Celebrating 25---Gambian-Style!

Thanks for all the 'Happy Birthday!' wishes!

I had a nice birthday and celebrated with Allison and Holly (my PC hostel buddies) by making a ton of food: quesadillas, salsa, taco-seasoned baked French fries, and bean dip, followed by dessert---make-shift chocolate milkshakes! (We didn't have a blender.)



It was great to hear from everyone, and admittedly I woke up in the wee hours of this morning feeling slightly homesick. I suppose that happens from time to time.

Miss you!

Just Kidding!

I knew I posted my previous post too soon yesterday. About an hour after doing so, my boss called me into his office and advised me that I'm now moving to site on Sunday, April 29. I'm excited/nervous/scared/happy all at the same time.

Ready or not, here I come!

Good-bye Until July

I received word yesterday from my boss that I will most likely be moving to my permanent site tomorrow, April 26. While this is not entirely set in stone, I'm pretty sure I'll be out of the Kombo area by the weekend. If you email me and I do not respond, it's probably because I've left, but rest assured I'll write you back eventually.

I will not be back in the Kombo area until early July for our group's reconnect/in-service training that also nicely coincides with 4th of July celebrations that Peace Corps is having for us. There is a rumor, however, that I may have access to the Internet at my friend's site, which is within a sizeable biking distance from my site. If this is true, then you may hear from me before July.

If you're interested, check my blog periodically and if you so desire, you can give snail mail a whirl! (You really have no idea how happy snail mail makes me.) I intend on writing lots of letters while I'm in my *now* 2 month challenge, so check your mailboxes!!!

I know I end my postings with cheesey thank yous more often than not, but I really can't thank everyone enough for your continued interest (my parents keep me updated and tell me that a lot of people have been asking how I'm doing) and your continued thoughts and prayers. Also, when you drink a cold drink, add a few extra ice cubes for me as my guilty pleasure over the next two months will be my trek to the bitiko to buy a lukewarm Sprite for 15 delasi.

Lots of love!

Stephanie
(wearing sunblock every day since February 1st)

It Is Nice to Be Nice

While visiting my friend this past weekend, we met a Rasta-bumster variety, who invited himself into my friend's house. (Said friend's host sister and brother were in the house with us, so it was safe---no worries).

Rasta-bumster, Alex, lowered his shades as he walked into my friend's front room, and said "Hello Nice Girls." (Apparently, all those who are not Gambian are referred to not only as toubab, but also as nice girl/boy...as if the whole term were a noun, not an adjective and a noun.) He proceeded to talk in circles, ultimately trying to convince us to have conversation with him sometime (i.e. date). My friend, her host siblings, and I were thoroughly amused as Alex is the epitome of the Bumster variety. We finally got him to leave, but he left one lasting impression---this quote, which he repeated about 42 times during our conversation: It's nice to be nice.

---

Today, I walked back to the PC house and along the way, stopped at the Vegetable Stand to pick up some tomatoes and cucumbers for my lunch (I made bruschetta, by the way, and it was delicious!). The Vegetable Man that I befriended these past few weeks was not to be seen. However, his counterpart, Buba, remembered me and greeted me with a smile. As I picked out some tomatoes and a cucumber, we chatted. I asked him how much I owed him and he sheepishly said, "Just take it." To which I replied, "What?!" and again he said, "Just take it." I tried to offer him money, but he refused and said, "Just take it, please." I thanked him and he asked my name and of course, I said, "Jaliika" and then he asked for my 'really' name, and I told him. As I said thank you in English and Mandinka and Wollof, I hurried away as if the Vegetable Man were watching from a distance and was going to yell at Buba for giving me "free stuff" and yell at me for accepting it. As I rounded the corner, I saw the Vegetable Man chatting with the Shrimp Man. Thankfully, there were no repercussions.

Maybe the Rasta-Bumster, Alex, was right in his own way: It IS nice to be nice.

Lesson of the Day: Befriend and patronize (frequently) the Vegetable Man and he'll give you free stuff (on occasion) and if anything else, he'll always give a friendly "Salalameekum" when you pass by.

Marching Along the Road

This past Saturday, I ventured to visit my friend (also a newly sworn-in Volunteer) at her nearby site. According to Gambian transportation experts (i.e. Peace Corps drivers), there were two different ways of traveling to my friend's site. I took the most direct route, which oddly enough had the most transport changes and was least expensive (Three vehicle changes in total, at a cost of 5 delasi each).

After my experience (recounted below), let me just say I'm glad I had much practice in NYC with flagging down taxis and navigating the subway (no subway here, though). Now, I'm not saying that Gambia's transportation system (or make-shift system) is by any means more difficult or complicated than NYC's---in all honesty, it's just different and that's the only way I can describe it.

*Note: I navigated all this alone.*

Scene 1: Don't try to rip me off---I'm NOT a tourist
So...the adventure started around 2:30pm when I left the PC hostel and headed to the traffic light (yes it's known as THE traffic light). There, I flagged down a taxi, with the hopes that I would only pay the five delasi fare in order to get to the next stop where I would flag down another five delasi fare taxi. Well, the first taxi driver I hailed assured me before I hopped in the vehicle that I would pay five delasi to the next stop. As we started driving, he proceeded to avoid confirming the fare as 5 delasi. (You know I asked him if the fare was 5 delasi several times, phrased in different ways, as I'm a person who needs to confirm things about 30 times). After a few moments, he stated that I had to pay a flat rate of 25 delasi. To which I said "25 delasi?!? No...5!" He then proceeded to drive me *almost* to the stop where I needed to go. He dropped me, literally at the side of the road (near another intersection, however, not the one where I needed to dropped). However, I am convinced that because of my *saucy* attitude (he told me I was "quite saucy" during our drive)and the fact that I made him feel pretty guilty about *trying* to take advantage of me, he didn't charge me ANYTHING at all. Score!!! Sometimes it's good to be "saucy".

Scene 2: Close encounters with the Rasta-kind
(Refresh: Taxi driver #1 left me by the side of the road.) I slammed the door of taxi #1 and looked for a group of people at my unintended stop to ask for directions/advice as to how to flag a taxi (that wouldn't rip me off). Unfortunately, the first people I saw were some rather suspicious looking characters (suspicious in that they were of the Rasta/bumster variety---look up bumster in a Gambian travel guide and come back and continue reading). I tried to scurry past them to a group of people beyond the suspicious looking characters, but I had no such luck as the suspicious looking characters were unavoidable along the path. They stopped me and asked me how I was. I told them where I needed to go. Conveniently and oh so coincidentally, one of the suspicious characters stated, he was a taxi driver! Rather than listen to his schpeal, I listened to my conscience which clearly told me that this guy was NO GOOD. Rasta-bumster man said I had to hire a taxi (with him being the driver, of course) and he'd charge me 100 delasi to take me to my friend's village directly. I immediately said "No way!" and asked him how far my 1st stop destination was. He said a ten minute walk, to which I said, "Thanks for your help. I'm walking. Goodbye!" He yelled, "If you would talk nicely to me, I'd take you for less than 100." I yelled back, "No way! You're not taking me anywhere!" and marched back to the road. (Picture Steph walking in the dirt alongside an urban West African paved road. It's like a movie, isn't it?)

Scene 3: Befriending a young woman with a baby
As I began my march towards stop #1 (yep, still hadn't reached my first stop yet), I smirked as I realized I just blew off Rasta-bumster man. Go Me! As I basked in my glory, I quickly snapped back to reality and realized that I *almost* missed the opportunity to possibly get another taxi that would take me to my first transfer stop. As a taxi pulled away, I yelled for it to wait and the driver pulled back over to the dirt shoulder. And guess what?! The taxi was headed where I wanted to go! I was taken to stop #1 wit no hassle and no problem. When I arrived to stop #1, the taxi driver directed me to the correct taxi for stop #2. As we rode to stop #2, I laughed at how ridiculously amusing, yet satisfying my life has become as at that moment. I was sitting in the backseat of a old Mercedes-Benz, painted yellow, with green stripes on its sides, between two very tall, thin Gambian men. Upon my arrival to stop #2, I befriended a mother, her young daughter, and the daughter's infant. Guess what?! They were traveling to my friend's village!

As I sat on a plastic mayonnaise tub, now filled with sour milk (the mother-daughter duo had been carrying it and placed it on the dirt for me to sit on), I practiced my Mandinka as we waited at the intersection for 30 minutes. My horrific, yet amusing experience in the beginning of my trek was now a distant memory. With the assistance of the mother-daughter duo, I caught the last transport vehicle to my friend's village. As I sat in the back of the gutted Toyota van, with my whiteness pervading through the windows so that every child we passed on the street could scream 'Toubab!', I realized that I was going to arrive in one piece and that I was living my dream, yet again. And more importantly, I took all the incidents in stride and with a smile on my face.

The recurring dream that I've had since I was about 15 years-old of navigating through an African country, communicating (albeit poorly), confidently, but cautiously, were now a reality. Something tells me I'm going to keep on livin' it...

(If only I could walk around filming these such incidents...)

You know those people who throw trash out of the car window while driving down the Interstate...

I may become one of those after two years of living here...


This is a photograph that I sneakily snapped this morning (there were no small children around to bum-rush my camera!). I walk by (multiple times) this sea of trash every day on my way to vegetable/fruit stand and the PC office. Here, in The Gambia, (and in other parts of Africa), trash is disposed of differently than in the States---or rather, it's placed in a designated area that usually is fairly public, near residential living quarters or where children play, and is then burned. On several occasions, I've been told by fellow Volunteers, PC staff, and Gambians that I can literally throw my trash down to the ground at any time as it does not matter here. (I have never seen a public waste recepticle here on the streets).

After almost 3 months of being in-country, I still cannot yet bear to throw my trash out the window or toss it over my shoulder. I suppose one day I will break down and do it, but until then I eat my Mars bar (yes, apparently, you start eating candy bars when you lack protein), take the empty wrapper, and hold it tightly in my hand until I can throw it away in the trash bin at the hostel/my house. Deep down, I know though, that my trash, that I consciously tried to dispose of properly, is then collected and probably thrown onto the pile you see here and burned later in the week.

What can I do?

Beach Boredom

Yesterday, I ventured to the beach for the afternoon, as my house is still not ready. I decided that I owed it to myself to 'relax' for a bit and write some letters, catch-up on some news (thanks PC for my 4 Newsweeks in my mailbox!), and play in the water. Because I find my Teva flip-flop tan (and my feet in general) to be so attractive, I figured I'd post a picture. I haven't had a tan like this since I was ten!

Oh Lord, Won't You Buy Me a (Gutted-Out) Mercedes-Benz (Van)?

Have you ever ridden in a gutted-out Mercedes-Benz van (geleh-geleh) with an old woman carrying a live chicken by its feet, a six year-old girlwho is puking because of motion sickness, and a driver who cannot go over 45 km at any moment because the road consists of 30 year-old asphalt that has eroded and is now riddled with potholes and red earth? You say you haven't?!? Then come visit me in The Gambia (this description entices you, right?), and I'll take you for a geleh-geleh ride! My trip, which was no more than 250 km, took two days (with a 5 hour journey each day) on 3 different geleh-gelehs total. Are any of my friends that are civil engineers currently looking for a project? I may have one for you.(Just kidding, The Gambia is working on it...slowly, slowly.)

In any case, I'll put a picture up of my experience soon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAPA!!!

Today is my Daddy's (??th) birthday! I'm not there to celebrate it with you, Dad, but I hope that you have a good one! I miss you and I really, really hope we can all get together to celebrate your extra special day next year. Hope it's happy and I promise to make you my famous FUNFETTI cupcakes and mojitos when I come home in two years.

Enjoy Tortilla Press with Mom and Sus, and don't drink too much tequila (or better yet, you all should have some extra for me.)

I love you.

My Musings and Brain Farts from the Past 2.5 Months

* One of my host brothers in training village, Yusefa, frequently wore a pink baby doll t-shirt that had the word 'TEASE' written on it. I was compelled to take a picture, but I thought that'd be mean. It made me laugh every time he wore it.

Journal Entry, March 7, 2007, 6:16pm
* I just came home from language class in village, and I have the impulse to "check my answering machine."

Journal Entry, March 7, 2007, 11:05pm
* I just used my pit latrine. I often wonder if I'll ever stop imagining the sound of a toilet flushing when I put the cover back on it. I kinda hope I don't, as it makes me laugh EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Journal Entry, March 8, 2007, 10:16am
* I think I should start singing "I always feel like someone is watching me" when using my pit latrine. (There were a few cracks in my fence and one day I found my little 5 year old brother peeping when I was sneakily eating cheese and crackers on my shower bench).

* When goats "baa" (do goats even baa?!?), it's sometimes hard to determine if it indeed is a goat baa-ing or a child that's crying/yelping. One day I thought I heard a goat yell "toubab". (Toubab is what white people are called here, particularly by little children who run after you while on your bike and scream "Toubab, give me minti (candy)!")

Journal Entry, March 20, 2007, 6:56pm
* I just rinsed my black bandanna out as it fell in the muck by the well where the cows hang out. When I squeezed the excess water out, it still smelled like the dryer sheets we use at home. HAPPINESS.

Journal Entry, March 21, 2007
* Kaniyleng (sp?) dancing (see above picture) is like the Philadelphia Mummer's strut on crack. (For all of you from Philly, this one's for you. I'll show you the actual video when I come home so you can see what I mean.)

*Rarely do I ever think to turn on a light switch. I guess all those years of walking around in the dark at home, Mom and Dad, really paid off. No, really it's because there are no switches to turn on.

Things I Miss in America & Things I Like in The Gambia

Things in/from America That I Miss
* Mama & Papa's homecooked-food
* BACON
* Princeton
* Driving around in the RAV4 with its owner
* New York City, more specifically, the East and West Village
* Whole Foods
* PHILLY!
* Driving around in the TSX and looking for places to eat dessert
* Cold drinks (when at site)---although lukewarm Sprite has become the most fantastic treat when it's available at the village bitiko (shop)
* The D&R Canal
* MY Trek Bike with Disc Brakes (I get my own brand new one here, but it's just not the same.)
* Pittsburgh and all the people there
* Of course, family & friends


Things I Like in The Gambia
* The moonlight (and when it's full, I don't have to use my flashlight in the middle of the night in village).
* The stars---they're so much brighter here and more abundant.
* Running at sunrise on a dirt road in village
* Running on the beach/(mini) cliffs
* Bucket baths at sunset
* Writing letters by candlelight, with muted sounds of Senegalese music from a nearby compound in the background
* Biking and the release it brings me
* Homemade, natural peanut butter (for cheap!)
* The Art of Stating the Obvious (My host father used to say in Mandinka: "Jaliika, you are sitting." To which I'd respond in Mandinka: "Yes, I am sitting.")

*Wish List Addendum*

So since I've been hanging out in Kombo these past couple days, I've been able to think of some more nice little treats for care packages. Again, my list is not exhaustive and feel free to add anything you'd like. Just remember to not send chocolate (except M&Ms). [Think of me licking the foil/wrapper clean. Yes, even I shudder at the thought of that...]

-Cheez-It snack packs (original flavor)
-pretzel packs
-tuna packs (pouches)
-assorted flavored drink mixes (may be a repeat, but it can never be over-emphasized)
-fig newton snack packs (assorted flavors, not just fig)
-gum
-(fun) candy
-Clean & Clear Blackhead Clearing Scrub (Target/CVS brands work nicely!)
-foot scrub/pumice stone (You don't really want me to put a picture up of my dirty feet, do you?)
-Columbia sunglasses (I apparently lost them or someone stole them) (I purchased mine through Campmor for a whopping $9.99). They were fantastic and I miss them terribly.
-L'Oreal GRAB (goop for my hair for when I venture to Kombo and want to look 'nice, nice')
-black (waterproof) mascara (for same reason listed as above; mine was contaminated when I had conjunctivitis).

THANK YOU.

Dream = Reality

Occasionally, I have moments here when I realize images of past dreams in my mind are now a reality. Yesterday, I had one of these 'moments'. In the afternoon, I decided to venture from my hostel to the big market in Serekunda. My mission: Find fabric! I walked 30-40 minutes along the busy road (because I wanted to and when I explore on my own, I do a better job of learning my way around). I tried to use my languages skills as much as possible. About 2 hours later, I was 12 metres of fabric richer and pleased with the adventure I had. Why?...because for so long I've envisioned myself walking an urban market somewhere in Africa, holding my ground, bargaining, conversing, and asking peope how they can improve their lives instead of them asking me when I can bring them to America. Yesterday, I did it. My dream was no longer an image in my head---it became a reality.

I'm livin' it...

Waiting...Slowly, Slowly...

It's official...I'm now an official Peace Corps Volunteer. My days in Kombo have not ended just yet. For reasons that I can't explain here, my permanent site has changed. My new site is just that---new, so therefore, my house is not ready. I'm not sure when I'll be moving to my new site, but hopefully sometime this week.

Overall, I'm relieved my that my site has been changed and is now located farther up-country, which is kind of exciting and transport is readily available.

The rest of my group left yesterday for their sites and only three of us remain here as we wait for our various site issues to be sorted out. Although I'm excited and anxious to get to my village, I'm told by 'older' volunteers that I should enjoy this extra time while I can. My morning consisted of buying toilet paper and candy bars for fellow group members who didn't get to make such purchases when they were here. Their packages of TP will be sent to them during mail run. What a feeling of accomplishment these past few days (note the sarcasm). Later, I think I'll head to the beach to write letters.

Send Letters (and perhaps a package...you have 2 years to send me at least one!)

Please send letters to me as they really do mean a lot when they are received and I carry them in my journal and frequently re-read them. If you're interested and would like to make me even happier whilst (favorite word Gambians use) in village, you can also send me goodies such as those listed below. (Please note the list is not exhaustive).

-granola (bars/cereal)
-clif bars/power bars
-dried fruit (cranberries/apricots would absolutely rock!)
-travel-sized bottles of hand sanitizer
-travel-sized tissue packs
-barrettes
-toothpaste
-travel-sized bottles of shampoo (NO conditioner!)
-salad dressing mix (dry)
-italian seasoning
-cinnamon
-pringles/baked lays (small size)
-star chart
-fruit leather (can be found at Trader Joe's)
-goldfish snack packs
-small world map (Gambians think London is in America)
-gum
-candy (only send chocolate if they're m&m's as chocolate will melt in packages)
-Belkin Back-Up Battery Pack for Ipod
-Batteries (AAA/AA)
-photographs (of things in the past/trips and events I'm missing) I'll put them in my scrapbook that Sarah made for me
-books (wish list to come)
-Burt's Bees Foot Creme Lotion
-old magazines
-q-tips
-fun paper/crafts supplies (so I can send homemade birthdy cards home!)

The End of Training

Hello Everyone!

This is just a brief post to let you all know that I am alive and doing well in The Gambia. After one bout with dysentery and conjunctivitis (in both eyes!), my ten week training period is coming to a close and if all goes well, I'll be sworn in as a Volunteer on Friday, April 13.

The last two months have been filled with a multitude of emotions, feelings, thoughts, and experiences. I am learning Mandinka, one of three major languages here. I've been living in a village with two other trainees and have studied/learned/practiced the language and tried to gain a better understanding of the culture. Some weeks were tough, some were great. Some minutes were fantastic and within the same hour, other minutes were unbearable. Emotions change quickly and so does one's outlook. Overall, though, I'm doing well here and trying to take it all in with a positive outlook. After all, this whole experience is what I make of it.

My host family during training was initially overwhelming---a father, two mothers (polygamy is practiced here), and a ton of children, ranging from 4 months-28 years old. All in all I had about 15 brothers and sisters in my compound. I'd grown to love my family and will miss them a ton when I move to my permanent site.

My diet consists of rice, fish, and peanuts (prepared in a variety of ways). Recently, I've been able to score some mangoes (there are a ton of trees all over here), bananas, and some green, leafy vegetables called 'jambo'. The days are hot here my house registered 104 the other day), and it will be even hotter in the next two months. The rainy season begins in mid-June; hopefully everything will be green/luscious by then. I can't wait! I've also become accustomed to fetching water carrying buckets filled with water on my head (yes, I'm serious), taking bucket baths at sunset, and writing by candlelight.

On April 15, I move to my permanent site, which is located directly in the middle of the country, south of the River Gambia. I'll be living in a fairly remote place, which is 7 km from the main road and I'll become a master at transport here and possibly even the art of hiring a donkey cart. My site is beautiful as there's forest, the River, and farmland all within a small kilometer radius. I'll be having to bike a lot and am looking forward to keeping in shape and even perhaps running along the various footpaths/dirt roads. My work at site is still kind of vague, and I will be entering a three month challenge upon swearing in. This time allows for me assess the needs of my village and my community. I'll be working with a community health nurse, public health officer, and the director of a regional health center. Although my job description is vague, it is nice to know that I'll be able to mold and craft my work here as something that is my own, and hopefully something that members of the community/need want.

In the meantime, please know that I miss all of you and there are many days that I think about my time back in the States with each of you.

Please check my blog throughout this week, as pictures will be uploaded and more blog entries will be posted. Care package wish lists and other musings will be posted shortly!

Meanwhile, I'll be enjoying this week---relaxing at the beach, eating ice cream, drinking cold drinks, and attending some more training workshops.

Happy Easter and all the best to everyone! Please know you are thought of and missed!

Love,
Stephanie