About Kari
I’m currently touring the American west in a cargo van with a bed and camping stove. I am living the life of my dreams and I acknowledge that it is a gift and for that, I vow to be be a vessel. (tm blackalicious).
I hope to be in Senegal in August or September. 
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My name is Kari and I am possibly the luckiest girl on earth. My life, like most has definitely not been without pain, but everything we go through shapes us and carries us to where we are today. And today I am in love with this strange and beautiful world.
I grew up in a small village in beautiful southern Senegal. My early childhood was filled with music and animals and books and catching scorpions and climbing trees. In the boarding school years add soccer played religiously and Capture the Flag and swimming in the Casamance river. Throw in some Dickensian dorm conditions and severe homesickness for good measure.
Peregrine is my personal journal of stories and photos that I discover as I re-explore Senegal and make peace with my past. I write for me, but love for you to share in it also. Welcome.
My goal is to live, as Paul says, ‘beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing and yet possessing everything.’
I am looking for adventurous sorts to collaborate and travel with on the African continent. What the future holds I do not exactly know but I’m not moving until that voice wakes me up and tells me to.
I freelance in writing, graphic design, web design and photography. Would you like to contract me for a job?
And if you didn’t already know:
peregrine – Having a tendency to wander.
TCK – (aka. Global Nomad) refers to someone who [as a child] has spent a significant period of his/her developmental years outside their parents’ culture, thus integrating elements of those cultures and their own birth culture, into a third culture. The third culture kid builds relationships to all the cultures, while not having full ownership of any.
Teranga – Hospitality. Specific to the brand of hospitality and honor you will find in Senegal, a warm country full of gracious people that are like none other.
I have to say that your pictures tell a story! They are amazing!! I got your url from Face book TCK. I am an puerto rican who has lived in USA, Virgin Islands, Mexico and Spain.. and now i am in Bangladesh… someday i hope to go to africa. Hopefully sooner than later!
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Kari Reply:
December 5th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
thank you, erenly. please friend me on facebook so i know who you are and we can stay in touch? do you have a blog? i’d love to check it out.
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Hi Kari, i found you on Afrigator. if you are on myspace, I’d love to friend you. keep up the good work:D and watch over my beloved SN.
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Kari Reply:
February 7th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Ajah, thank you for visiting. I’m not on Myspace, unfortunately. Have you been to Senegal?
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Just found out about your blog. Really inspiring pictures! Brings back fond memories of Africa (grew up in Bangui and Yaoundé from 1992 to 2000). Thanks for sharing your photos!
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Kari Reply:
February 24th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Thanks much. What brought you to Africa?
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javejavor Reply:
February 27th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
i´m what is usually called an MK.
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Spaza2 Reply:
September 9th, 2009 at 10:03 am
MK Much kissed? In South Africa that’s a noble title…Mkhonto Wesizwe, a Soldier for Liberation…
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I´ve just written my short articel (in swedish) with headline “My heart has been dancing in Senegal”. About a three weeks dancecourse in Dakar, the beaches of Yoff, jan 09.
I was looking around for how to spell “attaya”, correctly.
Then suddenly I got the chance to take part of this beautiful blogg.
I also met a very good friend in Dakar who also speeks with passion about the Casamance region where he was born in a small village called Effissao. During the earlie 80´s.
The contact with him and theese beautiful pictures makes me strengthen my feelings and my experience of Africa!
Please, write me, if you like!
Djeure djeff / Annamaria, Stockholm, Sweden
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Kari Reply:
February 24th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Annamaria, so glad you loved Dakar. Please come back and visit southern Senegal if you can, it’s breathtaking.
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Spaza2 Reply:
September 9th, 2009 at 10:01 am
I am deeply moved reading your profile. You are a special woman. Its having people like you in he world that recognize a global humanity that make life worthwhile. Thank you from my heart, Inga
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Hi Kari,
Thanks for your straight talk re my blog… I think I need to FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS a bit more and not mix ‘business’ (i.e. the money / selling etc) with the ‘pleasure’ photos, tips and so on.
You have some lovely shots here, and the layout is tidy, unlike mine (maybe I need to change template or even blog platform?
Finally, I checked oout peregrine on the visualthesaururus site (wonderful reference site) and it came up with “mobile, nomadic, roving and wandering” as well as the obvious falcon (which stands out for me from my childhood, seeing them hover by the roads in the lake District where I was born.
Best wishes, maybe you’ll say something complementary next time you visit (website or blog – I’ll edit it NOW!!!)
Tony :-)
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Kari,
Such interesting work and thoughts. Keep it up!
Emily
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Hey I spent today lookin at your photos – your blog is like a home away from home :) many greetings from the south
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I am deeply moved reading your profile. You are a special woman. Its having people like you in he world that recognise a global humanity that make life worthwhile. Thankyou from my heart, Inga
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I have been to Gorree. I stayed with a wonderful French Woman on the Island there whom I would love to connect with again now that I am hoping to move to live in Dakar. Her name was Marie, a psychiatrists working with people in amazing ways using drumming and music and dance. Do you Know her? I stayed with her in courtyard house near the square when I was working with the Leaderships Institute there – helping French and English-speaking non government and community based organisation members work close together for a common purpose of making our world more people friendly! Being on the island and facing the reality of slavery was a deeply l;ife changing experience for me and also opened up my heart to our history of this continent and need to work together in Africa.
Love Inga
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Hi Kari
Looks as if we have quite a bit in common.
I’m a TCK from Côte d’Ivoire, but lived in Senegal for 2 years. I worked in the public health field and married one of my teammates. We’ve been in Lyon, France, for 5 years now and will be moving back to Senegal in just over a year.
If you’re still there then, I’d love to meet up.
- Kari
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Good to see you are giving insightful thoughts about the actual “feeling” you get from being in Senegal. I am a Senegalese who happened to be born and raised in NY. I go back very ofen and am infact fluent in Wolof. Anyway, I know you see the problems there. And it sucks cause I know you fell how much more ill Senegal could be cause of the great nature of the people.
I know this is a blog for your personal experience but I would like to know some of your honest opinionS about “our” (mine and yours) country of Senegal. Let me start: Religion, Education, Infrastructure, and Accountablilty the main problems without going into crazy long detail. But paradise just makes you wanna chill and drink some attaya after some Thieb.
BTW Amazing blog!
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