Season of Change


The First Rain

After 2 months without seeing a drop of rain – it comes as a bit of a surprise to see rain again particularly this early (the season is a month or so away). Many where caught without a roof, including some of my friends as they are scrambling to make repairs to their homes.

Rain brings change to the region, dry dusty land gives life bringing a season growth and new life. Such a season brings the challenges of disintegrating homes (mud block homes melt like sugar if water gets in), the labour in the hot humid fields, illnesses born in insects and the dewindling food supply as families wait to harvest.

In any case, my woes are far less, a state of constant sweat, a small field in a village to farm and the need to check the sky before i wander too far from home on my bicycle.

Si Allah Jabi
    
Without doubt at some point in time during a conversation “Si Allah Jabi” (or another language's equivalent) will find its way into the conversation. The words “If God Wills” may seem benign however it soon becomes the scape clause of responsibility for every commitment, decision or accident – it really permeates the mentality of the culture and becomes a major hindrance to moving forward as it is expected all is up to Allah's whim or any other spirit who happens to pass through the physical world that day.

For example if a wheel falls off a car – it wasn't because you didn't tighten the lugs rather it was God's will. For this reason most injuries are taken first to spiritual healers and the physical is secondary. I some light it is nice to see their holistic (physical and spiritual) approach however, it is somehow misguided. The need to be freed from the mentality that human are a simply pawns subject to the whim, judgement and wrath of God. Although by no means unique to the region or the prevailing religion, I honestly believe a change in this thought pattern would result in a transformation of the development of the nation / continent.           
I had the opportunity to share in this morning's service and attempted to share what I believe is a  healthier (and more scriptural) perspective on the will of God. One which understands the love and purpose of God as the conductor who invites us rather as participants to share in the opportunities to align our lives to see it fulfilled on earth as in heaven.

Whether partnering or just plain God's will – it is my hope and prayer the people here and around the world would come to an understanding of the life and resources they have been entrusted with and the beauty that comes through faith, hope and love.

Life on the Road

Full of surprises travel here is never mundane. Each vehicle have their own character – the colourful graphics, the music, the smells, the collection of religious leaders plastered across the windshield and the outrageous the seat covers that are soaked in someone else's sweat.  You learn to play the odds with the door handles and the 50/50 split whether the door handle on the outside will work or if you will need to reach inside of the car to get in (or vise-versa).

Safety and comfort are a typically not a priority this said a car will at least have one strap for the front seat belt (to avoid a fine) and typically will have 3 of 4 wheels in reasonable alignment. If it is to hot, cold, raining or dusty there is typically one window winder that is passed around to adjust the windows accordingly (if not you can usually borrow one from another car). Sliding door become hinged doors and the occasional sliding door falling off is a good incentive to take the less comfortable middle seats in the vans.

Long distance travel opens the door to an entirely new set adventures. From simple flat tires to the youth who decided your motorbike fuel was best used in village generator for the party the last night, you can typically expect an hour to a half day delay on most adventures out of the city.

If your journey is taking you across the river Ferry travel brings an entirely new set of possibilities. The on slot vendors and thieves in the waiting area are the prelude to the loading procedure. I was recently loaded onto a ferry and then 20 mins later loaded off the boat so we could wait for the next one as someone decided there were not enough cars to use one than one ferry that day Enough cars usually means more than can reasonably fit. Case in point a friend of mine was on the boat a few years back when they pushed a gravel truck off the ferry as the boat had begun to take on water during its crossing.  

However, it would be unfair to paint only half the picture of travel here. Not all surprises of travel are woes. Often you meet wonderful people, see the beautiful sights of the country and even have the chance to come home with a few gifts from the journey. A friend of mine recently came home with 3 chickens as gifts. Although not quite the same I inherited a backpack full of perfectly ripe mangoes – while it may have made the pack heavy but they were wonderfully sweet in a year where the mangoes have been slow to arrive.

All said, I am looking forward to my next trip.

The Becoming of a Generation

One thing that is demographically clear is that Gambia is full of children and youth. The town is full of kids, teens, and young adults loitering around town. From birth each one fights and suffers for attention, resources and opportunities. Eaten form a common bowl no one will force you eat your vegetables, meat or rice – there will simply be none left and given the fact dessert is never served you won't get that before you go to bed. This is a stark contrast to the baby poor western culture where much is invested in one of two children. 

There is also an ever present hierarchy. 3 year olds will supervise babies who are in turn supervised by 8 years olds who are supervised by an 11 year old and so on. If something dare reach the elders level (which can happen) someone will typically need to bare the burden of scapegoat. In addition to this with so many children around communities can easily get to the point where they view child as another suborn pest (pretty much anything that gets broken is blamed on the children) particularly the bright eyed curious ones.

All said, this makes it tremendously encouraging to find parents who are there behind their children and makes it incredibly rewarding for those who choose to invest in the lives the coming generation. (you could see this particularly with my mom's visit here earlier this trip) During my stay I have had the privilege to be involved in the lives of many of the youth and  young adults whether simply helping teach English, reading or just offering advise. (reading blog you may get the impression the quality of help may be lacking – I can only challenge you to come help and offer some of yours)

It is important to recognize the community structure and social investments of the average local here far exceeds that of western culture.  I have come to understand it as a natural instinct to cope with poverty this is an area as whole where they are experts and have a lot to teach us. This community structure creates a social net that performs the role equivalent role of western welfare programs (costing billions of dollar) with astounding effectiveness. A man or woman with good relationship can survive months without buying a single meal or material possession. 

However, in many of these communities relationship become toxic. Major betrayals, over money, actions or a simple misunderstanding of words corrode the supports. People take advantage of a system design to ensure no one ever goes hungry.   

For this reason of all the things I can hope to teach or inspire in a sense of unity and love between one another. Really this is the hope of the region – people here live dangerously close to the edge each day. In friends and community you have the support and encouragement to hang on and keep yourself from the pitfalls of poverty. I am a strong believer openness, respect and forgiveness are critical to maintaining the health of such a community. 

I am privileged to be involved in a group of youth who are in the process of pursuing just that. I ask you to pray to the youth of the region and those who continue to build into their lives.

  

My First Fulani Wedding attemp #2

http://db.tt/DcOsjO9M

Let's see if this link works.

A Wedding, a Bet and a Birthday



My First Fulani Jamballi

I recently had the privilege to witness a traditional Fula Fuladoo wedding ceremony on the North Bank of the Gambia. With permission from the family and community I was able to document the wedding to my best ability and sought cultural explanations for the things I saw and might have otherwise missed.

This record is not intended to be academic but rather observational. It is also by no means is the definitive Fulani wedding guide as all villages and families have their own idiosyncrasies.

All said, I hope it captures the essence bringing understanding to the unique beauty and quirks of the Fulani culture.

The document full of pictures can be found here at this link. Enjoy

Please let me know if it doesn't work as I have been fight the internet for a couple of days to get it up. I think it is good but can't confirm. 



West Africa Cycling Tours

One of the projects I'm currently working on to help support the local economy and the scholarship program.

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Will Dodu speak Fula?!?

I have a date of June 12 marked on my calendar by which time I wish to be speaking conversational Fula. I told people on the compound I will owe them 5 Dalasi if I need to speak English to them. Place your bets now.


We are making Jewelry now!

Interested in supporting local fula woman in rural settings and looking fashionable at the same thing. Check out these sweet earrings made from a local bean.



$4 a pair let me know your order by the end of May. I will bring them back mid July. 


African Birthdays

If you are one who fears getting old African birthdays are for you. Most people here don't even know what year they were born on never mind the day. Many simply point at a cow or a tree to help provide a rough estimate of age (guess you could count the rings if you where really curious).

I spent the day going about my business (working with a friend on a music project), read a card from my parents and received a simple Happy Birthday wish from a close friend who happened to know. 

32 is looking to be a good year. :) 

Uno, Parents and 3rd World Uni


All is well in the Gambia... Sorry for the slow posts. There wasn't too much free time with my parents around. I will be leaving to a 4 day traditional Fula wedding tomorrow morning so the next post should be pretty good. I will work to include some photos. - Sorry none again this post.

Thanks for reading and your prayers. Enjoy! 


Uno

For those who may not know I am a cards and board games person: Porto Rico, Dominion, 7 Wonders, Ticket to Ride among others. A good games become all about the people you play them with.

Normally when I sit down to play a game of Uno there are a few thing I expect;
  • There are four colours
  • I know all the rules
    I will soon be bored
Not so in Africa.

First, the deck has somehow lost all red and yellow cards - I figure out of frustrations of not to often not having the right colour. Second, there are all sorts of new creative rules allowing actions and imposing penalties. Finally, the game is frenzy – the trash talk is epic, cards fly in all directions and a game with 6 people lasts no more than a minute eliminating the weakest link based a point system assigned to cards.

To be honest it has been I while since I have had that that much fun playing games.

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Ready for the Parents

Toilet paper ... check
Toilet seat ... check
Toilet door that no longer locks you inside the bathroom... check

Should be good to go.

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Nehneh and Baba (Mom and Dad)

Over the past 11 days I have had the joy of hosting my parents here in the Gambia. I don't it took a tremendous amount of courage to just to book the flight never mind allowing me to plan the itinerary. Far from a destination resort travel my Mom and Dad lived alongside the community, visiting, moving and acting in love and humility. In this and so many other ways I understand how blessed I am to have such wonderful parents.

It is hard to put it all in words – but perhaps it is best to stay they came as my parent however left as parents to many more.

On Jarama Nehneh e Baba.




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University of the 3rd World – leading the way into the future

Part of my involvement in the community here has been to sponsor students aspiring to develop themselves through education. Earlier this week I took the opportunity once again to attend classes with one of my students who attends post secondary classes. Below I've done my best to capture the experience.

The state of the art educational facilities include a round outdoor classroom equipped with a roof and a blackboard which leans freely against post on a angle. This thoughtful functional design allows use of over 60% of the writable board surface (if the teacher is able and willing to squat and able to find chalk.

It is scientifically known our sense of smell has strong influence our ability to remember. For this reason (although not confirmed) some classrooms are located adjacently to the sanitary facilities with broken flushing mechanisms. These progressive strategies not only advance the student's mental fortitude but weed out those who are not serious about learning allowing for smaller class sizes.

The staff is spirited and tactical in approach. A common strategy, borrowed from earlier forms of western education, is to remove freedom of expression or critical thought by encouraging verbatim dictation of the teacher's notes. Using this simple rule ensures students come to the same level of understanding as their teacher – those who wish to deviate become subject to reduced grades or failure.

Other educators will start the class with a 45 minute break before the teacher arrives. This innovative approach allows students to learn the art of patience and ensures the class is well rested and ready for the period in which the class runs overtime.

However, others still are more conventional offering interactive learning environments which engage student particaption. These classes tend to bring out student opinions which may lead to dangerous forms of free thought and critical thinking skills.

Despite the noticeable environmental differences students exhibit traits surprisingly similar to those in Western institutions. Most class questions were sharply focused on understanding most efficient means obtaining high grades. Additionally student work is commonly shared to ensure everyone enjoys the benefits of having the same answers on assignments and a keen interest in social (and antisocial) technology captivates their attention through out the lectures.

All said, hats off to the many who struggle through it all to impart and obtain knowledge aspiring to bring positive change.

Returning - Time and Travel


Defining 3 Months

For all that time defines (beginnings, endings, months, days, nights etc) it is hard to describe a length time. Ie. what is or makes for a long or short time?

As I set course to board my final fight in Gambia I will be there for 3 months. In conversation with friends, co-workers and strangers on airplanes, it is hard to describe the period of time. The default reaction is along the lines of ... "Wow, 3 months that is a long time." Perhaps based off the comparison to holidays. This statement was shared by my Grandma as I visited on Wednesday night before leaving Vancouver. For her, approaching 97 years on this planet, the comparison is more based on the approach of a new horizon – this most definitely make my departure feel like a long trip.

This said, looking back to January anticipating my departure 3 odd months later this stretch of time hardly felt long at all. In fact it was quite the opposite - yikes that came fast. This will also be said by the locals as I discuss with them that I will only be there for 3 months, for many this timeline will be far too short. The awareness in my own mind will create limitations into the work I choose to involve myself in. For many things my time will be too short.

All said here is my boarding call -  3 months, long or short, the clock starts now.


Travelling with Myself

I tend to be a difficult person to travel with - this is speaking from my own perspective. For some reason I have little interest in investing in food, activities or the like on my own. I seldom will purchase a coffee or admission to local attractions. Instead I tend to wandering miles around foreign cities hungry hiking hot mountains trials to avoid a 4 euro tram fees or enduring long budget flights without free meals as I refuse to pay 7 pounds for a dried out sandwich and I tend to stay in the cheapest youth hostels where inebriated teenagers don't allow for proper sleep and force you to loose sleep and watch your bags like a hawk. Yes, travelling without company there are few things I find pleasure in.

For this reason I have learned to arrange people into my travels. Friends new or old transform a travel experience for me. With someone to share the experience the world comes alive, cafes, restaurants  tickets, activities are a pleasure to be shared. On my three day trek to Gambia I had a great chance to visit with friends in different cities, enjoying good food and hospitably  cycling small towns, punting on rivers, learning history, playing music and sharing stories with friends new and old. For this I was extremely grateful.


Arrivals

It is hard to appreciate how quickly change happens in Gambia – or perhaps it is the surprise of what changes. The airport seemed normal the typical chaos, boarder questions (why are you staying so long?), x-ray machine which scans the bags for excessive imports (and threatens the possibility of future generations of all who work at the airport) and the warm greeting from friends. What was new was the greeting from the new parking boots being installed on cars parked outside the lines. The rule of Africa – don't panic, it only brings problems ten minutes of friendly conversation brought a key and we where on our way.

In other areas the compound where I live a year brought new faces and saw others move off on their own. It is hard to describe to someone unfamiliar to the culture however their has been so much change the entire dynamic of the people group and interactions will be quite different – it will take some getting used.

I have spend my first couple days on tour establishing contact with old friends, trying to answer the age old questions: 'what language should I learn?' and 'what all will I be up to on this trip?'. There are always plenty of requests the wisdom is required for how to be involved.

It is not an easy place to be particularly for a westerner who is a "doer" at heart. When you meet another missionary, NGO officials, local they will ask – what are you up to on this trip? I humbly answer well I don't know yet. It is so easy to put high expectations on "results" and "progress" but now is a season of listening and observing and it is hard to put time parameters on that sort of thing.