tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40739190912569705862024-03-13T07:43:25.887-04:00Where the paved road endsDarrin Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11974875282996794452noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-3381430068276304382014-06-03T20:17:00.000-04:002017-03-05T14:41:26.828-05:00Saying Goodbye<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, we are now home in the U.S. - and we are a bit behind on our blog, since we've been computerless for quite awhile. We spent a few weeks in Europe, flew into Boston on May 19th and have been visiting my family in Massachusetts. We'll head out to Wisconsin in a few days, then on to Minnesota and Iowa. Stay posted for further plans as they develop!<br />
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It wasn't easy to say our goodbyes to host family and friends in The Gambia. Here are just a few of the photos we took in the final month there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVvS0N0G6FMA6Dy7Vyp0jnOKa-ULFYcRN8XPlamz1k6trfez0j3R-WvzebGqlpEmW-nJr5F75nGYJj0KOGiNH6pV8Qp0PR9DpvzAhV0AbeDtHuAb4TOuVAmoFll8lPxkv9TqfQnx2Ttk/s1600/P1090890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVvS0N0G6FMA6Dy7Vyp0jnOKa-ULFYcRN8XPlamz1k6trfez0j3R-WvzebGqlpEmW-nJr5F75nGYJj0KOGiNH6pV8Qp0PR9DpvzAhV0AbeDtHuAb4TOuVAmoFll8lPxkv9TqfQnx2Ttk/s1600/P1090890.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trekking team at the hospital in Bwiam: Pa Ous (l) and Ansumana (r)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goats hoping for a snack at Bwiam's daily market.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My unfavorite chore: ironing with a charcoal iron.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Muhammed looking bored as he minds the local shop.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chatting outside another local shop.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend Sirrah selling at the market.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local omelet sandwich stand.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking sauce farin.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yusupha playing with some toys from Holland.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darrin hanging out in the hospital pharmacy.</td></tr>
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<br />Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-8516970509493772832014-03-12T21:28:00.004-04:002014-03-12T21:43:49.444-04:00My father visits us, people I work with and things we do<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EPPAkDVSyTo/UyEHidxX_wI/AAAAAAAAAjM/qKC5ogkknWI/s1600/IMG_0057.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EPPAkDVSyTo/UyEHidxX_wI/AAAAAAAAAjM/qKC5ogkknWI/s320/IMG_0057.JPG" /></a>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-prauw-MQH7w/UyEMltclOWI/AAAAAAAAAjs/RhxB_N5UISw/s1600/P1080548.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-prauw-MQH7w/UyEMltclOWI/AAAAAAAAAjs/RhxB_N5UISw/s320/P1080548.JPG" /></a>Darrin Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11974875282996794452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-63167598223760682112013-12-10T03:14:00.001-05:002013-12-10T03:14:10.321-05:00Tobaski<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tobaski is the Wolof word for the important Muslim holiday
Eid al-Adha. The holiday celebrates Abraham’s<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>near-sacrifice of his son Ishmael. Most important on this day is: lots
of praying, sacrificing a ram (or cow or goat), looking fancy and feasting. For
the kids, in the evening they get to dress up and go around asking for money
and candy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year our community
celebrated Tobaski on October 16, but due to ever-present technical problems I'm posting
about it now!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2013: Dan (Jerreh) and Darrin (Kawsu) pose with our family's dog, Jack, in their nice holiday clothes</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2013: Baby Therese chowing down on a large piece of meat and thoroughly enjoying it</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tobaski 2012: Binta snacks on some puffs while a ram is slaughtered.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tobaski 2013: Fancy kids!</td></tr>
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<br />Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-85876850767367545132013-08-30T10:56:00.001-04:002017-03-05T14:23:51.045-05:00Material Baby!<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">A friend in our village(a mom with several kids) was recently urging me to hurry up and have a baby. I hear this from people all the time. Most Gambians are horrified to hear that the Peace Corps does not allow their married volunteers to procreate during their service. My friend pointed out that caring for a baby in The Gambia is not expensive, like it is in the U.S., so there should be no problem. You don’t need anything for the first month, she assured me. Just some old faanoos (wrap skirts) to wrap the baby in and replace with clean ones if the baby makes a mess. Later on, some used clothes might be nice. I didn’t even want to try to explain to her the massive amount of equipment some parents in the U.S. tote around on a daily basis!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">When you have a baby in The Gambia, people generally give you things like money, soap and fabric – not crazy plastic contraptions. Granted, people in the Gambia are not inundated with the marketing of baby products like we are in the U.S. If these products were available and people had the money to buy them, they might. It’s human nature to like new, shiny products. And for many Gambians, having Western material goods is a big status things…so who knows. Maybe I will someday be visiting a more developed Gambia of the future, where people are pushing name brand baby joggers down village streets and sterilizing baby bottles in their electric dishwashers.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">So, here is my top ten list of the West African way vs. the American way<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">(United States prices are estimates based on Amazon.com searches – I know they are not completely accurate!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">1. sport stroller for jogging(150 - 600 $ USD ) , regular stroller for general use (40- 400 $ USD), expensive baby backpack contraption and/or front-carrier contraption and/or store-bought baby sling (15 – 150 $ USD) , stroller base for car seat infant carrier (100 $ USD)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">vs. wrap skirt (“faanoo”) (2 meters of fabric) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for riding on mom’s back (1 - 2 $ USD)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">2. expensive child safety seat for automobile travel (80 – 300 $ USD)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">vs. potential death in accidents involving baby riding unprotected in mom’s lap on public bus/donkey cart/taxi (0 $ USD) (I don’t even want to think about it!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">3. breastfeeding (0 $ USD) (In the U.S. A.: 49% <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>at 6 months, 27% at one year, says the CDC) or formula (20 $ USD)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">vs. exclusive breastfeeding (0 $ USD) – anytime, anywhere…and no one cares or complains that it is obscene (in The Gambia: pretty close to 100%, barring a few exceptional situations, says me with no scientific proof)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">4. disposable diapers (20 $ for 75) or cloth diapers (1 $ USD each) with intricate snap pants in cool design (12 $ USD)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">vs. semi-reusable triangle of plastic (0.05 $ USD) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and an old, not especially absorbant rag OR nothing (0 $ USD – though you need soap and water for cleanup)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">5. baby wipes (13 $ USD for 350 “all natural” wipes), baby wipe warming device (25 $ USD)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">vs. plastic kettle (“tasaloo”) of water (1 - 2 $ USD) (I also recommend soap for proper handwashing)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">6. play pen (50 – 100 $ USD)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">Vs. mat on the ground (3 $ USD)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">7. baby bathtub (25 $ USD), baby bath chair (20 $ USD)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">vs. plastic basin (4 $ USD)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">8. crib (150 – 300 $ USD), crib mattress (60 $ USD),<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>apnea alarm mat (100 $ USD)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">vs. old fabric (0 $ USD), sheet of old plastic (0 $ USD), mom’s foam mattress (25 $ USD)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">9. Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Click N’ Learn Remote (12 $ USD), Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Smart Screen Laptop (16.25 $ USD), Baby Einstein World of Rhythm DVD (10 $ USD) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">vs. mom’s cell phone (20 $ USD), large, not-so-sharp knife (3 $ USD), sticks (0$ USD), goat poop (0$ USD)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">10. Bouncer swing with IPAD<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>plug (200 $ USD)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">vs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Riding on mom’s back while she does work (0 $ USD)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">No one can argue that West Africa is a safer place for babies than the U.S. – the discrepancy in access to health care is just too large. Malaria, diarrhea and respiratory infections take many infants’ lives here…and countless more die for reasons no one investigates. In the U.S. we have access to clean water, medicine and amazing emergency services. We have eradicated malaria, successfully vaccinated our population against many deadly childhood diseases, educated the public on many child safety issues and found ingenious ways to make traffic accidents less deadly for kids. But we Americans also spend a lot of time, money and energy on things that have no discernable benefit to our childrens’ health and well-being.</span></div>
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Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-2441827100577795852013-07-31T02:40:00.001-04:002013-07-31T02:40:22.225-04:00 <br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Work at Sulayman Junkung General Hospital is not always exciting. I’ve recently spent a lot of time collecting information for birth certificate registrations, adding it to the official books and filling out certificates when they’re available…we’re always slightly behind on this task and I know my help is appreciated, if not particularly essential to anyone’s health and well-being (except maybe the public health officers, who can spend more time taking breakfast breaks).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I also still help out at clinic by making sure kids get the proper vaccinations, as quickly as possible. At some of the busier trekking sites, some crowd control is necessary at the vaccination station. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gambian women are a multi-talented bunch, but few of them really excel at orderly queuing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes I have nagging doubts though – I think most Peace Corps volunteers want to feel that they did that one<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>major project that was flawlessly<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>conceived, perfectly executed and really helped their community in a big way. And many volunteers do! But you can’t just force a project, especially in a large community that already has a lot of resources. Many times in Bwiam I’ve had a sudden “great” idea, only to inquire and find out people are already doing whatever it is, by themselves! Sometimes the best I can do is say “Great job! I’m so happy you’re doing that! Let me know if I can help.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I never knew much about development work before coming here and I still don’t. However, I have learned one thing: it’s really complicated. What makes a project succeed in terms of its effect on individuals or communities is pretty elusive sometimes. Having a sufficient grasp of what’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i> going on in a completely different environment and culture is frankly close to impossible, even when you live alongside community members for months or years. As volunteers we see situations where foreign aid money is being poured into projects and the benefits are minimal – and people are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">less</i> willing to work for their own needs because they now expect continued support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other cases, aid is essential for people’s well-being (for example: Global Fund’s funding of antiretrovirals for HIV patients at our hospital) and the idea that the money may someday dry up or be withdrawn is very scary. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are definitely many people here who believe that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all</i> Americans are insanely rich and should be giving them money and things all the time. It’s hard to explain that some of us are privileged in terms of our educational opportunities and skills, but we don’t have bottomless amounts of cash to share with them. A lot of people don’t want to hear that and a few will even become angry with you or call you a liar. I have been trying to put my ego aside and not fight about this – I just want to be secure in my own knowledge that I’m helping in the best way I know how. If I honestly thought that throwing money at some serious problem here would solve it for once and for all, I would be eager to raise funds, write grants or do whatever it takes. But I also believe that it’s something you really need to be careful about.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Honestly, I don’t think I’m cut out for real development work. I respect that Peace Corps is geared towards small, community-based projects. And I’m sticking with the smallest of the small. If I leave after two years knowing that a handful of people learned something about family planning, malaria prevention or prenatal care, that’s great. If a few moms remember that some crazy white lady with terrible Mandinka (and even worse Wolof) came and held their hand while they were in labor and helped them to be a little less frightened and feel a little less alone, that’s great. If some of the hospital staff got a few new ideas for how to care for their patients, that’s great. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m a nurse and a volunteer because I care about people. I love women’s health because I love women and I want their lives to be better. Most women in The Gambia have hard lives, but they are strong. I don’t pity them, I respect them. I want to show them my respect by working alongside them and encouraging them…and we’ll see what happens.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLY2_hEZACSDb0LNQ3QXEwh_uzyhNbnst6vzauJAyX7Z7DDJjmboE9LAOkho2Y4N1J_FvMGID_dOTddmM6W7eK6GdJdlPfbq-vGTdv0XuesqQjaR9ras-mn6TvRwHQlEm0zDLjJnlybw/s1600/DSCN3488_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" dba="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLY2_hEZACSDb0LNQ3QXEwh_uzyhNbnst6vzauJAyX7Z7DDJjmboE9LAOkho2Y4N1J_FvMGID_dOTddmM6W7eK6GdJdlPfbq-vGTdv0XuesqQjaR9ras-mn6TvRwHQlEm0zDLjJnlybw/s320/DSCN3488_1.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hospital staff educating about the benefits of prenatal care.<br />
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Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-26904481263023103632013-06-16T13:54:00.003-04:002013-06-16T13:54:55.958-04:00Pictorial Tour of the Past Few Months<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6i7mpA9pSz8/Ub3ydL641QI/AAAAAAAAAcI/XWIJcbfqm-A/s1600/P1080508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6i7mpA9pSz8/Ub3ydL641QI/AAAAAAAAAcI/XWIJcbfqm-A/s320/P1080508.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prepping Gmelina tree seeds with host brothers</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our family's new puppy "Jack"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colette enjoying the puppy while it's young</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our host brother Sam receiving his "Best Science Student" award this year</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's mango season here!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam with his award. We are very proud of him.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colette with our friend Kassa. She's the new Deputy Head Girl at school.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our cat only drinks water from buckets. She's spoiled.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AicOKCfUMdc/Ub3zLPcKhwI/AAAAAAAAAdA/ilzv6Oz39Mc/s1600/P1080243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AicOKCfUMdc/Ub3zLPcKhwI/AAAAAAAAAdA/ilzv6Oz39Mc/s320/P1080243.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The youth beekeepers received their new beesuits!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hut I sleep in every week while beekeeping.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The NGO I work at 2 days a week.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XxLHH8X8iDQ/Ub3zvx3LnEI/AAAAAAAAAdg/slvg2LddG5s/s1600/P1070830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XxLHH8X8iDQ/Ub3zvx3LnEI/AAAAAAAAAdg/slvg2LddG5s/s320/P1070830.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottling fresh honey for resale.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-twFt5Ci-MZk/Ub3z1khEmCI/AAAAAAAAAdo/HYHzaYJjJhU/s1600/P1070856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-twFt5Ci-MZk/Ub3z1khEmCI/AAAAAAAAAdo/HYHzaYJjJhU/s320/P1070856.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G32hmXeXC7s/Ub3z50kPwLI/AAAAAAAAAdw/fjL-oqeG0wA/s1600/P1070913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G32hmXeXC7s/Ub3z50kPwLI/AAAAAAAAAdw/fjL-oqeG0wA/s320/P1070913.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bintou (our host sister) and I are preparing "soso" for lunch.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xf_oftGsN4s/Ub30FY-Vz6I/AAAAAAAAAd4/jMUJimyx7Co/s1600/P1070948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xf_oftGsN4s/Ub30FY-Vz6I/AAAAAAAAAd4/jMUJimyx7Co/s320/P1070948.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mariama pounding cardamom pods to put in home made soap.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LkYz_bysNWg/Ub30JeGjHHI/AAAAAAAAAeA/BS1eWdbg2lo/s1600/P1070961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LkYz_bysNWg/Ub30JeGjHHI/AAAAAAAAAeA/BS1eWdbg2lo/s320/P1070961.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute baby.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lZ5z_UZhZ00/Ub30MWhIcZI/AAAAAAAAAeI/1gX2mb5Kt98/s1600/P1070952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lZ5z_UZhZ00/Ub30MWhIcZI/AAAAAAAAAeI/1gX2mb5Kt98/s320/P1070952.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colette whisking soap mixture.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xk9-NxwChHs/Ub30VXT9g7I/AAAAAAAAAeQ/6u5Qs0liwdg/s1600/P1070953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xk9-NxwChHs/Ub30VXT9g7I/AAAAAAAAAeQ/6u5Qs0liwdg/s320/P1070953.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me whisking body butter mixture.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ML1GlOwFdNA/Ub30Y9OFRsI/AAAAAAAAAeY/kdEoCc7j0ZU/s1600/P1070963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ML1GlOwFdNA/Ub30Y9OFRsI/AAAAAAAAAeY/kdEoCc7j0ZU/s320/P1070963.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The group is proud of their home made beeswax and honey soap and body butter.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-97BKj7Be-yo/Ub30bRHpaoI/AAAAAAAAAeg/iK8px6jCRDQ/s1600/P1080002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-97BKj7Be-yo/Ub30bRHpaoI/AAAAAAAAAeg/iK8px6jCRDQ/s320/P1080002.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More soap making.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j9odxfTBzAs/Ub30e2lNf3I/AAAAAAAAAeo/vs1txS3ypwM/s1600/P1080031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j9odxfTBzAs/Ub30e2lNf3I/AAAAAAAAAeo/vs1txS3ypwM/s320/P1080031.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hive building.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TLfFhNolmcc/Ub30oJWXJII/AAAAAAAAAew/lrx8jZpkT7c/s1600/P1080107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TLfFhNolmcc/Ub30oJWXJII/AAAAAAAAAew/lrx8jZpkT7c/s320/P1080107.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The youth with their new bee "catch boxes."</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VLtFqbrWhiM/Ub30x5hwSlI/AAAAAAAAAe4/4MKx5HSaGic/s1600/P1080108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VLtFqbrWhiM/Ub30x5hwSlI/AAAAAAAAAe4/4MKx5HSaGic/s320/P1080108.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The group with their hives!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2wKJoiPq4Zk/Ub300x-PG5I/AAAAAAAAAfA/SuuRPUChAHU/s1600/P1080114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2wKJoiPq4Zk/Ub300x-PG5I/AAAAAAAAAfA/SuuRPUChAHU/s320/P1080114.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FR8ubPI6Y6c/Ub3098xZHmI/AAAAAAAAAfI/2FPEoxCpJss/s1600/P1070803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FR8ubPI6Y6c/Ub3098xZHmI/AAAAAAAAAfI/2FPEoxCpJss/s320/P1070803.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Abuko nature reserve.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m5ci4e5ZQGE/Ub31CODQsKI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/NfeOAU_IeHk/s1600/P1070809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m5ci4e5ZQGE/Ub31CODQsKI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/NfeOAU_IeHk/s320/P1070809.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abuko nature reserve. It's a hyena!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fRkLxmC1_kc/Ub31JzEsnWI/AAAAAAAAAfY/mmqDvZNmhYQ/s1600/P1080129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fRkLxmC1_kc/Ub31JzEsnWI/AAAAAAAAAfY/mmqDvZNmhYQ/s320/P1080129.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Cape Verde making sangria in the bathroom. We're classy budget travelers.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fLEXjaK8-FM/Ub31WoeOqcI/AAAAAAAAAfg/XQudxpCljjg/s1600/P1080216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fLEXjaK8-FM/Ub31WoeOqcI/AAAAAAAAAfg/XQudxpCljjg/s320/P1080216.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cape Verde's black sand beach. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W4qMeWBjVRM/Ub31bseKn-I/AAAAAAAAAfo/583xWb6EE3U/s1600/P1080225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W4qMeWBjVRM/Ub31bseKn-I/AAAAAAAAAfo/583xWb6EE3U/s320/P1080225.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of Cape Verde's many shipwrecks.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EI5QyAUoGMc/Ub31n7W2AGI/AAAAAAAAAfw/vJY-HwRzbDc/s1600/DSCN3672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EI5QyAUoGMc/Ub31n7W2AGI/AAAAAAAAAfw/vJY-HwRzbDc/s320/DSCN3672.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We match! </td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mbJSX_cO5Bs/Ub32ArQ-g1I/AAAAAAAAAgA/YNui2VulSy8/s1600/P1080470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mbJSX_cO5Bs/Ub32ArQ-g1I/AAAAAAAAAgA/YNui2VulSy8/s320/P1080470.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One student with her Earleaf Acacia that she has been taking care of.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wPGDZQF8GUk/Ub32YGzM72I/AAAAAAAAAgI/9KR8yBRB2FQ/s1600/P1070534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wPGDZQF8GUk/Ub32YGzM72I/AAAAAAAAAgI/9KR8yBRB2FQ/s320/P1070534.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Basse Santa Su.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ME1vqcVyads/Ub32bB7PJ_I/AAAAAAAAAgQ/VvsR4Ff-Zw0/s1600/P1070181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ME1vqcVyads/Ub32bB7PJ_I/AAAAAAAAAgQ/VvsR4Ff-Zw0/s320/P1070181.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We used to eat by candlelight...now we have electricity!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K2ZEjVZ0ukw/Ub32yRkIL4I/AAAAAAAAAgY/gkagcOfd-To/s1600/P1070399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K2ZEjVZ0ukw/Ub32yRkIL4I/AAAAAAAAAgY/gkagcOfd-To/s320/P1070399.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fellow Peace Corps Volunteer's beautiful hut.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wH2WOs5XuGQ/Ub33Dj4YO1I/AAAAAAAAAgg/G0Wldz3Kk5g/s1600/P1070639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wH2WOs5XuGQ/Ub33Dj4YO1I/AAAAAAAAAgg/G0Wldz3Kk5g/s320/P1070639.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of two bathtubs we've seen in our village. The other one is in a pig sty.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PaOKNqdwynE/Ub33MN-J6mI/AAAAAAAAAgo/jCgGdiMOWvE/s1600/P1070732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PaOKNqdwynE/Ub33MN-J6mI/AAAAAAAAAgo/jCgGdiMOWvE/s320/P1070732.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wedding feast called Benecin!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tDFHRGubFe4/Ub33XxLSCgI/AAAAAAAAAgw/HqrGVggn2v4/s1600/P1070693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tDFHRGubFe4/Ub33XxLSCgI/AAAAAAAAAgw/HqrGVggn2v4/s320/P1070693.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We made grass hives.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p710SORBPV8/Ub33fLNduCI/AAAAAAAAAg4/WphLXcoPjx8/s1600/P1070641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p710SORBPV8/Ub33fLNduCI/AAAAAAAAAg4/WphLXcoPjx8/s320/P1070641.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A local "griot" musician played the kora at our host sister's wedding.</td></tr>
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<br />Darrin Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11974875282996794452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-83224540802583795652013-06-16T12:41:00.002-04:002013-06-16T12:41:56.993-04:00The Saddest Day One day last week I stopped by the maternity ward after clinic, to greet some nurse and midwife friends before heading home for some rest and some lunch (it was about 12:30). They mentioned that a young woman who was having very difficult labor was in the delivery room. I stopped in and found this 21 year old woman (this was her first pregnancy) in a state of absolute exhaustion, all alone on the bare delivery table, with a few nurse standing around. Her aunties and husband were outside somewhere and she told me (in English) that she had not slept or eaten anything in nearly two days. One of the midwives told me he had just checked and she was fully dilated, so he was hopeful she'd deliver by 2pm.<br />
<div>
I decided that if I could give her some support, I should stay. So I stayed. I held her and reassured her and encouraged her while she pushed for <b><i>5</i></b> hours. There was no option for any kind of pain relief and the best we could do for her exhaustion was to keep some IV fluids running, give her sips of water and have her lick some sugar in attempt to give her a little energy. I was exhausted and hungry, but I know it was nothing compared to what she was going through. At one point everyone else had left the room and she said, </div>
<div>
"You are a good person. Everyone else has left me here."<br />
Later she said, "I am going to die." </div>
<div>
"You are NOT going to die," I said. "You are very strong. You are going to be fine. Your baby is going to be fine. You are going to do this."</div>
<div>
At 5:30 they decided to arrange an ambulance ride to Banjul, because the hospital there could do a cesaerean section. We had her get up and put on a wrap skirt. Her aunty came and tied her headwrap back on.</div>
<div>
"Ning sunkuto a bambanta baake," I told the aunty in Mandinka. (<i>This girl is very strong.)</i></div>
<div>
Her legs were too weak to support her, but she wanted to sit on the commode while we waited for the ambulance. I held her while she sat there for about twenty minutes, pushing through countless strong contractions. When one of the midwives came in she got back on the table and pushed the baby out in just a few minutes.</div>
<div>
The baby girl was big, obviously full term, with a lot of hair. But she had been stuck in the birth canal for a long time and was limp and grey. Her breathing was slow and irregular and after suctioning her airway the midwife and several Cuban doctors began administering oxygen.</div>
<div>
"We need ventilator," one doctor said. "In other country, they have ventilator."</div>
<div>
No one said anything to the mother, who was still on the table, getting some painful sutures. I held her hand and told her,</div>
<div>
"The baby is not breathing well, but they are trying to help. They are giving oxygen and medicine."</div>
<div>
Around 6pm the mother was transferred to the postnatal ward and her aunties brought a foodbowl with fish, rice and sauce. She asked me to eat with her. We sat there, surrounded by a few other moms and their babies, and ate. It was hard for me to swallow. I washed the oil and stray pieces of rice off my right hand and I told her I would go check on the baby. </div>
<div>
When I reached the delivery room I saw one of the the Cuban doctors pronouncing the newborn dead. </div>
<div>
"I don't hear nothing," he said in broken English, shrugging and putting his stethoscope down.</div>
<div>
I went with one of the midwives to break the news to the mother and her family. I stayed with her while she sobbed uncontrollably.</div>
<div>
"Take me there," she said finally and I steered her wheelchair down the hallway to the delivery room. Several nurses and the cleaner who was mopping the floor gathered round as she unwrapped the infant and examined her, touching her ears, lips and hair. They began praying and patting the mother's back. </div>
<div>
She never got to hold the baby. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oPNDqLxy-Wo/Ub3pFK0gKXI/AAAAAAAAAbs/OZujIAnZJiI/s1600/P1080486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oPNDqLxy-Wo/Ub3pFK0gKXI/AAAAAAAAAbs/OZujIAnZJiI/s1600/P1080486.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-natal ward</td></tr>
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Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-71068115439745887912013-05-29T11:45:00.000-04:002013-05-29T11:45:32.321-04:00Vacation!<br />
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I am happy to be able to post some pictures of...our first vacation!! On May 23rd Darrin, our friend Kathy and I travelled overland to Dakar, where we met up with Dylan and then flew to Praia, on the island of Santiago, Cape Verde. We had a fantastic time, found excellent and economical accomodations, did some hiking and generally enjoyed a slightly cooler climate and a very different culture. I wonder if the language barrier would have bothered me if I hadn't just come from 14 solid months of living where I constantly hear people talking and have no idea what they're saying...but between a few remembered words of Spanish and French, a small number of English speakers we encountered, a VERY small number of Mandinka speakers we encountered, and about 10 servicable words of Creole we learned, we managed pretty well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Tarrafal, on the island of Santiago</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darrin and Kathy in Tarrafal</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scary hole in a cliff...in Tarrafal</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dylan enjoying the view in Tarrafal</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">The folks...on Boa Vista!</td></tr>
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Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-54903003019809438452013-03-12T07:59:00.002-04:002013-03-12T07:59:43.448-04:00Thoughts at the halfway point...<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So, it has indeed been one year (and a week) since we left Minnesota one chilly March morning. I have to admit I've been feeling homesick and down-in-the-dumps recently, but everyone assures me the second year just gets better and better, so hopefully I'm due for a revival of enthusiasm and purpose! </div>
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Here are a few things I've been up to: helping a group of nursing assistant trainees work on their health education skills, helping out at reproductive/child health clinics (a.k.a. - the place where we make babies cry) and doing health education there, trying to help out the peer health education club at the senior secondary school, as well as the youth group at Gambia Family Planning...and trying to see more of the country and visit other volunteers when possible.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two days ago our host sister, Bintou, got married. The first I heard of it was only about 3 days before that, when she casually told me that the lucky guy was headed to the other compound to give her mother kola nuts (a highly significant act here in the Gambia!). Pa, her new husband, is a police chief...and a very nice man.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Women watching health talk while waiting to have their babies vaccinated.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students giving health talk on prenatal services.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An excellent class of nursing assistants!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students demonstrating proper handwashing technique as part of a presentation to people waiting in the hospital's outpatient department.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cows relaxing on the beach in the village of Kartong.</td></tr>
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-Mama Suso (Colette)</div>
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Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-48446390882268311102013-02-25T06:23:00.000-05:002013-02-25T15:06:08.289-05:00Approaching Peace Corps year one...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In exactly 9 days it will be 1 year since we made our way from Washington D.C. to Dakar, Senegal to begin our Peace Corps training. In the next few months we will be celebrating several milestones in our Peace Corps service: 1 year from our arrival in Senegal, 1 year since we started our training in The Gambia, and 1 year in village as official Peace Corps Volunteers. These are the periods by which Peace Corps volunteers measure their time. Those markers, and perhaps the mosque's call-to-prayer every morning, afternoon and evening...</div>
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At this point most volunteers from our group are pretty adjusted and comfortable. We consider many things normal that seemed foreign a year ago: </div>
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<li>random bouts of digestive illness </li>
<li>strangers yelling things at us from a distance </li>
<li>children constantly running after us, calling us "toubab" and demanding candy</li>
<li>eating rice and fish for most meals</li>
<li>greeting everyone we meet</li>
<li>being perpetually sweaty</li>
<li>curious skin infections</li>
<li>always having insect bites</li>
<li>washing clothes by hand</li>
<li>everyone constantly asking us to buy them things, give them money, or a U.S. Visa</li>
<li>living in harmony with rats, bats, and insects (even naming them) </li>
<li>pooping in a hole and using water and your left hand instead of toilet paper</li>
<li>waiting hours for transportation, getting in and being unconcerned if the vehicle breaks down</li>
<li>roaming goats, cows, chickens, guinea fowl, donkeys, sheep, dogs, cats, and horses</li>
<li>sand everywhere including on your bed and in your food</li>
<li>cutting our own and other people's hair</li>
<li>eating with our hands</li>
<li>being a minority</li>
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This list goes on, and to stress how normal many of those things seem it took me a really long time to think of all of them (more than an hour!). With this list, you may be thinking that it must take a lot of endurance to continue living and working in an environment so different from the U.S. It does, and many volunteers at the year mark start to question if they should continue their service. They get very tired, irritated, frustrated, angry etc. They look back at the past year and don't feel like they fit in, can't speak the language and that they haven't accomplished anything, myself included.<br />
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The important thing to remember is that these feelings pass. Just as many other things in life that are transient, patience leads to change. As Peace Corps Volunteers we may endure a lot of things we normally wouldn't, but everyone who grew up in The Gambia endures much more than we do. It's definitely not easy here, but it's not easy anywhere else in the world either. We all have our struggles, but the significance of Peace Corps service is a better understanding of someone else's struggles.<br />
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Much time in the Peace Corps is spent by listening and observing. With these two skills you connect with humanity in a way that transcends superficial things like whether or not you use your hands to eat or whether you use a hole for a toilet. We continue serving because we want to understand. We continue because we want to connect with the people we share this tiny planet with. We want to know, understand and support our neighbors.<br />
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The big question for service is how to support your neighbors. For many volunteers they were requested by a village. The community gathered, determined why they wanted a volunteer, how they will make them feel safe, and where they would live. They wrote a letter to the Peace Corps office in country with the explanation. With determination and perhaps recommendations from previous volunteers, a village obtains its own volunteer.<br />
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When the volunteer arrives their job description is very vague, because the village may not know how they want to be supported at first. It takes about a year to get to know a volunteer and for a volunteer to get to know the village. After that there may or may not be a defined way to support the community.<br />
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In my case a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) wanted a volunteer, wrote the letter and got me. The skills they requested in a volunteer matched the skills I had. I feel lucky in that regard, because I have an actual written job description and a defined place to work. What I have incorporated into my service is this feeling of working to support rather than just doing. I am not here to change things, I am here to support others in their plans to change. So you may be thinking, "What do you do for work?" Well, a couple of things that I am working on are a biodiversity project and a youth beekeeping project:<br />
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<b>1. Biodiversity project at St. Joseph's Family Farms Centre </b>(the NGO I volunteer at).<br />
The goal of the project is to increase biodiversity (variety of plants/trees) in our district, reduce the use of wood for cooking fires, and improve live fencing for women's gardens. To do this a tree nursery is being created using used plastic water bags as polypots (tree seedling starter bags). These water bags are basically trash found along the streets. We told community members that we would pay them the equivalent of 3 cents for 4 of these bags. We also told them we need about 23,000 of them.<br />
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Children and youth quickly got on board and started gathering this "trash" and bringing it to us in exchange for money. Some children gathered up to 1,000 bags by themselves as an after school job and earned about $8. This amount is the equivalent to one months apartment rent in our village. Good money for the youth, the streets are cleaner and we get to recycle this trash to grow trees. Not too bad! Below are some pictures of the place I work and our tree nursery:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The front entrance to the Non-Governmental Organization that I volunteer at: St. Joseph's Family Farms Centre.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oZwE-Xp3Udg/USEFr5-lR4I/AAAAAAAAAY0/cB4sCVu42xw/s1600/illiasabtreenursery.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oZwE-Xp3Udg/USEFr5-lR4I/AAAAAAAAAY0/cB4sCVu42xw/s320/illiasabtreenursery.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Illiasa (a forestry extension agent) planting Mahogany tree seeds for the St. Joseph's tree nursery (background). </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TMah3D6cfBI/USEI6lCquRI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/tEDfSnrhUZI/s1600/treenurserysaikou.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TMah3D6cfBI/USEI6lCquRI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/tEDfSnrhUZI/s320/treenurserysaikou.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Saikou, a beekeeper, farmer, and caretaker preparing to water the nursery.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-260R0f40CrU/USEJP10BtKI/AAAAAAAAAZY/HcMLonbQ514/s1600/treenurserystore.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-260R0f40CrU/USEJP10BtKI/AAAAAAAAAZY/HcMLonbQ514/s320/treenurserystore.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> A partial view of the tree nursery beds with recycled water bags and the seed storage shed.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">2.Youth Beekeeping Project</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Over the past months I have been approached by two beekeepers in Bwiam and one in Sangajor village who wanted my assistance in expanding their apiaries (beekeeping areas). Since there are many youths in Bwiam we planned a project that would allow the beekeepers to increase the number of bee cases and resources that they have while introducing youths of their choice to the profession. Over the next year and a half we will be planning beekeeping training with the youth, the experienced beekeepers will be working with the youth at their own apiaries and the youth will be able to start their own apiaries at St. Joseph's Family Farms. Following are pictures of the group.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of the youth beekeeping group that I am working with. <br />
The men second and fourth from the left (Saikou and Salifu) are experienced beekeepers .</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4GOpmvt_-tM/USEOfDnf8eI/AAAAAAAAAZo/bYeCnUTPn4Y/s1600/Beekeeperedit2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4GOpmvt_-tM/USEOfDnf8eI/AAAAAAAAAZo/bYeCnUTPn4Y/s320/Beekeeperedit2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wuyeh, the beekeeper on the left has been experimenting with local bee hives for the past year. <br />
His student is on the right.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-peWU2TBKwZM/USEQ5DHsLAI/AAAAAAAAAaA/hFkCGNeqGHw/s1600/beestingedit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-peWU2TBKwZM/USEQ5DHsLAI/AAAAAAAAAaA/hFkCGNeqGHw/s320/beestingedit.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> This is me acquiring a therapeutic bee sting from an experienced beekeeper.<br />
I requested to be stung so I am more relaxed around bees.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">This year will be filled with more learning opportunities and more chances to connect with people-if we just let it happen and if we are patient with ourselves and the culture. We have really become comfortable in our community and prefer it to the urban area where there are many more people, tourists, vehicles, and supermarkets. Bwiam has become our second home and although challenging at times, I wouldn't trade our current living situation for any other. Except maybe having a thatched roof to reduce the temperature in our home!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ivwPVpCgqkk/USD9TUeVH6I/AAAAAAAAAYc/cn6BZM4d98g/s1600/roadbwiamedit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ivwPVpCgqkk/USD9TUeVH6I/AAAAAAAAAYc/cn6BZM4d98g/s320/roadbwiamedit.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The road entering our village. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lq6IJCUmS_A/USEFMm-7AAI/AAAAAAAAAYs/ab1b93JY4dE/s1600/tributarydirectionedit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lq6IJCUmS_A/USEFMm-7AAI/AAAAAAAAAYs/ab1b93JY4dE/s320/tributarydirectionedit.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> The area near our village that leads to the rice fields.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a 'moon rise' at the river by our village. Yeah,. we actually live here!</td></tr>
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Darrin Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11974875282996794452noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-91461054743611064462013-02-05T08:27:00.001-05:002013-02-25T06:34:24.082-05:00Up country<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Many volunteers live further east (inland) than we do, but we didn't have a chance to venture in that direction until this past month. Both Darrin and I travelled to Janjanbureh mid-January to help out with a week-long camp Peace Corps volunteers were running for some senior secondary school students in that area. After spending a few days there, we travelled up to Basse, where Peace Corps Gambia has its second transit house (a place where volunteers can stay when travelling through or doing business in town). We spent a fun few days in Basse with our friend Kathy. We occupied ourselves with cooking, playing games and exploring the town a little bit. The market there had far more veggies than we are able to get in Bwiam, so we went a little crazy eating salad, stir-frys and the like. </div>
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We headed back to Janjanbureh to celebrate the "Triple Birthday" on January 12th. My fellow volunteers Jen and Daniel have birthdays on the 13th and my own is on the 14th, so a large group of us met up for a boat cruise on the river and a night at one of the lodges. In typical fashion we met with a few snags in the plan - some German tourists had been given the boat that Jen had reserved well ahead of time, but we managed to find a different lodge with a similar boat and eventually get out on the river. I saw a few baboons, but no hippos. Maybe next time.</div>
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-Mama</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darrin in the kitchen at the Basse house. It's just like a children's playhouse. It even has a (tiny) oven! We would love to have something like that at our house...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathy, hanging out in Basse</td></tr>
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People crossing the river.</div>
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View from the boat as the sun was beginning to set.</div>
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Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-70693218302507883942013-01-16T10:11:00.001-05:002013-01-16T10:48:31.465-05:00Packing Lists continued!As Mama (Colette) has previously posted modifications to her packing list, I thought I would share a few of mine as well.<br />
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<u>Here are the things I am really glad I brought</u></div>
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<li>Rechargeable beard trimmer and hair clipper combination (my first one was destroyed by a power surge, but one was sent to me and I couldn't be more thankful for it. I cut my own hair in village)</li>
<li>Small rectangle travel pillow <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Aller-Ease-Cotton-Allergy-14-inch-20-inch/dp/B004TMMV2A/ref=sr_1_5?s=bedbath&ie=UTF8&qid=1358350556&sr=1-5" target="_blank">(Click here for Example pillow)</a> the common pillows here are not comfortable, so if you like to sleep bring your own. </li>
<li>Decent dental floss (Oral B, etc). </li>
<li>A flash drive (8GB minimum)</li>
<li>Quality underwear like this: (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/ExOfficio-Give-N-Go-Boxer-Brief-Black/dp/B001M0MMZS" target="_blank">Click here to see Exofficio underwea</a>r) They are expensive but last a really long time and are very comfortable in the Gambian heat. Also, they don't lose their fit with multiple washings.</li>
<li>Comfortable lightweight pants that adjust at the waist <a href="http://www.amazon.com/prAna-Stretch-30-Inch-Inseam-Medium/dp/B004GECBXA/ref=sr_1_2?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1358346422&sr=1-2&keywords=prana+pants" target="_blank">(Click here to see Prana pants)</a> because most likely you will be losing weight.</li>
<li>Two water bottles</li>
<li>Vegetable peeler</li>
<li>Crossword puzzle book</li>
<li>Multiple bandanas/handkerchiefs</li>
<li>MasterLock padlock (Bring two, you'll use one at the Peace Corps house and one for your door)</li>
<li>Duct tape</li>
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<u>Wish I brought:</u></div>
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<li>More AfterBite bug bite relief</li>
<li>An external hard-drive for picture, movie, music storage</li>
<li>Games like scrabble, bananagrams, etc.</li>
<li>Favorite books! (For some reason I didn't bring any, but the Peace Corps house has tons anyway)</li>
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<u>Glad I didn't bring:</u></div>
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<li>Cell phone </li>
<li>Jeans</li>
<li>A whole bunch of fancy gadgets </li>
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<u>Would just as soon have not brought:</u><br />
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<li>Hammock (we don't have any trees around our home to hang it from, nor is their shade to sit under)</li>
<li>Umbrella </li>
<li>A watch and travel alarm clock (cell phone is good enough)</li>
<li>Flashlight (cell phones here have flashlights on them and headlamps are good enough)</li>
<li>Dress shoes (Worst case scenario you buy them here for reasonable prices, the ones I brought now smell like mold from the rainy season and I hardly ever wear them)</li>
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Hope this helps my future Gambian PCV's!</div>
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Fo natoo-Until later,</div>
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Kawsu (Darrin)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obligatory cute kid picture with Awa, Senabu, Mami, Binta, and Muhammed</td></tr>
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Darrin Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11974875282996794452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-34865244705398972522012-12-29T15:13:00.000-05:002012-12-29T15:13:08.115-05:00Packing lists!<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
I know that when I was waiting to leave for our staging, I was obsessed with our packing list. I wanted us to be prepared, but not too prepared. I wanted to travel light, but to have essential items available... So, here are my thoughts (after nearly 10 months) on what is appropriate to bring to West Africa when you plan to stay for 27 months:</div>
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First, and most importantly, Peace Corps training involves a lot of moving around. The smartest thing to do is bring 2 bags - one larger, hard-sided, lockable suitcase with wheels and one smaller bag (we had duffel bags - some people prefer mid-size backpacks). This way you can shut all the stuff you don't really need up in the suitcase, which will be relatively secure (and rodent proof), and carry your essentials in a smaller, lighter bag.</div>
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Secondly, you can get most stuff here. The quality might be questionable in some cases or the price might hurt your budget a little, but there's no need to bring a 2 year supply of anything unless you're very picky.</div>
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So, in hindsight, I would bring only enough shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, soap, etc. to get through the first few months. I would bring a small amount of American dollars (even $20 would be fine) to supplement your training allowance, because it is nearly impossible to afford the absolute essentials on what they give you, let alone anything extra. Once you are a volunteer, no problem.</div>
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<u>Here are the things I am really glad I brought:</u></div>
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Diva cup. </div>
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Decent dental floss.</div>
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A flash drive.</div>
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Converter for outlets.</div>
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Camera.</div>
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Leatherman.</div>
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2 nice quality cotton double or queen size sheets and a pillowcase.</div>
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Nalgene bottle (or 2).</div>
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1 or 2 sharp knives (the Victronix paring knives are great).</div>
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prints of photos from U.S. to show host family.</div>
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tote bag<br />
bathing suit.</div>
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a sweatshirt.</div>
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long PJ pants and also short ones.</div>
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nail polish in cool colors. (you can buy remover in Kombo)</div>
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headlamp and a collection of decent quality batteries to go in it.</div>
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enough long skirts, t-shirts and nice-ish clothes to get through training.</div>
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smallish travel pillow.</div>
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a few pairs of capri length tights for wearing under skirts/dresses.<br />
plastic accordian file to organize ridiculous amounts of paperwork in.</div>
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<u>Wish I brought:</u></div>
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laptop. (Mine wasn't working so well when we left and I didn't want to worry about it, but most volunteers have them and use them a lot!).</div>
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small things to give as a gifts during training (people had birthdays and no one had money or the means to buy them gifts) - some U.S. candy would be good for this.</div>
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more bras and underwear (especially quick-dry material).</div>
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a few more t-shirts and nice-ish clothes. This is tricky though, because I lost a lot of weight and ended up giving away many items I brought which no longer fit. </div>
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more decent pens.</div>
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set of different colored Sharpie markers.</div>
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more AfterBite.<br />
mascara and lipstick.</div>
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<u>Glad I didn't bring:</u></div>
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giant amounts of food/snacks (though a few bags of a favorite candy or tea are nice to have).</div>
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raincoat.</div>
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fancy gadgets, including solar charger (they're pretty easy to buy off volunteers who are on their way out and, in my personal experience, a lot of them just don't work that well)<br />
cell phone (Peace Corps gave us ours and they are fine)<br />
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<u>Would just as soon have not brought:</u><br />
umbrella (lost it- and they're easy to buy here)<br />
towels (smell really bad during rainy season - a wrap skirt works much better)<br />
too may pairs of shoes<br />
a watch and travel alarm clock (my cell phone is good enough)<br />
flashlight (cell phone and headlamp are good enough)<br />
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-Colette (Darrin can weigh in on this one in a seperate post)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What We Brought.</td></tr>
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Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-38378688500427793582012-12-28T16:52:00.002-05:002012-12-28T16:52:49.273-05:00How is the work? <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;">We know that everyone is eager to know what we are doing with ourselves (other than reading, cooking and sleeping), so here are a few things we've been up to recently. Incidentally, the two of us generally work separately, but we have had some great opportunities to team up on special projects and events lately. Here are a few:<br />
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Bwiam's Youth Action Movement group had a short parade and a program to observe World AIDS Day in early December. Our sister Mamie is holding the banner in this picture (on the left). We attempted to give some inspirational speaches about how youth have the power to stop the spread of HIV.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darrin has been assisting an elementary school in another village with their tree nursery. We recently went and helped them plant a few hundred seeds in beds and polypots the students had helped prepare.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We did a family planning talk in a nearby village. Here Hyatou and I show off a poster I made that compares birth spacing to crop spacing. Darrin and Yaya were talking to the men, while Hyatou and I talked to the women. I've used this same poster to do health talks at reproductive and child health clinic. The main point is that families and farms grow better and are healthier with proper planning. On the left you can see "Fatou's family" and on the right "Binta's family" (or, as one woman called it, "the seven kids in seven years family").</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friend Kaddy (American name: Kathy) undertook the task of painting many health-themed murals at a large regional health center near her site. Darrin and I spent one weekend helping with the project and we worked on this mural, which shows the importance of infant vaccination.</td></tr>
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Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-28165481753640337402012-11-19T17:22:00.000-05:002012-11-22T21:43:46.534-05:00A Day in the Life<u>Maamaa's Day</u><br />
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<li>Get up at about 7, although the rooster has been crowing at an annoyingly close range for at least 3 hours and call-to-prayer has occurred at around 5:45.</li>
<li>Brush teeth, wash face and comb hair outside in the bathroom area.</li>
<li>Go out of the house and greet family, then water plants (okra, watermelon, squash and basil) - this requires several trips to the tap with a bucket. </li>
<li>Bring some water inside to boil so I can have tea. Make oatmeal, to which I add sugar (or honey if we have it), raisins (if we picked some up in the big city) and peanut butter. Read for awhile and enjoy my tea.</li>
<li>At 8:45 get dressed, say goodbye to Darrin and walk over to the hospital where I help out at the reproductive and child health clinic. </li>
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<li>On Mondays it is in Bwiam - a few other days a week everyone piles in the ambulance (actually a Landrover) and travels to an outlying village's health center to weigh babies, dispense medications, give immunizations and do prenatal exams. </li>
<li>I have been trying to help the staff to do short health talks at each clinic - right now we have been doing a family planning one. I made a poster comparing birth spacing in families to crop spacing on farms and talk about how plants and families grow better and healthier when they are planned/"well-spaced." This can get complicated because we usually translate the talk into 2 or 3 langauges - English, Mandinka, Wolof and sometimes Jola or Fula. I'm not ready to do the Mandinka talk yet - maybe I never will be, because people might miss something due to my accent. I instead greet the women and introduce myself in Mandinka and then switch to English, which involves speaking very slowly and clearly, because many people here who speak English can't understand it when you speak fast or use too large a vocabulary.</li>
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<li>If it is not too late when I get done with clinic, I will try to buy some vegetables or other things at the market. It's tricky because the market is usually over by 1 in the afternoon. </li>
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<li>I have one friend, Sirrah, who sells at the market and is always very nice. I try to buy from her, although she doesn't have much for sale. Sometimes there is nothing for sale but onions and okra...but once in awhile there are cucumbers or green peppers. </li>
<li>I buy a lot of groundnut paste (it's like unsalted natural peanut butter, in a small plastic bag), garlic and pepper corns, which we pound. Sometimes I buy a smoked fish for the cat. I have learned the hard way not to put a fish in my tote bag (even if it's wrapped in newspaper!)...too smelly!</li>
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<li>After the market I go home and take a bucket bath and change my clothes because I am inevitably very hot and sweaty. I may rest for a bit in the house or do some laundry.</li>
<li>Around 3pm I head over to our family's other compound for lunch. Darrin usually meets me there when he is done with work and we eat - I am always hoping for durango, which is a peanut-based sauce over rice. I dislike supa konja, which is a slimy okra, greens and fish goo over rice. We sit with whichever family members are there (often some of the women or girls are busy braiding hair under a tree) and maybe play with some of the kids. </li>
<li>Around 4:30 or 5 we usually make our way home. On the way home we might stop at the biddik (corner shop) for bread, flour, eggs or a cold drink. We also sometimes stop to chat with a friend or two, though I try to avoid being offered attaya (the strong sugary tea drink people love to sit and brew and serve in little shot glasses) at this time of day because it is so caffienated it will make sleep difficult later.</li>
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<li>Once we get home we relax, take a quick bucket bath to cool off, then read or work on things around the house or yard. I like to prep something for dinner before the sun goes down, because without electricity we must rely on headlamp and candles at night, which are fine for reading, etc., but sometimes it is hard to prepare a meal that way. Recently I helped with peanut harvesting, so here I am shelling peanuts and preparing to roast them with our sister Awa.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q8XI8A85Rpw/UK7Iv_FiZTI/AAAAAAAAAV8/UHBV21YCps0/s1600/P1060547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q8XI8A85Rpw/UK7Iv_FiZTI/AAAAAAAAAV8/UHBV21YCps0/s320/P1060547.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awa and Mama shelling groundnuts ("tio" in Mandinka).</td></tr>
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<li>Some days, if our site-mate (other Peace Corps volunteer in our area), Dylan, is in town, we bike over to his side of town and walk down to the river to watch the sunset on the dock. If we aren't in a hurry to go home, we have supper at his family's compound.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ixle4pQlAVE/UK7J4jow-kI/AAAAAAAAAWE/3bgNPLnIApY/s1600/RevisedRiversunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ixle4pQlAVE/UK7J4jow-kI/AAAAAAAAAWE/3bgNPLnIApY/s320/RevisedRiversunset.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another beautiful sunset at the Bwiam/Kankuntu dock. Yeah, we live here.</td></tr>
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<u>Kawsu's Day</u></div>
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<ul>
<li>Get up at the same time as Maamaa, but then stay in bed and snooze until 8:30 because the rooster has kept me from getting a proper rest all morning. He usually stands directly in front of our screen door and crows (4 a.m.). Some days I want to eat him for lunch, but we can't because he is good luck for our compound (meaning he was purchased solely for that reason).</li>
<li>Officially get up at 8:30, wash my face and put our small solar panel out in the sun to charge - takes about 3 days of full sun for a full charge (good to have in case we need emergency cell phone charge on weekends). </li>
<li>Head to the "kitchen area" and make some tea with powdered milk and sugar. Prepare a small cup of meuslix mixed with oatmeal (to stretch the meuslix because it's expensive) and reconstituted powdered milk. Usually during breakfast I just sit in a plastic lawn chair, think about our life here and sip my tea.</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZBNtKYQSEy4/UK7RIursM_I/AAAAAAAAAWo/-BrQH91wrGY/s1600/P1060637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZBNtKYQSEy4/UK7RIursM_I/AAAAAAAAAWo/-BrQH91wrGY/s320/P1060637.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our kitchen area was created with the help of our local carpenter Sheik Nyang</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li>Feed the cat a small amount of cat food or dried fish. She has been eating lizards lately so we don't feed her much. Hopefully our cat will never catch this gecko which stays in our home and munches on beetles and mosquitoes. We are very fond of it.</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c4IX9B3T0Lk/UK7YlFpSlrI/AAAAAAAAAXM/59Z55P_ony0/s1600/P1060738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c4IX9B3T0Lk/UK7YlFpSlrI/AAAAAAAAAXM/59Z55P_ony0/s320/P1060738.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Resident gecko in our front room. We named it Tom Thumb.</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>Greet the family outside with any of the following phrases: "I saama" (good morning), "Somandaa be naadi?" (how is the morning?) or "Kori I sinoota" (I hope you slept).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Wash dishes in a little bucket by our door and set them to dry on a board in the sun. Then I usually sweep the front room and bedroom because over night much sand and dust has accumulated on the floor. </li>
<ul>
<li>At this point I may do some laundry in a bucket depending on the clothes situation, whether Colette has done them already or whether or not our sisters are doing laundry for the whole family. If this happens there's usually no space for our clothes on the line, so we just wait.</li>
</ul>
<li>10 a.m. get dressed for work, spray my limbs with insect repellent (many mosquitoes at work), take my bicycle outside, lock our door, and tell any present family member the following: "Nka ta dokouwo (I am going to work), fo tilibulo (until the afternoon)."</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Ride my bicycle about 2 kilometers to St. Joseph's Family Farms Centre and greet everyone in the organization.</li>
<ul>
<li>Proceed to the office and work on any of the following: editing grant proposals, preparing reports for World Food Programme, or reading about appropriate technology/projects for the community. Lately we've been organizing old files, so I read about many previous community projects.</li>
<li>2:30-4pm wrap up my work, say "Fo saama" (until tomorrow) to my co-workers and bike to our families large compound. On this bike ride I usually meet many children walking back home from school so it's inevitable that a couple will shout "Toubab(white man)! Any minties (candy)?" To which I usually stop my bicycle suddenly, dismount and try to locate said children and introduce myself, or maybe run after them to get some laughs. </li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Reach family compound and greet family with "Tilibulo be naadi?" ("How is the afternoon?") and proceed to find the most shade in the compound to eat under.</li>
<li>4:30-5pm head home and buy any necessary food items to prepare our evening meal.</li>
<li>Take bucket bath immediately, bring in solar panel, check on all plants, pet cat and ask her about her day (or look for dead lizard presents around the compound).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gIkBTXNpfHM/UK7GGf2Qs8I/AAAAAAAAAVs/6wIrxK1OdMc/s1600/P1060600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gIkBTXNpfHM/UK7GGf2Qs8I/AAAAAAAAAVs/6wIrxK1OdMc/s320/P1060600.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Takaa our cat relaxing (fonyonding) on our window sill.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<li>Rest a bit, prep some food and either read or do a crossword puzzle, or give a fellow Peace Corps Volunteer a haircut:</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V4Y3UcK7_TY/UK7LjVKoHFI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/j2Tq0oL7fZE/s1600/P1060493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V4Y3UcK7_TY/UK7LjVKoHFI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/j2Tq0oL7fZE/s320/P1060493.JPG" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dylan (our site mate) at "Kawsu's Barbing Saloon" prior to one of the last storms of the rainy season in Bwiam.</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>10pm take a small bucket bath again to cool off before bedtime, get into bed, tuck in mosquito net, turn off headlamp and <i>sweat ourselves to sleep </i>until the cool harmattan winds from the desert come during the cold season.</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HzP-O6YTsWM/UK7QiIyLbqI/AAAAAAAAAWg/d5p7yumNWrY/s1600/P1060608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HzP-O6YTsWM/UK7QiIyLbqI/AAAAAAAAAWg/d5p7yumNWrY/s320/P1060608.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first harvest of ginger I planted 4 months ago.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B8vWf5_5jQ4/UK7R4v5PayI/AAAAAAAAAWw/WtGbQd58I2w/s1600/P1060635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B8vWf5_5jQ4/UK7R4v5PayI/AAAAAAAAAWw/WtGbQd58I2w/s320/P1060635.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yusupha our youngest sibling starting to walk.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Eo5NZy5cLWQ/UK7Xvvlpl7I/AAAAAAAAAXA/EjZnYLsLAO4/s1600/ginger+edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Eo5NZy5cLWQ/UK7Xvvlpl7I/AAAAAAAAAXA/EjZnYLsLAO4/s320/ginger+edit.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This ginger will be ready to harvest in 5 months.</td></tr>
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Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-44186607381137951882012-09-26T07:36:00.001-04:002012-09-26T07:36:04.223-04:00The Work<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
We haven't posted much about our work activities, mostly because they are not that exciting or varied so far! However, here are a few photos of a short workshop my host sister, Mamie, and I did during a camp for youth leaders that was held at the senior secondary scool in Bwiam. The kids were camping out in some school rooms without mosquito nets and they asked us to help them make homemade mosquito repellent to use during the evenings. </div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
Neem cream is a product the Peace Corps loves to endorse...it's cheap to make, people say it's effective and it can be a good product for people to make and sell for a profit. It uses the leaves of the neem tree (which can usually be found somewhere around any village), soap and oil. The soap must be grated or shredded with a knife (Mamie made homemade graters by poking holes in old sardine tins - pretty neat!) and then mixed with water that you've boiled neem leaves in, then oil. After a lot of vigorous mixing, it's ready to go!</div>
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This group was particularly fun to work with because they were so enthusiastic. I asked them to review some facts on malaria and malaria prevention while they were working and lots of shouting and arguing ensued...but I think everyone had fun. </div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
-Colette (Maamaa)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDicfWZ2AfI1cM7Kh1ZIFiBObEFfrqNxqAbu3Pt3f5hiUQe228hO9ppguuld1R_WmGg6HQpTP8xzsHearnyLi4JP6L6WvBRRSJcBTqnPnx61jSrrzJ_PRswANxUO4A0EXS5KMyEvn0JVE/s1600/colette+095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDicfWZ2AfI1cM7Kh1ZIFiBObEFfrqNxqAbu3Pt3f5hiUQe228hO9ppguuld1R_WmGg6HQpTP8xzsHearnyLi4JP6L6WvBRRSJcBTqnPnx61jSrrzJ_PRswANxUO4A0EXS5KMyEvn0JVE/s320/colette+095.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Girls gathering neem leaves.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJP_M3zVMa31xKdvYhUecKW694-5ATJDaCdFsnx7Rl3tCMuxtV3-hUzsXy17THcKx6J7BXYORRKa-AouDuOwMKvKSQKtoOwm6hL0jRCCcPE_xBJKseRT7vsXsSF16CRL4YQecFMQMiB8E/s1600/colette+094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJP_M3zVMa31xKdvYhUecKW694-5ATJDaCdFsnx7Rl3tCMuxtV3-hUzsXy17THcKx6J7BXYORRKa-AouDuOwMKvKSQKtoOwm6hL0jRCCcPE_xBJKseRT7vsXsSF16CRL4YQecFMQMiB8E/s320/colette+094.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shaving soap with our homemade graters.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1Jtk_p-kaOIGipSuo46eHzBZCEWa3J__tENQZVg1RbOb4rWA3aCJ7jOEeogPk4estvVmWO-2Xr162vu2ybbrMrsnOp7CBC6BTUqpfP1pmDoFL_LbKefUxb6UTnldSfzAkwQ7ycSEVQc/s1600/colette+106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1Jtk_p-kaOIGipSuo46eHzBZCEWa3J__tENQZVg1RbOb4rWA3aCJ7jOEeogPk4estvVmWO-2Xr162vu2ybbrMrsnOp7CBC6BTUqpfP1pmDoFL_LbKefUxb6UTnldSfzAkwQ7ycSEVQc/s320/colette+106.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone is excited that it's almost ready!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvy4z8Ro4B0y06LZFVwaJJUwbINqIE3Sile_UcvowkbOZocOk_Wj_99ZTcTqNu9DbDX3JT6TD-UxKk3pZYMUl4YkM0KwK7CVlsj1UWJH9QZtbLjCQpqh3CW3-DlnqX2Zjgo7PrtH2zI8/s1600/colette+109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" kea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvy4z8Ro4B0y06LZFVwaJJUwbINqIE3Sile_UcvowkbOZocOk_Wj_99ZTcTqNu9DbDX3JT6TD-UxKk3pZYMUl4YkM0KwK7CVlsj1UWJH9QZtbLjCQpqh3CW3-DlnqX2Zjgo7PrtH2zI8/s320/colette+109.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We ran out of containers to put it in, so this young man is holding a plastic shopping bag full of neem cream. Good thinking!</td></tr>
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Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-49130259272696452242012-08-31T17:01:00.000-04:002012-09-09T17:49:36.911-04:00Snapshots II<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ht-eqOuzFIU/UBVxPGS_qHI/AAAAAAAAASk/egcgwwzd1WA/s1600/P1060331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ht-eqOuzFIU/UBVxPGS_qHI/AAAAAAAAASk/egcgwwzd1WA/s320/P1060331.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friend Abdul, and our brother Saikou. Saikou was awarded the position of Deputy Headboy at his school!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QyzARDxydKY/UBVxUSbbbuI/AAAAAAAAASs/lihhbQip6C0/s1600/P1060346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QyzARDxydKY/UBVxUSbbbuI/AAAAAAAAASs/lihhbQip6C0/s320/P1060346.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The young women in our families other compound. From left to right: Tida, Mamie, Oussman, Awa, Senabu, Fatoumata, and Binta (who's obviously a joker).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ebxnufTp5Sw/UBVxakYBhcI/AAAAAAAAAS0/0k82GPcaxaE/s1600/P1060397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ebxnufTp5Sw/UBVxakYBhcI/AAAAAAAAAS0/0k82GPcaxaE/s320/P1060397.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enter: The MOST annoying rooster in the world & our families cassava field.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xRiYQn84Jcg/UBVxfEicV4I/AAAAAAAAAS8/rTj7_xVcLB4/s1600/P1060365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xRiYQn84Jcg/UBVxfEicV4I/AAAAAAAAAS8/rTj7_xVcLB4/s320/P1060365.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah, our back yard is nice to look at!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pzfGGdxznLM/UBVxrsv4rlI/AAAAAAAAATE/MGr4I3zi28g/s1600/P1060399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pzfGGdxznLM/UBVxrsv4rlI/AAAAAAAAATE/MGr4I3zi28g/s320/P1060399.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foreground: the banana "sucker" that I planted. Background: a large ridge of soil containing ginger root.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GI0R1ssVsLI/UBVxy-qYD5I/AAAAAAAAATM/aUMAFqrXUwo/s1600/P1060402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GI0R1ssVsLI/UBVxy-qYD5I/AAAAAAAAATM/aUMAFqrXUwo/s320/P1060402.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nap time!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WeFbF6IDo3Y/UBVx4TxSCmI/AAAAAAAAATU/TNkwhyNDFG0/s1600/P1060312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WeFbF6IDo3Y/UBVx4TxSCmI/AAAAAAAAATU/TNkwhyNDFG0/s320/P1060312.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The road to our home.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XlB_VaCGBrY/UBVx-CW2eCI/AAAAAAAAATg/Nl81asR5BOc/s1600/P1060325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XlB_VaCGBrY/UBVx-CW2eCI/AAAAAAAAATg/Nl81asR5BOc/s320/P1060325.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our brothers graduation from 10th grade.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yTbkiZRhwIM/UBVyDm1BGHI/AAAAAAAAATo/DWzmBmb-E2M/s1600/P1060327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yTbkiZRhwIM/UBVyDm1BGHI/AAAAAAAAATo/DWzmBmb-E2M/s320/P1060327.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our brother and his friends, he's the one peeking, third from the right.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LFa8tHVKeO8/UBVyQvDJxXI/AAAAAAAAATw/QlhbQT9PK54/s1600/P1060342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LFa8tHVKeO8/UBVyQvDJxXI/AAAAAAAAATw/QlhbQT9PK54/s320/P1060342.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our brother Sam</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JQqE7SfR1U4/UBVyWLPLs_I/AAAAAAAAAT4/pIAyn90pR_U/s1600/P1060377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JQqE7SfR1U4/UBVyWLPLs_I/AAAAAAAAAT4/pIAyn90pR_U/s320/P1060377.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This lizard fell into our water bucket. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQ9BggxJNL-57p_CNjjWOxOUU4deg8B6J06nRmfvB5fIJA35BvU9ExwWNGBCP-KQ9qsJqyuenekwneANZjwP_lvdThzpnLtK1ZjFt2XFTH2Y_OcTzc1sBJVGGftdYHyKvLH4cPWkulIA/s1600/DSCN2980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-47601493424158608602012-08-29T17:13:00.001-04:002012-08-29T18:19:58.199-04:00A few snapshots<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHShcOsQFqeQMeRVmqG043mojORV5JVs-LMZ9nS96FXTHB9d_BMXu4WD6OId31hD3rGRzmYWfBQkSLdwFZ5spoeJRbUZ5ROTVl140HEkKrLnOgusemINn0l769HvzD-QGq8y_1jpejqNY/s1600/colette66+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHShcOsQFqeQMeRVmqG043mojORV5JVs-LMZ9nS96FXTHB9d_BMXu4WD6OId31hD3rGRzmYWfBQkSLdwFZ5spoeJRbUZ5ROTVl140HEkKrLnOgusemINn0l769HvzD-QGq8y_1jpejqNY/s320/colette66+006.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fa Suso with a huge (smelly) dried barracuda head. We actually avoided eating this because it was served for dinner and we usually cook our own dinner. </td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoI9EfLZA9ZUr0WqfYD2zNtDfpW9RP7c77zPV58v9OXK3Hk6pxZ1EKVAyAPY0yKELVxFIBySL6AT7AkYjMJ2r0zUx2FMaXj6I6gYaYT7PjvpfpnZFl3vCbvYzFjdpe5eILWYUQcCjXmg/s1600/colette66+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoI9EfLZA9ZUr0WqfYD2zNtDfpW9RP7c77zPV58v9OXK3Hk6pxZ1EKVAyAPY0yKELVxFIBySL6AT7AkYjMJ2r0zUx2FMaXj6I6gYaYT7PjvpfpnZFl3vCbvYzFjdpe5eILWYUQcCjXmg/s320/colette66+009.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset by the river. Darrin took this picture and then sarcastically said, "This is terrible, I can't believe we have to put up with this crap."</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgYLWcFwrMeIu8FLPar6LUjtThmkk0Jkok7uOEMI4l3W2fZaId-OtqibPdnjU4NS7Xig5CefgpEqbWFkHcbb74bEMYZepxjLnxqyGQH4Ta4fIVhtPzYZHtjcTC0iwao-zjpULc37HNBDw/s1600/colette66+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgYLWcFwrMeIu8FLPar6LUjtThmkk0Jkok7uOEMI4l3W2fZaId-OtqibPdnjU4NS7Xig5CefgpEqbWFkHcbb74bEMYZepxjLnxqyGQH4Ta4fIVhtPzYZHtjcTC0iwao-zjpULc37HNBDw/s320/colette66+015.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of our young friends. Fatoumata Suso is the little one in the red, white and blue shirt. I love her very much because she has the most hilarious facial expressions possible. Awa is the very serious girl in pink beside her...she lives in our compound and while I have been known to tell her stop standing in front of our screen door and staring in at me when I am doing boring things like reading and drinking tea, I really enjoy having her as a little sister.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Also, here is a short list of things Colette misses from the U.S. that she NEVER thought she would miss:<br />
-shopping malls<br />
-Target<br />
- contemporary (Christian) praise music<br />
-mid-priced Mexican chain restaurants<br />
-being a white person amongst a large crowd of other white people (I mean, not always sticking out as glaringly different everywhere I go, even in the dark)<br />
<br />
Things Colette does not miss at all, but thought that she would:<br />
-indoor plumbing<br />
-washing machines<br />
-owning a car<br />
-warm showers<br />
<br />
<br />
A thing Darrin misses that he NEVER thought he would miss:<br />
-people saying "God bless you" after you sneeze<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Until next time...<br />
<br />
Mama and Kawsu (Colette and Darrin)Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-23540753792248897722012-08-08T05:40:00.002-04:002012-08-08T12:42:01.520-04:00ShoppingI<br />
Last week I was talking to my friend and work counterpart, Lamin. He visited the U.S. a year or two ago and he was telling me that he had been really impressed by the big, fancy shopping mall he saw while there. I said I sometimes missed them, but that someone had once pointed out to me that when a culture builds shopping malls that are nicer and larger than most of their mosques or churches, it was a sign that they worshipped money and material things above all else. "So, that's why I have mixed feelings about shopping malls when I'm in the U.S.," I concluded. Lamin said, "Hmmm, true...but they are nice anyway!" I had to agree. Especially when compared to the market in Serekunda. <br />
<br />
II<br />
Yesterday my host sister Mamie and I set out from Bwiam for a day of shopping in Serekunda, visiting family and, for me, going to the bank and grocery store in Fajara. It only took us about 2 hours to get to Serekunda's market area, which was rapidly becoming hot and crowded. My mission was to buy a certain type of fancy fabric that is needed for various post-Ramadan celebration outfits. I needed some for myself and Kawsu and I wanted Mamie to help me pick some out. I had about D850 with me, which is normal Gambian life is a pretty large amount of money. So, we went to one shop and they wanted D700 for the fabric we needed. They would not come down, so we left. I was beginning to realize that the two of us shopping together was NOT such a brilliant idea, because rather than Mamie being able to help me bargain, sales people were more apt to assume I was clueless because it looked like I'd brought her there because I couldn't handle bargaining on my own...and it goes without saying they usually assume any toubob has tons of money with them and should spend three times what something is really worth. <br />
<br />
We continued walking down the narrow street and a guy in one shop began to call us over. I was practicing my well-honed ignoring skills, but Mamie actually walked over to him. He asked what we were looking for and she told him. Then he got out his phone and called someone, then tried to lure us into his shop, telling me I should sit down with them. I stood on the sidewalk and politely half-ignored him while Mamie talked on my phone with her boyfriend back in Bwiam for a few minutes. Then a woman walked by with some fabric she was selling and we bought what I needed from her for D600, which was maybe not the best price, but doable. Then out of nowhere another woman shows up, telling us that the shopkeeper had called her and that we had to buy something from her because she came all the way over there. She showed us the contents of a large plastic bag, which contained some strange lotions, a kind of fabric that was NOT what we were looking for and one tiny pair of women's shoes. Then the shopkeeper said I should at least pay her for cab fare and I said, "You want me to give you 7 Dalasi?" and laughed at them. Then he said I should pay him for the phone credit he used to call her. I told him I had never asked him to call her and she wasn't even selling what we said we needed...Then he proceeded to tell me that if I came to Africa from America I should bring dollars and that I was stupid to go shopping without enough money. <br />
<br />
I should have mentioned that I was fasting, which makes me very crabby. So I somewhat lost my cool and told him (in short) that I don't live or work in America right now so I have Dalasi NOT Dollars, that he was stupid to think all Americans are rich, that I had the money to buy what I needed only and that I was going. I spent the next few hours pretending be deaf and somewhat blind as people grabbed me, demanded things from me and tried to give me (and Mamie) really bad prices for anything and everything. I actually think going to that market alone or with Kawsu is BETTER. Now I know...<br />
<br />
In contrast, life in Bwiam is nicer! Here is some evidence:<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS10xYddrVNyuPb3wPH4D0T2nHcOUcpnfzvD3zOkOZP-70NLugx5ycwsFzNkRxG1jaX9CMtL-d9W9T4AKblXDwWc2XPFTdkH6CpUoEzC5xlMzgHcpjkbfQUy19NdpNPj1DGjUV69eGFSY/s1600/stormy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS10xYddrVNyuPb3wPH4D0T2nHcOUcpnfzvD3zOkOZP-70NLugx5ycwsFzNkRxG1jaX9CMtL-d9W9T4AKblXDwWc2XPFTdkH6CpUoEzC5xlMzgHcpjkbfQUy19NdpNPj1DGjUV69eGFSY/s320/stormy.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rain coming in - a view from behind out compound</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRH7bkaKEj2-Cn3wOfi1hnxvXIM9FFV9q1j5_4kJQJgNjetj-34z58bw7rDnIA2yhvLthff8AjeWGClZecj8hyphenhyphentKEzj0kE49TKYomjiCQvPoNHp36kQG1zE5ZSOI3fXwbYG3IJC4Lkok/s1600/river3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRH7bkaKEj2-Cn3wOfi1hnxvXIM9FFV9q1j5_4kJQJgNjetj-34z58bw7rDnIA2yhvLthff8AjeWGClZecj8hyphenhyphentKEzj0kE49TKYomjiCQvPoNHp36kQG1zE5ZSOI3fXwbYG3IJC4Lkok/s320/river3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at the tributary that's about a 15-minute bike ride away</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqXMHNGhOygVeuSI0A99Of7L4E7djNM9ExJolVm1IxQPekH-hG147lbVt8cFMCuxShUVbDgli0ZGuIwyi70GqPQjxsw-3cxA9L_07_awzD2Rq2YrjWb2CnPQzW5UI93vprbg2M5VEj4w/s1600/river4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqXMHNGhOygVeuSI0A99Of7L4E7djNM9ExJolVm1IxQPekH-hG147lbVt8cFMCuxShUVbDgli0ZGuIwyi70GqPQjxsw-3cxA9L_07_awzD2Rq2YrjWb2CnPQzW5UI93vprbg2M5VEj4w/s320/river4.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-48423060235994318432012-07-29T13:39:00.002-04:002012-08-13T21:01:13.067-04:00Food!I had the opportunity to weigh myself the other day and realized I had lost 20 pounds since coming here! And it's not because I am starving myself or because I've been sick (I haven't been sick at all except for one time during training - and, for the record, I eat and drink pretty much anything that's offered to me). I think it's the general lack of appealing snack foods and alcoholic beverages, more than anything else. I think this is a good thing!<br />
<br />
A lot of people warned me before we left the U.S. that women tend to gain weight in places like West Africa because they eat so many carbs here. I have been thinking that those people are the type who ate nothing but salad in the U.S. Because I probably ate far more carbs in the form of drinks, tortilla chips, dessert foods and other things than I do now - and I eat plenty of rice here, I can assure you!<br />
<br />
We have discovered some good things to make with our available food resources here. This is a recipe I made up:<br />
<br />
Stuffed Peppers - Peace Corps Gambia<br />
<br />
Green peppers (if they make a miraculous appearance at the market or you grow them)<br />
Broken rice (from the bittik)<br />
Beans or lentils<br />
Adja (the red one)<br />
Onions<br />
Hot pepper <br />
Shelf-stable cheesefood wedges (have to go to Kombo for these)<br />
<br />
Cook rice and beans, mix with sauteed onions and Adja and some hot pepper<br />
half and clean out peppers, stuff with rice mixture<br />
put them in a frying pan with some water in the bottom, put a lid on it and cook until they are wrinkly on the outside and the filling is hot<br />
put cheese wedges on top!<br />
<br />
-MaamaaColette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-3279728486719217502012-07-27T09:03:00.000-04:002014-11-03T15:23:12.835-05:00Ramadan! This past week has been our first experience with Ramadan. Kawsu has committed to fasting on Fridays and I tried to fast most days this past week, but cheated a few times. I am noticing a whole different rhythym of life here when people are going without food and water for all 14 daylight hours. About mid-afternoon (or early afternoon, for me!) most people become very tired, rather quiet and, in my case, rather irritable. It's impressive that many continue to do farmwork and other hard labor all day long - especially when the sun is hot!<br />
When the time comes to break fast (about 7:30 PM) it is very exciting. Not just because you are extremely hungry and thirsty, but also because the foods our family has been making for this small meal are delicious! Instead of the usual rice and fish based fare, we've had things like chicken (hard to find around here unless you slaughter your own), potatoes (also rare to get at the market), pasta and shrimp.<br />
On a reflective note, I think it's a very good thing that we're having the experience of living in a country that's over 90% Muslim. The Muslim faith is misunderstood by so many people in the U.S. and it will be a valuable thing to address when we're sharing our stories with people stateside. When I have told people here that a small proportion of people in the U.S. are actually very prejudiced about and afraid of Muslims, they were shocked. And I had a very hard time explaining that although Americans are generally well-educated and nice people, some of them are closed minded.<br />
<br />
Some photos from the past few weeks: <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhJc0uNqjtHBNaImMVIMOeAjkCZajdmzd0d4yErRCgGRU1nojruLl0il9GIyJPkWWCY_DVulujLgJ4HfOjCgjTrQYOURDZxh6VDBIdVG_XfUPdNqO61AHzkNVabqpwFxkZe84CyB47vI/s1600/DSCN2933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhJc0uNqjtHBNaImMVIMOeAjkCZajdmzd0d4yErRCgGRU1nojruLl0il9GIyJPkWWCY_DVulujLgJ4HfOjCgjTrQYOURDZxh6VDBIdVG_XfUPdNqO61AHzkNVabqpwFxkZe84CyB47vI/s320/DSCN2933.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We spotted this taxi while stopped at a police checkpoint near Bwiam - overloaded vehicles are the norm here, but this one goes above and beyond!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79AjG_6trWFS3E8sjdpm-tGj2Eba3wGijTUr-yDB-puaEnbeLDiFaGXTwqh38ryi3OhntSHE8ZaK8yVjVZesR-UzME1i2kpoLF8XWRDJm9QBtbVBbE23LTOOKoaCkpuKPQjlQFeioBU8/s1600/DSCN2965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79AjG_6trWFS3E8sjdpm-tGj2Eba3wGijTUr-yDB-puaEnbeLDiFaGXTwqh38ryi3OhntSHE8ZaK8yVjVZesR-UzME1i2kpoLF8XWRDJm9QBtbVBbE23LTOOKoaCkpuKPQjlQFeioBU8/s320/DSCN2965.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceesay Mamie (our hen) trying to steal Takaa's food.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUPoZjNqwcs6LM4nJ-68hljya_0ECzj0tiYP3wGWwP6hxUvTFb0AZbAxs_MRHxM0WXmN59fvuWT33c0E4V-BOmg2-Ly2cAAFwoTvfuT5tXLqe8zcTqVgoXoMug_MQpz7MvsffYJ19kX6c/s1600/DSCN2930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUPoZjNqwcs6LM4nJ-68hljya_0ECzj0tiYP3wGWwP6hxUvTFb0AZbAxs_MRHxM0WXmN59fvuWT33c0E4V-BOmg2-Ly2cAAFwoTvfuT5tXLqe8zcTqVgoXoMug_MQpz7MvsffYJ19kX6c/s320/DSCN2930.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WFP food distribution</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAK5_QfJeDptO9ZEqf6y2fvjiUyLj4KhpDBiE0lHYTjFKbSDnMIkUyC-K4u9xNT_fucwHayODTTi1FwgYBEwPSBHlmrz3Ly9HA1G1vSlRvxLcLXNfg8Ld3LjFg4WrptYZ4Bf2QRU3dEg/s1600/DSCN2920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAK5_QfJeDptO9ZEqf6y2fvjiUyLj4KhpDBiE0lHYTjFKbSDnMIkUyC-K4u9xNT_fucwHayODTTi1FwgYBEwPSBHlmrz3Ly9HA1G1vSlRvxLcLXNfg8Ld3LjFg4WrptYZ4Bf2QRU3dEg/s320/DSCN2920.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dung beetles are HUGE!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-52214310143678274652012-07-16T03:42:00.000-04:002012-08-13T21:01:32.472-04:00The work is here onlySo, this week Kawsu (Darrin) and I spent 5 days helping distribute rice and oil rations to farmers in 3 different districts which experienced crop failures and have been deemed food insecure. The World Food Program basically hired local NGOs to staff these distributions, which is great, but the learning curve is a little steep. How hard can it be? I initially thought, not realizing that managing all the data by hand (no electricity or computers in the field) would be insanely time consuming! Not to mention managing large crowds of people, many of whom have the same name (one small village had at least 6 guys with the exact same name - good thing we had ID numbers to compare and the village's alkalo to help sort them out (the alkalo is like the mayor - but here they usually know everyone). Not to mention the rations involved measuring fractions of kilograms of oil (which begs the question: who on earth would choose to measure oil in kilograms?). Both Kawsu and I were applauded for our superior math skills in being able to portion food and also to calculate stock losses at the end of the day. I don't think we have awesome skills though - it's just that we were working with many people who quite possibly hadn't done math since 6th grade or so. Or maybe they were never taught fractions? At any rate, after several 10 to 12 hour days, we were exhausted and glad to be done. The fun will start all over again next month, when more rations are distributed, but our teams will be more seasoned and ready to jump right in, so maybe it will feel less exhausting!<br />
<br />
link to WFP's Gambia page, if anyone is curious: <a href="http://www.wfp.org/countries/the-gambia">http://www.wfp.org/countries/the-gambia</a><br />
<br />
Incidentally, one day when Kawsu's food distribution team was travelling to their distribution site in the back of a pick-up truck, the truck ran over a guinea fowl that had wandered into the road. They stopped and picked it up, then gave it to the alkalo's wife when they got to the village and then she cooked it for their lunch! Kawsu was particularly excited, because he is sick of fish, which is what's for lunch 99.9% of the time...<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfTUIaNVo6vy2bRCrm1Lns6FEdvDluU67f1PO6vXSVnHBClzshkz5Qf-Z9vEDc0oeNGS5TBLbl5SJyN3vWm8kLNJKiZQonzfftAbcpu0_N4lVRBH94b7GVJEF9pw7HUUXtqBGiOXEgTk/s1600/091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" ca="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfTUIaNVo6vy2bRCrm1Lns6FEdvDluU67f1PO6vXSVnHBClzshkz5Qf-Z9vEDc0oeNGS5TBLbl5SJyN3vWm8kLNJKiZQonzfftAbcpu0_N4lVRBH94b7GVJEF9pw7HUUXtqBGiOXEgTk/s320/091.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">obligatory cute kitten picture</td></tr>
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<br />Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-85216608603585831332012-06-26T06:39:00.001-04:002012-06-28T09:19:28.650-04:00Beach CorpsWe have been in Kombo (the more urban area on the coast of the Gambia) for a few days to attend a conference with many of the other volunteers. This trip has had its ups and downs - the Peace Corps transit house was too full and we didn't get offered any alternative place to stay, so we ended up sharing a hotel room with some friends for a few nights. It might not have been the most financially frugal plan, but the place we stayed was right on the beach and pretty reasonable, so it was fun. Swimming in the ocean here is great. The water is so much warmer than Massachusetts!<br />
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We are heading back to Bwiam today and can't wait to see our family and our cat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UqlCB5EFS9-21A1INfU6iMwRG1P1ubvldCxs1RPcvKZK3Y9ETuTfZwcApeZaaREPnj94WDvafkTJ1xSYsp2QK8X0WUfvuVXdm7iBkxTfyeO_lDbZl4jWU4EkDsT8Ua2wer4zhzUyVNU/s1600/145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UqlCB5EFS9-21A1INfU6iMwRG1P1ubvldCxs1RPcvKZK3Y9ETuTfZwcApeZaaREPnj94WDvafkTJ1xSYsp2QK8X0WUfvuVXdm7iBkxTfyeO_lDbZl4jWU4EkDsT8Ua2wer4zhzUyVNU/s320/145.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Mamie at Bwiam's community radio anniversary celebration</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX3UNLEERCcBC7hCIOSK3DMY8BIQX53TQSShmVbc7GeFv33rYIHqpZoFSSEye1YJi_002c1dg3_BIq3NdhTooxUhzAI_sjDQwQmbwzJtmSPO2_zR_QVOX9wMSM6fSC7pUA_JKeiGPVTkA/s1600/146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX3UNLEERCcBC7hCIOSK3DMY8BIQX53TQSShmVbc7GeFv33rYIHqpZoFSSEye1YJi_002c1dg3_BIq3NdhTooxUhzAI_sjDQwQmbwzJtmSPO2_zR_QVOX9wMSM6fSC7pUA_JKeiGPVTkA/s320/146.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darrin and I at the same event. People here love ausobi (matching fabric for special occasions).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2I1MiF0wW8LhHZQJQqX4nqrOjQCytupSkbn_6ZL6pegatWOAAtDrqL_xh4n0697DOEAsFnhkFISCA1HFv8_8qGoDvq4IoSCoMWFRmV2prXGopeEvmm_hzdGLiptpdqLmqZrbJv3g72qA/s1600/158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2I1MiF0wW8LhHZQJQqX4nqrOjQCytupSkbn_6ZL6pegatWOAAtDrqL_xh4n0697DOEAsFnhkFISCA1HFv8_8qGoDvq4IoSCoMWFRmV2prXGopeEvmm_hzdGLiptpdqLmqZrbJv3g72qA/s320/158.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darrin demonstrating the best way to carry heavy things</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0h0HdG2G7gmH2Co9s1UH93iqxU5g0P70XxyzwmC6bh771HYZaU4-jcs-UToaP4NZpnfik2etUfdUMWFMv6z8Z5FUm-H6n56wXBgAEkasYqDCK4LqrQLBJrdZAH_wAVptURieNKLCwcYE/s1600/086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0h0HdG2G7gmH2Co9s1UH93iqxU5g0P70XxyzwmC6bh771HYZaU4-jcs-UToaP4NZpnfik2etUfdUMWFMv6z8Z5FUm-H6n56wXBgAEkasYqDCK4LqrQLBJrdZAH_wAVptURieNKLCwcYE/s320/086.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Takaa and Darrin hanging out on the porch</td></tr>
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<br />Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-44190244745859541652012-06-11T10:20:00.003-04:002012-08-13T21:02:19.125-04:00Family<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd0TMQJZOFCX4vUnqp-DIaudLot3TWpv1E0GT9Sqi-nl9ZTbchcLlVi2Ew1X2_GjocdQR8kdD5CoNNYd3t9D882ZATD29Dla39wLTqtWj1rcITd2lNY3Rbw7pumuhluzjrClbRfhzPxxY/s1600/096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd0TMQJZOFCX4vUnqp-DIaudLot3TWpv1E0GT9Sqi-nl9ZTbchcLlVi2Ew1X2_GjocdQR8kdD5CoNNYd3t9D882ZATD29Dla39wLTqtWj1rcITd2lNY3Rbw7pumuhluzjrClbRfhzPxxY/s320/096.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Mamie (one of our sisters who lives at the other compound</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> and Yusupha</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mgFjy-eynl7t7kPnUDj62OdLo0BY7ZRhiPa81umgUnP-J2b3f_xk7D2oxlBnspT2nHj9RsyH4Vud1OyVSUVpBK1ZsKhgnTjugGdnQ2Qc433S4aaWFeRrMp6WTpnJzp5012SgdoMd-0Y/s1600/108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mgFjy-eynl7t7kPnUDj62OdLo0BY7ZRhiPa81umgUnP-J2b3f_xk7D2oxlBnspT2nHj9RsyH4Vud1OyVSUVpBK1ZsKhgnTjugGdnQ2Qc433S4aaWFeRrMp6WTpnJzp5012SgdoMd-0Y/s320/108.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yusupha (9 months) and his mom Bintou - we live with them!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfF6mmJqIsWY2daJIaXvkXEW0-26oXuWnUTXtfC-27aNi8RITbywIoIv2wfid-sSbyZCUNusSCSukKVTMuEtL38cK2eobr8FCLxDjAlyooneGM3omvAiXnbIYzv9PMx1RAo2Nffrmuvrc/s1600/084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfF6mmJqIsWY2daJIaXvkXEW0-26oXuWnUTXtfC-27aNi8RITbywIoIv2wfid-sSbyZCUNusSCSukKVTMuEtL38cK2eobr8FCLxDjAlyooneGM3omvAiXnbIYzv9PMx1RAo2Nffrmuvrc/s320/084.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yusupha cooling off</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FgsqFZYCl-jP4QbjvZ5m4Hi7LFxDtjb0CiSyiK5u40qz-xkhg6yRmd4x8kknY0N84MIPfQrOXFKQ93va6lVWlclXWrN9hnrRFlDtCdfiBrw8WcS4-81tUEfs4qAEcypfTj-Gj1pa1F8/s1600/097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FgsqFZYCl-jP4QbjvZ5m4Hi7LFxDtjb0CiSyiK5u40qz-xkhg6yRmd4x8kknY0N84MIPfQrOXFKQ93va6lVWlclXWrN9hnrRFlDtCdfiBrw8WcS4-81tUEfs4qAEcypfTj-Gj1pa1F8/s320/097.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Takaa, our vicious"africanized" kitten</td></tr>
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<span id="goog_975113402"></span><span id="goog_975113403"></span>Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073919091256970586.post-9898379337227795472012-06-04T06:14:00.002-04:002012-06-04T06:14:46.340-04:00I just realized that we have been here in West Africa for 3 months now. In many ways it seems like longer!<br />
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Our house has been in upheaval this week because our floor was finally finished (with the help of a local mason
and some cement from the Peace Corps). This meant we had to take
everything out of the house and are now in the process of putting it
back in. And then, in the midst of this project, we found ourselves to be
the proud new adoptive parents of...a small kitten! <br />
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We were walking home from our family's other compound one evening with our sister Mamie and we all stopped to greet some neighbors. They were sitting by the street outside their compound with a pretty adult cat (unusual in itself - a lot of people here really dislike cats) and Darrin suddenly asked them (in Mandinka) where the kittens were. I don't know why he asked, but it was meant to be, because they said (in Mandinka) that they were in the house. An old, shirtless man got up from his mat and took us to the door of a small cement building, then told us we should take the three small kittens inside. We explained that we could only take one, so we chose a medium-sized female with grey tiger stripes and a small orange blaze in her head. She has been living in our bathroom when we are not around to supervise her, but has adjusted to using a litter box (really a bidong we cut in half and filled with sand from the road) and has been surviving on powdered milk and some fish from the market (cat food is not something they sell in most stores here, since feeding people is, understandably, the greater priority). We are still trying to come up with a good name for her though...<br />
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I will post a picture was soon as I get the chance!<br />
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-Maamaa (Colette)<br />Colette Vander Plashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755451486633704487noreply@blogger.com0