5) Motion By the Ocean
The first weekend of October came time for another yoga retreat; this quarter, we held it at the seaside eco-resort of Sandele. As usual, 17 volunteers came together for three day of re-grouping, physical exercise, and meditation. Each person contributed their own bits of personality to the weekend as we had activities ranging from yoga to cards and abs classes to picture frame making, poem writing, and dance lessons. A long weekend of R&R mixed with nutritious food and plenty of good conversation really is the refreshing combination of things needed to keep going in this environment, and I feel so lucky and proud to be a part of both the team that makes it happen and the group of people reaping the benefits. 4) City Slickers
I have to admit, after a few days of stress-free bliss, the last things I wanted to do was head back for the first days of school, but, such is life. This year, the Ministry of Education assigned a few of our teachers to different schools, so we have a couple of fresh faces in town. One in particular is a young new teacher named Sainabou Mendy. She is a Manjanko (a typically Christian ethnic group) coming from just outside of Kombo.
We are slowly getting to know one another, but as we do, I am constantly amused by the vast differences between "city Gambian" and "upcountry Gambian". Sainabou, who has never seen the village life of her own country, is finding the adjustment to the simpler life to be....somewhat challenging. She is, for the first time in her life, having to fetch water and do household chores without electricity, and to be honest, I'm kind of loving it. After more than a year in Sare Ngai, I can wash my clothes, carry water on my head and scale a fish with my eyes closed, but because everyone else here can too, it's not that noteworthy. But now, I'm being asked a Gambian woman how I manage to live without all the creature comforts of lights and running water. I never thought I'd see the day. The other teachers just laugh and insist it's because I am "a true Gambian now"; maybe, but mostly I'm just happy to have someone else understand where I come from--even if it's just a glimpse. I already felt close to her, but the ultimate bonding moment came when she came bounding out of the classroom screaming that teaching these kids was impossible. She insisted, "They don't speak any English....and I can't speak any Pulaar!" I just smiled, crossed my legs, and said, "Sainabou...welcome to Sare Ngai."
I hope we get to work together this year as we both deal with similar challenges both in the classroom and in the daily stresses of life in this difficult yet stunningly beautiful countryside.
3) Trek Time
By the third week of October, it was time again to head in Kombo and continue work for Leadership Trek, the project I'm heading with two fellow PCVs, Jess and Elizabeth. We had just a few short days in which to cash the check from the grant, review the budget, buy supplies, organize huge bags of materials to drop off at the schools, divvy up payments for the people we assigned to cook the food during program, and finish the curriculum. It was hectic, but we managed to get it all done in four days, leaving time to pack up the PC vehicle and head upcountry, accompanied by three other girls who are leading Camp GLOW, the final week-long program to be held in January for the "winners", or stand-out students, of Leadership Trek.
We held meetings at each of the six schools, helping the staff understand their responsibilities for the day of the program. Menus and money for ingredients and materials were provided for the cooks, and teachers were briefed on the lesson plans for their sessions. Afterwards, the GLOW team explained the end- purpose of the trek, and then gave a few teasers regarding the January event. While things were a bit hurried, all six of us were able to complete our jobs, and are beyond excited to see how the final project turns out in November.
2) Soap on a Rope
Because school opened just as my work was taking me to other areas of the country, a few things didn't get done as I'd hoped. One things I accomplished last year was the implementation of Tippy Taps on the school grounds. These contraptions, fashioned out of four sticks, a piece of fabric and an empty five gallon jug of oil, are used as hand-washing stations for both the children and teachers to use throughout the day to promote a healthy environment. As collecting the proper materials took quite some time the previous year, my natural expectation was that the sticks and jugs were locked up--saved for use this year. Well, that proved all too much to ask for, as I found out upon my return from trek. This lack of foresight and planning is one of the many headaches that come with working in a developing country. If you can just throw the jug into a pile of trash rather than save it and keep it clean--even if it will save time and effort in the future--the easy way out always wins. So, defeated, I started from scratch; they pulled three male students out of class to help us search for and cut down the sticks we needed to create four Tippy Taps. Hours later, with the much appreciated help of the Ustas, or Koranic teacher, we had the holes dug, the logs chopped, and the structures finished. By the end of the week, the children were once again able to wash their hands before meals and after using the pit latrines. I can only hope, after my frustration-fueled lecture, that they remember to save all the materials for next year.
1) Got Milk?
The end of the month came up so quickly, I barely realized it was time for a Halloween party. Just kidding! I still love Halloween deeply and, although it fell in a busy month, I had my costume ready and made my way to Basse for a short weekend getaway. Because I am a Fula, the tribe known for their cattle, I have access to fresh milk, but most other tribes don't, so powdered milk reigns king in The Gambia. So, I decided to purchase some silky blue and gold fabric, and pull together a costume fit for a few laughs.
I wasn't the only one--costumes ranged from a character from Orange is the New Black, a pregnant dinosaur, a British sex tourist (a sad component of Gambian life) to cross-dressed men, Mugato from Zoolander, and The Dude from The Big Lebowski. It was a colorful crew, and it made for a fun evening with friends, forgetting the worries and stresses of site, and enjoying a bit of nonsense and a fair amount of boxed wine.
