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.