TODAY MARKS TWO YEARS SINCE MY FEET FIRST TOUCHED THE GAMBIA!
AND I HAVE NOT BLOGGED AT ALL MY SECOND YEAR.
DURING PRE-SERVICE TRAINING I DREW OUT A LARGE MIND MAP OF MY GOALS FOR MY SERVICE. I HUNG IT UP IN MY HOUSE AND I HAVE LOOKED AT IT EVERY DAY (10/10 RECOMMEND DRAWING MIND MAPS FOR ANY SEASON OF YOUR LIFE). ONE OF THE PERSONAL GOALS I HAD WRITTEN UNDER “FREE TIME” WAS TO BE CONSISTENT WITH MY BLOGGING. IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR ME TO WRITE ABOUT AS MUCH OF MY EXPERIENCE AS I COULD SO I COULD REMEMBER MY JOURNEY AND I COULD DEVELOP A BETTER WRITING PRACTICE. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH MYSELF TO HAVE NOT KEPT TRUE TO THAT GOAL. I COULD GIVE ALL THE CLASSIC (100% ACCURATE) EXCUSES OF CONSTANT POWER OUTAGES, TERRIBLE WIFI CONNECTIONS AND SPORADIC OBLIGATIONS HERE IN VILLAGE AND IN THE CITY. THE TRUTH IS ALSO THAT SERVICE IS WONDERFUL AND BUSY AND AN ADVENTURE. AND IT IS HARD. MANY THINGS CAN BE TRUE AT THE SAME TIME.
THIS YEAR HAS TRULY FLOWN BY AND THERE IS HONESTLY TOO MUCH TO CATCH UP ON. BUT I WANT TO START WITH THIS TIME LAST YEAR. LAST OCTOBER PEACE CORPS THE GAMBIA STAFF MOVED INTO A HUGE, NEWLY-BUILT OFFICE IN BIJILO. FOR DECADES THE OLD PEACE CORPS OFFICE WAS LOCATED ON KAIRABA AVENUE NEXT TO THE AMERICAN EMBASSY. ALTHOUGH THAT SOUNDS SNAZZY, THINK DUST AND OLD FURNITURE.
I THINK THE NEW OFFICE LOOKS LIKE A CRUISE SHIP. IT IS HUGE AND MODERN AND VERY WHITE. THE DMO CALLED ME ONE DAY AND ASKED IF I WOULD COME PAINT A MURAL TO GIVE THE NEW PLACE MORE COLOR TO WELCOME THE VISIT OF PEACE CORPS DIRECTOR CAROL SPAHN IN DECEMBER. GIVEN FULL CREATIVE LIBERTY AND CONSIDERING ALL THE THINGS I COULD PAINT ON THE NEW PEACE CORPS OFFICE WALL, IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME TO SOMEHOW TIE IN THE MAGIC AND CULTURE OF THE GAMBIA AND THE IDENTITY AND SPIRIT OF THE PEACE CORPS. THE MOST GLARING AND OBVIOUS ANSWER WAS IN THE WORD “PEACE”. THERE ARE MANY LANGUAGES SPOKEN HERE IN THE GAMBIA. I SPEAK MANDINKA, BUT I KNOW A LITTLE BIT OF WOLOF AND FULA. ONE OF THE MANY THINGS THAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS COUNTRY IS THAT PEOPLE IN ALL LANGUAGES GREET EACH OTHER BY ASKING “ARE YOU AT PEACE?” AND ALL PEOPLE RESPOND WITH SAYING “PEACE ONLY”.
IN MANDINKA “PEACE ONLY” IS KAIRA DORONG. IN WOLOF “PEACE ONLY” IS JAMMA REK. IN FULA “PEACE ONLY” IS JAM TAN.
IT IS INSPIRING TO ME THAT OUT OF ALL THE WAYS TO GREET SOMEONE AND OUT OF ALL THE QUESTIONS TO ASK SOMEONE, CONSIDERING A PERSON’S PEACE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT. IT MAKES ME THINK ABOUT PASSING SOMEONE IN THE GROCERY STORE IN AMERICA AND INSTEAD OF HITTING THEM WITH “HEY, HOW ARE YOU?” YOU ASK THEM “ARE YOU AT PEACE?” WOULD THE WORLD BE JUST A LITTLE BETTER IF WE DID? ALSO, IT FASCINATES ME THAT THE RESPONSE IS “PEACE ONLY”. WHY IS THE RESPONSE NOT “YES I AM AT PEACE” OR “PEACE IS HERE”? “PEACE ONLY” IS JUST SUCH A SIMPLE YET IMPACTFUL ANSWER. AGAIN, IF ENGLISH SPEAKERS STARTED SAYING “PEACE ONLY”, WOULD THERE BE MORE PEACE? IN THE BEGINNING OF MY SERVICE I WOULD ASK PEOPLE WHAT THEY THOUGHT ABOUT THIS DISTINCTION AND MOST DIDN’T CARE MUCH OR SAID THAT THAT IS JUST HOW THINGS ARE. BUT I THINK ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME.
ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL LINGUISTIC NUANCE HERE THAT I FIND AMAZING IS THAT THE RESPONSE TO “HOW ARE YOU?” IS “I AM HERE” OR “I AM HERE ONLY”. ENGLISH SPEAKERS IN AMERICA USUALLY ANSWER A QUALITATIVE QUESTION OF “HOW?” WITH A QUALITATIVE ANSWER SUCH AS “GOOD” OR “DOING WELL”. BUT IN MANDINKA, WE DON’T ANSWER THE QUALITATIVE QUESTION OF “HOW?” WITH A QUALITATIVE ANSWER. A “HOW” IS MET WITH A “WHERE”. I AM HERE. I AM HERE ONLY. THIS REALLY BLEW MY MIND WHEN I FIRST GOT TO THE COUNTRY AND MUCH TO MY HUSBAND’S DISPLEASURE I FREQUENTLY REPLY “I AM HERE ONLY” IN RESPONSE TO AN ENGLISH “HOW ARE YA?”
BUT BACK TO “PEACE ONLY”. IT WAS THE PERFECT REFERENCE TO GAMBIAN CULTURE WHILE ALSO USING THE PEACE CORPS NAME AND FONT TO TIE THE GAMBIA AND THE PEACE CORPS TOGETHER IN MY MURAL. THE WHITE TRANSITIONING STARS COME FROM AN OLD LOGO WHICH I INCORPORATED WITH THE WHITE DOVE FROM THE CURRENT LOGO. THE PINKISH LEAVES WERE AN ODE TO THE OLD OFFICE FACADE WHICH WAS LOVINGLY OVERGROWN WITH THIS PLANT. AFTER THE “PEACE ONLY” MURAL WAS COMPLETE, I WANTED TO DEPICT A LANDSCAPE THAT WOULD SHOWCASE GAMBIA’S ICONIC BAOBAB AND PALM TREES, RICH BIRD POPULATION AND THE EVERYDAY SACRED OBJECTS YOU SEE IN EVERY FAMILY COMPOUND.
MATS ARE USED EVERYWHERE HERE. THEY ARE NOT BORING MATS EITHER. THEY COME IN VIBRANT PATTERNS OF PLASTIC WOVEN MATERIAL IN ALL SIZES BIG AND SMALL. THEY ARE USED TO SIT ON DURING EID CELEBRATIONS, TO PRAY ON OVER THE BENTENGO, TO SLEEP ON UNDER A MANGO TREE AFTER EATING TOO MUCH DOMODA, TO LAY ON TO GOSSIP AND DRINK ATTAYA. PEOPLE HERE DO NOT STAY INSIDE THEIR HOMES ALL DAY. PEOPLE CHOOSE TO DO MOST THINGS OUTSIDE, THEY JUST GRAB THEIR MATS AND LAY IT DOWN UNDER THE SHADE OF A TREE. THE FIRST CALL TO PRAYER IS HEARD LOUDLY AROUND DAWN EVERY MORNING. USUALLY PEOPLE GET UP TO PRAY AND THEN START THEIR CHORES OR START THEIR WORK TASKS. WOMEN SWEEP THE COMPOUND AND PREPARE BREAKFAST AND THE MEN BREW ATTAYA AND GO TO WORK. THE SECOND PRAYER IS AROUND AFTERNOON, THE THIRD PRAYER IS AROUND EVENING, THE FOURTH PRAYER IS AROUND SUNSET AND THE FIFTH PRAYER IS AROUND NIGHTTIME. THE GAMBIA IS A MUSLIM-MAJORITY COUNTRY WITH OVER 95% OF THE POPULATION PRACTICING ISLAM. MUSLIMS ARE REQUIRED TO PERFORM A WASHING RITUAL OR ABLUTION BEFORE EVERY ONE OF THE FIVE DAILY PRAYERS. THERE ARE TAPS AT THE MOSQUE FOR PEOPLE TO WASH BUT MOST PEOPLE WHO PRAY AT HOME USE PLASTIC KETTLES FULL OF WATER TO WASH. WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN THE VILLAGES USE THEIR RIGHT HANDS TO EAT RICE, THEREFORE THESE KETTLES ARE ALSO USED TO WASH HANDS BEFORE AND AFTER EATING. KETTLES ARE USED EVERYWHERE HERE. THEY ARE FOUND IN EVERY HOME, OFFICE AND PUBLIC SPACE.
THE MAT AND THE KETTLE HAVE BECOME SACRED TO ME DURING MY SERVICE. I USE A KETTLE EVERY DAY TO WASH MY HANDS BEFORE AND AFTER EVERY MEAL AND I USE A MAT EVERY DAY TO REST, TO DRINK COFFEE, TO BRAID HAIR, TO HELP MY SIBLINGS STUDY, TO DRAW, TO FOLD CLOTHES, TO READ, TO EAT, TO CHITCHAT, TO PLAY GAMES, TO HOLD BABIES, TO WORK, TO SLEEP, TO MAKE BRACELETS, TO JUST BE. TO BE HERE. TO BE HERE ONLY.
MY LANDSCAPE MURAL WAS MEANT TO DEPICT THE WARMTH, THE SACRED, THE WELCOMING, THE LAID-BACK, THE NATURE AND THE PEACE OF THE GAMBIA. THERE IS PEACE HERE. PEACE ONLY.