Get Excited to Visit Marnie!

For months Pabby has been asking to go visit PCV Marnie (Mahana) at her site in Bantanto.  Every time I come back from being gone or using my mobile, Pabby askes where Mahana is, and if she’s ok and when he’ll see her next.  They are clearly besties. Pabby is only three, but he’s my little buddy and Marnie and I thought it would be a great adventure to bring Pabby to her site for one night. Chinese and Fatou were agreeable, so we set a date.

We packed up and waited by the road for a car.

A man who works for a major road construction company picked us up.  We had a great time talking. He was from the UK and has spent several decades working around the world on construction projects (Hooray multicultural interaction!). Pabby fell asleep in the car for the hour ride.

Bill (the Brit) dropped us in Bantanto and Marnie was there to ecstatically greet us.  We got some juice and headed for the compound.

Soon after arrival things started to go downhill.

Pabby was not overjoyed to see Marnie. Instead, he wanted to go home. Oh brother.  We tried to put him down for a nap, but as soon as we left the hut, he made a beeline for the road.  A small girl came in and was like ‘That boy just left.’

‘What! Where?’

‘Down the road.’

Shoot. ‘Pabby! Come back! Where are you going!?’

Then he started to cry.

Marnie’s host brother tried to play with him and amuse him, but nothing worked. Pabby wanted to go home.  

He finally took a nap, but after he woke up and ate some lunch he started crying again.

Marnie and I decided that this was not fun, so I took him home.  The second I said ‘ok, we’re going home’ Pabby was fine.

I dropped him off at home and went back to Marnies.

We decided that’s the last time we trust a 3 year old. 

WrestleMania 2010

Here’s the story- villages hold tournaments for 3-5 consecutive nights. On the first night all the wrestlers arrive and there’s lots of drumming and wrestling, starting around midnight and it lasts until 3 or 4. It’s neat when you would rather sleep that watch, but whatever.

The second night (the night I attended) started around 6 pm, when it was starting to get dark (hence the low light pics…). We (Chinese and I) walked to Sare Sonkule with the hundreds of other people headed to the festivities. There were many, many teenage girls there to check out the strapping young wrestlers. Carloads, bike loads and donkey cart loads of people streamed passed us, eager to see the entire match.

The wrestling pit/arena/field is a giant dirt field. The wrestlers and drummers stand in the middle, with the various hangers on bustling about. The men do various kicks and jogs and stretches to warm up before a match. The uniform seems to be a variation of spandex (leotard, womens swimming suit, etc.) in the gaudiest pattern possible, (with or without shirt), spandex shorts and a strange skirt/apron thing made from local fabric that is adorned with tassels and puff balls. It ties in the front but is open, so it’s not really a skirt. Most of the men wrestled barefooted.

I didn’t really understand how the rules work, but 2 guys pair up, and wrestle until one wins. I’m not really sure how winning happens. I thought it was when one guy was pinned, but that didn’t really seem to be the case. Anyway, when a guy wins he takes a lap around the arena followed by a group of drummers. (There is constant drumming) He struts and dances and the people cheer as he goes by, and sometimes give him money or chewing gum.

This is repeated until somehow, someone is the ultimate champion for the night.

When it gets too dark to see, two bonfires are lit at either end of the field. It’s sweet to see the wrestlers silhouetted against the fire. (Pictures don’t turn out too well though) The wrestlers travel the country and Senegal going to different events for the two months of the season. As much fun as I had the first night, I decided not to go the second night.

Also: I posted a video on YouTube of the wrestling.

Making a Duck Pond

First of all, let me clear up a confusing issue. I know any ornithologist reading my blog have cringed every time I wrote the word ‘duck.’
It seems that my feathered friends are not ducks. They are geese. (Do geese see God? One may ask.)
According to the Gambia bird book, and other knowledgeable sources, the ducks are really geese. Nevertheless, they are tasty and like water.
Ever since I brought my three duck/geese (Henceforth referred to as ducks, or burro in Mandinka, even though yes, they are geese.) back to Hella Kunda they have been sadly with out a place to ‘take bath.’ I finally bought 2 bags of cement to make a duck pond with, and Chinese and I constructed a very fine pond for the ducks.
From tracing the pattern to actually digging out the pool and laying the concrete, I think it expanded about 3 or 4 inches on all sides from the original shape. It ended up about 1.2 m² and 1 foot deep.
Let me just tell you, that is a big pond when you are filling it bucket by bucket from a pump 3 compounds over.
I contracted an army of small boys, aka the Peace Corps Football team to fill the pond for a 100 dalasi contribution to their fund. (Peace Corps is the name chosen by the boys because I am helping sponsor the team. The boys all contribute 5 dalasis a week, and I match the funds once a month. They’ve been through 1 football so far, and bought another one with the funds they raised. Next they want to buy football jerseys with numbers. I’m trying to help them fundraise for that.) They boys hauled approx. 600 liters of water to fill the pond. It’s actually almost a swimming pool.
And the ducks really like it. Chinese and I also built a fence around it to keep various donkeys and goats from drinking from it. We also wanted to contain the ducks, but they don’t stay w/in the fence.
Right now there are 9 ducks, but I want to eat some soon…

Bednet Update

The Against Malaria Bednet Campaign has been a huge success! Some of the nets have been distributed, and the rest are awaiting transport from Senegal. I plan on attending some of the distributions and educational programs, so I’ll keep you updated on what happens! Once again, thank you so much for all the support!

Thank You!

I have to say thank you thank you thank you to everyone who has sent me letters and packages over the last few months! You are amazing and make my life so much better! It’s fun to share the things with my family and friends! Especially Oreo Thursday! And I’m going to have a BLT Day in Basse for Peace Corps Volunteers with the bacon that was sent! You enrich my life with your generosity and love! Thank you!

Oh, The Gambia

Cars in America are wired to require the key in the ignition to run. Not so in the Gambia! I was in a gelly when I looked up and noticed there was no key in the ignition, but we were driving down the road…

I’ve seen seplast drivers (I believe this is the correct term) hotwire their cars to start them on numerous occasions.

Most recently, I was in a car heading to Kombo. At a police checkpoint the driver had to show his documents (registration etc.). He used his key to unlock the glove compartment and retrieved the documents. After he returned them to the glove box and locked it we started to drive away. As we pulled out, he returned the key to the ignition. The car never turned off, and was wholly unaffected by the removal of the key.