Back in Kombo area now and back to having internet, electricity, and running water. Oh the luxuries of life. Since the last post I've been mostly in Jiroff my training village. It was wonderful!! We had a naming ceremony and received gambian names (mine was Adama Jowe), participated in the slaughtering and then cooking of a ram for Tobaski, and learned language culture and common practices for the country. It was our opportunity to make mistakes but still have support from staff.
Along with time in the village we had sessions at a touristy camp near by, Camp Tendaba. It is a beautiful spot on the river, and though the food was not good, we did have some more modern facilities. We've learned about everything from clay stoves and bee keeping, to brief history lessons of the country and how to involve women in community meetings.
Some highlights:
Learning how to ride a bike in the sand: The first day we took our bikes out for a tour, our families came to see us off. I waved goodbye, hopped on my bike, and rode about 10m before hitting a patch of deep sand. In slow motion my bike stopped dead and I rolled off the side onto the ground. All of my teenage host brothers were on the porch and burst out laughing, one even jumped off the porch he was laughing so hard. I gathered myself, brushed off the sand, did a little bow, and walked my bike through the deep sand to the more compact stuff.
Tobaski: Along with the traditional ram slaughter and feasting, our town had a football (soccer) game against a neighboring village and a 'disco' in the school, which didn't start until midnight. When Joanna and I finally headed home with her siblings at 3a my 14yr old sister was still dancing!
Jangjangbureh: In our training session there are two groups ENRM (environment and natural resource management) and HCD (health and community development). For most things we are together, but for 4 days we had a trip to visit current volunteer sites and other places around the gambia that are implementing interesting technology and ideas with environment. We stayed at a camp here where monkeys are everywhere. You had to defend your plate at breakfast to keep them from stealing your food. They were adorable!
Now we're back in the kombo area staying at the transit house and doing a few last sessions before swearing in and becoming real volunteers!!
I miss everyone back home, and I'm so happy to be getting your e-mails, letters, and packages!! I'm posting photos right now, so hopefully those will be up, and i'll put a link here.
