... or is that just the red wine in my system from yesterday? probably a bit of both! yesterday was my last day on the job. i'm not going to say much about it (i've invited my now-former colleagues to the blog) except that it was fabulous! a perfect way to end my 7 1/2 year career with EUSA - though feeling a little worse for wear this morning.
spent most of it in bed plowing (ploughing?) through the rough guide to the gambia listening to the griot music my dad got me for christmas (cheers dad!). starting now to get a little nervous about the SIMPLEST things. traveling and living in another country doesn't scare me - but what do i do when i meet someone new? do i shake hands, bow, curtsey? - and what if i'm hungry in the middle of the day - or what if i need to use the loo in the middle of the night? all the things that would be so easy for me to navigate in a familiar place...but that might be tough at first in africa. i suppose only time will tell - and i'll take my cues from those around me (i highly doubt they curtsey in the gambia!)
i'll be met at the airport on friday by the country manager and the head of the compound (he must have a different title, i'll have to figure that out). i think i get two nights in a hostel/hotel and time to do logistical things like change money, sort a sim card out for my cell phone, register with the american embassy, etc. i read in my guidebook that the first saturday of every month, the government has imposed a 'clean the nation day' (set-setal) where everyone stops for the first half of the day to pitch in and clean up their local village, picking up garbage etc. so perhaps i'll roll my sleeves up and get dirty! can't think of a better way to get involved!
more interesting facts:
* the gambia is roughly the size (not shape) of connecticut - 11,300 sq kilometers.
* population over 1.5 million, and growing - with a birth rate of between 4-5 infants per child bearing woman.
* it is one of the poorest countries in the world, with an average annual income of $370 (ANNUAL!!)
* since its independence from britain in 1965, it has been a multiparty democracy. the current president (his excellency al-haji yahya ajj jammeh) is only the second president. he ousted the first with a coup in 1994.
* it was formerly 'gambia' but added 'the' to the name post-independence to eliminate confusion with kambia (in sierra leone) and zambia.
there you go, lesson for the day!
thank you to everyone for your emails and well wishes! i'm sorry if i haven't responded individually to everyone, but i appreciate all the thoughts and positive vibes you're sending!
(posting this here mainly for my parents, but should anyone else ever wish to call the gambia, jason found a site with very cheap phone cards from the US, something around 6 cents/minute. http://www.extremephonecards.com/. not that i'm expecting calls, who knows what the connection will be like under the mango trees.)
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
what am i ACTUALLY doing?
a lot of people have been asking me what i'm going to be doing in the gambia? truth be told, i'm not entirely sure. i have an idea, based on emails i've received from the country manager who has been working very hard to line up projects for me (after i told her that i wasn't sure teaching full time was going to be the best use of my skill set). i'm excited at what she's come back with, though not entirely sure which projects i'll end up working on. cut and pasted from a few of her emails, here's a gist of what it is (at least pre-arrival):
"I have just come from a meeting with Ebrima Sarr who will be your host in Makumbiya. He is a delightful man and I am sure you are going to be able to get your teeth into what we are proposing.
He proposes that there are several projects you can help with:
1.the establishment of a new nursery school for makumbiya and its 4 satellite villages. Help needed to develop the teaching staff (all unqualified), develop the curriculum encouraging the staff to visit other sites etc, and development of administrative systems for the school. this is being undertaken in partnership wth the Christian Children's fund
2. Continuation of the jolly phonics work in the lower basic school. Also they are very interested in establishing a sustainable garden project for the school which you could lead.
3. working with the Kafos in the area to establish a women's network across the villages. Ebrima has been charged with this by the village development. the kafos are like co-operatives and there are 10 villages in the area to involve in this . There is planning, implementation of development to undertake. Gathering members together. helping each kafos to identify its own priorities and how it is going to acheive them."
And a bit about where I'll be staying (Alison was the previous volunteer):
"Ebrima is the head of the compound but several members of his extended family live within it. Jenaba is ‘head woman’ who speaks very good English and will encourage you to join in the female activities in the compound. Offering to get involved in the cooking is a great way of getting to know the women and they are the ones you will share your days with. Oh and the children as well. There are several children in the compound – a couple of the older children are in the school but Allou and ‘boy’ are the stars of the show – the two 3 year olds who occupy a big space in the compound.
Alison sent a tip in order to get some privacy – negotiate with jeniaba at the start that when your door is closed the children should be encouraged to stay away from your room. Alison did her best to keep them out of her bedroom but she let them into the living area with her – never unsupervised! She spent time playing games with them or reading stories. She also spent a lot of time sitting outside on the benches under the trees with the children and women. Picking up Mandinka this way is the best! We will provide a short language lesson for you during your orientation weekend."
so .... teaching, gardening (!), organizing a nursery, developing cooperatives. wow! i think i'll just be lead by wherever they need the most help. we shall see. i leave on friday at 9:15am (GMT) - so a few more days to prep for this. though as i said earlier, thinking too much about it makes me somewhat apprehensive. in the meantime, i'm getting my fill of meat and not worrying a bit about my caloric or fat intake. (or the size of my thighs, which, seeing as i'm not allowed to show my legs for three months, suits me very well!)
"I have just come from a meeting with Ebrima Sarr who will be your host in Makumbiya. He is a delightful man and I am sure you are going to be able to get your teeth into what we are proposing.
He proposes that there are several projects you can help with:
1.the establishment of a new nursery school for makumbiya and its 4 satellite villages. Help needed to develop the teaching staff (all unqualified), develop the curriculum encouraging the staff to visit other sites etc, and development of administrative systems for the school. this is being undertaken in partnership wth the Christian Children's fund
2. Continuation of the jolly phonics work in the lower basic school. Also they are very interested in establishing a sustainable garden project for the school which you could lead.
3. working with the Kafos in the area to establish a women's network across the villages. Ebrima has been charged with this by the village development. the kafos are like co-operatives and there are 10 villages in the area to involve in this . There is planning, implementation of development to undertake. Gathering members together. helping each kafos to identify its own priorities and how it is going to acheive them."
And a bit about where I'll be staying (Alison was the previous volunteer):
"Ebrima is the head of the compound but several members of his extended family live within it. Jenaba is ‘head woman’ who speaks very good English and will encourage you to join in the female activities in the compound. Offering to get involved in the cooking is a great way of getting to know the women and they are the ones you will share your days with. Oh and the children as well. There are several children in the compound – a couple of the older children are in the school but Allou and ‘boy’ are the stars of the show – the two 3 year olds who occupy a big space in the compound.
Alison sent a tip in order to get some privacy – negotiate with jeniaba at the start that when your door is closed the children should be encouraged to stay away from your room. Alison did her best to keep them out of her bedroom but she let them into the living area with her – never unsupervised! She spent time playing games with them or reading stories. She also spent a lot of time sitting outside on the benches under the trees with the children and women. Picking up Mandinka this way is the best! We will provide a short language lesson for you during your orientation weekend."
so .... teaching, gardening (!), organizing a nursery, developing cooperatives. wow! i think i'll just be lead by wherever they need the most help. we shall see. i leave on friday at 9:15am (GMT) - so a few more days to prep for this. though as i said earlier, thinking too much about it makes me somewhat apprehensive. in the meantime, i'm getting my fill of meat and not worrying a bit about my caloric or fat intake. (or the size of my thighs, which, seeing as i'm not allowed to show my legs for three months, suits me very well!)
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
tupperware-o-supplies
i could really use my dental floss – i ran out last week. and i would buy more, except that i’ve already bought some, but it’s packed away neatly in my tupperware-o-supplies sitting inside my backpack waiting to be opened on my first night in the gambia. ridiculous, i know. it’s a bit like getting school supplies at the end of august but not wanting to ruin them before the first day of school in september. so instead, you look at them, and reorganize them, and play with them (though not enough to bend the edges or break the tips or wear down the erasers). or maybe this was just what i did. i was kind of a neurotic kid like that.
truth be told, i’m a little nervous i might get stopped by customs and immigration in banjul demanding my tupperware-o-supplies and asking to know whether i am part of some sort of covert drug smuggling operation or whether i intend to open my own veritable pharmacy in their tiny country. i think i went a bit overboard in walmart before i left. i have tylenol (anticipating caffeine headaches as they don’t do coffee there, i’m told); doxycyclin (for malaria); multivitamins (which i must remember not to take at the same time as my malaria pills lest i negate their effectiveness); antibiotics for when the local cuisine doesn’t agree with me; chewable tablets for when i don’t agree with it; rehydration salts for when we’ve finished disagreeing and need to get back to normal; cold medicine in case i get the chills in the 90 degree weather; calamine lotion (for the bug bites); antiseptic wash and facial wipes (my daily ‘showers?’); eye drops (eye drops??); sunscreen for life near the equator; after sun lotion for the evenings when i’m radiating heat; one of every kind of bandage available to a hiker (there was no ‘going to africa’ first aid kit sold at REI so i had to make do and masquerade as a hiker); medical scissors and tape; feminine products; and from my source, a few ambien for the times when none of the above will do.
don’t ask me WHY i have all this. and say a little prayer that the customs officials don’t ask either. or maybe, save those prayers for me not having to USE most of it! (apart from the malaria pills which are required daily). but you can’t say i’m not prepared!
in fact, you might be surprised that i have any room at all left in my backpack. i’m hardly taking many clothes. hoping that fashion sense isn’t something i’m going to have to worry about while i’m there, and that no one will notice that i’ve worn the same skirt five days in a row. (if only i don’t spill when attempting to eat with my right hand only, i think i can get away with this). but heck, i haven’t worried about my fashion sense since i left london, why start now? though i’m told i can get a tailor to make me an outfit in town for less than $10! i am SO going to do that.
i’ve got a bag full of books and school supplies as well – thinking that will come in more handy than the extra clothes, and pretty certain the kids will think so too! pencils, crayons, construction paper, books and flashcards. i’ve ordered a few books on ‘jolly phonics’ from amazon to take which is apparently the system of learning that the previous volunteer begun with the children. if anyone has heard of this or knows of tips on teaching this style – please do share!
i’m also taking a small 4x6 photobook with pictures of everyone i love and my feather pillow from home. i am a creature of comfort, afterall. i doubt that will change in the gambia.
truth be told, i’m a little nervous i might get stopped by customs and immigration in banjul demanding my tupperware-o-supplies and asking to know whether i am part of some sort of covert drug smuggling operation or whether i intend to open my own veritable pharmacy in their tiny country. i think i went a bit overboard in walmart before i left. i have tylenol (anticipating caffeine headaches as they don’t do coffee there, i’m told); doxycyclin (for malaria); multivitamins (which i must remember not to take at the same time as my malaria pills lest i negate their effectiveness); antibiotics for when the local cuisine doesn’t agree with me; chewable tablets for when i don’t agree with it; rehydration salts for when we’ve finished disagreeing and need to get back to normal; cold medicine in case i get the chills in the 90 degree weather; calamine lotion (for the bug bites); antiseptic wash and facial wipes (my daily ‘showers?’); eye drops (eye drops??); sunscreen for life near the equator; after sun lotion for the evenings when i’m radiating heat; one of every kind of bandage available to a hiker (there was no ‘going to africa’ first aid kit sold at REI so i had to make do and masquerade as a hiker); medical scissors and tape; feminine products; and from my source, a few ambien for the times when none of the above will do.
don’t ask me WHY i have all this. and say a little prayer that the customs officials don’t ask either. or maybe, save those prayers for me not having to USE most of it! (apart from the malaria pills which are required daily). but you can’t say i’m not prepared!
in fact, you might be surprised that i have any room at all left in my backpack. i’m hardly taking many clothes. hoping that fashion sense isn’t something i’m going to have to worry about while i’m there, and that no one will notice that i’ve worn the same skirt five days in a row. (if only i don’t spill when attempting to eat with my right hand only, i think i can get away with this). but heck, i haven’t worried about my fashion sense since i left london, why start now? though i’m told i can get a tailor to make me an outfit in town for less than $10! i am SO going to do that.
i’ve got a bag full of books and school supplies as well – thinking that will come in more handy than the extra clothes, and pretty certain the kids will think so too! pencils, crayons, construction paper, books and flashcards. i’ve ordered a few books on ‘jolly phonics’ from amazon to take which is apparently the system of learning that the previous volunteer begun with the children. if anyone has heard of this or knows of tips on teaching this style – please do share!
i’m also taking a small 4x6 photobook with pictures of everyone i love and my feather pillow from home. i am a creature of comfort, afterall. i doubt that will change in the gambia.
preparing for a change!
so here it is, the first entry of my new blog. i’ve been meaning to get this started for ages but just haven’t had a good chunk of time to devote to a proper entry. i’ve wanted to write all about the build up to africa – why i chose the gambia in the first place, my thoughts, my fears, my excitement. but each time i sat down to post an entry, i found myself overwhelmed with nerves and anxiously turned back to my ‘things to do before i leave for africa’ list to cross something off so that i might feel efficient and productive. (if you know me well, you know this makes me happy). it’s not really that i’m nervous about this, although i admit this is the first of my travels in a very long time where i’ve had a guidebook that devoted a section to women traveling on their own and where i’ve been thinking about my own safety more than i would on a trip to, say, paris.
and if i’m not really nervous, it’s only because i don’t think i’ve actually stopped for a moment in the last four months since deciding to do this to actually THINK about what it is i’m doing. sure i’ve packed my bags, bought my mosquito net, been jabbed 7 times in the left arm and skimmed through the lonely planet – but i’ve not really REALLY spent time contemplating the journey on which i am about to embark.
but i think that’s actually a good thing.
i’ve been harping on for years at students about ‘managing expectations’ – and i think not having the time to think much about this is actually helping to keep my own expectations very low. and by low, i do not mean that i expect to have a miserable time. quite the opposite, i am prepared to be floored by the experience. but like the previous volunteer said to me in an email, it’s going to be 50% amazing and 50% pure shit. i’m prepared for both.
so what am i looking forward to?
… the challenge of dealing with an entirely different way of life, eating with my right hand out of a bowl with the family i’ll be staying with, learning songs and dances, a new appreciation for the definition of success, quiet time to read and think, mangos, rice and vegetables (maybe losing 10-15 pounds because that’s all i’ll eat!), talking with the locals, long evenings with no electricity, learning bits of a new language (mandinka), contributing in some way that makes a difference – even if only in that moment and not for all time, finding the courage to let go of what scares me and to try new things – despite feelings of embarrassment or inadequacy.
and what am i dreading?
… accidentally eating with my left hand, bugs bugs and more bugs – especially in the night, gaining 10-15 pounds because ALL i eat is rice, too much time for thinking, being without easy access to technology, electricity or running water, being away from the people i love the most.
but i can handle it. it’s 3 months. and i’ll be back to a new life in milwaukee in no time – so i must be careful not to wish the time away or rush the experience. (as if i could even ‘rush’ time in the gambia, where they are said to operate in GMT, ‘gambian maybe time’). it’s going to be an amazing experience … and hopefully i’ll get into the nearest village with an internet café once a week to take you along for the ride.
a few points to note:
• i am going to try to use this blog to communicate my experience – so please don’t be offended if i’m not able to write individual emails telling you how i’m doing. but that doesn’t mean i don’t want to hear about things from you! (assuming you are not a random stranger who has stumbled upon this blog)
• i don’t think i’ll have a snail mail address – so i would really love to hear from you with updates – but please, for the time being, take me off your forward lists. i’ve unsubscribed from most of my list-serves so as not to be bombarded with advertisements and garbage!
• please feel free to forward this blog to people who know me or who you think might be interested. everyone is welcome to comment – and it’s always nice to know who commented if you don’t mind filling that part out, rather than leaving it as anonymous. (except for the flower lady, i can always recognize her posts!) ☺
• i have absolutely no idea what to expect of the internet capabilities, though have been told there is a ‘fast’ internet café in a nearby village – but a bush taxi takes about 30 minutes to get there and i have to wait until the taxi (bus) is full before it will leave, and sometimes it will be direct, and other times it will stop at every village on the way, and i won’t know which bus i’m on until it starts moving. so … who knows how often i’ll be able to communicate.
• i should, however, have a mobile phone when i get there. all gambians have them. how they power them without electricity in most of the villages, i’ve no idea, but i’ll find out. thankfully jason gave me a solar powered charger, so i should be ok for phone and iPod! (hooray, thanks jason!!)
and if i’m not really nervous, it’s only because i don’t think i’ve actually stopped for a moment in the last four months since deciding to do this to actually THINK about what it is i’m doing. sure i’ve packed my bags, bought my mosquito net, been jabbed 7 times in the left arm and skimmed through the lonely planet – but i’ve not really REALLY spent time contemplating the journey on which i am about to embark.
but i think that’s actually a good thing.
i’ve been harping on for years at students about ‘managing expectations’ – and i think not having the time to think much about this is actually helping to keep my own expectations very low. and by low, i do not mean that i expect to have a miserable time. quite the opposite, i am prepared to be floored by the experience. but like the previous volunteer said to me in an email, it’s going to be 50% amazing and 50% pure shit. i’m prepared for both.
so what am i looking forward to?
… the challenge of dealing with an entirely different way of life, eating with my right hand out of a bowl with the family i’ll be staying with, learning songs and dances, a new appreciation for the definition of success, quiet time to read and think, mangos, rice and vegetables (maybe losing 10-15 pounds because that’s all i’ll eat!), talking with the locals, long evenings with no electricity, learning bits of a new language (mandinka), contributing in some way that makes a difference – even if only in that moment and not for all time, finding the courage to let go of what scares me and to try new things – despite feelings of embarrassment or inadequacy.
and what am i dreading?
… accidentally eating with my left hand, bugs bugs and more bugs – especially in the night, gaining 10-15 pounds because ALL i eat is rice, too much time for thinking, being without easy access to technology, electricity or running water, being away from the people i love the most.
but i can handle it. it’s 3 months. and i’ll be back to a new life in milwaukee in no time – so i must be careful not to wish the time away or rush the experience. (as if i could even ‘rush’ time in the gambia, where they are said to operate in GMT, ‘gambian maybe time’). it’s going to be an amazing experience … and hopefully i’ll get into the nearest village with an internet café once a week to take you along for the ride.
a few points to note:
• i am going to try to use this blog to communicate my experience – so please don’t be offended if i’m not able to write individual emails telling you how i’m doing. but that doesn’t mean i don’t want to hear about things from you! (assuming you are not a random stranger who has stumbled upon this blog)
• i don’t think i’ll have a snail mail address – so i would really love to hear from you with updates – but please, for the time being, take me off your forward lists. i’ve unsubscribed from most of my list-serves so as not to be bombarded with advertisements and garbage!
• please feel free to forward this blog to people who know me or who you think might be interested. everyone is welcome to comment – and it’s always nice to know who commented if you don’t mind filling that part out, rather than leaving it as anonymous. (except for the flower lady, i can always recognize her posts!) ☺
• i have absolutely no idea what to expect of the internet capabilities, though have been told there is a ‘fast’ internet café in a nearby village – but a bush taxi takes about 30 minutes to get there and i have to wait until the taxi (bus) is full before it will leave, and sometimes it will be direct, and other times it will stop at every village on the way, and i won’t know which bus i’m on until it starts moving. so … who knows how often i’ll be able to communicate.
• i should, however, have a mobile phone when i get there. all gambians have them. how they power them without electricity in most of the villages, i’ve no idea, but i’ll find out. thankfully jason gave me a solar powered charger, so i should be ok for phone and iPod! (hooray, thanks jason!!)
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