Journey

No Gifts!

2011-11-17T19:58:00.000-08:00

The onslaught has begun. The Christmas stuff is everywhere in the stores. But I happily cruise on by the aisles filled with ornaments and fake trees and other adornments for the season. I choose not to have a tree and therefore free myself from all the other accoutrements. This is an easy decision that can be carried through easily because it does not usually involve other people. (i.e. people don't buy each other Christmas trees for Christmas) I can't tell you how free I felt walking past the aisles knowing I don't need that and all I did to change that "need" was make a simple independent choice.
Now the problem. I can't seem to convince people to stop giving gifts for Christmas! I would just like to be able to enjoy being together without the gifts. I would rather spend time and energy cooking, eating, and doing activities together without any attachment to gift giving.
The only concession I could give in to would be to have a "homemade" only gift giving exchange. But then again, you might just get something really awful that you Really don't need!
The one thing we do need is a "new" car. Maybe I could post a "donate now!" button on my blog so, if people really feel the need to give me something they can give to the goal of buying a newer car instead.

Keba’s Daily Life in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO-Glacier Basin Campground

2011-07-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

My first day in RMNP, First things first, I just had to have a place where I could watch outside. Boy that was a crazy twisting road to get here, I’m lucky I didn’t get car sick! No signs of altitude sickness yet.
Food. Check. Water. Check. All is well. Will stay here a few minutes before investigation every nook and cranny of the house.

Boy. I think the altitude is making me very sleepy.

Daily exchange with Borry, simple morning conversation over a cup of tea.

Wait, what is that!?

Interesting… water seems to come from this thing.

I have settled into my position as RMNP Junior Ranger Kitty. My daily duties include keeping an eye on what is happening out in front of the campground. With my foot on the phone I am always prepared to put the call in to dispatch if need be.

It is summer after all, so I do get a little sunbathing in. Man I love this weather, so glad I am not in Ft. Collins for the summer. It’s nice having a summer home.

My focused face. Gotta keep an eye on these large strange animals. (Elk!)

Ooops! Borry caught me sneaking out of the cupboard. I was just investigating a noise.

Boy, I’m pooped, it’s tough being a RMNP Junior Ranger Kitty!

Nov. 29

2010-11-29T20:01:00.001-08:00

Mom and Dad visit for a week before Thanksgiving. We had fun (I think!) snowshoeing and roaming around Fort Collins, Boulder, etc. We had Thanksgiving dinner (in the hotel!... which happens to be bigger than our apartment :)

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Fall

2010-10-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

Twin Sisters Peaks Hike 10/16

Sunrise from the top of the parking garage

Fall Colors

Some more pictures from this summer

2010-09-17T20:30:00.001-07:00

Have you ever lain in a field of glacier lilies? Delicious to eat in its entirety as well! The leaves are fresh the flowers sweet. Yum.

Gotta do the picture at the sign, Dharma our friend from the Peace Corps came to visit.

Flower on top of a mountain, things can grow anywhere!

Looking down at surrounding mountains from the top of Rising Wolf.

Tour De Fat!

2010-09-06T09:19:00.001-07:00

Tour De Fat Stage, good fun

Cool Bike

The crowd building before the parade started, it stretched so far back, but we were at the front. Notice the pink gorilla!

Me in my fairy, hippie, something er rather getup.

Two friends meeting at my house before the parade. I thoght they looked like a strange album cover pic.

August 22, 2010

2010-08-22T19:48:00.001-07:00

OK, so I have been back in Fort Collins since the 8th, but I have been going nonstop with work since then. First prepping the classroom, then trying to look prepared for the first days of school last week. I will post pictures of my classroom, before and after the disaster. Since I was in Glacier National Park for a whole month and went on a lot of hikes I, of course, have a lot of pictures. I will have to just post a few at a time.

Hoary marmot!

Some snow crossings on the Dawson Pass-Pitamakin Loop GNP

Dawson Pass photo op. I hike with a ranger and some other visitors. It was the day after I arrived in Glacier and a really awesome hike.

Sinopah Mountain in Two Medicine on an early morning boat ride.

Hewlett Gulch

2010-07-05T16:57:00.000-07:00

A nice hike to Hewlett Gulch with my brother here from out of town.

A spiky but pretty thistle

A good wide view, David is tiny in the bottom right corner.

Lots of water crossings!

Lazy Day

2010-06-23T18:42:00.001-07:00

A lazy day relaxing in the shade of a huge tree. Ate lunch, watched a ladybug and read a book. Summer is sooo nice.

6/19/2010

2010-06-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

Hike to Lake Agnes. Glacial lake surrounded by the Never Summer Range, Nokhu Crags and Mount Richthofen. 10, 663 ft. elevation

6/15/2010

2010-06-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

Arthur's Rock Hike-Lory State Park Fort Collins, CO

Good view of Longs Peak from high point on the trail.

6/12/2010

2010-06-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

Taste of Fort Collins-Lead singer from the band Live

This is happening this weekend and it is a block from my house! I can run home and use the bathroom, grab a snack and go back for the next music act. Crazy. Merica.

It is a little rainy but no one seems to mind. If you look in the background of this picture there is a train going through!

6/11/2010

2010-06-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

The Poudre River is running high. Some of the bike paths along it are blocked off from flooding. There has already been someone that has lost their life going in the fast moving water. Flood warnings are on for the surrounding area because we are expecting a weekend of rain.

6/8/2010

2010-06-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

"Noontime Notes" in Oak Street Plaza. This is where the water fountain sculptures are. They will have a different kind of band each Tuesday in the afternoon. People bring their kids, have picnics, dance, have their lunch break etc. in this unique atmosphere.

6/5/10 Greyrock

2010-06-05T20:38:00.000-07:00

National Trails Day! Repairing the middle section of Grey Rock Trail, in the Poudre Canyon

6/5/10

2010-06-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

Zen Master Keba, in his favorite position.

5.31

2010-05-31T17:53:00.001-07:00

White pelicans at the park lake.

Keba at his favorite window, enjoying the sun and bird watching!

5/28/10

2010-05-28T19:30:00.001-07:00

Spring blooms.

5/23/10

2010-05-23T18:26:00.002-07:00

On my way to the store I met a train. It had rear engine that said Sante Fe on it. It is just so cool to have a train running through the town.

Hangin around this town

2010-05-21T20:53:00.001-07:00

5/21/10
Today was the 25th anniversary of Old Town Square. Since it was the 80's they had an 80's theme going on. Break dancing, Rubrix cubes, air guitar contests to all the great 80's rock bands, etc.

5/20/10
A very tasty place to eat and some good bluegrass music too! I just happened to walk by! Mandolin, bass, and a banjo. The woman had a great singing voice too.

5/7/10
The water fountain sculptures by Lawrence Argent are on for the season! Yay! The water shoots from one sculpture to another in a snake movement sort of pattern. Just be aware when your walking through, because water comes up from other places too!

Rabid Squirrel?

2010-05-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I came out of the front door of my apartment, locked the door, turned around and saw a squirrel staring at me on the stairs about 3 feet away. I hesitated and thought he looked like a squirrel that had gotten too friendly with human feeding like the ones I knew in Yosemite. But when he started to come towards me I panicked, thought "rabid squirrel!" unlocked the door and hopped back inside. I peaked through the screen door, and he was slowly making his way down the stairs and towards my apartment! I banged on the screen door to scare him away, then immediately thought how happy my neighbors would be about that at 7 a.m. I grabbed my cat to show him what was outside thinking maybe the squirrel would be scared by him. The squirrel and the cat showed little reaction.
I looked around for something to throw.... Something that wouldn't really hurt him though. I grabbed a cork, opened the screen door a crack and whisked it past him....No movement whatsoever.
Meanwhile I have about 8 minutes to walk down to the bus stop and catch my bus.
I had to charge it. I grabbed my bags and ran down the stairs chasing the squirrel. (Now the neighbors are thinking through their mj haze "mmmaaann that lady is crraaaazzy next door")
He ran down the stairs and into the parking lot, but then stopped and turned back again.

From squirrels to bears...Soon, (I hope) I will be joining Andy in the land of grizzlies, mountain lions, etc. I don't think throwing a cork will work with them either!

A Trip To The Mountains

2010-02-16T20:08:00.000-08:00

This weekend Andy and I decided to take a trip up to the mountains to car camp then ski the next day. As we drive along the hour and a half drive up to the camp spot in the canyon we have time to chat and entertain ourselves. Andy decided that he would wave to every car he met along the way. I guess the small town back country friendly feeling got to him. As we went along he waved to each and every car. Soon we discovered that almost every person driving a car did not wave and people driving trucks waved! We wondered why we thought that would be: People in trucks are generally more easy going? People in cars have places to be and aren't as friendly? Perhaps the people in cars are less sure of themselves on twisty mountain roads and therefore keeping their grips firmly on the steering wheel? Who knows?
About half-way up the mountain it started to snow. Blowing large flakes swirled around as we continued up the twisty roads of the canyon. We were listening to some good old hopping zydeco music in the car and the flakes seemed to be dancing along with the music. Soon the sky was white with flakes but we could still see a little ways in front of us.
When we got to our campsite the snow was still falling. We prepped the site to set up our tent and as we were about finished setting it up the snow stopped (which I thought was a bummer!). Blue sky started to show through the clouds. But, like they say about Colorado weather, "If you don't like the weather just wait ten minutes" . Because about 10 minutes later the sky darkened again and it once again started snowing. This pattern continued the rest of the evening and through the night.
That evening we took the opportunity to be near a completely frozen river to test our guts on walking on ice. It is a very strange and unique view-point to sit in the middle of a river that is completely covered with dense ice as the wind blows loose snow around on its surface like a isolated desert.
That night we made a thoroughly warming dinner of "mountain man breakfast" in the dutch oven. It filled our bellies and we still had enough for the next day. After dinner we decided instead of warming up with some hot chocolate we thought we would have some toasty Saki. Andy put the bottle in the outskirts of the fire and we turned it slowly to warm. Into warmed cups we poured a small portion of Saki and drank up. Because the bottle was large we put it back in the fire ring to have again. A little while later we reached to fill our cups but as Andy turned the cap steam started to burst from around the cap. We decided maybe we should wait a second before trying to open it all the way.
Well, it was cold and we were in need of some warming liquid so we probably didn't wait long enough. Andy got the lid off and went to pour it out of the cup and as the not-as-hot liquid passed through the very hot neck of the bottle an explosion of Saki shot off. Andy held out the bottle as it exploded from the top like a bottle rocket. Our astonished faces met and we just laughed. Of course, as Andy laughed some of the contents of the bottle spilled into the fire and flames shot up. As I am asking him if he is OK, he looks down in the bottle and realizes with a forlorn face that all of the saki is gone.
It would be an awesome science experiment to try again, or perhaps a really awesome James Bond trick. In a predicament Bond would say to his current sexy vixen, "Here honey drink this" She would argue that now is not the time to drink, but he would insist. Then he would toss the half empty bottle into a fire, (landing perfectly aimed at the villain) and it would explode out and Bond (+vixen) would make their awesome escape. The only problem with that is that people would not believe it could happen. But Andy and I, through experience, can tell you it can... yes it can.

Too close to look back

2009-11-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

I came on the site in all earnestness to write a blog about the snow days we have had here lately. When I got to the sign in page, I remember all the memories of Gambia that are here, and my heart speeds up a little. I get signed in, and go to view the blog and scroll down just a bit. I can't help myself and start reading the blogs. And when I reach the end of the scroll bar on the page, I realize one thing. That soon, if I keep writing new blogs, those memories will slowly shift to further in the past. I know in all reality I cannot stop the time passing of that period of our lives, but right now.. I can't push those memories down. A snow blog or whatever it may be will have to come when I am stronger and able to look at my pictures from that experience without crying and when I can go back and read all of my paper journals that I wrote while there. Right now, it feels too close to look back.

Immerging from the past

2009-09-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

It happens several times a day in this town. A pause in time for all people present. You first hear it, then, more indicators emerge. Lights flashing, red and white striped gates coming down, long draws on the horn and the signal dinging. And it doesn't matter if this train will make you late for your job, the bus, etc. you are (forced or willingly) thrust into a moment of time that feels like you have gone back into the future. People try to avoid it, racing through the last chance light, riding the side street to get ahead of it or around it. In most cases it is so long you just can't reasonably avoid it. The cars stop, just feet from the enormous machinery clanking along. You stand on the sidewalk thinking how insane it is that you can get this close to something so large, potentially dangerous and awesomely powerful. As you watch the cars go by you, like all of the people stopped, you read the sides. Some say things like, "Molten Sulfur", "Edible or Inedible Tallow", etc. For a moment it crosses your mind what it would be like if the molten sulfur were spread all over the road in front of you and what exactly your escape plan would be for that. The ding dinging of the train warning signal reverberates through the downtown parking garage and the early morning silence contribute to the feeling that the train pushed its way through a time portal, freezing modernity, stopping time, for all to see. About 80 cars, ten minutes and the train completes its pass through that part of town. The last car passes, the dinging stops, and the lights start working again. The cars are off, people are rushing across the road and back to reality. But now your late.

Land of the free

2009-08-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you about Bob and Sue. They are my new neighbors. Bob lives directly above my apartment and Sue. Sue lives just beside Bob. (These names have not been fabricated) I don't know why, but Bob coughs a lot and loudly. But Bob and Sue each have a quirkiness that seems to compliment them to each other. In the morning I've heard Sue come out of her apartment and yell to Bob, "Good morning Bob!"
I guess the other day they were having lunch together, Sue was riding her bike down to the nearby local grocer and calls out to Bob, "Do you want anything else? Chips?" Later on that day, "Ok Bob, I'm going, I'll be back around 5." Bob answers back "Ok Sue" I was sitting reading on the outside hallway of my apartment today and heard Sue go from Bob's apartment to hers saying she was going to get something. Bob calls out after her, "You need help?" Sue declines, and as she comes back to Bob's expresses her wishes that her potato salad is good.
The other day, my brother and I were walking around town, kind of wandering and taking turns whenever we felt like it. We turned a corner onto the campus here and saw bicyclists racing around the oval in front of a campus building. We walked further in to investigate and came upon a full fledged bike race. As some of the racers went by, I thought out loud, "It doesn't look like they are taking it too seriously, look, they are wearing long skinny jean shorts" We walked to a side and sat down in the grass amongst families watching the racers. I soon noticed that many of the spectators were also in biking gear of some sort. After a serious looking set of bikers, (all in spandex get ups, clip ons, etc.) there was a cruiser bike race. Everyone laughed good naturedly at them. There were children that were so small they wouldn't come up to my hips, riding in the grass on the tiniest bicycles I've ever seen. It's like if you grown up here you are born with bicycles in your blood. Only in Fort Collins could you wander around on a Sunday and happen upon a bike race.
Being new here I notice the amount of bikers around town. I notice the type of bikers, everyone from moms with tiny children following, to old people on tricycles, to teenagers wearing neon checked vans.
The other night we walked two blocks from our street to a park and listened to a blues band in the company of families with children of all ages, their pets, and every generation in between. The local ice cream shop had a stand, (of course I had to get some) and the kids were dancing in front of the stage.
Today I walked to one of the many nearby parks and saw little boys on the lakeside fishing. A small girl and her two brothers came on their bikes to feed the ducks.
I went out to the grocery store today (fixed my new pannier on my bike, strapped on my helmet and set off)...Three blocks down and there is lighting crashing and thunder. As soon as I spot a building I head towards it. As I set my bike against the wall a mother (pushing a stroller) and her two little girls (who were on bikes) came to the door asking, "Are you hoping its open like us?" We walked in and I instantly realized it was the local performing arts center. They had a gallery of painted fabric from a Coloradoan artist. Impromptu gallery viewing.
There are fountains in the old town area near my apartment. There are blocks of some sort of rock with swirls carved in the tops of them and water comes shooting out and goes from one block to another, sending the water over several feet in an arch to the next block. Children put on their bathing suits and head down to them with their parents. But I think the dogs get the most enjoyment out of them. Trying to bite the water mid-air.
Dogs. Dogs seem to be everywhere. They are their owners companions when sitting in the outside cafe. They are the passengers in front bike baskets with their ears flapping in the wind. They are everywhere, it seems, that people are. This is definitely a dog friendly community.
My point in all of these observations which are especially poignant just coming back from The Gambia is that these people in this town seem to be a different type. It is like the Truman show town, but real. The only thing about it is that I don't think these people realize that not everyone grows up in this sweet, quant, hip, environment. An environment that seems genuinely and wholly focused on raising families and enjoying nature (with their endless bike paths bordering the Cache La Poudre and beyond). These things seem to make everyone nice and happy. And I’m glad for that.

MaBintou

2009-06-08T04:11:00.000-07:00

Meet MaBintou,
Better known as Adja.

Ok,... she gets a little camera shy if she is not "ready"

Adja, 16 years old. An entrepreneur. Sells ebbe (Andy's favorite fish type stew) on the road. Likes to wear Western clothing makes great efforts to speak English (when Fatou Matta corrects her English, she says "Well, at least I'm trying!") Has a good way of easily seeing other peoples points-of-view. She is now the "curator" of the family library (its the girls room). She is one of the main cooks for the family, she asked us this weekend to show her how to make cornbread, so Andy and I showed her the Dutch oven style, it went very well.

Me and Adja waiting for the cornbread to cook.

She looks so proud! (Mama our grandma was very excited too!)

Night time at the market

2009-04-08T04:46:00.000-07:00

Last night, Andy and I once again embarked on what has become a seasonal tradition. Strolling around the market at night. The scene always fascinates me and last night there was added magic because the moon was so full casting a bright white glow on everything. We usually start off going through one of the dark neighborhood streets before popping up on the main drag. The air is still cool at night and even last night Andy said he wished he had brought his long sleeve shirt. Our feet pushed and propelled us through various depths of sand. "It's like being at the beach everywhere you go!" While walking we cross paths with people out and about and they don't notice the color of our skin. Ahhhh. We are somewhat incognito.
We approach the first street to turn into the dense area of the market. Most shops are closed. Empty wooden skeletons where goods are usually dripping from it line the sidewalks. Goods are carefully placed at the days beginning and removed at night, each and every day. Painted metal doors secured with heavy chains and padlocks. Cats, dogs and some people scour underneath the empty vegetable stands.
As we walk along this section my primary focus is to avoid stepping in the rubbish piles in the gutters. Everything from bits of cloth, rotten vegetables, and sheep horns can be found in the mystery piles.
I glance up as I hop on the curb and see the largest fabric shop in the market still lit. The doors are half closed but through one door I see the piles and piles of every kind and color of fabric. A man behind the counter flips up a long piece of golden fabric making it snap before letting it float back down.

We keep walking.

We round the first bend in the market. This is always the best place to see and hear Brikama’s bats. Mangoes are on the trees so they are in happily making noise, sweeping between the towering mango trees.

The clouds cross over the moon casting shadows on the sheep sleeping on the sidewalk. Their white coats contrast with their chosen sleeping place, the charcoal vendors’ area. During the day about 10 vendors sit spaced out along this sidewalk are with piles of charcoal displayed in front of them. Their children are always the most pitiful looking just because of the charcoal smudges they get all over their bodies as they play near their mothers. Now the sheep will surely have these smudges too.
We approach one stall that has a crowd gathering outside it. They are all staring at a small TV set mounted on the shelves amongst the wares.

We keep walking.

A lone donkey is pushing his nose through a pile of trash in the gutter. Every time I see a donkey I always think the exact situation it is in at that moment makes it seem so melancholy. Eeyore.
We approach the next corner and turn left. There are two tailor shops open. The men busy, bent over their work, their machines zipping along. They often work through the night, especially if there are approaching special occasions. Right next to the tailor shops is a sort of "tailor supply store" with lengths of colorful ribbons hanging from the walls and spools of thread in every color lining its shelves. Turning once again we approach a small taxi car park area, which, like most carparks here, is actually just a stretch of dirt road where all the taxis park and wait for customers. Even at night it is still bustling.

We keep walking.

We approach a friend’s stall to say hello and I grab a small boiled potato and egg from a lady nearby. Vendors along the sidewalk sell things like sandwiches (tapalapa), bananas, peanuts (groundnuts), and right now...cashews! They light their stands using make-shift lanterns made from various things like old plastic bottles with a candle inside keeping it in place with sand. To protect it from the wind they add a little scavenged clear plastic packaging. The glow is cast across their wares sometimes disguising the flaws in their bananas or the bruises on their apples.
Grilled meat vendors are also present. Subsidized chicken, grilled, then topped with a heavy dousing of mustard, mayo, and raw onions, all wrapped up in a foil package, to go.
We stop and buy some of the best and biggest cashews we have had so far this season. We are almost home when Andy contemplates out loud whether or not he should splurge on some fire grilled goat meat. He says, nah, and we pass the vendor. A few meters pass by and he slows down, stops and turns back around, no doubt thinking about his constant pursuit of more protein.
The vendor cuts up a piece of meat on a square of cement bag paper and asks Andy what accoutrement he wants. Jumbo (msg bouillon) ? Canno (hot pepper)? Pobaro (black pepper)? To which Andy says yes to all. The vendor wraps up the package in another piece of brown paper because the grease has made it translucent, twists them both up tight and hands it to a grinning Andy.
One last stop at the bitiki that sells a slightly varied type of bread and we are home.
The compound is quiet and we go inside the house to feast on our fresh market snacks.

Meet Muhammed Lamin

2009-03-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

Aka:
Mo Lamin
Age: 6

Baby of the family (and knows it!) Classic rough and tumble boy but also likes affection, has a great grin and likes to be tickled and swung as high as Ansumana (Andy) can throw him and flown like an airplane. When he thinks I’m doing something weird or silly, he has a great way of making a “disapproving” face angling his head down and saying, “Borry, Borry Borry”. (my Gambian name). He really likes food and is adventurous enough to try what things I give him from our own kitchen. (Really likes tortillas). When we are studying he is all about the “high fives” which he says in his language, (translated, says, “Borry, hit my hand!”). Started playing alphabet bingo with the older kids ever since we started playing more than a year ago and he wins often!

Meet Fatou Bintou

2009-03-04T04:50:00.000-08:00

Meet Fatou Bintou (Aka: Fa Bin)

7 years old

Introvert, but you can tell what she is thinking because it is written on her face, she scrunches up her face when disapproving. She can also be dramatic when hurt and stubborn. She likes to come over for quiet, alone time and sometimes falls asleep on our floor. It would take a bulldozer to get her up. I have even picked her up to a standing position and she still doesn’t wake up! She likes to come and help me do things like cook, prep materials for teaching or just watch whatever I’m doing.

Alieu

2009-02-20T06:09:00.001-08:00

Alieu

11 years old.

Has good male role models, like his father Sanusi and Ansumana (Andy). Looks up to Ansumana greatly and likes to help him and tries to work-out like him. Likes to compare Andy and I to each other (“Ansumana can do 20 pushups how many can you do Borry?”) Is very dedicated to studying and learning to read and tries incredibly hard. Has a great huge grin and likes to kid around.

Back home

2009-02-17T09:30:00.001-08:00

We just got back into the city from Dakar today, we had a great time and just wanted to let everyone know we were back in Gambia. It will be nice to sleep in our lumpy bed, wake to the sounds of our compound, and take bucket baths once again! Tomorrow is the Gambia's Independence day,.. I will ask our host family if there is anything they know of that is going on, but right now I don't know of anything. By the end of the week I will post Alieu's bio and maybe if I'm feeling it, a little about our Dakar trip.

Our Gambian Family

2009-02-06T06:16:00.000-08:00

Jalika

14 years old.

Pretty much like me. Pretty tom-boyish, likes to pull up her fano (wrap skirt) and run. Strong minded and willed-with attitude to spare. She likes to joke around with Ansumana (Andy). Her nickname for him is “Bread” (because he likes to eat bread all the time). Her nickname for me is “Groundnut” (because I’m always eating peanuts called groundnuts here). We call her “chocolate” (because she likes to eat chocolate on her bread).

Her favorite book is The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. She has been running the library night for a few weeks, she is very good at being in charge and checking for damage in the books.

**Her outfit in these pictures was bought especially for her schools "InterHouse" sports competition. Girls don't normally wear Western style dress, but for some occasions they choose to.
***Next Post: Meet Alieu!

2009-01-26T06:03:00.001-08:00

Millet is a staple crop grown here. Here, it is called coos.After it is taken from the field and the first husk is removed it looks like this.

This is the form I found it in when I bought it in the market. I decided I would try to make pancakes with the flour from it. We had them at the place we stayed in when we were in Mali and I really liked them. Even though I don't have a recipe to go by I am just going to wing it. So, Friday I got this home and asked Jalika, what do I do with it now? And in Mandinka and some English I got to where I had a little more than a clue on what to do. We washed it a couple of times and then she told me to let it sit and then we will pound it in the mortar and pestle. I was thinking, I want make these pancakes on Saturday morning....How long is this going to take? How long to I let it soak? Won’t pounding it when its wet not be effective? Ndea (our host mom) came over to explain it again.....ok, I think I understand but I still don’t think I will be able to make pancakes in the morning....But to be more clear I went to ask the better English speaker FatouMata to explain it to me in again!I let a portion of the millet in the bowl over night to soak after washing it a few times. And high on uncertainty I went to bed. In the morning, I woke up and got started on it right away. I poured off the water and tried to start pounding it in the mortar....And soon enough everyone in the compound had their ears pricking up, thinking, what is that? Is that Borry pounding?! And I had a whole slew of Gambian women in the house. Needless to say, I wasn’t doing it right and they just kept asking why I hadn’t taken it to the mill?

Come to find out I needed to let it dry before I pounded it. So I had to put it in the sun for a while and then later in the early evening I started pounding it. After my arm was aching I put it through a sifter (locally made from bamboo and window screen).

After moving it around the surface of the sifter I got it to where only larger pieces of the millet were on the top of the screen. I looked underneath in my bowl and I have only a few dustings of coos powder (or flour).
The portion that was left on the top I put back into the mortar and wailed on it again. I went through this routine about ten more times. I looked in my bowl and I now have about a….. cup of coos powder....
I was just thinking Geesh, this is a lot of work for pancakes! But I also couldn't help feeling very proud and excited that I did the process. And I went out to find Andy to show him proudly our bounty.
Maybe tomorrow I will get to make pancakes...
Maybe tomorrow I will send Alhagie to get the rest of my millet ground in the machine!

Inaguration Day

2009-01-21T06:07:00.000-08:00

This guy is really nice, he owns the "Barack Obama Stationary and Bookshop" it is on our way to the college.
Above, here he is, making an "O" with his fingers for Obama

Yelling to his friend across the street, "hold on a minute I'm taking a picture!"

Yesterday a group of PC volunteers gathered at a place in Brikama that has satellite tv and watched the inauguration, it was great. Every time I see something like that on television now, (which isn’t that often, but the other week Andy downloaded the college championship football game to watch) I find myself hardly paying attention to whats on the screen, but focusing my attention on the amazing orchestration of organization that America represents. I just think of it in relation to, if that many Gambians were assembled in one place it would be sheer anarchy and chaos. Considering that grown men elbow and push pregnant women, grandmothers, children, to get a place in a gelley, I would not even consider attending such an event in those contexts. hehe.

2009-01-14T06:48:00.000-08:00

So, last weekend, some friends of ours invited us down to go camping near their village. We woke up Saturday morning and just before lunch hopped on our trusty PC issue bikes and rode about an hour to our friends house. They had prepped a set of delicious snacks for us, employing the use of their own solar cooker, and we rode out about ten minutes from their house to the camp site.
The camp site is actually just a spot their host father has of empty land, near the river. It is close but you can't get too close because of the mangroves. There was a slight elevation and you could see across the water to the Barra Ferry in Banjul. Andy brought his binochulars and we got to check out some monkeys near the mangroves and look across the water.
Our sleeping accomodations were simple, but nice. Because it is chilly, sometimes verging on cold, to us here, (70 degrees!) we brought a heavy blanket to keep warm. We put a plastic woven mat, (used here for everything, praying, sitting, sleeping, etc.) and strung up a large mosquito net underneath a cashew tree.
When it started to get dark, we started a fire and did the thing that people do when they sit around fires.......
Stare into them, and sometimes talk. hehe.
Sometimes villagers would walk by on their way home from watering and tending their gardens nearby and they would greet us and question us, "Your going to sleep out here? why?! " It is funny, because even though they live in a place that most westerners would consider "a little scary" all the time, they think it is crazy to sleep out in the bush and that a bad elf, or something will come get you at night if you sleep outside. This is why often times, even on the most sweltering nights, people don't just don't do it.
Well, the only thing that bothered us over night was the full moon shining in our eyes and the blowing winds. I pulled my bandana over my eyes and Andy used my headwrap to cover his. The winds woke up our fire that wasn't quite out and Andy and I got up in the middle of the night to put it out and went back to sleep again. When we finally woke up it was a beautiful morning near the river.
We rode back to our friends house, and they treated us to homemade pancakes, and some fresh roasted and ground coffee.
The coffee was a myth come true. Because as people who have been here, or anywhere in W. Africa, know, typically the only option for coffee is the dreaded, Nescafe! So, a volunteer discovered that there were actually coffee beans in the unroasted form sometimes found in the market, but you had to really search it down and ask around. Our friends that had us over did just that, and after going all over our local Brikama market, found them when a little boy took them to a particular stand. They bought a kilo or so and roasted and ground it.
Overall it was a nice time. Still to come later family pics and bio....

Going Camping

2009-01-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

I hope you all enjoyed reading Andy's great blog about our trip to Guinea, I won't even try to top that... so moving on.
We have been busy doing the same activities with work, except now that the second term in school has started it is getting a little bit scary thinking about how short our time is here. Between being stressed about finding a job and leaving our family and friends here we do find times to be really excited and visualize our future plans back in the states.
This weekend, I am really happy to be going camping out by the river with another PC couple. It will be a nice chance to relax. We miss camping a lot!
I am planning on doing a sort of picture and bio of some of the people in our compound. This may help you connect the stories and blogs with the people in our daily life here.
Have a good weekend

Fudaano

2008-12-10T10:35:00.000-08:00

On Monday, the day before Tobaski I got something called “fudaano” done on my hands. It is kind of like henna. It was a day long process. It was decided (without me really) that I should do it during the day on Monday, even though people usually do it before they go to bed before the night. But the following day was Tobaski and everyone would be too busy to help. So at around 11 I ran to go to the pit latrine not knowing when I would have my hands available next to go. Then they took the roll of medical tape they sell specifically for this process and laid out strips of it on a plate. They then proceeded very laboriously to cut small strips with a flimsy, one dalasi razor blade. After they would get one strip cut it was applied around my fingers, about four or five strips were spaced apart starting from my fingertips and going back. Jalika started out doing this, then Adja took over, and Njemmeh our neighbor and the young boys watched.
After both hands were done they usually will tape some kind of design on the palm, but after attempting it with star stickers (wouldn’t stick) then the tape (still wouldn’t stick, hands too sweaty!!) we did a quick star pattern on the back of my hands. After that was all done it was time to apply the fudaano, which is some sort of small tree leaves, dried then pounded. This is mixed with water and made into a paste consistency. Then it was applied on top of the tape around the fingers and on the backs of my hands They also did a traditional splotch on my palm requiring no tape. It is sort of like covering your hands in thick strange smelling mud. After Ndea applied it she took strips of plastic bags and covered up the fudaano, tying it around my fingers and hand. Each finger was separately tied, but then a whole plastic bag was put over my hands and tied to my wrists. Immediately my hands started to sweat even more and then they asked me if I had any socks. So I had to lead Jalika into our bedroom (usually off limits) and have her rummage through my underwear and sock bag to find a pair. These were fitted over my plastic bag hands and then suddenly I was all alone.
Andy was out at work and as soon as they were finished the place was quiet. All I could do was sit or lay down. I had to make it until five o-clock and was counting down the hours. But of course, me being me, mid way through I had to use the pit latrine. Well, I won’t go into details, but lets just say it was freakin hilarious for Andy and I. When Andy had come home I was just laying face up on the bed in the front room with my hands up in socks looking like a sad burn victim. Adding to my helpless feeling was the thought that it wasn’t even over after this part was finished. After lunch I was finally able to fall asleep to pass the time and at around five o’clock Jalika came tearing across the compound to get me. Then Ndea and Jalika and other bystanders unwrapped me and flung off most of the paste. Next was some small mysterious bagged substance which was mixed with water making it into a grey smelly mixture. It was of course then applied to the parts of my hands that had fudaano on it. I was happy and relieved to find out that I only had to keep this on for an hour or so and I could keep my hands unwrapped. This was so much better that I had thought. I had misinterpreted and thought that this second application would have to stay on over night. When we finally washed it off my hands were wrinkly and pasty white and the parts with the fudaano were a lovely red color. Cool. I immediately had ideas for designs for the next time and am excited to try it again, only this time over night. Later on the same night I did get a chance to practice on someone else when Jalika came over looking for the tape. Andy suggested we use duct tape and I cut it into strips and quickly did one of her hands with finger stripes. Then I cut more strips and made a cool (if I say so myself) sun design on her palm. The next morning she showed me and it looked good! Well, it will eventually wear off and then we will get to do it all over again, but this time I will be more mentally and physically prepared for the process! After we come back from Guinea we will post a ton of pictures! Promise :)

2008-12-03T04:12:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of blogs lately, life is cruising right along. The weeks between have been filled with us putting a lot of time into getting things finished before we have to go out of town. Last Wednesday, we left to come to the main city and spent a few days doing typical American things in this unlikely setting, like playing softball, (preparing for our tournament in Dakar in February), eating Thanksgiving dinner, having an “Open Mic” night where volunteers displayed there vast array of talent. We had a general good time, but because of all the activities and lack of real down time we came back more tired than before. But, a bonus on that part was that we got to stay in someone’s house and of course their bed was infinitely more comfortable than our who-knows-how-old-foam mattress. We got back from the fun filled weekend on Sunday, and Sunday is a Study night in the compound, so I was busy with that for a few hours. This week is jammed because all the real work for the next month has to be done this week, being that next week is Tobaski, and no one seems to really know if they will be going to school at all next week. For us, the following week we will be traveling and then it will be Christmas and New Years time. The whole month is shot already as far as work.
My duties this term, even though I am not teaching classes now, is to still participate in the observation of the student teachers. The third week in November I was one of four that made the long journey up to the last region in the country, the furthest east you can go. Our task was to observe about fifty students in about 12 schools. Which may not seems like that big of a deal, but when you have to go four wheeling through the bush and ask a lone farmer in the field exactly which dirt track is the one that goes to a particular school, it is pretty tiresome. Needless to say, no air conditioning, and lots of dust with dry season. A good thing about this trek was that I had excellent sleeping accommodations because there is a peace corps transit house for volunteers to stay when they are traveling.
Well, after leaving Brikama Sunday, finishing the week of observations, Friday morning finally came. We left Basse at around 7:30 and did not get back to Brikama until 12 hours later. Three hours were spent trying to negotiate a place in the extremely lengthy car line to get on the ferry. All I wanted to know was, Where is the bridge?! When we pulled beside the compound door I could hardly wait to un-mangle my body from the seat and was extremely happy to back home, I love Brikama!
Along with this type of observation trek, we are responsible for observing students in our immediate area. I have nine students at the school I am attending to. And this week I have been trying to finish with their observations for the term. Going to these schools are extremely draining. Imagine you, lone toubab, walking through a sea of children all calling you “toubab”, just to get to the classroom you need to go observe a student in. Yesterday I had to be around for the dreaded …..
Break time.
This is when every single student in the school is out amongst the entire expansive school grounds doing whatever they want with no adult supervision. Now imagine having to walk through these hundreds of students to cross the school grounds as the only white person. Trying to hold your head up and be a professional that deserves respect even while they are calling you this name and asking, then demanding, everything from candy (minty) to shoes, to bottles.
Well, just one more day of observations today, then I will take a nice long break.
People are very busy preparing for Tobaski, the market is filled with even more vendors than normal, everyone is desperate to make some money to go out and buy a ram. Our host father recenlty traveled to Senegal and brought back with him a huge ram, it is so tall, it is a little scary. It is tied up to a mango tree near the cooking area and is constantly making a gutterl bah sound. With the compound so full this year, if every family gets a sheep or goat, we are going to have a meat festivist. But at least this time I can be prepared, and have my goat stew recipe ready!

Written Nov. 11

2008-11-14T06:57:00.000-08:00

Study program:
Some of you know that for a long time I have been contemplating how I would start a structured study program for the children in the compound. Well, we started the program about three weeks ago. We have had to make some adjustments to the routines, but the program is well underway! The children are motivated to study and I am able to assist them in their trouble areas with one-on-one time, especially with English and reading. Just by studying with them (Andy helps Fatou M. with economics mainly), in which we ask them to work hard in a different, more complex way, than what is demanded at their schools, is making a difference in their learning already.
Even though they are not extrinsically motivated we have had the ability to reward them for their efforts (thanks to some donations from family) by providing small rewards. They earn the rewards by coming to do study work. When they do this they earn points and at certain levels they can attain a reward based on their points. The thing is because of their sharing culture, no matter who gets what reward, they all share it anyhow!
Case in point
The other day Alhagie was completely excited to achieve the 10 point mark. He looked in the box and squirmed with excitement. After digging through and reviewing the choices he said he would be right back and went outside to confer with our host mother what he should get. He came back inside and choose four packets of juice that you add to water.
Andy was sitting on the porch talking to the children that were waiting for their turn (they get a rock with a painted number on it and go and get the next person after their turn). Alhagie rushed back to tell Andy that he had given one to Ara (our neightbor), one to Ndea (our host mom) one to Sanussei (our host dad) and the kids all shared one.
Though Andy and I were a little afraid they would not like them he let us know he did and when Jalika looked in the prize box, she pointed out with a frown that there was no more juice!
Well, just in the fact that Ndea has been encouraging MoLamin to “go study!” in the evening, Alhagie and Alieu have made progress in reading and all the children are experiencing new ways of learning! (rather than their listening to lectures, or memorizing a text, in a language they understand very little of)

Random notes: This morning on my way to the corner near our house to catch a gelley to the nursery school a horrible thing happened. There were two dogs wandering around the road and one of them got squarely hit by a speeding vehicle.
I was watching it aimlessly wander around the road, I looked at the other dog, and that’s when I heard the horrible sound of car making contact with a body. I looked at saw the dog squirming on its back and howling in pain. After a few seconds of that, he tried to get up, his leg was clearly broken, he then ran crazily ran off the road and down a dirt side road with the other dog following. What bothered me most was of all the people standing around the road when it happened; I was the only one that looked like something bad had happened. It made me even more upset to hear the young men chuckle to themselves about the situation then move on in their conversation.
Now I realize that attitudes towards animals are different here, but I don’t think they even thought of the possibility and danger of the situation because it could have easily been a child that was hit because of reckless, uncaring, speeding drivers.
Because I am currently in the process of getting ready to apply for jobs in the states as a teacher I have been reading texts on teaching more vigorously. I am having these bad thoughts that I have somehow “absorbed” the teaching practices of people I have worked with here. This is because their style of teaching, treatment of students, and school system is the antithesis of what we strive for in the states. Because I am working within the school system here and now as a volunteer, I have to find a difficult balance between helping the educators themselves improve their work and still recognize cultural differences that I cannot encourage them to change. Some days I think it would be easier to say, “here, let me see your class, I will show you…” and then take it over for a few weeks. But that is not the solution and even though I know it, it sometimes enters my mind.
When I am sitting in classrooms where teachers are directly insulting children that sit idle for hours on end, I squirm. I think I will take a huge breath of relief when I see classrooms in America again. It may even bring tears to my eyes when I see the beautiful sight of colorful, thoughtfully designed classrooms that have enough desks and chairs for students and so much more! And I may even get hysterical at watching a teacher and students interact with a deliberate focus on positive learning experiences and environments.
Somehow, I think the more teacher articles, books, etc. I read about from an American perspective the more it will help me keep the “bad” thoughts and influences of working within a deformed school system at bay.
On that note, I will be leaving Sunday for a week long trek to the furthest region in the country to do student teacher observations! Wish me good luck!

election fever

2008-11-06T09:56:00.000-08:00

Since moving to The Gambia in June 2007 locals have asked, “which do you support?” referring to the top two presidential candidates. I always paused and wondered to myself, what do they care? Why would it matter to them? A local businessman opened a new stationary store about 6 months ago. He proudly displayed his stores sign out front, “Barack Obama stationary and bookstore”. As he sits outside he enthusiastically waves to us and shouts out “Obama!” as we zoom by on our bikes.
Election day finally came and the questions got more concise, “You support Obama right? And admonishing us, “Borry. Obama is the best one!”. I still played my cards close and reminded them there were more than two candidates and we would wait for all the information before deciding.
Jalika and Adja were over one day and I showed them the ballot we received in the mail. I showed them the top runners names and all the other peoples names in the presidential race. It was unique for them to see a U.S. presidential ballot and to realize that we could vote even though we weren’t even in our country.
On the day of the election we made plans to go in the evening to an embassy workers house so we could pull an all-nighter to watch it all unfold on CNN in real time.
I packed my bag before going to work and after work stood on the side of the road until I got a car to town.
The whole ride there sitting among the people that were so interested and pushing for me to vote for Obama, I had an unwelcomed, though slightly absurd thought…How will these people react to us as Americans if we collectively vote for McCain to be the next president?
As results came in slowly at first in which McCain was showing more support, I think the collective PC volunteer population had theset thoughts. They were expressed by some later after the results became clear, as “Wheew! Now we don’t have to evacuate the country!”
After more than 24 hours without sleep our gelley ride back to Brikama at 6:30 am was surreal, with Andy’s head precariously wobbling back and forth.
We entered the compound to see the usual morning bustle around the tap. As we approached we heard the women talking about the election, the word Obama as usual, jutting out from the conversation in Mandinka. They turned around to see us and I proclaimed the winner to which our host mother excitedly exclaimed, throwing her arms up over her head, “Obama wins!”
We stumbled through a backwards morning routine that was the usual night time routine. Taking showers, brushing teeth, closing doors. Then fell into a fitful sleep due to the normal daytime heat.
Awakening in the late afternoon we had to look at the pictures from the night before to assure ourselves it was all really real.
We don’t have to evacuate after all!

Time Warp

2008-10-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

So, lately my part time job has been gathering information for my various employment requirements state-side. Often that means that I have to use my "connections" here at the college to call America through voice over ip calling. Then, through that, it feels kind of like a time warp, all of the sudden I am supposed to talk regular, non-Gambian English and speak to people in A-M-E-R-I-C-A! Which, the longer your over here, the more it becomes some kind of fantasy land, where everyone is rich and everything is wonderful.
Our pastime on "lazy" Sundays has been to plan various minute aspects of our move back home. Though this is good and makes us feel more proactive and excited about going back, it at the same time makes it sad that we are spending our time here doing that.
Today, being one of those Sundays, we have already made a detailed list of costs for moving back, moving to a new location, getting settled etc. Though for some it seems a long way off, only 8 more months of living here will go by so quickly because our weeks just disappear. We spent more than a year planning to come here, so moving somewhere else new is not far off in our minds. Always looking to the next thing. Sometimes we laugh, because I think if we weren't already married people would be wondering when we were going to settled down and live in one place for a while. I wonder too if I will ever have that desire!
Today we also made squash bread. I am becoming an expert in cooking with children. But I only always invite Fatou Bintou and MoLamin to help because they now know the ropes. Today, though Adama invited herself and added an extra spice to the mix. Andy did a good job wrangling her when needed and helping keeps things under control. Fatou Bintou holds the measuring cups over the sifter, MoLamin shakes the sifter (sometimes getting a little crazy). All the while we count out loud the amouts. Then after the squash was cooked I handed each of them a fork and they went to town smashing it in the bowl. All along the way MoLamin is taste testing everything sticking his finger in it all. Adama took the spoon that had cinnamon residue on it and stuck it to her mouth, then made a disgusted face. I smeared butter on her and MoLamins mouth. It was fun... It was carefully orchestrated chaos and we had a good time. After it was mixed I added a few raisins on top (MoLamin actually didn't like these) we put it out in the sun and a little over two hours later we had a delicious sweet squash bread. Man, gotta love the solar cooker. Fatou Bintou and MoLamin were the first to taste it and then we spread the wealth around the rest of the compound. Now... I wonder what we'll cook next week.
Oh, check out the new pictures of Andy putting in the solar system for our friend.

blog coming soon I promise

2008-10-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hello people, I have been spending a lot of time working on state side job stuff, so I was going to write a blog today, but now I am sort of on computer burn out, so I will will write one this weekend and then post it up Monday! Have a nice weekend!

2008-10-11T07:10:00.000-07:00

Mold glorious mold!

It sounds like this might be a tribute to that wonderful taste experience called cheese, but it is far from it…
This mold is the kind that has fairly rapidly invaded the household and which has overrun the surface of everything from leather bags, sandals, shoes, necklaces, even a wood mortar. In some cases the variety is white but in others it is a ghoulish green but in all instances is does an amazingly thorough job of encompassing the object. On my incense scented “jelly” (it is like a necklace for your waist women wear here) it went from being brown to a rainforest floor green.

The take over has even crept into my dreams. Last night I dreamt of Andy and I wandering around the house finding mold at every turn, and then not so mysteriously getting deathly ill from it. I specifically remember saying, “Andy it’s the mold, it’s killing us!” Now that’s just scary.
Now to shift slightly. Let’s talk about Fungus. Specifically, people fungus. The wet season creates such an environment where being dry (which in terms of bodies, I mean not sweaty) is something that never happens. And because of this my upper shoulder and back have been plagued by fungus. As it is right now, the transition to dry season is probably the worst time, because you still have the humidity hanging around along with blaring sun, but no relief in the form of rain, and the dry winds have not come yet. Even with an array of antifungal products, creams, powders, etc., it does not keep it at bay. In fact I think it is a lost cause, until dry season comes, or I move.
This may be one reason why many PCV’s from here move to someplace cold and dry afterwards. This is exactly what we are planning to do!

Written on Monday, Sept. 22nd

2008-09-25T02:25:00.000-07:00

Andy and I had a pretty relaxing weekend spent around the compound. On Saturday I had a really trying day of fasting, because I was incredibly hungry. The reason I was hungry was because of something somewhat out of my control. During Ramadan a lot of people here break fast with French bread. At the local batiks around 6:30/7 o’clock there is a rush of people buying bread for their families to break fast a little after 7pm. Andy and I usually don’t eat bread then, we just eat what our family cooks. But we do buy bread at that time because it is when it is available during Ramadan, for our breakfast in the early morning. So on Friday, Andy went to the bitik to buy bread for Saturday morning, but after going several places, he found out from other people that there is some kind of “baker strike”. Apparently instead of 4 Dalasis a loaf, “they” (not sure who, I’m assuming government of some kind) wanted the bakers to sell their bread even lower than the already low price. Buying flour here is expensive and the price of the bread has remained the same for many years, going lower would mean for them to loose money, or at the very least, not make any profit.
So for early am breakfast Saturday morning, Andy and I had gathered up 3 smallish potatoes, and had that with our usual eggs. Apparently that was not nearly as fulfilling as the normal loaf of bread with eggs on it. Because by late morning I already felt very hungry. Since it was Saturday, there was not much to do, I wandered around trying to busy myself so that I wouldn’t think about how hungry I was. But I think my brain was refusing to engage, or was in some sort of deep fog, because I literally was pacing through the house, then would decide to see what was going on outside, stand on the porch, would get tired, then would go inside again.
When I did manage to settle down to do something like read, I found myself giving the task about thirty percent of my attention, while the other part was thinking about food, and how my stomach was telling my brain it was “dying”. So I would get frustrated and antsy and get up to try to find something else to do that would hopefully keep my attention. This of course led to more aimless wandering until I landed on something else to do.
This sort of schedule went on for most of the afternoon. The amount of activities I tried for small amounts of time did not eat away at much of the day. Each time I would move on to something else, I would check the clock, only to find very little time would have past, “what!? Its only 1 o’clock? But I’ve done this, this and this!?”
Of course eventually the time came to break fast for the day, but it was one of the weakest days I have ever had. Most of the time with our regular breakfast of bread and eggs, I don’t feel too hungry, especially with work and keeping busy.
On Sunday, because of this bakers strike, I decided to take it into my own hands and break out the solar cooker. Rain has still been coming sporadically, but I thought I would wake up in the morning, judge how the sun would be then, and if sunny, go to the market to get flower to make bread. And that is just what I did. The only thing is…..
I’m not a meteorologist. And the day had good blocks of time with sun, but also had large slow moving clouds that would cover it. Because of this situation, the bread was out there all day, and when we finally had to bring it inside, it was still a bit doughy. This, of course, did not matter to Andy and I, and we were eager to dig in as soon as the call to break fast came.
Because we like to share whatever we make in the solar cooker with the family, I gave them some large chunks of bread. I had pre-warned them that it might not be cooked all the way because of the weather.
Later that night, MoLamin came over, and of course as usual, he had some kind of food in his hands. At first glance we thought it was a pankako (a sort of doughnut) but then we noticed it looked a little different and MoLamin said it was mburro (bread). When Alhagie came in with a fistful of bread too we finally devised upon closer inspection that the bread they were eating was the bread we gave them from the solar cooker…but it definitely looked different…. Apparently they had fried it!
This was just hilarious because we always joke about how they fry everything here in oil. We eat fried everything (fish, onion, eggplant, etc.) on top of rice every single day. But also the fact that the shear principle of the solar cooker, to not use firewood to cook, was totally defeated. Oh, well.
We have had three new takers on the compound library in the past two weeks, three of which are adults, and one is a mid-teenage boy Muhammed, he lives in our compound with our family for the year to go to school here. Andy saw him looking at everyone else's book when they came out of the house and through encouragment got him to come check one out. Yah! And the other two adults are both women, one of which was a former teacher. Lately the women in the compound have been bugging me more to teach them English, but I am reluctant to say yes, because right now I don't know when I would have the time. But I would like to, so we shall see.

2008-09-17T04:13:00.000-07:00

The weather has been changing. The humidity is still high, but now there is no relief from the heat sent in the form of rain storms..yesterday I asked Fatou M. if rainy season was over, and the sad thing is, she said yes! :( But I try to console myself by remembering all the good things I am going to cook in the solar cooker in the dry season. But I guess the real reason I am more sad about the change this year is that the end of the rainy season means end of mangoes, and if we are lucky we will get some more before we move back to the states, but you never know next years rainy season might be late, and this years could possibly be our last. We are also at the turning point in our service where we can say, "this is our last _____(insert month) in the Gambia" And that is just sad. Andy says he keeps having dreams that he leaves without saying goodbye to MoLamin.
We are beginning the moving process already. It is always on my mind now. It is going to be a difficult year, it will be like living two seperate lives, and towards the end of our stay here, it will be like I will already have a foot in America and one foot all the way across the ocean in Gambia. I will start making lists of things to do before we leave here, job/accomodation deadlines in America, things to sell, give away here, etc. It will kind of be like the "Gambian me" is writing her will, "I want my radio to go to Jalika, my jewlery to Fatou B....."
Fasting has been a whirlwind of emptying our stomachs, stuffing ourselves, sleeping at random intervals. When fasting stops we will have to remember to listen to our bodies signals again, because right now we are getting pretty used to ignoring them.. eating when we are so full already, not eating when our stomachs are shrinking during the day, etc. This is going to be one of my accomplishments here do to it the whole time, when last year I only did it for a week. I think that on the first day when I can eat during the day, I might forget. When I remember I will be so excited, "Hey! I can eat now if I want to! Isn't that great!?" We will both being working back into our routines our respective workout routines, and that will be nice, because vacationing (eating pretty good food) and then fasting all without exercising has made my body feel so... so yucky!
The primary, secondary, schools have started but the college still has not,.. we are looking at possibly the 6/7 th of next month,.. making for the shortest term ever. But I am trying to look into other options rather than teaching a class again. We shall see I can convince the people that matter.
The library at home is going great! Thanks for those who have sent books, we are building real book culture here! :)
Well, signing off for now...

We're back!

2008-09-04T02:14:00.000-07:00

“Blue sky is all the more beautiful with a few clouds”

We got back from our three week trip to Mali on Monday, September 1. Because of the sheer amount of things we saw and experienced it is going to be quite a task to write a comprehensible blog about it. But, of course, I will try. And though what I describe may sound like we sought out torture, I assure you we knew what it would be like ahead of time, it was how we spent a majority of out “vacation” time, and actually we enjoyed it. It wasn’t a sit on our butts and sit strawberry daiquiris by the pool type of vacation. No way, it was a sit in a people frying hot bus, as it bounces along a pot holed road, eating street food, dodging rain storms and herds of cattle, kind of vacation. Also be warned that all of the statements written below are just maybe a little less than the average ignorant observations of an American tourist-traveling in an African country they don’t live in-so would have absolutely no idea what really goes down.

Route:
Our trip route went from Brikama (our home base), across to the north bank of the Gambia by ferry, and all the way to Bassee, in the far east end of Gambia. From Bassee we went up through some points in Senegal, staying for a night, before crossing into Mali, where we visited places like, in no exact order now, Bamako, Kayes, Sevari, Sedou, Bandiagara, Dogon Country, Mopti, etc… On the way back we pretty much retraced our steps. I believe this is a common route.

Transportation:
Because this is Africa, transportation is of course… a little more interesting to get from place to place. Even when we thought we were getting on a decent vehicle, circumstances always reminded us where we were. In Gambia, transport was typical, get the car, wait forever for it to fill up with people, cram yourself in the back seat with absolutely foot room-the sun blaring on you, diesel fumes tainting the only air you are getting, that is if the person in front of you so considerately closes the window because they are getting “too much air”, and then of course go through a million check points (I think it was affirmed as 15 just along the north bank). Once getting to Bassee, we had to get a car to another car park, in order to get a car to Senegal, and the description of the car park in the guide book was along the lines of,… this car park has the most decrepit cars you’ll ever see, it is amazing that they still run…is this a junk yard or a car park? etc. If you saw it, you might think it was one of those pictures where junky broken down cars from the old days are tossed in an empty grass lot under a nice tree. We checked with this particular car park the night before coming to leave from it as to what time we should be there, they first said 7 am, then changed that and insisted we should come at 6. After we got there, got our tickets, we of course waited the mandatory 3-4 hours, during this time, we amused ourselves with the car park “attendants” doing their morning car checks. You know, like before you go on a road trip, AAA, recommends you do some odd number check on your car. Here, these checks may include: 1) checking if there is water behind your door panels, (and when you do the panel falls off, so you have to figure out how to finagle it back on) 2) somehow pushing all the rain water out of the back where all your luggage will get put 3) fishing out the string that hooks onto the door lock so you can open the door 4) finding the string that enables you to lower the window, then rehooking the string through something else so it will stay put 5) taking a metal bar, opening the hood and banging relentlessly on some part of the engine, and so on..and when you finally get through all those mandatory checks, you have to load all your passengers luggage in the back, tell them to wait while you have your attendants push your car until it starts, take off down the road, while your passengers look on, wondering if they made it too easy for someone to take off with their baggage,.. until the driver turns the car around without braking and heads back towards the car park where you are all waiting, and without turning off the engine you all pile in and off you go! On a wonderfully pot holed dirt road with giant lakes, mud holes, etc.
Entering Senegal and Mali, transport changed somewhat, in that instead of fighting your way for a seat on a seriously decrepit car, you waited civilly until you bought a ticket, where they even gave you a seat number, (you will be in seat 8, you know that comfy corner spot in the back..) The roads were considerable better, and there weren’t nearly as many checkpoints. We discussed that Gambia may have a “small country complex” in thinking it may be so important to warrant so many checkpoints on a road that goes east and west, and of which there are basically only two of in the whole country, one on the north and one on the south sides of the river. In Mali there were also bus companies that ran somewhat more organized operations, but we inevitably got the bus that had gigantic windows, that, did not open, and as the only sources of air the emergency exit on the roof propped open a little with plastic bottles, and the entrance door open the entire journey. One such bus we caught, luckily (we thought) when our taxi driver taking us to the bus station spotted a bus in route and flagged it down for us. Not long after getting settled, headed for Bamako at an alarmingly high rate of speed, the driver approached an intersection, I guess found it a little confusing as to which side of the road to be on, and braked hard, veering to the extreme right of the road, where they shoulder was very soft from rain all the previous night, and skillfully slid our charter bus into a grassy, muddy, ditch. I only realized the angle at which the bus was leaning, until I approached the door to exit. Everyone filed off, and the genius men of the passengers and bus workers, put their minds together to formulate the plan to all stand on the tilting side of the bus, “hold” it up, while the drive first goes forward into the mud more, then backwards into the ditch and mud more, all the while we are standing their thinking, man, what is going to happen when the bus makes that final tip and falls on all these men? Eventually, thank goodness, someone came by with a industrial size tow strap, and a little while later a truck that could pull us did so. Everyone got back on the bus, and we were blasting our way down the road again. Sometimes I think I may feel safer on the old decrepit vehicles, because they can’t go fast enough really to get into any real trouble, but with newer vehicles, and no roaming police force enforcing speed laws, and country roads with lots of cattle and donkey carts, it definitely is a dangerous mix.

Food:
On to a very important topic (especially now that fasting has started). We delighted at the wonderful array of food you could buy at all the stopping points our transport route. And because these stopping points were numerous, I sometimes felt like we were eating our way through the country. Having vendors shove any and everything in your face while on transport is nothing new to us here, because it happens in the Gambia too, but the new array of choices got us excited. We would inexplicably stop for a little while, people would start to get hot, and we’d all get up and go outside where there would be tons of people selling. We would all Becca, Andy and I would pile back on the bus each with a new food item for everyone to try. Food choices included things like, shea fruits (shea butter is made from it, it is a nice and creamy fruit), peanuts, many shapes and sizes of breads, cold drinks (that’s right I said cold! Amazing!) already brewed attaya, yogurt packets, ginger juice, and lots of meat being grilled up. This is a noticeable departure from the Gambia, where we tend to eat 99% fish. Meat was everywhere it seemed, and so was dairy. They seemed to have a lot more cows, goats, etc. (hence more meat and more dairy).
A noticeable difference in the food taste from Gambia is that it lacked the usual salt content that we are used to here. (not as much magi (msg) cube prevalence) The peanuts needed salt, the sauces with the rice needed salt. Though this was probably more pronounced to us because of our “need for dehydration” while traveling in the above described conditions, it was apparent that I may have a salt addiction from living here. And the abundance of meat caused uncomfortable but not serious gastrointestinal issues for me. My body is just not used to digesting meat as protein anymore (just peanuts and fish) and it would just get stuck right below what felt like my ribcage and stay there for days, during which my stomach would bloat and cause me to look several months pregnant. I stopped eating meat and it went down after a few days, and thank goodness for me that was the only issue with health that I had.
One more note on food, several times I found myself thanking the influence of the French on the food here, patisseries were such a treat, and the French bread was great.

Accommodations:

Our first night of our trip we spent in the Peace Corps transit house in Bassee. And for all of us this was a torturous night. No mosquito nets could be found, so we got so many mosquito bites that our skin felt on fire, not to mention the vast array of other unidentifiable bugs berating us all night long. Though covering up with a sheet could have helped alleviate the problem, the sheer amount of heat and sweat this caused made it impossible. The night was sleepless for all, and when a rainstorm came we couldn’t bring ourselves to close off our only air flow, so rain kept being blasted in. That morning we had to wake up to be at the car park at 6,.. so we were off to a good start.
Other memorable nights included our first arrival in Bamako, it was late at night, we got a taxi to the mission we were going to stay at, and were surprised to find that they were full, so we were taken by a boy to another “hotel”. While walking there through unknown streets, we nearly got taken out by being in the vicinity of men fighting, throwing fists and chairs, and then we see that it is just outside the gate of the place we are supposed to stay. We go to talk to the person there, and he proceeds to ask us if we have a reservation (what!? This is Africa!, reservation!?), we say no, then he says he doesn’t have any spaces left, as we go to leave through translation we figure out that he suggests we could sleep on the terrace of one of the rooms, so, giving little other choice, we take it. There was just room for three people across on mattresses we laid down, and rigged a mosquito net, and hoped it didn’t rain (it didn’t).
The time we spent in Dogon country we stayed at camps, that were actually just another building among the tightly arranged village buildings-where tourists stayed. The first night we stayed on the rooftop of a mud roofed house. To get to the roof you had to carefully climb a log with notches cut in it and was laid against the side of the building at an angle. Getting up and down this “ladder” with your pack is a little tricky, and forget about going down to pee in the middle of the night. Our guide thankfully told us before sending us up to bed, “you see those spouts for the rain water coming off the side of the roof, well, just pee into those” Which we did, and it was pretty funny, to get up in the middle of the night, glance up at the moon and stars, and pee into the spout, and listen as you hear it fall from the spout to the ground. Ahh… Africa. Waking up from this first night (of course at the crack of dawn, because we were fully exposed on the roof top) I realized it was my birthday!
While staying in Sevari, we stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast place, Mac’s Refuge. Mac’s turned out to be a great staging point for many of our excursions, and the fact that he served great course dinners if you wanted and an amazing breakfast was included in the price we didn’t have a hard time deciding if we wanted to stay there more than a night. Comfortable beds, relaxing atmosphere, and good prices made it a perfect choice.

Communication:

When we crossed into Senegal we immediately had to start trying other forms of communication. French was the majority and we had little to no practice. This always made things interesting, and we usually just ended up negotiating to the best of our ability in a mixture of French, Mandinka, and English. Mandinka helped us considerably throughout our travels because Bambara is spoken widely in Mali, and it is close to Mandinka. These negotiations usually started out like this,.. “Bonjour, Ca va? Uh….paso mu jelu? Uh… how much is the bus ticket?” until we hit one that worked. Each time we eventually got the right bus ticket, and actually made it on the right bus, we were immensely proud of ourselves! Hehe, lots of fun.

The People:

In Mali, traveling through I found that people all together bothered us less about giving them free stuff (money, empty bottles, minty etc.). When people did approach us it was with something to sell a majority of the time. And it wasn’t some cheap plastic good that was imported from China, a majority of the time it was something that they had made, and even though it may have been specifically geared towards selling to tourists, locals are abundant users of the local products as well. We were discussing why that may be the situation, and thought that perhaps, just because of the shear sizes of the comparing countries (Mali vs. Gambia) people just don’t have the first hand experiences of getting so many hand outs, and dealing directly with so many NGO’s that they wouldn’t think that every white person is there to give them something. What they would think is that that white person is a tourist, and tourists like to buy souvenirs, so I’m gonna make something for them to buy, and because tourists may be discriminating when buying, I will have to make a good product, something people will want to buy, and because it will be good, locals will find it useful and good too, therefore creating a market… and all that good stuff….
The general health of people that we saw was better, more toothpaste, toothbrushes, healthier constitutions from meat and dairy consumption, fatter babies. But we also did see people peeing, pooping, washing (clothes then body), then drinking the river water, all at the same edge. I would just love to gather a sample of this water and send it to my environmental engineer brother-in-law, he’d have a heart attack! We saw people enjoying a hearty breakfast of a cup of river water, a hunk of French bread (thank goodness for the French influence of food!) and then proceed to dip the bread in the river water till it was dripping and slightly soggy, then wash it all down with the rest of the water…yum.

So, I hope through those topics you can get an idea of our trip, and of course, through the pictures we will post. Now a short bit on coming home…

We turned to walk down our street and right away saw everyone was out selling their usual (ebbe- a fish type stew), out in front of the compound gate, as we were walking up closer, Adama saw me, and with a sort of reprimanding look on her face, didn’t say anything, just raised up her arms in hug-position until I picked her up, everyone was happy to see us and we immediately had a brood of kids following us in the door. Ndea came over to chat with us for a minute, so did Sanusse, then we had to close the doors, because we had to get to cleaning. Several things were covered in mold, and the musty smell of the house was strong. Andy went around knocking down all the termite trails and spider webs. After we finished cleaning we were ready to relax outside on the porch, it was so nice to be back!
The day after we got back, (Tuesday) started fasting, so we had to get up early (5am) to eat as much breakfast as we could. After that we got back to bed around 6 (30 minutes making then eating breakfast, then 30 reading while sitting up) until 8: 15. Then no food again till fast is broken at around 7:30 or 8. Last year we were learning how this all works, now I feel a lot more comfortable because I know what to expect. I know now that the first dish they bring is not the only thing we are having to eat, so I can take my time, and not get beyond full before they bring the next thing. I also more fully understand that Andy and I in the morning, rushing around trying to make and eat breakfast as fast as we can so we can get back to sleep often has some mishaps along the way, this due to our state of confusion, our anxiety to eat as much as we can, and the fact that we didn’t even clear any sleepiness from our eyes before trying to operate open flames, and fragile things like eggs. Case in point: the first morning of fasting, making eggs for breakfast, we each had two eggs, Andy set his on the edge of the stove and of course, one fell off the edge and exploded open on the cement floor, I swear he almost cried. This being because we can’t buy breakfast items in the morning (we buy it the night before), for one the bitik is not open, but also we are usually minimally clothed, and I wouldn’t want to waste any eating time running around looking for an open bitik at 5 in the morning, that would cause me to be a little too awake, and ruin my going back to bed chances even more than my extremely full stomach. All in all though, we had a good first day of fasting, the weather wasn’t too harsh, therefore making you sweat out precious fluids, we had a chance to go to the market to buy a flat of eggs and other supplies to prep us for the mornings to come, I took a nice afternoon bath to cool off after the market, and then had a good long nap, after which we only had a couple more hours to go before breaking fast, which was a delectable dish of spaghetti noodles, onion mustard sauce, fried fish, fried potatoes, and slabs of mayonnaise.. delicious!
The first day of fasting, was Tuesday, and Tuesday of course is library night, as Alhagie so readily reminded me of. I was happy that after we broke fast and were sitting on the porch sipping our break fast tea, waiting for the next dish, two of the kids came up with books in hand, ready to get a new ones. After they showed up, everyone else showed up all at once, all eager, and I just sat there directing the chaos, sweating, but with a smile on my face. Library night is back!
The second day of fasting we resumed work. I went to the nursery school for a little while, but was very happy to see they were/had been working on prepping the classrooms, making number lines, rules posters, they had cloth set aside for cloth pocket calendars, Tolu had a book out I lent them, making items from it, Mary had proof read the curriculum, and had done some work on the schedule. They definitely did the work I outlined for them before I left, and I was really proud of them. Most importantly they seemed to have a clear idea of what they were doing, where they were going with what they were doing, and all this while I was gone! Meaning, on their own terms, through their own initiative. Yaay!

2008-08-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

So, this week is pretty busy putting "finishing" touches on things at work before we go away a little while. We are also trying to run around and gather supplies for our trip from the city before we leave. I've been packing and repacking in my head at night and probably will until we leave and it's too late to do anything about it anyways. We are trying to be really conservative on the packing, but it's hard when you have to take practically a whole medical kit. It's not like we can be like... ah, well, I will buy it there,.. or I will just go to the atm when I get there.... nope. We will probably want some things to bring back from Mali, so we need to leave space and don't to lug around a huge pack for three weeks.
I am nervous about leaving our house for so long, several things can happen, floods, rodents, termite trails will be everywhere, bugs and dust, mold and mildew etc. I also don't know what to do about the library while I'm gone. I think it is probably best that I don't let them come and get new books every week, but I also hate to shut it down for three weeks. I thought about loaning more than one so they could keep them for the time we are gone, but I think that is too much for them to handle... but one thing we have going here, is the general lack of keeping track of time. Time here, well, it just passes with little to no notation. I'm sure they won't even notice that we're gone. Well, I just wanted to make sure to drop a line in before we go.. though I may get another chance at the end of the week. Have a great week!

2008-08-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. Have been really busy running back and forth between home and the nursery school. We are finished doing the preliminary stuff on the new curriculum, I'm typing it up, and then we will go back over it for proof reading, etc. It is a lot of work. Next weekend is when we leave to go to Mali! We are very excited. Birthday for me in Mali!
Tonight we are supposed to meet up with some friends at a "pork bar" in a neighborhing village.. supposidly they serve pork there, but I'm not sure if it is pork like Porky the Pig, or like Pumba from Lion King... if you know what I mean. We shall see. We have seen/eaten those before here, they are large, smelly, hairy creatures! Anyhow...I'm thinking about bringing my own makeshift bar-b-que sauce.
We have been having good storms pretty much every day, it is nice, except for the part where our street turns into a river and we have to wade through it to get home everyday. Last night we had a good thunder and lightning show and shower, the thunder would just roll on and on. Random question. Does anyone know why cats aren't scared of the thunder like dogs? Just wondering. I thought this was a cool picture of the clothesline during a good rain.

Perks of working at the nursery school is that they have big mango trees and unloaded about 12 or so mangoes on me yesterday, that were literally as big as my face! They were so heavy, I put all I could in my backpack and had to strap it to my waist, then was sweatily carrying a huge plastic bag full of them with both arms all the way home. I went straight to my family's porch and unloaded the one's in my arms... My arms were dripping with sweat from the contact with the plastic bag, dropped them on the mat, and said to my host mom... "Ndea,.. dutoo a fele" (Ndea, mango is here) and they all laughed at me (of course! hehe). I am going to attempt at making mango "sorbee" icees again with them maybe next week.

Atlas Has Shrugged!

2008-07-16T04:22:00.000-07:00

I haven't been too up to date on saying:
Congradulations to Mark and Jen! Yeah your married!
And Most Recently to Nick and Amanda on the recent Gerkin addition! Lucky baby!

Let the dotting Aunt and Uncle type stuff begin!

Ok, it only took me about a month and a half, but I finished Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. It is a unique read especially in this kind of society and setting that I am in now. Philosophy quotes like, "Drifters and physical laborers live and plan by the range of a day. The better the mind, the longer the range. A man whose vision extends to a shanty, might continue to build on your quicksands, to grab a fast profit and run. A man who envisions skyscrapers, will not." In relation to daily rural living.

"He thought of all the living species that train their young in the art of survival, the cats who teach their kittens to hunt, the birds who spend such strident effort on teaching their fledglings to fly-yet man, whose tool of survival is the mind, does not merely fail to teach a child to think, but devotes the child's education to the purpose of destroying his brain, of convincing him that thought is futile and evil, before he has started to think." In relation to education

"From the first carch-phrases flung at a child to the last, it is like series of shocks to freeze his motor, to undercut the power of his consciousness. "
This in realation to things like the essential conflict between the western style education trying to be pushed here, with even the accompanyment of standardized test that are way beyond their comprehension that are taught in schools where to really know and undestand what they are supposed to know they must be good thinkers, questioners. But when the students go home they are expected never to question, to always obey anyone that is older than them, and to do things the way they have always been done, not because they are necessarily good and could be done no better, but because no one has been allowed to think of how to make it better. Even with Western education they have no hope to actually learn it fully, so they apply the same methods of "learning" as they do to things like memorizing the Koran, repeating anything the teacher, the religious leader says with no understanding of what it means. This can also explain why grown men, men that have been supposidly been practicing their religion for their entire lives since they were old enough to walk with their brothers to the mosque, have to cheat (and get caught) their way through their islamic knowledge test using crypt notes.

Sorry I didn't mean to go on and on about this kind of stuff, I guess once I get going... Though it may sound like it, I am not dissolutioned, but in fact, (with the gift of my strong stubborness) keep pounding away, the only ways I know how. And, by luck, and a mixture of others things, have had great successes so far.

Speaking of which, the library has continued being a draw for the children in our compound. They look forward to it every week. In fact I am sure that word has gotten out to the other kids in the neighborhood, because they have come up to me, and just say, "Borry,.. book!" For now I am adamant that it stay within our compound, for several reasons. I know the people here more personally than anyone (that is especially important when it comes to enforcing the rules with the parents on your side), also because there aren't that many books right now and there are a lot of kids in the neighborhood!, and most strongly, that the kids in this compound through earlier efforts have been sensitized to books before the library started. Not to say that it has all been glorious, there have been a couple of children in particular that have had their priveleges suspended because they let something happen to the book in their possession, but if something has happened to it, they all repeat the consequences for the person because they know what happens,.. "two weeks, two weeks",.. in which they can't have a book.

As soon as I finished Atlas Shrugged, I went on to a less serious, but seriously funny book, I'm A Stranger Here Myself, by Bill Bryson. Short little snippets on funny experiences when he moves back to America after having been in England for a long time. Sometimes when I'm reading them I think,... hmm.. I wonder if we will go on a crazy junk food binge like he did?.. among other things.

Well, I guess that's it for now,.. this weekend I plan to do fun stuff like, clean the water filter, redip the bednets, fill some sandbags... and oh yeah,.. laundry... whoohoo!

2008-07-01T07:21:00.000-07:00

Copied from journal entry Sunday June 29th

Starting Friday night it was an eventful weekend. As I sit here on the front porch, after bathing, feeling nice and clean and comfortable I think about the past few days, feel the weight of my tired body and appreciate the time to relax. I see thousands of flying (termites) fill the compound from the ground up. This is wonderful for the chickens. MoLamin just came to me to say hello and then ran off to join Buba in an attempt to stomp, or catch the flying insects. He runs along in a weird stomping run that seems to take a great deal of effort to do. The sky is wonderfully blue with great white clouds around-the blue sky is always startling and refreshing after a storm. I just now spot a fluffy grey cloud that may bring more rain, but that would not be a particularly good thing for some people right now. That’s because yesterday we had our first day of rain that set off some destruction in some parts of the neighbourhood.
But first back to Friday night in a fairly unrelated story. Lately, the cats that just hang lazily around the door frames of our back latrine area have been accompanied by some kittens again. They all just sleep somewhat precariously during the sweltering heat of the day until evening, when they disappear. The mother must move the kittens back and forth between the back areas of the rows of flats. On Friday morning there was one kitten that I hadn’t seen before up on the roof looking down at me meowing. Meanwhile all of the other cats had already assumed their positions on the door frames and weren’t minding it. So I picked it up and put it on the door frame with the others. Later Friday, Andy alerted me that the kitten was now in the shower area on the ground, cowering behind a bucket. But, believing that the cats would tend to it, I left it alone. In the evening I saw the kitten in the back where we do our gardening projects. When night time came around and it was the only cat there, I was worried that it had been deserted. After some hesitation, I gave it some milk (my basic policy is not to feed the cats there, but they still come), and went to bed. In the middle of the night rain came-not too heavy-just a little-but enough to wet the back shed area with a few puddles. Of course, as always, when the rain started I had to go to the latrine. As I was doing my business I heard a strange mangled cat sound. When I was finished I went to look where the kitten was before and saw it lying in a puddle. I immediately thought it was dead and the strange noise I had heard was its last. But as I stood there it rose like a zombie and made still more strange sounds, all the while shaking throughout it’s body. Andy had gotten up when he heard me call and was standing there sharing in my horror. We then discussed that perhaps the kitten had rabies. After a moment more of watching as the kitten shook and shuttered we decided that we should just let nature take its course and went to get back in bed. I felt unable to sleep and read for a while until my mind stopped going to the place where it was thinking about this poor little creature suffering and dying a few meters from where we slept.
In the morning I got up and fully prepared myself for the fact that I would find the kitten in the place we had left it, dead. But I was astonished to find it still suffered-huddling its body near the wall. We went through our morning routine thinking it was better for it to die in peace back there, away from the small children that would most likely cause it more pain and suffering. The turn to get water fell to me and as I headed to the tap the rain started again, and after filling up only one bucket I was standing out there in the pouring rain. I stopped and waited out on the porch enjoying the first heavy daytime rain. It seems so relaxing when it comes and each family is on their respective porches. We wave to each other, sometimes try to yell though the noise of the rain on corrugate roof, but it’s kind of like we are on our own little island and can see each other but are unwilling to venture out through the compound that becomes our "moat". At one point Aleiu was sent out in the rain to gather a chicken and it’s chick and try to make it go under the porch. It was out running around the compound freakin out from the rain-chickens really don’t like rain. As the compound filled with streams and puddles of water Alieu chased the chicken. Around and around, circling the middle mango tree, getting close, losing it again, stomping through puddles, trying not to slip and fall in his slide sandals.
Meanwhile Jalika is on their “island” laughing and I’m on ours laughing at the spectacle, and at how Alieu is maintaining a straight face for the 3 minutes or so that he is chasing the chicken and it’s chick around. Finally he got it on the porch. After breakfast Andy came out and I joined him on the porch again to enjoy the rain with our cups of tea. We stood at times watching the happenings in the compound and noticed that Sanussi sent Alieu and Alhagie to the compound door-apparently water was gushing in from the street and they were attempting to place cement blocks in front of it on the compound side, essentially barring anyone from opening the door. This, we soon saw, was a good thing, because as Sanussi climbed the rubble pile of cement blocks in the corner of the compound he was able to look out over the street and neighbourhood. Andy and Ndea accompanied him and what they saw was the entire street flooded and moving like a river through it but being blocked somewhere where our street met the main road. This sort of thing had never happened last year to this extent and I was shocked to look and see only about an inch of space left on the external blocks before the water would be able to come in through the spaces in the big compound gate. But hey, I wasn’t really worried yet.
As I was walking back from the rubble pile our neighbours come out with a bucket full of water from their house and dumped it into the compound, next thing I know the people down at the end are doing the same thing, and people are running with pickaxes to the back of their house. Then Sanussi yells to Andy to check to see if water is coming in our back. I walked in the house, went to the door that goes out back in the kitchen and watched in disbelief for a second while water was coming in somehow through the spaces in our metal door and flowing through the screen door. I ran back out and said “yes! Its coming!” then ran back in and started to try to get some things out of the way. At that point I didn’t really realize the extend of the water in the back and was only trying to find a few crucial things from the back rooms into the front living room, just in case. Family members were coming in and out asking “Borry, it’s coming? Water is coming in?” Like they didn’t believe it either even though they were standing there as I am going through the rooms trying to remove things. As more water started to come in and gather in the low points of the back rooms (the bedroom and the kitchen) we all started to get buckets to fill. The entire family was in there helping, from 4 year olds to people I didn’t even know. I grabbed more pots off the shelf in the kitchen and started filling up the bigger buckets. After minutes of shovelling water in the kitchen I went back to the bedroom and realized that it was coming in more there. By that point we had started taken all the things from the front rooms that we had moved first and were putting them on the front porch. At some point it turned into a more dire situation for our possessions and everything in the house started going out front.
It is funny the things that happen in that kind of situation, things that people do or say and things you notice or remember from it. Andy was helping shovel water and then at one point started going around trying to find the camera in the messy jumble of our things but was unable to locate it in the craziness. At another point I just looked at Fatou Matta and started laughing, I guess at the craziness of the situation. We were going back and forth with giant laundry tubs of water, emptying them out into the compound and coming back. Coming back from one of the runs I came into the kitchen and the “linoleum” type floor covering the last volunteer had put down was floating; it was like trying to walk on water trying to step on it. MoLamin is walking around trying to help, seriously concerned for the safety of the toilet paper tubes and boxes he uses as blocks, Molado is in there with her little bucket trying to fill it, the entire compound was in there helping. After a morning of bucket brigade, we started to try to soak of the last of the water with towels and to pull up and roll out the “linoleum”. Ndea was a expert cleaner and whipped the bedroom into shape where Andy and I are still like,.. “How did she do that!?” When we were looking for towels or rags to soak up water MoLamin, who had two shirts on that morning because it got “cold” with the rain, first took off his long sleeve and started to clean up with that, then took off his second one and was pointing out that he looked like Andy who had in the course of things taken off his shirt because of the shear amount of sweat and heat he was producing from filling and carrying buckets.
When we were finally able to get the back doors open. Along with some random things floating there was our poor little sick kitten, “a faata le” (it died). Andy discreetly carried it out in a plastic bag while I was out on the street and put it in a currently unused garden plot nearby.
Now, stop and think a minute about how the back of our house area is situated. There is about 3 feet of space between that area and our house. In the back in one cubby-like space is the pit latrine and separated from that by a wall in another cubby area is the shower area, then under a corrugate roof there is open space where we have some small potted plants that we are working on. When the water came in from the street and the back, it filled the pit latrine, and the water that came out of there and mixed with the other water from the street. Yep…that’s right, we were sloshing through sh%* water. Gross. Luckily the concrete lid kept anything from getting out that was unable to seep out.
The amazing thing is, that this all happened in the morning and by lunch time everything was basically cleaned up, by a little after lunch we brought some things back into the house. And by an hour past lunch we had showered, and Andy and I were on our way, with Ndea, to Fatou Bintou’s end of the year sort of awards ceremony. When we sat down in the chair for the couple of hours of ceremony it was the first time I had sat down all morning, and it was hard to think of all that had just happened in our house just that morning.
The major cause of the flood (that was much worse for some people in the neighbourhood with chest high water) was the lack of good engineering in new structure build by the main street to help with the water retention situation on our street. Some of the men in the neighbourhood had taken to the street by climbing over their fences, waded through the water with pickaxes and shovels and went to the end to try to help the water flow into this idiotically built structure.
Coming back from Fatou Bintou’s ceremony in the evening, we started back on getting the house together again. The great thing about it is, a lot of the things that we had been meaning to get rid of but didn’t have a reason except we just didn’t’ want it anymore, were thrown out because they had gotten soaked with yucky water. Our floors got a good cleaning. We gave away the “linoleum” that Andy hated anyhow. Did a little rearranging and are much happier with our bare concrete floors in all the rooms now. And I pointed out how glad I am that Andy and I are the kind of couple that can clearly communicate with each other even in those kinds of situations. No one was getting frustrated at each other or biting each others head off because of the stress of the situation. We are also thankful for the lack of washers and dryers, major electrical appliances, carpet, etc. Because it made the clean up much easier and with the help of our amazing! family we were completely back to normal in a cleaner house than before on Sunday.

Not much here

2008-06-26T04:09:00.000-07:00

Not much going on here this week, no big plans for the weekend either, except an
end of the year program at school that Fatou Bintou invited us to on Saturday. I'll let you know how that goes. I was supposed to go up country with the college on trek this week, but it got canceled due to fuel shortages. So, with my scheduled cleared because up until a day before we were supposed to go I thought we were going, I haven't had much to do this week. Next week I will be playing proctor (policewoman) to the students taking end of the year exams at the college. Should be interesting. But at least this time I will have just about 45-50 students in a room instead of my class size of 75-80. I will be helping to plan the preschools "graduation" tomorrow and next week as well. Andy and I are trying to get our plan on for "vacation" later this summer with a friend. Well, hope all is well.

Library night

2008-06-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

So, just wanted to quickly update how the library thing is going. So far it is continuing well. I have since decided that I needed some sort of organized system to teach the children how to put the books in some sort of order, facing the right way, etc. At first I had the kids put them in alphabetical order by title... but that was very difficult to keep straight, even though I employed the ruler technique where they stick the ruler in where they are taking a book out and know where to put the book back because the ruler is there sticking out, they didn't quite get it, and had a hard time consistenly using it. So, last night before the enslaught of children came to return their books and get new ones, I decided to put tape on the spine of the books and numbers them. In no particular order. Andy saw this and was like... um... what good is that? But I tried to explain that it doesn't really do them much good to use the ruler system to keep them in alphabetical order if it is only helping me,.. for my minds sake that they are in a logical order. I want them to be able to use some system and to keep it in some sort of order. Last night they did well, they made sure to put the books in number order and even made sure that I wrote down the number on their library card of the book they checked out. I was really happy that it helped tremendously with them putting the books back with the spine out! Yeah :) Oh, also another pcv made this great life size "book" out of sheets that she had sewn together... it is where you can put it on a person, so they become the "book".. since she is great in Mandinka and was staying the night at our house this week I asked her to do a little presentation to the kids in our compound. It was really good, she talked to them in local language, demonstrating with the person that was wearing the book, how to treat them, where the front, back, spine, title, etc is.. they really enjoyed it. So, for now that is how things are going. Progress. Slowly slowly.

Yeah yeah

2008-06-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official we have been in The Gambia now, one year, and 4 days.

I have been thinking of a sort of year in review, but it is so hard to put things into perspective and look back at what has happened over the past year, when it doesn't even seem like it's been that long. It also doesn't feel like everything that we've experienced actually happened to us.

I was going back and reading some entries in my first journal, it is so great to see the progression of things. Things that surprised me, or I found interesting are just commonplace now. (women with babies on their backs, the market craziness, gelley rides, etc.) I don't think I am to the point where I don't see those new things, but I just see them, and think, yep, that's that. In encountering new situations I find myself more able to take it in stride as they say. I guess that is what happens when you come to understand more about all the things that come together to make a particular culture.

I can't go through and analyze everything from the past year,.. my mind is not capable of it! We (you and me too) can go back and read the blogs. And one day maybe I will type up my hand written journals, but not now.

I can analyze the way I feel about myself now and my perspective on life here.

Making the decision to come here has always felt right. But I do realize that I have grown up to be the kind of person that can move to any town and feel like, yeah, this is good. Before coming here I tried not to have any ideas of what it would be like, and I think I did a pretty good job of doing that, ( I just felt anxious to find out what it was like, but did not speculate before hand)

I can't name how many times I have thought to myself in the course of our time here, this is where I am supposed to be.

I feel like I am a more confident and open person. In areas of work I have a deeper understanding of what I thought from an American perspective and from my education. This was one of the reasons I wanted to come here, (and the reasons I will travel more in the future). I wanted to be one that could genuinely understand why the things and ways I teach are important. And what can happen, and what it looks like when those aren't used or aren't happening. Not that I completely understand it all of course! But I am extremely aware and interested in those things, and want to study them more in the future. Childrens development, and the influences of culture in learning are in full view for me here to watch and experience, because I am in a sort of twilight zone of being somewhat acculturated but still an outsider. And I am thankful that I had the background that I do before coming here and think that the experiences here will be useful for me and my career in the future.

In work, I have had to become the master flexibility. Like navigating the market, I can change direction with whatever is happening at the moment, (that's how things work here if you don't already know) This is a useful skill that I think will help me in the future. And though I am still on toubab time when there is a meeting, or somewhere I have to be, I am much more casual and understanding of the people that don't follow mono chronic principles of time. It is just me, I will always be on time, but you don't have to be.

In daily life here I have hundreds of exchanges between people I don't know, and people I do know. Being able to have the social standards of greetings and the common conversations that go on, I feel free to say hello to strangers, and more comfortable in unfamiliar situations. This has carried over even when talking to other pcv's and so I feel like I am more social, (but still not spectacular).

From being here my confidence has grown. Being stripped of familiarity, having to learn what kind of things are essential to me being me, what kind of things are important to me, etc. have all contributed to this.

I feel very comfortable and at home in our living situation. Some days I come off the streets feeling a little harassed, and tell myself in my mind that I am definitely going to have some alone time today, but then I come in the compound, greet people, drop my things on the floor and immediately want to interact with our family and other people in the compound because I feel so comfortable in the space.

I think the comfort factor is also heightened because I am here with my husband. To us, it is just another part of our lives.. this is it,.. we are not waiting around for this to be over to start our real life,.. and say later,.. "yeah, I did that little stint in Africa" . /What we will say is , "we lived there for part of our lives". This is probably hard to understand, but sometimes I get the feeling from other volunteers that they are just enduring, waiting for the time to go by, trying to do things that pass the time, until they get to start really living again (when they go back to America). This is a part of my career, a part of my life with my husband, and thats that.

My pastimes here have also helped shape who I am becoming. With no television, I have taken back up reading with a vengeance, and though my eyes are the worse for it, I think my mind and perspective have benefited. Without the common American life distractions like tv, shopping centers, driving, unnecessary (but somehow "necessary") materials, the list could go on and on, I find myself more able to think clearly, and I have achieved the amazing feat (for me) to just be able to sit on my porch and think... with nothing in my hands, nothing to read, just sitting and thinking. As a result of all this thinking, I feel more sure about what kinds of things I like, what kinds of things I don't, what I personally think on many different topics, etc.

In college I got a little bit more of the "life lesson", "If you don't do it, who will? and when?" But here I realize it more and more. Even though some people find it harder to get things done here, I have had the freeing mind set that if I can't buy it, or find it, I will make it, get it made, etc. This happens daily, with school supplies, materials, things for our house, gardening, etc. I don't need that premade thing I can buy at Target, I can use a thing meant for another purpose, (find it on the ground even) reshape it, and wala! Its re-purposed! This makes me feel much less constricted and lets your mind get more inventive and creative with what you have.

The next year, (actually starting now, until we leave) seems to be shaping up to a whirlwind of activities, and I am going to be undoubtedly more busy next year, that I ever have this year. I only hope that I won't miss out on quality time with our family and the people here that we will sorely miss when we leave. I can't believe it is happening already, but some of the kids, when we are just sitting spending time together will, out of the blue, beg us not to go. Right now I feel thankful that I can say, "don't worry about that now! We still have a whole year!" But I really don't know what I will say when our time here is dwindling away.. What will I say? What will I be able to promise, to keep some sort of connection? And will I be able to do it?

I could go on and on, (and I might later) but on that note, I just want to say that being here for this portion of my life has always felt right. It feels like it is good timing to help me become more me.

Rain!

2008-06-06T07:32:00.000-07:00

Yeah Yeah Yeah! We got rain! Yesterday evening was very humid and hot, and there were storm clouds in the sky. We woke up in the middle of the night with strong blowing winds. Then the rain broke loose. At first slowly, and then letting it all out. It had all the trimmings of a good storm too, with good peals of thunder and flashing lightning. Andy and I got up out of bed to tend to our plants in the back. We didn't want them to get pummeld by the rain, but they were also in danger from getting toppled by the winds. The rain falling off our our roof was milk chocolate brown. Andy noticed when he looked at me while we were standing under the corrugate roof in the back and said, hey, your dirty! It was also cold with the rain and the temperature suddenly dipping. Today on my way to work at the nursery school I surveyed the damage from my seat on the gelley. There are major puddles (in some places more like small lakes!) everywhere. There was also a big billboard sign that was torn up. The winds must have been really bad. Our power went out for a little while, but then amazingly enough came back on.
I was a little worried about a certain kitten last night. The story goes like this. The same cat that had kittens before, had another set in our shed. There were three of them. Because we have gotten some new neighbors on either side of us now, like last time she needed to move them out of the shed before they got too big. In the corner of our compound is a pile of rumble of concrete blocks from when a portion of the concrete block fence just fell down in the middle of the night. The day before yesterday I kept hearing a very faint meow when I was walking around the compound, but just thought it was the kittens in the back. So yesterday I was hanging out in the compound, playing with the kids, when they all started screaming and running towards the concrete rumble pile. I looked, and there was this little kitten, all scraggly, frightened almost to death, shakily standing on a piece of the rumble, as all these kids came running and screaming at him/her (?) I made sure I got there first, swiped it up, before they could frighten it back down into the ruble, and took it into through our house, (with a whole group of kids following me), closed and locked the door, (so they wouldn't follow me through the house) and took the poor little kitten to the shed where it was born, and was living until recently. As I did that, it was meowing its head off, and I could hear the momma cat meowing for it. I just put the kitten down, closed the shed door, and went away. I figured that the cat would know the place, and hear the kitten, and come and get it again. I went and checked if it was still in the shed about 15 minutes later, and it was gone. The only way out is from the top of the shed in a space between the corrugate and concrete blocks. So, I think my planned worked! :)

Well, more on the "library" thing on the home front. Last Saturday I went to the carpenter and showed him my drawing for the bookshelf I wanted. He said that it would be done Monday. Now, living in Gambia, on Gambian time, I totally didn't believe him when he said that, and even though I had a chance to go check on it on Monday, I didn't. I went Tuesday, and he wasn't there. So, on Wednesday I got home from the school, and got Adja to come with me to see if it was ready and it was! So we carried it home. That night Fatou Bintou and Alieu helped me organize the books. Fatou B. wrote the alphabet out on pieces of paper the size of flashcards. We spread them out on the floor in alphabetical order, and then I went through each book, and held it up for them both to see. They looked at the first letter of each book title, and then put it under that letter in a stack on the floor. Once we had them all done, Fatou B. put them in the bookshelf. yeah! The kids have already starting checking out books. They have a colored index card which they wrote their names on and I have stored in a box (old platex wipes plastic box actually), and then the title of the book they checked out and the date. I decided that I would let them come and check out and return books one day a week. We started on Tuesday, so next Tuesday they will come to return the one they have and get a new one. The great thing is, that since Tuesday, a few of them have come over with their books to share something they have notice about them, get help with reading them, etc. MoLamin came over yesterday (he is almost four yrs. old) and Andy and I were sitting on the couch, and he came over and showed Andy a picture in his book, (it was of a dog chewing on a shoe) and he said, (in Mandinka of course) Look! This dog.. He is chewing on a shoe! Like he couldn't believe it and got such a kick out of it. And then he flipped through a few more pages, and then went back to his house. Alhagie and Dembo both came over at different times last night to sit there with their books, trying to read, while we helped. They are all very enthusiastic about it, and I hope it lasts. But right now everything is going good! We shall see what kind of shape the books come back in. Though we reiterate every time, no water, no food, etc.. with the books.
My plants have been growing slowly slowly, but hopefully they will soon get a burst of fertilizer.... Because Andy and I have been preparing to try a fertilizing technique, by making our own urea. How do you do this you ask? (do you really want to know!?) We take what is called a bidong here (big plastic container that originally holds vegetable oil) and fill it up part way with water, then pee in it (instead of our pit latrine) until it reaches a certain level...let it sit for 2 days then, apply to the soil! Wallah! Cheap home-made urea. The only thing is,..for woman it is a little bit trickier (of course). But a funnel can (and was) made out of a liter water bottle, so it all worked out fine. :) Tonight, we will get to try our first test with it. We plan to use it on the plants I have been working on in the back, and also on some of Andy's trees in the compound. To be able to demonstrate how fertilizer helps the plants, we will have ones we use it on and ones without. We figure, if they see the difference with their own eyes, it will be easier to then explain that we did the above process and we just poured watered down urine on the soil.... We'll see how that goes!
Well, this weekend I plan to get a some curtains hemmed to goes across the front of the bookshelf to help protect it from the dust. I'm running a training session at the end of next week at the nursery school so I will be preparing things for that next week, and maybe some this weekend. I want to make something in the solar cooker, but haven't decided what yet. I have also started Atlas Shrugged.. Andy got it and I started to read it,.. he said something about 13 years bad luck if I didn't finish it once I started it).. so the challenge is on! But man, the type is so tiny!

Friday May 30

2008-05-30T10:51:00.000-07:00

Yeah! Andy wrote a blog… finally! Haha.
Anyhow, just a few things going on. I have noticed here with my real lack of work schedule, the day always seems to have a list of things that I could possibily get done, and sometimes, because I am incredibly indept now at being flexible in my work, I feel like I often get things done. Even if it is not exactly the way I had planned, or in the order of things in my mind, it seems to work out for the most part in the end.
Case in point. My “library” idea for the compound. I mentioned the books I come into last blog. For about a week my subconscious, anytime it had a free minute, was thinking of ways to utilize them. I then came up with the idea that I would loan them out, with the help of the older girls, and then eventually give them to the family when we leave. They may choose to continue loaning them out. So, even though I hadn’t done anything concrete with the project, I had mentioned the idea to any of the kids that would come over and look at the books in the house. After that, with some spare time on the computer, I typed up a list of the titles, and made simple bookplates that I printed out at the office. All this while my subconscious is still working on how I would get the kids involved. Even though in a perfect world, I would have liked to take the girls to make the bookplate design, I couldn’t bring them to the college, or the office with me, so, I will look at it like an interest generator, because now I had something concrete to show them, to get them excited about doing work. At the beginning of this week, after going to the nursery school, I was on the front porch reading and MoLamin came and was looking at a book he picked from the stack, when Adja came over and started looking at the book with him. (she is about 15 years old). Then I mentioned my idea again, and brought out the bookplates to show her. We talked about cutting them out and pasting them in the books. Then it kind of went from there where next thing I knew we were inside the house, listening to music, and cutting out the bookplates from computer paper. A girl that lives next store (Jainaba-15 years old also, a Guinean, married! And does not go to school) came over and started helping us paste the bookplates to the inside of the books. After a little while, another girl FatouMata (not our host sister, but a neighbor-she is the one with the bookplate on her forehead in the picture) came over and was looking through the books. We finished soon after and the only thing that was left was to have a dance party… then Ansumana came in! hahah. Where we all pretended to be reading the books that were conveniently in reach. So, progress is being made there. The next day, being inspired by their efforts, I got up the gusto to talk to the carpenters about getting a bookshelf made. I got an estimate, and plan to give the ok maybe tomorrow.

Another similar project that was completed a while ago, but I just forgot to mention it, is the chalkboard on the front porch wall. Adja and I painted it black, and then I got some of the kids to put color paint handprints on the border. They have it memorized who’s hands are which! It is a good thing to use while we want to hang outside on the porch because of the heat. Because I have discovered they love word finds, I will sometimes make up a simple one and put it on the chalkboard for them to do. We have also had races, where I put addition or subtraction problems on the board, divide it into two sides, and have two lines of kids, they run to the board, doing one problem and kind of relaying it between their team members. Whoever finishes all the problems first wins! They enjoy that. It is also just used when the kids want to draw, “play school”, or writing anything they know how.

Enough about “work”.. Last night we had a traditional wedding ceremony for our host mom’s sister. The wife lady gets dressed up, washed by the elders, and a white headscarf is put on her at her father’s compound. I went to her father’s compound last night. People pretty much just sit around, all dressed up and decked out, and food is served (in a large tray to a group of people to share-eating with the hands of course). People sing and serenade the wife and those people are given some money. That’s about it. Tonight, day two of the ceremony, she will be taken to the husband’s compound and her covering will be changed to black. Then there will be a “program” (that will be tonight) where there might be drummers, a dj if they can afford it, and more of the same stuff as the first day. What I don’t understand yet, (and haven’t had the chance to talk to anyone about that can explain it to me) is that the couple has already been together for a while, have two children, and a third “on the way”. The explanation that really isn’t an explanation is that this one is the “traditional” ceremony. Uh…. Yeah… I don’t know. Whether or not I will go to the program tonight, remains to be seen,… I don’t really want to just because of the attention I get focused on me being a “toubab”. The singers and dancers always pester me for more money.
On a quick note, I have a couple basil plants, parsley, and about 8 tomato plants coming up. This weekend I will hang the basil and parsley in the hanging potter I made. But I am still waiting for the tomato plants to get bigger before I transplant them to their upside down growing position.
Next week PC is having a meeting near us about the food shortage problem and how it will directly effects our families and what we can help do about it being in the “grass roots” position. That will be interesting.

Fatou Bintou-Looking very stylish in the hat Cheryl sent me-Thanks!

Smoke

2008-05-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

Well, all this week they have been burning trash behind our house, and the smoke smell is literally making me sick! The smell of burning plastic and who knows what else is making my throat feel constricted and sore, especially in the morning. Ugh.
But on a happy note, I haven't really thought about it since we moved here, but I no longer have the problem of jaw-clenching in my sleep and the related pain associated with it. It was just something that Andy pointed out to me, and I was like, "hey! Yeah!" It's nice. Maybe it is because of the lack of stress from the "time-is-money" society, but who knows.
The other night, I didn't have much to do, and decided to tape a physical map of the world on our front table, (coffee table size). It is a good conversation starter especially with the kids that come over and hang out with us on the couch. One night Fatou Bintou (our 6 going on 7 year old sister) was over and I was asking her to point to Africa, (she couldn't find it), and then we found it, and then Gambia, and I said in Mandinka, "you are from Africa" and she vehemently denied it. It was funny.
Andy and I have shifted our routine again due to the weather. Because it is hotter during the day, and we are taking baths later in the evening, we were struggling to find time to fit out individual workout routines in. So, we decided to try this week to wake up in the morning and work out. It has had several advantages. One being that because it is before our front door is even open, we have complete undisturbed time to do all the things that look extremely weird to our family in the name of exercise. I have even cleared an area where I can get up and jump rope in the house, in peace, with no googling eyes staring at me. Then afterwards I get to take a nice cool shower. Though, because of water use, the morning shower takes away from my ability to take an afternoon one to cool off, I still, at this point think it's worth it. Because now at the end of the day, when I just want to chill out, I can, because I think, "well, I've already worked out!" This morning though I had a hard time getting out of bed, because I did not get sleep between the hours of 1:30 and 5 approximately, probably due in part to the malaria meds, it being hotter yesterday and night, and my throat pain, but I did get up and do a little with the intention of taking a nap after breakfast. Which I did try, but to little avail, I was too uncomfortable in the hot house, with my throat bothering me. I got up and went to the college to get online.
At this point I have cut my time at the nursery school to Tuesdays and Thursdays, even though I don't have classes at the college right now. This is because I found that when I went every day, it was harder on me because I saw little measurable progress, and was always compiling lists of things that could be improved. This routine left me feeling discontent with the work, and frustrated. Now we are making plans for the summer, which, if possible to actually achieve, will be a big project. We are going to attempt to rework the entire curriculum, and the school policies and procedures. Can you say daunting!? But it will be an accomplishment if we achieve any improvements on the current curriculum. It is difficult working within the school system, because this whole year I could see things that needed improving in it, but at the same time was working with other more pressing issues, while still getting to know the system and the way people work here. Hopefully we will be able to work out the major portions of it this summer, then be ready to start the next school year off in a better, more workable position.
Ohhh, I almost forgot, I have been struggling to find places to plant some basic herbs and tomatoes here, because we don't have any backyard space, and our compound is lacking too. So through the volunteer info. newsletters I have decided to try the "hanging upside down" tomato plant thing. Where you take a container of some sort with a handle, like a paint can, and poke a hold in the bottom, and stick a tomato plant through it to grow upside down. this way eliminates the need for staking it, and conserves space too. Andy and I went around the bush last weekend, and got some good dirt, found an old enamel pot, and some peanut shells saw some cows, had a nice walk, etc . For now, I have to wait to do the tomato plant thing until I have actual tomato plants started from seeds, which I planted last weekend in paper egg crates (they have started to come up! yeah!) But to satisfy my instant gratification need, I poked holes with a nail in the bottom of the old enamel pot I found (for drainage), and four holes near the opening on the side to string wire through to make a hanging plant holder. We are going to hang it under the eaves of our roof, (I hope it'll hold!). In that pot I planted around the edge parsley, and in the middle basil (started to come up too!). Yesterday is when Andy discovered they were coming up, and I was really glad, because I've had some failed ones before, and was going to be very disheartened if these didn't start to even grow. The funny thing is, the drain that we throw our dishwater out in behind the house is "magic" at getting seeds to grow, just toss some seeds down there and bam, there they are. So, the next progression is to help the tomato plants grow for a little bit, then transfer them to their upside down hanging place, and hope they grow... and once the herbs get a little more along, hang that pot too. Hopefully soon we will have fresh basil....but there are a few worries, one is that from the position it will hang in the back, there might not be enough sun for them, and two, when rainy season really gets going, the downpour from the edges of the roof will ruin them, so we will have to make sure that doesn't happen.
Lately the onslaught of mangoes has begun, where we are eating about 5 a day.... At night it is entertainment and excitement when the bats knock down mangoes and them come crashing to the ground, and because it is early and they may not be completely ripe and smash, whoever is around as far as the kids goes, take off in a race to get to the mango first. Ansumana (sorry used to calling Andy Ansumana) has been known to take part in this race. It is funny, because, last night I was sitting there reading a story to Fatou B., Mo Lamin, and a boy named Dembo, and then in the middle of it, the crackling of leaves and crack! they bolt and I just look at Ansumana like..."dude I'll take what I can get"...
But they really are beginning to appreciate and get the concept of "reading" for pleasure. I recently, through a round about way, came into ownership of some good childrens books. I have decided that instead of giving them to a local school library where they will likely be mistreated, abused, stolen, not used at all etc... I will directly enrich our kids lives. I have decided that I will get a bookshelf of some sort made, and with a little help maybe from the older girls loan them out to the kids in the compound (of which they are plenty). Then after our time here, I will give them and the bookshelf to the family to enhance their relationship with books in their daily lives. I see this as a more fulfilling prospect, because I know I can and already have, taught them a lot about print concepts and the importance of reading in every day life not just in books. This will help ensure that someone will benefit from the books, like I benefitted from having literature opportunities availaible to me when I was a child. But, unlike me, these children don't have a library to go to, to check out books, or a bookstore, or even people to know the importance of them and buy them for their children. I think it will be a proud thing for them to actually own these books. They already have favorites, Fatou B.'s favorite is a book called Rosie's Walk and also one by Ladybird company called, The Enormous Turnip. Mo Lamin is very good about lap "reading" with me, we talk about things in Mandinka that he sees, he repeats things in English, etc. His favorite right now, is the famous, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I notice that these books that they like are ones that most often involve nature and the things that they see in their daily lives, and we can talk about the words in Mandinka and English. In Rosie's Walk there is a hen, and a picture of a farm, and goats, all of which they are familiar with. In the turnip book, there is a man gardening, a cat, a mouse, etc, which they know as well. The funny thing is, even though I just said all the above, in The Very Hungry Caterpillar book they have never seen things like, pears, plums, orange colored oranges, and until recently strawberries. (Some people have started growing them here through ngo farming type situations, and I bought a little bit from a lady selling the other day, I was dumbstruck that there were strawberries here,... even though I'm kinda allergic we ate them. We gave some to the family too and the kids kept coming to our house all day asking which part it was ok to eat. ) Anyhow, as the book progresses, and the caterpillar goes on to eat things like cake, salami, sausage, etc. they haven't a clue. They keep saying that they sausage is a banana, because it is the only thing they are familiar with that it could possibly be. But it keeps the interest going and the discussion on. We can't find a word for caterpillar, even though they have one for butterfly. I just keep calling it a "butterfly baby". I explain the cocoon concept in my simple Mandinka by saying "and now the caterpillar is fat because he ate a lot of food, (Mo Lamin makes big cheeks like I do when this part comes) and then he goes to sleep in this house, and when he wakes up, he is a butterfly!" hehe.
Well, I figure that is a good long blog for ya, because someone (aka Ansuamana) has not had any inspiration to write lately.... Have a good weekened!

On-the-job

2008-05-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

Today, I was thinking about (I know, I know, there I go thinking again) how being here has really put me "on the job" 24/7. Taking the teaching profession in general you become aware that you have to behave a certain way, even when your off the job, because, who knows, you may run into a student and his mother at the grocery store.... and if your the kind to wear daisy dukes, it might be a little awkward.
Here, I feel I am on the job ever waking hour, (and some I get woken up for!) But, unlike the above example scenario, I actually feel the calling to teach at any given moment. This happens because in the course of our daily travels we encounter people we may educate on American culture, the English language, etc. At work, I teach teachers, watch teachers, teach children, and so on. As soon as I get home I come in throw my bags down and there are children immediately at the door (if they haven't gotten to me walking through the compound already) And because I love my job and kids, I take the opportunity because I feel it is limited to do some form of educating.
It may get tiring, and there are times when I will make a cup of tea, sit down with my latest read and ignore them for 30 minutes, but even then in the back of my mind is the fact that we only have such limited time here in these kids lives.
Well, admitedly I am particularly attached to our host family children, especially our smallest host brother Mo Lamin. When I think about leaving him my heart sinks. And even though I try to equate it to teaching a new group of kids every year, it is apparent to me that we are a lot closer than I have gotten with any of those kids. Coming upon our year mark has propelled me into the future of when we will be done with our service here. It will undoubtly be more difficult to leave this place than it was to leave America, not because we love the place or people any more, but because we won't be the postive loving force in their lives, but mostly because we will probably never see them again. When I think of that last statement, I always start brainstorming ways to keep them in our lives, setting up scholarships for the kids to go to school, having them come visit us in America, and least of all calling them on the phone. And all of these thoughts bring me back to the present and the fact that I have to use ever opportunity to teach them something and, of course, for me to learn from them.

ah.. the sweet pitter patter of rain

2008-05-16T03:40:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday was cloudy all day, and in some areas grey clouds covered the sky, even though there didn't seem to be much moisture in the air, it seemed like it would rain. I it made me feel happy and calm. But it did not...
About 4:45 last night I woke up because I needed to visit the pit latrine, but being as that I was sleeping so well, I didn't want to get up, and I fell asleep again till 5. That's when I heard a strange noise, and then all of the sudden there is the pitter patter of rain on the roof. Now, it never fails especially during the rainy season, that when it rains in the middle of the night, I always have to get up and pee. This is especially true if there is a downpour, of which I must go out in the middle of it. But at least our pit area is covered.
Of course, because I had to get up from my wonderful sleep, I couldn't get back to the sweet sleeping place I was before, and lay there thinking, tossing and turning.
This morning I was thinking about a blog I read that was talking about all these "crazy" things that happen here, and how they have become normal, and how I am myself somewhat complacent. And as I was later flipping through a magazine, with adventure advertisements in the back, I felt that sudden urge to move or experience something new again. And it got me thinking about how things here are normal to me now, and our existence here is very comfortable for us. But also how, even though we are living what some may consider exotic, or weird lives here, we are more restricted in our ability to travel and experience things that in America you can just get up and go do. Like camping, hiking, etc., There are many reasons why we can't do here, and in some ways I feel more restricted in that. I know this must sound confusing, but continuing on..Several factors I think contribute to this feeling; and of course the main two are time and money: because we are only here two years, and are likely to never come back again, we don't' feel we have the luxury to travel away from home as we normally did in the states., money: because of our limited income now, and no gains in the markets, and no deposits being made to our banks accounts now, we don't have the money to travel very far, and traveling within Africa is expensive if you want to fly and very difficult to find flights, though it is easier on the pocketbook to travel over land it is often difficult with the bureaucracy, police checkpoints, danger areas, long travel times, and not completely safe transportation... so this is probably the way we will go when we do! hehe.
In short, be thankful for the ability in America to travel down any road any time, and, (as long as your obeying the speed limit!) not have to be stopped or pay bribes etc. You can cross from state to state with nothing more than a welcome sign and a visitors center to stop at, if you want. And a crossing of the state boundaries can lead to experiences and sights and people that could be very different from what you normally experience in your hometown.
But, to keep my feet on the ground, and to not let myself be led down the path of many foreigners think of America as this great golden land, I have to remind myself that even though you can cross those state lines easily and experience change, there will also be the walmarts, cvs drugstore, target shopping centers where you know things will be in the exact place as they are in the store in your hometown. The monotony of it is somewhat sad, though highly convenient!

Well, that's enough of that. Not much going on this weekend, Andy was going to go on a trip upcountry this weekend, but it didn't work out. But I know there are a lot of things around here that we could do, along with our normal requirement of hanging out on our front porch like to old country bumpkins.

OK, I'll write! hehe

2008-05-12T05:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day! (sorry a little late!)

Ok, I guess people actually do read this thing! So, back to blogging...Though I don't have much.
Well, let's start off with a few random sightings..
Have you ever seen?:
-A large horned cow digging around in a dumpster?
-an ice cream man pushing a cart that says of the side, "ice crime"
-a young girl approach an upside down cocharoach to kill it, and it hop up and start running around the front room, meanwhile said girl just happened to have a machete in her hand, so there she is chasing a cockaroach waiving a machete..
-a frogs googly eyes peeking up at you from where the water from you bath drains
-a man trying to teach at a school for the deaf... and while being observed keeps saying to you the observer, "it's not easy teaching, these students are deaf,.. I don't know sign language very well,... "
-your little brother eating the bits of dough your pinching off from your tortillas because they have weevels or little worms.. even after you tell him they are there and you show him...

OK, enough of those-of course those are daily occurances so, more to come later...

I don't know if Andy wrote about when he planted some trees in our compound, but they have started to come up, there are pigeon peas and moringa. But this morning we wake up to a horrible goat sound baa-ing, and Andy jumps up out of bed and goes outside and there is a goat tied up right next to some of his new trees! I don't know if it ate any of them, (but yesterday some of the chickens dug up some).
Just a few hours later, that goat was in goat heaven, and a bowl of meat was brought to me on my way out the door to work. So, I had to run back inside and put the meat away. (away means in a bowl with some salt water to hang out till this evening when we have to figure out what to do with it). I think someone gave our neighbors the goat for charity. But I'm not sure.

mom and dad had sent us some kids books and one of them was a little golden book Finding Nemo, and a friend over here had the movie, so I told the older girls if one of them read the book aloud to the other kids, we would watch the movie afterwards. And Fatou M. did, she did a great job, and we went over to watch the movie, I even popped pop corn, we started the movie and...... the sound cut out about 10 minutes in...It was very sad, but a week later I got another copy of it, and we ended up watching it. They really liked it!

We just finished our education in service training week from April 28-May 2nd. It was a lot of sitting in a boardroom setting talking from 8:30-5... monday-Friday... but it did make me think about all the things we could be doing here.. which made me more anxious that I don't have the time to finish everything, or even get them started! It also makes it harder to figure out what to do this summer, because all the schools will be on break, and a majority of the major work I have it with the college or the nursery school.
After a short mid-service crisis, two of my goals for the summer are to re write the curriculum with the nursery school, and work at the college on their extension programs if possible.

There are a few parents visiting our friends here this summer, and we are happy because they are to come and stop by our place too. So we can feel a little bit of what it's like to show people around where we live and the people, and our "amazing" Mandinka skills!

Well, hope you kept up with that really scatterbrain entry. I'm sure I will have more to write later this week, till then!

Where is everybody?!

2008-05-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

Um... has anyone talked to my family? I haven't heard from them in a while... maybe something is going on with the phone where people can't get through? I don't know. Aside from that,.. I feel like boycotting blogging if I don't get emails or comments from people,.anyone out there!?

Long time no blog

2008-04-17T02:55:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a little while since I've written.... and I hate that, because there are so many things that are going on, and have happened that it is hard to decide what to talk about. I've been mainly busy with work, and I did some traveling.
Well, let's see... I came back on Sunday from a trip up country with a friend. I hadn't been up that far yet, (Basse) so I really wanted to go. And I was finally able with my schedule less restricted by class times. I don't have any classes at the college this term because there are some specific special topics that other Gambian teachers are teaching this term, because we pushed them from the first and second terms. Honestly, I was really glad that happened, because if I can work out an auxillary purpose here, instead of myself having a class, the better in the long run. Anyhow, my friend and I went the south bank road all the way to Basse. Now the south bank road is notoriously bad, with more pot holes than actual asphalt, some of the times you have to go literally 5 miles an hour. But lately there has been some work going on it, they have dug up the cement on all the bad parts, and then grated down the dirt, which, even though still bumpy and very dusty, it better and more smooth riding than what was there. And at least it is on it's way to being better after so many years. I just hope it gets done before the rainy season, because you can just imagine the mess that would occur if it wasn't!
Well, our journey started at the Brikama car park, where we immediately secured a van going almost all the way to where we wanted to go, so we hopped in, and...... there we waited for about an hour and a half. hehe...at one point we actually did move... to the other side of the car park. Once I started to have to go pee, we started off on our journey, where we would continued on for about 12 hours. At one of the many police checkpoints, I ran out of the van, and found a pit that didn't offer much in the realm of privacy, but hey, when you gotta go! Because of the dusty road, we arrived in Basse after a few switches of cars, looking like we had a really bad spray on tan, because of the dust. At one point we got squished on a seat with about 5 people, and 3 kids, where my legs were so pressed together, that sweat started to drip down my legs, and I looked down, there was a brown river of sweat.. because of the dirt that had accumulted on me! Well, up in Basse, it is significantly hotter, so a lot of the time, we sat around the hut, trying to distract ourselves from thinking the only thing that seemed to register in our brains... "um... it's hot.... Its Hot!..... Ugh ITS HOT!" Needless to say I was very happy to be back in Brikama :) I love Brikama!
Let's see, what else.... we have inservice training this month, that should be..... good... maybe. It will be a week in Kombo away from work, so I don't know, I think I would rather get on with my work, but I'm sure there will be something useful. (?!)
I have been trying out themed nights in our house with our host family, and the neighbor kids. I put a sign up on the door that indicates what kind of activity they can do if they come hang out in our house. So, one night will be reading night, the next game night... I have a mat I lay out next to the trunk with supplies in it, and they just hang out look at the books, I read to them, Andy helps them work on reading some of the books, but right now, because none of them can really really read, and only have english words memorized like this " c-a-t cat, o-n-e one", even the easy books are way above their head. So, on games nights we play things like ABC memory, where they match up captial letters with lower case letters, bingo with letters or sight words, or a cube game where the cube has different consonants on each side, and they have to come up with words that start with that sound, or identify the letter name and sound. Even Mo-Lamin gets involved and he's 3, by looking at the books, he is very good at pointing out things in Mandinka that he regonizes in the books (mostly farm animal!hehe) and I have some toilet paper tubes and boxes he play with like blocks. I'm always working on new games, but the ones they have played so far they really get a kick out of. I'm going to try out a sort of verb charades soon, with the word and a picture on a card, and they act it out for the other kids to guess in english what they are doing. The reason I started these themed nights is that they often come to hang out, but, like kids do, they would just fool around, fight, etc, so I just felt we needed to do more to help them academically at home, because they don't really have the help from anyone in their lives, (parents-don't speak english, teachers-barely speak english, both can't really read.. yes,.. many of the teachers can't read... etc.) And like kids anywhere they need incentives to study, so we give them things like a sticker if they win bingo. Mom and dad sent a football and frisbee, that we just got,.. (yep, took 6 months to get) that I'm trying to think of a way to give away for a reward of some kind of academic achievement.. but haven't figured that out yet....
Well, if there are any packages that you've sent, but haven't heard that we have gotten them.. don't worry because even after 6 months there is still hope it will come! My parents shipped the packages around the middle of November, and as far as we can decipher from the many tags on the postal bag, it went from New Mexico to Johannesburg, to JFK airport, to the Gambia... so.. yeah, so the candy was a bit less chewy than it was originally meant to be, but just as tasty! and the ants or rats hadn't gotten to it. :)
Well, I think thats all I have right now.. I'm sure I will have more to talk about later! Hope to hear from you.

What day is it?

2008-04-01T04:19:00.000-07:00

Well, just a quick note to my sister and mom, Happy Birthday! (I would have put it up on their respective birthdays, but I understand that there was little chance that they would have actually looked at it then, seeing how my sister doesn't have internet, or an email address.. ! and my mom probably did not want to waste her birthday away waiting for their slow internet to get going). But anyhow if there is a chance that you read this, hope you had good birthdays and I did try to text both of you,.. don't know if you got it.
Well, this morning I had gotten dressed and gathered our buckets to get water and went outside to the tap. My host mom was there washing clothes, Fatou Matta was there washing dishes, Alieu was there eating, and Alieu asks me in Mandinka to answer Ndea (our host mom),... I was thoroughly confused, seeing how I had just gotten outside... and Fatou M. just started laughing, so I just thought... uh.. I don't understand, and now they are laughing at me,..(albeit a familiar situation here in this different culture and language).. I just thought they were all a little coookie this morning. But then Fatou M. said, "April Fools" I'm sure I gave her a puzzled look before I realized, oh yeah! Today is April Fools day! Wait,...! How did you know about it? But before they could answer they asked if Ansumana was in the house, and went to knock on the door. When he came out they told him his co-worker came by and said he needed to get to work right now! (which wasn't true) but they are amateurs at this April fools thing so give them a break. Of course he didn't really understand what was going on, but figured it out when I was smirking when we came in to eat breakfast. So during breakfast we were rapidly contemplating a turn it around on them joke. After getting shot down a few times, Andy finally agreed on one that we could do.
I am always making "strange" things to eat that I give to the family to try, and most of the time, they smile pleasantly and I'm sure feed it to the goats! I was sipping my tea when I got inspiration, and said that we should put some water in a mug like mine, and then spice it up with some Gambian style hot pepper sauce. But then I had to get over my giggles before taking it over. I first started looking for Fatou M. because I was a little scared of giving it to our host mom,, but when I was carrying around the mugs (mine with real tea in it and the "joke" mug) looking for her, Ndea saw me, and I took the opportunity to play the joke on her instead. So I said, oh, I was looking for Fatou M. to let her try some of this tea,.. do you want to try it? and gave it to her to sip, sipping on my own tea cup for encouragement. hehe. And I watched her take a drink of the cold hot pepper water, her face instantly contorted then immediately she put it into a pleasant look, but I could tell that she was just thinking,"Another one of Borry's crazy creations!", So I started laughing and called out April Fools!" and she burst out laughing. Meanwhile Ansumana is watching the whole thing through the front window, and comes out where everyone is laughing some more. It was great! But now I'm on the lookout for any jokesters out there! hehe

Happy Anniversary of We Got Married Date

2008-03-20T03:55:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say, this is our official "marriage date" and yeah for us. 2 years... (plus the other 6 before hand being official on paper)

And it all disappears... almost

2008-03-20T03:47:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday, when I set out to the the rant and rave on the blog, I set out with the intention of mentioning one thing at then end, but of course, forgot it, once I got started on the downhill slope.
After all the venting, I meant to write that all of the below situations will happen on your way home, and you will turn in to your street, and run into a family member, and boom! All of those annoying things will somewhat dissapate for the time being, because they knnnooowww your name is not "toubab" and they can ask you where your going, what you did, with genuine interest. You can have a genuine exchange. After these "breath of fresh air encounters", you sometimes walk a few steps and immediately get toubabed again, but hey, it gives you a little breather.
Another thing that the family redeems is if I'm sitting out on the street with my host mom, and someone tries to be like, " hey, who is this toubab here?" in Mandinka, she will tell them what's up, she'll say things like, she's not a toubab her name is Borry, and why don't you ask her? Which is great. :)

Complaint of the day

2008-03-19T04:02:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday, was one of those days here in the Gambia, where I often felt like I was going to strangle someone, or yell English expletives at them even though they wouldn't understand what they meant [though they hear them from our proud exports of rap music and r rated movies] Let's be honest here, many volunteers have days like this, where people here in this other culture do things to seriously offend your American cultural attitude. Even though you are here in their country, you can't help but feel like they are purposefully offending you. Like hiss at you every time you walk by, make kissing noises, yell, "Hey, hey, hey!", over and over again across the street, even when you ignore them, say, "Hey boss lady, boss lady hey!" say things they probably don't even know what they mean like, "I like your structure lady!", and all of the ones listed so far are generally from men in the 18-28 age range, but then you have to add on to that the majority of the population of 2-18 years olds that seriously populate the country, yelling over and over again, "toubab" toubab!", "Give me minty, spare me pen, give me money" like they expect you to answer .. honestly, on these days, I always think, um,... if this is a word in your language, and I am a "foreigner or tourist", why the heck do you think I would know what that means? This is also a reason why, if I ever see a tourist personally handing out giant gifts of minties to the local children, I will have a coniption, tackle them to the ground, of which I'm sure would be in super slow motion, Lydia, flying threw the air, "NOOOoooooo" landing on top of specified tourist which I'm sure would be clad in cut off jean shorts, and no shirt with hair chest blazing for all the ladies to see. And maybe instead of yelling out "foreigner!" to get said persons attention you could say the traditional greeting of someone you don't know, like "hello" [they do know this word], or, salamallekum.
As I'm walking around ignoring these happenings on the outside, on the inside I'm thinking about all these thoughts and on these days, I walk around, with what I call a "quiet annoyance". I just keep walking, and am calmly annoyed, because what else can you do?
I know some of this probably doesn't even make sense to most of the people that are reading this, but this is my outlet, and there it is.

Hip Hip Hooray!

2008-03-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday!
Well, I have officially finished my grades, printed them out to turn in (even though the few zeros in each class mar the finished product). Andy and I are here at the peace corps office for my end of term "celebration". (A beer and something we call pizza, but believe me it's no papa johns or dominoes, it's some lebenaese person making a good effort!--small aside--one time I got it, and was surprised they offered "sausage" and it turns out what was presented to us was pizza with hot dogs cut up on it.. not exactly gourmet... hehe One we ordered in Senegal had a big fried egg in the middle of it... strange variations, I wonder if that will be the next papa johns gimmick!?)
Some of the new pictures Andy put recently are of my observation trek the other week. Not too many, because I didn't want to get mobbed by a ton of school kids. But there is one of a little girl pointing with a pointer to a blackboard set on the ground. This was just a sad/funny situation, because there were about forty little tiny kids (about 5/6 years old) crammed in this little low ceiling concrete building, and they were chanting what the little girl was pointing at after her,.. with no teacher around.... and I just thought.... ya know, she is doing just as good, or better of a job as any grown up teacher with training does here a lot of the times.... point to crap on a board and having the kids chant in a sing song manner. At the same school, I went around to look at this library, (noticed it, because it was a nicely painted) thinking it looked pretty nice from the outside, and when I went in, I had that emotional pull again to cry/laugh at the same time, because there were a ton of great books, some of which were on the dusty shelves, but there were a ton of these good new books sprawled out on the floor in the middle of the library, with inches of dirt on them, like they had been there for a long time. Sometimes you just want to yell at people to stop sending money and crap, because they don't know how to take care of it, or use it here... but then again how will they learn.... but also they won't respect it as much unless they've earned it! sorry, these are an example of the back and forth thoughts that go through my mind all the time here.
Another thing that I noticed by visiting a lot of schools last week, was that at any given school, in the headmasters office there must be: 1. a blow up globe, or ball of some sort [not being used by children it was meant for, but for decorating the headmasters office] 2. a giant map of some either obscure or random place [heavely favored is a map of the place that has given money, like the UK, or the netherlands] 3. Random health/social posters made here in the Gambia For example, that show a picture of an older man with devils horns giving a little girl candy,.. and saying, "He is not your daddy, and what he has is not sweet!" (the message is clearly, no sugar-daddies please!).
Well, I think we are going to get a move on, Hope you are having a good Saturday.
Talk to you all soon. I hope!

Wheew!

2008-03-10T05:22:00.000-07:00

Well, on this past Friday evening I came back to the happy chant of our compound little ones saying, "Borry nata, Borry nata, Borry nata..." (translated means "Borry came", like, I came back) I was sooo happy to be back home!
short rundown of the observation trek...
Sunday, they told me between like...9 am and 12 they would pick me up... (big window), so we were kinda waiting around the house, and at about 12 the truck came to my compound. I ran last minute to the back to make the last pit stop for a good while.
After going around and collecting one more teacher from the college, we were off, and then I realized... oh no! We were headed out on the south bank road. Which is notoriously ridiculous for being more pot holes than actual road surface. So, it was a long hot bumpy road for about 5 hours (no air cond, sandwiched in the extended cab of a truck between two Gambian teachers). When we got to Brikamaba (a village in the central river region) we immediately went into a school compound, and sat for a little bit, while the guys prayed and drank attaya, before they led us to a place that we were staying. It was a guys house that was not there at the moment. I quickly realized the goal while on trek for the other lecturers was to find any means of not spending the per diem you get from the college to go on trek and pay for food and places to stay, so they can bring it home to their family instead) It was an ok place, it was just that the room I was staying in had absolutely no air flow, and I lay there are night trying to barely move, and at the same time move my hand fan a little bit, alllllll night long! I pretty much went the entire week without sleeping. The central river region is a lot hotter than down near the coast.
The next day we got up, and started doing our job, of observing teaching students. A lot of the times the observation was extremely painful to watch, but there were a few good ones in there too. Sometimes, it felt like the state of the schools, were so awful that I wanted to cry, but then of course you can't do that, so, you just have to laugh!
All five of the days went fairly the same, we would get breakfast from a school, or find it along the way, go bouncing off road to a remote village school, do the write ups on observations, end up back at our home base in Brikamaba in the evening, where I would usually go off by myself and find something to drink and some oranges to buy, before walking back to hang out with the people in the compound we were staying in.
I feel somewhat accomplished now that I have gone, and will go again later. Though I've been in many schools here before, it is still very insightful into the problems that the school system has here.
But after all the work, the flat tire, the bumpity, bump road, the sleeping in smoldering rooms, I made it, I can do it again!
Well, That's enough of that for now,
Thanks to all that commented on the new hair do... hehe, We plan to periodically (maybe monthly) take pictures to document the strange growth patterns I will surely encounter, and struggle with. I feel like I will need a lot of hair wraps, maybe I need to start wearing mascara to draw more attention to my eyes, though I don't' know where I would get that, hehe. I need to make more of an effort to be feminine somehow...must find more cheap earrings, because (like my track record has shown, ) I have successfully lost, or broken all the earrings I brought with me! ... But, Like I said, when else was I ever going to get a chance to have this haircut and start from scratch!?, and this way, by the time I get back, I will have a good length to get a nicely styled short haircut from a salon.
Work has been very busy, I don't really feel like lately I have the free time during the week especially, to sit and relax and read like I used to, because I'm always thinking of new things to do, and more things to do. This week at the college, I am giving the final exam, and then will have the daunting task of compiling lots and lots of grades. But afterwards, I like to treat myself to something in the city, so I will do that after I finish my grades, (ways to self-motivate!) At the nursery school we had a successful training on lesson planning preschool style the Friday before I went on trek, and they seemed pleased with it. We will have to plan another one soon.
Well, with no shortage of work, I may be in the position of co-writing the education sector's newsletter soon, so we'll see if that turns out!
Thanks for all the support from all you guys back home,
Later,
Lydia

Trek

2008-02-29T03:32:00.000-08:00

Next week (starting on Sunday) I will be headed out for about a week to go on observation trek with the college. What this means is that a couple of us teachers from the college get assigned a region in Gambia to go and observe students that are doing their field training. I have gone a couple of day observations, but am a little apprehensive about doing it for a whole week. The good thing is that we don't have to take public transport, but we might be crammed in a pickup truck. I am planning to arm myself with lots to read, the ipod (though I wish it wasn't so big!) and the camera, if Andy doesn't need it, and hopefully snacks :). There is another week long trek in the third term, so I hope this one goes well so I won't dread going on that one!
Haven't talked to the family in a little bit, don't really know everyone's reactions on the hair,. here I feel that the because of the traditional roles of men and women, they react as if I am taking something from the men in shaving my head. But our family and the people in the compound have been good, they joke with us about Andy and I having the same haircut, but I joke right back with them. (People here traditionally pick on each other, and it doesn't bother people, they will say things like, oh you are very fat today (this is a good thing), or you can't speak Mandinka, or you have a big nose,.. and this is all supposed to be taken as truth and you should not get upset about it. People here don't ever really show their hair that much, because they usually have it up in wraps! So I tease them and say things like, oh well, you must be completely bald under that wrap, thats why you wear it!
Anyhow, not much else to say here, except that I'm glad it's Friday, though the weeks go by so fast! and tomorrow I will hopefully get to relax a little before leaving.
In an hour or so I am heading to the nursery school to do a lesson planning training with the teachers, it is going to be very informal, and relaxed I hope. The topic isn't exactly what I would pick to do with them now personally, but I really wanted it to be something that they picked themselves, so they would be motivated, and lesson planning is what they picked. And I think if left up to me, there would be so many things I would want to do with them that it would be hard for me to decide! So, wish me luck on that, and a good trek up country, and I will hear from you all when I get back!

2008-02-22T06:19:00.000-08:00

So, we are back from Dakar, got back after a long day of traveling on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday I had a full day of teaching, and in the middle of that night, I woke up feeling sick. I threw up, and felt sick all Thursday. I have no idea what it was, but I was feeling pretty good this morning, and it was a good thing too, because I had three classes to teach today. I made it through those alright, and plan to write this blog, then head home, and relax. About Dakar: Well, on Thursday Andy and I went into town to the peace corps hostel, and stayed the night, so we could catch then earliest ferry across to the north bank in Banjul first thing on Friday. We got to the ferry at about 6:45 or so, and then rode the ferry across,. after that we went to the border, exited Gambia, and officially entered Senegal, then we had to walk to the car park and since it was about 14 of us traveling together then, we filled up a whole gelley van, and there we sat for 6 hours or so, in the stiffling heat, smashed four across on the seats, until we got to the Dakar, where we were lucky to have our driver drop us off at the exact place we were meeting everyone, instead of the carpark. As soon as you get to the Senegal border, there are some definant changes in the environment, like... the police there actually have enough money to have guns, good uniforms; there are trash cans, and the road to senegal, was paved pretty well for the most part. Our driver only stopped once during the whole trip, and I was lucky to run out and use a family's pit latrine before we had to go again, I also was very stupid and accidentally left my water bottle in my big backpack,which was, of course, put on the top of the van where I couldn't get to it. We passed through places that we very dry,... water beds, that were dried up and where people had collected salt, which was in great mounds; we passed a town that is notorious for being a trash hole, the town is a dump place for all the surrounding areas trash, and since they burn it, and it is everywhere, it smelled horrible; and we passed whole baobab tree forests. Once we got to Dakar (it was like a traffic madhouse, and the city is large) we got dropped at a place that is like an American club, where Americans working in Dakar go to do American things, like play softball, go swimming in a pool, drink beer, play fusball, volleyball, eat American food like hamburgers, fries, etc. We hung out there had some food (Andy wolfed down a hamburger in about .5 seconds!) These hamburgers, like a lot of versions you find here, have the added bonus of having fries in the actual sandwhich, so you don't really need to even order fries, and it was delicious. We met our host that we would be staying with, and after a while at the club, went to his apartment. His apartment was downtown, and it was sooooo nice. It's funny, because I kept catching myself doing things like, marveling at the shiny tile on the floor. And the bed! Ah! Well, I actually think I got restful sleep, because I didn't' have a board stuck in my back and hip. We took nice hot showers, ate ice cream, beef stroganoff (I never used to like that stuff, but it was good!) and in the morning had breakfasts like cream of wheat with milk and he even shared with us some good wine! It was a virtual fantasyland! On Saturday we got ready to play some softball, we were both on the social team for the Gambia, and needless to say, the main objective of our games was not to be too serious, we generally had a good time, though many players aim, I think, was to be as drunk as they could and still be able to play. We lost all of our games, except one, where we tied the other worst team on the circuit. But I seriously had a good time, and hit a lot of good runs. After the games we did things like headed back to the club, watched other games, played sand volleyball, swam in the pool (though it was actually a bit chilly in Dakar!) ate tasty food at area restaurants, and snacked on the good stuff at the club. It kind of reminded me of military picnic days, our host even ( a puertorican ex marine) reminded me of my dad! While we were in Dakar, we had time to go visit a place called Goree Island. It is a place where slaves where taken. It was a really neat place, it had winding alleyways with cobblestones paths, bougainvillea trailing everywhere, old period buildings you could explore, and more touristy stuff like, open air cafes, places to stay, a place to hang out on the beach, and shops and lots of local art, that was really interesting. I actually ended up buying a necklace made out of large sea glass beads. It is a nice color of green, and actually pretty heavy on my neck! But I like it. There was also a good lookout point from a cliff area, and you could see Dakar across the water very well. Once we were done exploring the island, Andy and the 3 friends we were with got back on the ferry boat, and were sitting around for about 35 minutes, before one of the other girls and I decided to go ahead and do something we had been planning to do later in the day.... Something we had planned for about a month before we would meet in Dakar.... On the back of the boat, with Andy and our other friends help, this girl and I shaved our heads! We had planned to do it on top of a hotel that had rooftop bar and pool looking out over Dakar, but got tired of sitting around waiting for the ferry to go back, and since we had brought the shavers and scissors with us, we just did it on the back of the boat, lookin over the water, watching our hair fall into the emerald water... needless to say, the boat started going, but we had just enough time to finish the haircuts before we got back. We actually did it with some something like a beard trimmer, so it is definantly not perfect, but, hey, it's Africa! I actually thought it would feel a lot different, and that I would be immensely aware of the fact that I no longer had any real hair to speak of, but I don't even really think about it at all, until I have to do something that was part of my routine, like, put my hair up to work out, or take out whatever my hair was in to take a bath, or fixing my hair after I take off my helmet. Only then do I remember that I don't have any stray hairs to adjust, and I don't need to make sure I have hair things with my wherever I go. Andy says he likes it, but I know it is a little weird for him, people say I look pretty good, it is kinda weird, because my hair looks lighter and more slivery gray blond than I thought. I thought that it would be darker underneath it all, like the color of my eyebrows. This friend that I planned to do it with asked me if I wanted to do it in Dakar when we would see each other, because at the beginning of our service here, I thought I might do it, but then things just went on, I would think about it, and when she asked me if I would do it with her, I readily agreed. We decided that it was the only real time teachers could do it, and it would grow back, and we would finally know what it would be like. It is also freeing in many ways,.. in the physical sense, because of the heat, sweat, etc., but also in that as a girl you are always trying to find ways to adjust your appearance to be something more of the norm, like if you have a long face, you are supposed to have shorter hair, or if your face is thin, you should try to get your hair to have volume, or if your forehead is large you need to have bangs.... But if you are a guy, most guys have short hair where their face is just how it is, their face, whether they have big ears, a long face, etc. they don't seem to worry about it as much. It is kind of a relief to say, ok, this is what I look like, this is my face! Anyhow enough of that, I am going to try to get Andy to post a picture of me soon with the new "hairdo" :) Hope you are all well, don't forget we still need to hear from you! :)

Rain! Rain?

2008-02-12T05:05:00.000-08:00

This morning at about 6 or so,.. still dark outside, I heard what sounded like rumbling of thunder. I said out loud "what was that?" and Andy woke up and said, it was probably a truck unloading wood at the wood yard. But I heard it again a few more times before I saw lighting flash through the window out of the corner of my eye. Soon, as I lay there awake, I heard the slow pitter patter of rain on the corrigate... and it slowly built.... and then................................................... I fell back asleep! Ahhh. It was nice :) Even when I woke up there were still heavy clouds hanging around. But no more rain. It was very nice and cool afterwards too.
Oh, and I forgot to put up that I successfully made yeast bread in the solar cooker. We made two loaves and it was soooo delicious! I want to do it again. Thanks to Andy's dad for the recipe.

Hello Monday

2008-02-11T06:14:00.000-08:00

Well, today is Monday, and I am just counting down the days until Thursday, because on Thursday, we are going to Dakar, Senegal. We have heard good things from other volunteers, and we are looking forward to it. So, in case you are trying to get ahold of us this coming weekend, that is where we will be, and will probably not be reachable by phone. But we will be sure to let people know when we get back.
This week I am busy with work, trying to plan ahead because I will be gone for a week, and the end of the school term will be upon us soon. I have a workshop I will be doing at the nursery school with the teachers at the end of the month, and I will be going on observation trek with the college for a week at the beginning of the next month, and I think I will be going all the way up to the furthest region to do observations. It foresee a lesson in patience on that for sure!
A few more snacks that I thought of the other day to add to my previous blog:
Along the streets there are a little wooden or corrigate shacks assembled, that you can get great sandwiches. Let me describe them,... first you take one heavy pot, put it on a gas burner, add enough oil to deep fry something, mix together: scrambled eggs, boiled potatoe, onion, mix together, add some msg cubes, and pour off into the oil to fry. Once sufficiently soaked with grease and cooked, add it to the middle of a loaf of french bread, slather with non-perishable mayonnaise, wrap in a old textbook page, and serve. Along with this delicious treat you automatically get a pairing of a tasty drink. Take a mug, fill about 1/4 full with sweetened condensed milk, add a teaspoon of ovaltine type mix, and fill the rest up with hot water from a thermos and mix. Yum! Thats a tasty breakfast.
A little less exciting, but comforting, because of its connection to training village, when we didn't have any other options for food besides what our host family cooked for us, and what was available at the tiny bitik shop are baobab biscuits. Which are simple biscuits very similiar to animal crackers, but Gambian quiality.
And lastly (for now!) is the classic, meat on a stick. If you head down to the market at night, there is a whole other world waiting for you in contrast to the day. And contributing to the transformation is the meat on a stick vendors about every 5 feet. They have open homemade grills where they will grill a small portion of meat on a stick that is seasoned with ... guess... msg cubes. They are very tasty, and they are so cheap!
Ok, well, I think that is sufficient for today. I need to go have a meeting with a college collegue, and then I will walk home, relax for a while, then head out to the market for something for dinner. (I've learned from the beginning to never really plan a meal until you get to the market, then as your crusing through, pick up what is there) Like the other day I was extremely surprised to come across a few small piles of fresh green string beans from one vendor, and then a few places down, a few small piles of fresh parsley,... It makes me wonder who else buys these things, becasue there are so little of it, I doubt they would know what to do with it! I bought a few bunches of the parsley, and since it's dry season, hung it up near the kitchen window, to dry. It dried so fast! I always have my eye out for things like that!

Some favorite snacks

2008-02-04T02:15:00.000-08:00

I thought I would give a run down of some of our favorite snacks here in the Gambia.
The first and foremost on my list is what is called chokkory or cherre. It is basically sour milk and couscous with some sugar. But the best thing about it here in Brikama is that I can go to the foil station and get a frozen cup of this wonderful goodness. You cannot imagine anything better to have on a hot dry day here. I find every excuse to have one, one the way home or to the market, on the way back from a long hot bike ride, walking around with our friends... it doesn't matter the reason! I've even taken to putting a small metal spoon in a ziplock that I put in the bag I take to the market, because the plastic ones they give you just don't cut it! It is the most refreshing thing most likely because it is frozen :) a little creamy (but still enought to be refreshingly iceey), and slightly sweet (not overpowering). Yeah for chokkory! (by the way, I have no idea how to spell it!)
The second on the list and now in no particular order of favorites is fresh french bread.
How many of you (I want to see hands!) can walk less than a hundred yards to grab some loafs of fresh (often still warm) french bread? Well, we can! 2 dalasi for a half, 4 for a whole.It is lovely. and the best thing is that here in more of a "city" our bread does not have bugs in it very often! Believe me this is a great thing to be happy about, because you get that little extra needed protein in the bread made in the more rural villages.
My favorite traveling snack is the bagged local roasted peanuts. If you are traveling, it is the best thing to pick up a bag of roasted , slightly salted peanuts, in all varieties (covering on, shell on, salted, roasted, not roasted, etc.) Bite off the tip of the bag and chow down. And the best thing is you can get a bag for a dalasi or bigger bag for 5. Grab that, run after the gelley, hop on and your set.
While on the subject of peanuts. We will probably never go back to buying skippy, jif, etc.. Because here you can go down to the market, (there is a whole area here where people have grinders set up to grind the peanuts people bring in from the villages) I have my specific peanut butter guy. He is my favorite because the peanut butter is so thick and has a great roasted taste. Andy's favorite breakfast, or snack is the local peanut butter, with honey from the beekeepers, a banana on that great french bread.
And the last thing (though I'm sure there will be more later!) on my list today is the icees. Our host mom makes some great ones. They usually use fruit juices, like caba, (a small tangy orange on the inside fruit), wanjo (dried hibiscus leaves with tons of sugar in the juice made from them), baobab (the monkey fruit) icees too. There are more, but those are my favorite. They are little frozen bags of juice icees, you can get for a dalasi, and is a great refreshing treat. These along with a lot of the other things are available along the street, and in the car parks.
Well, hope your hungry now! Later.

Quick rant and rave, etc.

2008-01-31T07:43:00.000-08:00

So, I'm sitting here for 2 hours in the staff lounge making myself available to the students at the college, t help them with their lesson plan assignments. And... going on about 1 hour and 45 minutes, I have had one student come to me! So, lucky for me I have been wasting time away on the internet thanks to Andy and his counterpart in getting the staff lounge decrepit computers back and running... now if only the power would stay on...
Like I said I have had plenty of time to browse around, and sometimes I like to go to other Peace Corps blogs and read up on what other people are doing. While doing this I came upon another blog, revisiting their packing list now that they are in country. And came upon the sentence that I regret listening to before I came here.. You can get skirts made here that will be better than anything you can bring from the states. Yeah right!
Don't get me wrong, one of my many pleasures here has been getting clothes made,.. but unless you want to go hop on your bike in a ankle length wrap skirt, you need to invest in some good practical skirts from the states! Part of the problem is getting the taylors here to make "American" style clothing. They don't like to touch your body in places that are required to measure if you want things to fit how your used to it, especially if it is a man, (a majority of the tailors are men). Even if you manage to bring in a template.. they will always manage to make it a little less than perfect, especially if you have to rely on a village tailor. If you live in the city area, you might get lucky, but they are generally 1) way more expensive 2) have a lot more work to do, so they will inevitably take longer and 3) you will have to travel to the city to pick it up, and in my experiences, they will never have it the day that they will tell you.
The most useful and wearable skirt that I brought with me here is the brown linen shin length skirt. Though it is now seriously faded from rough washing and African sun, I still wear it all the time.
Another thing is that I have the resource of great second hand piles in Brikama market, but though they are cheap,.. and you inevitably end up not caring what you look like to other people, it is hard to find things that are great fits!
Anyhow,.. just wanted to put the word out, to any potential volunteers here, because I don't want you to fall into the same trap!

Sorry for the wait

2008-01-30T06:37:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I have slacked a little on the blog writing, but I've really been busy, plus, I think people take the information for granted! Like, they get to hear all about what I'm doing, but I never hear from them! hehe Anyhow, classes at the college are going well, though the spring term is notoriously slack and short. I am doing my best to make it work, and help the student learn as much as they can in the time we have. The nursery school work is going very well too, I feel I am making progress with the teachers, we are getting more organized, and making plans.
The weather has been warming up, (not all too slowly either, one day it's cool during the day, the next it was hot!) But we are looking forward to rain (and mango season) after this extended period of hot and dry.
I recently made a trip up to a place in the Central river region of the country to visit a friend. She lives on an island called Janjanbureh. It's a cool place, it was my first time traveling up there, so Andy and I went together across the ferry from Banjul (the capital) and stayed a night together in a place on the north bank called Farafenni to visit our friend Josiah. We had a good time there together on Friday night, and then on Saturday morning, I went on further up country to Janjanbureh while Andy stayed another night in Farafenni.
Janjanbureh was nice, it was exciting to see the other parts of the country, hang out with Blair and other volunteers.
The trip there and back had the typical travel folleys that your encounter here; flat tire, police checkpoint hassles (not with me, but with locals if they don't have id), very slow and scarry ferry boats, car drivers that tell you they are going one place, and then stop at an earlier destination so you have to switch cars or find another car, etc. But traveling here in the country, even through all the challenges is ok, even for women traveling alone, especially if you can speak the local language, because people will always make sure you are going to the right place, paying the right amount, etc.
Another thing about traveling here is that at most points there is always fantastic street food to grab on the go. The reason I think it is fantastic is because it is what you would usually consider health food. While sitting on a gelley waiting for it to fill up with passengers to go, you can call a guy over to get some cocounut, oranges, peanuts, a slice or watermelon, fruit icees, etc. It is great, and you don't have that after Wendy's sick feeling when you are road-tripping and you grab something from the drive-through. I wish traveling in the US was like that in that you could grab real "fast food" from fruit and veggies vendors everywhere.
Thank you again to all those who have sent us packages for the holiday and otherwise! We appreciate it.
I don't have much else to write about right now, but questions are always welcomed from you to help me along in explaining our time here.

Happy Birthday!

2008-01-11T06:28:00.000-08:00

Happy (early) Birthday Dad!
Just in case I don't get a chance to talk to you this weekend!
20 plus some odd years... and still going strong! hehe

TGIF-Thank Gambia It's Friday

2008-01-11T06:01:00.000-08:00

On Fridays in the Gambia people mostly cut out early because Friday prayer is at 2 o'clock.... so schools are only half days, and a lot of businesses are closed... sometimes that's nice because for those of us that don't go to the mosque we sometimes get out of work earlier . :)
So, classes at the college were scheduled to start this week.... But..... being that it is Gambia, no one really had classes I think... except for me! :) Well, Tuesday I went for the one class I was scheduled to have, but of course, ... should have known,... that no one would be there. Wednesday I had two classes scheduled, one in the morning, and one in the late afternoon... I think I caught some students unaware that were here to register, by having classes that first class, but of course in the afternoon no one came. This morning, I had two remaining classes back to back and I had fairly good attendance in the first and minimal in the second.... The problem is that the students have to come register in person, and there are always long lines, and problems, so, no one ends up really holding classes that first week.. Well, being the type A-(for American!) that I am,.. I just get a little confused about when exactly we are supposed to start if it's not when it says on the schedule...... Other than the minimal attendance, the classes went really well, so hopefully the influx of students next class won't change that.
Well, Andy and I have recently received many packages from you generous and caring people in the states. We really do appreciate those nice little treats from home, even though I am afraid that because we have so many treats that I will start to balloon up! hehe..
Yesterday, I didn't have classes at the college so I went to the nursery school early, then caught another gelley to keep on going to the peace corps office. Once there, I did some internet stuff, grabbed some more reading material, found our packages in the mailroom (!) and then hung around until Andy came into town. We were meeting a volunteer and her friend that came to visit from America. So we went to dinner and came back fairly late for us, catching a gelley after a little wait at around 9. When we got home (I hadn't been home since 7:30 am) it was about 10 and we still had to take our bucket baths (brrrr cold!) so it was nice to make tea after and open some Christmas gifts. Cozy Cozy.. It's so funny, because now we have a thermometer and can really see that we are cold when it is literally 70 degrees, because our bodies have adjust so much to being at about 100+
Well, I think that's about it for now, ... I have some random projects planned for this weekend... I want to try my hand at cooking some more things in the solar cooker (I think maybe beans this weekend), make some more tortillas (this time we will triple the recipe! Because they never seem to last long!) I really like finding things to make from scratch in the solar cooker.. I am looking for simple recipes for things I can find in the market to make, like breads, beans, etc., (only problem is lack of spices) so if you have a good simple recipe let me know!
I got some parsley seeds and want to plant them (though, I'm not sure about where they will be able to get sun because we don't have a back yard... or place that is protected from goats that we could put it out in) and maybe visit some local areas and volunteers.
Well, Andy has put up some more pictures recently of bee keeping activities, so make sure to keep checking it out.
Have a nice weekend,.. hope to hear from you!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-04T05:48:00.000-08:00

Hey, Happy Birthday David! hehe
and Happy Anniversary (you know who you are!)
Well, now it is officially 2008. Andy and I didn't do much for New Years. We hung out with another volunteer for a little bit, but then came back home. Andy had bought these little fireworks at a bitik in Sera Kunda when we were there for Christmas, and he had about 2 left. He set them off, and the kids stood around and watched. It was funny though, because it was only 10 o'clock. After that took 2 seconds, (the grandma aka: Mama, cheered for Andy when he set off the fireworks and thanked him as she sat in her normal spot on the porch. It was funny.), we went inside our house and tried to stay awake till 12, which we successfully did by making some tea and eating some stollen Andy's mom sent us (Thank You! For everything!).

I have been busy working on various things for work. I have all my lessons completed and typed, along with my syllabus. This term, I had to find a solution to the problem of having 350 plus students, and needing to get information to them to read. Because the college doesn't have textbooks, that usually could be dealt with by giving handouts, but there is no way I could make that many copies. On top of all that, I don't have a permanent office here at the college (still haven't found that empty closet I could fit a desk in!) So I have decided to make a binder, put some copies of the articles in sheet protectors and have the binder up at the library. The students will be able to sign out the article they need, make any notes they want, return it for others to use during the week before they see me again, and it will be available during more hours that I would even be if I did have an office.
The school term starts next week. It seems like it is going to be hard to get back into the groove of going to work, because of all the holidays, plus the randomly declared national holidays here. I am apprehensive about the new term (not really sure I have it in me to teach another term!) but at the same time, when I go through what I have planned I am optimistic that it will be a good learning experience for the students at the college and that it will work out. It reminds me of the phenomenon like when you hike up a mountain or some other physically and/or mentally painful event (childbirth comes to mind, though not from experience!) and you tend to forget all that pain once you are past it, and you want to climb another mountain! (or have another child!)

Andy went to the beekeepers late the other night. They went at night to harvest honey at the bee's calmest time, but he still ended up with 20 plus stings in various places, but came home very excited about it, and I think exhilarated by finally getting to experience the harvesting. Along with the excitement, he also brought home a cup of freshly harvested honeycomb. Yum!
And, Dad, he got some use out of the sun hat you sent me, it is apparently great for wearing under the bee suit!
Well, I feel like I'm kind of running on fumes with what to say here, so, questions/comments would probably do some good from you readers. *It is amazing how normal everything feels here, how if someone came to visit, it would take me a while to realize something wasn't normal for them in any given situation here. So, being that way, it is harder to come up with "interesting" things to write about.

Wish me luck for the start of classes next week!
Later.

Christmas Day

2007-12-25T03:56:00.000-08:00

So, it's Christmas Day, but doesn't really feel like it at all. We are here in the Peace Corps office now, and we are staying at the hostel here. We got here yesterday afternoon, and some other volunteers are down too. Our country director somehow got a turkey for us to cook at the hostel, so everyone is doing there best trying to come up with other things to cook with it. I think I'm in charge of mashed potatoes :) But even though we will have a Christmas type dinner it still doesn't even remotely feel like Christmas time, and I guess that's OK, but it still feels a little strange to know that family and friends in the states are doing the same things that we did every year, just minus us. Last night we tried to watch the only Christmas movie we had (Elf DVD) on the computer for everyone to watch, but the DVD was so scratched we got about a quarter of the way through and it just wouldn't go any further. So, that was a bummer. Then they put in The Italian Job (sooo not Christmasy) and so I went to bed. I think that I will really be looking forward to a white Christmas when we get back! We will have to move somewhere where there is a guarantee that there will be snow! Well, we may or may not stay in town another night, (depends when the turkey gets finished!, if it's late we will not be able to get transport back to Brikama) so we may end up going home tomorrow. I don't have to report back to class or the nursery school until the 7th of Jan. so, I have been planning things for the term, and since I'm here at the computer, have printed out some stuff for college, that I will take home, look through and tweak later this week to have it all prepared. Well, I don't want to bore anyone with work today, so
Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-23T10:18:00.000-08:00

Just in case I don't get to a computer again before Christmas, Merry Christmas everyone!

Tobaski Time

2007-12-23T09:35:00.000-08:00

Last Monday I went to the college one last time before the break to meet with my counterparts and discuss this term and the coming term at the college. We decided on what we will be teaching next term. I will be holding the class on Teaching Strategies, (yeah fun!). I have already planned a lot for the term and hope it goes well.
On the following Tuesday, everyone was getting ready to travel to their families upcountry. So when I went down to the market, surprise, surprise, it was mass chaos. I've never seen it so busy before, people everywhere along the streets, cars lined up bumper to bumper (gelley gelley vans mostly), people selling via yelling through megaphones, and just tons of people winding their way around the market trying to buy silifando (souvenirs) to take for their families. Along with all those goods, there was a major influx of rams in the country. They are loaded where ever they can fit, on top of the vans, in the back seats of cars, trailing behind bicycles, etc. The good think about all this madness is that hardly anyone paid attention to me (lowest toubab tally yet!) because they were so busy trying to get out of town. I was thinking as I pushed my way through the market, " Man! People at home think shopping during Christmas time is bad!, At least in America we have some semblance or order in things we do, (like, we know how to get in a line, take turns, etc!) But here, the lack of order is the normal order of business.
The following day, (Wednesday) Andy and I braved the market again because we wanted to get our host family some things to cook with the family's ram (the ram was tied to the tree by the cooking area since about Monday)
We bought: 5 Liters of vegetable oil (very important here, it is the second food group besides rice!)
2 large eggplants
5 carrots
2 piles of potatoes (about 8-10)
2 piles of onions (about 8-10, and the 3rd food group)
1 jar of Senegal dijon mustard (used for sauces)
2 small plastic bags of pounded black pepper
then we went to what I call "the black light district" which is an area of the market where you can buy ready-made clothes, that is covered so that it is dark from the canvas roofs and lit with black lights (not so good because last time we went there to buy Andy's kaftan we didn't realize it was purple because of the blacklights, we thought it was blue!). We got Andy another outfit this time we made sure we figured out the color before buying it (a nice brown)!
When Thursday rolled around it was Tobaski. I woke up a little late (for here 8 ish) and felt kinda out of the loop because Andy had already woken up early and helped wash the rams to prepare them for the slaughtering that day. Everyone in the compound was very busy preparing things, and I felt like I had nothing to do. Like last holiday, it is slightly unnerving when you are involved in a holiday that is new to you, and you aren't quite sure what is going to happen that day. But eventually things got going and they prepared to kill the rams. Our family had a large ram, and a small family that just moved in at the end had a ram, and our next door neighbors had a goat. It was very eventful for me, because I witnessed the slaughtering of these animals. I documented the whole thing with our camera, which for me was easier to do,than just stand by and watch. It was easier to have something to do, if there was a particularly gruesome part, I would zoom in on what was happening, but looking through the lens helped me feel a little detached from it. After the animals had died, the men cut the meat up, after skinning and de-gutting the animals. While they were doing this the small children poked around watching them, touching the dead animals foot and at one point poking at the filled, detached belly of one of the rams laying on the ground. I got a lot of intense pictures of Molado and the other small children in the compound. One in particular of Moldao in her cream frilly party dress standing next to a pool of blood and a slaughtered goat in the background. I couldn't help taking so many pictures of her in the situation because of the contrast between her apparent cleanliness and innocence, prancing happily around what became a slaughtering ground that day.
Well, after the meat was mostly cut up the owners of the meat gave Andy and I some, and suddenly I was thrown into a panic, because I hadn't planned on cooking and I'd never cooked goat or ram before! I got stressed and in an effort to gain control of the situation, took off to the market to get something to cook the meat in. I got to the market and discovered that it was a mere skeleton of it's normal self because of the holiday and everyone had left town. But I found a few things and made my way home only to find out that Fatou Mata had brought over meat to roast in our oven and offered to keep the stuff we had in their fridge till Saturday. So that's what we did. We gorged ourselves on meat and food on Thursday and when bedtime came around Andy realized he had become sick. He moved to the other bed in the main room in the middle of the night, and vomited. We were up all night and he spend all of Friday and Saturday recovering. On Saturday afternoon we had to cook the meat that was being kept for us, so we marinated it in a mixture of: tomato paste, garlic, mustard, black pepper, maggi cubes, water, oil, and onions, and then put it in the solar cooker (after draining the marinate away) with some chunks of potatoes and onions. After about 3 hours in the sun it was a delicious roast. The solar cooker is magic! But it was a little tainted by the fact that we are a little sick right now of so much meat, because it is not a normal thing in our diet and honestly we've had it for every meal except one since Thursday. I think I'll be good for a while after this if I don't have meat!

Nice

2007-12-07T06:23:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been pretty nice weather here lately. Some days we will wake up and both grab for the blanket, because in the morning and as soon as it gets dark it is very cool. Very desert-like weather. I have to make sure to get my bath in before 6:30, because after that its a bit uncomfortable to take a cold bucket bath. The routine has been that I usually get home from work, read or practice letter activities with our host family, and then jump rope just before I take a bath. After that I make tea with powdered milk for us, and we sit out on the porch in our long sleeve shirts (or sometimes I've even broken out my hoody!) and chat with the family.
Lately we have been making more of an effort to help out host brothers and sisters learn letters, letter sounds, numbers, etc. One of them Fatou Bentu who is 6, is really enthusiastic about studying with me. I think because she is at the age where her brothers and sisters are older than her, (except MoLamin and he's 3) she kinda gets left out, or bossed around. I think she relishes the alone time we spend together studying, because I don't let anyone else come around, because she gets shy in front of the boys (cultural gender roles). What I really love is that every time I say "Ok, we're done!" she jumps up happily runs back to the house. Andy and I are really trying to set up a situation where they come to us in the evening to study, or do something academic, even if its just looking at a book with us. Andy and MoLamin were looking at "Goldilocks and the three bears" last night, it was very cute. Molamin just likes to point out things that he knows (in mandinka mostly, but if we don't know the word in Mandinka, we will tell him the english word, like the word "bear"), so he just goes turning all the pages, and saying "bear a fele, bear a fele, bear a fele", (bear is here, bear is here, bear is here) I have put alphavet letters on bottle caps and he really likes those, right now, he knows abc, so of course, every bottle cap is a, b, or c. He also likes to count with those, practicing dumping them out of the container, and putting them back in, (alternating between fistfuls, or 1 at a time) and counting, which he is good at. In the morning if I don't go to work until a little later, he comes in the house and asks where the bottle caps are, after the bottle caps, he will ask where the "booko baa" is (big book) that I got from the peace corps office. He likes to point out the girl and her father on all the pages of it, and when our host mother came over to see what he was up to, he showed her too! Gotta love it!
The other night we were have a laughing good time, and it all has to do with a plastic bag and frogs. (Tootoo in Mandinka). Andy had his plastic bag of charcoal on the porch for brewing attaya, and we were out there playing cards when the bag started to move and wriggle around. With a little bumping from me, out hopped a charcoal stained frog)
Well, one day when we were cleaning out the house, I put a plastic shopping bag outside on the porch. Well, it kinda just stayed there, because Andy thought it might be useful. The weather turned cool at night. And one day the bag started moving like the charcoal bag. MoLamin, (who used to scared of them, but has gotten braver) picked up the bag a little bit off the ground and 4 frogs plopped out. Well, this got him very excited and he started chasing them around our porch with a miniature sized grass broom, flicking them and trying to sweep these frogs off our porch. Well, after he had gotten those off the porch he went to get the bag, to throw away, and out plopped about 8 more frogs of all different sizes! They started hopping away for there lives away from MoLamin and he was ecstatic chasing them around the porch. Meanwhile, Andy and I are sitting in our chairs (like an old married couple on the porch) laughing our heads off, it was the most hilarious thing you've ever seen. Well, after a few more frogs got swept off the porch MoLamin and Fatou Bentu started chasing them in the dark around the compound, whooping and hollering. hehe.
The other day when I was getting water the cute white kitty kept sneaking up to my filled buckets and taking a drink. It was so cute, but he/she left dirty paw residue on the edge of my buckets. On his third attempt up to the bucket I got a hold of him and picked him up, he was purring! (must have been confused....) It was funny, and Ndea (our host mom) was on her porch laughing at me.
Oh, I know this is the most random of blogs but I'm just flowing!
The other day at the nursery school I made a teacher bulletin board, for me to put up things about particular topics for the teachers to come and look at. With the help of one of the teachers there we cut some poplin fabric into the right size, made a border with some left over fabric, pinned that in place, glued on some letters I had cut out, and then pinned on some information cards I had printed and mounted and colored poster board. With great effort I put two nails in the concrete walls, cut small holes in the fabric, and looped it over the nail heads. We also had a little table set out in front of it, and there I spread out some examples of items I had made, having to do with our theme. The teachers there were sooooo excited, and I think it will be a good way to get information to them about other techniques and issues, so they can start seeing new ideas and ways of teaching.
Well, next week grades are due at the college, and I still have about 250 test papers to grade., then I will have to go through all approx. 350 students grades and average those, it is going to be a quite a task. I can only sit there and grade for a little at a time before my bottom goes numb or I goes crazy with the answers I'm getting. Next week we are having a friend stay with us, she will be down here doing a training with the college, so that will be nice, and I think we are planning to do some hot chocolate get-together with some of the other area volunteers for Christmas while she is here.
Well, I think thats it for now, later!

Just in case you were wondering

2007-11-27T04:46:00.001-08:00

Just in case you were wondering, the kittens that were in the shed, have now left the building. Last week, in the morning, I heard a horrible "screaming" kitten sound, so I came out of the kitchen and saw the mother cat carrying a kitten by the scruff of its neck out the top of the shed, down across our pit and shower area, and up again to the top of the cement block fence. The whole time the kitten was screeching, and the poor mother looked like she was putting all her strength into this manuvere, and had to repeat it three more times, I'm guessing. Because when I checked the shed again, they were gone. I think that maybe she decided that they were getting too big, and soon she would not be able to move them out of the shed herself.
Even though those kittens are gone there are some "teenager" cats around here, that are sort of pets to our host family. They scamper through holes in the cement fence seperating our compound from a tangle of a garden, dart between shadows at night, trying to get closer to the food bowl, and one night one of them (this one is all white, except its tail, which is a great contrast because its black) was playing with this gigantic beatle on the ground. They are so funny to watch because they look (like all cats I'm sure) very schizophrenic jumping around, and avoiding the shadows and immaginary things all around the compound.

Busy, Busy

2007-11-27T04:01:00.000-08:00

Well, I was looking forward to the "thanksgiving" break this past weekend, but it kinda of ended up being a whirlwind of activity as usual, when you have so many people around, and you want to hang out with all of them, and you are trying to fit in work with some relaxing time. I had classes Thursday up till the afternoon at the college, and jammed back home on my bike, to grab my bag, then caught a gelley to Fajara. I walked in the PC office and was immediately (literally like 5 feet in the door) thrown into practice for the 40th anniversary celebration. We were supposed to say a few snippets about where we are posted and what we are working on. After that we caught a ride to a peace corps staff house and had a great time, eating roasted pumpkin seeds, watching and trying no to get in the way of people who made the tremendous effort of making about 24 from scratch pumpkin pies. Amazing. Andy enjoyed barbecuing a ton of chicken with the people out back. It was a general good time. After all the food was finished, we took it over to the Embassy house and had a really great dinner. It was very surreal, after we stuffed ourselves, we hung out on the grass area out back of the house and watched the sun set against a picturesque view of palm trees and the beach. And even though I thought I might be in danger of sinking because of my full belly, we took a dip in the pool. After they kicked us out of there, we went to a house near the tourist area that we were fortunate enough to be staying. We enjoyed a nice warm shower, toilets that flush and you can sit on, nice people and a comfortable bed. But even though we enjoyed all this, there was always a strange feeling that I just wanted to go home to Brikama. Maybe because we are so comfortable there, and we don't really need those amenities anymore. After a great weekend of eating, hanging out on the beach, and sitting through meetings, we headed back home on Sunday. We were really glad to be back, and it was just a few days that we were gone!
So, I am trying to slow down a bit with work, the end of the college term is very near, this week we are reviewing in the classes, and then next week is their final test. The following week after that I have to turn in grades,..(groannn.....) Which means a lot of work figuring out grades for about 350 students by hand. The nursery school is coming along, I am working right now on getting a resource binder together for them, so we can start to build up the resources the teachers have available to them. I came to the peace corps office to print out examples of themed units and other helpful information to add to the binder. Hopefully, I will get the other teachers to contribute their own ideas to the binder, and soon we will have many binders. Thats the goal right?
I have been really trying to make a concerted effort to help out host brothers and sisters with school type work, because we are learning every time they come for homework help, that instead of the Venn diagram assignment they have to do, they really should just be learning how to read! So, instead of doing a lot of the things I was doing for myself, like drawing, and reading, I have been nonstop teaching it seems. Take yesterday, I had three, two-hours classes, drawn out between the hours of 9am and 6:30pm at the college, right when I got home, and sat out on the porch and two of the smaller children came, so I took out my homemade flashcards and bottle caps for counters, and started doing work with them. After they were done with that, one of my host sisters came over with her SES book, where it was talking about the importance of the River Gambia, and I said, "you read it, and any word that you can figure out, I will help you", turns out that was every single word. She can't read. So, I insisted that the next day we would start work on learning how to read, but for that moment, I read it to her, and we summarized it, talked about what it said, and I asked her some questions about what it had talked about. Well, if that wasn't enough teaching for one day, when I though I was done for the day, and we had eaten dinner and taken a shower, I once again came out onto the porch, only to end up doing place value homework with our host brother till about 10:45. The funny thing was that he came to Andy for help, and Andy didn't really know how to help him, so I took over, and I really think that he was getting the hang of it by the end of the exercise. I felt very accomplished last night, and the great thing is, that as much work as that was, I would do it all day because I really am finding out being here in the Gambia how much I really enjoy my chosen career. And because it's Thanksgiving time, I want to say how much I am thankful for the chance to be able to teach here and broaden my horizons by teaching older students, when I thought I would never like to go above grade 1! I'm also thankful that I get to work within such interesting cultural surrounding, and with so many people. Anyhow, enough of that!~ I think that Andy gave a more detailed account (of course!) about our weekend break, so be sure to click on that link on the right hand side of my blog.
Well, I think thats all my brain can handle right now, I am here in Fajara, doing work, and taking this chance on the computer to update you guys. Of course like every trip here, I have to hit up the grocery store and lumber down to the car park with my arms full to run and catch a gelley back home. Ok, well, call me, write me, email me!

On the wings of wind

2007-11-15T08:39:00.000-08:00

Last week the winds came. The compound grounds are windswept, and everything has begun to build up its layer of fine dust from the dry season. With the wind came an unexpected treat. Baby kittens hiding in the shed with their mother. In the morning we got up and were moving about in the kitchen, and I noticed that the shed door (its really an outdoor cooking area in the back of the house) was ajar. Thinking the wind had blown it open, Andy went to go close it, and discovered three kittens. I didnt see them at that moment, but when I came home from class and saw the door was once again open, I took the opportunity to peek in. And there they were. They were huddled in the corner on a tiny scrap of rag that happened to be there, between two old kerosine lamps. I got the camera and snapped a few pictures. Then I took a rag that was outside the shed and tossed it to the floor, the kittens instantly hissed at the disturbance. And though they are completely adorable with big round blue eyes, I cant feed them. That would mean that they would probably learn to trust people, and that would not be a good thing for them around here!
Last friday we had a great dinner with some area PCVś. I had been saving my two pesto packets I had brought from American for when we could share it. So we had pesto pasta with tomatoes, I toasted some bread and we had garlic bread, and I even made sweet iced tea! It was delicious, but now, there is no more pesto :(
Just wanted to give a shout out to Cheryl and Tim! Yeah your married! Hope it was everything and more, and you are enjoying Jamaica mon!
Michael asked me about a fire in a market here, but I haven´t heard anything, but then again there areńt a lot of sources where you would get that information except for word of mouth probably.
Next weekend is Thanksgiving ( I realyl can believe that, because it just doesnt have the same kind of leading up to it all around you as you do in America), we are having an all volunteer meeting and a dinner in Fajara. I am looking forward to it, because it will be a much needed break from work. Not that I don like it, ( I really like having such purposeful work )its just been so busy. sometimes I dont know how I am going to get all that I want to do at the nursery school done in even two years!
Dharma (a nearby PCV) and I went the other day to have dresses made at the tailors for the meeting and dinner next week. I always have such a mixture of excitement and nervousness of how the thing will turn out that I am getting made. I always feel like I have this new exciting thing, even when I just drop off the cloth. I hope it works out well, because I used some cloth that I really liked and would hate for the dress to not be good.
A recent phenomenon I have discovered is that in the market there is a corner of the roadside that has just piles upon piles of second hand clothing for sale. Now the clothing is sometimes clearly from places like Goodwill, because it has tags still on it from there. Sometimes you can get great finds, that are totally ill fitted to the Gambia, like, a bright yellow fantastic lambs wool turtleneck sweater for 3 dalasi! Too bad I was sweating like crazy, or I could have imagined myself buying this sweater! I got a super comfy New Kids on the Block European Tour shirt, that is great to wear to bed because it is at that stage where it is perfectly soft. It makes me curious to see all these clothing items here in the Gambia, because I think of what journey it has probably made. From the manufacturer in asia somewhere no doubt, shipped to America, in the store, then someone buys it where it for one season, gives it to goodwill, someone buys it there, wears it for a while, then gives it to somewhere and it gets shipped, most likely to europe, and then down to the Gambia, to sit on the ground right next to the charcoal area of the market, and be sold for sometimes would be equivalent to 10 cents.
So, I have started my jump roping regiments. And of course it is such a interesting thing to the fam. Some of the younger girls, especially Jaleka like to join me, and are endlessly frustrated when they cant speed rope like I can, at first try. The first night I did it, she ran to the house to get into some spandex type capris. It was great. I wish I would have brought more than one of these ropes to share, because it is great with the weights, and the rubber rope has good weight to it, and will last a while. Anything I can do to build up female confidence! Well, I think thats about it for now, keep in touch. And if anyone has talked to my long lost sister, tell her to write me! Later.

a few quick words

2007-11-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to say hello, haven't had much time lately on the computer, but I try to kick Andy off his at work at often as I can. Today was another day at the nursery school, we are slowly making progress there, its just diffcult because I can't be there every second of the week. I have started giving the teachers I'm working with now, "teacher assignments" where I give them one particular aspect to work on for that day on a notecard, like today it was using positive praise, which is not something they even think of here as something that should happen in the classroom to encourage the students in behavior and in academics. I explain it a little, we talk about it beforehand, and then they put the brightly colored notecard on their desk in front of them, so that they have it there as a reminder of what they should be working on all day. At the end of the day, they write how they thought the day went concentrating on the particular assignment on the back of the card, and we discuss what I observed, they can ask me specific questions, etc. It is a good way of focusing on one issue at a time, and that way we can see progress and keep track of what we are working on, instead of just piling on all these things that we need to work on at once.
So, the weather here is very hot during the day lately, as I'm sure you already got. Its the kind of heat where I walk with an umbrella to shield myself from the sun like when I'm going to the market, and even though it is about 5 when I usually go, I immediately have sweat dripping from the crook of my elbow that is bent from holding the umbrella above my head. But despite the heat during the day, the nights aren't too bad, like last night I was wearing a tank top, and sitting outside chatting with the family, and I was a bit chilly! When I took my bucket bath before going to bed, I had goosebumps! Crazy.
And some more random topics:
The oranges you can buy here are not the color orange, they are a good solid green, and light yellowish inside they are called "lemuno". They are pretty tasty, but I don't know if I would be saying that if I had one when I first got off the plane, if you know what I mean. But the other day I saw an amazing sight,... a orange colored orange! When I went to buy one, the lady mistakenly thought I wanted one of the green ones (the lemuno), but I said no, and pointed to the orange colored one, and she said, "oh, tubab lemuno" If you don't know already tubab is the word for white person/outsider, that is constantly berating us where ever we go. It made me laugh that she called it a tubab lemuno. But it was soo completely delicious, and juicy and orange.... even inside! It was expensive, (for the cost of one of the tubab oranges you can get 4-5 green ones. Anyhow (Guess you had to be there!.... so come on, get here!)
Another story about tubab. When I was at the nursery school observing a new class, the children were turning around and looking at me in the back of the classroom. They kept calling out "tubab" For some reason in this school they call the teacher Auntie, (so Auntie Mary, Auntie Fatou, etc.) So when the teacher tried to correct them, and said, "no her name is Auntie,... what?" The children said without hesitation, "Auntie Tubab".... hehe. One track minds I tell ya!
Well, thats it for now, gotta do some computer work for the college. Hope to hear from you soon. :)

November! November!?

2007-11-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

Wow, its already November! Halloween flew by with barely a nod from us, I was so busy with work, that I almost completely forgot. The college work has been keeping me busy, and I am still trying to keep up with the nursery school, so that gives me a full schedule now. Grading, planning, prepping, observing, etc. Wheeww. I will be glad for a little break come Thanksgiving time. There will be a dinner for Peace Corps in the city, I think we might go. I am here at the PC office today, got up this morning and rode over, to spend all day on the computer for work stuff. I am beat, and still have to go to the grocery store here, and then off course chase after a van and hope that I get one back home! Tomorrow will be nice to have a little time to relax. Lately I haven't been able to write in my journal or draw but I hope to tomorrow. I went with the nursery school to the "zoo" (really just a few animals in cages) the other day. I thought I was just taggin along, but right before we left, I got somehow squeezed into leading a class! But it went ok. Thursdays classes at the college ( I have two on that day, four hours) went pretty well, but I have yet to look at the students papers for that day, so who knows. I always get the most random questions from them! Andy, myself, and one of our host brothers rode our bikes to the beach last Saturday, it was sooo hot! But the beach was beautiful, deserted, and then we went to another section and saw the fisherman pulling in their large boats. They chanted as they all heaved and hoed the boats in. There was a woman with a child in a small blue plastic tub at the edge of the ocean giving him a bath,.. it would have been such a cute picture, but I couldn't get my camera out fast enough! After we rode home (its about an hours ride each way) we got showered and went to a friends going away party. It was being thrown by a Gambian, and there were drummers there and a leader dancing around and with a whistle. She had amazing energy and was just jumping around and dancing, it was crazy, she had sweat dripping off her because it was so hot. Speaking of being hot the last volunteer in our house left a thermometer in our kitchen window, and we just assumed that it was broken because it stayed on 80 degrees the whole wet season, and then all of the sudden the other day I look over and it was at 100 degrees. We think what had happened was, like many other things, it got stuck with the extreme humidity during the wet season. Random things began to work a bit better now that its dry, like our salt shaker, matches, etc. Well, I better head off, and start my decent back towards Brikama. Hope all is well! Write me :)
Lydia

a few things

2007-10-24T04:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the gap between updates! So, things have been just moving along. Not much has been going on on the home front. The other day I helped but mostly watched one of my host sisters cook. She gutted and scaled the fish, saved some of the guts, fried the fish and a pounded ( I pounded) mixture of onions, garlic, and lots of black pepper along with these things we fried about a cup and a half of tomato paste in oil, and then of course we fried the vegetables (a finger size eggplant, small sweet potatoes (they are white here, and not like yams) and there was a small chunck of yellow pumpkin type squash that had a hard dark green rind on it. Yes, everything is fried. When they fry, the oil is extremely hot, and when she put the fish in the oil the fish's skin immediately split like artfully and purposily done slashes, and the eyes popped out. While we were sitting there she gave me two of the fish insides that she fried. I took a bite and it just tasted like the general fried food, but when I looked inside there were all these tiny white balls, and so I tried to find out from them what is was.... from what I gather, it was the eggsack.....yum......... Last night, when Andy wasn't home, Fatou M. came over with homework, and then Jalicka came and hung out, and then Lamin came (just to tag along!) , I think that they may feel more comfortable coming to hang out with me at the house when Andy is not there because he is a man! Anyhow, I tried to help with homework, and thats when Fatou M. asked me if I had novels, well, do I ever! I have been averaging 2 days to per novel! So I gave her one by Maya Angelou to borrow (I tried to find one without anything riskay and one she might find interesting). I was excited in here interest, because they don't have too many literary sources around here , (practically none actually, I haven't seen a book yet!) , except maybe the text books (really just phamplets) for school. I hope she likes it, and then comes back for more! If I get one person to love reading here it would be a great accomplishment. :) Well, I think thats it for now. Hope you are all well, and you haven't dropped off the face of the earth, (come on people write!)

A few funny stories

2007-10-15T03:37:00.000-07:00

So after I left the college after doing that last blog post, I went to the market to get a few things...... and a funny thing happened on the way home....I had stopped by and got some eggs and four mangoes. I put the mangoes in my basket on my bike and the eggs in my purse ( I'm not that confident in my bike basket!) and strapped my bag across my chest. I hopped on my bike, navigated through the craziness of the market and as I was turning onto the main road by the lumberyard, I was thinking to myself what a very nice, blue sky day it was. I saw a little ways in front of me a run away d0onkey and his cart on the side of the main road that we turn off of to go home. As I came along side it on my bike I looked around to see if there was anyone chasing after this runaway donkey, but people were just going about their business. I assumed that it was one of the many donkeys with cart that line up beside the street by the lumberyard and impatiently waited to be loaded up. As I was on the right of the donkey ( on the street side) a small boy came with his bike right up in front of the donkey. Well, .. I guess the donkey didn't really want to trample over this boy so he made an immediate right into the street and into me! still in full motion, draggin his cart, it knocked me on my left side and unbalanced me from my bike. Because my basket is not so secure, it tipped and my binders and my mangoes were splayed out onto the street. Ok, just to take a moment to reiterate... I GOT RUN OVER BY A DONKEY! Even now, writing it, I am laughing at the situation out loud! So, Two little boys very nicely helped me put my things back into my basket all the while saying, "ohhhh.. sorry, sorry" As soon as they were finished helping me they got to chasing that donkey that had crossed the street after running into me in front of on-coming cars. This whole scene (which must have been just as hilarious to onlookers) took probably about 2 minutes and I was stunned but laughing when I turned onto our neighborhood street off the main road. When I relayed the story to Andy it was one of those situations where I was laughing so hard, it was hard to get the story out! So, ... there it is, for public embarrassment, that I'm sure I will never live down! To add to it, for the next couple of days, on the suggestion of Andy, I couldn't get "Grandma got run over by a reindeer" song out of my head, somehow relating it to my situation of getting run over by a donkey! hehehehe.
A Few Other Random Short Stories:
"Talo" Our host father brought us these fruits. It is a strange green fruit. Actually it has a hard brown shell that you peel off and inside there is bright grass green flesh and a pit in its center. The fruit has a texture of sweet tarts and it actually has the flavor of grass! And little bits of veins or roots from the fruit get stuck in your teeth. It is a very unusual fruit, but I liked it!
Molado and Baby:
Molado is a little girl about 3 or 4 that just moved in about a month ago in our compound (Andy is putting pictures on the blog now, and there is a couple of her, she is the one getting her hair braided by our host mom and the one in the cream outfit on our porch). She is sooo cute, and energetic, she is great fun. Well, the other day Molado was sitting in front of her porch (2 spaces down from ours) naked, sitting on her little port-o-potty seat, when Adama her bouncing baby sister kept crawling to Molado and pushing her on her back while she was on the potty. So, Molado picked up her potty, while still holding it to her bottom, and scooted it a few scoots forward. Well, Adama is a very determined baby and has been known to crawl across the hard, dirt compound to her mom or some other interesting thing all the way across the compound. So she kept at it with Molado and Molado kept scooting , until she ended up in frontof our porch!" It was such a funny scene to just be sitting on the front porch looking at it.
"Sam"
Sam is the resident (or rather one of the resident) large geckos (he currenlty measures about 5 or 6 inches long ) He lives in one of the wood panel boards that has come ajar on our porch ceiling. Every night while we sit out on the porch, Sam comes out, doing his "Mission Impossible" scene by crawling expertly across the ceiling and snatching up with precision a tasty bug dinner.
"Porch Bugs"
So, the other night while Andy and I were in the kitchen we heard this extremely loud bug noise out in the porch. When I got up to investigate and looked out the window I saw Sanussi (our host father) coming towards the house. So, I went outside and he proceeded to chase this humongous flying bug around our porch with our straw broom. After going around the porch catching it under the broom a few times, (but it did not want to die easily) Andy came out and so I'm standing off to the front of the porch watching these two large guys chase this bug around the porch, one with a short straw broom in his hand, and the other trying to smack it with a bright yellow "smiley face" Frisbee. It was hilarious!

Well, I fear that after all that, I don't have much energy to put into a description of our holiday weekend, but maybe Andy will, and I'm sure I will add something later to it!

Holiday

2007-10-10T05:59:00.002-07:00

Well, last night I got a couple of phone calls from counterparts, letting me know that today was declared a public holiday. So, instead of going to the nursery school today, (no school today) I came to the college to do some typing work. I am feeling pretty good about what I got done, putting college students names in alphabetized excel spreadsheets, so that I can keep better track of them, writing new lessons, still working and fine tuning my syllubus, and I started some work on compiling resources for nursery school teachers. Now I have all these documents piling up, but no where to print them, that I've found yet. I am planning to go to the PC office sometime next week, so maybe I can print there. Though that is next week!
Some people have asked up about Christmas gifts, ( I guess you gotta start early if you want to send it all the way here). I will talk to Andy and see if there is a list we can compile and put up on the blogs. We will probably take part in some sort of Christmas celebrations I'm sure, because there are some people that celebrate it here, and there are public holidays scheduled for Christmas. Along with that holiday we will also have Tobaski, and New Years which I think may all be in the same week this year. It will be a busy one if it is!
Man, I just read some of the other PC blogs and I realize that I am just not that creative! But come on, I do update often! Even though, comparitively, it is just useless rambling!

Wheeeww!

2007-10-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

So, its been a busy last few days. This past Saturday I went to the nursery school I am working with and we spent from 9:30 to about 5 working on materials for the classroom. We made a large calendar out of local materials, we made a stoplight behavior system, we put up rules for the class, rearranged the class, came up with a new schedule, talked about curriculum, etc! It was a lot of work, but I'm sure it will pay off. Yesterday I had three classes at the college. They were all 2 hours each, so it was a very long day. When I finally got home at 6:30 or so, I was very tired physically, and my throat hurt from talking for so long in the hot dry day. It is also difficult to keep up your reserve of water, because you don't want to drink in front of anyone here, because they are all fasting (so I had to sneak a couple of sips!) The classes went pretty well, I think that it is going to be a great learning experience for myself, and the students in my class. I refuse to just stand there and lecture at them for 2 hours, so it is a big change for them. The age is a lot different for me, and a lot of my students are older than me. Today, I didn't have college classes, but I spend the whole day helping the teacher at the nursery school go through her new class, and class systems with the children. I will be there for her the first couple of days, then she will try it on her own on Thursday, and tell me what went wrong on Friday when I go back to help iron out wrinkles. The first day went fairly well, though I was disturbed by the teacher in the other room that I could hear. There were times in the day where she would say, "everyone, laugh at him" (after a boy did something everyone was directed to laugh at him!) as well as "shame him" (The students are told to "shame him" and so they say in unison to this child, "shame shame shame, shame on you!" ) Keep in mind that these children are just 3 and 4 years old in that class! Anyhow! Enough work talk.
The end of the week on Saturday or Sunday will signal the end of Ramadan, and the start of the feasting! Our family helped up get new outfits, like they had. Andy got a mid length Kaftan (I think that is how to say it!) Which is like a tunic, with pants. And I went around with one of my host sisters and our host mom and picked out some cloth for a new outfit that is being sewn for me. It is pretty cool how you can do that so easily here! I wish I had some people's measurments to get them things made here! They have sooo many kinds of materials, and patterns, colors to choose from. I do have to say that going and picking out the cloth was a very overwhelming experience, like everytime I have gone to get cloth. The sellers will just bombard you with questions, and ask which one you want right when you walk in! It is very difficult just to look and compare colors, price, and maybe go and see if you like something better somewhere else.
Lately it has been very hot with no relief. It looks like dry season is here, so that hasn't been any rain for about a week. Everyone tells us that we just have to make it through about end of November/December, and we will be good, because then it actually gets a little cool. I am excited about that! We actually live in the lap of luxury because we have a fan that we point on our bed at night to help us sleep.
Well, I think that is all for now, I have to do some computer work to help organize myself looking after 5 classes of about 50+ students in each class! Not to mention that, in any given class, there are usually about 4 or 5 students by the same name! (same last and first!).
Well, Send me a line!
Lydia

Headache

2007-10-03T03:28:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was a fairly stressful day at work, endless meetings in very hot, un-air-conditioned rooms, lack of food and water and who knows what else contributed to yet another migraine. These seem to have been happening more frequently, but as with everything, especially here in Africa, there are many factors that could possibly be contributors. Each time I get one I find myself trying to figure out exactly what could have been the contributor this time, but of course it is virtually impossible given that it could be any number of subtle nuances in everyday life that it is just a frustrating, fruitless pursuit. The abundance of "Maggi" cubes (used in just about everything you eat in great amounts here due to lack of other abundant spices in the local markets) is one factor that cannot be discounted because they are basically MSG cubes used like bouillon in like I said, everything! Another would be the diet changes, heat, hormones, etc. I have started to chart them on the calendar, because it is ultimately annoying that every so often you get these headaches that completely dessicate your day. I immediately came home yesterday took a shower, ate, then went into the room and laid down. Then I decided that last time I had one it seemed to help to sit up and not let all the blood go to my head, so I alternated between laying down and sitting up in bed. But the rest of the day and night, until I sleep it off over night, is gone. But I have to say that I don't know which is better, not having been sick from the usual illnesses you expect when you come here to Africa, (knock on wood) OR having migraines. ???? Anyhow, today I'm back at the college for another meeting and then tomorrow classes are supposed to start, however unofficially, because it is (from what I gather) basically just a "meet and greet" type of thing. Nothing to worry about if you knew what you were teaching and where, but that isn't the case for me! Lately I have been thinking the Gambian people must be the most patient people on earth! hehehehe :) Hope you are all well!
Lydia

Another Monday

2007-10-01T06:15:00.000-07:00

So, its Monday. The major events for the day are doing laundry and coming to the college to get on the internet. This weekend was a pretty uneventful weekend as well. Yesterday there was an evening rainstorm, and so Andy and I ran to the back of the house and took an impromptu shower, cleaned the covered area, and filled up the buckets. That was nice and cool especially after the rain. This weekend I was again lamenting the fact that no one is going to visit us, I wish I could show someone the in's and out's of our life here. I can write about it, but until you show up here you don't really know ( ya know!?) But I guess that is the kinda of life we have! We can't expect people to just drop everything and come here, but it will probably be the only chance to come and stay with someone that lives here. We have been discussing other options when we are done with our service here, like extending to another country of Peace Corps service, we still have a while before we have to make that move, but really we kinda got start thinking about it. We are also trying to gather information about where would be good places to travel to while here in the west end of the continent. There are a lot of places that we are considering, but just deciding on one is difficult. Another idea we have been mulling around our heads is a sort of across Africa, Europe, Asia kinda of circumvent before heading back to the US of A. This is what we do in our spare time,...stare at the maps, breeze through the guidebooks and think of other places to go! Well, I don't feel too inspired today, so I am going to stop here. If you haven't written in a while make sure to drop me a comment, or email, or letter :) The initial wave of excitement to write I guess is over, but drop a girl a line! (If you have, it might not have gotten here in time to get picked up for mail run - when PC goes to pick up our mail and bring it to our respective sites- That was last week, no stops for us though, maybe next month!)

Clear blue day

2007-09-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

So, it is Saturday. It is immensely bright and blue outside today, I don't see a cloud in the sky. Last night was pretty as well, I was out in the middle of the compound spitting watermelon seeds out, and I looked up and through the mango tree leaves, I could see the moon (almost full now) with wisps of silver clouds around it. It looked amazing.
So, about the watermelon... They started to show up in the market about a week or so ago, and ever since then, I have had my mind on it. So yesterday, in the evening , about an hour before breaking fast time, I decided that I would go down and get one. I didn't want to walk because they are piled up in front of the post office, and it would have been a long walk with a heavy watermelon. So I decided to take my bike, ( which now has a yellow covered basket strapped perilously to it) . I thought if I put the watermelon in the basket just right, with a blanket around it to make it more stable, I would probably be alright to ride it home. So I rode off, and soon got to the area where they have a ton of watermelons just piled up on the ground in front of the post office. The vendor looked as if he was doing a brisk business, because that is a particularly busy time in the market. After I greeted him, I pointed to one of the melons and asked how much it was, he told me 55 Dalasi, and I said no thats too much. So I pointed to one right next to the first that was a little smaller, and asked how much that one was. He said 45, but I said no again, and kinda started to back away, when he asked how much I would pay. I said 30 D and he kinda just laughed, but I handed him a 50, put the melon in my basket, and asked him for my change. He laughed but I told him I was paying 30 for it. When he said no no no, I began to take the melon out of my basket, and he suddenly so ok ok ok. And gave me my 20 D in change. After which my basket promptly turn sideways with the weight of the melon. I am lucky it didn't tumble out, so I turned it upright, thanked the man, and walked my bike all the way home. I wasn't going to risk having 30 D of smashed watermelon on the road on the way home! So after dinner we cut it in half, gave half to the family, a quarter to another family in the compound and slurped up the other quarter between Andy and I . When I went over to the family's living room last night, they were gathered around a gigantic bag of sugar, and were counting out scoopfuls of it into plastic bags. They did this until they had several plastic bags full of sugar, piled in a bucket, and the big bag was completely divided up. One of the girls told me that they were giving it away to people. This just goes to show you how generous our host family is all the time, and nice and genuine. :) They take good care of us. Like last night, we get dinner, and then they brought us roasted peanuts, and then juice, and we go and give them melon. It is like we are always going back and forth with things to share with each other. Its kinda nice. This morning Andy and I watched one of the girls prepare the chicken they had just killed. We watched the whole process of plucking, and cutting, and washing, and it was all very amazing. Nothing like going to the store, buying the frozen, boneless, skinless, gutless, etc. chicken. The whole process Andy reiterated for me so that I could write it down step by step how they did it in a notebook, it was about 30 steps! All over a open fire. It was cool. The other lady in the compound wants me to cook with her today, so I have to head back to the house soon, (we are at the college now) The college is supposed to start next week some time, and there has been some issues with the scheduling of classes etc, so I still don't know when, how, what I will be teaching, hehehe. We are supposed to have a staff meeting next week, and then I will meeting with my counterpart again after that. I think school might actually start, not next week, but the next, but you never know! I am just trying to be as prepared as possible, and am getting the ball rolling on the nursery school next Saturday, we are going to go in and rearrange the class, and go through a new schedule, and make all kinds of fun stuff for the one class I am working with now. Ok, well, I gotta go!Hope you are having a great weekend! Write me! (email, letters... :)

Lazy Sunday

2007-09-23T05:51:00.000-07:00

So, my high hopes for lunch yesterday were slightly shattered as I realized that my stomach did not agree with the oatmeal I ate in the morning. As a show of support I decided I would still get up and eat my breakfast with Andy early in the am, and then we of course went back to bed. When I woke up, my stomach wasn't feeling so good, and so after drinking some gatoraid (thanks parents) and eating a cracker, I fell asleep on the bed. I felt ok after that, but did not get to have any lunch on my first day off fasting, save for the cracker. I was feeling well by evening, and ate dinner. Dinner was chicken, fresh from the compound :) When I was laying down, I heard a lot of squawking and the kids running around. Andy went outside to check it out, and came back a little while later stating, "no more chicken!" I'll miss that brown and white speckled one. .......
Last night while we were sitting on our porch playing cards there came a big black beetle, being mesmerized by our exposed bulb on the porch ceiling. It was so funny to watch, because it was so big and clumsy. It would start from the ground, kind of waddle around, stop, flutter its wings out at its sides, and then slowly start to lift from the ground. After swaying unsteadily between the confines of the porch on its way to the light, it would inexplicably slam into the side of the wall and land of the floor. This happened over and over again, and it was so funny I couldn't concentrate on the game (and thats the only reason Andy beat me!) Even after Andy swatted it out of the porch, it came back full force, only to slam into the wall and slide to the floor again. At one point the beetle was exploring the front of the doorway, and started dragging across its face and along its body a long string of dust clump. It was traveling the crease of the wall and the porch floor blindly, and it just looked so funny!
Well, there is not much going on today, Andy and I came to the college today to get some work done, I want to have some things prepared for my meeting with my counterpart tomorrow. And I also prepped some information for the nursery school. I want to start the ball rolling on our jibita "refrigerator" today if we can. The jibitas are clay pots that people put water in and it keeps it cool. The idea around the jibita refrigerator is that you have a small jibita and a bigger one that the small jibita will fit in. The space between the two jibitas is filled with sand and wet down with water. The evaporation that occurs keeps the things in the small, internal jibita cool, things like vegetables, etc, to keep them fresh longer. The larger, outer jibita has to be specially ordered, so we will have to go down to the pottery guy and talk to him about it.
A couple of nights this week, (including last night) we have been woken up with the intense winds and rain. We scrabbled to shut the blue metal shutters that cover the windows, but it is hard to get back to sleep because of the howling. But I am thankful that it rained because we had the buckets out and we got the water we needed to do wash today without having to extra trips to the tap. We had a few things lately show up with mold . Things like our baseball hats, and backpacks, so we had to wash those. Well, I guess that is about it for now, not too much to write about at the moment. Hope all is well!

Glad its Friday!

2007-09-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

Man, I'm glad its Friday! For several reasons! For one, today, I have decided, through much deliberation I assure you (I've been going back and forth for days now), that it will be my last day of fasting. :( I am pretty proud of myself for having done it for a good solid week though.
I have been visiting a nursery school in a village about 20 minute ride from here, and have found that I severely lack the necessary energy to put into that and my other projects. Next week I think I will finally meet the other teacher that I will be working with at the college, and in a week the college term will open, so there has been lots of prep work going on there. I just don't think I can teach with zero energy!
I am also glad that its Friday because I get a break from a hectic week, I have gone to the nursery school about three days this week, and I think I have my work cut out for me there! It is going to be a long (and probably painful) process for everyone involved! Like everyone warned, it looks like I will swing from being totally and inescapably bored, to being extremely busy, with little in between. OH, another reason, that I will admit to myself and you, for ending the fasting is because I finally got the birthday package from the parents, and those skittles and beef jerky have been screaming at me from the box! I can admit openly that the last four packs of skittles thoughtfully sent by my brother was devoured in less than 72 hours (wheeew got that off that my chest!) To the same person, I owe a giant debt of gratitude for the going away present of Nutella, which was probably the only thing that kept me sane during village training. Andy would find me in the back room of our hut, huddled on the metal food truck, stuffing my face with Nutella on pretty much anything I could find, crackers, bread, my finger...after a bad day.
While I am on the concept of food, (which is ever present with me especially on fast) I was considering some things that I missed the other day while I was pondering in the hammock trying to shut out the mosquitoes by pulling it closed around my body. I never realized that I would, out of the blue, have a craving for pork products, something that it seems is impossible to come by here. Mmm bacon! Also, another hard to get item is cheese, of any sort. If you go to Sera Kunda you can find it, but I can't buy any because of lack of refrigeration. Grated Parmesan would be heaven sent because it doesn't have to be refrigerated, and because of course i am a Parmesan lover (one of those people at Olive Garden that just says,'keep coming, keep coming, uh, you might need to go get some more...' when they offer fresh grated Parmesan), but I cannot locate it in the grocery store! (believe me I've searched!)
Another thing explicable missing is brown sugar, who would have thought! Man, I am such a 'foodie'! The other day, I made some good balsamic salad dressing from olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and salt and lots of black pepper. We had a crazy occurrence that inspired that dressing...... ...we got.... a salad to break fast from our family! It was delicious. :) I also think that making minestrone soup will be in the future, because I have been eying ingredients here in the market. Well, all of these things are just a part of moving to Africa I guess, and will be, along with the Wendy's fries, still be there in America in abundance when we get back in a few years!
Andy and I were discussing the fact that it seems to be going by pretty fast already, and we aren't even in the full swing of things! We were also discussing the fact that someone-one of you out there-needs to come visit us, and you will be staying in relative luxury at our house, with electricity, a bamboo bed, a stove, and a very close tap :) So, start your planning, and gather up your courage, (not like you need any!) and get on a plane over here! It will be an experience of a lifetime.
Ok, I think I'm done rambling for now, I gotta walk home and then chill out a bit, before maybe hitting the market, because tomorrow... I am going to eat lunch! Woweeee!

Saturday

2007-09-15T06:57:00.000-07:00

Hi, I back, I decided to come back to the internet cafe with Andy today, because it would help pass the time so I wouldnt think about eating so much! So, yesterday was the first day of fasting, and man it was difficult! In the morning at 4:30am we got up and ate bread and eggs and tried to drink as much as possible. After that we went back to bed until it was time for work. I rode to work and was there at the time I was supposed to meet my colleagues, but no one was around. I lolly gagged around for about an hour and a half, doing some work in the staff lounge before giving up and going to visit Andy at the beekeepers place. It was a little ride from the college but it was around 11:30 and it was very sunny and hot. After I checked that out I rode back home and stood in front of the fan to cool off for a bit. It wasnt good to be sweating so much when I wasn´t drinking or eating! So after we relaxed under the tree for a while Andy went inside to work on some stuff with a co-worker and I sat outside in the hammock we just bought from Andyś co-worker. I read for a while..it was very comfortable. :) Then Andy went to another volunteers house while I went to the internet. But I went a different way and got really lost and ended up walking down this street forever (about 45 minutes) and was so hot and sweaty and feeling like I was going to pass out that I turned back around. But not before I tried to ask some girls where the Nice cafe¨was. They promptly led me to a bitik down the street where I could buy Nescafe coffee! heeh. So I turned back around and got to this intersection looked to my right, and lo and behold I could see the sign for the nice internet cafe at the end! so I went -after some more muddy trails, and sat down at the computer. I looked at the screen and just to the right of it was that sign for ¨cool water for sale now¨. Man, everytime I took my eyes off the screen I read it, and wanted to cry! I started contemplating what my course of action would be if I passed out! After the internet cafe I had to get stuff for breakfast the next morning and also needed to get omo (laundry soap). But I did not want to go because I was so delirious and hungry plus I had my bike and it is very difficult to wheel around large potholes filled with mud and rainwater and through the narrow walkways that wind through some of the market. I circled a portion of it, eyeing things that I needed to buy before pumping myself up to go around again and actually buy the stuff. Its not that I dont like going there it was that I was very tired and wanted to go home and lay there until food came! So I gathered strength from somewhere and went and bought some eggs, tomatoes, and potatoes for some omelets and fried potatoes. I got home unloaded my stuff and chilled out till the food came. We were told that they break fast by drinking tea and eating bred, so when a plate of pasta, onion sauce,chicken, and fried potatoes came we chowed down thinking it was dinner. With Andyś help we ate the whole plate, washed it and returned it. About a hour or so later Andy was lamenting his suddenly full belly when Fatou J. comes up with a food bowl and says here is dinner! Andy just gaped at her them remembered to speak and thank her. He came inside and, his mouth still open, said ¨They brought us dinner?!¨ Apparently that first round of food was to break the fast! Little did we know! So after a marathon of eating we went to bed to wake up again this morning at 4:30. All night I was working out in my mind how I would orchestrate the breakfast so as to have the omelets and fried potatoes and tea ready as quickly as possible. When I awoke I started immediately because ---surprise! I was hungry! So I chopped the potatoes into tiny pieces to cook them up fast, Andy sat down with a bowl to crack the eggs into and whip up for the omelets. I continued chopping and heard him bang the egg against the side of the bowl, then he said,¨uh, Lydia?!¨ so I turned around and looked to see him holding a hard-boiled egg with half the shell cracked off! apparently folks I had unknowingly bought hard-boiled eggs! so much for omelets!

Well, that is the latest saga, but if you check out Andyś blog he has a version too. We arent doing much today, I just have my mind on the price once again, (the food at the end of the day! :) I am going to have to stop fasting as son as there is real work for me because I have a severe lack of energy when I am! Hope you are all well! Write me or something!

Hungry!

2007-09-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

Hey, all,
Man, I am so hungry. I am trying to fast today, an I only have about 3 more hours to go, but I am soooo hungry. I think that I would die and go to heaven for a cheeseburger and a coke right now! And I havent really craved that sort of thing until now! I am here at the internet cafe again, trying to keep my mind off food, (and water), but I got lost getting here, because I came from a different way, and went a long ways out of my way, was about go home, but suddenly came upon it. The sun in glaringly bright today, there are some sparse white clouds around, but it is difficult to keep from sweating out all the water that I dont want /can tafford to loose! Anyhow! I started ¨work¨ this week, and I use that term loosely , because we were supposed to have an all staff meeting but only about 15 people showed up, and we started about an hour and half past the meeting time. We got together in our respective subject groups, and then could not go any further than that really because we were supposed to plan for the term, but the syllabus was not printed out, they tried for the rest of the day to get it printed, but it never showed. Yesterday, only a few people showed up for our group, and today, I hung around for an hour, and no one was there. But everyone says this is how it works in the Gambia. :) Yesterday, they provided ¨lunch¨ for us, and it was a large hoagie with a ton of mayonaise on it, and french fries, and fried eggs, and later that night I threw it all up! It was the first time I have been sick here, but after I threw up I felt fine :) I sure you all wanted to know that, but hey, you get what you get! Man, there is this posted sign right next to the screen here at the cafe, and it says, ¨cool water for sale now¨, it is kililng me! Ok, well my main reason for coming here was to do some research on learning theories, because I think that is what I will be teaching this term, (not for sure as always) but they dont have any resources at the college, the students dont have books, and the teachers dont either,.. Time to do some research, talk to you all later!

Monday

2007-09-10T05:50:00.000-07:00

Hey all. I had another day of nothiness planned for today (I mean, realy difficult work of reading everything in sight!) , but instead went with Dharma to Fajara just to do some internet stuff and pick up a shirt had am having made at the tailors. Hopefully! Because I actually went there to have it made the Tuesday before our swearing in ceremony, and I came back like a week after he said it would be done and he still didn't have it,.. he should have it by now! I talked to my parents and David last night(hello) it was good to talk to them, though its hard to know what to say. Because I'm sure its expensive to call, there is a rush feeling to the conversation, at the same time there is so much to talk about. I feel like I don't give enough back in terms of conversation, blogging emailing, etc., to warrant all the great packages people have been sending. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
So, anyhow, I got my hair braided the other day by the landlord's wife. It was a fairly painful experience, because they pull on your head, and I was leaning over for a couple of hours, while sitting on a little tiny, barely above the ground, stool. After they finished I felt like an 100 year old woman getting up! Last time I had it done my head hurt really bad right away.. this time it took a little while for the numbness to dissapate before I started feeling the pain. And because I don't wash my hair while I have it in, after the pain goes away, it starts itching a lot! But I guess it looks pretty cool, ... ahh. the pain we go throuh for beauty! So lately I have been trying to find ways to relate to the landlord's family, ..( I will just call them my host family from now on).. That was a major reason for the hair torture-I mean-braiding. I made alphabet flashcards and they liked those, but what I really wish I would have brought is some children's books to do a kind of story hour. Another volunteer brought one and translated it into the local language, but I also think it would be good just to foster literacy and interest in reading, (they would probably just be facinated by the pictures) because right now I don't see that there is much. The kids in the compound are as follows: Fatou J. 16, Hadja ? (about 15) Jalika 12, Alieu 11,Fatou B. 6 , and Lamin 3, and all the neighborhood kids frequent our porch too. Lamin has a lot of little playmates that come around and are soooo cute, because they are all about the same age, and they fight each other over Lamin's little red rubber ball, and run around doing whatever. The other day they were freaked out because there was a spider on the porch with its web across it, and they were throwing their little flip flops at it. What's really cute is the tiny girl (Ma Binta) that hangs out with the boys, she has such attitude and once you start playing with her, is so lively. She, like many of the little girls you see here, wear little party dresses sometimes, they probably get from the many used clothing places in the market. You will see this little tiny girl, all dirty from playing in the dirt, runny nose, etc, with this gauzy, satin brightly colored party dress. It also just looks strangely out of place amongst the wrap skirts everyone else wears. The little girls also wear the wrap skirts, and for some reason, to me, they look like little grown ups in their full Gambian outfits.
Last night we went over the the host family's to talk about what we were going to do during Ramadan. I don't know if I have it in me to fast! But it might make things easier because pretty much everyone else will be fasting. They will get up early in the morning (like 6am) to eat breakfast, and then they don't eat or drink anything again until sunset . When we went to go talk to them about arrangements (because we get lunch from them and they won't be eating lunch) we didn't get much talking done, because the family was sitting in their living room watching Charlie Angels movie (Camerion Diaz and the like) on their tv! So we watched that with them, so it was funny because on the part where Camerion Diaz starts doing her booty shaking in her underwear, the dad fast forwarded through it. hehe, it was a little strange because there are a ton of sexual inuendos and I'm not even sure how much English they understood.
Today looks like it will be a fairly clear day, maybe its taking a break from all the rain this weekend! I hope at least until we catch a gelle (the transport van) and make it back home. Well, thats it for now, I think I am going to look up a few recipes, for things like corn tortillas (mom maybe you can help with these) , goat milk caramel, etc!

Internet cafe

2007-09-07T08:37:00.000-07:00

Hello all, I finally got to an internet cafe here in Brikama! Man, it took two tries in one day to find it, and very muddy feet to get here. Speaking of muddy, Yesterday I made the great decision to venture out for a bike ride to release a little energy, and ended up in the craziest rainstorm yet. Or maybe because I was on my bike in the middle of it that it seemed so crazy! I started out going towards the market, and I could see these impending clouds rising up behind the market, but I thought,¨eh, so I get a little wet!?¨ I should have known because everyone at the market and on the streets were running around like crazy, fast walking to where ever they were going , and putting away their wares. Then in the middle of the place, it let loose, so, I put on my raincoat, and was going to keep riding until the wind started blasting and great claps of thunder and lighting came! So I started to head home, which was a bit of an ordeal, because the roads are a muddy mess when they have had rain, and evern worse when your in the middle of the rain. So I finally got to our street and through the pelting rain could see that the street all the way past our compound is totally flooded, and not only that, it is gushing water from the perpendicular street! So I just charged it, and hoped that there werent any creatures washed away in the water.! After that I took advantage of the rain and got my evening bath.
Right now, are far as work goes I am not doing much, but hopefully a series of meetings next week will launch me into work full time.
I have received a number of packages since I have been here, thank you everyone! That list from the first blog is probably obsolete now, but if you have sent some of it, dont worry I wilĺ def. use it! Now that we are in our permanent living sitaution I have a better idea what I can get, and what I can´t. Hope all is well, maybe I will here from some of you this weekend!

Check it out

2007-08-25T02:36:00.000-07:00

Hey peoples I just read Andy's blog and it is much better at giving the overall feeling of the place, so read up, and ignore the misspellings like on mine! He also gives a link to a good compilation of our pictures! Yeah! http://nasdrovya.blogspot.com/