Aug 31-Sept 2
We slept in Sunday morning after our long trip and had a breakfast of taapalaapa (baguettes) and Nescafe. The house is very nice. There are second and third story balconies and then a rooftop veranda up on a fourth story. Yamai and Awa began our orientation that morning and we met Mohammed (our house manager from Sierra Leone) and Hatabu, our logistics coordinator. Mohammed and Hatabu showed us around town and makes sure that our house is in good shape and pick up our food. Awa, our language teacher from the Peace Corps gave us our first language and culture lesson. Baboucarr will be returning to teach us after he recovers from a foot injury. _
Before orientation that morning Femi called a contact of his to the house to change some money. In typical Femi style, he said “let me drink my coffee” and made him wait outside in the courtyard. After the appropriate time, Femi called him in and negotiated the price for an exchange rate. If you know the rate people it is much cheaper to work with someone on the street rather than going to a bank. Femi made the first deal for us and introduced his contact to us to change money in the future.
Later in the day Hatabu took us around town and we explored the town and our neighborhood a little bit, and rested until dinner. The Peace Corp Volunteers were supposed to join us for dinner, but it has been postponed each day. The current plan is Wednesday night. Although the little kids all call us toubab (white person), we don’t seem to be the typical tourists. It is not the tourist season, and we are not in the touristy areas, and we are learning Wolof so people in the markets like to talk to us and seem to know that we are students without any money. Most people assume that we are PCVs. On our walk we stopped by Chef Omar’s Kitchen, a little shack with good cheap food, which I’m sure we will frequent once classes begin.
Orientation and relaxation occupied the rest of the day. In the afternoon we had a language lesson outside in the shade with attaya. Attaya is a strong sugary black tea that is served in small glasses. Mohamed brewed it on a gas burner outside, through a process of aerating (pouring ) the tea and re-boiling until it was ready. It takes a long time to make attaya, and we were told that it takes time to watch before you can make it appropriately (I think that I can make it). Attaya is prepared usually during the hottest time of the day when it is too hot to be out in the sun. Most Gambians take to the shade during these hours. It is a time of relaxation that American culture lacks. As the locals say, “Gambia no problems.”
Jamie and I met a guy our age named Ade. He cuts hair and rents DVDs in a little “barbing salon” down the street from us. I went into his shop because there was a sign posted for piano lessons. He tried to help me get into contact with the teacher, but he didn’t answer his phone. On the walk back we met two guys who invited us to a football game, but the rain hit, so we went into our compound.
We woke up Monday morning to another language lesson and a cultural lesson. In the morning we went to the town Kachikally to the crocodile pool. The pool is a traditional sacred place that brings fertility. A woman might bathe in the water of the pool to bring fertility. I touched a crocodile and saw a big monitor lizard. After that we went to the Bakau market. It was full of bustle and a confusion of smells. Again lunch and a time to relax. In the afternoon an older woman named Aunty Kumba came to talk to us about marriage and Gambian (tribal and Muslim) family structure. It is common for Muslim men to have more than one wife. Gambian culture is patriarchal and respect is very important. If there is any conflict the family elder is called in. Extended families live together in big communes, and decisions are generally made communally. The group is far more important than the individual in Gambian culture.
Renee and I were hanging out on the street with Mohamed, and we ran into “L-boy”, a local kid who she knew from last time. He and his little friend climbed a mango tree and threw a fruit to us. There are mango trees everywhere. We walked by the football field and some of the streets in our neighborhood. There are a few bitiks one our street where you can get drinks and food. When buying soda you return an empty glass bottle to get another drink. We should adopt that practice here. Renee and I walked down to Ade and I asked about the teacher again. There were some kids outside of the shop, and we played talked to them. Renee said “Feecal” (dance) and she danced with them. Renee went back to the house while I waited. I met the teacher, Chris (Yinka) from Nigeria. He was educated in the west and seems to be doing well for himself and teaches piano out of the Methodist church around the corner on the side. I hope to work with him in giving lessons. As is typical, it rained in the late afternoon and night.
We took a cab to Bakau to visit Baboucarr to visit him and his family. He leg is healing in good time, and we stayed in his compound pretty late. His wife offered us rice with fish balls and water that we ate from a communal bowl. We finished it off with pound cake. Dinner was served earlier at our compound, but we could not turn down the offer. Ramadan also began this night with the new moon, and most people were praying in the mosques. Baboucarr is not fasting yet because of his injury. He is a very respected man in his community, and teaches language for us, Juniata’s spring program, VSOs and the PCVs (and he does everything else). It was late and difficult to catch a cab in that area, so he called his friend to come pick up five of us. That is over the legal limit for a cab, and the back roads to our house are bad, but because Baboucarr asked him to take us, he did. We were temporarily stuck in a watery ditch near our house, but we made it out.
Again dinner and bed. A word about meals…I cannot remember what we have had every night, but so far it has been characterized by rice, chicken, or a beef sauce with salads. Root crops such as carrots and cassava. Edit by Renee: We have had the opportunity to eat some of the most popular meals in The Gambia. A personal favorite is Benachin, which literally means “one dish”. It is a seasoned rice with protein, beef, chicken, or fish. We also have eaten domoda, which is a peanut sauce over protein, vegetables, and plain rice.
Morning breakfast and coffee. Renee taught our language lesson on Tuesday and then Awa took us to the Serrekunda market, the biggest in The Gambia. I bought some fabric to have a bag made and bought two shirts. Lots of us bought fabric. Awa bought a few things, including a stick to chew on that is good for the teeth. She maneuvered through the mud in his heels and beautiful attire with no problem. It is typical for a Gambian woman to visit the market every day.
Before lunch I went to the Bitik for a fruit cocktail soda (locally made soda). After lunch we went to the American embassy to hear about security concerns. There are very few. As the Gambians say, “It is nice to be nice.” Afterwards a police official came to our house to talk about laws. He said basically that there are no problems. The cops didn’t tell us, but other did, if the police give us any trouble, we should tell them that we are with St. Mary’s, where his excellency Jammeh received his honorary degree.
In the evening we bought a pompeter (potato) sandwich to share before dinner. It is prepared on taapalaapa with boiled potatoes, Gambian (warm) mayonnaise and a Gambian brand spice called Jumbo. We ate it on the fourth story.
After a dinner of beef curry, rice and mangoes, Renees friend Iman (from Sierra Lionne) came by. He is a tailor, and took measurements to make a bag for me, clothing for Renee, and a shirt for Jamie. He will make other things for us later when we come by his shop. He is a friend of Mohomed, and always makes clothing for St. Mary’s students. He gave us an open invitation for a potato dish at his house.
Later in the evening, we went to the Julbrew factory, with a bar out front for a beer. They had Nigerian reality tv playing on the flatscreen. On the way back we were caught in the rain. While walking back in the dark I said Salaamalakum to an older man in the dark. Renee was wearing a head scarf, and the combination of the dark, her headscarf, (and I’m told) my accent made the man ask us if we were Muslims. We said no, but that we are PCVs.
Right now I am sitting in the living room with everyone and typing this letter. The internet is currently not functioning. Power goes on and off.
Be Beneen Yoon (until next time)
We slept in Sunday morning after our long trip and had a breakfast of taapalaapa (baguettes) and Nescafe. The house is very nice. There are second and third story balconies and then a rooftop veranda up on a fourth story. Yamai and Awa began our orientation that morning and we met Mohammed (our house manager from Sierra Leone) and Hatabu, our logistics coordinator. Mohammed and Hatabu showed us around town and makes sure that our house is in good shape and pick up our food. Awa, our language teacher from the Peace Corps gave us our first language and culture lesson. Baboucarr will be returning to teach us after he recovers from a foot injury. _
Before orientation that morning Femi called a contact of his to the house to change some money. In typical Femi style, he said “let me drink my coffee” and made him wait outside in the courtyard. After the appropriate time, Femi called him in and negotiated the price for an exchange rate. If you know the rate people it is much cheaper to work with someone on the street rather than going to a bank. Femi made the first deal for us and introduced his contact to us to change money in the future.
Later in the day Hatabu took us around town and we explored the town and our neighborhood a little bit, and rested until dinner. The Peace Corp Volunteers were supposed to join us for dinner, but it has been postponed each day. The current plan is Wednesday night. Although the little kids all call us toubab (white person), we don’t seem to be the typical tourists. It is not the tourist season, and we are not in the touristy areas, and we are learning Wolof so people in the markets like to talk to us and seem to know that we are students without any money. Most people assume that we are PCVs. On our walk we stopped by Chef Omar’s Kitchen, a little shack with good cheap food, which I’m sure we will frequent once classes begin.
Orientation and relaxation occupied the rest of the day. In the afternoon we had a language lesson outside in the shade with attaya. Attaya is a strong sugary black tea that is served in small glasses. Mohamed brewed it on a gas burner outside, through a process of aerating (pouring ) the tea and re-boiling until it was ready. It takes a long time to make attaya, and we were told that it takes time to watch before you can make it appropriately (I think that I can make it). Attaya is prepared usually during the hottest time of the day when it is too hot to be out in the sun. Most Gambians take to the shade during these hours. It is a time of relaxation that American culture lacks. As the locals say, “Gambia no problems.”
Jamie and I met a guy our age named Ade. He cuts hair and rents DVDs in a little “barbing salon” down the street from us. I went into his shop because there was a sign posted for piano lessons. He tried to help me get into contact with the teacher, but he didn’t answer his phone. On the walk back we met two guys who invited us to a football game, but the rain hit, so we went into our compound.
We woke up Monday morning to another language lesson and a cultural lesson. In the morning we went to the town Kachikally to the crocodile pool. The pool is a traditional sacred place that brings fertility. A woman might bathe in the water of the pool to bring fertility. I touched a crocodile and saw a big monitor lizard. After that we went to the Bakau market. It was full of bustle and a confusion of smells. Again lunch and a time to relax. In the afternoon an older woman named Aunty Kumba came to talk to us about marriage and Gambian (tribal and Muslim) family structure. It is common for Muslim men to have more than one wife. Gambian culture is patriarchal and respect is very important. If there is any conflict the family elder is called in. Extended families live together in big communes, and decisions are generally made communally. The group is far more important than the individual in Gambian culture.
Renee and I were hanging out on the street with Mohamed, and we ran into “L-boy”, a local kid who she knew from last time. He and his little friend climbed a mango tree and threw a fruit to us. There are mango trees everywhere. We walked by the football field and some of the streets in our neighborhood. There are a few bitiks one our street where you can get drinks and food. When buying soda you return an empty glass bottle to get another drink. We should adopt that practice here. Renee and I walked down to Ade and I asked about the teacher again. There were some kids outside of the shop, and we played talked to them. Renee said “Feecal” (dance) and she danced with them. Renee went back to the house while I waited. I met the teacher, Chris (Yinka) from Nigeria. He was educated in the west and seems to be doing well for himself and teaches piano out of the Methodist church around the corner on the side. I hope to work with him in giving lessons. As is typical, it rained in the late afternoon and night.
We took a cab to Bakau to visit Baboucarr to visit him and his family. He leg is healing in good time, and we stayed in his compound pretty late. His wife offered us rice with fish balls and water that we ate from a communal bowl. We finished it off with pound cake. Dinner was served earlier at our compound, but we could not turn down the offer. Ramadan also began this night with the new moon, and most people were praying in the mosques. Baboucarr is not fasting yet because of his injury. He is a very respected man in his community, and teaches language for us, Juniata’s spring program, VSOs and the PCVs (and he does everything else). It was late and difficult to catch a cab in that area, so he called his friend to come pick up five of us. That is over the legal limit for a cab, and the back roads to our house are bad, but because Baboucarr asked him to take us, he did. We were temporarily stuck in a watery ditch near our house, but we made it out.
Again dinner and bed. A word about meals…I cannot remember what we have had every night, but so far it has been characterized by rice, chicken, or a beef sauce with salads. Root crops such as carrots and cassava. Edit by Renee: We have had the opportunity to eat some of the most popular meals in The Gambia. A personal favorite is Benachin, which literally means “one dish”. It is a seasoned rice with protein, beef, chicken, or fish. We also have eaten domoda, which is a peanut sauce over protein, vegetables, and plain rice.
Morning breakfast and coffee. Renee taught our language lesson on Tuesday and then Awa took us to the Serrekunda market, the biggest in The Gambia. I bought some fabric to have a bag made and bought two shirts. Lots of us bought fabric. Awa bought a few things, including a stick to chew on that is good for the teeth. She maneuvered through the mud in his heels and beautiful attire with no problem. It is typical for a Gambian woman to visit the market every day.
Before lunch I went to the Bitik for a fruit cocktail soda (locally made soda). After lunch we went to the American embassy to hear about security concerns. There are very few. As the Gambians say, “It is nice to be nice.” Afterwards a police official came to our house to talk about laws. He said basically that there are no problems. The cops didn’t tell us, but other did, if the police give us any trouble, we should tell them that we are with St. Mary’s, where his excellency Jammeh received his honorary degree.
In the evening we bought a pompeter (potato) sandwich to share before dinner. It is prepared on taapalaapa with boiled potatoes, Gambian (warm) mayonnaise and a Gambian brand spice called Jumbo. We ate it on the fourth story.
After a dinner of beef curry, rice and mangoes, Renees friend Iman (from Sierra Lionne) came by. He is a tailor, and took measurements to make a bag for me, clothing for Renee, and a shirt for Jamie. He will make other things for us later when we come by his shop. He is a friend of Mohomed, and always makes clothing for St. Mary’s students. He gave us an open invitation for a potato dish at his house.
Later in the evening, we went to the Julbrew factory, with a bar out front for a beer. They had Nigerian reality tv playing on the flatscreen. On the way back we were caught in the rain. While walking back in the dark I said Salaamalakum to an older man in the dark. Renee was wearing a head scarf, and the combination of the dark, her headscarf, (and I’m told) my accent made the man ask us if we were Muslims. We said no, but that we are PCVs.
Right now I am sitting in the living room with everyone and typing this letter. The internet is currently not functioning. Power goes on and off.
Be Beneen Yoon (until next time)
3 comments:
How did your kayaks fair on the plane ride to The Gambia. Ben....
What wonderful experiences you are having! And you are just the person to soak it all in and learn important life lessons. Can't wait to hear more. Enjoy!
had they ever heard of "the Klampits" flying?
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