The Gambia

Last thursday, I joined the other 7,500 or so Peace Corps volunteers worldwide. I arrived with 23 other Environment volunteers in The Gambia where we will spend the next two years of our lives. We left NYC Wednesday night, had a lay over in Brussels, and a quick stop in Dakar, Senegal. Flying into The Gambia, we flew over the capital, Banjul, and landed at the Banjul International airport which is outside the city in the area known as Kombo. We are staying in Kombo for ten days, until Friday. We are about a thirty minute walk from the beach and in dormitory style rooms with a roommate. The compound has flush toilets and showers, but the electricity sometimes goes out and the water pressure decreases about once a day.

The first thing I noticed flying over The Gambia was how green it was. We are at the end of the rainy season (June through October) which could be the main reason for all the lush vegetation. I expected the area to be drier, but maybe by the end of the dry season most plants will die. It is around 90 degrees here, but the humidity is probably around 100 percent. My shirt gets soaked when I walk around, and for the most part, I am constantly sweating.

The Peace Corps has kept us extremely busy with sessions about language, health, security, and culture. It seems like we have been here a lot longer than four days. We have started to visit some areas around the city and will have the opportunity of visiting places such as the market to learn how to barter ( I need lessons because I am no good at it) and the capital.

I will be training for the next three months, and my internet time will be extremely limited because on Friday I am leaving for my training village where I will not have internet access. It looks like I will be writing paper letters for the next 8 or 9 weeks until I come back to the capital area.