Hello All!
Wheew, where to even begin...
After two months up country we've finally made our way back to the greater Banjul area for the last week of training. It only took traveling all told for seven or so hours in a cramped and hot bush taxi to make it from my site in Janneh Kunda to reach the great metropolis here. The bush taxis are great experiences though, goats tied to the roof, chickens roaming about the floors, people grabing them and asking in angry voices, "Whose chicken is this?" Its a great place. The whole expereince has been incredible and even humbling, presenting the whole spectrum of emotions. Most of the time I was in my training village called Wurokang, learning Mandinka and how Gambians live, farm, socialize, eat and everthing else that comes with living with no electricity, running water, machinery, or anything we take for granted back home. I have really loved it, Gambian life is really nice, lots of time to talk and sit under mango trees during the heat of the day and at night sitting out under the stars around a small fire chatting about how things are in the world. With no lights to crowd out the stars you really become in tune with the moon and the night sky. Never in my life have I known what day of the moon it was and be certain when it will be rise and set. It presents a nice rhythm to time, the dark nights people go to bed early but on the waxing days people are lively and its almost like a big spotlight shinning down from above. All in all I've made some great friends both in the Peace Corps and also many Gambians. I tried to get out as much as possible to live the life that the people here live, heading to the fields to help harvest millet and groundnuts, went fishing on the river, collected oysters and ate them raw on the bank, so many beautiful things. My language is progressing slowly in my mind, but I've learned how to greet people (which is fairly long process in itself), tell where I'm coming from, the direction I'm going, basic questions, and of course plenty of flatery words (especially for the the food!). Always better to be on the good side of the cook! The culture here is amazing though, people are so friendly and eager to talk to you, wanting to know everything about you, and incredibly welcoming. Most days I ate up to two or three lunches as well as a couple dinners just because people wanted you to come share their food with them. Its really hard thinking about how to describe this place, so many things that cannot be conveyed in words. Like the way I thought the countryside would be quiet in the way it is back home, where there is no sound at night. But here, there's noise all the time, louder than Boothbay at the peak of tourist season. The women pounding grain in the morning as you wake up, the low tone of the rhythmic thumping eminating from their mortars and of course the constant braying of donkeys and roosters announcing the sunrise. All through the day this continues, at night the children recite qarantic verses around a roaring bon fire, parties are thrown for a new marriage with dancing and drumming, people listen to local music blasing from their battery powered radios and just the low tone of the village of 300 or so people talking in close proximity to each other. The place is alive with no hum of electricity.
I got to spend about two days in my permanent site placement which is the village of Janneh Kunda which is a small village about in the middle of the country on the south bank. Its about the most isolated peace corps site in the Gambia, about 50ks from the main road down a dirt track. Pretty wild I think. I spent my two days touring around, meeting local leaders and trying to feel out where I could work the most. The three projects I am thinking of so far are building a library and refrence area for the school, helping develop the existing community garden into a functional garden, and develop a market for the oysters that grow all along the banks of the river. So many things to think about and do though, I'm really happy I'm here for two years to try to do even half of them. I shouldn't get ahead of myself though. I do miss all of you back home, abroad in foreign lands, Canada, and where ever you are. And if any of you care to take the time to write a letter, I always love getting mail and will certainly try to write you back. My address is c/o Peace Corps..... PO Box 582.....Banjul, The Gambia.....West Africa. Simple as that.
I send you all of my love from here and only hope that you are all doing well
Lots of love
Nick
The gentlemen of my Peace Corps group looking very cool. As you may notice we all grew mustaches for our Swearing in Ceremony, quite fun really but I think it will be the last time I will have one. The guy in the blue shirt on the left is named Rob and is the closest volunteer to me, only about 25ks.
Some of my new family members sitting in my house brewing Ataya which is a fairly sweet and potent version of green tea. Gambians love drinking the stuff and when I'm in village there isn't a day that goes by without atleast one pot. Really good though!
From my time in training village hanging out in the evenings with some of the usual characters. As the dry season has come on, the nights have been getting colder and the campfire has become the buzz of social activity.
An early morning bush taxi ride from Janneh Kunda back to the main urban center of the Kombos. A beautiful ride, watched the sun come up over the sahel as low lying fog hung in the limbs of the baobabs.
Looking out over the mighty Gambia river in all of its glory from one of the largest national parks called Kiang West. This spot is about fity kilometers from Janneh Kunda and looks much like what I see there.
