Once a year all the volunteers in The Gambia get together for an All Volunteer Conference (All-Vol). There were 100+ in attendance at Massembeh, including our program managers, the medical staff, the directors of finance, training, security and our new Country Directer – Megan Wilson. It was great to have everyone together and I met several PCVs that I hadn’t crossed paths with before. There is a lot going on in this small country and I enjoyed hearing about the different situations a PCV is experiencing. The photo below is all of the PCVs currently serving in country, standing on an outline of a map of The Gambia, in the area they are living.

One fun feature of this gathering was wearing Asobee fashions to designate PCVs from the five regions of The Gambia.  Asobee is the tradition of wearing clothes made from the same fabric and is common for many events. Weddings will often have the two sides of the family wearing Asobee, making it easy to know who is from the grooms or brides family. We wore Asobee for the Swearing In Ceremony in December 2017. Sometimes girl friends or sisters will have Asobee tailored clothes, or families will dress Asobee for special holiday events. Site mates are PCVs living close enough together to support each other or travel together, and will often dress Asobee. This tradition is similar to wearing team Tshirts but is definitely more colorful and fun. One site mate group had the most beautiful Asobee and they wore them with style.

The two day conference was packed full of sessions about PC policies, small groups meetings to discuss various aspects of our service, cross sectorial meetings to better understand what everyone is doing, and support groups to exchange ideas about how to handle challenging situations. There was time to visit with old friends and make new friends. The final night there was a talent show for those who wanted to share a song, dance, poem, or gymnastic routine.  The highlight of our time together for me were the presentations each PCV had prepared. The presentation could be anything that reflects something about your time in country. Some were as simple as a photo gallery of life in their village, another was detailed description of a project they were working on or had completed, and all of them were fascinating and informative.

My presentation was two fold, because I wanted to share something I had done for Gambians and something I had done for myself. I created a PowerPoint presentation about the blackboard I made in my family compound. It is just outside my rooms and I enjoy listening to them laugh and play.

 

The other part of my presentation was showing the clothes I had made myself. I had tried a couple of tailors and was disappointed in the results. Before I arrived I had read about how inexpensive it was to get clothes made here, but if they don’t fit and I have to alter the clothes the tailor made, it’s not a very good bargain. I’ve done a lot of sewing in the past, and my first real job out of high school was working with two experienced women learning to alter clothes for a department store in Pasadena, CA.  I sewed for years on a treadle sewing machine, when I lived without electricity in Northern California, making clothes for my family and friends. I thought about buying a sewing machine in country, but after researching the cost and discovered it was same price as a refrigerator/freezer, I decided keeping my food cold and being able to make ice was a better use of my limited PC budget.

I first made some pillow cases and curtains by hand, and that was actually very relaxing and rewarding. I then made a tank top, using one I had brought with me for a pattern. Next, I made a pair of pants, again using a pair I liked for a pattern. The first items were not a perfect fit, and the seams weren’t not as finished as I wanted, but my technique has improved and I’m pleased with the results. Buying fabric and making things I like to wear has satisfied one of my creative impulses.

The last day at All-Vol we were able to look through the unclaimed “lost” items and take what we could use. I lucked out finding some beautiful fabric for more sewing projects.

Short video by Harry Dwinell – All-Vol conference.