Get Excited!
I finished the first three weeks, only many more to go! It's been up, and down- kind of like The Mind Eraser- you know- the ride at Elitches! I took the weekend to come into the nearest city and gather supplies and my wits- we'll see which i run out of first...
Just a short post this time... although much has happened:
-Day 2: set myself on fire standing too close to the fire in the am. Now there's a big burned patch on my fav. skirt, but i survived- my pride however, is in recovery.
-I have a beautiful Bush Mango Table- Mike- this one's for you so check out my blog! Maybe I'll write more about African wood in the future!
-I have a puppy (small dog!) named Pondo (as in Pondorosa pine) and he likes milk and rice porridge.
-I've made a few friends in village!
-I bought mayo by the spoonful and made coleslaw!
And i have 2 stories for you:
A few days ago i "helped" my host brother burn his field out behind the house- in my tie-dye skirt, a tank top and flip flops- and my machete. He just started lighting, and i had to follow- prepared or not.
it was awesome, especially because he almost started a bush fire. it was me, a 10 year old with a rake and my host brother. Luckily my machete is very sharp!
i'm pretty sure i cannot go back to my previous job in America, Jay would be furious! But, if someone want's to send me a Nomex skirt, that'd be great!
so goat meat- yeah i was at a naming ceremony a few weeks ago and this guy asked me if i liked meat. They had killed a goat in honor of the baby. so i said 'yeah sure' and about 5 min later he comes back with this huge two-hands full of (raw) meat and gives it to me- i put it in some plastic bag we found and carried around a bag of raw meat for the rest of the day.
When i got home 8 hours later i fried it up and shared it with the family- and i haven't died yet... the thing about 'meat' in the gambia is that 'anything under the skin' qualifies. so guts, head, heart, lungs, liver and what have you are all 'meat.'
I still don't like anything but actual meat, but I've choked down some liver and heart, and chewed a piece of stomach for a while. I've not had the pleasure of goat head soup yet, but it's only a matter of time!
Have fun!! Enjoy some booze and pork products for me!
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What's with you and fire? Saw Renee today and we enjoyed your stories. Miss you and love you lots.
ReplyDeleteMom
Hi Ashely, I won't write much, cos I don't know how much time you have at the computer. I love reading these stories about your Gambia experience, it's sounds like just what I imagined for you. I hope you're still enjoying it. It seems like you're steadily acclimating yourself more everyday. I love reading about your home, it makes me think of our ancestors from Sweden who lived in a dugout in Nebraska with some similar material over the ceiling to keep the earth from falling all over. Has grandma told you that story? You're right about the bee "dance", that in 20 yrs. that's how you'd be remembered, it's true! & the 2nd bee story sounds amazing. lot's of love and good wishes to you. --Molly
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