i in an internet cafe in brikama, the nearest big town. but i hardly call it big. typing on quite possibly the worst keyboard i´ve ever used. it took about 2 hours to get here in two gellah gellahs (minivans with about 18 africans and me crammed in) they come through the village a few times a day, and you have to know where they are going before you get in.
i can´t even begin to describe this so far. not least because this bloody keyboard won let me. i´ve gone, and continue to go through, just about every emotion. on the one hand, itś amazing. crazy. chaotic. mayhem. exciting. but on the other hand, itś disturbing, sad, frustrating and slow. the slowness hasnt bothered me yet.
im living with a village elder and his family. he is a very respected man around the village, he gets things done. he lives with his wife (18 years old), his brother and his two wives and their kids (7 in toatl), and a few teenage boys, haven worked out their connection yet. they´ve all been very welcoming, as has everyone ive met. one of the women speaks english a bit, fairly well, and he (ebrima) also speaks it. apart from that, everyone speaks mandinka or fula. so i think i will have a lot of time on my own to think, read, etc. though they rarely leave me to myself, always asking me to come sit with them under the mango tree.
i have 2 rooms, one sitting room with a simple couch, and a bedroom with a abed a table and a bench. then the door in the back opens onto my own shower and toilet area. the toilet is literally a hole in the ground the size of a folgers crystals can. aim is everything. and then the toilet has a heavy cover that you drag on and off. showering outside is actually quite nice. and itś completely private. all in all, the compound is much nicer than i thought it would be.
for food, the family eat thre etimes a day. yesterday i arrived in time for lunch. the women prepare it. it was a huge silver salad bowl of rice and one fish on top, with some sort of tomato sauce. they are big on their maggi here. (salty seasoning). the men eat separately, the women share one bowl. i shared with them. they eat with their right hand, rolling the rice into balls and then breaking off pieces of the fish and eating those too. no veg apart from the tomatoes. we had the same again for dinner. jeneba (the english speaking woman) would tear soem fish off and throw it in front of me. (youŕe not supposed to reach across), and the kids also eat from this bowl, so they are grabbing too. not the most hygenic but i suppose they are family. not sure how i am going to continue - i started with them, but may ask for my own bowl. i am going to buy some fruit at the market here in brikama to take back for my room. i think losing weight won´t be a problem.
there is so much more to write about, but this damn keyboard cannot keep up the pace.
i went to the school today. the kids stand up when i walk in and sing-song ´hello teacher, hello friend´ ... very cute, but also sad. some of the classes had no teachers, they hadn shown up yet - because they have to travel to get there. there is a german guy named andreas also teaching. heś probably early twenties, as part of his teaching course. i may tag along with some of his classes to see how he deals. i don´t quite get how it works here. apart from the fact that itś completely and entirely different from anything i´ve known.
iĺl try to explain more about the projects when i get my head around it. so far, i cant quite imagine how im going to be of any use here.
anyhow, must sign off for now. more whenever i can. xx
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5 comments:
hey meag
dont worry buddy. what you're feeling is completely normal! if you weren't feeling a bit freaked out and overwhelmed that would be weird. just take it as it comes and relax about what you're achieving. it's always mad being dumped in the middle of somewhere new and unlike anywhere you've ever been. but that's why you're doing it, right? three months out of your life. You'll look back on it and be glad you did it whether you love or hate every minute (and it's going to be a bit of both).
You'll look bck on this blog at the end and see how far you've come.
love you loads, you'll be FINE.
Anna xx
Can I just say that anna has said it all? Of anyone I know that can handle herself, I put more than faith in my cousin Meags! :) Much love from Michigan!!!
I am just amazed that you braved the gellah gellah on your first full day.
You already have all the answers my lovely daughter- the questions are just waiting to be asked. We love you so much!
Meags! Reading this makes me so excited. I imagine you sitting underneath the mango tree, eating fish and rice and just looking around to see this COMPLETELY different, new world one never usually gets to see. It's WONDERFUL you're doing this, hang in there, Anna's right - you'll be fine and looking back at these three months in amazement.
Lots and lots of love, Jas**
Meag,
One thing that I think will help keep you sane, and help you be more effective during the majority of the time, when you're GIVING--
GET AWAY from the day-to-day of AFRIKA as much as you can. I say as much as you can not because I think you should avoid your great adventure, but because I have a feeling that "as much as you can" won't be all that often. But, "as much as you can," find a place that is SOMEWHAT western. SOMEWHAT comfortable. Some place where you can DECOMPRESS. Think of it like this: During my month in India, preceeded by three weeks in Turkey, and just following the terrorist attacks we "got to" experience in Cairo, I EXPERIENCED. I SAW! I SOAKED IN! I REALLY was AMAZED. But I also suffered with bedbugs, foreign food, dirt, lack of technology, and SLOW, SLOW, SLOW.
While this was all VERY exciting, as it was so foreign, it was also very very taxing on my psyche, since it was so DIFFERENT.
I've learned over the years that, even in Europe, after a long day of sightseeing, it's REALLY nice to retreat into a WESTERN style hotel with a HUGE bathtub, Satellite TV, room service, a Spa, Indoor Pool, etc. I can relax, rest, and decompress, and then feel FULLY ready to tackle whatever city I happen to be in again the next day.
Now, of course, this won't happen for you. You can't retreat each night, much less find a hotel like I described. But you can find a place...even if just a place in nature that's PRIVATE where you can enjoy some Western comforts like Wine, special foods, etc. Or it might be a trip into the city to find a place where you can find a restaurant that will serve you a WESTERN style meal. When all else fails, go for the chow mein or spaghetti. They're EVERYWHERE in the world.
Just take care of yourself every so often and "recharge" so that you can really experience as best you can, and give as best you can, and not get so worn out that you get sick, tired, and unable to be there at your best.
I know you'll do great. I know you'll bring SO MUCH to all you meet. I know you know how to take care of yourself, but I also know that you're so excited and want to be a part of "village life" that a little reminder to take care of yourself at least once a week, if possible, can't hurt.
Stay well!
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