Kasey and I visited a Volunteer (B) in Ker Katim, a Wolof village on the north bank of the Gambia. The volunteer we visited was going back to America soon, and this was a great chance to see what a site can look like at the end of two years of service.
I went to Ker Katim knowing about five words of Wolof. Basically, I could greet and that’s it. Luckily, B.’s host, the village alkalo spoke fluent Mankinda as well as Wolof. It was an amazing cultural experience and exchange to have a conversation in three languages simultaneously. Kasey and I spoke Mandinka to the alkalo, who spoke Wolof with B., who spoke English with us! I think one of the richest and most unique cultural aspects of Gambia is the multiliguility of its people. I have rarely met a person, even a child, who only spoke one language.
I went out to B.’s field that he’s been working on with his host. The success of his project and his relationship with his hosts reinvigorated me and inspired me to go back to HK and do the same in my village. After a difficult two months it was just what I needed to get back on track.
We also stopped by the Senegal border on our walk. A stone marker is the only indication that something has changed.
B. reckons that some of his work sites were actually in Senegal.
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