Every year on April 4th, we celebrate the independence of Senegal. Therefore, I’d like to take this moment to share with you a part of Senegal’s colonial history. Even though I have spent a lot of times in Senegal, I don’t always think of its history. However, I do think it is important to look back on history and think about how we got to where we are today. Let’s refresh on some history!
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Last Why You Should, I talked about doing an internship abroad. Today, I want to talk about something more personal: Choosing yourself. My guess is that it is something most people struggle with: choosing yourself, or choosing themselves. Hell, I struggle with it at times. Sometimes, I have to really ask myself why I’m doing something, and if I really want to. I think it is important to ask yourself why you applied for this job, why you are in that relationship or still hanging on to that particular friendship. Below, I will share why we ALL should be choosing ourselves more instead of putting others before us. Why it is NOT selfish, and why you should probably do it more often.
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Today, marks the last day of 2018 and like last year, I want to share my 2018 recap. I would love to reflect on my “2018: New Year’s Resolutions“. I started 2018 in Senegal and did some pretty cool things in Dakar. I’ve met so many new people that I’ll definitely keep in touch with. I really hope that I will be able to continue to focus on myself and my personal and professional progress. I think that it is important to set some goals at the beginning of the year, and reflect on them at the end of that year. This way, I have a look at my thought process at the beginning and the end of the year. Shall we get into whether I accomplished them or nah?!
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It has been a while since I updated you on my hair. The last time, I shared with you about my hair journey after the double side-cut. Today, I want to talk about braiding myself. YES! I braid myself. When I say I can braid my own hair, people always react shocked. As if they cannot believe that I can reach all the way to the back of my head. Let me tell you what people, I can actually reach all the sides of my head and put braids to it. Something else I can do: braid other peoples hair! Let me talk you through it.
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I want to share something fun with you guys today. Drumroll please… (badumtsss) As of the end of summer, you can find Senegalese Twisted on House of Notoire! Yes, that is all part of stepping out of my comfort-zone. Read further if you want to know about Cynthia, the beauty and brains behind HON. I will spill all this HONey!
(more…)Today, I want to talk about racism in the Netherlands. More specifically: why black pete is racist. I will address a discussion that has been going on for ages in the Netherlands. I have voiced my opinion before, but only on Facebook about this matter, but never really on my blog. Today, however, I want to take my time and dive into this issue. The topic is way more complex and yes, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. However, there is a distinction between being blatantly racist, ignorant and voicing a well-thought opinion. Anyway, let’s get into a healthy discussion!
Note: this article may attack your white privilege and this may automatically produce white tears. (more…)
Would you believe me if I told you that I’m a Brand Ambassador? Neither would I, especially if you would have told me that it would be for a cosmetics brand! Today, I want to share with you an amazing experience I’ve had here in Dakar. I mean, who would ever think to become a Brand Ambassador when all you did was take on the chance to be the face and model for a brand? Also, who would not want to know more about that story? I will tell you all about how I became a Brand ambassador for this cool cosmetics brand here in Senegal. (more…)
Last year, the first season of 13 Reasons Why came on Netflix. The show on Netflix became a controversial topic, yet, it was very popular worldwide. A while ago, Netflix started streaming the second season of 13 Reasons Why. Of course, I watched that too and I had to get my thoughts together about this show. Mostly, because when season 1 came out last year, there were tons of memes and articles about the show. Some would argue that the show would increase suicides etc. while others would argue that it is a great way to start various conversations about controversial and multifaceted topics. I wanted to take my time and chip into this conversation. So, let’s get into the 13 Reasons Why topic. Trigger warning: mentions of rape, suicide and selfharm.