As I was researching The Gambia before leaving Oregon, I discovered that children’s books would be appreciated. I wasn’t sure how I would incorporate children’s books into my service as an agriculture volunteer, but I figured an opportunity would present itself. I asked, Carol Christ who is a coordinator for SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) an elementary school program I was volunteering with, to help me select… ....READ MORE | 3 Comments
My host mother, Fatou Dibba, was very excited to have her family together for the 2018 Gamo in Farafenni. Relatives from Kombo began arriving on Thursday, to be here for Friday prayers, and the Gamo on Saturday April 7. Gamo is an annual event that brings together Muslims from all walks of life for religious discourse and prayers. Huge crowds gather at Mosques to listen to recitations of the… ....READ MORE | 3 Comments
At the completion of training, we were driven to Soma, where we could get transportation to our various destinations. This was the first time I had made the river crossing solo, and although I was a bit apprehensive, I discovered my senior status was an advantage. I needed to take a jele-jele from Soma to the ferry, and then another jele-jele into Farafenni from the ferry… ....READ MORE | 9 Comments
The final week of IST (In Service Training) was packed full of events. One highlight was being able to visit my training village and spend time with my first host family. This compound has hosted many previous trainees, and I was very fortunate to have lived with such a warm and loving family. They allowed me the space to find my comfort zone in a… ....READ MORE | 2 Comments
The twenty agriculture volunteers stayed at the Peace Corps transit house in Kombo at the beginning of IST (in-service training) while we attended bee school, then we traveled to Massembeh for the rest of our classes. The 3 weeks of IST were focused on developing techniques to be successful working with our counterparts and communities during our time in service.
The Gambia is the fourth… ....READ MORE | 4 Comments