A post from Tuesday

A bit rushed and out of sorts today, but want to post something if I can. Ramadan is wrapping up, and either Thursday or Friday is Koriteh, a day of prayers and feasting. Many people travel to their family homes for it, so school is out this whole week. And might be next week for many teachers and students who just don’t make the effort to get back. This is one of the problems with the Gambian education system, where teachers are placed in schools by the central government, and can be sent far away from where ever they call home. Then, when they travel for important holidays, they spend more time on the road, and their returns often do not conform to any official school calendar. So, the breaks drag on, and students don’t want to be in school if the teachers aren’t there, and then a vicious cycle ensues.
But, that feels a little bit like whining, and things have been good. I went to a gathering of volunteers on Georgetown island last weekend, for Halloween and to send off the departing environment sector volunteers, leaving at the end of the month. It was fun, a bit crazed and perhaps too much like college for me, but great to meet other volunteers, discuss work or life with them, and have a new experience. I got lots of pictures, and will hopefully have some ready next week sometime.
I also had a meeting with two people who have come from the Peace Corps Office of the Inspector General to do an audit of the program here. There were nine volunteers at the meeting, one of a half dozen they are conducting around the country, and we had an honest discussion of Peace Corps The Gambia, without too much bitching and with lots of suggestions and give and take. The inspectors were both former volunteers, and were familiar with a lot of the gripes that were expressed. From that meeting, I have come away with a stronger feeling that some of my impressions are true, such as the fact that there are too many NGOs and “development” groups at work here. And that many Gambians are actually dis-empowered by the overabundance of people here giving away money. It is a topic I spent much of my first month at site considering, whether “white people” are doing more harm than good by being here, and by allowing, or encouraging, locals to take back seats in their own country’s development. There aren’t easy answers to this type of question, and I have stayed here mainly because I think the development part of my job is the least important of the three goals.
It doesn’t look like I will be able to post this today, as the internet is bewilderingly slow. But, I think I will post it at some point, as it’s an honest look into one day here...