toubabgimmetoothbrush

So it's official- One of my favorite places here in Gambia is the town of Kartong. I visited the coastal town for the first time when I first moved to Brikama with one of my site mates. It takes me about an hour and a half on bike and we spend the morning on a "bumster"-free beach. This past weekend I biked my way there again with plans to camp on the beach with the agro-forestry PCV placed in Kartong. She tells me to call her when I get to a particular resort sign because she'll be at a friend's near there. Turns out her friend's place is this awesome little vacation home tucked neatly away in the bush just on the outskirts of the Kartong village. Somebody liked me that day because shortly after settling into conversation on the veranda, we found ourselves in the company of one of the mesmerizing down pours that frequent the rainy season. The rain let up just enough for us to go into the village to spend some time greeting her family, buy some dinner and identify the looming clouds that confirmed we would not be camping that evening. We decided we'd rather stay dry and get a good night's sleep rather than get swept out to the ocean in a flash flood. I never really understood the concept of a vacation home, but after only one night of what felt like an entirely different environment that left me feeling calm and refreshed, I would argue that it's almost necessary to have a sanctuary such as a vacation home to escape to for the sake of your own personal well being.

On my way home the next day, I stopped by another site mates's compound to give what turned out to be another successful "mouth washing" demo. Only problem was my little song drew a crowd from outside the compound that resulted in too much demand with too little supply. but in other brush business, I was washing dishes early the other morning and was joined my my sister and her new tooth brush at the tap. The more I think about it, the more I feel like the toothbrush (with its demonstration in the local language) is probably single handedly the best gift for people in developing countries. I mean, I struggle with the idea of giving things away, especially here where the line children shout "toubabgimmemintee" sounds more like a really long word rather than a sentence. But when I think about the brush, it fills the role of a health objective, is actually somewhat sustainable due to the learned skill that can be passed on as well the multiple uses out of the tool, and has the hipness factor of a tangible object the kids like to be seen in public with. Guess I can't really get mad when I hear the "Mariamagimmetoothbrush" line these days.

Among some of the things missed back home like company of good friends and family, access to fruity candy, the movie theater experience and pets is practicing my hobbies. A few of them like climbing, taking dance classes and searching fro new music will simply have to be put on hold for a while. However, I'm discovering that I'm still able to fulfill several of the hobbies I practiced in the States such as running, yoga, reading, photography and even cooking and occasionally painting. As of last week, I discovered that I may have the option of adding one more to the mix. One of my site mates accompanied me in following the signs on the road by his house of "Saine Pottery" to see where it lead. Turns out Mr. Saine is a potter by trade who has a whole set up, including a foot wheel and 2 kilns in his compound and has been throwing for about 30 years, training in Europe and traveling Africa. His main market these days is the hotel strip flooded with European tourists where his wife displays his products. What made the experience seem like it was even more meant to be was the fact that the compound dog just had a litter of 8 pups (I think I've found my 4-legged foster family), Mr. Saine actually knew his birthday was that day and we left with our very own pots and business cards in our hands. Needless to say, this other "hobby" I may able to fulfill happens be able to take the form of a community development project. After I return from the vacation that happens to take the form of Greece...

I'll report back in about a month. Peace out yokles!

Check out the new photos on Flickr.