I am sick and tired of all the complaints about Sahel. You know what? Sahel is snobbish, hectic and pretentious only if you want it to be.

I can honestly say that for the past five years I have not packed a single pair of high heels to Sahel. I barely even packed a single pair of shoes for that matter. I pack my flip-flops for the day and my Birkenstocks for the nights and maybe a pair of running shoes if I am feeling active. But that’s it.

Guess what? I wasn’t crucified, I wasn’t looked down upon and I actually was not thrown with stones.

Honestly, Sahel is just what you make it out to be. If you want it to be hectic, it will be. If you want it to be chilled, it can be very relaxing. I go to the beach in the morning and play board games at night. My place is literally a two-minute walk from Lemon Tree, which isn’t even close to being a party place, but I haven’t even summoned the energy to get dressed up at night and go. All the cool night spots are 10 minutes away from where I stay, but I choose not to go; and you know what? The world hasn’t ended nor has dooms day come about. And by the way, not going out at night doesn’t make me cool, nor does it make me a loser. And no, you’re not cooler if you complain about all the party animals and go on about how you’re too old for this, and you’re especially not cooler if you say all that while you’re at a ByGanz party.

If you want the nightspots and if you want to dress up to go for a dip, Sahel is full of places for that. If you want to chill and enjoy the turquoise water and beautiful waves, Sahel is full of places for that too. Just live and let be!

I tan with messy hair and a bare face and I sit comfortably close to the umbrella full of made-up women with the finest accessories and that’s absolutely fine. I don’t care that they’re dressed up and they don’t care that i am dressed down: We can both enjoy the beach. I kick back in our garden at night eating termes (lupins) and the house next to me is full of 20-somethings getting dressed uo for the night. They don’t care that I am staying home and I don’t care that they’re going out: We both enjoy our nights.

Sahel doesn’t have to be either or, nothing happened to Sahel except that there are now more options to choose from. You can be the party animal and socialite if you want to and you can be as low-key as you want. Since when do more choices make things worse?

If you’re so annoyed by the crowd at Six Degrees, do not go; simple, isn’t it?