The past few weeks have been a busy time in village. The rainy season is over and harvesting is in full bloom, so everyone has been out in the rice, peanut, millet, and findo farms collecting their crops. It's tiring, but more rewarding than plowing and weeding because you can see you're labor actually paying off!!! My host, Fatoumata and I go out to her fields and have such interesting conversations while cutting handfuls of rice. I thought they would be fun to share with you all.
1. Nursing homes:
Me: "In America, people are often too busy to take care of their parents, so there are homes that only old people live in."
Fatou: "(Shocked facial expression) But you're parents take care of you for so many years, they feed you, cloth you, pay for your school fees, and help you get married! How can you just leave them alone?
Me: "True, but you know, people work outside their own villages, so if they're parents need help, they would have to wait all day for their kids to get home."
Fatou: "What does the village chief think of this?"
Me: "America is different."
2. Disciplining Children
Fatou: "Why don't you go to the school anymore?"
Me: "Going to school makes me sad because the teacher's hit the kids. If the kids are afraid to go to school, then they can't learn. It's not fair to them."
Fatou: "If they don't hit the kids, they won't listen and then won't learn anyways."
Me: "When I was little, and did something wrong, my parents or teachers would just make me feel bad. Maybe they would say they were unhappy with me, then I would feel sad and learn my lesson."
Fatou: "Can you teach Jali kids to do that?"
3. Remarriage
Me: "Binki had to remarry after her husband died, but she doesn't live with him or talk to him at all. Why did she have to get married again?"
Fatou: "Binki didn't want to get married, really... but it's not her decision. It's the elders."
Me: "That's not fair! She shouldn't have to get married if she doesn't want to."
Fatou: "Gambia is different."
4. Sunburn
Me: "Fatoumata, you are so strong, out in the fields for hours, how can you take the heat?! It truly hurts my skin it's so hot"
Fatou: "The heat, yes, it's big. (She feels my arm). WOW! You're skin really is hotter than mine! Where is your sun oil (lotion)? Go sit in the shade."
Me: "If the sun is too strong, it can burn my skin, it hurts!"
Fatou: "Like when you pick up hot coals and your fingers hurt for a few days?"
Me: "Sort of..."
5. Over-population
Fatou: "Here in Gambia, people want to have 20 kids, it's a blessing, and then you have more help on the farm."
Me: "But if everyone has 20 kids, how will they feed them all? Then, you'll need to build more houses and will have less land to farm on, so growing enough food for everyone will be difficult."
Fatou: "No, it doesn't work like that..."
Me: "Oh?"
Fatou: "Lamin says we're out of rice." (PS- they have 6 kids)
I'm sure there will be more to come! The rainy season has ended so can finally sleep outside again. We're starting nursery beds for the dry season garden! And planning a field day for World Aids Day at my school! Keep in touch! Thank you for all the letters and packages, I am so blessed to have so much support, thank you.
02 November 2009
Harvest time in Jali.
Modeling my Halloween costume for the kids! Hilarious!
Ousman being cute.
Roasting marshmallows! The kids LOVED them!
My namesake, Habie Kuyateh, the women's group president, Daranding (Iya for short) Drammeh, and Halimatou taking a break from harvesting rice.
Fatoumata didn't take a break all day despite working in the hot sun for 8 hours. I told her my skin was not as strong as hers, I'm beat after 5!
Harvesting rice.
Ousman and I
Lisa came to visit for the weekend- drinking juice and making collages.
Thanks for the care package! The kids pretend they're cars.
18 October 2009
Sept: Fasting, Lobster Skewers, and Brake-less Busses in Dakar
As my host family waited for the moon to appear on the eve of August 21st, the Islamic holiday to mark the month of fasting, I nervously remembered that I told them that I would try fasting with them for the first week. This entails: waking up at 5am to eat porridge and drink tea...going back to sleep until 9am, doing low-energy labor until 3pm, avoiding grumpy, tired, hungry, dehydrated people until 7:25pm, and then eating more porridge tea and possibly bread. Welcome to Ramadan.
The only thing that kept me sane during this time was knowing that I was going on vacation to Ghana half way through Ramadan! We were held up a bit in Senegal waiting for our visa's to process, but we made the most of it, wandering around the HUGE city of Dakar (population about that of Gambia!) We ate Lebanese, Ethiopian, the Chinese food and gave eachother "trip names". We were now Pierre (James), Juanita (Tavi), RJ (Alex), Trinket (Annie), and Ezmerelda (Maggie).
Landing in Accra, Ghana was so exciting- despite the terrible jet-lag (that's for you mom...) we headed right to the beach- of course! The water was COLD and refreshing, I forgot what cold felt like! RJ and I went immediately into the water; diving through waves and body surfing; it was picturesque. Then we started noticing lots of trash floating in the water, RJ found a diaper. But we had the whole beach to ourselves- heavenly. Afterwards, we are informed that no one swims in that water because it is full of raw sewage. We lucked out: no E. Coli or unidentified skin infections.
Ghana is just at a different "development" level than The Gambia. There were overpasses, sidewalks, recycling bins, tourism, and locally made products like chocolate and liquid soap (I was just very impressed by the soap...) The street food was out of this world: fried plaintains, yogurt, donuts, eggs, beans, oh man. Thinking about it now makes me miss "Red-Red"-plaintains with beans and a little bit of oil. Oh yes, and they had various meats on skewers- beef, octopus, lobster, sausage. We went from protein deficient to protein overload in the matter of two days.
From Accra, we visited Hohoe- SO SO SO beautiful- we walked to Wli Falls and swam under the tallest waterfall in Ghana. The mist off the falls combined with the wind pierced our skin. It was a crazy feeling. We also hiked up the tallest free-standing mountain in Ghana, Mount Afadjato, - which was a harder one-hour hike than most of us thought it would be! We met some Ghana Peace Corps Volunteers and drank dark beer in Hohoe for a few days before heading northwest to Kumasi- one of the largest markets in West Africa. We bought pretty batik/tie-dyed fabric and beads! We went on a day-trip from Kumasi to Lake Bosomtwi, a sacred lake in Asante country. It was serene, quiet, and peaceful- perfect after a few days dodging traffic through the market.
From Kumasi, we headed south to the beach and stayed in Heaven. Well, if heaven was on earth, it might be in Butre beach. Beautiful, CLEAN, refreshing, quiet beach away from everything. About every ten minutes, one of us would say something like, "can you believe we are just sitting here on this amazing beach?!" or "I'm transferring my Peace Corps site to this hammock..." It was hard to leave Butre Beach, but we did get to Cape Coast for a day- thank you Uncle Sam and Mama Vic for letting us stay at your beautiful home for our last night in Ghana! When I go back to Ghana, I would love to spend more time in Cape Coast, home to the large slave house, which was a sombering experience. The town was rustic and energetic and since it's right on the beach, seafood galore!
Gambia could learn alot from Ghana's first president Kwame Nkrumah. In 1960, he made education and healthcare a priority and free for everyone. That has given them such a strong framework to success now. Obama recently visited Ghana, his first trip to Africa as president, which Ghanains were very proud of. There were just as many American flags and pictures of Obama as were Ghanain flags and pictures of their current president Mills. I felt particularly proud to be American while in Ghana.
We ALL forgot our cameras except for the wonderful Pierre and Juanita, so check out their blog at http://peacefultravelsoftaviandjames.blogspot.com for more details on our trip and to see some pictures!
The only thing that kept me sane during this time was knowing that I was going on vacation to Ghana half way through Ramadan! We were held up a bit in Senegal waiting for our visa's to process, but we made the most of it, wandering around the HUGE city of Dakar (population about that of Gambia!) We ate Lebanese, Ethiopian, the Chinese food and gave eachother "trip names". We were now Pierre (James), Juanita (Tavi), RJ (Alex), Trinket (Annie), and Ezmerelda (Maggie).
Landing in Accra, Ghana was so exciting- despite the terrible jet-lag (that's for you mom...) we headed right to the beach- of course! The water was COLD and refreshing, I forgot what cold felt like! RJ and I went immediately into the water; diving through waves and body surfing; it was picturesque. Then we started noticing lots of trash floating in the water, RJ found a diaper. But we had the whole beach to ourselves- heavenly. Afterwards, we are informed that no one swims in that water because it is full of raw sewage. We lucked out: no E. Coli or unidentified skin infections.
Ghana is just at a different "development" level than The Gambia. There were overpasses, sidewalks, recycling bins, tourism, and locally made products like chocolate and liquid soap (I was just very impressed by the soap...) The street food was out of this world: fried plaintains, yogurt, donuts, eggs, beans, oh man. Thinking about it now makes me miss "Red-Red"-plaintains with beans and a little bit of oil. Oh yes, and they had various meats on skewers- beef, octopus, lobster, sausage. We went from protein deficient to protein overload in the matter of two days.
From Accra, we visited Hohoe- SO SO SO beautiful- we walked to Wli Falls and swam under the tallest waterfall in Ghana. The mist off the falls combined with the wind pierced our skin. It was a crazy feeling. We also hiked up the tallest free-standing mountain in Ghana, Mount Afadjato, - which was a harder one-hour hike than most of us thought it would be! We met some Ghana Peace Corps Volunteers and drank dark beer in Hohoe for a few days before heading northwest to Kumasi- one of the largest markets in West Africa. We bought pretty batik/tie-dyed fabric and beads! We went on a day-trip from Kumasi to Lake Bosomtwi, a sacred lake in Asante country. It was serene, quiet, and peaceful- perfect after a few days dodging traffic through the market.
From Kumasi, we headed south to the beach and stayed in Heaven. Well, if heaven was on earth, it might be in Butre beach. Beautiful, CLEAN, refreshing, quiet beach away from everything. About every ten minutes, one of us would say something like, "can you believe we are just sitting here on this amazing beach?!" or "I'm transferring my Peace Corps site to this hammock..." It was hard to leave Butre Beach, but we did get to Cape Coast for a day- thank you Uncle Sam and Mama Vic for letting us stay at your beautiful home for our last night in Ghana! When I go back to Ghana, I would love to spend more time in Cape Coast, home to the large slave house, which was a sombering experience. The town was rustic and energetic and since it's right on the beach, seafood galore!
Gambia could learn alot from Ghana's first president Kwame Nkrumah. In 1960, he made education and healthcare a priority and free for everyone. That has given them such a strong framework to success now. Obama recently visited Ghana, his first trip to Africa as president, which Ghanains were very proud of. There were just as many American flags and pictures of Obama as were Ghanain flags and pictures of their current president Mills. I felt particularly proud to be American while in Ghana.
We ALL forgot our cameras except for the wonderful Pierre and Juanita, so check out their blog at http://peacefultravelsoftaviandjames.blogspot.com for more details on our trip and to see some pictures!
04 September 2009
The past few months...
Tijan, my agriculture counterpart and a farmer as we intercrop cashews in the weeds and peanuts.
Marathon March- since I live in the Kiang region, I got to go with the new trainees on a 14 mile/23 km hike through mangroves, rice fields, and some of the few hills in the Gambia. This was just at the beginning.
The new Education Volunteers on a boat trip along the River Gambia.
Ousman coming in my house. He hasn't peed in my house in months!
Binki and the kids as we fill in the stagnant water in front of our compound.
I just love this picture, too bad my foot is in there...
Naming Ceremony in Kuli Kunda village. The village elder just gave Ousmalia his name.
Stuck in the mud. This looks alot more promising than previous stuck in the mud experiences I've had thus far...
My friend Jessi and I at Obama-Rama open mic on 4th of July.
Women dancing in the rain in the garden.
The UNDP people came to check out the women's garden they had funded. Dancing and singing in the POURING rain!
Ousman and Halimatou.
Heading to the rice fields.
Women plowing the group rice field.
Running race around the mosque.
The kids who hang around my compound all day.
Impromptu garden meeting around the well.
Daranding Drammeh, weeding in the women's garden. It's amazing how GREEN it got after months of dust....
Ousman in my hat. He's so cute!
Coming back home, Halimatou on my back and Ousman in the background.
Mmm...coos with leaf sauce...Bon Appetit
Jarra Sameteh - my counterpart's daughter playing in the dirt05 July 2009
Just a glimpse...
Beach at Brufut- What a GREAT 4th of July!
Tesito - building a dike around the women's rice fields
Well construction in the women's garden.
I just got a new camera, so will be able to take more pictures for next month!
04 July 2009
Happy Independence Day!
Hope you are all enjoying the summer festivities; BBQs, fireworks, lightning bugs, watermelon, and being around friends and family! We had a party of our own this afternoon with American food and a baby pool at our boss' home. It was so nice to still get to celebrate the 4th despite being an ocean away!
The past few days, we've had an All-Volunteer conference where we were able to share project ideas, new PC administration rules, and talk about our experiences thus far as PC volunteers in the Gambia.
One initiative that we, as a whole, are working on is a Malaria Bed-Net Campaign. While I was living in the city of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, I remember being frustrated at mosquito net distribution efforts because (a) they distributed them in the city, where people have more access to resources and disposible income, (b) they would distribute them with no education, and (c) donors thought that if everyone had a mosquito net, malaria wouldn't exist. This was very frustrating.
Now, I am living in a rural area of West Africa where people cannot afford bednets, they can't even buy them within a 5 hour radius. Although people are aware of malaria and the risks involved to some extent, more education is definetly needed. Medical services are scarce in rural areas and local medicines can only go so far in prevention and treatment of Malaria.
I'm not a big fan of fundraising and asking people for money, but supporting bed net distribution and sensitization is something that you can help with from home. Against Malaria is working with current and past PCVs in The Gambia to, hopefully, bring a whole container of low-cost, insecticide treated nets here for distribution. We will be helping with education and sensitization along with the distribution of nets. Also, a generous donor has agreed to match our donations dollar for dollar. Each net costs less than $5, so with the match, $5 can buy 2 nets. Epidemiological studies have suggested that for every 20 bednets used 1 life is saved.
You can donate at http://www.AgainstMalaria.com/maggierudick . Thanks for your help!
The past few days, we've had an All-Volunteer conference where we were able to share project ideas, new PC administration rules, and talk about our experiences thus far as PC volunteers in the Gambia.
One initiative that we, as a whole, are working on is a Malaria Bed-Net Campaign. While I was living in the city of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, I remember being frustrated at mosquito net distribution efforts because (a) they distributed them in the city, where people have more access to resources and disposible income, (b) they would distribute them with no education, and (c) donors thought that if everyone had a mosquito net, malaria wouldn't exist. This was very frustrating.
Now, I am living in a rural area of West Africa where people cannot afford bednets, they can't even buy them within a 5 hour radius. Although people are aware of malaria and the risks involved to some extent, more education is definetly needed. Medical services are scarce in rural areas and local medicines can only go so far in prevention and treatment of Malaria.
I'm not a big fan of fundraising and asking people for money, but supporting bed net distribution and sensitization is something that you can help with from home. Against Malaria is working with current and past PCVs in The Gambia to, hopefully, bring a whole container of low-cost, insecticide treated nets here for distribution. We will be helping with education and sensitization along with the distribution of nets. Also, a generous donor has agreed to match our donations dollar for dollar. Each net costs less than $5, so with the match, $5 can buy 2 nets. Epidemiological studies have suggested that for every 20 bednets used 1 life is saved.
You can donate at http://www.AgainstMalaria.com/maggierudick . Thanks for your help!
The Beekeeper, The Fisherman, and the PCV
After a long day of Tesito, I walked back to the tree where I rested my bike. I was exhausted, it was the heat of the afternoon, and the only things on my mind were taking a bucket bath and wondering what mystery sauce would be on my rice for lunch. As I was about to take off, I saw Janga, the village beekeeper, and Amadou, one of the fishermen. They were also helping at tesito.
Janga had a flat tire. Frustrating. I decided to stop go over and help him and Amadou fix it. Amadou is really good at fixing things, I had a bike patch kit, and Janga had a pump. Between the three of us, we fixed the flat tire fairly quickly. Without each of us, Janga would have had to walk his bike home. I had to chuckle; things always just seem to work out perfectly, don't they?
We all begin down the path from the rice fields to the village. Maybe a kilometer into the trek, Amadou's chain breaks. Again, the three of us stop and are able to fix it together. We laugh again, and back on the path.
About half way through the 8 km bike ride, I was ahead of Amadou and Janga (mostly because my bicycle has breaks and pedals, unlike most of the men's bikes in my village) and must have hit one too many rocks, and POW...flat tire... Are you kidding me?! I'm hungry, thirsty, dirty, and tired...thankfully, I knew Amadou and Janga were shortly behind me. Amadou makes some sort of comment how the three of us together is just bad luck. I felt very differently. They were able to help me, and we all made it back to village for lunch- 1 hour, a chain link, and 2 bike patches later.
Yeah, I suppose it looks like bad luck- all 3 of us with bike problems; what are the chances of that? But really, I think we had the best luck of all. We were all able to help each other. Without myself, Amadou, and Janga, we would have all been stuck and had to walk home.
You never know when you're going to be in a bind and chances are, there will be someone to help you out. Let's keep this thing going...There are so many things we can do in the states which might inconvenience us SLIGHTLY, but can make someones day- stop and help someone fix their flat tire, help your neighbors carry in their groceries, invite an elderly neighbor over for dinner. The possibilities are endless!
Janga had a flat tire. Frustrating. I decided to stop go over and help him and Amadou fix it. Amadou is really good at fixing things, I had a bike patch kit, and Janga had a pump. Between the three of us, we fixed the flat tire fairly quickly. Without each of us, Janga would have had to walk his bike home. I had to chuckle; things always just seem to work out perfectly, don't they?
We all begin down the path from the rice fields to the village. Maybe a kilometer into the trek, Amadou's chain breaks. Again, the three of us stop and are able to fix it together. We laugh again, and back on the path.
About half way through the 8 km bike ride, I was ahead of Amadou and Janga (mostly because my bicycle has breaks and pedals, unlike most of the men's bikes in my village) and must have hit one too many rocks, and POW...flat tire... Are you kidding me?! I'm hungry, thirsty, dirty, and tired...thankfully, I knew Amadou and Janga were shortly behind me. Amadou makes some sort of comment how the three of us together is just bad luck. I felt very differently. They were able to help me, and we all made it back to village for lunch- 1 hour, a chain link, and 2 bike patches later.
Yeah, I suppose it looks like bad luck- all 3 of us with bike problems; what are the chances of that? But really, I think we had the best luck of all. We were all able to help each other. Without myself, Amadou, and Janga, we would have all been stuck and had to walk home.
You never know when you're going to be in a bind and chances are, there will be someone to help you out. Let's keep this thing going...There are so many things we can do in the states which might inconvenience us SLIGHTLY, but can make someones day- stop and help someone fix their flat tire, help your neighbors carry in their groceries, invite an elderly neighbor over for dinner. The possibilities are endless!
29 June 2009
Tesito
Thank you to EVERYONE who has sent me care packages and letters. I really can't thank you all enough for your love and support. Happy 4th of July- I'm sad not to get to see FIREWORKS, but we had a BBQ this afternoon. Have fun at the community day canoe races in Perkasie :)
After In-Service Training, I returned to site extremely motivated and ready to get dirty working! That week, everyone asked me if I was going to Tesito. I had no idea what tesito was, except that it involved work in the rice fields. So I hopped on my bike on tesito day and rode 8km to the rice fields. I learned that tesito means everyone coming together to work for a common cause. Hundreds of men and women, young and old were busy shoveling dirt into bowls and building a dike with the dirt. It's a looong, tedious process; but a dike kilometers long was built! It's amazing how much work can be accomplished when everyone works together. Many hands makes light work.
The dike construction in my village got me thinking about how this kind of approach could be used in America as well. (No, I'm not a socialist...) If there was a park that needed to be cleaned, or a road that needed repair, what if everyone from that area just cleaned it, fixed it, and been done with it. What if we all planted two trees a year? When everyone can commit to a cause, the work is easy! Now, the women have expanded their rice fields and are planting 120 hectares of rice! With food security being such a big concern in The Gambia, people are trying more than ever to promote OPERATION: FEED YOURSELF. This country has the land to produce enough food to not have to rely on imports, if resources are used correctly!
The community garden is READY and the women are outplanting their vegetable seedlings this weekend! Can't wait to get some pictures to show you all- I know alot of people have been asking about this! The rice and garden initiatives will surely help food security in Jali!
After In-Service Training, I returned to site extremely motivated and ready to get dirty working! That week, everyone asked me if I was going to Tesito. I had no idea what tesito was, except that it involved work in the rice fields. So I hopped on my bike on tesito day and rode 8km to the rice fields. I learned that tesito means everyone coming together to work for a common cause. Hundreds of men and women, young and old were busy shoveling dirt into bowls and building a dike with the dirt. It's a looong, tedious process; but a dike kilometers long was built! It's amazing how much work can be accomplished when everyone works together. Many hands makes light work.
The dike construction in my village got me thinking about how this kind of approach could be used in America as well. (No, I'm not a socialist...) If there was a park that needed to be cleaned, or a road that needed repair, what if everyone from that area just cleaned it, fixed it, and been done with it. What if we all planted two trees a year? When everyone can commit to a cause, the work is easy! Now, the women have expanded their rice fields and are planting 120 hectares of rice! With food security being such a big concern in The Gambia, people are trying more than ever to promote OPERATION: FEED YOURSELF. This country has the land to produce enough food to not have to rely on imports, if resources are used correctly!
The community garden is READY and the women are outplanting their vegetable seedlings this weekend! Can't wait to get some pictures to show you all- I know alot of people have been asking about this! The rice and garden initiatives will surely help food security in Jali!
28 April 2009
Informal Studies
This past week, all the new environment volunteers came into town for "In-Service Training"; a chance to reflect on 3-months in village and practice some technical aspects of our job that were touched upon during our Pre-Service Training. We spend a few days learning about bees, harvesting honey, processing beeswax, and gorging on honey comb. Then we learned how to graft mango, citrus, and cola trees. We spent a whole day at a picturesque garden learning about composting, organic fertilizers and pesticides, and inter-cropping produce to maximize output. And we touched upon food security issues, seed collection, and woodlot production. I'm feeling extremely motivated to return to Jali, check out some hives, graft some mango trees, and build the perfect garden. Uh...maybe I should take it slow...But either way, I'm feeling confident that I can bring more skills and training to my village! I've been told not to set my expectations too high, but it's hard, and I'd like to think optimistically. At this point, I want to try everything I can! My job is to seek out motivated individuals, and at that point, I think the direction of my service will become clearer.
The day before I left for IST, I dedicated my whole day to collecting seeds for the Peace Corps seed exchange. But this day ended up being much more than a day walking around the bush trying to identify seeding trees. I ran into some boys I know from helping at the Upper Basic School (Grades 7-9) and asked them to help me find seeds. We found quite a few trees and spent a large part of the day sitting around, removing Flamboyant seeds from their hard shell casing. The boys, Kasam and Alamaso, were eager 9th-graders, preparing for their National Assessment Exams on 11 May, with dreams to play soccer, go to school on the coast, and move abroad.
That seems to be the dream of any young girl or boy: getting out of this country. Can you blame them? Job opportunities are few and far between. Who wants the same life as their parents, grandparents, and so on as subsistence farmers who can barely provide for themselves? I was always told growing up that I can do whatever I want to do if I work hard. But for Kasam and Alamaso, working hard will inevitably lead them back to Jali village or maybe selling cell-phone holders on the streets along the coast. We learned a lot about “brain drain” in my college development courses where “scholars” say that Africans continue to live in poverty because all the bright minds are leaving their home countries to pursue job opportunities abroad; that if they stayed in their home country to help build its infrastructure, poverty wouldn’t be as prevalent. I talked to Kasam and Alamaso about this idea; that Gambians should try to make their country better instead of wanting to leave. Kasam agreed, and said, so dignified, “I want my family to live a better life than me, so if I can find a job in Europe or America, and send money home, then maybe my kids will know how to make Gambia not poor.” He’s right, why not take advantage of an opportunity that most Gambians can only dream of, but when will this cycle end? Why can’t it be Kasam who changes this country around instead of his children? And what can be done to provide more Gambians with more opportunities?
My mind is constantly racing with ideas- day and night. “They could plant a huge fruit tree orchard and sell the fruits to tourists. Wait no! They can learn how to dry mangos and sell them during the off season! Yeah, wait, better yet, they grow thousands of cashew trees and then open up a cashew nut production factory…or…” This is why I’m so tired… but really, at this point, are these visions realistic? Probably not. Now, families are unable to grow enough to feed their families. Now this seems like a realistic goal and potential for opportunity. If we can improve crop yield, families may have the opportunity to sell their excess and make a profit. If families can make a profit, perhaps they can afford to send their kids to higher education. If their kids spend less time helping with farm chores and more time studying, their advancement potential is higher. If all farmers are producing better and more crops, perhaps they could export them- providing additional income and business opportunities for all.
Call me idealistic, yes, I know. But let’s just start with trying to feed one’s family. Development is a long process, even the term “development” is pretty loaded and such a western idea. Although I am living in a village and see problems and issues facing people, I am only here for 2 years. “Development workers” have lived here before me and they will live here after I leave.
All I can do is plant some positive seeds for improvement. Like all seeds, some won’t grow, others may grow for a few years and then fade away, and a couple may even grow to be big, sprawling mahogany trees. So why not just plant some and see what happens.
The day before I left for IST, I dedicated my whole day to collecting seeds for the Peace Corps seed exchange. But this day ended up being much more than a day walking around the bush trying to identify seeding trees. I ran into some boys I know from helping at the Upper Basic School (Grades 7-9) and asked them to help me find seeds. We found quite a few trees and spent a large part of the day sitting around, removing Flamboyant seeds from their hard shell casing. The boys, Kasam and Alamaso, were eager 9th-graders, preparing for their National Assessment Exams on 11 May, with dreams to play soccer, go to school on the coast, and move abroad.
That seems to be the dream of any young girl or boy: getting out of this country. Can you blame them? Job opportunities are few and far between. Who wants the same life as their parents, grandparents, and so on as subsistence farmers who can barely provide for themselves? I was always told growing up that I can do whatever I want to do if I work hard. But for Kasam and Alamaso, working hard will inevitably lead them back to Jali village or maybe selling cell-phone holders on the streets along the coast. We learned a lot about “brain drain” in my college development courses where “scholars” say that Africans continue to live in poverty because all the bright minds are leaving their home countries to pursue job opportunities abroad; that if they stayed in their home country to help build its infrastructure, poverty wouldn’t be as prevalent. I talked to Kasam and Alamaso about this idea; that Gambians should try to make their country better instead of wanting to leave. Kasam agreed, and said, so dignified, “I want my family to live a better life than me, so if I can find a job in Europe or America, and send money home, then maybe my kids will know how to make Gambia not poor.” He’s right, why not take advantage of an opportunity that most Gambians can only dream of, but when will this cycle end? Why can’t it be Kasam who changes this country around instead of his children? And what can be done to provide more Gambians with more opportunities?
My mind is constantly racing with ideas- day and night. “They could plant a huge fruit tree orchard and sell the fruits to tourists. Wait no! They can learn how to dry mangos and sell them during the off season! Yeah, wait, better yet, they grow thousands of cashew trees and then open up a cashew nut production factory…or…” This is why I’m so tired… but really, at this point, are these visions realistic? Probably not. Now, families are unable to grow enough to feed their families. Now this seems like a realistic goal and potential for opportunity. If we can improve crop yield, families may have the opportunity to sell their excess and make a profit. If families can make a profit, perhaps they can afford to send their kids to higher education. If their kids spend less time helping with farm chores and more time studying, their advancement potential is higher. If all farmers are producing better and more crops, perhaps they could export them- providing additional income and business opportunities for all.
Call me idealistic, yes, I know. But let’s just start with trying to feed one’s family. Development is a long process, even the term “development” is pretty loaded and such a western idea. Although I am living in a village and see problems and issues facing people, I am only here for 2 years. “Development workers” have lived here before me and they will live here after I leave.
All I can do is plant some positive seeds for improvement. Like all seeds, some won’t grow, others may grow for a few years and then fade away, and a couple may even grow to be big, sprawling mahogany trees. So why not just plant some and see what happens.
This is my home
17 April
I've been staying in Jali village for about 3 months now. The Drammeh compound is where I eat all my meals. And the vast bush of the Kiang Region is where I've spent most my days working. Though, until recently, I still felt like a visitor. It was a few days before Easter, I was missing home, wishing I could spend the holiday back in Pennsylvania; laughing with my family and oodling over the dog. So I decided to trek up to Basse in Eastern Gambia to go to church and cook with some Peace Corps friends posted out east. It was great to cook American food, play cards, laugh about all there is to laugh about here, and spend such a special holiday with people I really care about. I returned back to site, in high spirits, and was blessed with an unexplainable feeling that this place, Kiang Jali village, in the Drammeh compound; is exactly where I belong. This is my home.
I came back from my 4-day Easter excursion with high spirits and ready to work! While I was gone, the men (finally) finished the fence for the women’s garden, 2 wells had been dug the desired 3-meters into the water table and 2 more were being worked on, and I was greeted with big smiles and genuine greetings from the villagers. Despite being exhausted from my journey (took an extra day because “sometimes transport is a problem in Kiang”), all I wanted to do was walk around, greet people, laugh, and talk about what a great village Jali is. My little host brothers saw me walking along the dirt path to the compound and their faces lit up with instant smiles as they ran around yelling in Mandinka, “Habie came! Habie came!” (That’s my Gambian name…) At that moment, I put down my backpack and nearly broke down in tears. My host mother came out, just as excited, and said, “you came home!” “Yes”, I replied, “I came home.
I've been staying in Jali village for about 3 months now. The Drammeh compound is where I eat all my meals. And the vast bush of the Kiang Region is where I've spent most my days working. Though, until recently, I still felt like a visitor. It was a few days before Easter, I was missing home, wishing I could spend the holiday back in Pennsylvania; laughing with my family and oodling over the dog. So I decided to trek up to Basse in Eastern Gambia to go to church and cook with some Peace Corps friends posted out east. It was great to cook American food, play cards, laugh about all there is to laugh about here, and spend such a special holiday with people I really care about. I returned back to site, in high spirits, and was blessed with an unexplainable feeling that this place, Kiang Jali village, in the Drammeh compound; is exactly where I belong. This is my home.
I came back from my 4-day Easter excursion with high spirits and ready to work! While I was gone, the men (finally) finished the fence for the women’s garden, 2 wells had been dug the desired 3-meters into the water table and 2 more were being worked on, and I was greeted with big smiles and genuine greetings from the villagers. Despite being exhausted from my journey (took an extra day because “sometimes transport is a problem in Kiang”), all I wanted to do was walk around, greet people, laugh, and talk about what a great village Jali is. My little host brothers saw me walking along the dirt path to the compound and their faces lit up with instant smiles as they ran around yelling in Mandinka, “Habie came! Habie came!” (That’s my Gambian name…) At that moment, I put down my backpack and nearly broke down in tears. My host mother came out, just as excited, and said, “you came home!” “Yes”, I replied, “I came home.
20 March 2009
KONG KONG!
How is the morning? Hope there are no troubles? Have you woken in peace? How are your people? Hope there are no troubles?
Greetings are essential to survival and success in The Gambia. You greet, and continue to greet throughout the day. No event is more important than a greeting. I like to spend at least an hour or two walking around each day just greeting people. It’s great to help me get to know people, find out people’s roles in village, and learn everyone’s name. In that respect, living in an area where families inter-marry has made life a bit easier on me. About 1/3 of the village’s surname is Sameteh, another 1/3 is Drammeh (including me), and you have 1/3 other names like Ceesay, Dibba, or Fatty.
There would be no way for me to give you a “typical” day for me here in the Peace Corps. I have no set work schedule or job description. As an extension worker, I am expected to determine community need, find motivated groups or individuals, and work towards goals we set together. People often complain that there are no opportunities to make money in the village, to some extent, they are right; infrastructure is lacking, resources are limited, and the educational system is poor; but I see so much potential in the people in my village to improve their lives. They don’t need thousands of dollars in aid money or a milling machine; they need to recognize this potential. As Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” I did not come here to change people or this culture, instead, I want to help people improve their own lives. Improvements don’t need to be world changing though, maybe learning how to dry mangos so you’re children can get vitamins all times of the year or planting a few trees.
The women’s garden in coming along nicely – slowly slowly (domanding domanding) – as we would say here in Gambia. The fence is almost finished, it was tougher to motivate the men to work than the women, but they promised to finish it on Thursday. We hired a contractor to put in three open wells, for now, so his crew will start on Monday. And, I’m trying to convince the women’s group to start a communal compost pile to improve the soil quality and ultimately increase crop yield with plant material, cow dung, urea, vinegar, and sugar. I’m really excited about this garden and other community gardens in my area. I’ve unfortunately seen so many defunct community gardens and am trying to work towards SUSTAINABILITY – what is going to last beyond my two years here and for decades to come.
My village had a woman’s training center for many years, but it hasn’t been used much at all for the past few years. At the group meeting, several women expressed interest in starting it up again. These could be the small group of dedicated individuals I am looking for! These women aren’t looking for fame or fortune – just to improve their situation. Maybe learn how to sound out words and simple math. My mind is racing constantly with ideas, projects, income-generating activities, health and environmental education classes…but I’ve got to remind myself, domanding domanding, we need to determine the community need and set realistic goals. It is exciting to be surrounded by motivated individuals and be able to work with women.
Gender roles and expectations has been one of those issues I’ve been struggling to understand and accept completely. As a feminist, one who belives men and women should be given equal opportunity, respect, and choices, it’s difficult to live in a culture where women are subservient to men. The woman do it all, all the cooking, cleaning, fetching water, working in the fields…the list goes on…But they say it’s part of their culture, part of their religion; that men are the “masters” because Allah/God gave women to man to serve them. But the women accept this, so if it is their choice, are they empowered? I’m having a hard time seeing the women as empowered and equally having a difficult time building trust and respect with the men because of this. I do not interject my opinion, but simply observe and learn, for I am living in their culture.
Culture differences definitly keep me laughing each and every day. One day last week, I wasn’t feeling too well- it was probably the oil in the bennechin- and I just wanted to rest and sleep it off. I told my host family that, and they gave me some traditional root medicine and said, “May God make you better.” I said thank you and went into my hut to sleep. In our culture, most friends or family members would check in one you once in a while, but give you space. But here, I had ½ the village coming to send there greetings and prayers. As soon as I would start to sleep another person would knock on the door, “KONG KONG!” (that’s what people say when they knock on your door). I would get out of bed, tell them I was starting to feel better and try to get back to sleep and then an hour later KONG KONG…at first it was frustrating, but I just had to laugh. They all have only good intentions. Got to learn to embrace the KONG KONG’s.
Today since I was in town, I bought a beesuit so I can start going out harvesting with some beekeepers and I’m really excited for all the little projects that have come up. I’ve started working in nearby villages with the women’s gardens. I can’t tell you for sure what the future holds for me in Jali village, but I can tell you that I am smiling everyday, learning the language – domanding domanding, and making great friends. Thank you all for your letters/emails/ etc. I am so blessed. Whenever you are feeling down, just remember how great each day is- the whole world is conspiring to shower us with blessings.
Greetings are essential to survival and success in The Gambia. You greet, and continue to greet throughout the day. No event is more important than a greeting. I like to spend at least an hour or two walking around each day just greeting people. It’s great to help me get to know people, find out people’s roles in village, and learn everyone’s name. In that respect, living in an area where families inter-marry has made life a bit easier on me. About 1/3 of the village’s surname is Sameteh, another 1/3 is Drammeh (including me), and you have 1/3 other names like Ceesay, Dibba, or Fatty.
There would be no way for me to give you a “typical” day for me here in the Peace Corps. I have no set work schedule or job description. As an extension worker, I am expected to determine community need, find motivated groups or individuals, and work towards goals we set together. People often complain that there are no opportunities to make money in the village, to some extent, they are right; infrastructure is lacking, resources are limited, and the educational system is poor; but I see so much potential in the people in my village to improve their lives. They don’t need thousands of dollars in aid money or a milling machine; they need to recognize this potential. As Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” I did not come here to change people or this culture, instead, I want to help people improve their own lives. Improvements don’t need to be world changing though, maybe learning how to dry mangos so you’re children can get vitamins all times of the year or planting a few trees.
The women’s garden in coming along nicely – slowly slowly (domanding domanding) – as we would say here in Gambia. The fence is almost finished, it was tougher to motivate the men to work than the women, but they promised to finish it on Thursday. We hired a contractor to put in three open wells, for now, so his crew will start on Monday. And, I’m trying to convince the women’s group to start a communal compost pile to improve the soil quality and ultimately increase crop yield with plant material, cow dung, urea, vinegar, and sugar. I’m really excited about this garden and other community gardens in my area. I’ve unfortunately seen so many defunct community gardens and am trying to work towards SUSTAINABILITY – what is going to last beyond my two years here and for decades to come.
My village had a woman’s training center for many years, but it hasn’t been used much at all for the past few years. At the group meeting, several women expressed interest in starting it up again. These could be the small group of dedicated individuals I am looking for! These women aren’t looking for fame or fortune – just to improve their situation. Maybe learn how to sound out words and simple math. My mind is racing constantly with ideas, projects, income-generating activities, health and environmental education classes…but I’ve got to remind myself, domanding domanding, we need to determine the community need and set realistic goals. It is exciting to be surrounded by motivated individuals and be able to work with women.
Gender roles and expectations has been one of those issues I’ve been struggling to understand and accept completely. As a feminist, one who belives men and women should be given equal opportunity, respect, and choices, it’s difficult to live in a culture where women are subservient to men. The woman do it all, all the cooking, cleaning, fetching water, working in the fields…the list goes on…But they say it’s part of their culture, part of their religion; that men are the “masters” because Allah/God gave women to man to serve them. But the women accept this, so if it is their choice, are they empowered? I’m having a hard time seeing the women as empowered and equally having a difficult time building trust and respect with the men because of this. I do not interject my opinion, but simply observe and learn, for I am living in their culture.
Culture differences definitly keep me laughing each and every day. One day last week, I wasn’t feeling too well- it was probably the oil in the bennechin- and I just wanted to rest and sleep it off. I told my host family that, and they gave me some traditional root medicine and said, “May God make you better.” I said thank you and went into my hut to sleep. In our culture, most friends or family members would check in one you once in a while, but give you space. But here, I had ½ the village coming to send there greetings and prayers. As soon as I would start to sleep another person would knock on the door, “KONG KONG!” (that’s what people say when they knock on your door). I would get out of bed, tell them I was starting to feel better and try to get back to sleep and then an hour later KONG KONG…at first it was frustrating, but I just had to laugh. They all have only good intentions. Got to learn to embrace the KONG KONG’s.
Today since I was in town, I bought a beesuit so I can start going out harvesting with some beekeepers and I’m really excited for all the little projects that have come up. I’ve started working in nearby villages with the women’s gardens. I can’t tell you for sure what the future holds for me in Jali village, but I can tell you that I am smiling everyday, learning the language – domanding domanding, and making great friends. Thank you all for your letters/emails/ etc. I am so blessed. Whenever you are feeling down, just remember how great each day is- the whole world is conspiring to shower us with blessings.
Pictures from Village!
Here is a picture of the wall dividing the "parlor" from the "master bedroom". Notice the thatched roof with plastic to help stop the rain from getting in, pretty amazing!
This is in the front room, directly to the right from when you come in the front door. 
This is on the opposite side of the front room/parlor. The truck has all my food in it, on the table are all my bowls and such and my water filter. My gas stove is on the floor.
This is my bathroom. My plush pit latrine and bucket for bathing. Do you really want to know what the kettle is for?
This is my backyard. The tree nursery is in the front, but the trees will be planted very soon! There are papaya and moringa trees planted along the straw fence!
Here is the "master bedroom" or backroom. I have all my cards hanging up above my bed, but you can't see them!
Here is the water pump where I fetch water. Buba, my host brother is demonstrating how to use it...
Here is the pathway leaving the village. My friend Janke lives in the compound to the right and the water tower in the background is where I get cell phone reception and is a solar tank that supplies water to the whole village, except when it's cloudy.
Here is the mosque in the middle of the village and to the left is the bitik- or shop. The shop owner insists that everyone calls him "50 cent".
Some kids near my compound playing "jump the stick". Talk about making fun out of nothing!
This is the goat that my family slaughtered for the naming ceremony for my new baby sister, Mariam Numi. Halimatu, my 4 year old sister in the front right is holding it's leg. I told her that was not safe and to put it down, but that made her cry.
I love this picture of week-old Mariam Numi because she has one eye open!
The neighbor women came over to help cook food for the village- porridge in the morning with sour milk, and then way-too-oily rice, called bennechin, and goat in the for lunch.
Here are some of my friends pounding the shells off rice. Habie (my ntoma/namesake, because we have the same name), Mariam, and Geneba.
Kebba Sameteh is squatting with little Abas, Halimatu is sitting, and Ousman is "brewing attaya", a strong china green tea that the men drink all day long. Don't drink it at night if you want to get to sleep at a reasonable time- it's highly caffeinated!
Fatumata, my host mom, before she gave birth with little Ousman- 17 months old.
Pretty typical afternoon cracking peanuts.
I couldn't teach anyone how to use my camera, so tried to take a picture of myself with Isatoo and Silifundi- my 2 neighbor friends.
Women's garden site, the women gathered the water to make the concrete for the fence posts.
My host siblings Halimatu, Ousman, Alaigie, and Buba.
Jali Bolong- the River Gambia- about 7 km from my village. BEAUTIFUL! I wish I had pictures of the mangroves!
So, some fishermen in my village killed one of the most endangered species in the area- the manatee. Then they cut it up and we all ate it with our lunch the next day. Good, but very fatty.
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