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28 July 2019 / leggypeggy

Smiles always win the day

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African smilesAfrican smiles

Let’s be honest—life in Africa can be tough, really tough.

In the course of our travels, I’ve met people who don’t have jobs but who want to work. Others have been employed, but don’t have enough money to send a brother or sister to school. Some find it hard to look after a parent who is blind or unwell. And way too many are generally unwell.

African smilesAfrican smiles

There are people who have lost family members to AIDS or horrific road accidents. We came down a mountain road to find an overturned/crushed ute (pickup) that had been fully loaded with passengers. It had toppled over a missed curve. Hard to believe that anyone survived.

Yet, in the face of all this hardship and heartache, Africans still manage to smile.

So this post is about the many smiles we saw this year. As I go back through photos, I’ll probably find more, but these are here to brighten your day.

P.S. We are back in Australia now, but heading to Vietnam later this week to visit Petra, the daughter who lives there on a diplomatic posting. You can expect a mishmash of postings that cover Africa, Vietnam and everything in between.

African smiles

Filed under Africa, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Senegal

90 Comments

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  1. fragglerocking / Jul 28 2019 7:37 pm

    Ah all the smiles! Lovely post. Have fun in Vietnam!

    Liked by 2 people

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  2. derrickjknight / Jul 28 2019 7:40 pm

    Sometimes I feel a touch of envy for those who don’t have much

    Liked by 2 people

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  3. beetleypete / Jul 28 2019 7:58 pm

    When life is hard, sometimes all you can do is smile. I doubt you would ever see so many smiling faces in European countries. They would all be staring at their phones. 🙂
    Lovely shots, Peggy.
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 5 people

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    • leggypeggy / Jul 28 2019 8:21 pm

      Oh Pete, you make such a wonderful observation. I didn’t see many in Africa staring at their phones.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  4. Lea / Jul 28 2019 8:23 pm

    Your pictures are amazing !! I felt the same way when I went to Africa, everyone is always smiling. It was really hard for me to come back home after that. 😉

    Liked by 2 people

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    • leggypeggy / Jul 28 2019 8:33 pm

      I know what you mean. Africa lives in your heart. Hope you manage to get back soon.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  5. Eliza Ayres / Jul 28 2019 8:29 pm

    Reblogged this on Blue Dragon Journal and commented:
    The sweetness of a smile is hard to surpass.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
    • leggypeggy / Jul 28 2019 8:35 pm

      As always, thanks for the reblog.
      And yes, very hard to resist a smile. Hope your day is filled with them.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  6. trE / Jul 28 2019 9:41 pm

    Thank you so much for all of these beautiful smiles.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  7. Yeah, Another Blogger / Jul 28 2019 9:43 pm

    Hi Peggy. Humans are optimistic and good-hearted to a significant extent. These photos show that. Have fun back home and in Nam. Take care.

    Neil Scheinin

    Liked by 1 person

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    • leggypeggy / Jul 28 2019 9:47 pm

      Thanks so much, Neil. I agree. I think that we are mostly optimistic and we want to smile. I hope we’re both right.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  8. So Modishly Chic / Jul 28 2019 10:02 pm

    Thanks for putting a smile on my face this morning. Africa is really a place where people still find a way to smile even in their unbelievable life situations. The things we worry about in the Western world made me to arrive at a conclusion that we do not have problems at all. We are worried about removing the man in mankind and replacing it with human to make a new word, humankind. There are real problems around the world. Can we fix those first?

    Have fun in Vietnam!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • leggypeggy / Jul 29 2019 6:32 pm

      Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the world leaders focused on fixing the real problems.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  9. Gail’s Snapshotsincursive / Jul 28 2019 10:33 pm

    A smile is the universal language. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

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  10. Jonathan / Jul 28 2019 11:08 pm

    Lovely.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. LadyBird - exploring the Earth‘s abundance / Jul 29 2019 12:00 am

    Contagious! Truly, the sun rises when a human smiles. In Africa or rather amongst such circumstances even more! Thank you for making me smile ☺️.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  12. IreneDesign2011 / Jul 29 2019 1:57 am

    Thank you for sharing the smiles, Peggy 🙂
    Wish you a wonderful trip to Vietnam too.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  13. dfolstad58 / Jul 29 2019 3:14 am

    This post is a powerful reminder that things don’t equal happiness.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  14. susan@onesmallwalk / Jul 29 2019 4:58 am

    LeggyPeggy – what a great way to wrap-up the trip. Have great fun in Vietnam – cheers – Susan

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • leggypeggy / Jul 29 2019 8:20 am

      I’ve got lots more to write about Africa. Amazing how there are never enough hours in the day.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  15. forwardtogloryquartet / Jul 29 2019 5:11 am

    What great cheer! Humans being human, the world over.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  16. Gilda Baxter / Jul 29 2019 5:47 am

    Beautiful and genuine smiles. Enjoy Vietnam 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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  17. dreamweaver333 / Jul 29 2019 8:06 am

    Reblogged this on dreamweaver333.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  18. Lynette d'Arty-Cross / Jul 29 2019 9:53 am

    Those are some terrific smiles! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  19. gerard oosterman / Jul 29 2019 10:46 am

    Yes, the smiles says it all. There is more to happiness than material riches. If you want to see unhappy unsmiling faces, look at the wealthy countries.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  20. Chris Riley / Jul 29 2019 2:41 pm

    I often think of the big, big smiles on the faces of people who have lives that we would consider just awful if we found ourselves living similarly. They manage to find joy, sometimes seemingly more joy than we in westernised civilisation find. Makes me wonder…..

    Liked by 1 person

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  21. a mindful traveler / Jul 29 2019 10:17 pm

    Smiling is contagious…gorgeous smiles 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  22. lexklein / Jul 29 2019 11:10 pm

    Such beautiful faces. Taking pleasure in the mundane, in relationships with others, in the many simple things that make life worthwhile. We’ve lost that outlook in parts of the world; thanks for the lovely reminder.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • leggypeggy / Jul 30 2019 12:48 pm

      You are most welcome. Always worth the reminder.

      Like

      Reply
  23. Zambian Lady / Jul 30 2019 1:27 am

    Thank you for the positive post, Leggy Peggy. Back home in Zambia, I worked with some Swedes who made a lot more money than us locals and were always paid on time while us locals would be paid about two weeks after pay day. The Swedes were always amazed/shocked/surprised that we would be smiling, laughing and having a great time without money. They always asked “How can you be happy when you are poor and have no money?” That always surprised us because money, to us, money was not everything that one needed to be happy. Our families were healthy, our children were in school, we had friends, etc and so we could afford to be happy. The Swedes never understood us and we also never understood them. One can find something to be happy about in the midst poverty and doom.

    Liked by 2 people

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    • leggypeggy / Jul 30 2019 8:15 am

      Oh my goodness, what a wonderful comment! And such true words—money is not everything and you could still ‘afford to be happy’.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  24. Curt Mekemson / Jul 30 2019 8:44 am

    I remember those smiles, Peggy. That people can still smile and laugh! Important. Thanks. –Curt

    Liked by 1 person

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  25. kkessler833 / Jul 30 2019 9:37 am

    I agree! Great post!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  26. psychologistmimi / Jul 30 2019 10:04 am

    How beautiful

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  27. Brian Lageose / Jul 30 2019 4:30 pm

    Love this post. Love. It.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  28. Alison and Don / Jul 31 2019 5:08 am

    Such beautiful smiles. And lovely photographs. Somehow the spirit always shines through.
    Alison

    Liked by 1 person

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  29. Dreamtemples / Jul 31 2019 5:39 am

    What beautiful smiles! Thank you for this heartwarming post, Peggy.
    Zambian Lady has put it so beautifully … that it is all about attitude and never about money.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • leggypeggy / Jul 31 2019 7:27 am

      Yes, Zambia Lady has put it so beautifully. And the best thing about a smile—it costs nothing.

      Like

      Reply
  30. Popping Wheelies / Jul 31 2019 7:17 am

    I’m late to this conversation but want to add my thought as I read this. Whilst I’ve not traveled as much, I’ve travelled a lot. Everywhere I’ve been people are nice. A smile begets a return smile.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  31. indianeskitchen / Jul 31 2019 3:25 pm

    What beautiful smiles!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  32. gallivance.net / Jul 31 2019 6:50 pm

    Gorgeous smiles from all ages. I always love how the kids in Africa hang all over each other. When we lived in Khartoum I was so struck by how everyone had a smile for you, no matter what their personal circumstances. You certainly brought out the joy in them, Peggy. 🙂 ~Terri

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  33. Phyllis Gaetz / Aug 2 2019 3:24 pm

    This is my favourite post..thank you for making me smile too!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  34. Superduque / Aug 3 2019 6:16 am

    Liked by 1 person

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  35. jeanleesworld / Aug 5 2019 1:36 am

    Oh, these smiles fill my heart. Thank you for sharing a joy that will not be hindered!

    Liked by 1 person

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  36. barkinginthedark / Aug 5 2019 11:21 am

    made ME smile too. continue…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  37. kunstkitchen / Aug 6 2019 11:19 am

    Thank you for all the smiles from Africa.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  38. Brett Stadelmann / Aug 17 2019 12:23 pm

    Hi Peggy,
    This article is brilliant and heartwarming. Would you be willing to let me repost it?
    Loving your travels,
    Brett

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • leggypeggy / Aug 17 2019 12:46 pm

      Hi Brett, thanks for asking. You are most welcome to repost.
      Cheers, Peggy

      Like

      Reply
      • Brett Stadelmann / Aug 17 2019 12:49 pm

        Will do. Thanks very much 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      • leggypeggy / Aug 17 2019 1:33 pm

        You are most welcome. Just checked and found that Vietnam (which is where I am now) doesn’t let me link to the reblog. It blocks a lot of websites. Update: I managed to get through. Yay!

        Like

  39. Brett Stadelmann / Aug 17 2019 12:51 pm

    Reblogged this on unsustainable.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  40. pam@ichoosethis / Oct 31 2019 2:44 pm

    The women in Africa are sooo beautiful. Love all the smiles in these photos!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  41. pam@ichoosethis / Oct 31 2019 11:04 pm

    Thanks Peggy 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  42. milliethom / Aug 27 2020 9:45 pm

    Those brilliant smiles have made my day. A moving as well as a heartwarming post, Peggy. It certainly puts all our own moans and groans into perspective.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • leggypeggy / Aug 27 2020 9:51 pm

      Thanks Millie. I’m such a sucker for smiles.

      Like

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