I arrived in The Gambia on October 11, with 38 Agriculture and Health Volunteer Trainees. All the Gambians are very friendly, living up to the country’s slogan of – “The Smiling Coast of Africa”.

There is 8 weeks of Pre-Service Training, before being sworn in on December 7 (if we pass all our tests), to become official Peace Corps Volunteers for 2 years of service. The first 5 days I had the luxury of staying in an air-conditioned house, 4 bunk beds per room, near the Gambian Peace Corps Headquarters.

We have had continual meetings to learn how to prepare ourselves for village life. We all arrived vaccinated for Yellow Fever, but upon arrival we have received typhoid, rabies, influenza, meningococcal, Hepatitis A & B vaccines. We are required to take malaria prophylactic medication while in service and have 3 medication to choose from – Malarone, Mefloquine or Doxycycline – I choose to take daily doses of Doxycycline. ​

I have been having so much fun with all of these young people from very diverse backgrounds. One young man was born in The Gambia and immigrated to the USA as a young teen, and now is giving back to his country as a PCV. Today we learned which of the 5 Gambian languages we need to learn – mine is Mandinka. My training village is near the market town of Soma on the south side of the River Gambia.

After 4 days of very intense orientation workshops at Peace Corps Headquarters, we were all treated to a trip to the ocean. Tomorrow, Sunday October 15 we are moving to our training villages, where I won’t have access to internet. I will be making notes and taking photos so I can send a post when I return.