Better Than

~All I know is sometimes things can be hard
But you should know by now
They come and they go
So why, Oh why
Do I look to the other side
Cause I know the grass is greener but
Just as hard to mow

Life's not about what's better than~

It's hard not to feel nostalgic when I think about all of the blooming flowers and beautiful weather that spring in America is currently bringing!  All is dry, dead, and hot in The Gambia right now, but the dry season is coming to a close and greenery will soon return.  Unfortunately so will the spike in mosquitoes, temperatures, and humidity.   The purgatory that is rainy season is just around the corner!

I've been keeping busy lately with work, fun, and travel (more on that later).  Sustainable Management Plans for Sole Fisheries and Mangrove Oysters are wrapping up and I've been engaged in associated mapping activities that will soon produce some nice outputs for publication.  Work has been very exciting lately!

For fun I've been spending a lot of quality time with my family.  My neice Sally likes to come to work with me at the fish market in our village; it works out great because we both like to touch and inspect sea creatures!  None of the children know how to swim, but they like to come to the beach with me anyhow.  There are many crabs to be caught and sand castles to be built!  Our most recent exciting outing, however, was to the reptile farm in a nearby village.  I took Sally, Njaka, and Daat.  Although most Gambians are terrified of snakes, the children were very adventurous and held pretty much everything!  It was a great day!

Although I cannot experience the joys of springtime in America, I'm enjoying the daily grind in the motherland.  And most importantly, savoring these nights of sweat-free sleep that will soon fade away.  I've been missing family and friends tremendously lately, but all of the support and good vibes sent my way have kept me truckin' on.  And everyday I try to remind myself that 'life's not about what's better than'.