Have I told you about Awa Touray? Meet my favorite Wolof woman in Brikama. She sells me sweet groundnut treats and homemade coconut balls. She disappeared for a few months about 4 months ago, but now she's back. I greet her in Wolof, then order in Mandinka. We have that same system as my other tiyo-futo woman where, when I bring my own bag, she loads me up on extra goodies. Her stand is far away from the market, almost to the junction that splits the South Bank road with the market road (also known as "Jalibah Junction" for the Mandinka Kora player who lives around there). It's a win-win-win(win) situation all around, because no matter what kind of day I'm having, it always gets a little better if I pass her stand. It also give me an excuse to take a different path home, and sometimes life just calls for taking that different path. I get my sweet fix for the day, she gets her business and saves on a bag, and most of my site mates are now satisfied-Awa Touray-customers as well. My last stop, after saying goodbyes to host family and neighbors before catching my plane to Greece was Mrs. Touray's Savory and Sweet stand. I think I bought about D30 (each piece is D1) worth to take for people in Greece to try the stuff. I told her I was taking them for my friends in Europe and she insisted on stuffing a few more in the bag. Lucky for Erica, my layover wasn't any longer, but still she was the only other person to enjoy them since pretty much only the crumbs were left upon arriving and settling into camping on the river. Entrepreneur, innovator, mother and friend; Awa Touray is one inspirational Gambian woman you'll want to befriend in an instant and will have no problem remembering for a life time.
Well dang! It's amazing what a difference a little funding does for the development for a small little support group. Glad I paid attention in that grant writing class! So what we've got here is funding from UNAIDS to carry out designated programs for a 5 month period which started September 07 and will go through January 08. As the "program officer" of Allatentu, it's looking like I've got my work cut out for me these days. It took a little adjusting at first from the more leisure life I was leading pre-Greece, but I realized I'm an American creature of productivity, so bring it on! What exactly am I doing these days? Well, being computer literate pretty much automatically brings a whole slew of responsibilities. It means, as the PO, I'm responsible for creating any computer generated documents such as meeting agendas, meeting minutes, executive members salary contracts, monthly reports to UNAIDS, the "5 month grant Action Plan", etc. I serve as the liaison between ASK and the country rep of UNAIDS, as well as Hands on Care, which helps govern the progress and the flow of the dough. I'm present at both executive and board meetings for ASK, as well as bi-weekly staff meetings with HOC to report the group's progress. I'm involved in cash $$$$ FLOW! requests but make sure to involve the groups designated accounts clerk and secretary to distribute responsibility.
Besides the consuming activity of working towards helping Allatentu run effectively as its own business-like entity, complete with a daily opened and staffed center where members should feel welcome and ideally tea and coffee should never run dry, ASK members continually intrigue me with their desire to involve themselves with innovative projects. When I first visited ASK about 7 months ago, they were being trained in soap making. But why stop there? In a two-part four day training, members will learn the exotic art of tie & dye, a unique Gambian trade for income generating. Last week they produced these vibrant colored bed sheets and curtains. This weekend they are learning "Batik" which is another form used more for clothes, in which the ties and dyes are more concentrated. At the next general monthly meeting, they will showcase and sell their work at the Center for people such as HOC staff, family and friends.
Remember that land designated for the cashew orchard? (They are germinating nicely, but have yet to be transplanted). Apparently fruit trees and bee keeping goes hand and hand, thus ASK is now a member of the National Bee Keepers Association- Gambia and in the preliminary stages of figuring out its training logistics involving our members as well as Busura (the name of the village where the land is) community members.
But as the locals say, it's not easy here in Gambia, so when our Jalibah concert Action Committee learned of his traveling, thus once again delaying our RIDICULOUSLY drawn out plan for a memorial/ fundraising concert, this time just days prior to sending out invitations, I was put back in my place. I remembered exactly where I was, in a primarily Muslim country where another popular phrase is "in Sh Allah- God's will" and it just seems as if that dang concert in not in that will! At any rate, since several deposits have been paid, it would be a shame for a concert not to take place, so the idea will not disseminate, just once again, be postponed...
The weeks continue to accumulate at haste. A few weekends ago, I found myself prepared to run a 10K in Banjul, organized by the African Union Commission for Human Rights, only to realize that such organization still operates on the more leisure time schedule. Not up for waking up at the crack of dawn for a race? Then the AU 10K is for you because after standing around for 2 hours, at 10am and only about 15 runners strong, there was little sign of it beginning any time soon. After all, the parade said to be heading off the race hadn't even begun!! That said, the sun wasn't getting any cooler and the runners with whom I came decided to have our own "I'm an impatient toubab with other things to do on this Sunday" 10K. I still don't even know what came of that race.
I can't remember if I mentioned this in a previous blog, so forgive me if this is old news, but it's pretty cute so worth writing about again anyway. One evening, before I left for Greece, I was sitting around chatting with the peeps in the compound. Keep in mind, chatting for me, still means a lot of observing, or conversing with the young school aged girls that frequent Camara Kunda. They were trying to tell me something that I didn't quite get until my host sister was able to repeat it enough that I finally realized they were telling me they wanted me to be their kafoo mother. Kafoo, just like in Allatentu Support Kafoo (ASK), is the Mandinka word for group. It's often referred to as a group within the same age range or common interest, such as a women's group involved in soap making or, my example, these young neighborhood girls. So anyway, after that little announcement on their behalf, I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. I hadn't realized that my presence and minimal participation in the evening bouts of rope games had made that much of an impact on them. I told them they needed to come up with a group name, so the next day they informed me that I was now the mother of "Ten Sisters". Fast forward to getting back from Greece and trying to settle back in to Allatentu's routine. They'd asked a few times what days I didn't have to go to work because they wanted come over and chat. We agreed on last Sunday at 4pm just inside the compound. They said they'd bring the lai (the condensed milk and sugar version of brewing attaya-the green tea that the guys brew) and we'd sing and dance. I'd had in my mind for several weeks that they'd be the perfect group to show how to make this mosquito cream repellent out of local ingredients, so I mentioned that we'd do that too. It was surprisingly successful, from the gathering of Neem tree leaves, to the grating of the soap, to the dividing up the cream and explaining how and when to use it. As the sun went down and the girls went home to pray, it was understood that this would become a fairly routine event.
Other ways I seem to be spending my all-of-a-sudden-coveted free time:
*Grasping on to the familiar past time of karaoke. One of the few things I will thank the tourist industry for.
*Cleaning my house. It tends to be a lengthy process, but the end product makes the sun shine brighter.
*Doing laundry. I dread it at the beginning of the process, start enjoying the mindless work mid way through and am completely elated to be hanging them up on the line by the time I'm finished.
*Catching up on my world news via month old "Newsweeks".
*Perusing the market for stylish accessories such as bangles, earrings, hip hair bands and Christmas presents.
*Thinking about weeding the flowerbed that is overgrown with fruitless tomato plants.
*Getting in that evening exercise.
*Hosting dinner parties. As much work as they are, the company's great and it just plain sucks cooking for one.
*Reading. What happened to my summer book club book supply?
*Day dreaming about what it will be like to visit with you guys in a few months!
Can't wait to hear about your Halloween stories (mine was non-existent :(, rock gym grand openings, birthday parties and other good times.
Check out the Flickr site when you get a chance, too...
Well dang! It's amazing what a difference a little funding does for the development for a small little support group. Glad I paid attention in that grant writing class! So what we've got here is funding from UNAIDS to carry out designated programs for a 5 month period which started September 07 and will go through January 08. As the "program officer" of Allatentu, it's looking like I've got my work cut out for me these days. It took a little adjusting at first from the more leisure life I was leading pre-Greece, but I realized I'm an American creature of productivity, so bring it on! What exactly am I doing these days? Well, being computer literate pretty much automatically brings a whole slew of responsibilities. It means, as the PO, I'm responsible for creating any computer generated documents such as meeting agendas, meeting minutes, executive members salary contracts, monthly reports to UNAIDS, the "5 month grant Action Plan", etc. I serve as the liaison between ASK and the country rep of UNAIDS, as well as Hands on Care, which helps govern the progress and the flow of the dough. I'm present at both executive and board meetings for ASK, as well as bi-weekly staff meetings with HOC to report the group's progress. I'm involved in cash $$$$ FLOW! requests but make sure to involve the groups designated accounts clerk and secretary to distribute responsibility.
Besides the consuming activity of working towards helping Allatentu run effectively as its own business-like entity, complete with a daily opened and staffed center where members should feel welcome and ideally tea and coffee should never run dry, ASK members continually intrigue me with their desire to involve themselves with innovative projects. When I first visited ASK about 7 months ago, they were being trained in soap making. But why stop there? In a two-part four day training, members will learn the exotic art of tie & dye, a unique Gambian trade for income generating. Last week they produced these vibrant colored bed sheets and curtains. This weekend they are learning "Batik" which is another form used more for clothes, in which the ties and dyes are more concentrated. At the next general monthly meeting, they will showcase and sell their work at the Center for people such as HOC staff, family and friends.
Remember that land designated for the cashew orchard? (They are germinating nicely, but have yet to be transplanted). Apparently fruit trees and bee keeping goes hand and hand, thus ASK is now a member of the National Bee Keepers Association- Gambia and in the preliminary stages of figuring out its training logistics involving our members as well as Busura (the name of the village where the land is) community members.
But as the locals say, it's not easy here in Gambia, so when our Jalibah concert Action Committee learned of his traveling, thus once again delaying our RIDICULOUSLY drawn out plan for a memorial/ fundraising concert, this time just days prior to sending out invitations, I was put back in my place. I remembered exactly where I was, in a primarily Muslim country where another popular phrase is "in Sh Allah- God's will" and it just seems as if that dang concert in not in that will! At any rate, since several deposits have been paid, it would be a shame for a concert not to take place, so the idea will not disseminate, just once again, be postponed...
The weeks continue to accumulate at haste. A few weekends ago, I found myself prepared to run a 10K in Banjul, organized by the African Union Commission for Human Rights, only to realize that such organization still operates on the more leisure time schedule. Not up for waking up at the crack of dawn for a race? Then the AU 10K is for you because after standing around for 2 hours, at 10am and only about 15 runners strong, there was little sign of it beginning any time soon. After all, the parade said to be heading off the race hadn't even begun!! That said, the sun wasn't getting any cooler and the runners with whom I came decided to have our own "I'm an impatient toubab with other things to do on this Sunday" 10K. I still don't even know what came of that race.
I can't remember if I mentioned this in a previous blog, so forgive me if this is old news, but it's pretty cute so worth writing about again anyway. One evening, before I left for Greece, I was sitting around chatting with the peeps in the compound. Keep in mind, chatting for me, still means a lot of observing, or conversing with the young school aged girls that frequent Camara Kunda. They were trying to tell me something that I didn't quite get until my host sister was able to repeat it enough that I finally realized they were telling me they wanted me to be their kafoo mother. Kafoo, just like in Allatentu Support Kafoo (ASK), is the Mandinka word for group. It's often referred to as a group within the same age range or common interest, such as a women's group involved in soap making or, my example, these young neighborhood girls. So anyway, after that little announcement on their behalf, I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. I hadn't realized that my presence and minimal participation in the evening bouts of rope games had made that much of an impact on them. I told them they needed to come up with a group name, so the next day they informed me that I was now the mother of "Ten Sisters". Fast forward to getting back from Greece and trying to settle back in to Allatentu's routine. They'd asked a few times what days I didn't have to go to work because they wanted come over and chat. We agreed on last Sunday at 4pm just inside the compound. They said they'd bring the lai (the condensed milk and sugar version of brewing attaya-the green tea that the guys brew) and we'd sing and dance. I'd had in my mind for several weeks that they'd be the perfect group to show how to make this mosquito cream repellent out of local ingredients, so I mentioned that we'd do that too. It was surprisingly successful, from the gathering of Neem tree leaves, to the grating of the soap, to the dividing up the cream and explaining how and when to use it. As the sun went down and the girls went home to pray, it was understood that this would become a fairly routine event.
Other ways I seem to be spending my all-of-a-sudden-coveted free time:
*Grasping on to the familiar past time of karaoke. One of the few things I will thank the tourist industry for.
*Cleaning my house. It tends to be a lengthy process, but the end product makes the sun shine brighter.
*Doing laundry. I dread it at the beginning of the process, start enjoying the mindless work mid way through and am completely elated to be hanging them up on the line by the time I'm finished.
*Catching up on my world news via month old "Newsweeks".
*Perusing the market for stylish accessories such as bangles, earrings, hip hair bands and Christmas presents.
*Thinking about weeding the flowerbed that is overgrown with fruitless tomato plants.
*Getting in that evening exercise.
*Hosting dinner parties. As much work as they are, the company's great and it just plain sucks cooking for one.
*Reading. What happened to my summer book club book supply?
*Day dreaming about what it will be like to visit with you guys in a few months!
Can't wait to hear about your Halloween stories (mine was non-existent :(, rock gym grand openings, birthday parties and other good times.
Check out the Flickr site when you get a chance, too...
1 comment:
Do you think the groundnut treats could make it all the way to the USA? They sound good :) I'd like to buy one of the Batiks. Is the one that's being swept for sale? Can you take pictures of others and put them on Flicker to choose from? Congrats on the grant. I hope it helps the groups make progress. Your Ten Sisters group sounds like fun. Can we send something for an activity? Cards? Hair accessories, nail polish etc. for girl time?
Love, Mom
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