
In The Gambia, it is culturally inappropriate to talk about menstruation. Even mothers rarely discuss it with their daughters, bolstering myths and stigmas that have lasted for generations. Islamic tradition dictates menses as “dirty” and bans women from touching the Koran or praying when they are menstruating.

Watching Sama learn sign language has been a special part of my Peace Corps service. Some of my happiest days in The Gambia have been afternoons spent visiting his new school to find him smiling and surrounded by new friends.

A group of incredibly dedicated PCVs trekked all across the country to teach about 20 schools how to start their own tree nursery. A big…

Aside from the gaining a wealth of knowledge, the boys got to get on out there and explore their country. The boys each shadowed a professional Gambian doing their job. We took them on tours of all the higher education campuses: the college, the university, the technical training institute, the management and development institute and the hotel school.

If my mom didn’t know about the cliché “to follow you around like a little puppy dog” before, she sure knows it now! I love my mommy so much that I just hate it when we are apart, so I follow her EVERYWHERE.

Camp GLOW (Guys and Girls Leading our World) is a flagship Peace Corps program held all over the world. Between roasting marshmallows around the campfire,…