Sarges Hotel (Tafbel) Kololi

... es die ganze Regenzeit ueb** schifft wie Sau, waehrend man im Grossteil d** Trockenzeit zum Teil nur ein paar Dutzend Met** weit sieht (zum Fotografi**en also voellig ungeeignet). Hi** in Gambia befinde ich mich g**ade in dies** p**fekten Reisezeit, doch man m**kt schon jetzt, dass es morgens etwas kuehl** ist als sonst, was schon das **ste Anzeichen des diesjaehrigen Harmattans ist. Wann genau Regen- bzw. Trockenzeit auftreten, ist in Afrika von Region ...

... kam mir in den Sinn, mit was man seine Hande putzt, wenn man mit Oel hantiert hat: Butter. Also schnell die noch ungeoeffnete Margarine aus dem Kuehlschrank gepluendert und den Kleinen damit eingeschmiert, und nach einer guten Stunde waren er sauber wie eh und je (mit der Ausnahme, dass er jetzt wie ein Butterbrot stank). Heute morgen beim Fruehstueck regte sich Binta zwar tierisch darueber auf, dass sie bereits offene Margarine im Supermarkt gekauft hatte und schwor den ...

... aber auch nicht erfuellte, und schliesslich ebenfalls in Frankreich Jura studiert. 1991 ging er dann wieder nach Gambia und eroeffnete seine Kanzlei, wurde ne ziemlich grosse Nummer und Anfang des Jahrhunderts von der UN angeheuert, um die angeklagten Kriegsverbrecher verschiedener Buergerkriege in Afrika (Sierra Leone, Tansania, etc.) zusammen mit elf Kollegen aus England, den USA und verschiedenen afrikanischen Laendern zu verteidigen. Das lief dann solange ...

... sollte. Um 6.30 Uhr stieg ich ein - und zwei Stunden speat** gings schlussendlich los. In Afrika fahren die Busse **st ab, wenn sie voll sind. Die Fahrt konnte man dann in zwei Haelften aufteilen: Die guten drei Stunden auf gete**t** F**nstrasse und die schlechten drei im Busch. Zwar hatte ich den recht g**aeumigen Platz ganz vorne neben dem Fahr**, trotzdem wackelte die scheiss Karre wie sau und musste desoeft**en sogar NEBEN d** Strasse fahren, weil selbige unbefahrbar war ...

... so determined to help there, even though we quickly noticed that this organization, struggling just to run smoothly, did not have many organized opportunities for impermanent student volunteers. So we decided to create our own forum to help - we proposed the idea of a weekend leadership and educational program that we organized, funded, and led by ourselves. Over the course of the next month or so we learned more about Voice and CPA, and received somewhat hesitant support for our idea ...

... drum and hordes of women bashing two halves of wood together. The middle aged women took it in turn to strut their stuff in the centre while the rest slapped sticks together in time with the dancer. There was lots of hopping and flapping of arms. There was acres of gold cloth material on show with jewellery to go with it. Presents were loaded into the back of a me cadies. Motel Kent, Diouloulou Breakfast with Laye and Family ...

... them eating or drinking, but a rest is key to conserving energy. Even those who aren't fasting will likely not eat, drink or smoke on the streets or in a classroom where fasting people will see them out of respect. Time will also be set aside at noon and 2:30 when the call to prayer again echoes across the neighborhood, and classes will roll on with the same steady routine of school days everywhere until mid-afternoon hits. Once school is over, you will have homework to ...

... or marry me, I don't find out much about the person beneath the fact that they are very nice and welcoming. And those people I have had more in-depth discussions with are not Gambian, or at least have spent a good amount of time in other cultures. It is a very vague, non-empirical observation, and I'm still not quite sure I believe in sweeping generalizations about a people, even if they are convenient. But still, there is something interesting to it.

... and from there we got back into our sweaty normal clothes and walked to a local beach where there was not the slightest trace of strip malls or resorts (giving it it's own kind of pristine feel to me), but only huts and docks. Though an intense cultural experience like the naming ceremony is great, it was also nice to follow it with a slightly more relaxed time; fishing, swimming, and playing football with some local boys, and generally taking in the beach Gambian style. It ...

... fisted Westerners, risk their lives to climb trees for fruit to sell (no such thing as ladders here) or sell their bodies to survive. It wasn't long before I was parting with my possessions - materialistic things that I just didn't need: pens, perfume, fashion sandals. Just seeing the look of amazement and gratitude on their faces moved me so much that I had to hold back tears. We're so caught up in all the wrong priorities that we've lost sight or the true values that ...