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 outside at night. When I arrived in my training village, I was happy that my compound didn’t have electricity, and the peaceful nights were great. But after a few nights, I realized I hadn’t seen the moon and felt disoriented. It turns out I arrived during the dark of the moon cycle. Fortunately, two days later a new moon appeared, and I was elated. I felt connected in a way I didn’t realize I needed before.

 2. Going for a solitary walk. I had been in the habit of walking many miles a day, before I left for this PCV adventure. During the two months of training we spent most of our time in class, either in our village or at the Peace Corps training site. Even when there was time to go for a walk, it was just too hot during the day. Also, it is the custom here to greet EVERYONE you pass, so walking around was just more language practice. The only time would be at dawn, and walk during the cool of the morning. It felt so good to put my hiking boots on, and walk before anyone else was awake. My morning walk took me past a lagoon where the birds were just waking up, and the sunrises were spectacular.

3. Connections from home. I didn’t have good cell reception in my training village, and often it would be days between being able to read any news, or send/receive emails. In Oregon, I could go for days without talking to family or friends, and enjoyed my secluded home. Here in the Gambia, I am constantly communicating with others, to I learn a new language. It surprised me how nourishing it was to have a Facebook message, read a comment on my blog, or get a reply to an email. The pleasure of receiving a snail mail greeting card from my friends at Indigo Yoga in Salem, made my day. I now appreciate my friends and family in a way I took for granted before.