its been a few fays of ups and downs. i alternate between feeling really excited for the work i will be doing, and terrrified of being in a village by myself. it doesn;t help that we keep having meetings about what to do in different situations (weird heath situations when you're in the bush, what to do in case of violence). in all, i'm pretty nervous. and communication isn;t as available as i expected, so i may be doing some snail mail(my address is above). i have a cell phone but it hasn't let me do a lot of international calling, and its expensive anyway(like $1 per minute! but i can recieve for free....and texting hasn't been successfull either, but you're welcome to try!
the number i use most is 0112207060734
but i MAY use 0112209309033 to call YOU becasue it might be cheaper, so if that pops up on your screen, answer it!
food is pretty good, lots of rice with spices and roasted chicken(although i;m told to expect less of that in village). today we tried eating in teh traditional manner for the first time. all the food is served in a communal bowl in the middle, and we all sit around it and eat with our right hands. it was really hard to eat the rice...and i made a big mess...so all in all i didn;t eat very much because it took so much effort to get to my mouth because it all fell out, so i hope i get better at that.
on friday, we will be leaving to go to training villages to be immersed in language for the next 10 weeks. we will also be learning other techniques(pit toiletes, water purification, tying a wrap skirt). so, while i will have cell service, no email and no updates. so i'm not hurt, i'm just out of town.
anyhoo. its an adventure. different than i expected. lots of ups and downs. eeek
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
i'd bless the heck out of some rain...
hey all,
this is going to be quick because I don';t have much time.
Greetings from The Gambia! Its Sunday night and I am at the Peace Corps office near Banjul. We have been here for 4 days, and have been kept busy busy the whole time. Upon arrival, we were whisked to a compound where we were given dinner, and then we all crashed in bed.
the next day, we began language classes. here, greetings are lengthy and very important, so we are learning the greetings in each of the three main languages, Mandinka, Wolof, and Pulaar. this was hard because they each translate to about the same thing in english, but the languages are completely separate, and each phrase has a response, and you can't mix them up, which i often did. so, greetings all began with wishing each other peace, then one person asks the other how they are doing, how their family is, how their work is, how the morning is, how they slept, etc. the other person just answers, and the answers are all pretty much translate to "fine." then, you switch, and the person who was answering asks all the questions. you must do this with everyone you meet, even if all you want is to buy a tomato or ask a question. so it takes awhile.
the next day, we learned which language we would be learning more fully for when we are at our site. I will be learning Mandinka, which is the largest ethnic group. Other than hours of language cramming we have been getting shots, discussing conceptions and misconceptions, and getting breifed about what to expect next. we haven't left the compound much other than to go on a big white person expedition to the grocery store. i'm anxious to be more independant!!
things feel similar to east africa, and the smells are the same.
outtie. love you all.
this is going to be quick because I don';t have much time.
Greetings from The Gambia! Its Sunday night and I am at the Peace Corps office near Banjul. We have been here for 4 days, and have been kept busy busy the whole time. Upon arrival, we were whisked to a compound where we were given dinner, and then we all crashed in bed.
the next day, we began language classes. here, greetings are lengthy and very important, so we are learning the greetings in each of the three main languages, Mandinka, Wolof, and Pulaar. this was hard because they each translate to about the same thing in english, but the languages are completely separate, and each phrase has a response, and you can't mix them up, which i often did. so, greetings all began with wishing each other peace, then one person asks the other how they are doing, how their family is, how their work is, how the morning is, how they slept, etc. the other person just answers, and the answers are all pretty much translate to "fine." then, you switch, and the person who was answering asks all the questions. you must do this with everyone you meet, even if all you want is to buy a tomato or ask a question. so it takes awhile.
the next day, we learned which language we would be learning more fully for when we are at our site. I will be learning Mandinka, which is the largest ethnic group. Other than hours of language cramming we have been getting shots, discussing conceptions and misconceptions, and getting breifed about what to expect next. we haven't left the compound much other than to go on a big white person expedition to the grocery store. i'm anxious to be more independant!!
things feel similar to east africa, and the smells are the same.
outtie. love you all.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Departure and Staging
Alright, Ladies and Gentlemen, this is my first actual post. I now know that I can say that I am a Peace Corps volunteer, I am just obligated to say that none of the opinions or experiences written here are considered official Peace Corps publications or official Peace Corps opinions. They are my own as a volunteer. I also cannot say the exact community where I will be posted(convenient because I don;t know).
So yesterday, I left Oakland. That was sad. It was hard to say good-bye, and I will be honest and say that I am scared as well. What if this isn;t what I imagined or planned on? So...when I was dropped off, I checked two big bags, and got no flack. Then, I tried to go through security and was rejected because my carry-on was too big. In honesty, it is too big. The bag is fine, but it was stuffed to the max. This lady said that it was unsafe to bring on to the plane. I don't usually cry to get my way, but this seemed like a good time to try. "I'm going to Africa for two years and I need ALL of it!!" No dice. So, I unloaded and put on another shirt, folded up a dress and put it in my pocket, put all my underwear in my pockets and filled my water bottle with t-shirts. It worked, and I repacked as soon as I got through security. So there. I win.
I arrived at 12:30 am in Philly and went straight to the hotel. I must say I was grumpy and that the all Christmas music station we listened to in the shuttle didn;t help.
However, upon awakening and meeting my roommate, I found her to be very nice and upbeat. In fact all the people I have met have been very nice people. There are about 20 volunteers in our program in all. Today we finished paperwork, discussed safety issues(don't flash your money, don;t walk alone at night....duh), and discussed what will happen when we arrive in Banjul. Most volunteers are my age, or a little younger. There is one married couple, and two people who are in their late 40's or early 50's. All seem very nice, and I'm eager to see how people turn out.
Tomorrow, we will start by going to the clinic at 7:30 am(ouch!) then checking out of the hotel and going by bus to Newark. We will fly out around 1 pm, layover in Brussels, then arrive Thursday evening in Banjul.
Thats it. I'm overwhelmed. Two years? for reals, what was I thinking?
So yesterday, I left Oakland. That was sad. It was hard to say good-bye, and I will be honest and say that I am scared as well. What if this isn;t what I imagined or planned on? So...when I was dropped off, I checked two big bags, and got no flack. Then, I tried to go through security and was rejected because my carry-on was too big. In honesty, it is too big. The bag is fine, but it was stuffed to the max. This lady said that it was unsafe to bring on to the plane. I don't usually cry to get my way, but this seemed like a good time to try. "I'm going to Africa for two years and I need ALL of it!!" No dice. So, I unloaded and put on another shirt, folded up a dress and put it in my pocket, put all my underwear in my pockets and filled my water bottle with t-shirts. It worked, and I repacked as soon as I got through security. So there. I win.
I arrived at 12:30 am in Philly and went straight to the hotel. I must say I was grumpy and that the all Christmas music station we listened to in the shuttle didn;t help.
However, upon awakening and meeting my roommate, I found her to be very nice and upbeat. In fact all the people I have met have been very nice people. There are about 20 volunteers in our program in all. Today we finished paperwork, discussed safety issues(don't flash your money, don;t walk alone at night....duh), and discussed what will happen when we arrive in Banjul. Most volunteers are my age, or a little younger. There is one married couple, and two people who are in their late 40's or early 50's. All seem very nice, and I'm eager to see how people turn out.
Tomorrow, we will start by going to the clinic at 7:30 am(ouch!) then checking out of the hotel and going by bus to Newark. We will fly out around 1 pm, layover in Brussels, then arrive Thursday evening in Banjul.
Thats it. I'm overwhelmed. Two years? for reals, what was I thinking?
Sunday, October 12, 2008
More excitement to come
Hey all,
This is the future site of my upcoming adventures in The Gambia. This blog is for my friends and family to check my progress, read my stories, etc, but I fully recognize that it is open to the public and could be accessed by anyone.
So let me explain. On November 5, 2008, I will be leaving to serve in The Gambia for a US-based volunteer organization (am I even allowed to say the name of the organization? I just figured maybe I'm not allowed to, since I might do something dumb, then write about it on here, and then my name would be associated with this highly recognizable volunteer organization). Anyhoo, I'll be working in the health sector, but I have no idea where in the country, or to which project in particular I will be assigned.
My goal for this blog is to write honestly about what I am thinking, feeling, and experiencing. I write how I speak/think, so it may not always be professional, but hopefully will have an element of my voice.
Thats that. I promise the next entry will be from Gambia.
This is the future site of my upcoming adventures in The Gambia. This blog is for my friends and family to check my progress, read my stories, etc, but I fully recognize that it is open to the public and could be accessed by anyone.
So let me explain. On November 5, 2008, I will be leaving to serve in The Gambia for a US-based volunteer organization (am I even allowed to say the name of the organization? I just figured maybe I'm not allowed to, since I might do something dumb, then write about it on here, and then my name would be associated with this highly recognizable volunteer organization). Anyhoo, I'll be working in the health sector, but I have no idea where in the country, or to which project in particular I will be assigned.
My goal for this blog is to write honestly about what I am thinking, feeling, and experiencing. I write how I speak/think, so it may not always be professional, but hopefully will have an element of my voice.
Thats that. I promise the next entry will be from Gambia.
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