A Gambian Wedding

so i typed this whole thing yesterday and it was super long (you'll see by the end). and then when i tried to publish it the internet died. and the entry didn't save. yay my life. so here we go again.

Friday afternoon i went on a quest for the Omega church that christian had told me about. i got lost a few times, and finally found some kids who were really excited to show me where it was. they held my hand and ran through the glass-strewn streets barefoot to show me the church. it was closed, but i took down the number. when i got home a boy came over with a backpack full of clothes, and we went shopping. we took shirts to our rooms to try them on. i bought 2 shirts for D25 ($1) each. sweet deal. then i was told that the next day we would be going to jarry's village for the weekend.

saturday was cleaning day. i woke up at 9:30 to the sound of voices and silent roads. it was very nice. jarry told me we were leaving at one. i got in my africans, and we left at 4. mr gaye and his friend drove us to westfield where we got a van to banjul and a taxi to the ferry. we paid and sat on a bench outside. a guy came over and sat down to talk to us/sell us stuff. he asked jarry if i was married and she said no. then he asked me if i was married and i said yes. our conversation went like this:
-do you have a husband?
-yes
-do you have a child?
-yes
-boy or girl?
-girl
-what's her name?
-maya
maya's my friend who's currently in india right now. needless to say, he didn't bother us anymore. finally the ferry arrived and we pushed our way onto it. mr jain, jarry's teacher, joined us. we stood on the upper deck facing the lower bank and had a great talk about american politics, obama, the economy, and education. he's very intelligent, and it was really fun to talk to him. 45 minutes later the ferry docked, and we pushed our way off. we were diverted to a new cab lot after we bottlenecked our way through the exit gate. we parted ways with mr jain and went to find a van. one was full, so we were the first ones in a second van. we sat in the front with all of our stuff. jarry gave a boy money to buy bread. he was gone for a long time, and we were afraid that he had run off with her money. but he came back eventually with three loaves. the van filled up and we left. we drove about 30 minutes and got out at the village.

the first thing i noticed was the quiet. it was only broken by the sounds of birdsong and braying. we walked on a small path past jarry's old school. then we came to a clearing under some mango trees with some boys sitting around a fire. night was just starting to fall. we arrived at jarry's compound. i was struck by the simplicity of it. a small building made of mud with a tin roof and a tin door. down the side was a large crack. in front of the house was a mango tree, and next to that were the remnants of what i was told was their kitchen. the doorway was still intact, but the four walls looked like they were melting dry mud. apparently that happened last rainy season. next to the house was a large unfinished building made of cement. jarry informed me that they were building a new compound before the next rainy season.

i walked inside and the dark clay enclosed around me. cutting the house in half, lengthwise, was a mud wall. the front room stretched from one side of the house to the other. standing in the doorway, to my immediate left was a bed that took up the entire side of the house, from one wall to the dividing wall. to my right was a table piled with pots next to a side door. the back room was split into two bedrooms. there were two doorways with curtains as doors. each room had one queen-sized bed that took up pretty much the entire room. there are nine people in jarry's family. she has a mom and dad and 4 brothers and 2 sisters. her mom and two sisters sleep in the bed in the main room. her dad and brother sleep in one of the bedrooms. and jarry and another brother sleep in the other bedroom. jarry and i slept in that room. two of her brothers sleep in another compound alltogether. in our room, next to the bed, was a large clay pot covered with a plate and cup. their drinking water. i put my stuff down and went to the bathroom. it was a clearing right outside enclosed by reed walls. you squat (or stand) in a corner to pee. if you have to poo, you go to another clearing farther away from the house.

then jarry's mother told us that one of jarry's schoolmates was getting married in a nearby village. i grabbed my camera, and we were off! jarry told me it was a long way away. we crossed the main road and found two boys on a cart driven by two bulls. we hitched a ride to the village, which was really far away. when we got there it was the time of night when the light is just leaving, and everything seems surreal. we walked into a crowd of hundreds of people, mostly women and children. we greeted jarry's friends, and sat behind the drums, which were amazing. the drummers' hands were blurs, and their heads and faces kept time with the music. there was an opening in the crowd, and across from me was a small table where the bride sat. she was wearing a light pink shirt and long skirt, a diamond necklace with matching earrings, and long white gloves. her hair and make-up were done up, and she was beautiful. the crowd was mostly women and children because the groom and his party were celebrating over in another compound. a lot of people were wearing the same fabrics, and jarry's friend told me that they are part of the same family group or village.

and the dancing. oh the dancing. the drums never ceased, and women just came into the middle of the circle one by one and felt the music with their bodies. i don't even know how to describe it (but don't worry. i have videos). limbs and fabric flailed as they pulsed and moved with the music. it was absolutely incredible to watch. around 9 we went to jarry's friend's house for food. we sat in the main room (half was taken up by a bed). and talked and i took pictures. then the host brought out two large plates of chicken and rice, and one large plate of sweet porridge and sour milk. we sat around the floor and ate with our hands. when i was almost full they started talking about dinner. i said, "wait. isn't this dinner?" they said, "no it's lunch." go figure. so i stopped eating. they were gonna have dinner in a few hours.

after "lunch" we went back out to watch more dancing. we were outside for a while and then the groom came. he was in a pink shirt and pink pants to match the bride's outfit. he walked into the circle, over to the table where the bride sat, kissed her, and sat down. just like that they were married. everyone clapped and continued dancing. i met jarry's friend kumba who is 15 years old. she asked if i had a brother she could marry. so i told her about duncan (hey duncan! i found you an african wife!) jarry told me that the wedding would go on until daybreak. around 11 i was exhausted. i went back to the friend's house and tried to sleep on the bed.

but africans are LOUD. i don't think i've heard one whisper the entire time i've been here. they either talk loudly or yell. so when people came into the room to have a conversation, they didn't lower their voices. so i dozed until jarry woke me up at 3 to tell me it was time to go home. we walked back home with a group of people in the dark. i had no sense of time or direction. i was half asleep and couldn't see a thing. by 4 we were back at jarry's compound. i crawled into bed with her (on a very thin and lumpy mattress) and fell asleep.

sunday morning i woke up at 8:30, and jarry was outside doing chores. her father was roasting cashews on a fire (there are as many cashew trees as mango trees here), and the kids were walking around and cooking and cleaning. chickens, dogs, cats, cows, and goats wandered around outside. i went to the shop with jarry to buy food for breakfast when she was done cleaning. they go to the shop for every meal to buy only what they need for that meal. then we came back and i fell asleep. jarry woke me up for breakfast. corned beef, bread, a mango, and coffee. i was eating while a cat and chicken walked around my room (that's twice now that chickens have been in my room). i threw them some corned beef and they were very happy. as i was eating jarry's father came in with a large collection of roasted cashew nuts. so i managed to stuff those down too. when i had eaten my fill i went outside. they were still roasting cashews, and i watched jarry's father kill a chicken (i have pictures). then the kids very happily chased a terrified white chicken around the yard for a while. one of the brothers finally caught it, and jarry's father killed that one too. then jarry and two of her brothers took me to see the gardens. we walked through the farmlands, which are dried now, but are being prepared for rainy season when they will grow groundnuts (peanuts).

we stopped at her friend's compound, and they took pictures of me fetching water from the well. a woman tried to give her baby to me to take back to America. awkward! then we continued to the gardens. it was a gated oasis where all the women of the village grow their vegetables. it was beautiful, green, and lush. we left to go to the beach. we walked for a while in the hot sun. we got to a farming school where some boys were building troughs. jarry stopped to rest, and i continued on with her little brothers. we reached the beach, which was branch of the Gambia River. i watched people fishing in the mangroves (yes, mangroves!) and we waded through the warm water to get to the swimming hole. i sat on the beach while jarry's brothers swam. then jarry joined us, and we waded up to our knees. it was fun.

i felt really dehydrated, so we started back. when we reached the school where the boys were, i desperately needed water. so i drank some of theirs (it wasn't clean, but i was too dehydrated to care). then we walked over to another clearing where her friends were eating these bright red berries. i tried some. they tasted like sour cherries with a very musty aftertaste and very big pits. i later found out that they're in the cranberry family. we talked with her friends, i drank some more water, and we walked home. on the way we stopped back at the compound where the woman tried to give me her baby. they were preparing attaya.

attaya is this strong china green tea served out of a shotglass. it's a big cultural thing. jarry told me her parents are addicted to it. but it's something you get addicted to like you get addicted to coffee. the preparation process took a long time, and i was finally served some. it was really sweet and strong and tasty. after the first serving we went back to jarry's compound where i fell asleep again. jarry woke me up for lunch, which was chicken (the freshest i've ever had) and rice. after lunch i hung out outside. we went to see her friend for a while and then packed up to leave. as we were leaving, we picked mangos to take home. they're not ripe yet but will be in a few weeks. then we caught a bus and left. the ferry ride home was uneventful. we got to sit down on the top deck, and i sat across from a man who was holding a chicken. i'm pretty sure i saw an albino african man. he had the facial structure of an african, but was the palest man i've ever seen. towards the end of the ride a toubab who was sitting near me introduced herself in a southern drawl. she's from maryland. she was in senegal for a day, and was coming to the gambia for 7 days. she had two huge suitcases (more than i have for three months!) full of stuff. we pushed our way off the boat, and got a cab home. i got home and slept so well.

yesterday i was with grade 1. they were very frustrating. i was anxious to get home. today i was with grade 5, which is always fun except mr jawo has the worst body odor EVER and it suffocates the room. but i taught them about air pressure and we experimented with balloons. they had a good time. that's all for now, folks!

i've been watching the news about the swine flu. that's too bad. fortunately, we don't get many mexicans over here in the gambia.

hope everyone's well!
Kate

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