In Service Training

So we just finished up a week long technical training in Basse.  This training was for the new volunteers that Just sworn in three months ago.  We taught grafting, all aspects of tree growing and gardening, then their counterparts came and we taught them the same thing. 

Grafting

It was hot like 110+ hot.  I forgot what hot is like and I understood how I lost so much weight, when it’s hot all you do is drink warm water and you don’t eat.  

Thats me in the middle

“facilitating”

Craziness

84lbs of onions

Onions

onion moving

onion drying



Getting the perfect shot




The US Ambassador said “this is the best onion I have gotten all day”

one I forgot from The Fatou Show

I am back in the city now for a while.  It’s nice to have a fan to sleep under throughout the night and actually enjoy the cool evening breeze. 

I am headed to my village for a mini staycation tomorrow

Pluggin Away

I just got back from two treks each being about 3-4 days.  The first one was a food security trek to check up on projects.  It went well on of the highlights of it was a monkey at another volunteers site.  I fed it some jujube fruits and it took them all out of my hand and stuck them all in his mouth like a chipmunk.  It was sad, cruel but still entertaining. 

Mokey feeder

I came home for the weekend and went to a live taping of a local evening television show called “The Fatou Show,”  the host Fatou is basically The Gambian Oprah.  There was about 15 volunteers and staff.  We went to watch a couple volunteers talk about a camp they just put on for Gambian high school kids about leadership.  It was a real success so they were invited on to talk about. 

On air

Modu and I

 Overall it was entertaining; it brought back memories of being on the Rambling Rod Show. 

Ramblin Rod

Then Monday I left again for a couple days back up country to visit more sites for an “environmental compliance check.”   It went as well as expected.  I got to go back to my village and see my host family and check up on my former project, which is always nice and puts a smile on my face. 

I have been busy lately and thought that it may slow down in the near future but I am still unsure as to when that time will come.  I leave again Sunday for a week of training.  I am hoping after that I can take a few days and just relax.

I recently spent some time at the beach, which is rare for me I could count the number of time I have been to the beach here on one hand.  I grew up on the west coast and the beach; I never felt the need or desire to go to the beach here compared to some volunteers that go to the beach as often as they can.  In the last couple weeks I have been a couple times, and each additional visit it gets better.  I think it is my mindset when I go; it is like anything else, I have to mentally prepare for it.   A clear mind or at least a mind that is clear of things you don’t want to think about is where I have to be.   My most recent trip was late at night, Just sitting on the sand and staring at the white from the waves breaking would just appear like lightning from the darkness and it was like fire you just stare at it and it become mesmerized by it.  This has all made me appreciate the beach here as much as the beaches back home.