Hello! I just typed something really long about what I have been doing and then earased it...so hope I can remember everything. First of all, I am doing great in The Gambia- safe and healthy- learning so much and trying to take it all in.
We are all leaving for our training villages tomorrow morning, therefore, I will have no internet access until early January so please write if you can :) Also, if you have a cheap calling card or skype, try calling my gambian cell phone #706 0750 from a US phone try 01122070600750 or 0012207060750. If you are going to send anything for the holidays, food items are great like koolaid packets, granola bars, protein anything, and mac and cheese!! Though a letter means more to me than anything else.
We have been learning about the culture intensely. Everyday we have language classes and learn about traditional customs. Today we learned about ceremonies like the naming ceremony which we will all participate in next week when we get Gambian names! There are also circumcision ceremonies for both men and women. Unfortunately, female genital mutilation is still a common practice throughout The Gambia.
Some other things we have learned about was how to eat with out hands from the food bowl, how to use a squat toilet (no prob), and using local brooms and household items. I am really looking forward to arriving in KAIAF- my training village. I will be there with 3 other volunteers but we will be in different compounds. There, we will learn technical, language, and culture skills before being sent to our 2 -year posts!
One of our sessions was on the history of the country which was great to learn about. African history is very deep and goes through many ups and downs. I wish I could write more about it, but if you have time to look it up, please do so. Our teacher was telling us about the economic situation- EVERYTHING is imported...even though peanuts/peanut oil is so plentiful, there is no infrastructure to turn the raw material into sellable goods. Frustrating. I have so much to learn and my mind is racing with all the projects I could work on for 2 years. I'm sure I'll come up with a ton more sitting in my village hut for the next 10 weeks as well.
Anyways, keep in touch, love and miss you all. Write or call if you can.
Happy Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years!
Love,
Maggie
13 November 2008
10 November 2008
Salaamaaleekum
Hello all! Greetings from Kombo, The Gambia. We have been in country for 5 days now and have started our intensive language and cultural training. We've visited a reptile park, the beach- BEAUTIFUL ps, and done only a little wandering-I'll be looking forward to more of that and chatting with people!
On friday, we all move to training villages- mine is called Kaifa and I will be learning Mandinka. The language is going okay, challenging, but I have great teachers!
Write me if you can, at my address. I'll get back to you- slowly :) Thank you to The Millars- my first letter was from you! Very exciting!
Fo naata- see you later!
On friday, we all move to training villages- mine is called Kaifa and I will be learning Mandinka. The language is going okay, challenging, but I have great teachers!
Write me if you can, at my address. I'll get back to you- slowly :) Thank you to The Millars- my first letter was from you! Very exciting!
Fo naata- see you later!
03 November 2008
Leaving tomorrow!
Hello! As I am finishing up all those last minute things- packing, making phone calls, and downloading everything I can onto my ipod...just wanted to thank EVERYONE for there support and calls the past few weeks! I am so excited to arrive in The Gambia and to live there for 27 months.
Tomorrow, we all meet in Philly (woohoo!) before departing from Newark, NJ on the 5th. I look forward to meeting other like minded individuals and beginning my training as soon as we get to Banjul.
Email or write me whenever you can- I will try to keep in touch as well :)
Love and miss you all already!
Tomorrow, we all meet in Philly (woohoo!) before departing from Newark, NJ on the 5th. I look forward to meeting other like minded individuals and beginning my training as soon as we get to Banjul.
Email or write me whenever you can- I will try to keep in touch as well :)
Love and miss you all already!
19 October 2008
Getting Ready...
Hello! As you all know, I will be leaving for The Gambia with the Peace Corps on November 4th. I will be working in a rural village as an AgroForester and will be doing anything including (but not limited to…) environmental protection, forestry and agriculture methods, non-timber forest development, environmental development, grant writing, and water treatment projects. I am so excited for this opportunity and so blessed to have the support of my wonderful friends and family.
Although I will have limited access to the internet – something I have been taking for granted for years…I will try and update an online journal once a month or so just to give you an idea of what I have been up to...don’t worry, I will spare you the multi-paged detailed diary entry…no one wants to read those! It can be found at http://maggiegambia.blogspot.com/. I would greatly appreciate your emails updating me on your own exciting life anytime at mambomaggie@gmail.com and I will respond as quickly as possible…which probably won’t be so quickly at all. The best method to reach me would be through snail mail. Letter writing is a lost-art of sorts, and I would love to use mail as my primary form of communication. My address is as followed:
Maggie Rudick, PCT (after January 2009, I will no longer be a trainee, so it will be PCV)
C/O Peace Corps/The Gambia
P.O. Box 582
Banjul, The Gambia
West Africa
From January 2009-January 1011, after the 3-months of in-country training, I will be sent to a rural village to start implementing projects and helping others towards environmental and economic stability. If you or anyone you know is interested in visiting and experiencing rural Gambian life, you are more than welcome to my home. The Gambia may be the smallest country in Africa, but is very diverse in terrain- there are beautiful beach resorts along the Atlantic Ocean and wonderful opportunities as one travels further East into other areas of the country.
You are all invited to my home in Sellersville, PA as well to celebrate my last weekend in the US on November 1st. Just one last hurrah on good ol’ High Street before heading off to my orientation in Philadelphia on the 4th and then arrival in The Gambia on November 6th...
Come over anytime from after 5pm
If you have any amazing books that you think I need to read, and are willing to part with them for 2 years, I am trying to gather some reading materials. Please don’t feel obligated to buy them anything though, the most important thing you can bring is yourself, friends, family members, grandma’s, neighbors, whoever- the more the merrier!
One last favor…if you could all email me your addresses…that would be greatly appreciated. I am trying to compile an address book before leaving.
If you can’t make it on November 1st, no problem. If you would like to get together at any point before I leave, just give me a call.
Thank you for your prayers, support, and love,
Maggie
Although I will have limited access to the internet – something I have been taking for granted for years…I will try and update an online journal once a month or so just to give you an idea of what I have been up to...don’t worry, I will spare you the multi-paged detailed diary entry…no one wants to read those! It can be found at http://maggiegambia.blogspot.com/. I would greatly appreciate your emails updating me on your own exciting life anytime at mambomaggie@gmail.com and I will respond as quickly as possible…which probably won’t be so quickly at all. The best method to reach me would be through snail mail. Letter writing is a lost-art of sorts, and I would love to use mail as my primary form of communication. My address is as followed:
Maggie Rudick, PCT (after January 2009, I will no longer be a trainee, so it will be PCV)
C/O Peace Corps/The Gambia
P.O. Box 582
Banjul, The Gambia
West Africa
From January 2009-January 1011, after the 3-months of in-country training, I will be sent to a rural village to start implementing projects and helping others towards environmental and economic stability. If you or anyone you know is interested in visiting and experiencing rural Gambian life, you are more than welcome to my home. The Gambia may be the smallest country in Africa, but is very diverse in terrain- there are beautiful beach resorts along the Atlantic Ocean and wonderful opportunities as one travels further East into other areas of the country.
You are all invited to my home in Sellersville, PA as well to celebrate my last weekend in the US on November 1st. Just one last hurrah on good ol’ High Street before heading off to my orientation in Philadelphia on the 4th and then arrival in The Gambia on November 6th...
Come over anytime from after 5pm
If you have any amazing books that you think I need to read, and are willing to part with them for 2 years, I am trying to gather some reading materials. Please don’t feel obligated to buy them anything though, the most important thing you can bring is yourself, friends, family members, grandma’s, neighbors, whoever- the more the merrier!
One last favor…if you could all email me your addresses…that would be greatly appreciated. I am trying to compile an address book before leaving.
If you can’t make it on November 1st, no problem. If you would like to get together at any point before I leave, just give me a call.
Thank you for your prayers, support, and love,
Maggie
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