So I'm back in the Kombo area after only 4 days in village! There was a small problem in Ker Katim... the bidiks (small stores) were robbed by several men with guns. It's kind of a long story, not entirely pleasant...
It's wierd because The Gambia has no money! Ker Katim has no money itself but the bidiks there sell a lot of sugar to Senegal because they're right on the border, and sugar is cheaper in The Gazmbia (especailly if you sell it at night when customs is closed and you don't pay the sugar tax.) They use CEFA, a currency that's used all over parts of west Africa, and there was a lot of money concentrated there in little Ker Katim. I heard on the Gambian radio that 7 million CEFA was stolen. Several men were shot at, two were critically wounded but I think will be OK. When I heard gunshots, I left and went to a near-by village and stayed the night there.
This kind of thing never happens in sweet little Gambia! Gambians are so peaceful... if they were any more laid back, the recliner would tip over. If they had any more of their "peace only" they'd all be experiencing Nirvana... So it's sad that it happened, but I'm excited about getting to my new post, called "Jamagen" which I think, at least in Woolof, means "Peace" (jamma) and "more or most" (gena). So my new site is the most peaceiest place in all of Gambia...
Well happy hollidays to everyone! I'm getting PC transport tomorrow to take me to make the move, then I can sigh and start again. I'll being going even further up country to visit a group of friends for Christmas... can't wait! Take care!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Thursday, December 07, 2006
It is the eve of our swearing-in... the eve of our baptism in the murky croc-infested waters of PCV-dom! We will be born again as fully prepapred, totally trained and highly skilled PCVs... or something close-ish. We're all feeling pretty nervous about shipping out to our respective villages- partly nervous-excited, partly peeing our pants scared nervous (perhaps I should just speak for myself on that one). But we're ready for sure- this week has been tiring.
Our week has consisted of breakfast at 8, a few last mintue training sessions and LOTS of shopping. We've been browsing the little grocery and electronic marts on the few kilometer walk to the beach, trying to get stuff to cook with and to outfit our houses with. Our shopping lists include cell phones, shortwave radios to get our precious BBC, paint for our white washed plaster walls in our mud hutts, stoves to cook with and fruit trees to plant in our yards, seeds for out gardens, all manner of solar things, mattresses/pillows, ect.
The markets are amazing to me... you walk down the streets and everyone has their little cubby hole, selling whatever it is that they sell... fabrics, veggies, cell phone, cola nuts, brooms, fish... then you make a turn into the maze of alleys just jam packed with smiling Gambian sales people. Gambians are just so cool too, so laid back and they love to chat so it's a good place to practice language. I can't help looking around and just loving it all... humanity is sweet. But it's been a bit exhausting trying to anticipate everything we'll need for the next long while. We can shop at local markets in our villages, but of course they won't have much beyond the basics so we're stockin up.
What's NOT exhausting is the beach... there are four or five of us who make the walk about every day. The beach is really nice, the water is beautiful and the waves are really big... perfect for trying to body surf. That amounts to me jumping into an oncoming wave, getting pummeled like a sock in a dryer, giggling and swallowing a pint of delicious sea water... standing up, coughing, sputtering and repeating.
So... I'm trying slowly to upload picutres to Photobucket. I will also link my freind Karissa's pictures to my blog. She's a great photog. and should have some interesting pics.
Well guys this might be it for a little while! I will be off on Sunday to Ker Katim, where I'll spend my first three months trying to find my niche in my family and my village. A little about my project ideas:
In the North Bank, deforestation is devastating. My host dad, the progressive Woolof that he is would like to start a tree nursery so that he can sell trees for firewood and for building things- so I'll be trying to figure out how to start that. The other thing I know I'll be working on is writing a grant to get a water pump or a water catchment system in Ker Katim... they have two small wells, both open with no pump and both 30m deep! So water is hard to come-by, meaning it's hard to garden and to grow fruit trees, ect. Also, I'm hoping to work with another girl in a neighboring "big" village on the All School Tree Nursery Competition... it's all about the reforestation, and I am a big ol tree hugger. Can't wait! I will report back after our a few weeks in village, with some details of my project idas.
Write me, email me if ya want, send me news from the sates! Send me chocolate, send me CD's, send me pretty pictures of your smiling faces for my walls. I love you all, smooches.
oh, and crossword puzzels.
Our week has consisted of breakfast at 8, a few last mintue training sessions and LOTS of shopping. We've been browsing the little grocery and electronic marts on the few kilometer walk to the beach, trying to get stuff to cook with and to outfit our houses with. Our shopping lists include cell phones, shortwave radios to get our precious BBC, paint for our white washed plaster walls in our mud hutts, stoves to cook with and fruit trees to plant in our yards, seeds for out gardens, all manner of solar things, mattresses/pillows, ect.
The markets are amazing to me... you walk down the streets and everyone has their little cubby hole, selling whatever it is that they sell... fabrics, veggies, cell phone, cola nuts, brooms, fish... then you make a turn into the maze of alleys just jam packed with smiling Gambian sales people. Gambians are just so cool too, so laid back and they love to chat so it's a good place to practice language. I can't help looking around and just loving it all... humanity is sweet. But it's been a bit exhausting trying to anticipate everything we'll need for the next long while. We can shop at local markets in our villages, but of course they won't have much beyond the basics so we're stockin up.
What's NOT exhausting is the beach... there are four or five of us who make the walk about every day. The beach is really nice, the water is beautiful and the waves are really big... perfect for trying to body surf. That amounts to me jumping into an oncoming wave, getting pummeled like a sock in a dryer, giggling and swallowing a pint of delicious sea water... standing up, coughing, sputtering and repeating.
So... I'm trying slowly to upload picutres to Photobucket. I will also link my freind Karissa's pictures to my blog. She's a great photog. and should have some interesting pics.
Well guys this might be it for a little while! I will be off on Sunday to Ker Katim, where I'll spend my first three months trying to find my niche in my family and my village. A little about my project ideas:
In the North Bank, deforestation is devastating. My host dad, the progressive Woolof that he is would like to start a tree nursery so that he can sell trees for firewood and for building things- so I'll be trying to figure out how to start that. The other thing I know I'll be working on is writing a grant to get a water pump or a water catchment system in Ker Katim... they have two small wells, both open with no pump and both 30m deep! So water is hard to come-by, meaning it's hard to garden and to grow fruit trees, ect. Also, I'm hoping to work with another girl in a neighboring "big" village on the All School Tree Nursery Competition... it's all about the reforestation, and I am a big ol tree hugger. Can't wait! I will report back after our a few weeks in village, with some details of my project idas.
Write me, email me if ya want, send me news from the sates! Send me chocolate, send me CD's, send me pretty pictures of your smiling faces for my walls. I love you all, smooches.
oh, and crossword puzzels.
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