~And the seasons they go 'round and 'round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return we can only look
behind from where we came
And go 'round and 'round and 'round in the circle game~
The African Baobab, or tree of life, is capable of storing large amounts of water, has medicinal properties, and is an important food source. Thus, this ancient tree (~2,000 yrs.) has contributed to the survival of many Africans throughout time. This is one of my favorite trees in The Gambia, and I have the pleasure of boating past Baobab Island once a month when I go out for fieldwork.
14 November 2009 "...Proof that our western culture has trickled down: today's sightings included a Lord of The Rings t-shirt, 50-Cent t-shirt, a Dora the Explorer nightgown (worn during the day ofcourse), an air-brushed Barney t-shirt, and Playboy bunny flip flops on my very Muslim host father."
20 November 2009 "...Learned a couple of cultural taboos here- do NOT speak of pregnancy, and do not ask how many children one has. It is considered to be bad luck!"
29 November 2009 "...Today we travelled to Soma, a town about an hours drive from Bumari, to go to the market. The "toubab store" or Soma Mini Market, was rumored to have off brand American items that we would get excited over. I was looking forward to the fake pringles and cheese, but unfortunately they had neither. I did however buy cookies, fake swiss cake rolls, and crackers. Later this afternoon, our PC driver Peter brought over bush pig and we cooked it up!"
13 December 2009 "...As part of our cross-cultural work, we had to visit a fortune teller. Ours happens to be Matt's father Jeta. Jeta also happens to be the Imam (religious leader), the traditional healer, and the husband of our cook. I was apprehensive of the encounter because of witchcraft and spiritual practices of people here...I'm not even sure what I actually believe about this realm, but it seems mysterious, manipulative, and penetrating. But once I found out who the "see-er" was, I felt relieved. The whole ordeal was sort of humorous. You had to pay 5 Dalasis, it only lasts a minute or two, and you don't even get to ask questions. He told me that I'm stomach sick and that i will be better after i give away two kola nuts (one going to him), and that I will have a peaceful two yrs. here and greet my home people in peace. I hope I find all of that to be true!"
27 April 2010 "...I'm growing fonder of Sally by the minute. I don't know how I would manage without her! She helps me around the house, keeps me entertained, and lets me be myself. Today we danced to Grateful Dead together-so cute. So yea, my best friend is a 3-yr old."
7 May 2010 "...Mom went to see Van Morrison last week with Hunter and Lauren! I'm so jealous! This was the first time that he's EVER played in Alabama. I'm really happy that Mom got to go though!"
8 May 2010 "...Lienje and Sally and I went to the futbol game last night...Sally peed while sitting in my lap, so we had to leave early. It looked like i wet myself! I'm sure that's what everyone in the village thought..."
13 May 2010 "...So I was able to reclaim my head of hair! Got all the dreads/tangles out, and now it's looking good!"
28 May 2010 "...Wow, can't believe it's almost June! In 5 days it will be 7-months since I departed the U.S.! Considering I was so incredibly sad to leave and didn't know if I could do it or not, I'm very proud of myself for making it this far! I hope that the remainder of my time here will coast by and be as successful and fulfilling as it has thus far."
29 May 2010 "...So, either my days are becoming less pleasant, or my attitude is becoming negative. Maybe it's a little bit of both. Being here is so emotionally and mentally draining. Sometimes it just sucks."
30 June 2010 "...Last night was my first storm in village. Started around 11 pm, lots of lightning, thunder, and rain. The rain sounds insane on the corrugate roof! It makes me pretty anxious/nervous, but hopefully I will grow to find it soothing. Just tough not knowing if your roof will blow off or not."
"...I would LOVE to put on a mini dress and some funky platforms and go out! However, I'm sitting here in a dirty linen dress with braided hair, cooking instant pasta over my propane stove, and watching the termites eat away at my house."
17 July 2010 "...Dad called last night. Apparently a cap has been successfully placed on the leaking oil well!! Guess that's good news for now that there is no more oil spilling into the Gulf. The dispersants and oil already present have probably damaged the Gulf Coast for my lifetime at least."
"The rains have been steady and everything is sooo green. The banana trees in our compound are growing tall and the fields have been prepped and cassava, maize, and groundnut planted. P.S. There was a beautiful rainbow this evening while I was bathing."
30 July 2010 "...Today it rained sooo much. I went to the beachside to work and about 20 min in it started pouring. I ended up waiting several hours for the rain to ease up so that I could leave. It was kinda nice hanging out with all the guys sitting under the shelter though. I liked watching the boats roll in, unphased by the storm."
31 July 2010 "...This morning at the market I was overcharged-so I didn't end up buying. So discouraging. As I was leaving I was thinking evil thoughts about the uncivilized, ignorant, and racist ways of some people here. And then I tripped an cut my shin on a concrete block. Guess it was karma keeping me in check."
21 August 2010 "...Sitting under the mango tree, good breeze, beautiful day!"
3 October 2010 "...So, after feeling completely depressed and miserable after work Friday, I stopped for pizza and beer on the way back to village. That helped quite a bit!"
10 November 2010 "...This morning I hitched a ride up to the city on a dump truck. Usually it's a lot faster than taking a gele gele, but today it kinda took forever because they had to stop and dump their load of sand on the way. Free ride nonetheless."
20 December 2010 "...Just fed Sally her first bite of chili! It was out of a can, but nonetheless tasty. We sang some songs together, and I discovered she knows the words to "Jenny Jenkins"...well, she knows the version that I sing- I replace Jenny Jenkins with Sally Kunta."
11 January 2011 "...First entry of 2011! The year has been off to a good start so far. Spent the New Years holiday in a treehouse overlooking the ocean. It was really nice."
19 February 2011 "...Took the kids to the reptile farm today...so much fun! This afternoon my little brother and his friends came knocking on my door. They said Njaka told them that he held a snake around his neck today and asked me if it was true. I showed them the pictures and they were blown away and so excited! Njaka was definitely looking like the cool kid in the village. Then they asked me if I wanted to go chase goats with them. I had nothing better to do, so they handed me a cassava stick and off we went."
Sometimes it's nice to take a journey through the past and remember where you've come from and what experiences have shaped you. I'm 17-months into my service and not a day passes that I don't look around and feel in awe of what's around me and the way I'm living.
