June 18- Doing what I can

So I’m staying near the capital area again, and I’m near internet and computers-both of which are fast and free to use-so why not post up some info. Um, the rains have finally come, its rained a few times the past week. The first downpour came during the morning, I was walking to my house from the local shop and it started…every one was running into their houses…I, however, did not, I kept walking to my house and was completely soaked in 20 seconds= it was amazing! Now that the rain is here, the temp has cooled but that brings along the humidity, and the men are out plowing/prepping the fields. They have asked me to help…so I walk out to the fields and stand behind a ‘machine’, which is a basic plowing device which also places/covers seeds into the ground as it is being pulled behind some sort of an animal-donkey or cattle…one or two depending. So here’s this white guy in this huge field behind a donkey walking white two hands on the plow and walking back and forth…it was good times. This would have never happened in the states…but just imagine in your head that I, Travis, was, but hand-basically, plowing fields…work of which no one back home would ever dream of doing. I had to laugh while doing it, and a little afterwards.

I was asked to be apart of a Community Driven Development project-which is basically the State got some funding and were required to implement some standards on choosing specific villages in each region of the county that the funding would go towards. The criteria was based upon the size of the village and poverty level. The project is to bring funding to assist chosen villages to help locals in ‘helping themselves’ in a project that would benefit them, working with them to solve an issue/problem (sorry if that doesn’t make sense, i’ve been out of college for a year exactly, no laughing). So we had our initial meetings with each of the four villages that my committee is assigned to work with…the committee is comprised of local head of varying depts. that live/stay in my village-the nurse, women’s farmers head, the weatherman (yes we have a weatherman in my village..I laughed at the idea too…like what is the guy going to report “oh its blazing hot today” or “oh, it really raining outside”…I don’t know, ha). My job is to be a consultant; the cool thing is that i have background in the type of work…i took a few classes in college pertaining to just this…so score. This means more meetings and more traveling. So, I am officially a Health and Community Development volunteer; so volunteers in my sector are either or, but i work with the nurse and go to cling and now i’m involved with this comm. Delep. Project…so i guess i have a ‘job’ now, as opposed to just doing some activities around my village for two years. Its nothing major.

Other things: i cut my hair and shaved the sides of my face but left the goatee. Reasons: here in the Gambia there is a sub-culture of rosta/wanna-be jamacias…mostly men who are creepy and really want to get a visa to the US or Europe. I told myself that if i grew out my hair again, i would get dreads…i mean, why not, i have the time and i’m not here to impress any one. But if i got dreads, then i would be associated with the rosta culture and my work would be shot to hell (but that’s of my opinion). AND, me speaking pulaar, thus i am a fula, there are these fula hats that look like little beanies and they look bad-ace…and having long hair doesn’t work with these types of hats. So i got a fellow pcv to cut it short. Shaving: the sides of my face didn’t grow in very well…and i thought i looked like crap and only old men here have facial hair…so i got a crazy idea one day to shave. What an event…having to first cut the long hair with scissors, and then shave the rest. It took awhile but i managed. I look completely different. Now that the hair on my cheeks are gone, i can tell that i lost weight...but i'll post pics and you can decide that for yourselves. So here's some info for you, i'll post some more if i have time later before i leave back to site. love and miss you all