Sang the gardener

Its customary for US citizens working in the country to hire locals to work for them. The standard wage for them in these position is double what they would make working somewhere else, while not dirt cheap for us its very reasonable. We hired Sang to keep up the yard shortly after moving in, it was a proper African jungle and with my help we got it tamed and have a roaring garden to boot. We had a small manual reel mower that he was using to cut the grass for the last couple months. I went out earlier this week to find him hunched over cutting the lawn with the small hedge clippers (glorified scissors) he said the lawnmower was broken. So yet another mission ensued, turns out a small gas push mower runs between $500-1000 US dollars. Screw that, what else is there? Weed eater, sure why not; $300-500US dollars, never mind.. moving right along. Found a second hand shop that has all kinds of stuff, so being the bartering soul that I am I took an old printer down and traded it straight across for a little electric weed eater. Sang has never used one and he was like Tickle Me Elmo when we fired it up and went to work. Nikki and I have never met anyone like sang before. He reminds us of Steve Erkle with his pants pulled up high, bright green leprechaun hat, yellow sunglasses and sandals, and a little green backpack with charms hanging off of it. He is like a big puppy, I have yet to see him stop smiling and he laughs as if it is easier than breathing. Always very animated and walks with a bounce as if springs in his heels. He will drop whatever he is doing at any moment to run over and greet you, regardless of whether you have been gone all day or just went across the street for eggs.

Pieces of home..

We recieved the rest of our household shipment about 2 weeks ago which was great. Now it feels like a home. Yet something was missing, good beer....mmmmm. So I set out on another mission to aquire a mini fridge that I can ferment the nectar of the gods in and keep the temperature fairly stable. After a couple trips to Serekunda and LOTS of bargaining (because thats what i do) I drove off with the perfect setup and began brewing the very next day, which was also our housewarming BBQ but I couldnt wait any longer. As expected it didnt go very smoothly, many messes in the kitchen none of the water fittings were compatible to the cheap plumbing fixture here, but its done. A couple active yeast explosions later and we are on our way to good beer. As for Nikki she did some searching online and discovered that she could order her favorite crackers to go with our beer and cheese (by the case). She was pretty excited and we now have a couple more pieces of home. Anyone know of a hops variation that can grow near the equator im all ears.?

Golf in the Gambia

Went out Golfing with one of the top Embassy staff Saturday morning. This course is touted as one of the most extreme courses in the world. Since its the rainy season there is actual grass on the course, and this particular day it was cut. I guess the week prior sported shin high fairway grass. No matter Rick plays a similar game to myself and does not waste time with fairways the waist high rough is where the fun is. A caddie is required, as is a browns sweeper. Glad you asked..the Greens are called Browns here as they are oil sand putting surface. Beach sand mixed with used engine oil and presto you have a country club putting surface. So the brown sweeper is a tired but pleasant old dude with a small square mat attached to a rope, he gets to the brown before you hit on and grooms around the hole with his mat, then after you hit on he grooms a path to the hole from your ball. So Rick and I ended up with an enterauge during our round, two caddies, a brown-sweeper and after the second hole they brought over a ball spotter to stand  in the middle of each fairway to find our shots after they sailed into the trees. The caddies also carry fake grass mats to place your ball on upon request as the majority of the course is sand and stone. Watching your step is a must as the Vice Presidents well fed cattle free graze the course. We played about 15 of the holes in a pretty good rain storm which added to the whole experience.

Corn Hole comes to Africa

Being Red Blooded Americans we like our good ole American cookout games. I set out last week to make one of my favorite games, Corn hole. I found a little wooden shack carpenter who spoke just a little more english than I do Wolof. I came armed with a printed diagram of the board complete with all measurements very well labeled. To me it seemed very straight forward to me, two half boxes with a hole cut in each everything else is spelled out on the diagram. Well it took me about 40 minutes to explain to 2 people how to make it, completely drawing the diagram again, helping him draw the diagram again, then drawing the diagram on a piece of plywood. Many hand gestures and wooden puppetry ensued. Finally he says yes I can make it. So we go get supplies, fat bald toubab and little Gambian trotting across the busy Fajara highway carrying a bag of glue and nails and an 8 foot sheet of plywood. At this point I think people come outside when they see me coming to determine what the bloody hell I am up to this time. Next comes the bags. Yeah try explaining that one to an African tailor; Me: Hello, can you sew this fabric into 7 inch square bags so I can fill it with rice and seal it up to use in a game-- Her: (In very good english) I dont understand anything you are telling me, my english is not very good...Three sewing shops later, mission accomplished. Went to pick up the boards; holes were 3 inches too low, legs were 3 inches too short and on the wrong end. Oh well, I fixed the legs and Nikki and I painted them. This weekend its GAME ON..

A day in the life..

The good news is I am entirely recovered from the nastiness that plagued me, Nikki has also recovered fully without further issues. The following week and weekend I spent nearly 60 hours with a group of African mechanics. Two of them working on installing Air Conditioning and the other two helping me install replacement bushings into the suspension components. Both of these have proven to be trying tasks during the rainy season as nobody has covered or even paved work areas. When the rain came the boys told me to get in and stay dry and they would do the work they proceeded to strip off their shirts and get into the mud. Not how I do business, much to the bemusement of everyone around I followed suit. I was thoroughly spent, and caked in mud and grease everyday for the past week, eating only what and when they did and it was a great experience. I lost close to 15 pounds between the illness and working on the truck in other than ideal conditions for the past week. One of the most impressive feats that I have witnessed is that every single repair done on the truck in the past 2 months has been done ENTIRELY with hand tools. Not a drill, or angle grinder or any other power tool has crossed my sight. I watched 3 guys push a 10 passenger van into the dirt lot and completely dismantle the whole thing with hand tools some of which are home made, including chopping out the big metal side panels with a hammer and chisel in 2 days. All of it carted out on wheelbarrows where I am told its shipped to India to be melted and sold.

Ailments Continue..

We were told upon arrival to The Gambia that the risk of getting sick during the rainy season is higher. There is not much in the way of drainage or waste management or food handling practice. Well we got to experience this first hand. Late Saturday night I woke up with some stomach problems that aren't all that uncommon, I assumed it was what is known as Banjul Belly around here. Very severe bubble guts, nothing too severe with proper care. However, accompanied by severe vomiting and unable to take any water it got bad. After about 10 hours of misery battling this at home I checked myself into the clinic, on the verge of passing out from dehydration and weakness. 24 hours, 3 IV bags, and 2 rolls of toilet paper and numerous drugs later I was released with a prognosis of Salmonella. I get home to find out Nikki has Banjul Belly, needless to say most of the food in the fridge was tossed this morning, and we are on the mend. The cool part was that during my first ever night in a hospital I was visited by Senior staff from Peace Corps and the Embassy and Nikki of course was there to keep watch over me.