Not much to post today... in fact, I have to hurry back to a bike training session. Yes, I will be getting a bike... I can't wait. And like everything else with the Peace Corps... I'm sure most of the session will be an OVER STATEMENT of how to be safe. We've spent a lot of time on safety and security, but I'm glad we have. I'd rather be too prepared than not enough. I would like to say this though. If anyone is thinking of sending a care package, I would love anything that might be considered "comfort food," like the packets of soup that you just have to add water to make chicken noodle soup... or some crackers. I would kill for a saltine cracker right now. It's funny, I loved the food when I first got here, but now it's started to get a little rough on the digestive system. Simple food would be good to have... granola bars are also hard to come by. So that's it... Next time I post will be from the bush!

Today we visited two gambian schools. It was quite an experience. I am starting to get very excited about the next stage in my journey... village life will be very different. I have been learning about how to filter and treat my water, how to recognize and treat different diseases and conditions, and how to travel safely. By the way, I need to make a few corrections to earlier blogs. I mentioned that the Fula people are the third largest ethnic group in the Gambia, but they are actually the second largest behind the Mandinka. They are not predominant here in the urban areas though...but they will be more so as I travel upcountry. So sorry about the misprint. Also, the town I went to a few days ago is spelled Bakau, not Basau. I get a little confused with the accents around here sometimes. I will try to post one last time tomorrow before I dissapear into the bush on Friday!

Another day

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Words cannot describe exactly how I feel right now, but it makes me feel good to try, so here I go. Today began like most of our other days so far. Cultural and language training, safety and health awareness, one more round of immunizations... my body is pumped full of immunizations at this point... At the end of all of this, we took a trip to the crocodile pond in Basau, which is not far from where we are staying in the Kombo region. The crocodile pond is very historic and mystical to the Gambian people who believe that the crocodile symbolizes fertility, and come to the pond to pray and/or bath in it one cannot bear a child. There is also a small museum with various African artifacts and historical summaries from different Gambian time periods. The crocodiles are tame, and allow visitors to pet them... so here is my snapshot of petting the crocodile. However, take this picture with a grain of salt, because the true experience of getting to the pond was worth more than a picture to me. In fact, I had my camera out, ready to take a picture, and decided that there was no way to truly portray the streets of Basau with a photograph... so I put it back in my purse. This was my first image of what it really means to be in a third world country. The homes of these people were crudely constructed of corrogated tin and stacked upon each other very closely. The streets were crowded with people of all ages, goats, dogs, and trash. A small stream filled with trash and what smelled like a sewer... and probably was... ran beside the road. Since the crocodile pond and the museum attract tourists, the children come running to you asking for gifts and money. They are used to seeing Toubobs like us, which is the Gambian word for foreigner or outsider. We drove our air-conditioned Peace Corps van through these crowded streets, each of us taking in the sight of it all. Then we got out of the van, went into the museum, took a bunch of pictures and read a bunch of information. Then we each waited in line to have our picture taken petting the crocodile... then we walked back to the van, got in, and drove off. Many of my fellow trainees have traveled to very poor third world countries before, but no one had seen a sight quite like this before. I believe that this is why the Gambians are wear such bright, beautiful colors and act so happy all of the time. They have to add a little bit of color to their lives. This experience has run deeply through me. I am determined to do something to add a little bit more color to the lives of even just a few...

Training

Life has been intense since I arrived here. Everything is so different... the sites, the sounds... even the smells. It's hard to describe the smell, but do you know how your nose tingels a little bit when you burn insense? It's kind of like that, but different. The food has been delicious so far, but I'm told I should eat it while I have it, because once I go to my village, I'll be eating mostly rice and simple sauces. I've been eating fresh mangos everyday. I took this picture of one of the mango trees in our compound here when I was feeling artistically inspired.

The most challenging aspect of PC training for me right now is language training. I am learning a language called Pulaar, which is the language spoken by the Fula tribe. It is the smaller ethnic group out of the three main groups in Gambia. The other two are Mandinka and Wolof. Out of all twenty of us volunteers, there are only three of us learning Pulaar. The rest are being trained in one of the other two. So far, I we have spent hours on learning greetings. Greetings are very important to the Gambian people. You may spend five minutes going through all of your proper greatings before you actually have a conversation. There are general greatings like"Salaam Malaakum," which is spoken in all three languages. Then there are different greetings for morning, afternoon, evening, and night. Pulaar is very beautiful to listen to. There are a few new sound that I am having trouble with, but I hope to learn them all with plenty of practice. All of us traininees have been walking around using greeting after greeting with whoever will talk to us. Most people speak several different languages around here. You most commonly hear English, Wolof, and Mandika, but I also hear French and other Gambian languages from some of the smaller ethnic groups. It is incredible to me how normal it is for Gambians to speak two or three languages fluently. Not many Americans have that opportunity. My language trainer's name is Ide. She speaks 5 languages fluently. I am constantly in awe of it. She will be coming with us to our training village and living in the village for 10 weeks with us. We will each be placed with a different family. Part of our language and culutural training will be from them, and part will from Ide. We will also be making trips to meet up with the other PC trainees and train in our skills. There is so much to take in... sometimes it is a little overwhelming!

Today we have the day "off," so we will be making a trip to the beach. Last night, we went out to a local bar, and were able to have a few drinks and meet some other Peace Corps Volunteers who live close by. It was nice to let off some steam after such an intense day in training. It is hard to believe that I have only been here a few days. So much has happened. I am not sure how often I will be able to update this in the upcoming months. Right now, I am at an internet cafe because I cannot upload my photos at the Peace Corps headquarters. And since all of us trainees are here in town right now, there's usually a long line of trainees and PCV's waiting to use the computers there. I will try to update when I can though. I finally have some gambian money and stamps though, so I will begin writing letters soon!

These are some local kids I came across at the mosque yesterday. They love to pose for pictures!

Correction to yesterday's blog: I was not emailing from the American embassy... it was the Peace Corps headquarters. They both happen to be on the same street though. Right now, we are back at PC headquarters just putting some items in the safe... then I go for my interview, where they will begin to determine which job I will be assigned to. I have met many Peace Corps Volunteers so far, and many PC employees as well. I went for a run this morning with two other PC trainees, and we were joined by two gambians... just running down the road in their flip-flops. It kind of made me laugh at myself to think of how I've spent so much time and money on all of my sports/outdoor "gear." These guys just need flip-flops. We will continue with our series of immunizations today (Oh BOY!), and other activities as well...

I made it!

After over 26 hours of travel through three different time zones, we made it into Gambia this evening around 6:00 (Gambian time). I saw the Sahara desert for the first time in my life from the airplane. It went on and on. I wasn't sitting near a window, but I would occasionally get up and check with a friend to see if the landscape had changed yet. For a while, each respose was simply "Yep, more sand." Lots and lots of sand. I wish I could describe what it felt like to look out the window and see the Atlantic coast of West Africa for the first time. We were all pressed against the windows like kids at a zoo. It was very beautiful. We had a group of Peace Corps staff and volunteers meet us at the airport, which really made a potentially stressful situation very easy. They were all extremely helpful and very friendly. We are staying in the Kombo area for the next week, right down the street from the embassy, which is where I am sending this email from. In our compound, I have already seen a ton of beautiful birds, geckos, and other small lizards. This is such a colorful country. And good news for me... it's mango season right now... I just heard a loud pound from the roof which I was told was a mango falling from one of the various trees. I'll have to go searching for a ripe one tomorrow! I couldn't use the phone cards I brought, so it will have to be email until I get a new one... but I am safe and well (just tired)! We will be staying in this area until Monday, when we will go to our training villages. I probably won't be online much during that time period, but I will send updates as soon as I am able!

My last night in the USA

I just finished my training seminars for the day, and I am full of nervous energy ( but in a positive way) right now. Today was a mix of saftey and awareness training, cross-cultural issues, and general travel details. At the end of the day, we were split into groups and were asked to portray one of the concepts we talked about. Since I'm the only one with an instrument, I was asked to come up with a song. A few of my new friends jumped in to help me out. By the way, two of the girls here, Becca and Liza, are fellow Appalachian State University graduates... we've had a great connection so far. So we, along with my "roomate", Blair, came up with a Peace Corps/Gambia version of Rocky Top. It was perfect, really... three of us lived in the Appalachian mountains so we figured a bluegrass song was appropriate... Rocky top is the theme song for University of Tennessee, which, coincidentally has the mascot of the "Volunteer"... and my brother and sister-in-law are Tennessee graduates. They would have been very proud! Tomorrow we get to go through a bunch of immunizations and then head to the airport, so my next blog with probably be from Africa!

I made it to D.C. yesterday afternoon and finally met the rest of my group. There are 19 of us in all. We are all education volunteers... either primary teacher trainers, secondary science and math teachers (like myself), or ITC teachers. We come from all over the country and from all different backgrounds. Most of the group are in their early or mid 20's, a few are like myself, and a few are quite a bit older. I'm really poor at judging ages, but I'm pretty sure that at least two of my fellow volunteers are old enough to have grown children, but I haven't gotten to know them well enough yet to know whether they do or not. After our training yesterday, we split into groups and went out for food and to check out D.C. a bit. Some people had never been here before, so we might do a little sight-seeing this evening. Before that, however, we have 12 fun-filled hours of very cold air-conditioning to look forward to (I didn't pack many warm clothes... I didn't take this weekend of "luxury" into consideration). I guess I should be thankful for it while I still have it.

Ready to Go

I have finally finished my packing for The Gambia, which has not been the easiest task. Packing for two years is tough, but I think I managed to bring everything I really need without exceeding my baggage weight limits... I guess I'll see for sure when I get to the airport.

This past weekend has been family-filled and emotion-filled. I am relieved that I am finally ready to go, I am sad to be leaving my family for so long, and I am extremely excited to begin my newest adventure. It is a very complex mix of emotions. Tomorrow, I travel to DC and meet the other Peace Corps volunteers in my group. I am looking foward to finally meeting them. We will spend 2 and 1/2 days in DC in our "staging" period. Then we fly out on Wendsday. I should be arriving in Gambia around 5:45 on Thursday... that's Gambian time. (4 hours ahead of east coast time... that's 6 hours ahead of all of my Colorado friends)

I will update this blog as opportunites arise. I hope it will end up being a good way to keep in touch with everyone and share things like my photos.