For the last three months, I have been required to stay in my permanent site for the community entry period. Finally that time was up. Prior to three weeks of more training in Massembeh, 19 North Bank PCVs, traveled to Janick Island for the quarterly regional VAC (Volunteer Advocacy Council) meeting. It was wonderful to get away from Farafenni, where it’s been over 105+ degrees for the past week during the day, and still 96 degrees in my bedroom at 10pm (thankfully I have a fan to keep me from boiling over). We stayed on the island for two nights, where there was always a cooling ocean breeze. Spending time with interesting people, staying in a beautiful place, and swimming in the ocean, made for a delightful change from the previous three months. It definitely felt like vacation time for me.

We arrived on the island early enough the first day to swim in the ocean, and relax from our travels. Traveling in The Gambia is exhausting, so it was nice to be able to chill for the afternoon. To get to Janick Island, the five of us from Farafenni, took a two hour ride in a crowded old vehicle to the hectic ferry port of Barra. There we met up with most of the rest of the group, and fourteen of us piled into an open 4×4 for a bumpy hour ride through the bush, before climbing into unstable boats to reach the island. We arrived on the island at 2pm, and needed to walk 2K through hot sand, with all of our gear, to reach our destination.

Fortunately there was cold Gambian beer, and non-Gambian food to revive ourselves with, before jumping in the ocean, and relaxing on the beach until sunset. The lodge is now owned by locals, that have returned from time spent in London, and several other groups of tourists were there – some Gambians and some Brits. It reminded me of my travels in Belize, listening to the blacks speaking excellent English with a British accent.

All of the next day, from 9am to after midnight, with a short afternoon break to enjoy the ocean, we worked as a group to cover all of the agenda items. Boone Bishop, the North Bank Regional Rep for the VAC did an outstanding job organizing the trip to this special venue, and keeping us on track all day. There was time for yoga, meditation, Ti-chi  and reports from other regional committees – IAA (I am American), and PSN (Peer Support Network). As a new PCV, I learned a lot about how things work (or don’t work) for the volunteer community in The Gambia.

I was particularly moved by the last session of the day around the campfire. While we made s’mores, a safe space was created to share some of our concerns about being a PCV in a culture that treats girls and women, as second class citizens. As an older female PCV, I do not experience harassment on the same level as the young women. Yes, the taxi driver asks me to marry him as a way to get to America, but I don’t have men coming up to me all day long, invading my space and touching me inappropriately. It can be very difficult for some female PCVs to develop professional relationships, and feel comfortable in their working environments. It is also sobering to witness how Gambian women and girls are treated, and to realize they do not have the same opportunities as males.

Please visit this blog post – They Called Her a Feminazi – from a current PCV. It is a powerful story about her experiences, with a lot of important information that everyone should be aware of, and some amazing photos of Gambian women.

Early on the third day we packed up, and prepared for our travels. Another 2K walk through the sand, an unstable boat ride, packed into vehicles for the ride through the bush, and for those going to Kombo, a ferry ride across the river. My destination was Kombo to take care of personal business prior to IST (In Service Training), that starts Monday March 12. I was very grateful to be able to travel with more experienced PCVs, and learn how to navigate in the “city”.

There are a couple of places for a PCV to stay in Kombo, near the Peace Corps office, and shopping opportunities. Peace Corps maintains a transit house with bunk beds that is very close to the beach, but when that is full the other option is to stay at GPI (Gambian Pastoral Institute). GPI is run by an Irish Catholic organization, which hosts their own workshops, and allows PCVs to rent rooms. I really enjoy staying there, since it’s only a five minute walk to the Peace Corps office. It has lovely gardens, and I can listen beautiful choral music from the chapel, while I’m doing my morning yoga.

Thursday and Friday I was able to complete all of my business, and am looking forward to spending time at the beach on Saturday and Sunday to complete my “vacation”.