Saturday, August 3, 2013

One Month In

Well, training is officially halfway over, and a fast month it has been. It’s been up and down, but I must say that I am learning a great deal, being stretched and challenged, yet supported and encouraged.
My home here is part of a row house. I have 2 rooms and a private backyard and pit latrine for bucket baths under the stars- my favorite. I have three little host sisters and one host brother, Mustafa, who is six years old and has the world’s most endearingly mischievous giggle.

My first day in village was my naming ceremony. My host mom lent me an African complet to wear with headwrap and earnings and took me to the village alkalo. The other trainees in village were there with their families. My name for the next two years is Yamundow and my toma, or namesake, is my little sister. After we received our names, the village alkalo gave a speech, welcoming us into th 
e community, and saying that we were all one. Then there was a great deal of dancing. In the afternoon, there was a cultural show with more drumming, dancing, and traditional performers who danced and breathed fire.


Every day I study Wolof with my Language and Cultural Facilitator (LCF) with two other Peace Corps Trainees. I enjoy this a great deal and find it’s easier than expected, though slow. Here they say, “Ndanka, Ndanka mooy jappa golo ci nay bi,” which translates to “slowly, slowly, catches a monkey in the bush.” In essence, be patient, work hard, and it will come.

Training has also been full of technical how to live in The Gambia things, including bicycle maintenance, gardening, the beliefs of Islam, and what it means to be in the education system here. We just completed a week of model school in which we had the opportunity to teach Gambian 5th and 6th grade students. It’s a fascinating challenge here with education. The official language of the country is English so school is in English. In one classroom, you can have students that speak Mandinka, Wolof, Pular, Serehule, and Jola and a teacher who speaks Manjogo. Learning to read, hard enough already, is further complicated by the fact that these languages are not written languages. There is little print in the environment, and very few adults speak the English the children are receiving instruction in. The children essentially have no exposure to literacy. My job is to work with early grade teachers and develop skills particularly in literacy and general support for other subjects. I will be observing teaching, giving feedback, working with teachers to develop more interactive teaching methods, and co-planning and co-teaching with my counterparts. It feels like a pretty tall order, and I need to learn more about teaching English as a foreign language. Come September I will move to my permanent site and will have a better idea of what my school will need.

So as mentioned, training has been a great deal of ups and downs. I love the people. I don’t love the food. I love the adventure of a new experience. I miss the comforts home. I have received a few letters and when I do, they absolutely make my week. I love hearing of what’s going on in the rest of the world, and I have shed quite a few tears missing the hearts at home. I am excited that training is halfway over, and I look forward to swearing in and moving in to my site.
One month down, 25 months to go!

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