It is Official!!

Today we swore in as official Peace Corps Volunteers at the U.S. Ambassador's home on the coast.  It was a really nice ceremony and a very exciting time!

View from the Ambassador's yard

The Ambassador welcoming us

The ceremony

The guys I shared a village with during training

Me and Melissa

Me and Kelsey

Site Assignment!

I have received my permanent site assignment to the village where I will be living and working for the next two years.  I am excited to announce that my new home is located on the Atlantic Coast of The Gambia!!  It is in a large fishing village that boasts many trees of the palm, banana, mango, papaya, and citrus varieties; but most importantly, smiling Gambian faces.  My family is warm and welcoming.  I have one mother, three brothers, five sisters, a newborn nephew, and a 3 yr. old niece whom I was named after (at site visit the family named me Sally Bojang, so I am no longer Fatou Samateh).  The father lives in Madison, Wisconsin...not sure yet what he's doing there, but I find it random and sort of hilarious all the same.  My mother owns a fabric bitik (shop) and seems to be a business woman through and through.  She only speaks Mandinka, but luckily some of the other family members speak some English, because my Mandinka sucks!  It is really helpful to have them translate sometimes!  I will try to post pics of my beautiful compound and village soon, but for now, here are some of my new family members...

Christmas in the Motherland!

Although it was roughly 90 Degrees outside and I was sporting flip flops and tank tops, the holiday spirit was lurking last week.  I spent Christmas Eve at Tendaba Camp, laying out by the pool listening to live shows from this year's Newport Folk Fest (Liz Phair, Neko Case, Arlo Guthrie...), and making Christmas cookies with a few other trainees while listening to Christmas blues music!

 

On Christmas morning we took a sunrise boat ride across the Gambia River and through the Baobolong Wetland Reserve.

This park is a Ramsar listed Wetland of International Importance.  It is a beautiful area that hosts many different species of migratory birds as well as protected plant species.

  

We explored the salt marshes, mangrove forests, and savannah by pirogue....it was an amazing way to spend Christmas morning!

Salaamalekum!

Things have been busy here in The Gambia...learning Mandinka, adapting to a new culture, and receiving technical training (primarily agroforestry).

There are four days left in training, then I will swear in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer and move to my permanent site.  I lived near the Kiang National Park in a small rural village for the majority of training.  My host family was comprised of a father, three mothers, and approximately 15 siblings.  Here is me with my host father and some of the children.

In the Muslim culture, a baby is named one week following its birth.  The entire village participates in a naming ceremony that involves traditional dancing, cooking, praying, and naming of the infant.  This is from the naming ceremony in my training village.  My family named me Fatou Samateh after my sister Fatou Demba.

I spent Thanksgiving at the Tendaba Camp on the Gambia River.  It is a popular birdwatching spot and is surrounded by mangroves...very pretty and peaceful.  Our group prepared a wonderful feast of turkey and other delicious holiday dishes.  It didn't compare to being at home with the fam, but overall it was a nice day.  Upon return to the village, I celebrated Tabaski with my family.  Tabaski is a Muslim holiday that signifies Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son.  On Tabaski a goat or sheep is slaughtered to represent the ram that God sacrificed in place of Abraham's son.

The women preparing the Tabaski Feast

The village men going to prayer

A few updates

The Gambia is a beautiful place!  So far all is well!  The days have been filled with language training (mandinka, woloof, and pular) and some environmental introductions as well.  And lots of immunizations!
The weather is nice but hot and humid...just like bama!  Tomorrow I will find out what language I will be speaking for the remainder of my time here.  At the end of the week I will move to my training village and will be living with a host family for 8 weeks.
Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure.  More to come soon!  Love you all very much!

This was the sunset on the beach today!

Me & my new buddy Lucia

Holding a python!

African puff adder

Greetings from The Gambia!

After several days of traveling and not much sleep, I made it to The Gambia!
Might have internet access for the next week, but not sure.
We got our cell phones today, if you would like to contact me, you must dial 011 220 first, then my number, 7339832.
I can receive calls and text messages for free, and apparently the most inexpensive way for you is to use skype to call my cell! You can also use an international calling card....
Please keep in touch through mail and/or phone calls as much as possible!
Thank you for all of your love and support!
I'll post more details later about all of these new experiences!

The Time Has Come

It's official: time is an illusion.  Only 5 more days left in the states!!!  And although pre-departure preparations have been on my mind for months, I have now found myself scrambling at the last minute to get everything done.  I am a procrastinator through and through.
The past few weeks have been filled with lots of wonderful moments shared with the special people in my life.  It makes me really sad to leave it all behind, but comforted by the love and support I will take with me...and come back to someday!  Bottomline, life is good!!