KT in The Gambia

Today we all found out where our permanent site will be. We will visit the site for a couple days in mid Nov and make the permanent move in mid Dec. My village is in the North Bank about 30K east of Barra, which is a seven mile ferry ride across the river from Banjul. [We’re not supposed to provide more specifics on the name/location of the village.] There are about 300 people in the village, living in 25 extended family compounds. Actually, I’m told the entire village is an extended family! I’ll be replacing a PCV who is finishing up their service next month. They have ongoing projects including a community garden and a poultry co-op, and have also expressed interests in tree nurseries and beekeeping. But no telling what I’ll be helping them with until I get there and talk with them. There isn’t electricity in the village and the nearest Internet cafe and bank are 30k away. I’m only a few K away from a weekly market, and have two small shops in my village. There should be decent cell ...

[Please use the SUBSCRIBE button if you want to get notified when I post something. Also, the best way to contact me directly is through What's App - my # is +220 288 8757. My gmail account also works!] I’ve been in country since October 10th and am fully immersed in the two-month Pre-Service Training phase of my 27-month Peace Corps assigment. Our focus is learning the language and culture, as well as a variety of orientation sessions and introduction to health and agriculture topics.  There are 39 volunteers in my training cohort - half are focusing on health and half on ag/environment. But realistically, we may be doing some of both or even some other things depending on the need of the community we will be placed in after the training period. Next week we will learn the name of our permanent village, and will visit it for a couple days in mid November, before making the permanent move in mid December. I'm very interested to learn more about my fate! Most day...