5 Days in Abidjan

We visited west Africa for the first time and spent 5 incredible days in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire to document the wedding celebrations of our friends, Sara and Bern. Our time in Abidjan was a joyful whirlwind, filled mostly with wedding-related gatherings and festivities, though we were able to catch glimpses of Ivorian life from the backseats of the speeding taxis we found ourselves in each day.

I remember looking through countless National Geographic magazines as a child and seeing photos of women in Africa balancing giant baskets of goods on their heads as they traveled from place to place. The women looked so graceful and strong, and made the challenging task seem effortless. I marveled at their balancing skills in those photos and marveled at them even more so in person during our time in Abidjan.

Not only was this trip our first visit to West Africa, it was also our first time doing a home stay with a family we had never met before. Truthfully, we were a little nervous about it, especially with our kids, as we had to rely on this family for help with childcare while we were photographing events surrounding the wedding.
Fortunately for us, the family we stayed with could not have been more wonderful! Gracious, kind, and warm, they invited us into their home with open arms, encouraged us to help ourselves to anything we needed, and stocked the fridge with their very best supply of imported beer for us to enjoy (those living overseas will understand what an especially generous gesture this is!). They asked their sweet nanny, Janine, to help care for Isla and Cole while we were working. They even watched the kids for us when Janine was done with her shift- talk about going above and beyond! And what’s more, their two bright little boys were just around Isla’s age and they welcomed her into their world of imaginative play. They were also wonderfully patient when Cole destroyed their LEGO creations… more than once! Sorry, guys!
Our hearts are filled with immense gratitude for this incredibly positive travel experience, and for our amazing host family, who we now happily call friends.

We spent three joyful days immersed in Sara and Bern’s non-stop, high energy celebrations, in which we witnessed tribal traditions, a colorful blend of cultures, and a beautiful union between two of the sweetest souls. We are so thankful to have been part of it all, and honored to preserve such special memories for their families! Having our children along with us for this wonderfully crazy ride was absolutely surreal! Throughout our stay I found myself pausing to watch them- in CÔTE D’IVOIRE! I honestly couldn’t believe we were spending that week living life in West Africa together. I felt completely overwhelmed with gratitude that we could provide Isla and Cole with the kinds of experiences that take them to new places, show them diverse ways of living, immerse them in unique cultures, teach them valuable social skills, provide opportunities to practice patience, encourage their empathy, and allow them to build new friendships along the way.

The celebrations continued with a morning in Bern’s church. Family members were dressed in their matching wedding pagne, and the whole congregation dedicated the morning to dancing and celebrating Sara and Bern’s union.

We absolutely LOVED seeing how social and interactive Cole was with people we met on our travels through Dubai and Africa. Big sister Isla has always been an amazing and friendly little traveler. Perhaps this is because she was born overseas and hopped on her first flight at just 6 weeks. She had been to 3 continents by 3 months, and we lost count of how many flights she had taken by the time she was a toddler. Traveling has shaped so much of who she has become, specifically her ability to meet new people and adapt to diverse situations. International travel is totally new for Cole. Also, he hasn’t always been super flexible (Duh. Strong-willed toddler.) so we were curious as to how he would handle the excitement and stressors of spending weeks abroad. As each day passed, Cole grew more and more comfortable with our new and ever-changing “routine” and we were so pleasantly surprised. He was wonderfully patient, curious, observant, cheerful, adaptable, and he enjoyed making friends everywhere we went. He’s a natural! A wayfarer! We couldn’t be happier!

These curious children were absolutely fascinated by Isla’s hair and were so eager to see how it felt. When I explained this to her, she smiled at me and said, “That’s okay, they can touch it.”
And with her permission, the first hand reached out. Then another. And another. Before we knew it, hands were reaching from everywhere and gently rolling strands of Isla’s blond hair through their fingers. This moment of connective discovery was so innocent and beautiful. It felt as if everyone and everything around us paused to watch, and for these few magical moments only this group of children existed.

After church we took a walk with Sara and Bern around their neighborhood, the very place they first met. Isla and Cole happily collected snail shells along the way. It was a particularly hot and humid day, so we ventured down by the water and had cold drinks at the same restaurant Bern took Sara on their first date. Isla thoroughly enjoyed her inaugural cold soda in a glass bottle (which stands out in my mind as such an “international travel” experience) and Cole did his best to get as dirty and sandy as possible.

We spent our last afternoon in Abidjan searching for Ivorian handicrafts at the Cava Market. What a fabulous place! I easily could have spent half a day looking through everything! This open air arts market was so charming, and filled with beautiful fabrics, carvings, jewelry, and paintings. We are pretty particular about purchasing items when we travel, so it is always exciting to find items that we genuinely love and want to display in our home. We bought a gorgeous new mask, jewelry, brass bottle openers, and my absolute favorite, these gorgeous mud cloths! I love the patterns and colors and wish I could have brought home all the mud cloths in the market!

Our time in Abidjan was brief, but the buzzing energy of the city and the warmth of the Ivorian people captured our hearts. We cannot wait to return to West Africa with more time to explore! I will definitely bring an extra suitcase for all of the art and handicrafts!