00:06Hello everyone and thanks for watching this new video and I'm really excited because today I am
00:14going to another festival again I know but this one gives me a little bit the African vibes so
00:23that's why I'm really excited about it and yes my hair is still wet because I came from the shower
00:29but Kwaku is a word from Suriname and it means Wednesday because on Wednesday the 1st of July
00:41Suriname became independent from the Netherlands in the past the Netherlands colonized Suriname
00:49and even worse we took people from Africa some African countries I don't think we took people
00:58from Uganda but I have the feeling we took people from Ghana and other African countries we took
01:05people from there and we forced them to go to Suriname to work on the plantation there as a slave
01:16so a lot of people from Suriname are from some African countries on 1863 Suriname became independent
01:25from the Netherlands that's why they also want to celebrate more and more Katie Cottey on the first
01:31of July in the Netherlands but like I said Kwaku means Wednesday in Suriname and it was Wednesday
01:37the first of July when they became independent so that's why they start the festival the festival is
01:45several weeks and in the past it started actually more like a soccer game between the neighbors and
01:53just having fun but it grow until a really nice festival full of music food dancing culture markets
02:03everything and for me since there are some African influences I feel a little bit back home in Uganda
02:12I know it is not really Ugandan influence but the vibe is the same so yeah that's why I'm really
02:21excited to go to Kwaku because one of the things I like about the festival there are a lot of
02:29people
02:29selling their own types of food and as you know in Uganda it's really common when you walk on the
02:35street you
02:36see a lot of people selling potatoes chicken chikomando corn everything and here on this festival
02:46it's kind of the same although I don't think I will find chikomando if I find it oh my lordy
02:52then I will
02:53eat it but I don't think I think chikomando is really something Uganda and it's not really common to
03:01eat it here in the Netherlands but believe me I will search for it so yeah I'm gonna taste some
03:07of
03:08the lovely food I'm gonna listen to some music and of course take you with me and I'm going to
03:15do
03:15already a pre-celebration the fun fact is I want to make another video about a real celebration because
03:22in two weeks I'm going to eat in an African restaurant in the Netherlands and suddenly again
03:28I didn't found a real Ugandan restaurant so I'm gonna search for some restaurant what's coming a
03:36little bit close to the Ugandan kitchen but it's hard to find it in the Netherlands anyhow that's the
03:45reason that I'm going to that festival is because I have 50 000 followers on my TikTok but I'm gonna
03:59check it out I reach my 50 000 followers on Wednesday this Wednesday and it's now Sunday and now I
04:07have
04:07almost 60 000 Ugandan followers well most of them are from Uganda wait I'm doing things that
04:15I shouldn't do go away it is insane and I have no words for it I just need 300 followers
04:23left until
04:24I reach the 60 000 so maybe I will reach it on Kwaku it will be amazing and maybe I
04:29will find Chikomando
04:30I hope well I'm pretty sure I will find Korn but let's let's go and see let's go and find
04:37out together and
04:38I hope I can give you this vibe that I'm feeling now so yeah go with me to Kwaku
04:52oh my goodness guys it is chaotic now I have to watch out that I'm not getting hit by a
05:00car
05:01I'm now literally on the highway what yeah oh well
05:08oh my god but we are going to the entrance for the artists but we are walking yeah if you
05:16can see
05:17there is no how do you call a stoop in the tangles what a sidewalk there is no sidewalk
05:25Jesus Christ what a chaotic beginning we're always lost together yes yes this is Marinka again
05:32she's joining meal week we've managed to lose her weight yes that's true we are really good in getting lost
05:46in English yes this time in English that will be also complicated next week because the first video
05:55I want to make is in Dutch and the second is in English but hey now it's Kwaku and we
06:01are ready to party so
06:03let's go
06:28my first barra ever
06:35go
06:37Go for it.
07:00I've got a sugar day.
07:04I'm afraid.
07:08I'm afraid.
07:09I'm afraid.
07:24I'm afraid not to make a mess, but...
07:28I'm afraid not to make a mess, but...
07:30Oh my god.
07:31I'm trying not to make a mess, but...
07:32Oh my god.
07:37I'm almost there.
07:43Only Ugandans will laugh now at least.
07:52You're supposed to eat it like this.
07:54I don't want to eat.
07:55I mean, you can eat it.
08:00I just want to eat it.
08:07I really don't like this.
08:09You shouldn't eat it.
08:10You...
08:16I'm hungry.
08:17You won't for the rest of the world.
08:18You did good.
08:20You've got my money.
08:20I'm hungry.
08:21I'm hungry.
08:21I'm hungry.
08:23If you need this, you could eat it.
08:23You're hungry.
08:24I'm hungry.
08:24No, no, no, no, no.
08:26You keep on.
08:26No, no, no, no, no.
09:24Oh guys, what an amazing day. It's now almost 9 in the evening and I'm tired and this camera is
09:32dirty. I have the feeling that the sugar cane and the mace is still behind my teeth somewhere. No, I'm
09:40fine. But this was an amazing day and I felt so blessed. I don't know, I just feel blessed how
09:47my life is now, how I can do those things that I love.
09:51And I don't know what it is, but just those past weeks, I noticed that I enjoying more moments, little
09:59moments like when I was with my, how do you say that, babysit kid.
10:04That's not the right English word, but the kid that I babysit. When I was with that kid, I was
10:11just coloring, painting and it was so relaxing and joyful and nice and cozy.
10:18I can so enjoy life. I also, I saw a video of a guy gardening and for me, I can
10:26enjoy both worlds.
10:28I can enjoy the more simple life where you garden, where you just make things yourself. I like sewing as
10:38well, but I'm really looking forward to learn things for making pots and pans and that kind of stuff.
10:45Or making other things yourself. I really love to do that and live the simple, more nature life, but I
10:53also like the other side, like for example, jumping out of a plane, travel to wherever you want to, driving
11:03in a nice big car, that fancy life.
11:07And I'm always in between, I can, and I think maybe that's what I like most about myself, is that
11:13really strange to say, but that I can enjoy little moments like sitting with a cup of coffee in the
11:20sun, because damn, I love that and I'm so thankful of that.
11:23But I also love big moments, like just go to a festival again and again and again and next weekend
11:32I'm going a weekend away and yeah, all those moments.
11:35And of course, the fact that I could live for six months in Uganda, that's also something that I accomplished
11:41and that it's amazing and that's so beautiful.
11:45And maybe also because of that, because I've been to countries where life is more simple, that I noticed that
11:52it isn't about having the latest iPhone or driving, I don't know what kind of car.
11:58Being happy and being grateful comes from the inside.
12:01And I realized that more and more and more, and it's not that I don't want to achieve bigger things,
12:07but I always know that that car or that house or that job doesn't going to make me happy.
12:16If I'm not happy in this moment, I wouldn't be there in that moment.
12:19Happiness comes from inside, and if you're happy now, you will be happy in the future with everything you accomplish.
12:28And I really wish for the future that I accomplish big things, but stay simple.
12:36Maybe what I mean is stay grateful for all those things.
12:41Don't take them for granted.
12:42I think that's the lesson I learned in life, and that's the lesson I end this video with.
12:49So, we're Baleenjo.
12:51Please subscribe, you help me a lot.
12:53And thanks for watching this video, and I hope to see you in the next video, which is going to
12:58be in a different city.
12:59And I'm really excited.
13:01Bye-bye.
13:02Bye-bye.
13:05Bye-bye.
13:06Bye-bye.
13:07Bye-bye.
13:09Bye-bye.
13:10Bye-bye.
13:11Bye-bye.
13:11Bye-bye.
