Movie Series

So, it's really hard to describe 3 months of training in a few blog posts, but I'll try to do my best. Right now I'm back in the capital area, staying at the PC hostel until next Sunday (which means I have free Internet access, so send some emails this way and you won't have to wait a month for a response!) Friday, April 13th, we officially swear in as Peace Corps Volunteers. I've been holding on to my PC patch that my recruiter sent to me in the mail what seems like ages ago and come Friday, I'm going to sew it on my Costa Rica tote sack that is my excuse for a purse.

It seems appropriate to try to describe my experience sort of like a movie series. Right now I'm watching (or starring in rather) "culture shock part III" Don't be frightened by the title, it's a really good movie so far, and has an awesome soundtrack with lots of Yo La Tengo, some Velvet Underground, Niko Case, Dr. Dog, Camera Obsucra, Air during the yoga scenes and even Yes finds its way in sometimes. But this isn't one of those movies that releases the prequel years later, so I'll start with part I.

Part I- Training Village
The first 2 weeks of training were some what like an extended day camp. We had back to back training sessions, then started integrating language sessions in slowly. We were nervous to walk outside our living quarters, leery of what was on the other side of the brick walls. Some of us stayed up late, having dance parties with our mp3 players and first round of AA batteried speakers. Some woke up early and even practiced yoga or went on runs. I went to the beach a few times and thought paying D80 for 4 oranges was normal (about $3) (at the market they are D5 each, I later found out). Looking back, when I first got here, I didn't feel overwhelmed. Thing were pretty structured and I'm a pretty structured person, so it was easy to go with the flow and take things as they came. We had set meals 3x a day and were served "American-type food" and got our own plates and cutlery. We had field trips- one in particular to the Sera Kunda Market, a huge market in the Kombo area. That was the day my left foot got run over by the front right tire of a taxi cab trying to fit down one of the tiny market roads going about 5 miles and hour. Luckily, I had changed out of my chacos in to my keens, which probably saved my foot. (I need to write Keen to see if I can be a celeb in their next commercial or something). My foot was only bruised. I could immediately walk on it, but still immediately was taken to the PC health clinic a few kilos away. Two days later I was running on it. I am only just mentioning it now because it sounds like something horrible, but really wasn't and it hasn't bothered me since that week.

We were divided into training groups and placed in training villages. Kaiaf, a larger Mandinka village in the Kiang region was home for about 6 weeks. During the first week, I felt my first series of overwhelming experiences. Even though I tried to put expectations aside, I was still questioning whether I could live in such a foreign land for 2 years- how did people do it I wondered. I worked with these feelings by taking it a day at a time, going on runs (luckily I was placed with another runner), doing yoga in the middle of the heat of the day in my hut all by myself, going to language classes all morning and working on tons of school-type assignments that PC gave to us called TDAs (training directed assignments) that consisted of dipping bed nets with our families, putting on skits and coming up with plans on how we could introduce hygiene to our eventual permanent sites. Training was broken up by a few different trips to Tendaba Camp, a sort of resort place known for bird watching, that had a pool and cold drinks. It was a nice break from village life and a fun way to meet back up with people to see how their training was going. But at the same time, it was session after session of new information, which was overwhelming in and of itself. I ended up moving families mid way through because I was placed in a teacher renter's compound with a very traditional Gambian father. I felt uncomfortable around the family a lot, like I was actually in their way, so I requested a change. My new family was much more jovial (my father sold mintees, or candy-how appropriate, huh?), there were 3 wives and older children that went to school and I enjoyed all of their company. Most nights, after a run and a bucket bath, I would sit out on their bantaba with my language note book and they would watch me write and help me speak. I was starting to see how one could ease into the simplicity of village life, with the additives of fetching water from a pump and carrying the bucket on my head, listening to the mosque call 5 times a day (the first starting at 6 am), waking up with roosters and watching goats mingle in the cooking area (which didn't bother me at first, but by the end of training village drove me crazy!!) I some how chipped my left 2nd tooth (Marilina, what is that one called?), got strep throat or something and fluctuated between major constipation or full blown diarrhea (fun huh?). Bike rides to the next market town, Soma, about 10k away, were a big deal, where I loaded up on tons of cookies and leafy veggies--a huge treat. I even planned a weekend to visit friends in a Fula village about 12k away, spent the night and we biked to Tendaba Camp, swam, came back and made spaghetti and garlic bread on a gas tank. It was amazing garlic bread.

Part II- Perminant Site
Then about a week ago, we had our site visits. I knew I was going to be in Brikama, an urban town in the Kombo area, working with the NGO Hands On Care. I didn't know what site would be like, but heard that they had found a family for me. Turns out, it is still a renters compound, but with a family component. While being driven down a sandy-neighborhoodesk, tree lined road, I didn't know what to think. Then we passed a faucet pump and stopped at Camera Kunda. When I walked through the iron and glass french front doors and stepped on my tile floor, I was totally confused. I walked around my 3 bedroom, one living room, one bathroom with plumbing house for a good 10 minutes completely overwhelmed. I would say that feeling hasn't and probably won't leave me for a while. I escaped electric and water bills for 3 months, but now they've found me again. It's a brand new house and I'm the very first person to live there and I don't even know where to start in terms of decorating or furnishing, but it is important to me to have a safe, comforting place to come home to for the next 2 years, so I'm going to start with a fresh coat of paint. I hope to hold a few painting parties, otherwise, painting is the only thing I'll be doing in the next 6 months. I did get a chance to get to the carpenter before coming to PC hostel this week and should have a counter top, small table, night stand, bathroom stand and clothes shelf made for me when I get back. I'm going to send money with people who live up country to get one double bamboo bed made and one single to act as a couch in one of the rooms. I haven't decided what to do with the other room, but I'm thinking maybe a yoga/climbing room (I wonder if anyone would know how to build a climbing wall over here, and how much it would cost to get holds shipped over here?--I'm half kidding, but actually half serious--who wants to come visit and help me build a climbing wall, Aaron, Lisa, Summit? Chris? Arnold? Sarah and Srin?) I'm going to miss village life, but can't beat a 10 minute walk to my job and to the market where I can make veggie burrito/eggerrito goodness type food any time I desire. Traditional Gambian food is pretty good, but usually consists of a lot of rice and oil or millet and oil with some kind of groundnut or leafy sauce, sometimes with fish (that have tons of bone, naturally), cassava (a type of root), overcooked onions or a few over cooked bitter tomatoes. My living arrangements include having lunch with the family, but I will be on my own for breakfast and dinner, which will allow for some variety. I will still wash my clothes by hand, but have a spigot right outside my front door. I plan on planting lots of flowers in my concrete like flower bed at some point, too. I've met some employees of Hands on Care and members of the Alletentu support group and am excited to ease in to that position. Like I mentioned before, they just released an album, which I will buy and send back to The States for you guys to hear. The PCV I'm replacing, Bonnie, may stick around for a little while longer to work with another organization, which I'm really excited about because she has done so much with the group and it would be nice to have her help with my transition, and she's a runner and she's really nice.

I have a mother named Tida, a father in France named Lamin, 3 sisters named Kadi (who has Momedu age 7, Ebrima age 3 and Adama 3 months) Fanta age14 and Mansanta age 10. I also have an aunt (or binki-the father's sister) named Mariama Camera, same as me, ironically (which is known as your name sake or toma), who has 3 sons, Lamin age 21, Saja age 18 and Kemu age 12. They own and watch a TV most nights, own a land line and have electricity. The boys all speak some English, so not all communication is lost. At this point, I can say where I'm going, where I've come from, what I want and need, what I'm doing currently, what I did yesterday and what I will do tomorrow. We've learned how to say what we habitually do, ask questions and even that we're doing something while doing something else (like talking while eating), but my vocab is still minimal and sentence structure is a pain in the butt.

Part III- PC Hostel, aka The Stodge
This is where Yes gets some play time. Who knew hot showers, bunk beds, DVD/TV, shelves of games and books and a full size kitchen could be so overwhelming!? I walked in to an actual grocery store in the first time in 3 months and didn't know where to start (who am I kidding, I went straight to the candy isle). I bought a 1/2 kilo of mozzarella cheese for D125 and soon remembered how much I missed actually cooking and the repetitive act of washing dishes in a sink with running water. I am going to savor this next week and eat 10lbs of veggies and maybe even buy ice cream. It's also a mad house there right now because all the trainees, as well as all the close of service (COS) people are staying here right now.

So what do you think the trailer would look like at this point?

This is the section where I mention things I miss.

Things that I miss (and may fit nicely in care packages):
gummy candy (like mike and ikes)
gum
burts bees chapstick
dried fruit
batteries-AA/AAA
trail mix/nuts (anything other than peanuts, please)
triscuit crackers
a stylish pair of sunglasses
posters I could hang on my bare walls
bobby pins and pony tail holders
shampoo, crest toothpaste/toothbrush

Letters! Letters! Letters!

Things I miss (but wouldn't fit nicely in care packages):
My family and friends
My dogs
NPR

Well I think I'll close for now, I've been here for almost 5 hours. Promise pics this week, check out some extra links--may give you a little insight of what work may be like for the next 2 years.

Love and Hugs so big!