)
If I was to ever travel, I would love to go to the Holy Lands.....
I just wanna go see some culture that is different than here. Asia, Africa, South America (maybe). Europe seems kinda boring to me for some reason. I feel like I will just see a McDonalds and a Starbucks on every corner or somethin.
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lmao that's sad if this is the most pertinent thread you have to offer to ToT. All I see are posts about football and where people want to go on vacation :D
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im still laughing at food tasting aand being more nutritious when a bunch of people eat it off the dirt with their bare hands
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(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/guesthouse.jpg)
If I was to ever travel, I would love to go to the Holy Lands.....
I just wanna go see some culture that is different than here. Asia, Africa, South America (maybe). Europe seems kinda boring to me for some reason. I feel like I will just see a McDonalds and a Starbucks on every corner or somethin.
I agree a hundred.
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Since when do vacation photos belong in ToT? Mod please.
When they expose people to a more worldly view and allow for discussion about worldly topics, and are more important to todays world than Nazi's in space.
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:laugh:
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LOL @ Nazis in space.
That title does hook me in, I'm not gonna lie :laugh:
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Since when do vacation photos belong in ToT? Mod please.
When they expose people to a more worldly view and allow for discussion about worldly topics, and are more important to todays world than Nazi's in space.
I've yet to see any serious discussion other than "I'd like to visit [insert place]" and discussion about football. This obvious belongs in the G Spot.
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^ He just mad he wasn't invited. :(
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^ He just mad he wasn't invited. :(
Think so... too bad I can't do a ban from a thread, that way opening this thread would bother him no more. You know, this thread bothers him so much he just has to open it up and reply and say nonsense. Sad... :-\
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^ He just mad he wasn't invited. :(
Think so... too bad I can't do a ban from a thread, that way opening this thread would bother him no more. You know, this thread bothers him so much he just has to open it up and reply and say nonsense. Sad... :-\
And you're a mod :D
No wonder dubcc is dead
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Since when do vacation photos belong in ToT? Mod please.
When they expose people to a more worldly view and allow for discussion about worldly topics, and are more important to todays world than Nazi's in space.
You're confusing your own personal opinion with the description of this section.
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are you guys honestly arguing whether this does or does not belong in TOT, who gives a flying fuck? yall need a life, either talk about infinites trip, hate on him, or ignore the thread, but bring something to the table...
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My second day in Senegal...
My first day in Senegal I was mostly too excited to sleep. So I was running on no sleep. We hung out with the girl from Chicago and her Senegalese "business partner" Ali most of the day. Just being around them and being out we met a lot of people and had them all over to our hotel and also went out that night. The club we went to was kind of an American style club, and I wasn't really feeling it (because when you travel you want new experiences and it felt to much like back home), but my friend was. Then later on that night, I started to like it there, and he started to say he was feeling sick and wanted to leave. Without going into detail an argument did break out between my friend Idrissa and I, his cousin Dawda, and over a girl at the club. The argument got so serious and spilled into some other issues, like family issues between Dawda and Idrissa and also arguments over money between some of us. The arguments continued all through the next day.
My second evening in Senegal we went out with Ebony (the fashion designer from Chicago) out to the main mall/market in Dakkar, where she was meeting with some tailors and picking out some styles for the school uniforms back in Chicago she was contracted to provide. But before meeting up with her Idrissa and I had spent the day over at Goree island. Here are some pics and info about the world famous slave island...
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/Goreeisland.jpg)
Goree Island was one of the first settlements built by the Europeans in West Africa. The Porteguese were the first to make use of the island in the 14th century. Later the Dutch captured it, and gave it its name. But over the last few hundred years it has mainly been a possession of the colonial power of Senegal, the French.
Slavery is dramatized in great detail on the island. Although it has been disputed that the tales are greatly exaggerated by the 1,000 or so locals who live on the island and benefit off its tourism. Studies have shown that it was a major settlement and trading post, however human slaves were only a minor commodity on the island compared to the other goods being transported, such as beeswax, hides and grain.
However it has been so well-preserved over the years, in comparison to other European settlements in Africa, that it is still considered one of the best locations to visit for people seeking to better understand the history of the slave trade. The slave house located on the island is very well-preserved as you can see in the following picture...
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/724212-R1-040-18A_013-1.jpg)
First I have to post an old pic from my 2008 pics, because it is the best pic I have showing the overall layout of the slave houses.
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/Goreebasement.jpg)
This is me on the bottom floor of the slave house. The top floor of the main slave house is said to be where the slave masters lived, while the bottom level is said to be where the blacks were divided up by groups. Then in the back is the place they call "point of no return" where they say the slaves were tragically shipped off to America, and "goodbye Africa".
Today the island is home to about 1,000 locals, and although people do get emotional seeing some of the historical images on the island, it is also home to beautiful beaches, resteraunts, concerts, and other avenues of entertainment/enjoyment. Here's a pic of the beach-side restaurant.
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/eatingatGoree.jpg)
I have about 30 pics of Goree Island alone, but I don't want to spend too much time on it here, as it wasn't a new experience but something I had done and written about on my two previous trips to Africa.
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My second day in Senegal...
My first day in Senegal I was mostly too excited to sleep. So I was running on no sleep. We hung out with the girl from Chicago and her Senegalese "business partner" Ali most of the day. Just being around them and being out we met a lot of people and had them all over to our hotel and also went out that night. The club we went to was kind of an American style club, and I wasn't really feeling it (because when you travel you want new experiences and it felt to much like back home), but my friend was. Then later on that night, I started to like it there, and he started to say he was feeling sick and wanted to leave. Without going into detail an argument did break out between my friend Idrissa and I, his cousin Dawda, and over a girl at the club. The argument got so serious and spilled into some other issues, like family issues between Dawda and Idrissa and also arguments over money between some of us. The arguments continued all through the next day.
My second evening in Senegal we went out with Ebony (the fashion designer from Chicago) out to the main mall/market in Dakkar, where she was meeting with some tailors and picking out some styles for the school uniforms back in Chicago she was contracted to provide. But before meeting up with her Idrissa and I had spent the day over at Goree island. Here are some pics and info about the world famous slave island...
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/Goreeisland.jpg)
Goree Island was one of the first settlements built by the Europeans in West Africa. The Porteguese were the first to make use of the island in the 14th century. Later the Dutch captured it, and gave it its name. But over the last few hundred years it has mainly been a possession of the colonial power of Senegal, the French.
Slavery is dramatized in great detail on the island. Although it has been disputed that the tales are greatly exaggerated by the 1,000 or so locals who live on the island and benefit off its tourism. Studies have shown that it was a major settlement and trading post, however human slaves were only a minor commodity on the island compared to the other goods being transported, such as beeswax, hides and grain.
However it has been so well-preserved over the years, in comparison to other European settlements in Africa, that it is still considered one of the best locations to visit for people seeking to better understand the history of the slave trade. The slave house located on the island is very well-preserved as you can see in the following picture...
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/724212-R1-040-18A_013-1.jpg)
First I have to post an old pic from my 2008 pics, because it is the best pic I have showing the overall layout of the slave houses.
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/Goreebasement.jpg)
This is me on the bottom floor of the slave house. The top floor of the main slave house is said to be where the slave masters lived, while the bottom level is said to be where the blacks were divided up by groups. Then in the back is the place they call "point of no return" where they say the slaves were tragically shipped off to America, and "goodbye Africa".
Today the island is home to about 1,000 locals, and although people do get emotional seeing some of the historical images on the island, it is also home to beautiful beaches, resteraunts, concerts, and other avenues of entertainment/enjoyment. Here's a pic of the beach-side restaurant.
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/eatingatGoree.jpg)
I have about 30 pics of Goree Island alone, but I don't want to spend too much time on it here, as it wasn't a new experience but something I had done and written about on my two previous trips to Africa.
I gotta ask you man. And be honest. Do you ever get people actin funny towards you when youre out there? Because youre...you know...white. And Im not bein a smartass either or anything. Its an honest question. Maybe not even just being white, but a white American. Youre visiting spots that have a long history of really bad shit happening to these peoples ancestors, carried out by yours. Obviously you have nothing to do with it. But sometimes there is still resentment you know?
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I gotta ask you man. And be honest. Do you ever get people actin funny towards you when youre out there? Because youre...you know...white. And Im not bein a smartass either or anything. Its an honest question. Maybe not even just being white, but a white American. Youre visiting spots that have a long history of really bad shit happening to these peoples ancestors, carried out by yours. Obviously you have nothing to do with it. But sometimes there is still resentment you know?
It's a fair question, and it's something I thought about and considered...
...but let me tell you, most of that shit was just in my own head, in my own imagination. See, coming from America, let me tell you, black people in America are very racist in comparison to locals in Africa. See it's easier for blacks in America to think of whites as evill, and not knowing what it is like in other countries, blacks in America can come to think they live in great struggle, poverty, and oppression. However, on the other hand; blacks in Africa look at blacks in America and think that they are living a very nice life with many opportunities that they don't have in Africa. Also, blacks in Africa see whites coming there in today's times generally on business, or tourism, or through aid and charity organizations and usually their time in Africa is of benefit to the locals there, because they are spending their resources over there, and often the locals are beneficiaries of that.
Another factor is the historical. Local blacks in Africa know about the tribalism that existed there, and the tribal warfare. Because in some ways those tribal frictions are still alive. They know that they weren't just one harmonious family that the whites came and seperated and enslaved. The locals there know that they were fighting against each other and enslaving each other for centuries in tribal warfare. Blacks were being sold as slaves long before whites came on the scene in Africa, they were sold across tribal lines, or to other races and groups in the region such as Berbers or Arabs. They were going to be sold to the highest bidder. It just so happened that Europe became wealthy after the Renaissance, and whites were to become the highest bidder on African products, including slaves. This is not to make light of the brutality of slavery as it existed in America, and Africans are aware of that, but they understand they played a role in it and they have to take their own share of the blame.
So, to answer your question, racism is not present in Senegal and Gambia, West Africa. I can honestly say that, there is no racism. I'm telling the truth. And most the time I thought there was racism it was just in my own head, in my own imagination.
Let me give you an example. One night we were all sitting around waiting for the 10 oclock local news. There was an interview being done of a TV Journalist named Clive Smith. Clive Smith grew up a British Citizen but his parents were Jamaican immigrants. He is doing films in Gambia, Africa about daily life in Africa to expose the West to the beauty of African life that isn't usually shown on TV. He does good work. However, in the interview he was going on and on about how "mistreated" he was growing up in Britian, and how the kids in school used to tease him, and they would make jokes about "was your skinned burnt, can it come off if I touch it" and this kind of teasing that goes on in school. He said he ran into a local African woman with a baby, and the woman said, "Please take my child to Britian with you!". He got angry and he said that he would never subject them to the kind of racism he faced growing up, and then went on to say that Africans should stop accepting second hand products such as computers from the West and that they should kick out all the white aid organizations "exploiting" the country.
I looked over at my friends, and I was waiting to see their reaction to all this being said. And straight away they said, "This man is a fucking racist. He's been growing up in Britian, gotten his education there, and they've allowed him to come up to such a level where he has his own television show, and gets his work played on the BBC, and he's going to complain about racism and tell us not to accept anything else from whites. When we are sitting here without computers and without a lot of these things, and if they want to give second hand products to us we have to take them and appreciate that!"
Hope that helps explain the feeling of people there. Really, their culture naturally is open to outsiders, whether they be Arab, Indian, Japanese, or any race, they are hospitable and open, especially to people who show an effort to learn the local languages and culture of the country. Also, with my background of 10 years of being involved in Islam, that helped me get around some race issues as well, and helped make it easier for me to be close and accepted more readily by the locals there.
Now sometimes, you would get little kids, who had never seen a white person before. So when they would see me they would start running and laughing and playing games, and they all call me "two-bob" which means white person, calling me that as if it was my name. But it is all playful, it is not done in any bitterness.
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/29580149.jpg)
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Very educational. (http://www.dubcnn.com/connect/Themes/dubcc/images/post/thumbup.gif)
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Very educational. (http://www.dubcnn.com/connect/Themes/dubcc/images/post/thumbup.gif)
Thanks... it's actually a deep subject. There are many factors, another interesting one is this...
I know in Gambia where English is their second language, and other African countries like Ghana where English is the second language Reggae Music is huge. Sometimes the mainstream views Reggae music and Rasta culture as possibly being anti-white, but the stuff I was hearing and seeing over there was the opposite of that. To me, the Reggae music/Rasta culture that is so popular with the youths there plays an important role in spreading positive messages of togetherness and unity amongst all races and people on Earth. A popular catch phrase over there that comes from the music is "One Family". When you greet people coming or going, often you hear "One Blood, One Family", these are catch phrases that come from the influence of Reggae and Rasta music on their culture; and at the same time it was taken in naturally by their culture because they had always been open and hospitable people. Many of the slaves that ended up in Jamaica and were pioneers for Reggae music came from Senegal and Gambia and other regions of upper-West Africa.
Here are some photos from a Reggae concert I attended once reaching Gambia. It was so crowded. Africa doesn't run by time, and they don't believe in forming straight lines. So everyone heads to the concert around midnight and fights to get into the door all at the same time. My friend had to smooth over the soldiers just to get us into the parking lot, then again he was able to talk a soldier he knew into letting us into the concert and then still we had to leap down from the upper deck to the lower lawn, it was kind of dangerous but we moved on adrenaline. The performance was by Busy Signal, and he was crying because it was his first show ever in Africa, and he was overwhelmed with emotion, he even had to stop the show at one point, here are some pics...
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/29580089.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/29580083.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/29580082.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/29580084.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/29580086.jpg)
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Illi. 8)
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how much did it cost for your total trip? I've always wanted to go to Africa but never really knew places to go that were safe, after reading your blog I think I might want to visit senegal.
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how much did it cost for your total trip? I've always wanted to go to Africa but never really knew places to go that were safe, after reading your blog I think I might want to visit senegal.
I spend 3,000 a month there when I go... And most my time is actually in Gambia, I love Senegal but if I would of spent most my time in Senegal it may of been roughly 5,000 in one month.
You could get by spending less and you could also easily end up spending a lot more. It just depends on a lot of factors, like what kind of people you are around and the places that you go. I did a lot of things the local way, so I was able to save a lot of money by avoiding tourist prices, yet at the same time when I did things many times I would be paying for others and not just myself.
You have to decide your goals before you go. If your goal is to be as cost-efficient as possible, then there are certainly Gambians and Senegalese generous enough that they would even let you stay with them for free and pay for a lot of things for you. Or if you want to take the opposite extreme and do everything on your own then you will end up paying the tourist price for everything, although you will save money by not having to spend on others. Then there are many ways to go in between those two extremes just find what works for you, and if you want to discuss more just hit me up.
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You spend American dollars there?
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You spend American dollars there?
No, I can go to the ATM and draw out money over there and it automatically converts it into their currency.
So 3,000 US Dollars = 78,000 Gambian Dallasi
or...
3,000 US Dollars = 1,500,000 CFA (Damn, I was a Millionaire in Senegal!) ...but don't get it twisted, it nearly evens out anyway, like if the price of lunch in America is $5.00 then the price of lunch there would be like $3,000!
...btw, you would be surprised how mixed up tourists and locals both get over the exchange rate. You may be confused and ask a local a question about the exchange rate and they won't know the answer either and just start bullshitting. I've been to Senegal 3 times now and I still feel confused about the exchange rate there sometimes.
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Keep posting man, that's some interesting stuff to read. I have a couple of friends who shared first-hand experiences but they're all with at least one African parent so it's cool to get the experiences of a complete outsider (although it's your third time there and all). You get me?
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You spend American dollars there?
3,000 US Dollars = 1,500,000 CFA (Damn, I was a Millionaire in Senegal!)
Yeah well Im a thousandaire in the US!
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Wow, why they use so big of numbers, lol, damn.
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Wow, why they use so big of numbers, lol, damn.
Yeah there's probably a reason for it, but to me it doesn't make sense. I mean why not just knock off some of those zero's?
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Keep posting man, that's some interesting stuff to read. I have a couple of friends who shared first-hand experiences but they're all with at least one African parent so it's cool to get the experiences of a complete outsider (although it's your third time there and all). You get me?
I feel you man, and your comments are definitely appreciated.
Yeah, I've been jealous before hearing about people going to places like this through family connections and so on. I was young enough, curious enough, adventurous enough, and slightly crazy enough to just take the risk and go on my own in 2007. And now that it's worked out for me, and I can now say that I really know my own way around these countries, it's a good feeling. It wasnt an easy process in the beggining, and there were still challenges everyday, but what always got me through was my interest in the culture over there and the high value that I placed on all the experiences whether good or bad. And in Africa the life is so active and inter-active that you don't have time to get stuck dwelling upon something that didn't go as planned.
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DIDDY DIRTY MONEY
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/diddydirtymoney.jpg)
Remember this photo was after we had just taken a 9 hour flight from Senegal, West Africa back to America, so both of us were very tired. But it was cool how I met this girl.
When I was at the airport in Senegal, I heard a group of Americans talking with really heavy East Coast accents. At first I was kind of dissapointed by them, just because I wasn't looking forward to going back to America and being around Americans everyday, and I was thinking, "damn, back to America again", lol. But after over- hearing how polite they were with the airport staff, saying things like, "You are our ancestors, we are going to miss you guys so much". Then I started thinking they were pretty nice people, not just on transit through Senegal but Americans with a real sense of appreciation for the culture.
So then we were taking a bus from the airport to our plane, and the girl got on the bus, standing right next to me. I'm still not thinking anything of her, because I don't listen to the radio or watch MTV/or BET anymore like I did in the 90's so I don't keep up on new artists.
So anyway, she is standing there, and I say something like, "Guess it's back to America." And she replies to me, "Yep, back to the Fitnah." Now, fitnah is an Arabic word from the Qu'ran, and I was just dressed in regular American clothes, so she didn't really have any way of knowing I was a Muslim. Even though Senegal is a Muslim country, you still have white, Christian Weterners there on business, or as missionaries, or with the peace corps. So I kind of took notice of her using that word with me, and realized from eavesdropping on her and her friends convo that she and her two male friends (maybe brothers) were probably Muslims.
So we take the flight and get to the New York airport. At the New York airport I'm waiting in a long line next to them at immigration. So I start convo with her and her people, just asking about their East Coast accents and if they are from New York, and she says she's from Philly, and her male friends say they are from Boston. They could be her managers or brothers or both. I then ask her, "so how did you know I would pick up that word you used with me, fitnah". And she was really cool, and she said it was just a feeling you get around people, that you can just feel people and know who they are. So we bonded over that and started exchanging some Muslim greetings and so on like that.
Then, they ask me why I was in Africa and I ask them, she told me she was in Senegal for the music festival and that she performed as an artist. She told me her name was Diddy, Dirty, Money. I thought to myself, "What a stupid and unoriginal name, to put "Diddy" in her name". I was still thinking she was just an aspiring artist and not a professional artist.
Then we are taking those airbuses to transit on our flight from New York to Atlanta. I start talking to them about Senegalese music, and some of my favorite artist, and I give her a copy of a Viviane Ndour album, because Viviane is my favorite singer from Senegal and I saw 3 of her shows while I was there.
She thanked me and then she pulls out of copy of Last Train To Paris. I look at the cover and then I realize, "Ohhh Shit, I know who this girl is, I've heard the song "Hello, Good Morning". And I'm seeing the Interscope label and all that.
So now I realize who I've been talking to all this time. She signed the album for me, and I got the picture you see here. I talked to them for a while more after that, about Interscope Records, I even asked her some questions about Jimmy Iovine and Eminem and Dre and we had a real nice discussion, she was very down to Earth and it was all love.
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^ why are u reposting this a month later? and lol @ hoverhands
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^ why are u reposting this a month later? and lol @ hoverhands
My hand is resting on a rail, it isn't hovering in the air, we are sitting on a bench in an air bus. I was already sitting like that and she leaned in for the photo, I was more worried at that time about showing her album cover with my right hand because she had just signed it and given it to me.
And really I am still only just beginning to write about my trip. I'm a writer and that's what I like to do. It's how I free up myself, and free my mind. This trip was a rare experience where I had no obligations or responsibilities for around 40 days, and I was in an environment where I also had no social restrictions or social expectations. It made it easy for me to be 100% myself. In America, it's possible for me to be myself, but I have to exert a great deal of energy defending myself and defending my identity to others. America is a melting pot and your personality is always being challenged, atleast that's how I feel. I wish it weren't like that, but even now as I speak I am defending who have a problem with it. So that's just how it is.
We all have our muses and things that inspire us in life. Africa is a muse for me. It's a constant source of inspiration. It's people, it's culture. It is a place that is full of life. The survival instinct there is very strong. In America it is possible for a person to go through the whole day as a robot, just ants getting along in the ant colony. In some ways it's almost required of us, because it keeps things stable. But to live in a robotic state like that in Africa, is to fall behind and suffer. It's not for the faint of heart. If you don't speak up, if you don't put your heart into what your doing there, then you will certainly be left behind. It is heavily overcrowded in many places, government and private services do not run as clockwork like they do in America. So to get your needs met socially and otherwise you often have to fight for them. The region has so much to offer, but everyone wants to do everything at the same time there. In America the life is diversified, there is something for everyone. Whereas, in Africa the culture is one size fits all, most everyone loves it and is similar, and trying to do the same thing at the same time.
If there is a concert during the week or during the month, then it is THE concert, that everyone is either going to, or wishes they could go to. Not only that but everyone wants to show up at the same time, late at night. Because nothing is rushed in Africa. You have to wait till the weather cools, then get some exercise, swim, play soccer, or whatever you enjoy around sunset. After that, everyone feels like eating around the same time, after eating everyone wants time to let their food settle, drink tea, smoke ganja, and so on... then everyone wants to spend an hour or so getting dressed and prepared to go out.. then it takes another couple hours for everyone to meet up and catch rides and the traffic is terrible and things just don't move fast, your always waiting on someone or someone is waiting on you... then finally everyone ends up going to the big event at night at the same time. Whether that's a club, or concert, or other function in the city, like Reggae nights at the beach, or some kinds of cultural festivals, and so on.
Some people might think that this is bad, because it doesn't offer for enough diversity, and what if you were not into the culture and liked something else. Well, another great quality about the life there is that you can't sit on the sidelines with a frown on your face. It won't be long before the people will engage you, and they will change your mood quickly, nobody will allow somebody to stay in a bad mood before you have 4 or 5 people encircling that person and finding a way to engage them and cheering them up; by nature everyone there knows the right words and actions to do this, and it happens often.
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Many poor nations have lots of "zeros" when it's not needed. The reason is because their currency is weak in exchange, so they need to print out tons of money to even keep up with exchange. It's not even inflations fault, they just have a weak currency. I know Mexico knocked off some zeros to their currency, at one time a peso was worth 1,000 pesos, so a coke was like 750 pesos. Then Mexico introduced the Super peso, and they called it that until the old pesos got filtered out and the Super peso became the peso. But Mexico has more clout and the NAFTA agreement helped them stabilize their peso heavily.
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dude that's a hoverhand if anything is. When a girl leans in and your arm is around her, the cue is to put your hand on her shoulder. You didn't. That's hover hands.
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Since when do vacation photos belong in ToT? Mod please.
When they expose people to a more worldly view and allow for discussion about worldly topics, and are more important to todays world than Nazi's in space.
Yeah and this shits on those threads where people delusionally think Obama is anything more than an empty suit blindly regurgitating someone elses thoughts word for word. I mean some people actually think he actually calls shots on US/world affairs! Oh well at least it provides some cheap laughter here on ToT.
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wow thats totally cool that u went to africa. its a country i want to visit someday.
mucho besos
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wow thats totally cool that u went to africa. its a country i want to visit someday.
mucho besos
Right? RIGHT? Africa's my favourite country!
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I like the country of Africa after seeing The Lion King as a little kid. I'd like to think I'm a grown Simba now. Africa is a hella tight country.
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I like the country of Africa after seeing The Lion King as a little kid. I'd like to think I'm a grown Simba now. Africa is a hella tight country.
As far as countries go...you always struck me as the kinda guy that would prefer Europe over Africa.
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god i must have blonde roots. i meant continent guys cut a girl some slack lol
mucho besos
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I like the country of Africa after seeing The Lion King as a little kid. I'd like to think I'm a grown Simba now. Africa is a hella tight country.
As far as countries go...you always struck me as the kinda guy that would prefer Europe over Africa.
Europe is a cool country too. I like pellegrino water so thats tight. Love is love though.
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My friend Idrissa's work in Africa:
It's well-known that in West Africa they have high unemployment. Certainly there are a wide range of opinions as to why this is. The most condemning side of the spectrum would claim that West Africans are lazy, while an opposite side of the spectrum would claim it is a result of oppression and subjugation that was exacted during the Colonial Period.
Myself, I am still researching this subject. I can only point out a few observations I made on my own. I notice that the culture there is much more free in the spirit than what we have in the West. Many people there prefer to own their own businesses, from millionaire property and real-estate owners with College Degree's from the West, to small-time street vendors selling watermelon and kola nuts; African's are very Libertarian in spirit. They prefer to work for themselves and not others, and that certainly fits the culture there.
So in saying this, I think it would be harder to implement large scale factory work in this region of Africa, such as you would see in Asia. Where you have a business owner employing thousands in hard labor while they receive very small compensation for their work.Also it wouldn't be likely to see gigantic franchises in the region such as a Wall-Mart or a McDonalds; because the people prefer smaller, mom and pop shops and ownership to mass employers such as Wall-Mart.
Hard and sometimes dangerous work does take place in this region. For example in the neighboring country of Sierra Leonne people risk their safety and health diving for diamonds, and dig extensively in the heat in hopes of finding a diamond, but even many of these people, work for themselves.
So I think there is more of a free-flow to the culture. Where they are sometimes socialistic in their politics yet in their individual economic and social lives very Libertarian. It is quite a unique balance.
...As for my friend, once again; some could call him lazy. There is a very negative stereotype that is associated with people such as my friends by their detractors. They dub them as "Bumsters" and even the ruler of Gambia Yaya Jammeh gets made fun of and called "The Bumster King" by his detractors. Because my friend is viewed as a population of youth who sit idle at the beach all day long, lazy, socializing in the sun, drinking tea, and hustling tourists from day to day. They are accused of damaging the moral fabric of society and of not contributing positively as "citizens" of the country. They are associated rightly or wrongly with peddling marijuana and accused of living off Western women much older than them.
But from another perspective it is also these people that provide much to the culture of these regions. Growing up poor and having to independently seek their income, they have had to be much more creative to make it in the society. Their creativity and ambition has provided much to the social fibric of society, both internally, and in communication and welcoming outsiders to the country, whom they at times have to depend upon financially. They are conduits to the night life, and understand both the Western world and the deeper roots of their own culture. Because they serve as conduits to both. Depending on each other and depnding on outsiders to make it, they know the life of Africa more than anyone. They are the people who live with the most freedom, and it is likely that many of them have been pushed into such a life by necessity, and not simply a matter of enjoyment. Regardless, they do all kinds of odd jobs to come up with their money throughout the day.
http://www.youtube.com/v/DoO52ozogzo?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0
My friends nickname around the Gambia was "Silver". His Muslim name is Idrissa, but mostly he prefers "Silver". And this is why, his work and family business has been in two things, cars and silver. So one of his brothers is a car mechanic, one is a driver for diplomats in the country, and he works in Silver.
Here I am picking up a necklace from my friend's silver shop. I wanted something that represented Africa and the personal growth I experience when in African. There was no better choice than the African Boubab tree. It is a well-known symbol of Africa. It is a wide tree, with strong roots and great beauty. It grows often in the upcountry. When I was sick with food poisoning I was regularly drinking Boubab juice, it is believed to be a remedy for nearly all ailments, from Malaria to other stomach, digestive conditions.
***(I have a much better video to add about my friend explaining his work inside his shop once I reach my desktop)****
http://www.youtube.com/v/cbzkdZeH_vM?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0
Here my friend is displaying some of his talents as a tour guide, while we are visiting the world famous historical slave Island in Goree, Senegal. He charismatically explains West African culture and the importance of the various musical instruments to that culture. Most notably is the Kora instrument of Senegal/Gambia. The Kora is a traditional instrument that goes back centuries. The Kora is a 21-string bridged harp instrument. It is built from large calabash and covered with cow skin to make a resonator, resembling guitar.
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OG shit
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One time I was out by myself during the middle of the day in the city of Kololi, Gambia. There was a junction point that I was supposed to meet a friend at and I was having trouble finding it. It was somewhat busy around mid-day with many people out walking around going place to place on the dusty interconnected roads. I had gotten turned around a few times walking, to the point where I was totally lost.
Somewhat frustrated and slightly irritable at the time, I asked a lady passing with her daughter, "Do you known where the Tavan junction is?"
---She immediately went off on me, as she was visibly upset---
"I am a human being!! If you want to ask me a question, you have to greet me first, and ask me how I am doing, first!!"
Before I could think of a response, she turned to her daughter and said, "Come on let's go!"
...For at least the next few hours I was bothered by this encounter. I tried to explain to my friends when I finally reached back to my place later that day. I wanted to explain, in part to justify it and redeem it to myself. Maybe to hear them say that I had done nothing wrong.
I explained, "See in America everybody is busy and rushing, so if I stop someone I don't on there way and start going on there way when they are busy, they may be upset with me if I take up to much of their time with greetings; so we usually get quick and to the point, cause everyone is in a rush there."
My friend Sidia replied, "No... No... that is not the way in Gambia. Anytime you want anything from somebody, you have to first exchange greetings with them, ask them how they are doing...then you can tell them your problem, hey, where is such and such, or I need this or I need that, can you help me, and so on".
So my friend offered little comfort, and mostly reiterated the point of the angry woman earlier in that day; although my friend did it in much softer and helpful tone of course.
But the point was clear, and this incident serves as a much larger representation of Gambian life in contrast to American life. In America, people really are in a greater rush, and people don't generally introduce themselves to strangers. People are weary of taking up others times. Whereas, in the Gambia, Africa; time moves much slower. Time is not so much fixed with exact appointment times. People meet and greet strangers frequently, and many go about with a problem or question for others and there is a system in place for how you are to go about explaining your problem to others. This is part of the social fabric for greeting others, and questioning them about their condition.
In fact when Gambians meet they may go through a serious of questions and answers before getting to the point, such as, "How are you... How is your family... How is your health... how is your day... how is everything... please give my greetings to your family..."
The answer is usually simple, just stating that they are fine, that their family is fine... but still a bond is made through this questioning and greeting that is an important part of their daily lives.
...............
An anecdote about an incident that happened in a restaurant in Senegal.
While eating inside a restaurant in Senegal, this one poor fellow from the streets kept coming in and asking us for money and food. He came in several times, and finally without much being said, he ended up sitting beside my friend and eating right along with us, the food off of our plates. He was a little persistent and eventually he was welcomed to join.
Now imagine this in a nice American restaurant. A stranger coming in off the street to join you at your side at lunch, and even eating from off of your plate. You would never find that in America, yet such things are actually common in that part of Africa.
This speaks to the openness to strangers that exists in Africa, and also the intense sharing that goes on between people in the region.
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you planning on writing a book about it?
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you planning on writing a book about it?
I have already. I've been keeping a journal of everything I've done since I was 18. It's all in a similar format to a book. So my trips to Africa are all written out just like a book.
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(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Abdul-Infinite/2010%20Africa/IMAGE_003.jpg)
Finally found a picture I was looking for. This one is me at the top of the elevator of the massive statue monument in Downtown Dakar, capital of Senegal. Behind me you can overlook the city of Dakar in the background.
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seems like the "intense sharing" going on in your whitey friendly part of africa only happen when youre picking up the tab
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hey brian did you have any real father figures growing up or was tupac making you call him daddy?
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While eating inside a restaurant in Senegal, this one poor fellow from the streets kept coming in and asking us for money and food. He came in several times, and finally without much being said, he ended up sitting beside my friend and eating right along with us, the food off of our plates. He was a little persistent and eventually he was welcomed to join.
Now imagine this in a nice American restaurant. A stranger coming in off the street to join you at your side at lunch, and even eating from off of your plate. You would never find that in America, yet such things are actually common in that part of Africa.
This speaks to the openness to strangers that exists in Africa, and also the intense sharing that goes on between people in the region.
You are a weird mutherfucker. You claim that there is such intense sharing and openness, then proceed to show us that it took the bum a bunch of times before you fools would let him eat with you. He should have been fed right off the jump if everyone was so down. If everyone in Africa was so sharing he would'nt be a fuckin bum would he?
Here's how it really played out. the bum saw you for what you are...a mark. He is smart enough to realize that any white fool in a shirt that would fit baggy on Jabba the hutt is quite confused about his identity. He then would come to the correct conclusion that you are in fact full of white guilt, and he knew he could punk your silly as for a fuckin sammich. And you try and justify it by saying you were being open and sharing....get the fuck out of here with that shit. Do you let strangers sit next to you and eat off your plate often?? Let me guess the answer to that one.
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While eating inside a restaurant in Senegal, this one poor fellow from the streets kept coming in and asking us for money and food. He came in several times, and finally without much being said, he ended up sitting beside my friend and eating right along with us, the food off of our plates. He was a little persistent and eventually he was welcomed to join.
Now imagine this in a nice American restaurant. A stranger coming in off the street to join you at your side at lunch, and even eating from off of your plate. You would never find that in America, yet such things are actually common in that part of Africa.
This speaks to the openness to strangers that exists in Africa, and also the intense sharing that goes on between people in the region.
You are a weird mutherfucker. You claim that there is such intense sharing and openness, then proceed to show us that it took the bum a bunch of times before you fools would let him eat with you. He should have been fed right off the jump if everyone was so down. If everyone in Africa was so sharing he would'nt be a fuckin bum would he?
Here's how it really played out. the bum saw you for what you are...a mark. He is smart enough to realize that any white fool in a shirt that would fit baggy on Jabba the hutt is quite confused about his identity. He then would come to the correct conclusion that you are in fact full of white guilt, and he knew he could punk your silly as for a fuckin sammich. And you try and justify it by saying you were being open and sharing....get the fuck out of here with that shit. Do you let strangers sit next to you and eat off your plate often?? Let me guess the answer to that one.
ahahhahahahahahahaha
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some one please get this wigger a shirt that fits.
he always looks like hes playing in daddys clothes.
he never had a daddy
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While eating inside a restaurant in Senegal, this one poor fellow from the streets kept coming in and asking us for money and food. He came in several times, and finally without much being said, he ended up sitting beside my friend and eating right along with us, the food off of our plates. He was a little persistent and eventually he was welcomed to join.
Now imagine this in a nice American restaurant. A stranger coming in off the street to join you at your side at lunch, and even eating from off of your plate. You would never find that in America, yet such things are actually common in that part of Africa.
This speaks to the openness to strangers that exists in Africa, and also the intense sharing that goes on between people in the region.
You are a weird mutherfucker. You claim that there is such intense sharing and openness, then proceed to show us that it took the bum a bunch of times before you fools would let him eat with you. He should have been fed right off the jump if everyone was so down. If everyone in Africa was so sharing he would'nt be a fuckin bum would he?
Here's how it really played out. the bum saw you for what you are...a mark. He is smart enough to realize that any white fool in a shirt that would fit baggy on Jabba the hutt is quite confused about his identity. He then would come to the correct conclusion that you are in fact full of white guilt, and he knew he could punk your silly as for a fuckin sammich. And you try and justify it by saying you were being open and sharing....get the fuck out of here with that shit. Do you let strangers sit next to you and eat off your plate often?? Let me guess the answer to that one.
LMAO. Oh shit. :D
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From how I should put my arm around a woman (and a man for that matter),
:whistle:You guys really know everything.
this is the second time im agreeing with you mr 1996
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While eating inside a restaurant in Senegal, this one poor fellow from the streets kept coming in and asking us for money and food. He came in several times, and finally without much being said, he ended up sitting beside my friend and eating right along with us, the food off of our plates. He was a little persistent and eventually he was welcomed to join.
Now imagine this in a nice American restaurant. A stranger coming in off the street to join you at your side at lunch, and even eating from off of your plate. You would never find that in America, yet such things are actually common in that part of Africa.
This speaks to the openness to strangers that exists in Africa, and also the intense sharing that goes on between people in the region.
You are a weird mutherfucker. You claim that there is such intense sharing and openness, then proceed to show us that it took the bum a bunch of times before you fools would let him eat with you. He should have been fed right off the jump if everyone was so down. If everyone in Africa was so sharing he would'nt be a fuckin bum would he?
Here's how it really played out. the bum saw you for what you are...a mark. He is smart enough to realize that any white fool in a shirt that would fit baggy on Jabba the hutt is quite confused about his identity. He then would come to the correct conclusion that you are in fact full of white guilt, and he knew he could punk your silly as for a fuckin sammich. And you try and justify it by saying you were being open and sharing....get the fuck out of here with that shit. Do you let strangers sit next to you and eat off your plate often?? Let me guess the answer to that one.
LOL Wow.
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fuck 1996, i took a shit then and still shittin today
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I was just pointing out that it's a false stereotypes that blacks in Africa are slaving away working hard all day long in Africa.
yeah when youre around theyre getting you to buy them shit
Of course, if they are poor then it's on me. If it's time for dinner, they are eating on me, and that's okay with me. But my first trip I went there I wasn't staying on my own, and I was treated as a guest staying in other people's homes, and they cleaned and cooked for me and took me around all for free, as their guest. They even slept out on couches and rearranged furniture to move to other rooms in the house just to give me my own bed/and bedrooms on my first trip. It's part of Muslim etiquette that exists all over the Muslim world where Muslims live and travel.
So it just depends on what your setup is there. If you want to be on your own like I was my second and third trip, and if you are hanging with people who don't have much; then there's nothing wrong with doing things for other people. I spent plenty of money on others my second and third trip; and obviously if they were ripping me off and mistreating me then I why would I have gone back and done the same thing on my third trip, and now looking forward to a fourth trip? Think logically.
But I promise you if I wanted to I know I could spend a whole month there staying with people as a guest and they would take care of everything for me according to Muslim etiquette's and customs, as was the case on my first trip there in 2007.
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damn i wish my parents would pay to send me around the world feeding hungry africans of there dime.
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damn i wish my parents would pay to send me around the world feeding hungry africans of there dime.
I paid for every trip to Africa with my own money.
I admit I grew up with privilege from birth to 18, not upper class and not middle class but somewhere in between; and even when I moved out at 18 I still had family money to fall back on. But by the time I was 25 I had blown through all that, and my parents are old and retired and living on pension and social security. They lost whatever savings they had in Lucent stocks when the stock market started going down during W. Bush's first term.
So point is, since the end of 06' I had blown through any family money I had to fall back on, and have been on my own financially.
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Keep the (semi-)off-topic clowning in the G-Spot, please. You can do more sophisticated disses that are on-topic like ghost did, but one-liners and pics with the sole purpose of clowning somebody belong to the G-Spot. I've never been one to nitpick, but a ToT-thread full of long serious storytelling posts is not supposed to be dragged into a clownfest.
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damn i wish my parents would pay to send me around the world feeding hungry africans of there dime.
I paid for every trip to Africa with my own money.
So point is, since the end of 06' I had blown through any family money I had to fall back on, and have been on my own financially.
You sir are a goddamn lie. Small wonder you have no credibility here. You completely contradict yourself in the same thread. Heres your proof since I know you will say I'm bullshittin.
My parents loaned me around 400 dollars, and I also had two friends who loaned me a combined 600 dollars. I paid my parents back and one of my friends, and the other friend insisted that I didn't pay him back.
Sounds like you paid for everything all by your self, with no help from family.
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You sir are a goddamn lie. Small wonder you have no credibility here. You completely contradict yourself in the same thread. Heres your proof since I know you will say I'm bullshittin.
My parents loaned me around 400 dollars, and I also had two friends who loaned me a combined 600 dollars. I paid my parents back and one of my friends, and the other friend insisted that I didn't pay him back.
Sounds like you paid for everything all by your self, with no help from family.
I had a credit card on my second and third trip so I just used it if I ever got into a jam. But on my first trip I had no credit and was stuck over there without any money. My parents loaned me 400 dollars and I paid it all back. So therefore, I paid for my trip. They didn't give me any money. It was a loan.
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Keep the (semi-)off-topic clowning in the G-Spot, please. You can do more sophisticated disses that are on-topic like ghost did, but one-liners and pics with the sole purpose of clowning somebody belong to the G-Spot. I've never been one to nitpick, but a ToT-thread full of long serious storytelling posts is not supposed to be dragged into a clownfest.
bitch
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Keep the (semi-)off-topic clowning in the G-Spot, please. You can do more sophisticated disses that are on-topic like ghost did, but one-liners and pics with the sole purpose of clowning somebody belong to the G-Spot. I've never been one to nitpick, but a ToT-thread full of long serious storytelling posts is not supposed to be dragged into a clownfest.
some people just cant get enough dick in their mouth
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Keep the (semi-)off-topic clowning in the G-Spot, please. You can do more sophisticated disses that are on-topic like ghost did, but one-liners and pics with the sole purpose of clowning somebody belong to the G-Spot. I've never been one to nitpick, but a ToT-thread full of long serious storytelling posts is not supposed to be dragged into a clownfest.
some people just cant get enough dick in their mouth
speaking from experience dick lips?
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Keep the (semi-)off-topic clowning in the G-Spot, please. You can do more sophisticated disses that are on-topic like ghost did, but one-liners and pics with the sole purpose of clowning somebody belong to the G-Spot. I've never been one to nitpick, but a ToT-thread full of long serious storytelling posts is not supposed to be dragged into a clownfest.
some people just cant get enough dick in their mouth
you just cant stop talkin about dicks can you homo?
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Keep the (semi-)off-topic clowning in the G-Spot, please. You can do more sophisticated disses that are on-topic like ghost did, but one-liners and pics with the sole purpose of clowning somebody belong to the G-Spot. I've never been one to nitpick, but a ToT-thread full of long serious storytelling posts is not supposed to be dragged into a clownfest.
some people just cant get enough dick in their mouth
speaking from experience dick lips?
u can change ur name, but ull always be King Faggot
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you can be a pussy but your still a dick head.
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you can be a pussy but your still a dick head.
i might be the asshole, but u the pussy...theres a reason u aint half as tight.
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Keep the (semi-)off-topic clowning in the G-Spot, please. You can do more sophisticated disses that are on-topic like ghost did, but one-liners and pics with the sole purpose of clowning somebody belong to the G-Spot. I've never been one to nitpick, but a ToT-thread full of long serious storytelling posts is not supposed to be dragged into a clownfest.
some people just cant get enough dick in their mouth
speaking from experience dick lips?
u can change ur name, but ull always be King Faggot
you can change your name and youll still be a dirty kike
and i can change my name cuz im an illegal alien and i run shit
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you can be a pussy but your still a dick head.
i might be the asshole, but u the pussy...theres a reason u aint half as tight.
theres a difference between a dick head and an asshole i figured someone with such a preoccupation with the male anatomy would know this.
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Keep the (semi-)off-topic clowning in the G-Spot, please. You can do more sophisticated disses that are on-topic like ghost did, but one-liners and pics with the sole purpose of clowning somebody belong to the G-Spot. I've never been one to nitpick, but a ToT-thread full of long serious storytelling posts is not supposed to be dragged into a clownfest.
some people just cant get enough dick in their mouth
speaking from experience dick lips?
u can change ur name, but ull always be King Faggot
you can change your name and youll still be a dirty kike
and i can change my name cuz im an illegal alien and i run shit
LMAO...this has to be the first documented case in the history of mankind of someone braggin about bein an illegal alien.
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nik uses dick flavored chapstick.
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nik uses dick flavored chapstick.
i didnt even know they make those, king faggot...apparently, you did.
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if i wanted my comeback i would have wiped your mothers chin dick lips.
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if i wanted my comeback i would have wiped your mothers chin dick lips.
hilarious! u must write for katt williams or some shit......fuckin geek
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(http://static.images.memegenerator.net/Instances400/7/7934/8124932.jpg)
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you can be a pussy but your still a dick head.
i might be the asshole, but u the pussy...theres a reason u aint half as tight.
I bet you high fived Roccy after you typed that.
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(http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/7509/hoverhands.jpg)
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(http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/7509/hoverhands.jpg)
ROFL!
Missing! - Brian's identity
Reward - a years worth of child support