My Gambian family has hosted foreigners for about twenty years, first with the British VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas), and now Peace Corps for the last decade. They realize we need time to adapt to our new environment, and respect our wish for privacy, even though it is not the Gambian custom. This culture is very public, spending most of their time outside, cooking meals, doing laundry… ....READ MORE | 6 Comments
Winter is the best time to garden here, when the mornings are cool, the sun is less intense, and the temperature doesn’t reach 90 degrees until mid-afternoon. It’s so nice to wake up refreshed, put on a long sleeve shirt, and ride my bike to the school garden, for a pleasant morning of work. We are fortunate to have plenty of good well water, and a large storage… ....READ MORE | 3 Comments
The first three months of Peace Corps service is called the Community Entry Period. During this time we are required to spend every night in our new location, because Peace Corps considers this time critical for integration and language acquisition. We arrived at our permanent sites on December 10, 2017, two days after the swearing in ceremony at the US Ambassador
My Peace Corps assignment is in Farafenni, a city of about 40,000 people. It is just south of the border with Senegal, on the Trans-Gambia Highway in the North Bank Division. The Gambia, is entirely surrounded by Senegal, except for its coastline at the western end. The country straddles the Gambia River, which flows through the center… ....READ MORE | 9 Comments
On December 7, 2017 the swearing in ceremony for 20 Agriculture and 15 Health trainees, took place at the US Ambassador, Carolyn Alsup, residence in Kombo, The Gambia. It was the culmination of two months of hard work, and the highlight of our bonding experience during training. Many dignitaries from The Gambia were in attendance, underlining the strong relationship Peace Corps has with this small African nation. The… ....READ MORE | 2 Comments
During the two months I spent in training village, it was interesting to realize what I missed from my previous life.
1. The moon. I lived for five decades in a rural area with a dark night sky, relating to the moon cycle and enjoying the stars. The first two weeks of my journey I was staying indoors, sharing rooms with others and wasn’t even… ....READ MORE | 2 Comments
The field trip to The Gambia Horse & Donkey Trust facility was a inspiring experience for me. Most animals here – goats, sheep, cows, chickens, ducks, horses, donkeys, dogs and cats – are not well cared for. An inadequate food supply, and cost of veterinary care is part of the problem, but lack of knowledge regarding how much more valuable a healthy animal can be, is a big… ....READ MORE | 2 Comments
The final event of our Pre-Service Training is the traditional marathon march through the bush. Most of the 35 trainees, 4 current PCVs, and 5 support staff started out at 8:30 am, under overcast skies with the temperature in the mid-70s. All but 3, who dropped out mid-way, finished the hike around 4 pm, and by then the temperature had risen into the low-90s. The actual… ....READ MORE | 5 Comments
In 2013 the government donated land, near the village Massembeh, to Peace Corps for a Training Center. Peace Corps has served in The Gambia continually for 50 years, and everywhere you go, it is obvious that we are welcomed and respected. Three PC sectors are currently serving in country, Education, Health and Agriculture.
The 35 trainees in my group were from the Agriculture and Health… ....READ MORE | 3 Comments
One aspect of our training was the support we received from our Language and Cultural Facilitator (LCF). Each training village had four trainees and one LCF staying there during the 8 weeks of pre-service training (PST). The LCF was proficient in the language we were assigned, and knowledgeable about the culture, customs and traditions of The Gambia. They were always available if we had questions or… ....READ MORE | 2 Comments