So a friend emailed me a list of questions rapid fire that I tried to respond to in kind. I thought they were good general questions, so here's the exchange:
--- On Tue 07/12, <> wrote:
From: [mailto: i.mantell@utoronto.ca]
To: zac@myway.com
Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2005 20:16:03 -0400
Subject: Re: The STP
Zac!
How is it? Are you hot and sweaty? Is your pooper okay? Are you like a
movie-star, turning heads wherever you go? Do you think that you could get
fluent in Mandinka over two years, I mean truly fluent? Are people friendly to
you? How do they feel about America? Do they follow internal American
politics? Do they watch soap operas? Are there white people handing out
condoms on every street corner? Will you be able to get any meaningful work
done? What would it be like to be a woman there? Are they religious? Are they
literate? Do girls get to go to school? Do girls play sports? Are you
lonely? Are you spending a lot of time with the other PC volunteers? Do you
feel like you've made a mistake? Can you sleep through the night? Are you on
anti-maleria medication? Who colonized The Gambia? The French? The
Portuguese? ???
Okay, I'm questioned-out for now.
I can't wait for the answers....
Le Banane
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
What I wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wowsers! So many questions, so little time. The skinny: tomorrow I go up-country to training village for eight weeks of intensive language and technical / boring PC training, and may not get back to the internet for that whole time. It is hot and sweaty, but I am not bothered by it now. My pooper has had one day of relatively minor badness but is otherwise fine. I think I can get good at Mandinka but probably not truly fluent in two years. The next eight weeks and then the first three months at my site will be the key to that. The people are very friendly, they like America as an idea and like Americans for their money. The PC has been here a long time and has done some good things, so that helps. I am not like a movie-star, but I have only been in the main urban area thus far. They don't really follow internal American politics - I am not sure many people follow internal Gambian politics. I don't think many watch soap operas as TV's are still luxury goods here, and power is intermittent at best. Last night it lasted through the night for the first time, and most of the time it dies some time in the evening. No, no white people handing out condoms on street corners. HIV hasn't really become an issue yet here, mostly for cultural reasons I think. I have no idea how much meaningful computer work I will do, but I am very hopeful about being able to get into a community and learn and teach something. Who knows what. Less than 35% of people are literate, but education is becoming increasingly valuable. Women's roles are in the midst of a big change - primary education is free for girls, and the government attempts to buy them textbooks - the boys have to pay - but it is a Muslim society and women are realistically second class citizens in many ways. I have met a number of strong women already, who are making money and have real jobs here in the Kombo (near the capital) region, and have heard that women do the majority of the work - unsuprisingly - and keep the country going. I am not at all lonely yet as I have been with other trainees - we don't get to be volunteers until after training, with swearing in on Sept 16. I never feel like I've made a mistake - I miss people at home, but this feels incredibly RIGHT and I love it here. I am taking Doxycycline (anti-malarial) and doing fine on it. I slept through the night last night for the first time, but I love the nighttime here and don't even mind not sleeping 'cause I'm hot or for whatever reason. The British colonized The Gambia.
Whew.
[...]
Love,
Z
--- On Tue 07/12, <> wrote:
From: [mailto: i.mantell@utoronto.ca]
To: zac@myway.com
Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2005 20:16:03 -0400
Subject: Re: The STP
Zac!
How is it? Are you hot and sweaty? Is your pooper okay? Are you like a
movie-star, turning heads wherever you go? Do you think that you could get
fluent in Mandinka over two years, I mean truly fluent? Are people friendly to
you? How do they feel about America? Do they follow internal American
politics? Do they watch soap operas? Are there white people handing out
condoms on every street corner? Will you be able to get any meaningful work
done? What would it be like to be a woman there? Are they religious? Are they
literate? Do girls get to go to school? Do girls play sports? Are you
lonely? Are you spending a lot of time with the other PC volunteers? Do you
feel like you've made a mistake? Can you sleep through the night? Are you on
anti-maleria medication? Who colonized The Gambia? The French? The
Portuguese? ???
Okay, I'm questioned-out for now.
I can't wait for the answers....
Le Banane
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
What I wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wowsers! So many questions, so little time. The skinny: tomorrow I go up-country to training village for eight weeks of intensive language and technical / boring PC training, and may not get back to the internet for that whole time. It is hot and sweaty, but I am not bothered by it now. My pooper has had one day of relatively minor badness but is otherwise fine. I think I can get good at Mandinka but probably not truly fluent in two years. The next eight weeks and then the first three months at my site will be the key to that. The people are very friendly, they like America as an idea and like Americans for their money. The PC has been here a long time and has done some good things, so that helps. I am not like a movie-star, but I have only been in the main urban area thus far. They don't really follow internal American politics - I am not sure many people follow internal Gambian politics. I don't think many watch soap operas as TV's are still luxury goods here, and power is intermittent at best. Last night it lasted through the night for the first time, and most of the time it dies some time in the evening. No, no white people handing out condoms on street corners. HIV hasn't really become an issue yet here, mostly for cultural reasons I think. I have no idea how much meaningful computer work I will do, but I am very hopeful about being able to get into a community and learn and teach something. Who knows what. Less than 35% of people are literate, but education is becoming increasingly valuable. Women's roles are in the midst of a big change - primary education is free for girls, and the government attempts to buy them textbooks - the boys have to pay - but it is a Muslim society and women are realistically second class citizens in many ways. I have met a number of strong women already, who are making money and have real jobs here in the Kombo (near the capital) region, and have heard that women do the majority of the work - unsuprisingly - and keep the country going. I am not at all lonely yet as I have been with other trainees - we don't get to be volunteers until after training, with swearing in on Sept 16. I never feel like I've made a mistake - I miss people at home, but this feels incredibly RIGHT and I love it here. I am taking Doxycycline (anti-malarial) and doing fine on it. I slept through the night last night for the first time, but I love the nighttime here and don't even mind not sleeping 'cause I'm hot or for whatever reason. The British colonized The Gambia.
Whew.
[...]
Love,
Z
posted by Zac at
6:42 PM
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