Well, I suppose I should title this one “With love from Michigan.”

As some of you know, I returned to the U.S. last month due to some personal safety issues at my site. I am now safe and sound at home in Michigan. I am extremely happy to be surrounded by loved ones (and food that is not rice,) but leaving such a life-changing opportunity and all of the amazing people I met is heartbreaking.

Security issues aside, I have had an absolutely incredible experience and I have learned more than I could possibly say. The Gambian people taught me how to slow down and appreciate the world around me, how to live in a close knit community where you exist not as an individual, but as a member of a family, and how to live with the bare necessities… or even less.  Hurtling into to a totally different world also showed me how much I take for granted. Not the running water, electricity, or ice cream, but in being a member of the majority within a society. I had to learn what it is like to be a total outsider; to suddenly be bad at everything I try, and to give up my independence. When you stand out like a biker at a tea party you suddenly become very aware of every move you make and every word you say. Overall it has been a very humbling experience and I hope to use it as a starting point for more projects and different opportunities.

At the moment I am job searching in Michigan with the hopes of using my summers to volunteer in The Gambia or elsewhere. My new goal is to set up a program that is sustainable over time and that I can return to on a yearly basis.  If anyone has ideas or programs to think about please let me know! Square one is a scary but exciting place.

Salaamaleekum!
Here I am, once again with the wonders of the internet at my fingertips!

After many more close encounters with my eight legged enemies, comical miscommunication, and a very sad but fond farewell to my host family, I have finally finished my pre-service training! In the next few days I will be moving to my permanent site in Soma and doing my darndest to blend in. I was lucky enough to spend a few days with my future host-family and even after my feeble attempts to communicate using an interpretive dance of mimes and broken Mandinka, they were extremely warm and welcoming.  Like normal, the past few weeks have overflowed with new experiences and challenges. Here are a few,

Lessons Learned:
Of the many things Peace Corps teaches me, the hardest lesson so far seems to be saying goodbye. After extremely difficult goodbyes in the U.S. I wasn't expecting to encounter another one quite so soon. My training village host family has been absolutely wonderful and I will miss them dearly.

Happy:
Marathon March! My fellow trainees and I got to go on a 12 mile hike through the bush after a 30ish hour rainstorm! It was muddy and wet and brilliant. I felt like Bear Grylls forging a river with my pack on my head and mud in my shoes! (I will hopefully post some pictures soon)

Crappy:
Two of my host family's walls collapsed after the rainstorm. The mud walls aren't built to stand up to 30 hours of rain. This is a huge hardship to face in the rainy season, but my family handled it with grace and humor. As the walls took out a bedroom, two of the girls have been sleeping on my floor until they can get it fixed.  For the moment, corrugate and plastic is substituting for walls, but not effectively keeping the rain out. Obviously, we used this as an excuse to have a slumber party and I managed to save enough battery in my computer to watch Aladdin on my last night there.

Awkward:
I called my Dad a broom in my last language test. fiita and fiitarango are not the same. woops.

A banta. Fo naato!

After two months of smiling and nodding at those brave enough to try to communicate with me, I have learned a great many things; sitting directly under a monkey in a tree is a bad idea, pushing a van out of mud is very similar to digging one out of snow, benches in boats are likely to collapse, and a sense of humor goes a very long way.  As always, trying to fit all my experiences into a blog is like trying to fit the ocean into a drinking glass, so I'll go the aquarium route and show you a few fish instead. Happy, Crappy, and Awkward.

Happy:
Koriteh is the end of Ramadan celebration. In a country made up primarily of Muslims who have been fasting for the past month, Koriteh is like Ron Burgandy, kind of a big deal. People spend the day cooking food and drinks and getting chores done for the day so that they can relax later. For the evening, women dress up in elaborate "complets" and have their hair done. The men get dressed up and collect somewhere to drink attaya and chat.  The children put on new clothes and wander from compound to compound asking for salibo, or a candy/treat for prayers. The only thing missing is pirate costumes and echos of "trick or treat." For me, the experience was the first village affair in which I had some ability to communicate, so it was very happy indeed.

Crappy:
Sickness. Apparently moving to an undeveloped nation  in a different climate with differing standards of hygiene  means some adjusting on the part of my body. It seems to have taken pleasure in reminding me regularly. I have had fevers, upset stomach, respiratory something-or-rather, cough, and mysterious infections, but thankfully nothing more than an annoyance. Hopefully the frequency will die down as my body adjusts.

Awkward:
Books in Mandinka are very rare and  my host family doesn't read, so I was happy to borrow a story book and read aloud to them. The only problem was that I hadn't the foggiest idea what I was reading. I was getting good reactions from everyone, so I assumed it was going well until I got to a part where everyone started cracking up laughing. Worried that I said something wrong or offensive, I asked my host dad to help me translate. As it turns out, the story was about a woman that couldn't stop farting in the house and upsetting her husband and co-wife, so she sought advice from an old woman who told her to fart only into a funnel that lead outside. Gambian problem solving everyone!

There you have it! I have survived my second month in The Gambia and I haven't been eaten by spiders yet. I will be moving to Soma in a few weeks and will hopefully have an update soon thereafter! I hope all is going well at home and for those away! Best wishes and fo naato!
With love from Africa,
Alison

Hello from The Gambia!
Well here I am in Africa. I have been here for just over one month, and I am learning constantly. It's like being an infant learning how to speak, eat, bathe, toilet, and dress all over again.
For those like my pre-Peace Corps self that have no idea that the Gambia exists, it is the tiny country in West Africa being pac-manned by Senegal. It follows the Gambia River inland until Senegal swallows it. The national language is English (thank you British colonization) though few people outside of the "cities" speak it. Most speak Wolof, Pular, or Mandinka, the language I am slowly butchering. The rainy season is now upon us, making the many farmers happy and allowing me to get all the conditioner out of my hair on a semi-regular basis.

Enough of that, you clearly have the internet at your disposal. You can Google The Gambia if you feel so inclined.

A day in the life of Binta, Peace Corps Trainee.

In any particular instant I can be found sitting outside in the sunshine, usually smiling, sweating and attempting to speak Mandinka.
I am living in a small village called Mariama Kunda for 10 weeks to learn language and culture before I move to my permanent site in Soma. The Alcalo, or village elder, has named me Binta Jammeh, so that I can better integrate into the community. Mbe sabatirin with a host family in a small cement/mud compound with a corrugated metal roof. The family I'm staying with is wonderful; a father, his two wives, their 4 sons and 4 daughters. There is far too much information to attempt to put into a blog, so I will take you through my average day instead!
I wake up to the sounds of roosters and donkeys around 6:45. Thankfully I sleep through the Ramadan call to prayer at 5:30ish. I clamber out of my mosquito netting and stumble outside to my walled in pit latrine area for have a bucket bath since running water, electricity, and internet are now fond memories. The bucket baths are actually extemely refreshing (for now, I'll let you know how I feel in a year or so.) My host moms bring me breakfast, usually bread and butter or bread and noodles and I head down the road to my Language instructor's house. From 8:00- 11:00 I sit outside under mango trees with my instructor and another PC trainee and try not to butcher the language completely. This is usually interrupted by frequent visitors and Attaya and mango breaks. After language I head back to my compound for time with my host family, chores, or Peace Corps homework. Chores involve sweeping the compound outside, laundry, cooking, dishes, cleaning, etc.  At 1:00 I head back to my instructor's house for a lunch of rice and fish while everyone else is fasting for Ramadan. Then I head to the tap for water! I am proud to say that I now successfully carry the water on my head and I haven't fallen yet! Going anywhere in the village is a task because it is mandatory to greet everyone you see. This is especially true when you are Tubab, or white, and stick out like a sore thumb. Children also absolutely love any Tubabs. You have to be careful walking through village because you are likely to find children on the end of your hands if you leave them down too long. Once I finally get back with water to shower, drink, and do laundry I can work in my garden! I am growing okra, eggplant, and tomato! They are all sprouting and coming along well. I usually have technical training with the Peace Corps in the afternoons. These cover teaching strategies, health, safety, culture, and a random assortment of other things. In the evenings I play games with the kids around my compound, teach reading, and sit with my host family. We break fast with bread and tea around 7:30, then have dinner (rice and fish again) around 9:30. Needless to say, I eat a lot. Then off to bed I go! There you have it! This is my average day until September when I move to my site!

Interesting Tidbits:
1. Pit latrines and cold bucket baths really aren't that bad.
2. Spiders definitely are that bad.
3. Sharing my ceiling with creatures of unidentified species is now normal
4. Existing in a constant state of sweat is also normal
5. I love teaching here just as much as I do in the U.S.
6. People are amazing.
7. Storms here are epic and make for great showers.

My favorite things so far are the people and teaching. The people here are phenomenally helpful and patient. They bear with my incoherent rambling and help me learn to be Gambian. As far as teaching goes, I have only done it for for one week and language barriers make life difficult. Since there are so few resources, teaching here requires creativity and clarity and I love every second of it. The hardest thing I have faced thus far is poor public health care. Though there are some hospitals and clinics, most people see traditional healers and wear jujus to keep pain and evil spirits away. I am provided with a wonderful first aid kit by the Peace Corps that I am not allowed to share for obvious reasons. I find it very difficult to see basic infections and wounds that I have the ability to take care of, but I have to sit back and do nothing.
Well that is all I have time for at the moment. I probably won't have internet again for quite some time but snail mail is semi-reliable! Best wishes to you all!
With love from Africa!
Alison

p.s. I was told to mention things that I miss.
- Chocolate
-Granola bars will only last so long
-drink mixes are a life saver