on gambian ground

I'm here! I'm here! Amazing that I am connected already – first skype calls to family successful and now time to update the blog. After 43 hours in transit from Alaska, I have now officially been in The Gambia longer than I was traveling. Ironically, flying over Africa was much like flying over Alaska, with huge expanses of landscape that let you appreciate the amazing contours of the earth. Our flight path took us over Morocco near the Atlantic coast, then more inland as we cut down to Senegal and The Gambia. Because my flight was delayed I arrived after dark, so not much was visible by night since electricity is scarce. In fact, we were quite close to the ground before any evidence of an airport was visible. The runway was lit with dim blue LED lights and the pilot did such a buttery landing that I had to let out a WOW at the experience of landing so quietly in virtual darkness.

back of my house with papaya tree

Walking down the steps from the plane I was greeted with a dry 80 degrees at 9pm and a cool, strong breeze that had most people in extra layers. Nice! My airport pick-up arrived just in time to thrust a heavily stamped and signed document to immigration officials just as I passed through the corridor, so I had a smooth entry. The drive to Fajara is a bit of a blur since I was operating on just a few cat naps over 48 hours... but my house was ready and once they flipped on the generator, she powered up nicely for an air-conditioned first night's sleep. Had it not been for five new mosquito bites every hour I might have slept, but now that I've got my net, things are definitely better and the cool nights don't even need air-conditioning. But that will all change soon, as this is the end of the “winter” dry season and I can look forward to serious heat and humidity by May.

my first dinner - salad from the garden!

My first day I slept in, had lunch with one of my colleagues, learned to drive (no cows or goats were injured during this exercise), and met a bunch of co-workers at the office. Everyone I meet is incredibly nice and happy to welcome me to their country. Since there's far too much to report for this 'little' blog entry, I'll just start with the roads. On the major roads, there's just enough asphalt for two cars to pass (in most places), with severe shoulder drop-offs into red sand (sometimes quite cliff-like). Livestock roam free, security road stops are common, and cars do exactly what they want, with many head-on challenges, but speeds are generally low enough to avoid collision. Side roads (where I live) are deep red sand with routes defined largely by walls bordering living compounds. The first stop light in The Gambia (no, not the only one, as previously thought) is between me and the office. On my first approach I was a bit confused what to do since none of the three lights were lit. Everyone else seemed to know what to do, so as I prepared to just do what the car in front of me did, I was told to look low down to the right at a mini signal, like a walk signal, which actually had a green light on it. The big light doesn't work. Okay, now I know where to look for the light, but I'm learning all the other driving habits by the seat of my pants – I catch myself holding my breath on left turns!

Friday night (still my first day) I was pretty beat and needing a real sleep, so had my jammies on at 8:30 when there was a knock at the door. A former PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer), now teacher, brought me a cake and invited me to come out with her and another teacher colleague from the embassy school to a concert at the Alliance franco-gambienne. Sweet! – music on my first night! There were two bands from Senegal: Jac et le Takeifa (Jac & Tak) and another more traditional trio that opened for them who I really liked. The venue is like a cultural center with outdoor amphitheater and cafe. Pretty impressive sound, lights, etc, considering electricity issues that everyone faces. I'm feeling pretty lucky to have such a perfect first evening out – which also included my first JulBrew (Banjul's very own beer).

As this turns into a long novel, I should probably save some for another day... yesterday was relaxed, as I learned where to buy food, explored the Bikau craft market and had a nice early dinner at Cape Point under a bantaba with the beach on one side, a huge baobab tree (with tree house) on the other, and plenty of new bird calls to keep me guessing. This is an amazing place!