Anyway, my sisters gathered round, tossing out ideas for names while the boys tried to wrestle the dogs out from between the bricks and my fence. The girls settled on “Leo,” the heartthrob in our favorite TV show, a Mexican telenovela. I took one look at my siblings and another look in those puppy dog eyes and agreed. We’d keep him.
“We are having the best country” is a little Peace Corps The Gambia motto that, for me, is perfectly captured in this photo. I am…
A born-cynic, I was a bit skeptical in the power of jujus, marabout magic, witchdoctor spells – call it what you will – I thought…
A mother-daughter duo in my village makes beautiful batik fabric. I have never been able to find their styles in other places and even each print is unique. Instead of just buying the fabric (which I do plenty), I thought it would be fun to learn how to make it on my own.
Although a big river divides the country in half, an alarming number of Gambians don’t know how to swim. Superstitions and traditional tales have even inspired fear about the river and the crocodiles that hide in its waters.
As I was moving into my new home, my father turned to me and relented that he wished the house could be nicer. Hearing those words from a Gambian as you step into what will be your living space for the next two years is a scary moment.
