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Ali
This is my "journal" through my second stint in The Gambia (West Africa). Brutally honest and forthright, I'm trying to let people into my real life and experiences in Africa. In the words of Stephen Colbert, in his beautifully genius book "I am America (and so can you)"...al gal
I laughed,
I cried,
I lost 15 pounds,
I highly reccomend this book.
Here's about me in a nutshell. I love laughter. I lick the lids of jello-pudding snacks. I believe in sugar, not sugar substitute. I'm not a hippy, I'm a "non-conformist". I hate feet. I have an irrational fear of whales and deep water. Music exploration- try it. I'd like to start walking my cat. I live to stick my foot under the faucet when the shower is done and hot water dribbles out. I think moist may be one of the greatest words in the English language. Who doesn't love Llyod Dobler? I live for today, and for Africa. Favorite quote: To dream of the person you could be is to waste the person you are.
"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."- Howard Thurman
Travel Blog Posts
The one where I begin to live
Published: October 13th 2009North America » United States » Pennsylvania » Chester County
October 13th 2009
It is amazing what the body can do when the MIND is able. As most of my readers know, I spent a year traveling and teaching in Gambia. I got back to the US last July, and I spent almost a year in culture shock, bordem, and depression. I thought life was boring if it wasn't spent overseas; useless, and a burden. I had days that I couldn't seem to find the strength or will to get out of bed, because I thought I sold my soul to corporate America. Caught in a tailspin of confusion and doubt, I decided to end the cycle with a brutal "fake it until you make it" policy. I vowed to keep my attitudes and my thoughts positive, even through the extremly hard times when all I wanted to do ... read more
The one about Suburbia
Published: September 10th 2009North America » United States » Pennsylvania » Chester CountySeptember 10th 2009
Thanks to all loyal readers who have inspired me to keep blogging, despite my lack of interesting travel. My last blog posts were about my life in The Gambia, and although I have been settled down into a "mundane" suburban sprawl for about a year, I have realized that life can be interesting anywhere you live it. I have decided to continue my blog, in efforts to show others, and make myself believe, that life is spectacular, interesting, and funny as hell wherever you live. After all, "Life is not a destination, but a journey". ... read more
June 23rd 2008
A few of my groupies and myself felt like taking a little weekend getaway up country, so I opened the travel book, flicked a page, and so we went. Bintang is a small little village, primarily Mandinka, on the south bank of Gambia. We all had a blast in our little bungalows on the bolong. I thought it might be a good idea to jump into the water straight from my porch, and it was a good idea, until I hit the oyster filled bottom with my bum. The water was deceptively high looking, which left me looking a bit like a battered woman in a swim suit. Apparently the water was safe to swim in, but I ended up getting some sort of parasite and a worm in my leg, go figure. We took ... read more
June 23rd 2008
One day I was hanging out at my friend Iris’s compound and a pathetic looking little street cat wondered in, looking for food and love. He was tiny, probably not more than 3 weeks old, scruffy, and terribly bug infested. I wanted to take him home and rehabilitate him, give him a bath and some food, and so I did. He hid under my kitchen counter for quite a long time. After my friends and I pulled him out we gave him a bit of a bath, it needed to be done or he would be horribly ill from all of the bugs he had. What we found under his puff of orange hair was nothing more than a few bones held together by some skin. He collapsed after we washed him, but was then brought ... read more
The one where I force my students to play a game
Published: April 17th 2008Africa » Gambia » Western Division » KololiApril 17th 2008
My students were being naughty stubborn children this week. It doesn’t help that they have a hard time understanding me, but they never listen…to anybody. This does not surprise me as they are 5th graders and are in the prime time for weird behavior. Lord knows I was a disobedient little hell raiser when I was that age. I gave them a spelling test this week; their only homework was the study for the test. It went awful. To spare them from whipping, I decided to impart a different kind of public humiliation on them. Simon Says, in the middle of the school court yard where everyone could see. For those of you who are not familiar with this game (you should be ashamed), a leader- “Simon” is appointed to instruct the rest of the group ... read more
April 17th 2008
It’s two o’clock in the morning, and instead of being in a sweet little slumber after a long day, I’m awake. Why you ask? At approximately 1:30am I jolted out of my bed after watching an episode of Roseanne, to a bitterly disturbing sound coming from my window. Previous to this incident, my friends and I were scared out of our minds when 1) my cat made the sound that incredibly resembled a human being and thus 2) made us think someone was in the house. After doing a once over, armed with a broom, we decided the coast was clear. I popped in some Roseanne to settle my nerves and give me a laugh, and was all ready to rest my sleepy eyes when BAM 1:30am rolls around. At this point in the evening, it ... read more
The one where I pretend to speak Mandinka
Published: April 17th 2008Africa » Gambia » Western Division » KololiApril 17th 2008
I live in the Tower of Babble. With multiple different local languages, mixed with some form of English, and a bit of French, it is a sure fire way to get lost in a sea of translation confusion. As Bill Murray and Scarlet Johnason were, I too am lost in translation. Take last week for example. I went to Sukuta (a village about half on hour from where I live) to visit friends. Most of them speak Mandinka (which I know only greetings and basic phrases in), Wolof (which I am SEMI proficient in), and “Gambian English”. When white, non-local speakers come into the mix, it can get a little messy. While trying to speak Wolof to the Mandinkas, the Mandinka speakers are trying to make me speak their language, and firing off what I am ... read more
The one that I find children hilarious
Published: April 7th 2008Africa » Gambia » Western Division » KololiApril 7th 2008
A few weeks ago my school participated in the Commonwealth, a federation of formerly British Colonies. Each grade was assigned to give a small performance about their designated country. My fifth graders were assigned Jamaica. Because I am “unbiased” in the school, I was picked to judge the competition. We all gathered in the open sand area and I had a desk set up for the serious judging of it all. The students were supposed to dress like their native countrymen, tell a bit of information on the country, and sing a song, recite a poem, or do a traditional dance. In come the 5th graders. I was supposed to be an unbiased member of the performances, but it was really difficult not to favor the 5th graders. They came to school dressed like Rastas and ... read more
The one where I put on my teacher hat
Published: April 7th 2008Africa » Gambia » Western Division » KololiApril 7th 2008
Some of you may know already that I have taken up teaching English for grade 5 at a primary school here. If you didn’t know that, now you do. It’s a pretty interesting experience. I thought this portion of my life would come much later. I also thought that me wearing gaudy gold jewelry to look hot would come later in my life as well…but I’m living in West Africa, and the time for both is now. There are 3 5th grade classrooms, with about 50 kids in each. They are with the same teacher for all subjects all day. They have break at 11:30, which consists of them throwing sand at each other in the open area, running up trees, and buying food/cigarettes for the teachers. They come back from break around 12, and break ... read more
The one where I need nurishment
Published: April 7th 2008Africa » Gambia » Western Division » SerrekundaApril 7th 2008
I am seriously hungry right now, and have been for the past week. It’s a pretty viable assumption that I probably have a tropical parasite in my tummy eating all my food and giving me the runs. My friend had this problem while living in Mexico, and the local solution for her was to not eat for 2 days, to starve the little critters, and then drink vodka, to get them drunk and confused and kill them. It worked for her, so if my problem persists I’ll give it a go. In homage to my hunger, I would like to share all about Gambian food with you (partially because I want some, partially because it’s good). For breakfast people eat a multitude of things. The local bread here is called Tapalapa (which I’m pretty sure has ... read more
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