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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15490550923171327502018-03-06T01:38:21.353-08:00Making a "Mark" in Gambia"When a dog comes at you, whistle." --ThoreauMark Strohbehnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-78372028184549338382009-08-06T09:39:00.000-07:002009-08-06T10:42:54.923-07:00A Final SunsetYears have passed into months, months into weeks, weeks into days, and now I am counting the hours left in Chargel. Reflecting over my time here in Chargel isn't easy, as so much has happened during my stay here it's difficult to take it all in.

I suppose I could define my time here by the work I've focused on: The women's garden that still has an uncertain future. The skills center, where I have spent so much time promoting new projects and further education opportunities. The "current events club," where I got to answer some of the most random and obscure questions...in Pulaar. Helping with sporting events at the school. Celebrating a successful bee-keeping workshop. Promoting new agriculture techniques, fuel reduction strategies, and sanitation ideas. Helping put up new houses and roofs. Promoting chicken, duck and rabbit production organizations. Helping write the "Articles of Confederation" fora Gambia-wide peanut co-op. Or traveling throughout my region of Gambia, promoting and judging tree nurseries.

I feel good knowing that my time here leaves with the community of Chargel, and indeed the surrounding area, an enhanced potential for continued education, improved nutrition, reforestation, strategies for better health, income generation, and a new degree of self-empowerment.

But the work I've done really doesn't do justice to defining my time here, as that inevitably comes down to the interactions I've had, the friendships I've enjoyed, and the relationships that have been built.

The people of Chargel have never ceased to amaze me with their immense hospitality, their level of understanding, and the way they continue to appreciate and respect this young "toubab" living among them. I will forever be in debt to my host family, Ceesay Kunda, for the generosity and care they have shown over these past two years. None of the "work" I've done can pay back such an experience as this has been.

I can never forget: The day I rode a horse cart three hours (one way) with my friends to go pick mangoes near the river. Waking up in the middle of the night to the sounds of a baby crying as it endered the world. Mourning the loss of a friend. Teaching the kids how to throw a frisbee and blow bubbles. Getting taught how to play football. (soccer) Getting caught and drenched in a rainstorm while out int he middle of the fields weeding. Being a part of the process of helping my friends find a wife. Sitting and chatting with the older men under shade trees during the heat of the day. Enjoying the local hospitality of Gambians when my bike leads me down the wrong road and I can't reach home before dark. Spending the afternoons shelling peanuts with Baladi. Or playing cards with Batch, Modi, Samba and all the guys. Learning to pound coos and cook local foods with Nyana and Fatou. Learning Arabic from Lawo. And lying under the full moon with a most gorgeous sky of stars, drilling Saikou with question after question about life in Gambia, while listening to drumming and singing from just a few compounds away.

Suffice it to say, my time here has certainly been nothing short of amazing.

But just as any season changes, my time here is coming to a close. The anxiety is intense, not wanting to say good-bye to Chargel, yet excited to see family and friends in the States. Not ready to end this chapter of my life, yet more than ready to touch down in Jordan, where an entirely new experience, full of new opportunities and friendships awaits.

While I wish I could be leaving under different circumstances, if there is one lesson my time here has reinforced, it's that life is quite unpredictable. And while we might not have much control over what happens, we do have control over how we react to it, and what we gain in the process.

I can't thank you all enough for the support and encouragement you have offered me here. Your letters, emails, calls and packages have been greatly enjoyed, and your prayers felt. My time here hasn't been easy, but it has been good.

So, as the sun sets on my experience here one last time, I can't help but realize that my years in Gambia have truly made me a different person. As the line in "Wicked" says, "I have been changed for good." And I'm excited to see you all soon; to catch up on what has been going on in your lives.

All the best, and see you soon!

NOTE:
As the ending of my time in Gambia is truly just another beginning, please follow along with me as I soon venture out to Jordan, where I will serve with Peace Corps as a "Youth Development" volunteer beginning October 22, 2009. What all does that entail? Find out at:
"The Life and Times of a PCV...Again..."
markstrohbehn.blogspot.comMark Strohbehnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-34930268253600376392009-07-30T10:40:00.000-07:002009-07-30T10:52:01.561-07:00Another Update from GambiaHey Avid Readers

I have another bit of an update to share from Gambia.

As I have now been in Kombo for the past 10 days working on getting medical clearance for my extension to Jordan, the medical office has come across a few "snags" that are going to require me to see some specialists back in the States. It's nothing serious, but serious enough that the PC medical office wants it to be "resolved" before I begin my extension to Jordan. In order to not risk NOT going to Jordan, they prefer for me to come back to the States to get it resolved as soon as possible.

This means that after hanging out in Kombo for the past week and a half, I will FINALLY be going back to Chargel tomorrow, where I can spend my last few days hanging out with the village that has become my Gambian family, and Khiva.

Peace Corps will pick me up from Chargel in a few days and bring me back to Kombo where I will finish out some last-minute paper work and such. Then I will be on my way back!

This isn't exactly what one plans for or prepares for, but I'm glad to know that this will get taken care of sooner than later and not hold up my ability to extend.

So...one could say this has been a bit of a full week, with tests, more tests, and emotional ups and downs. But I'm glad to have some clarity of what is going to happen next. I guess, when it comes down to it, it would be a disservice to my time in Gambia to not use this time to appreciate some of the lessons I have learned here...such as taking each day as it is, one day at a time. And to appreciate how close I have become with my friends in Chargel. I guess, in the end, it's bitter sweet that it will be so hard to leave this place that has become my home.

You can be looking forward to one final blog entry from Gambia next week when I am back in town...and on my way out.

Until then, I wish you only the best!Mark Strohbehnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-10390228453311474472009-07-27T06:03:00.000-07:002009-07-27T07:33:22.332-07:00And The Weeks Are Counting DownHey Everyone!

Earlier this month I was fortunate enough to get to host my aunt, uncle and cousin through what has become my life...this Gambian Peace Corps experience.

Call me lazy, but I've decided that instead of running you through a day-by-day of our adventures through Gambia, I will instead conveniently refer you to my aunt's blog...where she has already put together a day-by-day journal- with pictures!

Check it out at mmcadoo.blogspot.com

Some of the main highlights for me include:

When we went sight-see along the river, including spotting various kinds of monkeys, baboon families, tons of birds and even a hippo!

Their reactions to the heat that has become normal to me, and the humidity levels that tend to reach beyond natural.

Their comfort level in Chargel was a great comfort to me. Even though Chargel has become home to me, it's still a totally different world from the one I left behind.

I enjoyed them getting to experience the food, transportation issues, some cultural anomalies and the beautiful scenery.

But most of all I'm very thankful they were able to meet my family here, Ceesay Kunda, and my dog, Khiva.

I am fortunate to have made such a close connection with my host family here in Gambia, and it was exciting for me to get to introduce them to some of my family from the States. They were more than thrilled and did all they could to try to keep my visiting family happy, comfortable, entertained, rested, and well fed. I can't speak for my family's experience, but I know they ate well...before the chicken foot or the fish head in the food bowl decreased their appetites.

But, as you have had more than a year of my opinions and outlooks on Gambia, I'm excited for you to check out Marcia's blog and see my life here through a new lens.

What is weird for me now is that having family come visit was the last big "event" to check off my list of things to do before my service here comes to an end. After dropping my family off in Dakar and getting back to Gambia, I began my medical clearance for "close of service" from Gambia, and I am now working on my "Description of Service," which is basically like a detailed resume specific to just my activities, trainings and projects I have done here. (as in a past-tense experience)

With little less than 6 weeks left, my daunting outlook on years of service have quickly turned into months, and the months into weeks. All-too-soon the weeks will be days, and I will soon be on my way back across the big pond. Until then I look forward to living it up as much as one can with my friends in Chargel, and cherishing every passing day to its fullest. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I don't intend to let it slip away.

That said, on a personal note I am also starting to experience a mini roller-coaster of emotions. Not wanting to say goodbye to my family and friends in Chargel, yet excited to see my family and friends in the States. Ending my service here a bit earlier than was planned, yet thrilled at the opportunity to extend to Jordan.

All in all, life really is an experience full of changes, challenges and opportunities, and I suppose it's how we take on those events that determines the next changes, challenges and opportunities we encounter. That said, I hope to finish out my service here on the highest note possible, and then continue to just take my post-Gambian life one day at a time.

I can't thank my family and friends enough for all of the support and encouragement I have received during my time here, and I'm excited to see you all again soon.

Until next time...I'm headed out to Chargel.Mark Strohbehnhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-71116499368968592702009-07-07T08:13:00.000-07:002009-07-07T09:03:52.509-07:00Hey Everyone!

Wow… where to even begin…
It's been a while since my last updates, but my life and experiences here continue to go well, Khiva is fine, the weather remains hot, and... THE RAINS HAVE COME!!!

It's such a relief to enjoy the coming of the rainy season. As nice as it is to have the same, predictable weather every day for 8 months (HOT and dry), a little variety is nice. And watching the clouds roll in is nothing short of gorgeous. I must say I never really took the time in the States to see if storm clouds roll in like they do here, but I encourage you to check it out some time.

This past week we had our Annual Peace Corps All-Volunteer Conference for Gambia. We had a good 4 days of meetings, seminars and small group discussions, as well as an open-mic night to celebrate the 4th of July. It was a fun and productive time!

All the volunteers from my region of Gambia had matching overalls made. It was pretty rediculous. And you won't find any PICTURES of ME wearing them.

Celebrating the 4th of July outside the US is truly a unique experience, as the general atmosphere isn't quite as excited as those of us celebrating the holiday, but it's still great to be able to celebrate the freedoms and privelages we have (and often take for granted) in our country.

Back in Chargel life has been good. As the rains have come, its back to work in the fields. Millet, corn, rice, peanuts and gardens are all well under way.

The entire mood of the village changes the day of the first rains, as the whole "hurry up and wait" aspect of prepping for planting finally comes to an end. It's a nice change of pace!

But it's kind of weird to be a part of the planting knowing that I won't be a part of the harvesting, but it's still fun and exciting to be a part of the planting process.

When not in the fields I've been "busy" hanging out with friends, spending time with my host family and just enjoying being a part of the community of Chargel. As time continues to tick away I truly appreciate this experience and the relationships with my friends here exponentially more every day.

And with that, I'm more than excited that my aunt, uncle and cousin are coming to visit in less than 48 hours! I'm so excited to get to introduce them to the true way of life for the Fula and Mandinka people here in West Africa, as well as the many great friends who have made such an impact on my life and life-outlook.

I'm sure they will have great stories to share of the food, transportation, weather, and scenery. But more-so, I'm excited for them to get to share with you, from a different perspective, how incredibly hospitable, welcoming and comfortable the people of Chargel truly are. The amazing time they are about to have is truly a testament to how great of a village I live in.

So, with that, you can be looking forward to more blog posts and tons of more pictures at the end of the month.

Until then, I hope you are doing well and enjoyed a great 4th of July holiday with family and friends!

Mark Strohbehnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-74214299726290495282009-06-02T09:24:00.000-07:002009-06-03T11:22:14.669-07:00So Guess What...Hey Faithful Readers

I'm back in Kombo through Friday to see off a few more good friends of mine whos time here has come to an end. Life and work in Chargel is pretty much about the same as the last time I sent out updates, but I DO have an update about my future plans which I am very excited to share.

No! I'm NOT getting married...

I have been offered, and accepted, the opportunity to extend my Peace Corps service to work with "at-risk" youth in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan!

And just in case you're interested, this is how it happened:

I had an informal conversation with my Peace Corps country director about my future, long-term goals of working with "at risk" populations in the Mid-East, and within just a few days I was contacted by Peace Corps/Jordan, suggesting I apply for an extension to serve as a Youth Development Volunteer there.

I had an impromptu phone interview with the Area Peace Corps Director of Jordan, and one could say that my resume with experience as a wellness RA, working with refugees in Denmark, work with the Kossuth Teen Center, and of course the projects and experiences I've been working with in Gambia were basically a slam dunk.

Really, this is nothing less than an absolute dream come true...to say the least. I will be working with at-risk youth in a community/youth center, promoting primarily informal education and recreation activities. Basically, two years of summer camp in the Middle East working with primarily Palestinian youth. I mean really... Plus, since my long term goals are to continue working with "at risk" populations in the Mid-East, primarily in relation to Palestinian refugees, this is about as good as it can get. (and I'm guessing the Arabic language skills will be a plus in the future, also...)

Life certainly progresses in creative ways, and I can see certain aspects of why this time in Gambia may have been a necessary pre-requisite to my life before taking on this opportunity. After all, personal maturity and self-confidence is a must, and I know these years in Gambia have been a great turning point in my life.

So... This means you all actually get to see me sooner than you expected! I will head back to the States in mid September for a month of vacation before heading to Jordan mid October to begin Training...again. It will be another two years of service, but I really don't have any qualms with that since this is something I thought I would have to have an MA or something to be able to work with. Something I didn't think I would get to do for quite some time. It seems almost too good to be true.

Another upside is that Jordan is quite developed, comparatively, so access to internet and cell phone reception won't be an issue anymore. So, while I will continue to work overseas for a few more years, communication will definitely be improved!

Plus, can I just mention how exciting it will be to work in a country with mountains, a RANGE of temperatures, and ABSOLUTELY AMAZING FOOD (can we say kabob? falafel? shwarma? hummus??)

As you can tell, I'm excited to share this news with you.

Until Next Time,
Cheers!Mark Strohbehnhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-74437901467779060342009-05-18T03:45:00.000-07:002009-05-18T04:12:46.584-07:00We Have Rabbits!Hey Everyone!

We have rabbits in Chargel! Yes, we have HAD rabbits, but they have been more of the "pest" type...eating the gardens under the cover of darkness.

THESE totally cute, adorable, fuzzy, playful rabbits, on the other hand, have a more MEANINGFUL PURPOSE - one truly for the benefit of all ... meat!

Yep, in tribute to all those 4H-ers out there, I wanted to let you know we are starting a rabbit production program in Chargel. Actually, this is a program Peace Corps has been working on for a few years, and it is finally at a level where we are able to introduce it into the community level, and Chargel gets to be one of the first communities to take on this project.

We are actually modeling it after the Heifer project, meaning that when my host compound's rabbits have babies, they need to give a pair away to someone else in the community, who will then continue the gesture. And we have a system in place for cross-community sharing, in order to keep a more appropriate gene pool.

The guys made rabbit cages out of fish crates. They were REALLY EXCITED about holding and petting the rabbits. Apparently a new thing...

The Female

The Male

Just hanging out, enjoying the comforts of home.

We've only had them for about a week, so I really don't have any update other than to let you know we have begun this brand new project.

But I look forward to giving you updates in the weeks and months to come.

ALSO:
Be looking forward to updates on a final bee-keeping training, focusing on harvesting, honey processing and candle making with bees'-wax.

A training at the Chargel's skill center with three new peddle-powered sewing machines.

A training with the teachers of area schools on how to make/work with teaching aids made from locally available materials.

And most importantly...pictures from the upcoming FIRST RAINS of the rainy season.

Until next time, I wish you only the best!Mark Strohbehnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-65222307980311794692009-05-17T07:08:00.000-07:002009-05-17T07:16:20.727-07:00It's MANGO Season!One of the better aspects of the hot season is that it also signals the beginning of MANGO SEASON!!!

If pictures are worth a thousand words, I think this blog is pretty self explanitory.

Mark Strohbehnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-49095403199672947212009-05-16T05:17:00.000-07:002009-05-16T05:35:17.287-07:00You Know It's the Hot Season When...Top Ten Reasons You Know It's The Hot Season:

10: Quite simply, you just never stop sweating.

9: You start dropping weight because you are drinking SO MUCH water your stomach just can't take anything more.

8: You don't even want to fan yourself because even that air is just too hot.

7: You develop an affinity for Gold Bond that you haven't felt since the days of Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

6: No more writing letters or journaling by candle light...that candle flicker is just too hot!

5: No more writing letters or journaling by candle light...because the candle melted before it was even lit...

4: Thermometers overheat.

3: Each morning you wake up feeling like you have the worst hangover ever...not from alcohol...it's just dehydration.

2: 92 degrees starts to feel chilly in the early hours of the morning.

1: You lie awake all night, tossing and turning to find that one part of your bed and pillow that hasn't yet become a pool of sweat. Eventually the donkeys start making noise, meaning the sun is about to rise...and so is the temperature!

However, I must also share that on the flip-side, this means we have all been sleeping outside each night (at least for a few hours), and since the rains aren't here yet there aren't any mosquitoes, either. Let me tell you, falling asleep outside... under the full moon, watching clouds build up, surrounded by silhouettes of palm trees and hut houses, while listening to the sound of drumming coming from different parts of the village MAY just be one of the most amazing experiences one could have. It's pretty cool (figuratively speaking), so say the least.Mark Strohbehnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-27579609713134694492009-05-16T04:12:00.000-07:002009-05-16T04:22:38.078-07:00Some "Shout-Outs" to the FamilyHey Everyone!

First and foremost, I would like to welcome Adelina Rose Baty to the world, and to the Strohbehn family. She has NO idea what she has just gotten herself into (ie the Strohbehn family), but I'm excited for her!!!

Second, CONGRATULATIONS to Steve and Kristin, the brand new parents of such a beautiful baby girl, Adelina Rose.

Third, CONGRATULATIONS to Joe, Richard, Nick, Eino, Krystal and Darin on your respective graduations. Times of promotion and change can bring along uncertainty, but your time and efforts should also be appreciated, and certainly celebrated!

I'm excited for each of you as you continue to pursue your intests and work towards your goals. Changes, graduations and new opportunities can be fun, but also bring with them a degree of stress and uncertainty. But without sounding overly optimistic or naievely "rosy," it really can be good for us. After all, even when "life" doesn't turn out in ways we would have wanted or specifically planned for, we do have an awesome Creator looking out for us in ways we can't even fathom, nor ever fully appreciate. And it can be good to find rest in the faith that a loving God is always present.

Well done! Bravo to each of you!Mark Strohbehnhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-2057626429570206482009-04-22T07:18:00.000-07:002009-04-22T08:23:20.200-07:00Peace Corps Mail Run: 101Hey Everyone!

Amy and I just got back into town after spending a good 5 days on the road, delivering mail, packages and supplies to anxious Peace Corps volunteers.

Now I'm sure you are all wondering, "So when I send my monthly letter to Mark out in Gambia, filling him in on all that I've been up to, since he does such a good job of keeping me updated on what he has been up to via his blog, how does it actually get to his little hut out in the middle of the bush?"

Well, lucky for you, here is a step-by-step process of how all that beef jerkey ends up at my door.

When mail and packages arrive from the States, they first end up at the Peace Corps P.O. Box in Banjul. Three times each week one of the drivers heads into Banjul to pick it up, and brings it all back to the Peace Corps office, where it sits in what we all call "the mail room." From there, everything is logged so that volunteers can see what, if anything, has arrived for them.

Typically, mail run heads out to start delivering on the third Friday of each month. That means whoever is going to be delivering that month's mail will spend Thursday prepping the mail and getting it packed and ready to go.

This means...

Step 1: Organizing the mail in people's mail boxes.

Step 2: Tackling the craziness that is the mail room,

and organizing it so that the mail is divided into which "day" (1-5) it will be delivered.

Step 3: Load everything into the truck. ("Load" is just puting it nicely. Really, we just need to make sure it all fits.)

NOTE: It can be a problem that some volunteers consider the mail run truck to be their own personal moving company, and often try to send beds, chairs, bikes, mattresses, gas stoves, tables... all at the same time.

NOTE: It can also be a problem that there is always that ONE volunteer who has a super important item to send out, but they don't let you know they have it to send out until the truck is already loaded.

Step 4: Head out at the crack of dawn on Friday morning, delivering firs to volunteers on the North Bank, before reaching Basse several days later and turning around to deliver mail to volunteers on the South Bank.

Step 5: Deliver mail, packages and whatever else has been sent out in the mail truck, to eagerly waiting volunteers.

Step 6: Enjoy the nicely paved north bank road!

Step 7: Brace yourself for all the bush roads!

Step 8: Enjoy the scenery of Gambia from the beauty of air conditioning!

Step 8: After a few days, reach the ferry crossing at Basse and head down to the South Bank.

Just waiting to cross the ferry.

Still just waiting to cross the ferry...

Step 9: Remember the good ole' days of the paved north bank road.

Step 10: Repeat step 6 for all the south bank volunteers.

Step 11: Beware of bush fires!

Step 12: Just enjoy the time on the road, getting to take in the sights of the Gambia with friends!

And that, my friends, is how all the letters, packages, and beef jerkey you send makes it to my front door.Mark Strohbehnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-45644497995744752602009-04-13T17:54:00.000-07:002009-04-13T18:15:20.041-07:00To BembandingHey Faithful Readers,

It is with true sadness and, indeed, regret, that I share the following news with you. I don't mean to be too personal in what I share on my blog, but as my relationships with people here have become such an important aspect of my time in Gambia, it's only right that I offer a tribute of sorts to my good friend Bembanding.

On the morning of the 1st of April (April Fools), Saikou Ceesay, my host brother, woke me up with the news that one of my closest friends here in Gambia, Bemdanding Jimbara, lost his life that previous Monday night. Bembanding had left Gambia mid November to pursue the "back way" (illegal immigration) to Italy with one of his uncles.

I knew for quite some time that he was planning to go, and guys my age from this area leave each year pursuing the back way. So, when he left I didn't encourage it, of course, but I also know it's their own form of the "American Dream" per se, pursuing wealth and stability to support their families.

Even after he left we still communicated on a fairly regular basis, as he would try to call me once a week or so with updates of where he was at in his "back way" journey. He was a great friend of mine, and a relative to my host family. (Lawo and Saikou's cousin)

In the end, as he and about 300 others were crossing the Mediterranean from Libya headed to Italy, the boats they were traveling in (think of large canoes) capsized and all but about 20 of the people traveling lost their lives.

Oddly enough, on Tuesday I had heard on BBC radio about the boats capsizing off the coast of Libya. Immediately my mind went to Bembanding, since I knew he had been waiting in Libya for some time, just waiting his turn to try to cross. So my worst fear came true Wednesday morning when his family received word (from other relatives in Libya) that Bembanding and his uncle were among those in the boats.

It's been a huge shock. I really didn't see it coming, and one could say I've had a hard time coping with his death. He was a very, very good friend of mine, and his loss has stirred quite a few emotions in me. Of course, I'm sad. I'm sad for his loss and sad for his family. I'm upset that this had to happen in the first place, that such a tragedy could happen to these guys risking their lives just trying to improve the lives of their families. And just disgusted that we live in a world so unfair, so unequal, that just a few years I was able to join my sister and a friend to enjoy a luxurious and fun cruise around the Mediterranean, even sailing from Libya to Italy, while Bembanding lost his life in a most horrific and terrifying way. It really just makes me sick to my stomach.

So this past Monday (April 6th) was the funeral. That day helped bring quite a bit of closure, one could say, as I was able to cry with his brothers and his mom. (his father passed away quite a few years ago) And these past few days (Thursday and Friday), I spent again just hanging out, spending time with his brothers. He was actually from a village other than Chargel, but not too far away. These past few days with his family was actually quite therapeutic, as we were all able to spend time just trying to move on in our own ways. Our conversations were able to move back to discussing what else is going on in our lives, and his mother and I were able to have some good conversations reminiscing about the good times he and I had together, instead of just grieving that he's gone.

To answer some questions you may have:

*No, his body was not returned to Gambia. I have no idea if it was even retrieved from the sea.

*The funeral was more of a prayer service, following Muslim tradition, since there was no actual burial.

*About 300 people were traveling in three boats. (like I said, think of large canoes) The people were from all over West Africa, and even some from Libya and Egypt. But about half of the people traveling were from Gambia. I keep learning of more and more villages around me that lost someone in the boats.

The loss of Bembanding has really shaken me up. But I truly do feel fortunate for my friendships here, and especially for my friendships back home. And really, I can say that if his loss has to shed a silver lining, then I can say that this experience has truly helped me re-focus somewhat, and gain a refreshed perspective of what is most important in my life, that being my faith, family and friends.

Bembanding is on the left (with the sunglasses).

Other than that, life in Chargel is going well. This time has actually helped me realize what good friends I have made here, and it has sunk in a bit deeper that this place really has become my life, my host family is like family to me, and I feel blessed for the relationships I've built.

So, to not end on a "downer," all things considered, I'm doing quite well. I'm healthy, safe and enjoying my time in Gambia. I certainly have much to be thankful for, and this Easter weekend is certainly an appropriate time to keep that in mind.

Until next time, take care.Mark Strohbehnhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-44818320526364535282009-04-13T16:46:00.000-07:002009-04-13T17:28:15.333-07:00Happy Easter!Yesterday I was able to enjoy the Easter holiday by 1) sleeping-in, 2) having a fun and relaxing afternoon, and 3) enjoying the evening with friends, as we had a wine and cheese party at some cliffs overlooking the coast.

I can honestly say it was an Easter unlike one I've ever had before, but hey, Gambia tends to be full of experiences like that!

As it is currently a full moon, we were really hoping for the chance to see some sea turtles coming in and out. But catching a glimpse of them is pretty difficult.

Alas, we had a good time...

...the wine and cheese was great...

...the sunset was gorgeous!...

...And a good time was truly had by all.

On a random note, even though it wasn't Thanksgiving we decided it would be nice to go around and share what we are all thankful for. Everything was shared from family and friends to sea turtles and the ability to appreciate coming from such a truly privileged country and society.

So, without getting too "deep" or personal, allow me to just share that my time here in Gambia has been a constant (though expected) roller-coaster of ups and downs, good days and bad days, character building experiences and days where I just can't stop smiling. Some experiences have pushed me to limits I didn't know I had, while other experiences and relationships continue to remind me of how much I have to be thankful for.

In so many ways, my time here and the experiences I've come across have truly helped me re-focus somewhat, and gain a refreshed perspective of what is most important in my life, that being my faith, family and friends.

That said, here is an excerpt I find appropriate to share with all of you in honor of this Easter holiday. It's from one of my favorite authors/theologians, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Take the time to read it, re-read it, enjoy the truth behind its words, and stop to take the time to be truly thankful for how blessed we really are.

Each morning is a new beginning of our life. Each day is a finished whole. The present day marks the boundary of our cares and concerns. It is long enough to find God or loose Him, to keep faith or fall into disgrace.

God created day and night for us so we need not wander without boundaries, but may be able to see in every morning the goal of the evening ahead.
Just as the ancient sun rises anew everyday, so the eternal mercy of God is new every morning.

Every morning God gives us the gift of comprehending anew His faithfulness of old; thus in the midst of our life with God, we may daily begin a new life with Him.
In the first moments of the new day are for God's liberating grace, God's sanctifying presence. Before the heart unlocks itself for the world, God wants to open it for Himself; before the ear takes in the countless voices of the day, it should hear in the early hours the voice of the Creator and Redeemer.

God prepared the stillness of the first morning for Himself. It should remain His.

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Happy Easter!
Mark Strohbehnhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-25590542715377963182009-04-13T15:42:00.000-07:002009-04-13T16:44:55.717-07:00Poultry Comes to ChargelHey Everyone!

As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, my host father, Lawo, and the school in Chargel are both working to take on an expanded poultry project in Gambia.
In a nut-shell, they are now part of a program looking for "middle-men" to help produce poultry (chickens) locally for the tourist industry, as well as local consumption. A business is now in place to import the chicks from Senegal and provide the feed and medical attention. The role of Lawo and the school (as well as many others throughout Gambia) will be to raise the chicks and get them fully ready for consumption within 6 weeks, as opposed to the usual 8 weeks, so that they can then be sold within the tourism industry for an even greater profit.

Well, just last week the chicks arrived. All 200 of them!

You may be asking yourself how one actually handles a formal poultry project in Gambia, as opposed to just free range birds. I'm glad you ask. Allow me to explain the process.

First and foremost, you need to have a chicken house. Bear in mind that not just any mud hut will do. No no. The huts for chickens have specific dimensions based on the number of birds each house is intended to hold. For example, Lawo intends to eventually be able to host 500 birds by himself, so he has just recently constructed a second chicken house. Each house is 4 meters by 5 meters.

Additionally, the houses must have several windows at low levels, providing for proper ventilation.

So, first you make bricks.

Then you collect grasses which will be weaved together to form the roof.

Next, build the house.

Put the roof on the poultry house.

Kill the cobra that decides to crawl out of the grasses you are transporting on your head to the construction site!

Resume constructing the roof.

Build the windows and door.

And once your house is finished, just add chickens!

LOTS OF CHICKENS!

Then, you basically just feed and water them for 6 weeks, keep them safe and healthy, and in the end sell them for a hefty profit! Not a bad deal.

And that's how we run a poultry project in Gambia.Mark Strohbehnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-53984376399511953482009-04-13T14:57:00.000-07:002009-04-13T15:37:12.269-07:00The Chargel Bush Fire of 2009Hey Everyone,

So, on the evening of April 5th, Chargel was affected by a pretty intense bush fire. I don't actually know where the fire itself came from, what caused it or how long the fire had been going before it got close to Chargel, but at around 7pm a pretty intense wind brought what seemed like basically a really long line of fire straight at our village.

Now, it's important to know that bush fires happen pretty frequently here. At the end of each rainy season villages prepare by burning the fields immediately around them to act as a fire barrier. And the people are also quite familiar with the whole process of putting out fires, as there really isn't a "fire department" here to help them out. Nevertheless, the wind on that day was pretty intense, and the fire seemed to be coming dangerously close to Chargel. So on that day I learned first-hand how to put out a bush fire, and I wanted to share that experience with you.

(note: I apologize in advance that the quality of some of these pictures is less than good, but in my defense, the smoke and flying debris was a bit of a problem.)

Step 1: All the women and children get the the wells and start pumping as much water into buckets as possible. This water isn't actually to put out the fire in the bush, but to have on hand to start drenching houses and fences once the fire gets too close.

Step 2: Send out the small boys to collect full branches (as in, full of leaves) that will then be used by all the men in the village to quite literally beat out the fire.

Step 3: GO BEAT DOWN THE FIRE! I must admit, at first I was quite skeptical about the whole idea of just beating out a fire with branches, especially a really BIG fire. But, as it turns out, it actually works quite well! You do have to get a bit closer to the fire itself than I would have preferred, as the smoke is quite intense. But yeah, basically you just kind of smack the branches towards the fire, smothering it with the sand and dirt around it. It basically creates instant charcoal, which is much more manageable than huge flames.

Step 4: Spread out. As I mentioned before, this particular bush fire was QUITE big. It actually spread from the border of a town called Sare Guia, past Chargel, and on towards a village called Sare Nallen. I realize this really doesn't mean anything to you, but it was basically about 8k long, which I believe is just short of 5 miles. I mean, we had multiple villages out there taking this thing on.

And Step 5: Just try to make the best of the situation. It was really hot, really smokey and all-in-all probably not the safest thing I've ever done. (don't worry mom!) (And in retrospect, taking my camera along wasn't necessarily the best decision either, considering I lost my last one to a river...) But in a strange way I actually had a really fun time with my friends beating out this fire. One could call it a "bonding experience."

We ended up actually fighting this fire off from about 7pm until about 2am. By the time we were finished we were ALL quite tired. Fortunately, I'm glad to report that the fire never actually did hit Chargel (or the other villages around), so no homes or fences were affected, and no one was injured in the process. It just smelt really bad for the next few days.

And that was the Chargel Bush Fire of 2009. A true Peace Corps experience!Mark Strohbehnhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-19383949355819294822009-03-14T04:23:00.000-07:002009-03-14T05:06:30.277-07:00Check This Out!Hey Everyone!

You NEED to check out Alicia's blog (there is a link to the right of this page and in this blog post itself) and see her most recent videos!

http://aliciamacmanus.blogspot.com/

One is of children dancing to the new hit song "Barack Obama."

And another is a detailed description of "taking a bucket bath and the whole bathroom experience."

These two videos basically encapsulate our entire Gambian experience.

Check them out. You will enjoy them immensely!Mark Strohbehnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-82721802199643141452009-03-11T11:27:00.000-07:002009-03-11T11:32:16.532-07:00Hey!So, I just uploaded THREE fairly long blog posts and TONS of pictures. Please note that my first Picasa web album is full, so now I have a second one in order to continue sharing my experience with you through picture.

Thanks again for your emails, letters, thoughts and support!

Until next time, I wish you only the best.Mark Strohbehnhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-46732497003999143612009-03-11T09:59:00.000-07:002009-03-12T10:02:02.912-07:00Some Questions and Some AnswersHey Everyone!

I was really pleased to see so many nice (long) emails in my inbox! I haven't had time to reply to many of them yet, but a few people had some insightful questions/clarifications that I thought would be good to address here for the benefit of everyone.

(A quick disclaimer: I cover quite a few different topics with several long-winded answers, so you may want to take this blog entry on bit by bit.)

First and Foremost: I'm sorry to have mislead any of you with the Chelsea jersey I'm was wearing in the picture that used to be the "heading" picture of this blog. I am not, nor have I ever been, a Chelsea fan. I am a proud FC Barcelona fan! I don't care what Real Madrid fans have to say about it, FC Barcelona is the best team in the league. That's why you lost to us. Remember? (And why we beat Lyon yesterday, 5-2) So stop whining and train harder next time.

(So why the Chelsea jersey? I didn't want to ruin my FC Barcelona jerseys hiking and rock-climbing in Guinea. And I liked its shade of blue.)

In what way is the current global economic downturn in the West affecting the lives of people in Gambia?

This is a great question. I don't think I'm fully qualified to answer it, but here are some observations I can share.

The Gambia itself, as you are aware, is a very small but densely populated country. The Government here has been peaceful since gaining its independence from the UK, and has therefore been a safe and stable place for non-governmental organizations and other aid organizations to work. This, in turn, has lead to a very high number of aid organizations for such a small country. Aid organizations work here throughout a variety of areas, such as malaria prevention, HIV-Aids education, small enterprise development, community development, women's rights and gender equality, education development, healthcare, and even best-care practices for caring for horses and donkeys. Some organizations you may be familiar with that work here include the World Food Program, The United Nations Development Program, UNICEF, Christian Children's Fund, Future in Our Hands, The Horse and Donkey Charitable Trust, The United Nations High Commission for Refugees, The International Red Cross/Red Crescent, Concern Universal, and the World Wildlife Fund, to name a few of a great many.

There are quite a few opinions I have on the high number of organizations working in such a small country, but my main point with this blog entry is that, typically, during economic downturns, as people watch their incomes a bit more closely and are a bit more "tight", one area where many save money is by decreasing their donations to aid and charitable organizations. This is a broad statement and assumption, and I don't have any statistics to back this up, but my impression is that many of the organizations working here in Gambia are working with much tighter budgets than they had originally planned, which, in turn, means whatever skills trainings or projects they had intended for their fiscal year will have to be either scaled back or eliminated altogether.

As far as the day-to-day life of people in my village goes, I can't say I've noticed much of an impact yet from the "global economic downturn." Quite frankly, most people I work with are subsistence farmers who plan to just make it year-to-year, anyway. Most people don't have bank accounts or any kind of investment to speak of. More than anything, gas prices and the cost of goods shipped into Gambia, specifically rice, have a great impact on the day to day economic situation of the "average" Gambian farmer. Currently the prices of gas and shipping seem to be in Gambia's favor, as rice prices have gone down from about 1000 Delasis per bag (of 50 Kilograms, or 100ish pounds) to about 750 Delasis.

However, it's definitely worth mentioning that the tourism industry is one of the main income generating forces in Gambia. And as far as that's concerned, the tourism industry here has seen a slight but steady decline over the past several years. Most tourists coming to Gambia come from the UK, Germany or Scandinavia. If their pockets are hit by an economic downturn, my guess is they are probably more likely to take a vacation within Europe than trek down to Gambia.
Moreover, it's my impression that an economic downturn in the West is more likely to affect developing economies such as Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, or South Africa, which currently rely on substantial international investors to take on building and infrastructure projects. Those countries also rely on a very strong tourism industry, and as I have mentioned before, for the next few years people's pockets might be more open to enjoying a national park in the States than experiencing a safari in Tanzania or a trek to Kilimanjaro.

What kind of malnutrition, hunger, or even famine have you witnessed in your village?

I can safely say that I have not witnessed anything I would classify as "famine" here in Gambia. But malnutrition is definitely a problem.

As I have mentioned before, the staples of the diet here include rice, coos (millet), peanuts, cassava, fish, and, to an extent, corn. Most vegetables that people have regular access to include tomatoes, onions and various hot peppers. Fruit tends to be seasonal. Cashew, coconut and baobab fruits are ripe now (February and March). Papaya is also almost ripe, and mangoes should be getting ripe by mid April. For the most part, oranges and bananas are available year round since they just need constant irrigation and can easily be grown in orchards along the river.

So, all in all, the food available is quite decent. In my opinion, the main concerns are two-fold. Yes, you can find most any vegetable here that we are used to in the States, but the vegetables will either be 1) available for a very, very limited time during the year, or 2) too expensive for most families to afford on a regular basis.

For the most part, people in my area rely on rice, coos, peanuts, fish, various leaves (such as baobab or Moringa) and hot peppers for the staples of each meal. The food quantity itself is usually enough, but the nutritional quality of the food, specifically in terms of vitamins and minerals, is greatly lacking. Yes, a bowl of rice and peanut sauce will fill you up. But it will not offer any real nutritional benefits to young, growing children or pregnant women.

However, I can also safely say this is one area where Peace Corps has had a strong emphasis in Gambia. There has been a strong push over the past several years promoting Moringa and Pidgeon Pea trees. These two trees are fast growing, durable, and offer an extremely wide variety of nutritional and health benefits. In fact, the Moringa tree has been named the "miracle tree" by many development organizations because of its potential for enhancing nutritional possibilities in places just like this.

Many agro-forestry and health volunteers have focused a good part of their time in Gambia helping families, women's groups schools and even hospitals grow Moringa and Pidgeon Pea trees for their own consumption.

For example, the school in Chargel has its own vegetable garden at the school yard. Older students are each assigned a bed to water and care for, and the food is either enjoyed by the students or sold to help cover school finances. A major problem for any gardening attempt in Gambia is the threat of destruction from goats, cows and monkeys, as fencing tends to only last a few years before the weather wears it down and it becomes ineffective. So this year the school has planted two rows of Moringa trees along the current line of the garden fence. That way, by the time the current fence is ineffective, the Moringa will be strong and stable enough to act as a natural barrier to the goats and cows. (Monkeys always find a way through any attempt to keep them out. I think of them as the raccoons of West Africa...just cuter.)

Hopefully efforts such as this, spread throughout the country, will help improve the nutritional quality of the diets here for everyone, from school children, to hospital patients, to families just trying to get by.

Have you experienced any Parliamentary Elections during your time in Gambia?

The leading political party in Gambia is the APRC, lead by His Excelency, The President, Doctor, Professor, Ahlagie Yah-Yah A.J.J. Jammeh.

During my first few months in Chargel I did experience Regional Elections (but not Presidential Elections). Quite honestly, as odd as this may sound coming from someone as enthralled with political science as I am, I really can't tell you much about the electoral process in Gambia. I know the President has Secretaries of various executive departments, such as the Department of Health, Department of State, Department of Forestry and Department of Education. And I know government representatives are elected from each of the different regions, as well as Regional Governors and Regional Representatives. But I really don't know the process as to how they are chosen by the APRC to run, how they fundraise, or what the main political platforms are.

Something I did find quite interesting is that on the election day that I did experience, representatives from the Voter Election Commission came to Chargel with a voting box for each of the political parties participating in the election, but not for individual candidates. (Voting for parties over candidates isn't all that different from the voting process in quite a few European countries or even the US, where you can either vote for a candidate or political party.) From what I understand you must be at least 18 to vote and you must have a voter-registration card or identity card. But since much of the population is illiterate, voting is done through a process by which each person voting puts a marble into the box of the political party they support.

But let me clarify once again, I really don't know that much about the voting/electoral process in Gambia, or how the various layers of government are actually arranged. That's really about all I can say on this topic.

Has Gambia been affected at all by the various political issues going on in the other African countries?

That's true. Since I've come to Gambia in the fall of 2007 we have witnessed the devastating political unrest in Kenya during the December of 2007/January 2009. Political tensions in South Africa have reached a critical point. Pirate attacks on aid-cargo ships off the coast of Somalia have reached an all-time high. And much closer to home, Mauritania, Guinea and most recently Guinea Bissau have all experienced various forms of political coups.

I'm sure these events have a significant impact on the way the government of Gambia interacts with the heads of state from other West African countries. But as far as the day-to-day life of people in Chargel, these events have basically just been talking points of interest, especially since many people in the part of Gambia where I live have family in Guinea. (The Fula tribe spreads throughout much of West Africa, and indeed across Africa well into Sudan and even Ethiopia. Moreover, many people have migrated from Guinea and Sierre Leone to Gambia over more recent years.)Mark Strohbehnhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-36086776547851211492009-03-11T09:56:00.000-07:002009-03-11T11:02:23.553-07:00Chargel Basic Cycle School's Annual Inter-House CompetitionHey Everyone!

So this past weekend was the "Chargel Basic-Cycle School's Annual Inter-House Competition."

It's the schools annual track and field competition, and it was a blast!

Quick background:

The school in Chargel teaches grades 1-9 to about 400 students from a combination of Chargel and about 12 other surrounding communities. Some students travel up to 7 kilometers a day to and from school, and other students who live futher away than that will stay with families in Chargel during the week for school and then go back to their own families on the weekend. For example, in my family's compound we have a boy named Marlang who is from a town about 12 k away. He is a student in grade 9, so he stays with us during the week but usually goes back home on the weekends and holidays.

In any case, the students at the school are split into 4 houses, or kundas, (Red, Green, Yellow and Blue). Each "kunda" has several faculty supervisors and a "prefect," or student selected to basically lead the house. (kind of like the school system in "Harry Potter") Then, from all that, there is a head boy and head girl selected from among the entire school to basically act as the liaison between faculty and students.

So, this past weekend, beginning Friday afternoon and continuing through Saturday, the four kundas had their annual "Inter-Kunda" track and field competition. This is really one of those experiences where a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are some pictures from the various events.

Some of the events are typical to what we are used to seeing in the States.

Running

Relay

Long Jump

High Jump

But other events take on a distinctive West African twist and are, well, quite frankly, a lot of fun!

Potato Relay (Truly indescribable in words. I don't even fully understand what was all involved myself, except that it involved getting potatoes into a bucket and running.)

Three Legged Race

Musical Chairs

And my personal favorite, the Water Bucket Race!

It's a great time with tons of cheering…

Lots of community involvement...

A DJ blasting West African music…

Great food and fun snacks….(such as pop corn, fried crackers, pankets, fish-pies, and baobab juice!)

And even a Red Cross committee to handle heat and dehydration issues.

And what was I doing through all of this? Well, when I wasn't strolling from kunda to kunda cheering students on or taking pictures, Taba and I were having a good time just hanging out and enjoying the great events (and the great snacks).

That evening the DJ kept the party going by playing dance music all night long at the school yard, as the school hosted a huge dance for everyone, free of charge. You can be sure it was a lively night!

Truly a good time had by all!Mark Strohbehnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-77601673727113250152009-03-11T09:26:00.000-07:002009-03-11T09:55:40.358-07:00So About that "Gender Equality" Meeting...Hey Everyone!

I'm currently back in Kombo for a few days for a Tree Nursery Competition meeting, and I'm excited to take this opportunity to fill you all in on a few updates with my life/work/experiences here in Gambia.

So…where to begin…

First off, as I talked about in one of my most previous blog posts, an aid organization was planning to host a three-day-long seminar on gender equality in Chargel. We had a very successful time organizing representatives from 10 different villages, some students from the school and even a few teachers and the headmaster to come be a part of the discussions. The topic definitely took interest with people who wondered what there could possibly be to talk about in regards to gender equality. Additionally, a few of my Peace Corps friends came to Chargel to help out with sparking conversations and supplying insight. Everything was looking on the up-and-up.

So then Monday came and the facilitators hosting the event were supposed to show up that evening, but didn't. Typical enough, the roads can be pretty bad and transportation can be a constant headache. We tried calling them but didn't get through. Also typical, as phone reception is a constant issue in my area. But then Tuesday morning rolled around, and when it became pretty clear that they weren't going to be here in time to start the meeting we called them again. This time we got through, only to find out that they had postponed the meeting (until this week when I am currently here in Kombo and not at site) and the person responsible for informing us never did. Unfortunately, this too is also quite typical.

What was probably most unfortunate about this whole thing is that when my friends and I found out that the meeting had been postponed, all we could really do is laugh it off…because this happens so very often. And it's not necessarily that meetings get planned and canceled/postponed often (although they do), but that communication between parties, in general, is always a problem in that it is rarely clear, consistent or followed-through. And that's frustrating, sure. But, more so, it's really just sad when you see the issue of consistently poor communication hold back potential development and progress.

So what did we do? Well, for the most part people just dispersed and headed home. And Alicia and I just hung out and had a great time. Some of our afternoon activities included…

Visiting the cooks at the school and helping with "quality control" for the school's lunch.

Hanging out with my host family.

Strolling the village.

And going out to the bush and throwing sticks at baobab trees with some kids to try to get the fruit to come down. Despite how full the trees are with the baobab fruits, it's actually pretty hard to get them to come down. But fun when they do!

All in all, despite the unexpected postponement of the gender and equality meetings, it was a good day!

And we topped off the next morning by enjoying pancakes and Starbucks coffee before Alicia headed back home.

So, lesson learned? Here's a thought. In the end life isn't all that predictable, no matter how much you think it should be or want it to be. But just because something doesn't work out the way you think it should doesn't mean that it can't be productive, meaningful and fun. But now Mark, how, you ask, is just strolling around the village, eating the school's lunch and throwing sticks at baobab trees meaningful? Well sure, those events in and of themselves aren't all that insightful. But the moments you can have with people… the true happiness that comes to the ladies cooking when two young "toubabs" just show up and help them cook for the afternoon, or the laughter that accompanies the young boys when they watch "toubabs" throw sticks at baobab trees and the boys trying to teach us the "right way" to throw a stick…those moments are truly meaningful and irreplaceable.

And it's amazing how many times I have to learn this lesson for it to actually sink in. Mark Strohbehnhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-7663326512776983052009-02-22T07:59:00.000-08:002009-02-22T08:30:19.125-08:00Back to WorkIt's been good to be back.

Since I've returned some really good developments have happened in my village, and I can already feel my remaining months here filling up fast! I was kind of concerned about what would happen with the bee-keeping project when I went back to the States and wouldn't be around to keep encouraging it for a few weeks, but it turns out the guys who attended the training are all still really excited about it, and most of them have actually made the grass hives like they were trained to do and ahve gotten them placed in good apiaries. I'm excited about the potential for this in my area, and it's good to see the guys taking strong initiative about something like this.

De-shelling the peanuts and getting them ready to sell at market or plant in the next rainy season.

Also, the skills center in my village, in cooperation with Future in Our Hands (a Swedish development organization), has arranged to have two trainings in the months to come. In March we are doing to have a week-long seminar/discussion thing on "gender issues" in Gambia. I think we are mostly going to focus the discussions on the division of labor, but it's a conversation that the community (well, most of the world) needs to have, and I'm excited to be a part of it. It will be three days long, and some of my female Peace Corps friends are going to come help facilitate it, also. So I'm encouraged for the kind of empowerment that could come from this. Even if habbits don't change all that much, maybe at least they will value sending their children (daughters, especially) to school more, or something along those lines.

A boy dressed as a traditional "konkurang," a figure that scares the evil spirits out of the village.

Then in April we are going to have a tree-nursery and live-fencing workshop. I hope to arrange to work together with the school on this and make it more of an area-wide thing. The only drawback is that April is the WORST month (because of the high temperatures) ...so the workshop will be taking place early morning and late afternoon to accomodate the weather. But that's fine, because it's also just before the rainy season, and really the most appropriate time for this kind of workshop. And it will encourage me to do more than just sit under a tree and sweat!

So these projects, along with being a co-regional coordinator for the Gambia All-Schools Tree Nursery Competition, should keep me occupied through June when the rains come. To note on the Tree Nursery Competition (TNC), a good friend of mine and I are working together as co-regional coordinators. I won't get into it too much since I plan to do a detalied blog entry on it (with pictures) in a few months, but it's basically a program which allows Amy (a good friend or mine who is also a PCV here) and I to visit the schools in our region and talk with them about ways to protect and enhance their tree nurseries and then also give follow-up advice on the outplanting process to help produce the best orchards and such. It's a cool project and, if done correctly throughout the country, could really help with re-forestation, which this country DESPERATELY needs.

But again, you can be expecting a good blog entry on it over the next few months.

Another project that has just picked up since I've been back, is that my host, Lawo, as well as the school in my village, have been accepted to be a part of a nation-wide poultry-production program. In a nut-shell, they will be part of a program looking for "middle-men" to help produce poultry (chickens) locally for the tourist industry, as well as local consumption. A business is in place to import the chicks from Senegal and provide the feed and medical attention. The role of Lawo and the school (as well as many others throughout Gambia) will be to raise the chicks and get them fully ready for consumption within 6 weeks, as opposed to the usual 8 weeks.

Cutting grass for the roof of the new chicken house.

The program has good potential, and each group in Chargel will be raising 500 chickens for four cycles a year, meaning a total of 2000 chickens per year. There is a very good prospect for income generation from this project, granted close care and attention is given to the project. I'm excited to be a part of this project from the begging stages! And I will be sure to give more updates in the months ahead as the project gets under-way.

I hope you are all doing well! I look forward to sending out (hopefully) many updates about these projects in the months to come.

 Finishing the day with a football match.Mark Strohbehnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-15038227865812287192009-02-03T04:28:00.000-08:002009-02-03T09:54:38.245-08:00Dear uKNIGHTed class,Thanks for your questions! Here is an attempt to answer some of them. If my answers don't make sense, don't feel bad asking me to try to answer it again or give a more in-depth explanation.

"What made you want to join the Peace Corps?"

The long and short of it is... during my junior year of college at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, where I studied to get my bachelor degrees in political science and economics, I studied abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. I studied at the University of Copenhagen for my full academic year as a part of an "International Political Systems" program. The way my class schedule worked out, I had each Wednesday free and wanted to do some type of volunteer work/service to fill my time. I ended up working with the Red Cross in Copenhagen, and I ended up working in a special program they had designed to try to help refugees and assylum-seekers who were in Denmark. I basically spent my Wednesdays working with refugees, primarily from Iraq, Afghanistan, Georgia, Syria and Egypt, teaching them English and basic skills they could use to promote their efforts looking for a job in Copenhagen. I fell in love with this work, and was extremely touched at how I was able to build such strong relationships with people from Iraq and Afghanistan who had fled their homes and lives because of being at war with my own country.

So when that academic year was finished and I was back at Luther for my senior year, I decided that I wanted to postpone my original plans of pursuing law school and spend some time doing more work, specifically development work. I already knew I wanted my experience to be long-term, and not like a 6 week internship. I also knew I was interested in working overseas. The Peace Corps offered the best option for work overseas, long-term, with only a bachelor's degree. I ended up taking a position working specifically as an "agro-forestry volunteer." But the bulk of my work isn't actually focused on agriculture itself as much as it is focused on micro-business development in an agricultural setting. So, for example, one of my biggest projects has been working with bee-keeping; helping run trainings for the men and my area to learn how to begin the process of bee-keeping themselves.

"Did you have to learn any languages? Or have you learned any since you've been there?"

The Gambia has three main ethnic groups, the Wolofs, Mandinkas and Fulas. Gambia itself is actually an "English speaking country" from the days when it was a colony of the British empire. However, once you get out of the bigger towns, it becomes quite apparent that most people don't know English, and if they do, they still probably speak their own tribal language a majority of the time.

The village where I live and work, Chargel, is about 3/4 they way east into the country. If you look at a map of Gambia, my village is about 10k east of Bansang, or 40k west of Basse. My village is very rural, and there are very few people in my village who speak English. The main ethnic group of the part of the country where I live is teh Fula tribe, so I speak Fula.

As a part of our training, before we actually become volunteers and begin our service, we are required to meet an "intermediate-medium" level of language ability in whichever of the three languages we were assigned to. We are all assigned to learn the language of one of the major ethnic groups, depending on where we will be living. So I speak Fula, and I actually speak it pretty well, since most people in Chargel cannot speak English.

"Do your family and friends support you?"

Yes. My parents, family and friends are very excited about the work I'm doing. Of course my mom is always a bit concerned about my safety... after all, Gambia does have heyenas, leopards, crocodiles, hippos, baboons, bush-pigs, several kinds of cobras, other poisenous snakes and insects, and it's very, very hot. But, my family and friends know I'm really enjoying this experience and encourage me to enjoy each day as it comes and to not rush through this experience, planning for whatever will come next. Sometimes I have a bit of a hard time "stopping to smell the roses."

"What do you do in your free time?" and "What is the food like?"

Well, I guess that depends on how you see "free time." Technically, the entire two years of my service are left up to me to get to know my village, assess their greatest needs and the projects with the greatest potential, and pursue programs that I think would be in the best interest of the community as a whole. That kind of work-structure means I can basically do anything I want. So, a typical day of mine is something like this...

I wake up at about 5am, when the roosters and donkeys start waking up. As The Gambia has a predominantly Muslim population and my community is entirely Muslim, at 6am we have the morning "call to prayer." By 6:30 I can hear the women working to prepare a breakfast of either ground millet (think bird-seed) or boiled whtie rice. I turn on BBC world news (radio) around 7, to see what is going on in the world. We have breakfast around 7:30 or 8, and then head out to the fields to take care of whatever work there is do be done. During the rainy season (June-Sept) the morning work usually revolves around the fields, such as planting and weeding. The rainy season is followed by the harvesting season (Sept-Dec), where each morning is spent harvesting the crops, gathering them and preparing them to be stored through the year. The rest of the year is the dry season (Jan-May). This is the time of year when we will work to repair fences, build new houses (out of mud bricks), put up new roofs (out of grass) and take care of the work that is best taken care of when it is dry.

Usually the morning work is done around noon, and we have a lunch of white rice and peanut sauce (think boiled peanut butter with onions, peppers and fish added in).

Most afternoons are usually too hot to work, so this is what I consider my "free time." Sometimes I use this time to wander the village (of about 800 people) and chat with the men and women about what they are up to. I try to keep a good feeling of what the village has going on, in terms of births, weddings and such, and they enjoy knowing that I'm interested in their personal lives. This is also when I usually have a good chance to bounce ideas around to see if development ideas I have (such as bee-keeping) is something the men and women there would be interested in. They will also share ideas they have with me, and I will get a good feel for projects the village is probably most likely to pretend to be interested in (because they don't want to tell me I have a bad idea...such as trying a new crop), as opposed to ideas they will actually be interested in (because they know many people in the community will benefit from it...such as when we had a training/demonstration to make a mosquito repellant cream by boiling local leaves.)

Once the sun starts setting, I wrap up my conversing and head to the football (soccer) field to meet up with the local guys and either train or play against the guys from a neighboring village.

Once the sun sets I head back to my hut and my host family. I will usually spend the evening just hanging out with them, chatting about stuff we did during the day, or projects coming up. I usually ask alot of questions to try to have a better understanding of what's going on, such as holidays and special events.

But, some afternoons, if it's just too hot to be out wandering or if I want to have more "down" time, I usually read. I probably get through about a book a week, and I had a great time reading the entire Harry Potter series with practically no interruption, and no waiting for the next book to come out!

I also hang out with the little kids. They teach me games and songs, and I teach them the alphabet and stuff like that. I usually just end up getting laughed at, but we always have a good time.

"Best and worst part of what you do?"

Best would be getting to build relationships and friendships with the people in my community.
Worst is probably the overall climate. During April and May the temperatures will get to be about 130-140F, with humidity, and that is just very, very unpleasant.

"Is being in Gambia lonely?"

No. Sometimes I practically crave interraction with other Peace Corps volunteers so that I can have a conversation purely in English, and at a level I am more accustomed to. But I wouldn't say that I am ever really lonely. As far as that goes, I've never really been homesick either.

One big reason may be because I have a dog named Khiva. She is a GREAT friend to me, always keeps me up-beet and enjoying the moment. It's completely against the norm for Gambians to have dogs as a pet, so it has been a great experience for me to teach them how to treat a dog as a friend, and not just an animal. She has been a great asset to my time here, and it's probably thanks to her that I enjoy it so much, even on the down days.

"Do Gambian people have traditional clothes or do they dress "like us"?"

For the most part, they have traditional clothes. I encourage you to check out the pictures on my blog (the "My Pictures" link) to get a good feel for the kinds of clothes they wear. Most of the fabric they wear is imported, but the styles for the clothing are done by local tailors. Almost each town, no matter how small, has a tailor who can sew the traditional clothing for men and women.

On the flip side, it is becoming more and more popular to wear "American" clothes. It is really easy to find knock-off soccer jerseys, and what basically amounts to iron-on shirts with pictures of people like Britney Spears, 50 Cent, M & M, and the Dixie Chicks. Something I've noticed alot of but don't fully understand the process of is that apparently the clothes that gets donated to places like Goodwill eventually end up getting sold by local "store owners" here to the Gambian people at rather expensive prices, as they make a business out of "dressing American."

As far as answering questions directly about the culture and Peace Corps experience, I'm going to need to put a bit more thought into how I answer those so that I can relay a full answer without writing a book. But I really do encourage you to check out stories and pictures on my blog, which help relay character-building experiences I've had and different things I've learned about the culture and way of life here. There's a ton on my blog, so even if you just skim through the different months you should be able to come across a few things here and there that help answer those questions. And quite honestly, those are questions I'm still learning the answer to, day-by-day.

"Are you interested in continuing your volunteer work in Africa after you finish this time in Gambia?"

My service in the Peace Corps ends at the end of November, 2009. I'm interested in going to graduate school to study "conflict and security resolution" or "state-building." And I'm also still interested in going to law school. (preferably at the same time) But before I continue to graduate school I'd like to work for a year or so on a refugee camp, learning about refugee camp management. This is an area/field I have a great interest, but would like to get some first-hand experience in before I head back to school. Down the road I would like to work with running the day-to-day logistics of refugee camps and resettlement projects, specifcally in Middle Eastern and North-African countries.

Thanks for your questions! I hope these answers help you get a better understanding of the work I'm doing and the life I live here.

Thanks again! Until next time, take care.
Mark Strohbehnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-49905357399881912092009-02-02T09:53:00.000-08:002009-02-02T10:34:37.196-08:00Ready to Hit the Ground Running...Hey Everyone!

Well, I'm glad to be back in Gambia and get this last year of service underway. I've been enjoying this first week back visiting some friends, attending some meetings and just kind of getting my bearings straight again and back in "Gambian" mode before I head up to Chargel later this week.

I can honestly say it's nice to be back in Gambia. Not only is the weather fantastic right now (in the mid 80s each day), but I really do enjoy the people and my way of life here, and it's exciting to think of how much I would like to get done during this down-hill slope of my service.

Throughout the rest of my service I will most likely be focusing on working with Chargel's women's groups, continuing to promote bee-keeping with men in my area and helping out (where possible) at the school. I'm also a part of a nation-wide program promoting schools to plant trees (fruit orchards and such) through "The Gambia All-Schools Tree Nursery Competition." It's a fun initiative that I'm happy to be a part of.

Of course other projects and ideas will come up along the way, but as I'm now looking to see what I can take from my first year of service to help it become sustainable through when I'm gone, it appears that focusing on these projects and ideas will be the best areas for me to promote through these last 9ish months.

Another fun project I've just picked up is connecting with a class back in the U.S. who is now a part of the "Coverdell World Wise Schools Program" (CWWSP)

Basically, this means I now have a class I am officially  pen-pals with. I happen to be paired with a class of high school students from Illinois. Apparently the class had a special awareness program last fall to bring attention to the rest of the school's students about the on-going crisis in Darfur, Sudan. After their awareness-program they decided they wanted to connect with a Peace Corps volunteer serving in Africa in order to learn a bit more about the culture, lifestyle, hardship, etc... currently going on in Africa. And I'm very pleased to have this new school connection as a great outlet to help share the experiences and lessons I've learned during my time here in Gambia.

One of the main ways I can connect with the students and help them understand the way of life here for Gambians and myself is obviously through sharing questions and answers back-and-forth via email. Additionally, whenever possible, I will go ahead and post their questions and my answers on this blog, in addition to what I send them via email. It just seems appropriate that you might also be thinking of the same kind of questions. And it's a great way for me to keep this blog updated with new stuff, and not just continuous rundowns on what I'm up to from day-to-day.

I hope the winter weather is treating you well, and until next time, enjoy!Mark Strohbehnhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-79025043536566904442009-01-24T19:43:00.000-08:002009-01-24T19:45:37.349-08:00Hey Avid Readers...

I've had a great time back in the States for my "Christmas" vacation, but now it's time to head back to work...to Gambia.

This has been a great break and change of pace, getting the opportunity to see so many family members and friends, and getting to talk to so many people over the phone, IM, email and even facebook chat. (which I didn't even know existed until I got back for Christmas!) And I'm sorry I wasn't able to get in contact with everyone I was hoping to. But please be sure that it wasn't a matter of me not wanting to catch up, but just simply the constant issue of too much to do and too little time.

I'm glad to see and hear that so many of you are enjoying where you are, and the places you have been blessed to call home, work and life. I was pleased to get to see a few friends I hadn't expected to see, but then also thrown off when weather prevented me from getting to visit South Dakota as I had originally planned and hoped for. Nevertheless, it's a blessing to have friends who you can go for months, even over a year without seing, but then when you do get back together it's as if we were hanging out just last weekend. And I'm truly blessed to have so many friends who I can share that closeness of friendship with.

I'm glad I was able to clarify some questions, share some stories and even vent a little bit in the atmosphere of family and friends. The food has been great, and just getting to relax (and sleep in without the morning noises of donkeys and chickens at 5am) has been truly refreshing. But now, well over half-way through my service, I'm excited to get back. I'm blessed to also call so many people in Gambia my friends, and I look forward to getting to spend these next 9 or so months back with them. And who am I kidding...I really miss Khiva! I know the time will pass all-too-quickly, and before I know it I will once again be looking for gainful employment. But I also hope to cherrish these next months and the experiences (fun and character building) that I have.

I will continue to keep this blog updated with stories, pictures and movie clips (with a new camera that has NOT been dropped in a river or have the sound of sand rattling around when I move the zoom in and out).

So I will be flying out from DesMoines at 5:45am on Sunday the 25th of January, but I'll be back soon enough around Thanksgiving this fall. I don't have to tell this croud how quickly that time will actually go by.

Thanks again for all the support and prayers you offer. I'm having the time of my life, and hope that you are able to experience even just a bit of the experience I'm blessed to have through my stories, pictures and video clips.

And please, keep the emails and letters coming. It's always great to get YOUR updates!

Until next time, best wishes and take care!Mark Strohbehnhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-2621604654444601642008-11-29T17:24:00.001-08:002008-11-29T19:15:16.305-08:00Guinea: An Unforgetable West-African AdventureNovember 10th I set out from Basse with five good friends as we rented out a car and a driver and excitedly started our 28 hour(ish) drive to our destination of Dukie, Guinea. Five full days of hiking, waterfalls, a good time with friends and a well-deserved break from Gambia lie ahead!

 50 hours later, with still no definate end to our drive in sight, but with tempers reaching a critical point, emotions running high, a driver ready to abandon us, hundreds of kilometers of never-ending craters...generously called a road, and a group of 6 young travelers ready to abandon the driver, --- the journey had certainly become what I like to call, simply, memorable.

 In respect to you, my devout readers, I will not delve into what could be the equivalent of a 25-page, day-to-day play-by-play of what was truly an adventure, full of random twists and turns, and enough 11th hour revelations to fill a John Grisham book. But it is worth pointing out the more lively points of our memorable "vacation." (Come to think of it, even traveling with the Griswalds coundn't have been more interesting.)

(DISCLAIMER: To all those wishing or planning to visit Guinea, your vacation does NOT have to be like this. No no. This trip was certainly unique...in so many respects. Yet unfortunately not all THAT unique...since, after all, this is West Africa. So then again, maybe this disclaimer doesn't really have any merit to it after all.)

*We get off to a great start, leaving the parking lot with the wind (and dust) in our faces!

*2 hours in we had our first (of many) break-downs.

*Immigration officials are great a wasting time and power-tripping.

*The first day in the car goes by really well. We are all fresh, excited and think the driver knows where he is supposed to be taking us. (That assumption, that just because the driver SAID they knew where we wanted to go and how to get there, and we believed him, was our first great mistake.)

*We try sleeping as the driver pushes through the night, but on a "road" with more craters than the moon. Sleeping is met unsuccessfully.

*Surprise! The car is infested with cockroaches!

*The sun rises to reveal we are at a ferry crossing. After a cup of roadside coffee, we are excited to keep moving. "Hiking by sunset" is on our minds.

*We enter Guinea and it's GORGEOUS!! The first forests, and yes, even mountains we have seen in over a year!

*We stop to refuel (our stomachs and the gas tank) in the city of Labe. It's fun to get to speak Pulaar outside Gambia. There's a definate dialect, but we get by alright for our own needs.

*While in Labe, an elderly woman who was either extremely enthusiastic or, well... anyway, she was covered in small placards and buttons with pictures of Barack Obama and she gave us all multiple hugs... before begging us for money.

*As the sun is setting and we approach our FIRST 28 hours in the car, the forested mountains turn into rolling plains.

*At about 10pm the driver told us we were there... to Tugay. Too bad we should habe been to DUKEY about 4 hours ago.

*We somehow manage to come across Robert, the one man in Tugay who can speak English enough to help us convey to the driver our problem of Tugay vs. Dukey.

*Spent the night in a random hotel. No light, water or food. But don't worry, plenty of cockroaches to cuddle with.

*Off to another good start, sure that THIS TIME the driver knew where to take us. We were so naieve...

*2pm rolls around and we reach the PROVINCE/DISTRICT of DUNKEY. Again, NOT the TOWN of DUKEY.

*Somehow this too is "peacefully" resolved and we reach Dukey that evening around 8, after a mere 56 (yes, fifty-six) hours on the road. (Not that we were counting by then any more. It just wasn't fun to keep adding hours after 28 of them had already passed...apparently in the wrong direction.)

*The lodge, run by a great guy named Hassan Bah, is awesome and gorgeous! Truly postcard picturesque.

*Short hikes. Long hikes. Absolutely gorgeous hikes!

*Great Guinean food!

*Good times with friends surrounded by truly awesome scenery.

*Swimming under waterfalls in fresh water springs.

*Relaxing in natural whirlpools.

*Picking and eating oranges right off the trees.

*Oh yeah, one of the tour guides tries hitting on two of the young women in our group. (You can escape Gambia, but not West Africa.)

*Nice, lazy afternoons lounging, reading and sleeping in hammocks.

*Good weather.

*Good health.

*Great hikes!

*Push my limits with my fear of heights.

*Fear of heights NOT successfully overcome.

*Rock climbing.

*Vine swinging.

*Dropped my camera in the stream while vine swinging on our last hike. Memory card is alright. Might be time for a new camera though... (one where you can't hear sand moving around when you bring the zoom in and out)

*Met some fun, recently completed Peace Corps Volunteers from Togo and Morocco.

*Decided not to follow in their footsteps of backpacking West Africa upon completion of my two years of service.

*Our drive ACTUALLY came back to get us at the scheduled time! (We had been wondering over the days if he would actually come back and spend another 28... or 56 hours with us.)

*Another bumpy ride.

*Immigration officials still power-tripping.

But a mere 28 hours later we were back in Basse, Gambia! (Boy does time fly by when it's not 56!) (Over an entire "work-week" spent sitting in a car... just on the way there.)

It truly was a great trip. Not everything went according to plan, but really, what does in West Africa? Surely we could have planned better. Maybe we could have/ should have even brought along a map of Guinea to refrence. (Yeah, my dad and aunt Janis are going to literally rake me over the coals for not having a map of the hundreds of kilometers of roads we were traveling.)

But it was fun and memorable! A truly "once-in-a-lifetime" adventure. Except of course for next summer when I plan to take a similar trip for backpacking and hiking in Mali...with a map of Mali. I know, I'm just asking for it.

But for the record, I never lost my temper or composure on the trip. I'm not saying anyone did, just that I, personally, did not. On the contrary, I was the perpetual optimist! (not always appreciated) But I was well stocked with candy, pixie-sticks, fruit-roll-ups, gummy candies and countdown-callendar "Bush-isms" to help keep the mood light, tempers at bay, and a mellowing sugar coma all around.

So the trip wasn't exactly smooth (quite literally!), or even slightly predictable. But it really was a ALOT of fun. But oddly enough, I was glad to be back in Gambia when it was over. Flat, bland, "give me mintie" Gambia. It's somehow refreshing to be back. To be back "home." I guess my heart is really in it here.Mark Strohbehnhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1549055092317132750.post-58887698403603533072008-11-04T10:49:00.001-08:002008-11-04T11:54:18.710-08:00'Tis the Season...For Elections...Hey Everyone!

I am in town for the election and thought you might enjoy a quick update with my life as of late.

First and foremost, Khiva is still doing well. She has gotten quite big (thanks in part to many dog treats that have made it over here in gift-packages). She's my baby, and she's doing fine.

I'm also doing really well! I'm excited to be going to Guinea this weekend! I am going with 5 friends. We will leave from the town of Basse at the very eastern edge of Gambia, and hopefully reach the place we're staying after about a 36hour car ride... a long, bumpy car ride. We will be there for about 6 days, mostly spending our time hiking and swimming. I mean, it's not easy to hike all day through mountains and jungles and then go swimming in natural streams and waterfalls... but someone has to do it. I'm really excited to finally have a bit of a vacation. Actually, this will be my first real vacation since coming to Gambia over a year ago! I mean, trips into Kombo and to the beach are nice, but I'm still in the perpetual Peace Corps fish-bowl. This will just be a nice break.

After I get back from Guinea I will be mainly just hanging out in village until Thanksgiving, when I will be coming back to Kombo for the annual all-volunteer conference. That should only just last about two days. Then in early December I will be helping out a bit with training the new Ag-Fo and Health volunteers! They get in on the 6th of this month, but I won't really be working with their training until December. I think I will be discussing local farming practices with them. Mainly I will be helping them try to gain a good understanding of what to expect before they get to village in terms of how their host-families and communities approach farming, and also help them think about some ways where maybe they can work to improve farming practices during the next planting season, such as inter-cropping, as well as ideas for fertilizers and pesticides. Kind of crazy that I'm now in the older group. It's been odd to see the volunteers from the year ahead of me packing up and getting ready to go back to the States. Time really does go by quickly!

And I can honestly say that over these past few months I've reached an appreciation and enjoyment with my service here that I didn't actually think possible. I'm not just enjoying it as an interesting and educational experience, or as a great way to get overseas experience. But I'm actually really loving it here. The relationships and friendships I have been fortunate to build with the people around me is unexplainably refreshing and rewarding. You can be sure that not every day is "great," but I truly am having a great time. I'm having the time of my life and truly loving it here.

Last week we had a bee-keeping training in my village. The main focus was on building sustainable bee-hives out of grasses and other local materials. We also spent quite a bit of time discussing the life-style of bees, trying to help them gain an understanding of bee communities and how they work. There were about 30 people who attended from about 8 different villages. In the coming months it will be their responsibility to actually build bee-hives, bait them and set them out in areas likely to attract bees. In a few months time we will have a follow-up training to discuss harvesting, processing and marketing.

(Bah-Fodi using his new training to make a grass bee-hive.)

I'm really excited about the potential for this project. It's something I think the people in my area could really get into, and really benefit from. Check out my pictures for more shots from the training!

With the corn, coos and rice harvested, now all that's left is the groundnuts. This year's rainy season was pretty good. (Even a bit longer than expected.) So now we have been using the mornings to plow up the groundnuts and group them. Next we will thrash them to seperate the nuts from the hay. Then we will collect the nuts for eating/selling, and then collect the groundnut hay for the horses and donkeys to eat through the dry season. The whole process is a bit labor-intensive and will finally finish up mid-December.

Mid-December will be their Tobaski holiday again, which will be fun to celebrate once more. And shortly after that I will be heading up to Dakar to fly back! Several of us are going up to Dakar on the 22nd. Two of us are flying back to the States, and the others just think it sounds more fun to celebrate Christmas in a different place for a nice change. It should be a fun few days!

Then (weather permitting) I should be home for Christmas! I'm sure it will be a bit of a whirlwind during the first few days, but as long as there is coffee I should be ok!

Oh, and a fun random story. Just about a week ago I came back to my compound around 10pm after spending some time chatting with some friends in village. When I walked in I thought it was funny that a bunch of people were walking around the compound garden area with flashlights. I knew something exciting must be going on, and I was pretty sure what it was. To my un-surprise, Lawo had spotted a snake moving around in the compound. A BIG snake! Of course I jumped into the action with my flashlight and machete, scouting out the perimiter of the garden, looking for anything resembling a big snake.

There were about 10 of us looking around until about midnight, but with none of us seing anything, we were pretty sure it was too scared to come out of the garden area. So, figuring we had it trapped, we left the dogs to keep scouting around the garden and went to bed. The next morning we went back to work, trying to find the snake. I asked Lawo how he could be sure it didn't leave during the night, and he explained to me that the snake was coming to try to eat the chickens or ducks, and wouldn't give up too easily. And he was right! Just a little bit later one of the guys scouting the garden fence saw it. The guys jumped into action, and shortly after the snake, which turned out to be a python, wasn't a threat to the chickens or ducks any longer.

It was a fun experience to be a part of. Truly a "Peace Corps West Africa" memory in the making! (And mom, now you don't have to be afraid of snakes around my compound, because we got rid of it!)

Well, that said I should probably get going. But yeah, in a nut-shell: promoting bee-keeping, python in the compound, Obama '08!, Guinea, Thanksgiving, groundnut harvesting, Tobaski and then I'll be home for Christmas!!

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the November weather. It has been cooling down here, too. We are getting closer back into the cold season. It's getting down into the 70s at night. And yes, I've started wearing jeans and long-sleeved shirts when it drops down into the 70s. So this year I'll probably be huddling around the fire with everyone else. And the Iowa December weather may be a bit of a shock!

I hope this finds you all doing well. Until next time, take care!Mark Strohbehnhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com