Let's see...how do you blog about 3 weeks of activities in an efficient way? I'm gonna go with bullet points and random pics!
Monday May 18th
- Left the house around 1 pm. Chaotic as usual. I can never leave the house like a sane person. Got to the airport, kissed my love good-bye and headed in to haggle with the United people about their lame-o baggage fees. Got a deal on the luggage fees if they checked my luggage all the way to Dakar (had two separate tickets). Took the risk. Left Indy at 2:43 pm. Arrived in Dulles, met up with the JC kids & Emil, went through security and left at 10 pm.
- Arrived Paris at some ungodly hour in the morning. With all the time changes I can't say exactly when this was. Paris is 6 hours ahead of Indy, but 2 hours ahead of Dakar. Crashed out and slept for 2.5 hours on the benches in the waiting area for our flight. Realized I didn't pack a toothbrush. Bought a piece of shit toothbrush at one of the shops for $5.83. Got on to our flight to Dakar and slept some more. Arrived in Dakar around 7 pm. Made our way through immigration and customs. Loaded the tour bus, bought SIM cards for our phones, traded some money, headed to the Fana Hotel. Helped students get checked in, took a shower, ate dinner, called my love, fell into bed.
Wednesday May 20th
- Woke up fairly early. Had breakfast, loaded on the tour bus, took city tour of Dakar. Climbed a hill to look at a lighthouse and see a cool view of Dakar from the top, climbed back down. Drove downtown, saw a church, the President's house, and Independence Square. Went to the ferry depot, got on the ferry, went to Goree Island. Had lunch on Goree Island. Visited the slave house. Walked to the top of Goree Island to look at cannons. Had an hour to be accosted by merchants. Loaded back on the ferry. Took the tour bus to Pink Lake. Stopped at world's worst bathroom. Almost ran over and killed someone in the parking lot. Got to Pink Lake, checked in, ate dinner, had first group discussion, watched Emil treat the students to hookah (gross!), laughed at some of them, went to bed.
- Got up, had breakfast, loaded into WW2 Jeeps to take a tour of the Pink Lake area. Drove around Pink Lake oogling the salt workers taking salt from the lake, visited a Fulani village, jeeped around the sand dunes, stopped at the beach, headed back to the hotel. Ate lunch, lounged at the pool, watched students take camel rides, laughed at their reactions to the camel rides, took a nap, ate dinner, watched the students smoke a hookah again, went to bed.
- Got up at the ass crack, loaded the bus, ate breakfast, started on our long ass journey. Drove and drove and drove to The Gambia. Stopped at a bathroom that almost made Emil and the other guys throw up. Nearly hit and killed a pedestrian. Stopped in Kaolack, grossest city on the planet. Got to the border, got our visas, changed money, entered The Gambia. Drove on some bumpy ass roads, got to the ferry depot, crossed The Gambian River, rolled into the Hotel Fajara. Checked in, realized the hotel had some issues, worked on said issues, headed to dinner at Francisco's. Pleasantly surprised by the restaurant. Ate dinner, went to bed.
- Woke up and had breakfast. Went to our first official appointment at GAMCOTRAP. Saw a very interesting presentation on FGM. I knew that it was not something that I didn't agree with in the first place, but feel even more strongly so now. We then went to lunch. Emil took some students to an afternoon soccer match where he thought it would be a good idea to spring for homemade mango pops served out of BAGS. When everyone came back and reported that to me, I knew we'd have some sick people soon. I hate sports so I stayed at the hotel to straighten out all remaining issues and worked with a few students to inventory the donated medical supplies they had collected. Went to dinner, went to bed.
- As predicted had several sick students in the morning. Diarrhea galore. Told a couple students to stay behind and rest and try and get the bowels under control. The rest of of went to the Women's Botanical Garden & Kachikally. Another student barfed as soon as we got to Kachikally. Sent her back to the hotel. Went to lunch. Visited the Bakau Craft Market. Took students to Wish You Were Here Theater Performance (in conjunction with The Gambia Performing Arts Summer Intensive). Down time before dinner. Dinner. Bed.
Monday May 25th
- Today was President Jammeh's birthday. Lots of stuff closed. Decided to visit downtown Banjul for a few hours. Went to giant market. Watched one of the students hoop it up with a very tall Gambia. We did something in the afternoon I'm sure, but for the life of me, it escapes me. That evening we attended a party at the home of one of the semester program director's home hosted by the semester students. Had lots of good food and fun.
Tuesday May 26th
- After breakfast we took off for a long day of appointments. First stop was the US Embassy, where one of our Juniata Alum works. Very cool and informative tour. From there we took a quick walk down the street to visit the Peace Corps Office. Found out that The Gambia has the most PC Volunteers per square mile in the world. Learned a lot more about PC. Went to lunch. After lunch we visited The Point newspaper, which is the leading anti-government daily paper. After the tour we met with with Aloa Ahmed Alota who is both a Point Journalist and one of the authors of A Living Mirror: The Life of Deyda Hydara. Felt bad because it was hot and students were tired. Cut the visit a bit short to save everyone from being tortured. Went back to the hotel to collect the two sickest students for their doctor's visit. Had a good visit at the Doctor. Got students their meds, tucked them in to bed, went to dinner.
Wednesday May 27th
- Got the two sick students on the mend so they could come with us for the day. Visited the Gambia Is Good Farm. Had a great time looking at sustainable agriculture and eating yummy food. In the afternoon we went to visit our driver Yabo's house & family. Danced with the local ladies, laughed and had fun. Visited a Soccer Academy in the town and donated lots of soccer gear. Emil took some students to the ritzy part of town to watch the Champions Game (some soccer thing). I held down the fort for the people who did not go. That night we went out to the Club. Had fun watching students drink and make out with each other. Collapsed into bed about 3.
Thursday May 28th
- Slept in. Visited the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital. Pretty nice by African standards. Students were slightly appalled. Had lunch. Some students went back to hotel, took others to the Batik Market. Went back to the Bakau Craft Market. Got some cool wraps. Went back to the hotel to relax before dinner.
Friday May 29th
- Had a "Free Day." Some students went with Emil on a tour of University of The Gambia. They were underwhelmed. Some students went to the beach. I went to have tea at one of the Juniata Alum's house (Emily). Emil joined us and then I started feeling like I was coming down with something. Went back to the hotel and realized I was coming down with a respiratory infection. Yuck, hate being sick. Loaded up on antibiotics. Ate dinner, went to bed.
- Woke up at a leisurely time, packed up vans, killed time until 1 pm. Hit the road, stopped by Francisco's to pick up sandwiches, got on the road. Bumped along getting profusely more sweaty until we hit Kanilai, home of President Jammeh, stopped for a drink and to eat our sandwiches, got back on the road. Bumped along for several more hours, arrived in Tendaba, checked in to the nature camp. Took a nap, got up and ate dinner. Hung out on the dock enjoying the breeze. Nearly assaulted by creepster, tried to enjoy the village bonfire and dance, turned off by kids fighting to secure a toubab to beg for goods, went to bed.
Sunday May 31st
- Woke up, ate breakfast, went on guided walk through the town. Visited the primary school, some random man's hut where I had to give him 100 Dalasis (not sure why) visited the nursery school, went to a mango farm, went to a peanut factory, hiked through rice fields, returned to the camp. I took a nap while students went on a river ride. Got up, relaxed on the pier, watched students come back looking bored to death (they were warned), ate dinner, hung out and chatted, went to bed.
Monday June 1st
- Made the executive decision the night before to leave at the ass crack so we could avoid traveling in the heat as much as possible. Paid off. Drove and drove, sweated and sweated, crossed a ferry to the north road, enjoyed the north road much more (less bumpy!), fell asleep, awakened by Yabo screaming about a red monkey and nearly had a heart attack, arrived at JangJan Bureh for our second stay at a "nature camp." Monkeys everywhere. Ate lunch. Realized I might die in the 100 degree weather with no breeze, no electricity (hence no AC or fans) and poor water flow. Took a self-imposed time-out in my hot ass hut to pull myself back together. Sweated and felt miserable. Fed monkeys. Ate dinner. Walked back to my room and found a student waiting for me. Her roommate's birthday was that day and she was getting a happy birthday evening from another student on the trip. Let student crash in my room. Sweated all night, barely sleeping. Woke up to realize a) I had fallen asleep and b) some asshole was waking me up with the loudest music I'd ever heard. Somehow fell back asleep.
Tuesday June 2nd
- "Woke up" (not that I was deeply asleep). Realized blasting music was famous Gambian musician Jaliba who was giving a concert across the river. Sat pondering the injustice that across the river they had a sound system so powerful it could wake up an entire camp of people from sleep yet we couldn't get electricity to cool us down in our huts. Ate breakfast, loaded up two river boats to take our 7 hour round trip river trip to see the hippos. Relaxed and enjoyed the breeze made by our moving boats. Saw hippos. Ate lunch on boats. Returned to the camp. Sweated some more. Dropped off donated medical supplies at local clinic. Sweated more. Had another near-nervous breakdown. Ate dinner. Collapsed into bed for an unsatisfying night of sleep.
Wednesday June 3rd
- Got the hell out of dodge early in the morning. Stopped at Wassu Stone Circles. Dropped off school supplies at a school. Waited for Jethro to buy a bed then chase a man with a tire iron (more on this later), got to the ferry depot, got back to the Fajara Hotel, found our rooms in slightly better condition, took a nap, got 2 students medical attention for a rash and an eye infection, had dinner, went to bed.
Thursday June 4th
- Went to the Daily Observer, the pro-government newspaper. Went to local radio station. Cracked up that the on-air DJ now goes by "DJ Barack Obama" and laughed more when he played 4 Celine Dion songs in a row (he really liked "slow jams"). Stopped by an art cafe. Went to lunch. [Something here] That night was one of the student's 21st birthday. Threw a wild out of control party. Watched students drink themselves into oblivion.
Friday June 5th
- Woke up late-ish. Ate breakfast. Met with Student Union at U of The Gambia. One student threw up on the sidewalk on the way into the building. Helped student wash away puke with water bottle. Sat with him in the van until he felt better. Went back in with students. Went to lunch. Headed out to SOS Children's Village, an "orphanage" with a unique twist. Loved on babies, had fun. Went back to the hotel. Dinner, then bed.
Saturday June 6th
- Got up at a leisurely time. Discovered more mosquito bites. Cursed monster mosquito. Ate breakfast. Got on buses to go to the beach. Drove through extremely stinky fishing villages and nearly gagged to death. Got to beach around 11:30 am, ordered lunch, laid in sun for hours. Lunch finally ready around 3. Lounged in sun for a while longer. Split group in two. Emil went with students to reptile farm, I stayed with beach bums. Went back to the hotel around 5:45. Waited for other group. Other group returns to tell us that they got caught in traffic because Jammeh was dedicating a building. Jammeh saw the toubabs on the side of the road, stopped the caravan and shook all of their hands. Dealt with the crushing depression of those who didn't go to the reptiles and hence, did not meet Jammeh. Ate dinner, went to bed.
Sunday June 7th
- Had a "free day." Woke up leisurely. Worked on packing. Killed monster mosquito that had invaded my room for several days. Took pleasure in seeing the blood splatter. Met up with Emil and students. Drove into Banjul proper to visit market and get last minute goods. Came back to the hotel to drop off some students and pick up others. Had lunch. Went to Bakau market for last minute goods. Went back to the hotel, handed out presents to cleaning staff. Arranged for secret drop off point for other to be left behind items. Hung out in my room and finished most of packing. Went to dinner. Hung out and chatted, went to bed.
Monday June 8th
- Got up at the ass-crack and tried to bring left behind items to drop point. Scared to death by sketchy man sleeping in supposedly locked room. Hide items elsewhere. Ate breakfast, loaded bus and drove to the ferry depot. Got stuck at the depot for 4 hours. Drove like maniacs to try and catch up on time. Arrived at the Fana Hotel 12 hours after leaving Banjul. Took showers and ate dinner. Headed to the Dakar airport. Ripped my dress. Went through security. Realized my luggage tags had the wrong numbers on them. Went back to the check-in desk to argue that they put the wrong numbers down. Got my way. Hoped my luggage would make it. Went back through security. Boarded plane at 10:40pm. Flew to Paris.
Tuesday June 9th
- Arrived early in Paris. Said by to Emil (on his way to Berlin). Took a nap on the benches again. Got on flight to go home. Arrived DC. Excited to be on US soil. Excitement quickly died when I had a 4 hour delay because of hellacious storm. Finally got home around 11pm. Ahhh, love :)
1 comment:
What about the guy being chased by someone with a tire iron?
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