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. 

Road Trip

I just recently returned from a weeklong trip to Senegal.  Myself two staff and 10 other PCVs went to look at PC Senegal’s Master Farmer program.  It’s a great program where you take a counterpart and teach them improved techniques in farmer and gardening and then use their land as an example farm/garden and then bring other host country nationals to their site and let your counterpart explain what they are doing  and the benefits of it all. PC The Gambia is hoping to implement a similar program in the next year, that was the reason for the trip.

From the roof of the Kaolack hotel

A village



Master Farmer Presenting



Chicken Farm

Salt flat

Overall it was a great trip I got to see some parts of Senegal I had never seen and saw some practices they were doing that were very innovative.



Hand pump



On the way home I had mixed feelings because when I came back to The Gambia many of my friends would not be here.   Their time was finished they went different directions, traveling the world and going back to the states.  Nearly every week one or two people will be gone from the group of 30 that arrived over two years ago.  From the 30 that arrived only 6 are staying another year and a couple more are extending for a few extra months.

Garlic

Cabbage

I chose not to participate in the Yawn contest

The end of a long day

Gambian Ferry

One of my friends just came back from a conference in Ghana.  I have started a new hobby of collecting fabric from every place I visit. I was going to give him some money and was talking with one of our staff in the office and she said “NO NO, give him more money they have really nice fabric in Ghana.”  So I gave him some more money and he brought me back six pieces each being about 2 meters long.   

Ghana Fabric

The Motherland

87 days since I last wrote anything.  I haven’t forgotten, I have procrastinated without an excuse.  Now that I sit down and think a lot has gone one since that one November day.   I have moved into the “city,” I live in an apartment that is similar to America, TV, microwave, stove/oven and a refrigerator.  It has running water and power also.  It’s nice, about a 10 minute walk to the PC office where I work now.  It’s a little bit of an adjustment, no screaming kids, wondering farm animals or bucket baths; on the other side of the coin I now have what we call “Kombo problems.”  These problems entail having to replace light bulbs, getting out of bed in the middle of the night to flip the power switch to generator power from the local grid as to keep the fan blowing air on me while I sleep.  Some of the other volunteers roll their eyes at these so called problems but it doesn’t bother me. 

Sister and Brother in Law

I went back to America for my sister’s wedding.  It was nice, it was dead of winter and it took some tie for my body to get use to the below freezing temperatures.  Less than 24 hours after arriving in the US I was put in car and headed for a 2 day road trip to Utah.   Being alone for so long and doing my own thing and then being put in a car for 2 days and not being able to get alone it a great way to get over culture shock and adjust back to America.

Sister and I

I got to see Park City, Utah and parts of the Salt Lake City area that I had not seen before.  We had some spare time one day so my dad and I and one of my new relatives decided to sneak in some fly fishing.  I didn’t have any gear but we found a great little fly shop and rented some gear and hit the river.  It was probably one of the best moments of my trip.  I didn’t catch squat but it was great to just get out and do some fly fishing.  My sister’s wedding was great.  A winter wedding I think it the way to go.  I took lots of notes for when I get married. 

The Provo River

Luckily we got to fly back to Oregon and I was very thankful of that, I couldn’t go through another 2 day road trip.  My time back in Oregon was short and sweet.  I did have time to fit in a new hobby which is always good.  I did a little leather work while I was home and made this leather knife sheath for my dad before I left.  I have big plans whenever I get stateside to add this hobby to my repertoire of hobbies.

The Masterpiece

Overall my trip was great; glad I went home and got to see family and friends.  I get to go back to the states for a month whenever I want now since I have extended.  I don’t know when that will be but it looks like it will be next winter again. But who knows..

I have gone back to my former village a couple times to visit and eat some home cooking.  Last weekend I went and after a few minutes of just sitting on the bench in front of the house I looked around and thought to myself that I should be doing something.  Village life is so much slower and quieter.  I forgot how much I appreciate that life; it was a very nice change.  I spent most of the time in the gardens helping women with their gardens and just mainly hanging out.  I came home with all my clothes washed, a bag of grapefruits and lettuce. 

Life

Being in Peace Corps is like being on a roller coaster.  I have heard it before and I will hear it again.  I don’t like roller coasters and I think I can count on one hand the number of times I have been on one.  But, I like Peace Corps.  I could see how people compare the two.  There are times when you’re up and times when you are down.   

During your service of 27 months there is always this looming question that you ask yourself and other asks, “Are you extending”?  Which means are you staying for a third year?  For me personally, the first half year or so I really didn’t know one way or another and always told people I don’t know right now. There was about a year gap where I thought to myself, there is no way I would stay here any longer than I have too.  Around my birthday I started thinking that I like it here, I like my village, host family and I am not really getting that sick anymore.  I also started working on this Food Security initiative and as time went on I found myself working more at the Peace Corps office.  This summer I went back to the states to visit my family and while I was there I discussed my options with them.  The main options was I could potentially move out of my village and into the city and work on this Food Security Initiative full time.  I could only see doing it for a full year and not just the rest of my service of six months.

I thought I would have until December to decide.  For reasons outside of my control things started to fall into place and I had to make my decision in August.  It depended on Budget approval for me to move and work full time on food security.  In the beginning of November we got budget approval so I then officially submitted my paper work to extend until April of 2014.  Passed my medical exam, and then got my official approval from the country director. 

The next step was to tell my family and friends in my village.  When I told them they were upset but they were also excited for me.  My host father said he would let me keep my house and not let anyone else move in.  I appreciate it because I still want to go and visit and hangout on the weekends.  I also love my mother’s cooking.  

My program manager then came and told the elders and other important people in my village that I am leaving.  After that I found an apartment near the PC office and filled out the lease agreement.  I should be moving from my village to my apartment December 1^st.   I am headed back to village for a couple weeks and then I take a step on a different path for about a year and a half. 

I saw this Peace Corps PSA a couple weeks ago and it hit me just right and I just shook my head and told myself that its sooo true

Ouagadougou what??

I just got back from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.  First off it is pronounced Wagadugu in English but spelled Ouagadougou.  The couple of weeks leading up to my departure I was telling people both in America and in The Gambia that I was flying to Burkina Faso and the typical response from people was “where is that? And why do you have fly? Is it far?”  Inside I just laughed.  I quickly realized I would say the same thing before I came here.  I didn’t know Burkina Faso from The Gambia.  

Can you find Burkina Faso??



Burkina Faso



If I was answering to someone in America I would explain it to them that it is east of The Gambia by a couple countries and a little south, sharing boarders with Mali, Niger and some other smaller West African countries.  If I was responding to a Gambian I would usually look around for a stick and draw them a map of West Africa and show them where all the countries in West Africa are and then show them where The Gambia was and where Burkina Faso was.  I usually would step back afterwards and gaze upon my dirt map and get a feeling of appreciation of my five long years studying geography in college and see the results of that. Nevertheless, I got my point across to two different people in different ways.   

Lots of scooters

I went to Burkina Faso for one week with three other Peace Corps volunteers  and participated in the ECHO 2^nd West Africa Networking Forum.  There were 165 participants from 17 African countries, 5 non African countries.  We went to 3 days of session in the morning and then in the afternoon we would go to smaller group sessions on more specific topics.  Most of topics where targeted in helping small scale farmers and families improve their lives through agriculture. 

Burkina Faso's Bush Taxi

 The day after the conference we went and toured an experimental farm about an hour outside of the city and that was great to get out of the city and see some of the country. 

Improved Variety of Okra

Soybeans

Deep Deep thought...

Burkina Faso Top Bar Hive



An overpass



Overall it was great conference and I brought back a lot of information and things that I can pass onto other Gambians and other PCV’s.  



I wanted to make sure you could spot me



Fruit Tree Grafting Workshop

This week was the culmination of the last nine months of work.  Tuesday and Wednesday I had my fruit tree grafting workshop. This workshop was funded through a food security small grant from USAID that I applied for back in April.  The goal of the project was construct a fruit tree nursery and hold a two day workshop.  My plan was to bring community member to the fruit tree nursery for two days of training on starting a fruit tree nursery and best practices along with all aspects of fruit tree grafting.  Each participant received pruning shears, grafting knife, 50 polypots to start their own fruit tree nursery and a certificate of completion.  Participants learned and practiced multiple grafting techniques for different fruit trees, each participant grafted four mangos, five citrus and one avocado that they took home after the training.  All of the improved varieties of citrus and mango are varieties that Peace Corps The Gambia feel should be promoted for income generation and could be beneficial if they were more abundant throughout The Gambia.  The mango variety we grafted was Kent the citrus varieties were Nova, Clementine, Washington Navel, Valencia, Japanese and Tangerine.

The sign on the gate

Day 1



Avocados on the left and Cleopatra Mandarins on the right

Mangos

The only person I caught sleeping the entire two days

Grafting practice

 I spent the previous week making final preparations and talking to all the participants.  I made it very clear to each participant that each day the training would go from 9am sharp to 4pm.  This was one of my biggest concerns because Gambians don’t know what watches are and have no respect for time.  It’s not that they are always 10 or 15 minutes late, sometimes you can call a meeting and they won’t show up until the next day and then complain because you didn’t feed them or they will sit in the back and sleep. 

My host father grafting

With this project I could only budget for around 25-30 people.  We sat down and talked about who would be interested and should participate.  I based this off of people I have helped with fruit trees or have large fruit tree orchards already.  Some of the people I have grafted for or shown them how to graft. 

A child among men

My village is large and word travels very fast, especially when the only white kid is doing something.  I can go eat lunch at any other compound in the village and when I get home my host mother knows where I ate, what I ate and who was there.  So as you can image within hours people were coming to me asking me if I had written them on my list to participate in the workshop.  It was unfortunate that not everyone could participate.  It started to feel like 5^th grade all over, when you only tell 10 of the 30 kids in your class that they are invited to your birthday party.  The week leading up to the training I was nervous that people would show up that I hadn’t talk to and it would be awkward to tell them to leave or that they could stay but not get anything. 

Jenaba the shopkeeper

I had my program assistant Bah2 and another man, Gibi come and lead the two days of training.  Bah2 and I came up with the idea of a grafting training the beginning of this year.  After the training we both were very excited at the level of excitement that the participants showed during the two days of training. 

Everyone with their certificates

My host mother a few of her friends cooked our meals for the two days and it was delicious food. 

 

The cooks

Lunch being prepared

 Overall I think the two days of training was a success, many of the villagers I have seen and talked with were very appreciative for the training and learned something from it.  Ultimately I am happy with the results and in a perfect world the trees that are still in the nursery would be used for rootstock and grafting trainings in the future or sold as a source of income.  Having a source of improved varieties of citrus in the area will be a great resource for surrounding communities.   

Yaya and I

Just like any development work things change especially once the person involve leaves.  It’s the “sustainability,” issue that I worry about.  Yes, I have family and counterparts that have bought into the idea and helped me along the way.  They have all agreed to continue the tree nursery after I leave, but who really knows what will happen.  Everything I have done throughout my entire PC experience has been with low expectations as not to be disappointed.  Every time I do something I am impressed and excited at the results because it exceeds my expectations.  This could be a personal flaw of fear of failure or not wanting to disappoint myself but I think it’s more of a way to stay happy living in a developing nation…

The first picture with my host father ever, I told him not to get too excited

 

Diet Mike can still eat