Flights, Friends, and a new found World

January 10-12, 2009

Well here I am….in The Gambia West Africa! Praise be to God! I can’t even believe it myself. I still feel like I’m going to wake up and this is all going to be a dream. But yes…I really am here. Wow.
My flight left Saskatoon at around 7:15 am on Saturday morning after a series of very hard good byes. I have always had a hard time leaving home but this time was obviously different. Knowing that I was going to be away from home for almost 7 months straight saying good by to my family and friends was very difficult. I was able to travel with my cousin Alex and his girlfriend Lauren to Calgary. They were going back to Thomas Aquinas College in California for school. So after we got off the plane in Calgary my next flight to Toronto was quickly leaving so they walked me to my next gate and we said our good byes. I sure hope they made it back to California safely – I haven’t heard from anyone yet to say they arrived. My flight to Toronto was good. I had three seats to myself so knowing that I probably wasn’t going to get much sleep over the next couple days, I laid down and slept for the 3 hours to Toronto. I was fortunate enough to not have any trouble with any of my flights and the people I sat next to on the plane rides were great. On my way to Brussels I sat next to Dejana (pronounced Dee-anna) who was from Serbia now living in Canada. She was heading on a trip to Spain to meet up with a friend to travel for a bit. We had a whole 6 and half hours to laugh and get to know one another and she was really great! When I arrived in Brussels I had planned on meeting up with a friend, Marcel from Oosterhout, the Netherlands - who my sisters and I had met when we played softball in the Netherlands. When I got through the exit gate he and his friend were waiting for me. It was so great to see him! We haven’t seen each other for almost 8 years so it was really great to see each other!
As if seeing a friend from almost 8 years wasn’t exciting enough, there was so much anticipation on my flight from Brussels to Dakar (the capital of Senegal –which is the surrounding country around The Gambia) and then to Banjul (the capital of The Gambia)! The plane landed and we had to take the stairs off the plane and walk on the tarmac to a bus that took us into the airport. I think everyone on the plane – including myself - felt like celebrities since there were so many people waiting for us to arrive! They only fly into Banjul 2 days out of the week, so I think that explains why there were so many people. My first impression = hospitality. Right from the moment we got off the bus there were men helping anyone who needed assistance – like women with children or elderly people. I guess my second impression of the country is how behind it is from Canada. The airport was very small and something you would think of in a movie. After I went through customs and got both my bags (yes my bags made it safely all the way there – thank the Lord! I was so worried!) I was in the middle of a ton of people and all of a sudden I saw Sister Cecile! Although she didn’t see me right away I waved her down and with a HUGE smile she greeted me! She helped me with my bags and led me to where the other sisters were waiting. I met 4 of the sisters there – Sr. Suzanne, Sr. Bernadette, Sr. Katherine, Sr. Odile. Their welcoming smiles and beautiful faces were exactly what I needed to see. They took my bags and we walked out of the airport to the truck. I thought it was going to be overwhelmingly hot when I got there but the temperature was around 25 degrees. A lot warmer than home but still not as hot as I thought. I was still wearing a long sleeve shirt and long pants and I wasn’t uncomfortable – which was a relief! While we were walking to the truck there were women on the side of the streets and walk ways selling fruit.
The sisters live only about 10 minutes away from the airport so we didn’t have along drive. Sr. Suzanne drove and I was introduced to my first taste of African driving. J YIKES! Is all I’m going to say! I hope they don’t expect me to drive very soon because I’ll be sure to hit a goat or someone walking on the street! The sisters say that all of the animals have the right of way and you have to stop for them. And I wouldn’t want to hit one because you’ll surely have an angry Gambian on your case. Sr. Suzanne is a great driver, it wasn’t her I was afraid of, it’s the others! Sr. Suzanne is a Native African so she knows her way around and she’s not afraid of the other drivers.
I’m sure that everything that I say over the next few weeks will be a lot of my “firsts” here because EVERYTHING is so new to me. While we were driving I was overwhelmed at the poverty. It looks like in a movie or what you see on tv. I think we had to drive through 2 different towns to get to Brikama – the village I stay in. When we arrived at the sisters home we pulled up through a road lined with bushes of beautiful flowers and were greeted by their 2 dogs and puppies! I’m not even sure how many there are but it looks like there are around 5 sandy brown puppies. I guess if I can say anything it would be that the pictures don’t do any justice as to what it is like here. It’s gorgeous. I had not yet met Sr. Josephine who was waiting at the sisters because she had made supper. Also when we arrived, Sr. Madeline and Sr. Teresa had come from Serrekunda to welcome me. They only stayed for a few minutes and then had to go back because it was getting dark. The sisters are wonderful – SO full of life and you can see that there is a joy that is in their hearts. One thing I will say is that I CAN NOT understand them. Sister Cecile jokes saying that Sr. Suzanne speaks with “pigeon English” (which is broken English) and seriously….she holds whole conversations with other Gambians. I now know what it is like for my grandma – to hear sounds but to have no clue as to what people are saying. It’s really quite hilarious. I have a feeling that I will get into a bad habit of being in my own little world around them and I’m sure I’ll get frustrated after a while too. The worst is when they talk talk talk and then laugh. I feel so stupid not knowing what they are saying! Are they laughing at me?! At this weird Canadian?! I must be very different to them since Sister Cecile is one of them because she’s been here so long. They also speak a few different native languages (there are 5 in the Gambia). Wolof and Mandinka are the two that I’ve heard the sisters speak so far. It’s amazing to hear actually and I hope I will learn some words – but to learn very much, I think I would have to stay for 40 years like Sr. Cecile. J
Before supper I met the girls who stay in the house right next door. It is the hostile for girls who go to school from very far and cannot go home. There are 17 of them and each one of them greeted me with a hand shake and a hug. They all stared at me – as I did them and I said to them that it would take me a while to learn all of their names.
My first African meal was chicken, salad, and a twist to scalped potatoes. Not much different from home! I think it’s just the spices that make it different. They even had pop for me – which was in the old glass style “coke” bottles. For desert we had fresh fruit salad. The peaches were from a can but they added fresh bananas and orange juice. The meal was wonderful.
After supper I had a shower. …..a cold one. It was very refreshing though and it reminded me of how much I’m going to appreciate a hot one when I get home. My room is wonderful. It’s big enough for me and my things. The sisters decorated it and gave me things that I’m sure they do not have in their rooms. I feel so grateful. They gave me a little fridge so that I can keep water and food in my room if I get sick of their food. I still have yet to go to the market and get food. The sisters drink their own tap water but they have given me my own supply of bottled water because they know that I probably wouldn’t do very well with it right off the bat.
My first night was good although I woke up around 4 in the morning and I was wide awake. I’m sure that will happen for a few days with trying to get used to the time change. The time change is 6 hours from home. I slept with my widows open and I could hear frogs or crickets or something. And as sister warned me I even heard something running on the roof. She said that they may be rats or something. The sisters let me sleep until I got up –which was around 9:00am. We got up and I had breakfast which was fresh French bread with jam, hot water and bananas. I helped Sr. Suzanne in the kitchen afterwards making some lunch for us for the day. I squeezed fresh oranges for orange juice! The sisters have a lot of plants around the house – mostly to keep out the sun- and most of them happen to be fruit trees. Tons of oranges, mangoes, papayas, and bananas. So I’m sure I’ll have my share with in these next months. After I got ready Sr. Cecile, Sr. Suzanne and my self all went to the neighboring towns to sell eggs! The sisters have a poultry farm (around 2 thousand chickens) and they try to sell the eggs 2 days out of the week. Because it’s the tourist season at the moment there is a shortage of eggs and every hotel wants- NEEDS eggs. So today I got to see a lot of the villages and cities. I got to see the hotels and wow…Its amazing. There are quite a few tourists and it was actually surprising to me to see how many people actually come here for vacation. I guess the sun and beaches attract a lot of people. I’m amazed at the huge trees and how many different types of plants there are. All different colors of flowers and tons of fruit trees all over. There are women who walk with baskets on their heads, people who ride bikes, no one follows rules on the road – well at least Canadian rules- and there are SO many people in the streets selling their things (fruits, goods, fish, etc). the taxis are yellow with a green stripe down the middle and the buildings are all cement that are whitewashed and painted really bright colors. We stopped by the Catholic Missions place – where the Bishop works – to get my papers ready so I can stay. While were we there I met another Canadian, actually he’s from Moose Jaw, Sask. He works for the Catholic missions and he is becoming a Gambian. We stopped by a few shops to have our lunch, ran a few errands and then came home for a rest. That’s one thing I love about here…the people know how to rest. I guess in some ways it can be a bad thing because the African way is very slow. You’d think that when people say they are in a rush, they would run or hurry somewhere…nope not around here. They take their time and enjoy what they are doing. I took a nap in the later part of the afternoon and I woke up just before supper and evening prayers. The sisters don’t expect me to be a part of their “schedule” but I enjoy spending time with them. We ate a light supper since we were all a bit full from eating a late lunch (which was – oh I forget the name of it, I tell you when I ask sister what it is- it’s fish with onions and sauce and then rice. It’s supposed to be cooked all in one pot.) Supper consisted of potatoes and eggs, with salad and then fruit salad (cut up papaya in orange juice….so far it’s my favorite)
I was able to take a warmer shower tonight and I have to admit…I enjoy that much better! Because we don’t have hot water in the house, Sr. Odile boiled water for me and put it in a basin in the shower. I let the cold water run and it cooled off the hot water a little bit and then I scooped out the water with a container and that was my shower. It’s very different from what I’m used to but it’s rewarding in a way. Everyone went to bed early and here I am writing this in my room. It’s so quite around here. We do live in a compound just off of the road so you can still hear cars going by but I think all the trees muffle most of the noise. It’s so beautiful here. VERY different but beautiful. I’m sure the time will pass by very quickly but I’m trying to take every little part of it in. I think that the sisters forget that they have to explain every little thing to me – I hope they don’t get frustrated with me. I just don’t know the customs yet and how things are done but I hope I can get the hang of it soon.
I hope everyone at home is doing well and that they’re not too cold from the snow! Sr. Cecile said that the Gambia was welcoming me today because it was a cooler day than normal. She said that since she’s come back from Canada she hasn’t seen such a cool day. I thought that it was warm but not hot. But I’m sure I’ll be in for more hot days to come. I’m thinking of all of you and I hope that you are thinking and praying for me too.
I’ll send a message soon!

In Jesus and Mary,

Jen