Tag Archives: life skills

Kenya 1 ー 7 learnings from another life turning point in Africa

Life is full of new encounter and departure, be it with people, items, jobs or places to live.

The reason I said good-bye to Mauritania (Nouakchott) was to say Hello to the new destination, Kenya (Nairobi). This is quite a big move, mentally (change of my work) and physically (west to east of this big African continent).

Since then, more than a month has passed and I already learned some important life lessons, which I would like to share hoping they can be informative and applicable to other situation.

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Mauritania 6 Finalー 20 things I learned from Mauritania

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When finishing my daily shopping, I used to say this phrase to the shop keeper.
When I got off the work, I used to say it to my colleagues.
When I left the airplane, I also said this to the flight attendant.

And now, I just said this to the country called Mauritania, where I spent around a year and half.

“Au revoir” (See you again).

In this entry, I will list up 20 learnings during this period.

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Arigato Natto ２ーHow to Make Natto Sustainablly Even in Africa

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It is faire to say everyone wants to be happy, and each one of us tries to achieve something for that (e.g. lose 20kg, get married, have a nice job, etc.). However, the more your objectives are sustainable, the more it will bring value added in general, as the life continues.

That is also why I highlighted the importance of having good habits (continuation) rather than establishing objectives (which have end point) in the previous entry .

More specifically, the other day, I managed to make Natto in Africa for the first time (for the detail, see here). At the moment I tasted it, I felt very happy, just like when you have a good meal. And I wanted to keep feeling that way.

With that in mind, in this entry, I would like to share my experience on how I achieved sustainability with regard to Natto making in Mauritania as well as some learning out of it.

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First Trial in Africa – How to use Pressure Cooker and how it Works

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Shu Shuuuu Shu Shuuuu Shu Shuuuu! Shu Shuuuu Shu Shuuuu Shu Shuuuu!

It is something most of us know, and its sound reminds us of the locomotive, and despite familiarity, many people do not dear to get close to it.

It is a Pressure cooker.

Although everyone knows in some way that it is useful, I imagine many people do not know when and how to use it, want to use it because it’s dangerous, or do not find any added value over normal pots which are cheaper and lighter (I was exactly like that until 2 weeks ago).

Therefore, in this entry, with specific experience of my first ever trial of using pressure cooker in Africa, I would like to share how to use it and how it functions, as well as some learning out of it. Continue reading →

Mauritania 5ー 3 Learnings from the First Rain

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Do you know what does the July 29th mean?

Based on the historical events on this day,

(1221) Japanese emperor Go-Horikawa aged only 10 years old ascends to the throne.
(1836) Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
(1921) Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party
(1923) Albert Einstein speaks on pacifism in Berlin
(2018) 6.4 magnitude earthquake strikes island of Lombok, Indonesia

Well, in short every year something happens on the same day, and although I picked some events which caught my attention, those do not have direct meaning to me.

What’s meaningful to me was the July 29th in 2018, the day I saw the rain for the first time in Mauritania. At that time we were in rainy season more than 1 month without any drip of water. You might think it is no big deal. But what matters is the meaning that brings to the life of each of us depending on the context, about which I would like to share, as there are some learnings which can be aplicable for other context (at least I hope).

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Mauritania 3ーIs it a private taxi or what

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It was tough. It was really tough.

As is same with everything, the first period is the most difficult time. Although I was aware, it was still tough.

Just to reiterate the background: I arrived Mauritania (the detail is here) →Right after that, Ramadan started when I had to go through a lot of administrative procedures (the detail is here) →There was no public transportation (bus, subway, official taxi, etc.)→ It is quite hot here (30-40℃) and difficult to walk →…

There was the only way, which was private taxi! I thought it would not be that difficult as I used to take private taxis frequently back in Mongolia….yes, I was wrong.

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