Makasutu Culture Forest Serekunda

... literally every village along the way) and back... all using local transport. It was not an easy task, but it was an amazing experience. WOULD I DO IT AGAIN????? honestly, in a heart beat. <3 to be able to travel and experience those hard times and amazing times with someone you love is one of the great gifts someone can ask for. I miss them already(btw, writing this in prague, alittle backed up with the posting)

... small bungalows on Tuesday night. Early Wednesday, were getting up and heading east from George town to Basse Santa Su, Crossing the boarder into Senegal, switching SIM cards, getting our french mouths out and ready, heading to Velingara(boarder city) and then connecting to Tambacounda(which is east Senegal's major city, on the train from Dakar to Mali. Were then going to be faced with a choice, either proceed into the nature reserve that afternoon/night and stay at our final ...

... you all want to hear about. For now, were getting ready for the beach...and were planning the next two weeks here. Ill be sure to post some good info once we figure out the details. Love you all... finally back in camera mode, snapping away, so you'll all get some fun photos... great, im sitting here inthe computer room and jori is talking to her flat mate about traveling south... very south.. tell you more later. Love

... a familiar siren and on my way out I saw what was making the noise.. a fire engine from Avon and Somerset County council. GAFSIP http://www.gafsip.org/ a partnership to ship retired fire engines and ambulances to The Gambia was very visible.. and audible. I marvelled at the Saxon machine and chatted to the capable, knowledgeable and responsible young lad in charge. We talked about how well they are designed for their purpose ...

... to make Gambia look better, but even if he overlooks it, it is a fact that with increased literacy and education, Gambians will gain a better understanding of the world and Gambia itself, and thus almost assuredly create more political resistance. Jaiteh also described a little bit of the history of Gambian political systems. Though this structured, factual bit of the lecture that reminded me much of my typical political science lectures in the states (where there is always a textbook ...

... for the necessary greetings in this friendly culture. Every few minutes your walk is sure to be stopped by an exchange that goes something like this: ~Salaamooleikum! ~Waleikum salaam! -Nanga Def? -Mangi fi, yoonak? -Jama Rek, Jama nga Fanaan? -Jama Rek, naka suba si? -Suba sangi fi, naka sa wakeergi? -ñungi fi.... It can go on much longer, and if you were in the village it would extend for many minutes, but here in the city a little, and I mean a very little, bit of the ...

... were involved in the dispute as I thrust my five dalasi at the driver and jumped out at my stop. I was really just very happy to make it away from that classroom and out of that car and to the Methodist Special School, where the only problems of the day were simple subtraction and most of the students (and teachers, really) spend about 85% of their time smiling and giggling. It must suit my emotional, temperamental nature and natural affinity for child rearing to be there.

... and life here, but it is merely a hard truth that people will con you if you're stupid enough, and we were stupid enough, and that the market situation itself is clearly a breeding ground for this, and not so much for meeting friends. In other situations, and as long as we act intelligently, it is quite possible to be friendly and give money. But still....that unsettled feeling will not leave me. Class itself has been interesting. We walk about 15 to 20 minutes to school ...

hehe! So, after a year away, I went back to Africa. Different this time though, because, without ever being there, I was heading HOME - well, to one of my homes anyway :-) Barika and I are getting married at the end of the year (yee haa!) and so it was important that I saw his family, and saw his life. And man, what a fantastic experience it was. Too little time to write it all down now (I am ...

... police, journalists etc. The workshop will provide a forum for them to begin discussing the issue and agree on the role they can play in tackling the problem in their own community. The topic will be a specific child protection issue that is affecting children in The Gambia. These include: - Sexual Exploitation - particually in relation to tourism - Corporal Punishment - children may be beaten so hard in ...