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Little Country Big Adventure publishes new stories every Wednesday and Saturday.
Browse: Home   /   2015
Sama starts school

Sama starts school

November 18, 2015
Jessica Fryman
Blog, The Gambia Files

Sama couldn’t take his eyes off the kids. I couldn’t take my eyes off Sama. Transfixed in a stare that exuded wonder, the look on his face spoke more than words could ever say. Unable to hear or speak, Sama grabbed my arm and pointed toward the students; he cupped his hands over his ears, then patted his chest. It was the first time the 13-year-old had met anyone else just like him.

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A Day at the Rice Field

A Day at the Rice Field

October 28, 2015
Jessica Fryman
Blog, The Gambia Files

It’s hard to be thankful for rice when it’s in your food bowl three times a day. But a day trip to the rice fields changed my…

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Photos: After the Storm

Photos: After the Storm

September 9, 2015
Jessica Fryman
Blog, The Gambia Files

When the rain finally breaks through the grey sky, I usually make hot tea and sip it on the porch. My family and I watch…

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The meaning of boredom

The meaning of boredom

September 5, 2015
Jessica Fryman
Blog, The Gambia Files

I recently completed my longest stretch in village: 12 ½ weeks. With school out and the entire village asleep for the 30 days of Ramadan,…

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Fashion Forward: The Cat's Pajamas

Fashion Forward: The Cat’s Pajamas

September 2, 2015
Jessica Fryman
Blog, The Gambia Files

Men’s wear in The Gambia is totally the cat’s pajamas, or in other words, on point. But really, let’s bring back that 1920s hipster lingo…

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Bird's Eye View: Sibanor

Bird’s Eye View: Sibanor

August 29, 2015
Jessica Fryman
Blog, The Gambia Files

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved aerial photos. Any chance I get, I hike mountainsides, climb towers and ride elevators to the…

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Photo: A Fabulous Hat

Photo: A Fabulous Hat

August 22, 2015
Jessica Fryman
Blog, The Gambia Files

I met this woman at a naming ceremony I was attending in the village next to mine. I asked to take her photo because her…

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Disclaimer

The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the
U.S. government or Peace Corps.

Just a little about me

My name is Jessica Danielle Fryman, but I also answer to Fatoumata Camara.

I know three languages, the third being a tribal tongue less than one percent of the world speaks. I like to run even though I’m not that good at it. I read a lot. And I once published a book I wrote, setting all the type by hand on an old-fashioned printing press. I’m an avid traveler and amateur photographer. I’m also a master spider-killer and possess the ability to stalk my prey without the squeamish screams of my former urban life.

I’m originally from Las Vegas, a city with more people than the entire country where I currently live. I now reside in a two-room concrete house with a tin roof and a ceiling made of rice bags. I eat with my hand out of a shared food bowl. I walk down a dirt road to fetch my water and carry it home in a bucket on my head. And yes, I even poop in a hole in the ground.

Read more about me here.

About The Gambia


The Gambia, known as "The Smiling Coast of Africa," is the smallest country on the continent's mainland. Just 210 miles long and no more than 30 miles at its widest point, The Gambia carves out a space in Senegal on either side of the picturesque Gambia River.
Although many regional languages are spoken, the official language is English. A majority of the 1.8 million people are Muslim. About a third of the population lives below the international poverty line on less than US $1.25 per day.

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