From Pump to Pit Latrine

          And so ends one month at site as I live my life here in Besse on the “Smiling Coast of Africa.” I cannot believe that just three months ago I was aboard the plane that took me from New York, to Brussels, to my new home in The Gambia. So I have learned very much and very little in the time that I have lived here in Besse. I am happy to share my moments of laughter and ignorance with all of you as I continue my journey.

            I fondly remember my first day in village getting dropped off at site hearing John the Driver say, “okay Miss Bremner see you in three months.” I don’t think at that moment his words truly hit me. I was just happy to unload all my things into one place and live there for two years what he said did not matter in the slightest. Until the next morning when I woke up and realized, “holy Moses I am here for two years.” Slowly but surely days passed. I learned that weeks truly do go by faster than days here. The days seem to drag but then Sunday comes around and I think, “Wow! I have already made it through another week.” The nights began getting colder and I was surprised when I woke up one night shivering and under my sheet. I never EVER thought I would be cold in Africa but surprise surprise I was for sure. I tried many times to rearrange my hut to my liking but when you have no furniture there really is no way to arrange your hut. So I went to the carpenter and asked him to make me a desk, a chair, and a bookcase. Sufficient to say I am happy with my furniture and the way my hut is arranged now. I have painted a quote wall and put up all my pictures and cards I have received from home. I think it feels pretty dang homey now and it truly feels like my own home.

            I have gotten pretty good at the following tasks: fetching water (it is super heavy and I struggle daily to carry it, the women laugh at my weakness, but hey I’m doing it), watering my garden morning and nightly, aiming in a hole (you get the idea), catching lizards, killing bugs, knocking down termite homes and mud wasp nests, cooking lunch with my mom, shooing nosy children away from my door, not caring about stopping to talk to every single person on the road (this used to frustrate me beyond all reason but it’s necessary in this culture), dancing at naming ceremonies, and teaching silly children’s songs to kids haha.

            I am still struggling with the following tasks: picking the bones out of my fish (I end up eating a lot of bones), eating with my right hand (sounds fun, is actually very difficult), doing laundry, taking baths with cold water, finding cow pies to use for fertilizer in our gardens (they are huge so why can’t I find them?), transplanting my garden, learning language continuously, holidays away from the family (it’s not a task but it’s a struggle), pumping the well, pounding rice or coos, burning my trash in a pit or throwing it on the ground, not shouting toubab when I see another white person, my baseline.

            I am trying not to dwell on the things I miss from the US but then I realize it is okay to miss those things just try not to be obsessive about it. If you ate rice and fish every day you may go a little food crazy as well. So I have created a list of all the food I want to eat when I go back and let me tell you it is an extensive list which, when I look at it, makes me hungry and homesick haha. I am still happy I made it and judge me how you must. I also made a list of books I want to read and their authors while I am here so if you have any suggestions feel free to comment. I have cooked for myself a total of one time and I made myself eggs with garlic salt and Heinz ketchup and I thought I died and went to heaven. I also got a terrible sinus infection because of this cold season, which I refuse to curse because I know in the hot season I will be yearning for it. I took some amoxicillin and it cleared me right up so nobody panic.  

            Besse competed in the semi-final for football and we won! It was huge talk in the village and we are waiting to play the championship game in the weeks to come. I just realized I am saying “we” like I am playing and that is far from the case. I’m just part of the fan club of screaming girls on the sideline, but hey that’s almost like playing right? Besse has never taken the trophy so I am hoping I bring good luck to the village and we take the championship trophy.  

            I am half way through the baseline I need to conduct to get to know my village better and its health needs. So far I have found I need to educate about malaria and nutrition. I am going to a malaria expo in Kombo that will hopefully prepare me for this sort of teaching. I also worked at my RCH clinic yesterday. This clinic is a once a month visit for the mothers of the village and surrounding villages. They bring their babies up to five years old and we weigh them, record their weight progression, see if they need vaccines and check their overall health. This clinic is the most hectic and rewarding experience I have had here so far. I look forward to it every second Wednesday of the month. I held a two-day-old baby and went to his naming ceremony and it was absolutely amazing. Knowing I will watch him grow for the next two years into a toddler is a wonderful gift.

            I am thankful for my family here in Besse and our time by the fire during this cold season. I am happy to teach them some jokes from the US and cook some food for them as well. They love hearing about my friends and family from home and I love sharing. The Gambian people are THE MOST GENEROUS people I have ever come to know and I am amazed by their generosity daily. My posts always seem so long and I know it’s because I ramble but I enjoy my ramble and I hope you enjoy reading it. And so I end where I began to go fetch water from the pump so it can eventually go through a vicious cycle and end up back in my pit latrine…