While many Gambians opt for the two-piece complet, I personally prefer the African dresses because they are the breeziest in the heat. Traditional Gambian dresses are typically flowy and floor-length, and often have poofy, ruffled sleeves and flamboyant embroidery.
I would that you can still recall the title of your favorite bedtime story, the one you begged your parents to read you night after night. Or maybe it’s storytime when you sat in a circle with your classmates that you remember best. Perhaps you have a memory of checking out a book with your first library card or staying up all night to finish a novel that was too good to put down. Reading is a big part of growing up for nearly every child in America. But in The Gambia, that is just not the case
Photo gallery: Students at Sibanor Lower Basic School compete in the long and high jump events in their annual Interhouse sports contest.
When a fourth grader told me “The Gambia is a big country,” I knew I had to do something. Since I can’t take Gambians around the world, I decided to bring the world to Gambians! Using a Peace Corps manual, we created a giant world map in our library.
When I started a pen pals program between my elementary school in The Gambia and various classes in the States, I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into. I thought a letter exchange could be a simple first project for me to start. What I forgot, however, is that nothing is simple in West Africa.
There’s a saying that goes: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” And so, I wait. I wait for teachers to show up to school. I wait for students to be assigned classes. I wait for meetings to begin. I wait for lessons to be taught.
