tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091074591190688612024-03-19T11:45:05.202+00:00Study Abroad: The GambiaI am doing a semester study abroad in the Gambia. These are the details of my adventures along the way and daily life. I apologize for the long delay in posting but a combination of adventuring, classes and general forgetfulness has come in the way. They should be regular from now on.
--CaitCaithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10037753894530020462noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-909107459119068861.post-28227687562527818902009-03-04T11:30:00.002+00:002009-03-04T11:53:06.614+00:00The University of the GambiaMy school does not have a set campus. Every building and class room is rented. Some only the UTG use most are shared by the YWCA, the YMCA and the Management Development..something with an I (known as MDI but I am having a brain fart as to what it stands for). If you look on the map on the post below, most of my classes are on the road that the U of the Bakau Kunku touches. It is about a two mileCaithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10037753894530020462noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-909107459119068861.post-32145075675556345172009-03-04T11:03:00.002+00:002009-03-04T11:57:31.719+00:00My Daily Life on the Smiling CoastNow that I have been here for almost two months rather than write about how the first three weeks were a mix between anxiety (about classes, read post below), boredom and exploration, I will discuss the average week. I wake up on average at 740 every morning (yes I know, gasp that I can move before 12!), 820 if I sleep in and for five days a week our landlord/KSAC Director Mohammad who is also anCaithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10037753894530020462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-909107459119068861.post-80172446721770877602009-03-03T11:29:00.005+00:002009-03-04T11:00:31.527+00:00Banjul and SerrekundaThe largest populations in the Gambia are what I believe is called the Combos (kombos?). This is a name for the city of Banjul, the city of Serrekunda and I think the villages near by. After the cities one of the next largest populations is the town/village of Gunjuru (I think. It was awhile ago we were told this so I could very well be wrong). Anyways my point is that the Combos is kind of like Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10037753894530020462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-909107459119068861.post-21191247014804044732009-03-03T11:06:00.003+00:002009-03-03T11:27:01.928+00:00Enter Gambia, Stage SouthWell I have now been in the Gambia going on two and some months and have yet to write about the Gambia. For those unacquainted with my itty-bitty nation I will give a brief overview. If you look at the map of the African coastline where the title of this page lays, underneath it you see a large river heading inland, that is my nation, the land on either side of that river. The Gambia is a former Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10037753894530020462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-909107459119068861.post-2157765870191735362009-02-11T10:31:00.002+00:002009-02-11T10:56:42.686+00:00Baobab TreesI think I am going to take a quick break from my discussion of my trip to the Gambia and instead talk about Baobab trees which I think are culturally interesting. (And I do have a whole picture album dedicated to them which I am trying to upload with everything else) Anyways Baobab trees (as an overarching statement though not necessarily true to everyone) are to West African culture as the PepulCaithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10037753894530020462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-909107459119068861.post-63490482537408096182009-02-11T10:09:00.002+00:002009-02-11T10:30:55.391+00:00Safari in KaolackThis time heading south, closer to the Senegambia border, we were traveling to Kaolack for the night. (Please understand the roads are not all of US quality, many of the highways become dirt and mud after the rains, even if they were paved before and aren't repaired immediately. Also the trip from Dakar, Senegal to Serrekunda, Gambia should take about 6 or so hours straight but we were seeing theCaithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10037753894530020462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-909107459119068861.post-37137657642328979492009-02-11T09:52:00.002+00:002009-02-11T10:08:29.041+00:00Pink LakePink Lake is located in Senegal a few hours from the capital Dakar, by bus. Pink Lake is the saltiest body of water in the world. It was recently proven (in the past ten years) to be saltier than the Black Sea. Pink Lake is used by the local communities as both a tourist attraction and a source of income. Men will go out on boats and drop what looks like snowshoes to the bottom of the lake and Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10037753894530020462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-909107459119068861.post-12775060595425862852009-01-17T08:49:00.000+00:002009-01-17T08:50:06.282+00:00Goree Island and the Slave HouseGoree Island is situated off the coast of Dakar, Senegal. It was the traditional slave port. In our visit there we saw what used to be a slave house as well as a church where the Christians who felt bad about the process, absolved themselves and “purified?” the slaves. When we were being lectured in the church there was more depth to the meaning but this is the final message I have from that moreCaithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10037753894530020462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-909107459119068861.post-60173563640262919082009-01-16T10:45:00.004+00:002009-01-17T08:39:21.496+00:00The Voyage to the GambiaThe trip this year is different from the previous JC study abroad trips here as for the first time W&J is joining us for the semester. So as a part of their pilot group we, rather than landing in Dakar and the next day driving to Serrekunda, Gambia, we toured around Senegal for four(?) days. This announcement was greeted with some complaining on my part (I like to get where I am moving to Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10037753894530020462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-909107459119068861.post-55292262512210072602009-01-10T18:28:00.008+00:002009-01-19T09:17:59.437+00:00Meet the CharactersSo I realize I said I would email everyone weekly but I thought I would just post this blog and then post weekly and you all can check in at your convience in addition to seeing my pictures! I figure there are some major players in what I will be writing about now and possibly over the next 6 months. Right now I would like to introduce my current major players: Dr. Buba Misawa, a Nigerian native,Caithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10037753894530020462noreply@blogger.com3