A Peace Corps Experience

Rice is the staple grain in the central part of The Gambia, and is served for both lunch and dinner. Most Gambians eat out of a communal food bowl using their right hand. I have not mastered that technique, so I still use a spoon.

The meals in my training village, were spicy but not too hot for my taste, which helped with… ....READ MORE | 5 Comments

I drink a LOT of water, and I’m grateful that there is plenty of clean well water here to drink and wash with. When I arrived in October  it was still very humid, with temperatures in the high nineties everyday. I was amazed at how much water I was drinking.

Peace Corps supplies and requires us to

My first two months in country were spent in a Mandinka village. The compound my host family lived in was small in comparison to others, some trainees had up to 18 people living in their compound. Mine had only 6 permanently living there, all women and girls. Kata, my host mother, husband had passed away several years ago. Her four sons were living elsewhere, although one… ....READ MORE | 8 Comments

 

My Gambian name is Saajoo Sonko – I really like my Mandinka name. I have the same name as one of the siblings in my host family, which makes me her “toomaa”. It is customary and a honor, to be given the same name as an older sibling (although the chronological time frame is a bit off with my senior citizen status). The Gambian tradition is… ....READ MORE | 7 Comments

As a new year dawns, I am excited to begin my service as PCV. Less than three years ago, on a yoga retreat, a friend planted the seed that I could become a PCV after retirement. At that time, I didn’t even know the West African country of The Gambia existed, and now I have the opportunity to learn from and

Holiday Greetings from The Gambia, West Africa. It is very strange to be living in a tropical location, where most of the population is Muslim, during this holiday season. It certainly doesn’t feel like Christmas here.

I finished my 8 weeks of training and was sworn in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer on December 7, 2017. I have moved to my permanent site near the city of Farafenni… ....READ MORE | 14 Comments

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… ....READ MORE | 16 Comments

This will be my final post from Oregon before I depart for my PCV adventure.

It’s done – my property is sold. It’s great to no longer be a homeowner. During the final weeks, there were several minor problems kept needing attention. The light inside the refrigerator died, and I had to find the manual to see how to remove the bulb, which required tools and a trip to… ....READ MORE | 8 Comments