Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Final Reflections..







♫Now is the time, for us to say goodbye...♪  This song brings tears to my eyes as I write my final reflection. How does a person reflect upon such a life-altering event such as the one we all experienced together?  So, I will start with the easy question, will I go back.  This answer could not get much simpler than the yes I want to shout to the world.  One of the first things I said to my father when I got back was that I was going to come back as soon as I could.  But now, here is the hard part, explaining how much and in which ways I have changed.  I am a different person now, it is easy to see.  Every aspect about me has changed, from my head to my toes, mostly in my mind and heart though.  My heart has opened up to my new family and shown me a world I never knew existed.  It also opened my heart to the love, joy, laughter, and life of their culture.  This has helped me open my eyes and see that we are all not as different as we seem, and that no one should live in more poverty than others due to how they look or where they live, we are all equals. This has helped me change what I want to do with my life.  I always knew I wanted to help people and make them smile, I just didn't know in what way.  Now, I know I must reach out and help others, it is no longer an option.  Though, now the Peace Corp is an option, as well as learning French hopefully.  My heart is opened to the new friends and family I have, and my second home in Africa.  I cannot truly express how much I have changed, but I can assure you that this will not be my last time in my second home with my second family <3.
Stuck in the airport, goodbyes = sad.








































Tuesday, May 29, 2012


It is amazing to think that a few short days can change your thought process, how you view and treat others, and how you love. Going to the Barra Village has done this. I have taken a few days to reflect on this amazing experience and there are not words that have the ability to capture the awe-inspiring thing that we all just experienced. The trip to Gambia changed me in many ways. One being, that I know what I want to do as a career; which is to help people that are in need, and to work with others like the women that I worked with in the Skills Center. The women in the center all wanted to read, write, and continue their own learning --many times even after class was finished. Most of the women in the center had some education, but may have only been up to grade school, and others none at all, but each has the desire to learn, and grab at the chance they have been given. The trip has also reduced my stress about simple things that in the end really do not matter.  The people in the village do not have much in way of material goods, but it does not matter; they will give and give and continue to give because as I was told many times we are all under "one umbrella/one family." I truly believe this now.  The people that I met will always be in my thoughts as well as my heart. I am definately going to return to the village. Barra is where you can find kind hearts, open arms, and the restoration of one's soul.
--Jessica Radcliff

Its so had to express what I took from this amazing experience. It has changed my life in multiple ways, In four short days in Barra village I have learned more from the children and teachers at Sajuka School then I could have ever taught them. I know now that the little things I stress in life have no comparison to the lives in Barra Gambia. They have many struggles they deal with on a daily basis but a smile still remains on their faces. I have learned to appreciate everything in life so much more because i saw despair but most importantly I saw hope. The teachers and children at Sajuka School were some of the most amazing people I have ever meet, they have the biggest hearts, and they may not know it but they are so inspirational. They welcomed our group with open arms and made us part of the Sajuka family. I not only learned so much from our journey but I have also gained a new family. After spending a short time with them I feel in love, I was the happiest I have ever been In my life. I have made long life friends that will forever be in my heart. It was so hard to leave the school and the wonderful people, but each day I think about them. I may have physical left Barra Village and the school but a part of me still remains it would be impossible to forget this amazing experience and I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to be a part of this journey.
There is no way that I will not return to Sajuka School, my heart is there. I want to return soon to see the progress made at Sajuka and I hope to see if the teachers will implement our lesson plans. I would love to see the teachers using the materials we brought them, and raise money to get them more materials. Also something that struck me was that the teachers hadn't been paid for two months but still remain to go to school and help further the education of the children. That shows how amazing these teachers are, but I hope when I return to see that change and to she the progress of the school. 
I want to thank Momodou, Nyillan Fye, Dr. Jarvis, and the people of Sajuka School for giving me this opportunity. I would also thank all of the amazing women that made this journey with me, we hardly new each other before we left and now I have long life friends. 

Monday, May 28, 2012

My 10 Days in Africa

It's so hard for me to put into words what i got out of this experience. For the first time in my life, i felt truly needed somewhere. All the children wore giant smiles on their faces at the sight of any "two-bob", beause they could sense our hearts were in the right place. Everytime another person asks how my trip was, i say "amazing", only because i cannot find another word powerful enough to express my gratitude toward Momodou and Nyillan Fye, all the teachers at Sajuka Primary School, and of course, the students.
Every morning we were in the Barra Village, we would wake up at 6:30 am, have breakfast at 7 and prepare ourselves for when school started at 8:30. I was amazed to find that every single morning, a dedicated group of students was waiting outside the gates to Sajuka, eagerly awaiting their education, because in Barra that is a luxury, not a right.
After only 3 days in Barra, i found myself emotionally attached to several of the students i met at the school. It was so incredibly hard to have to say goodbye to them, which is something i had anticipated but was not at all prepared for. I am not one to openly cry in front of others. My own roomate has only seen me cry once. But when i saw the look on the faces of those children as they sang the goodbye song to us, i wept like no one was watching, because i knew that their hearts ached just as much as ours to have to say farewell.
This trip, and those children, have forever changed the course of my life. As a rising senior set to graduate next spring, I, like many others, wasn't exactly sure where my life was headed in terms of career or further schooling. Now, i am sure what i want to do with my life. I want to continue helping children like this, who do not have the resources to help themselves. It's not about giving them what they need, it's about showing them they have the power to do it themselves. I am seriously considering Peace Corps as a path for my future, where i will be able to give back to so many others who need my help.
This is not to say that i will forget Sajuka school and Barra Village, that would never be possible. You cannot see the things ive seen and hear the stories ive heard and not want to continue helping. As long as I am able, i will always give back to this village and the school in any way i can. I truly hope to be given the privelege of returning to Barra Village, so i can show these children that someone out there does care enough to come back.
Monday, May 28, 2012
     
      My days in the Barra Village have changed my life drastically. Before arriving in Barra, I was not sure what to expect. I was both nervous and excited. Being apart of the Child Literacy team, I could not wait to teach these young children how to read and share my knowledge with them. Our class conducted research on Gambia, but even that did not prepare me for what I had experienced. I was concerned about not having enough time to implement our plans. From the moment I stepped off of the bus and was greeted by smiling children singing and dancing, I felt at home. The warmth and love from the Barra residents was so pure and genuine, something that I've never encountered in the U.S. I never imagined creating a strong bond with anyone, let alone an entire village, in only 4 short days. I was the happiest I had ever been in my whole life. I used to be the biggest worrier about my issues in America. While in Africa, none of that mattered or existed because my American life was not as problematic as I once believed. It was I who ended up learning from Barra. The children and staff have taught me that when you surround yourself with good people with good hearts, you will experience self-fulfillment.
       Do I plan to return? Absolutely! No question about it! I'll be back next May (maybe in January as well). I have big plans for my future trips to the Gambia and for assisting the Sajuka School.
        Special thank you to Dr. Jarvis, Nyillan, the Sajuka School staff and students, and to my beautiful and sensational classmates; Jessica, Amanda, Tenzin, Sarah, Courtney, Brittany, Ziana, Maddie, Destiny, Alanna, Jessi, and Beatriz! We are all family now! I look forward to continuing our journey together!


-VaNessa Pharms

Saturday, May 26, 2012

      As I sat down at my computer in an attempt to put into a short paragraph what merits numerous pages of thoughts and memories, I thought about the question of what exactly makes something life changing?
Is it when something has effected your being and mind so much that you change your lifestyle? When the lenses of how you see the world become clearer and more vibrant? When you have spent three to four days with someone whom you have never met before and the parting is so heartbreaking that crying is inevitable? When four and five year olds show you what unconditional love is, and then teach you something about yourself which you never knew before? When children and teachers who have nothing give you everything and any compensation in return seems inadequate? This is how the BPC Gambia trip has changed me, it has become an indescribable adventure...one which I hope to relive many more times in the years to come.The intangible memories have become more precious to me than any material gain or personal benefits, and that to me is truly life changing.
     Returning is not even a question in my mind, when you have made someplace your home, you have to return because the people you love are there. I cannot say how thankful I am that I was given this rare opportunity to travel with this amazing team of girls and Dr. Jarvis. We left barely knowing each other and returned home not knowing what to do without each other. I look forward to seeing the children of Sajuka school very soon and know that every lesson and challenge will be vibrantly new, and every laugh, and smiling face sorely missed.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Day 9: May 24--Last Night in Africa

Dear families and Friends,

Dr. Jarvis here again. Our little band of daring adventurers is back in Dakar Senegal on our way home to America.  This is our last night in Africa.  This is our last blog.  We would like to close this amazing journey by letting you hear each of our voices.  I have asked each student to sum up her experience by answering two questions.  1--In what ways has this time in Africa changed you?  And 2--Will you come back?  Also I have asked each student to insert her favorite photo of herself from the journey.  It is not fair to ask students to do anything I would not do myself, so I will lead off.


I have been leading student groups overseas for almost 20 years.  I've never had a better group of young people to work with and I've never had a more heart-lifting experience.  Never.  This journey has changed me.  I'm now 56 years old.  The bulk of my life's work is over.  It's time to pass the baton to the next generation.  After working for the last four months with the 13 young women in our Sajuka School Project Group and with Nyillan Fye, I am finally at peace about one thing.  These amazing young women are ready to change the world in the best ways possible.  They have just shown me that we really can take young, idealistic people from the richest country on earth and they can walk among the poorest people in harmony, in a spirit of love, in ways simultaneously beneficial to the people they meet and to themselves.  These women are ready to lead our world to a better place.  There were many ups and downs in the months of preparation and then during the journey itself.  I counted on one thing above all--their love for the suffering children of Barra Village.  I was not disappointed. They did not let me down.  They did not falter once.

In 32 years of teaching, I have never had the honor of working with a group of human beings as good or as beautiful as this one.  The moment that they stepped off the bus after an exhausting, 10-hour journey through West Africa, I knew that I had brought the right people to this place.  From the first moment, from the first handshake, from the first hug, they gave their whole hearts to the children of Sajuka School.  They did it every day, day after day.  They did it in 100 different ways.  The gift of their hearts never wavered in its intensity, in its sincerity, in its beauty.  They never stopped smiling.  They never stopped giving.  As you will see in the fall when we premiere our documentary film, the children of Sajuka School wept when these young women said goodbye.  And the Bay Path students wept along with them. 

Tonight in our last debriefing before catching our plane tomorrow for home, I asked the Bay Path women how many of them planned to come back.  Thirteen hands went up.  As we talked about how coming to Barra Village had changed them, many broke down in tears again.  But, as one of them said with the tears streaming down her face, "These are tears of joy, not of sadness."  As I listened to them sum up what this trip has meant to them, something changed inside of me.  I realized that finally the teacher can begin to fade away to allow the new generation to take its rightful place in leading the way towards a more peaceful, understanding, and beautiful world. 

And, yes, I will still come back to Barra Village again.  I will come back to work with the children of Sajuka School.  I'll do it until I die.  I cannot change the world.  I cannot change a nation or even a region.  But I now know thirteen more people who will help me to change one school and one village. They now know as I know that if we don't help Sajuka School, no one will help Sajuka School.  If we don't help these children, no one will help these children.  At least not now.  Not for this generation of children.  We are all they have.  After ten days with thirteen Bay Path women working at my side, I am optimistic.  We might be enough.  We might be all it takes to lift these children. 

And if we succeed with the children, the children themselves will do the rest.

--Dr. Jarvis







Gambia is the smiling coast of Africa, as we have all been reminded many times on this trip. Today Dr. Jarvis asked us to sum up our experience here in Africa; the truth is that's a lot harder than it sounds. There are no real words to truly describe how amazing this experience was and I will forever hold the memories close to my heart. Just try to imagine 310 little smiling faces looking up at you, wanting to touch your hand, and speak to you. The faces of true love, compassion, and true humility. These are the faces with which I had the privilege of sharing the past few days. These truly amazing young people, as well as the staff have reached for my hand in friendship and have touched my heart for eternity. I will hold their ambitions, hopes, and dreams in my thoughts and prayers always. What all these children need is a chance to make it. If they fail it is not due to lack of trying or ambition but to the lack of resources available to them. That is why I will do everything within my power to ensure their success. One day it is my hope, as well as the school’s, to have a full health clinic for all the students and local families to go to. It is my hope, as well as the school's that all their children will go on to secondary school and then university. All these goals may at first glance seem beyond their reach, but why? Why should these children be looked at any different than any child in America? The answer is simple they shouldn’t be. They too are worthy of love, affection, hugs, education, dreams, and ambitions. If we continue to work with them in obtaining their goals who knows where they could end up. I have every intention to return to the Sajuka Primary School in Barra Village, Africa, as soon as I possibly can. I love these children. They have truly opened their hearts and arms to me. They simply accept you for the person you are. They do not judge you or care about your religion or race.  They just take you as part of their family. I will forever keep them in my heart as part of my family.
--Amanda Bergstrom

Goodness, we ran out of time.  Everyone is now in bed resting for our morning flight home.  I will have them all finish this blog once we are safely back with our loved ones.  Please stay tuned for the amazing wrap-ups of this amazing journey into the "heart" of Africa.
Sincerely,
--Dr. Jarvis

P. S. Here are some photo previews of what is still to come . . .












Lats night Dr. Jarvis asked our group to answer 2 questions, the first being, How has this trip changed our lives and the second, would we want to come back again? Before coming on this trip to The Gambia, my main mission was to teach the people of Barra village, essentialy, our ways of living. What I didn't realize until the last day of being at Sajuka School though, is that, it was the people of Barra village that were teaching me. Coming away from this trip, my view on life has changed drastically. I have learned that life is too short to focus on the little things in life that we may view as "stressors". The children have stressors in their lives that exceed any stressor I've ever had in life and yet every time I saw them they were smiling from ear to ear. The staff and students at Sajuka school are so unified and treat each other as if they were one big family. It's said that people in America are so happy, but how is it that I was the most happiest in a village that has close to nothing compared to America where everything is provided for me. Having 300 children fall in love with me in less than 3 days absolutely blows my mind. To those children I was someone important, I was someone they could trust, I was their friend. From now on I will see my life problems as insignificant bumps in the road compared to the lives of my friends at Sajuka school. I will be honored to come back to The Gambia in the near future to further the work we've done at Sajuka school and to learn more important life lessons from these wonderful children I call my friends. To the children of Sajuka school: I will never forget you and you will always have a special place in my heart.

--Destiny Donnell



This trip has changed my life in so many different ways. After this trip I am so thankful for everything in my life, from my family and friends to basic amenities like a flushing toilet. I have made so many new friends on this trip, both in our group from school and the new people I have met in Africa. When I looked at the children in Barra Village I could only think of my nieces and nephews who, although they may look different, are no different than the children in Africa. They have the same laughs and mannnerisms and the same innocent souls that only children can possess. After working with the women in the Craft Center, some of which are the same age or younger than myself, I have truly learned what the definition of a woman is. The women of the Craft Center are the strongest and most resilient women I have ever met, aside from the women in my family. I would absolutely come back if given the oppportunity. To not come back here would let down not only the children of Barra Village but everyone within the village. After this trip I now realize that it is my duty to help people in any way I can and I have made a vow to come back at some point in my life, whenever I can, to help people. I will truly NEVER forget the time I have spent here and it has made a change in my life forever.  

--Madalyne Boomer


My time in Barra Village, truly changed my life for the better. Above in the picture was VaNessa, and me. This is the class we taught each day because the teacher was absent. I honestly feel i didn't give nearly as much as the children did for me. These children have touched my heart in so many ways i cannot even begin to explain. Looking into one African child's eyes, you see a story, you see a story of pain, happiness and above all, hope. When they look into my eyes, i see the hope they have. Their smiles are large and bright and they have changed my heart in so many ways.I have hope now, i have hope for the future and hope in these children. I know after seeing us, they have hope now for their futures. I would most definitely go back if i was given another opportunity, i would take it in a heartbeat. This trip was the best thing i have ever done in my life, and i will do anything i can to make it back to these children.

-- Jessi Donohue
My journey to Sajuka school has changed the way I view the world today. I always knew that I wanted to be a pediatrician one day and I had the passion for it. Now, my passion for this dream has intensified when I saw the faces of each and every one of The Gambian children. They gave me compassion, they gave me love, but most importantly they gave me hope.The children changed me for the better and I hope one day I can return to Barra Village to help them. I made a promise to Mr. Joof and I told him that I will return one day. Even when I become a doctor and join Doctors without Borders, I will return and help the nurse's station and hopefully aid the chilren. I feel as if this experience has made me more mature and independent and I will never forget the beautiful memories that I made on this trip.  

-- Tenzin Yangdon





















Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Day 8: Just Another Day in Barra Village

Hello friends and family! We are enjoying our time in Barra Village and are sad to have to say goodbye so soon. The past two days have been a whirlwind of emotions, chaos, and lots and lots of sweat! The children of Sajuka are so happy we are hear that they hardly know how to contain themselves. They have much more energy than we anticipated and the language barriers with the younger children has presented a few problems.

The child literacy team has been working hard with all the students, and they have made an honest effort to providing the teachers of Sajuka with the knowledge and supplies they need to continue on after we leave. For the second day in a row, two teachers for the nursery school children have not been able to come to classes, and so the child literacy team was put in charge of 42 children who dont speak english! The adult literacy team has been working hard with the women at the craft center to learn hw to read and write, a skill they were not fortunate enough to learn as children. They also got to help out when the women were tye-dyeing the crafts we bought from them, which include scarves, dresses, shirts and skirts. Needless to say it has been an exhausting few days. With temperatures reaching into the 100's, sudents have been crashing right after dinner,which is usually around 9:00.

The nurses station has been working around the clock to reach ther mission of seeing every singleone of the 300 students at Sajuka school. They have been faced with some very taxing situations, including a boy who had an open leg wound he got from a broken bottle, and a little girl with a mysterious cyst under her tongue that they have not been able to yet identify. They are training Fatou, a local woman and librarian at the school, to run the nurses station after we leave, and to hopefully cut the number of infections at the school.

We are sad to say that we only have 1 day left in Barra Village before we head back to Senegal and get ready to ead home Friday morning. We are fully anticipating that there will be many tears shed tommorrowwhen we have to say goodbye to the children, and when they realize that we will not be back the next morning. It's truly heartbreaking to leave these kids behind, but we will also be leaving our hearts behind wth them as well, and we will never forget the children of Sajuka Primary School.

P.S. Our plane gets to Logan Airport at 8:53 friday night, and the shuttle will be back to Bay Path somewhere between 11:30 and 12 midnight. See you all then!
Dear Readers,

Dr. Jarvis here.  It is 10:43 in the morning.  We have been having trouble blogging here at the local Internet Cafe so I came early to get a better start on the process.  I just left the students busily working in the classrooms and in the new and extremely busy little health center at Sajuka School.  Today, the Adult Literacy Team members are out in the courtyard observing as the Craft Center women are making tie-dye clothing, table cloths, bags and other hand-sewn crafts for us.  By purchasing crafts from them during our visit, we infuse some much-need financial support into the Craft Center to keep it running strong.

Later today or tomorrow, students will update you here with their latest stories and adventures.  I will simply give a photo gallery "teaser" to show you some of the amazing things that have happened since our arrival now four days ago.  As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words . . . hope you enjoy them.

First come photos of our arrival and welcome ceremony from last Saturday, four days ago.  It was filled with song and dance performances by the students, the staff, the teachers and the whole Bay Path Delegation!  After that, you will see random scenes from our Bay Path delegation showing that we work hard and we also play hard!  There is a photo of the Bay Path Library here at Sajuka School.  Adjacent to the library is our new School Infirmary that has been taking dozens and dozens of patients, little and big, students, staff, and even one villager already.  Classroom scenes follow where we are teaching not only grades pre-school through 6th year but adults at the Crafts Center as well.  And when a little person gets injured on the playgound, Maddie even provides much-appreciated transportation to the Infirmary. 

At the end of the day, after a hearty African dinner, we are ready to sleep!





















Monday, May 21, 2012

Calm Before the Storm --Sunday May 20, 2012

Sorry, but there will be no pictures tonight; we are lucky enough to have internet, let alone the ability to upload pictures. I will admit the days are running together because of how much we have been doing, but as for Sunday... We we took advantage of being allowed to sleep in, and we truly needed, and enjoyed it! After a breakfast of warm bread and tea, which even though we have eaten everyday, not one of is tired of it, each project team broke into their groups to begin working. The health care team cleaned out the health center and began stocking it with the multitude of supplies that were generously donated, the children's literacy team was escorted by the village children to the classrooms, and began to workout the logistics for the week.  The adult literacy team met Awa, one of the Skills Center teachers, and figured out our action plan for the week. After another delicous lunch we went to the beach! Here in Barra they have one of the most beautiful beaches that I have ever been to (something to keep in mind for a future vacation spot --hint, hint). Some of us stayed in the water and enjoyed the waves, others played soccer, and others raced the children along the coastline. After the beach some of us went back to Sajuka while myself, VaNessa, Dr. J, Tenzin, and Sarah decided we wanted to see more of Barra. Along with our friend Alpha we saw the slave compound that Kunta Kinteh was transported from to Goree Island, and then to America. Sarah decided that she must climb a baoba tree, which she fully enjoyed while we stayed planted on the ground, and watched. Afterwards, we enjoyed a much calmer, friendlier, and less busy market than the one that was in Dakar. I decided to bargain for some shoes, and got a pretty good deal.  VaNessa found some inexpensive jelly shoes, a bag to replace one that broke, and Sarah and Dr. J loved the fresh coconut they purchased. One thing that has been laughable during our trip is all the proposals that each of us have received from the local men. Dr. J has been the beneficiary of receiving dowries for some of us. It is flattering, but a little too much at times. Last night, after dinner we relaxed, danced with the children in the school yard, and prepared for the exciting first day of school. Sorry, for the short entry, but we do need to get some sleep so that we are refreshed for our workday...

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Hello everyone! sorry for not blogging for a day but we lost internet connection and need to travel into the market to find internet. We are safe and sound and have set up all the supplies at the school. Hmm, well where to start?

Well, yesterday was nearly pure travel time as we woke up at the ungodly hour of 5 am. and drove from Senegal to the actual country of Gambia on a grueling 10 hour drive. I won't cut corners or lie to you guys...it was awful. They of course don't have the snazzy stuff like air conditioning or bus suspensions, so what followed was a bone jolting, sweltering, ride during which we all tried our very best not to kill each other from the mutual air of crabbiness. The highlights of the trip however, were that we saw our first baboon!! We also managed to get a full tour of the African landscape which consisted of bustling markets, giant salt mounds, herds of cows with arching horns, and the glowing African skyline.

Once we had arrived with nothing worse for the wear except extremely sore backsides, we were greeted by the children and teachers in a beautiful welcome ceremony. Smiles were everywhere and the childrens voices filled the air. Im not going to mention any names...cough, but a lot of us were so touched by their excitement and the realization that we were finally here that we burst into tears (no there will be no pictures, due to respect of dignity). The welcome songs continued all the way to the school, during which many of us quickly made friends with the children and by the time we reached our destination, many of us had a child in our arms. Entering the courtyard, we were seated, and then had the opportunity to watch the children perform multiple songs for us...then came the dancing. Heres the thing...when an African drum enters the scene, it is not just impossible but just wrong to remain in your seat. All of us, including Dr. Jarvis, got up into the whirling and stomping group of bodies and danced till we were a giant mass of color, laughter, and song. Arms swirled the air and our feet kicked up large clouds of dust from sweeping and kicking them across the ground. I am beyond thankful for such a unique experience, which my limited knowledge of the English language has difficulty in justly describing.

    After the dancing, we were introduced to the staff and leader of Sajuka School Mr. Babocar Jouf. He thanked us for coming and said he looked forward to what knowledge we had brought to share with Sajuka. A bit more pleasantries commenced, followed by more dancing, and we then sat down to an awesome meal prepared for us by the teachers. Alright, I'm not a huge fan of rice, i mean, its rice, its not like its super cool, but paired with the right Gambian touch it becomes a feast. We stuffed ourselves on foods we had no idea what we were eating but it tasted fabulous, so who were we to question? Getting a quick tour of the school, we filed upstairs to our rooms and found that the staff had prepared a beautiful room for us, each with our own mattress, pillows, and mosquito nets, some of which were hot pink (apparently they knew we were all girls).  Exhausted from dancing and our evil ten hour drive, we netted ourselves in and passed out, ready for the first day of preparation the next day.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Day 4: Our Last Day in Dakar, Senegal

Our Gambian team has spent the last few days adjusting to African culture, including the slower pace of the Senegalian people. Today was our last day enjoying the luxury of staying at the Fye residence in Dakar, so some of our team decided to soak up the sun at the local beach for a few hours before we start our trek to the Barra Village on Saturday morning at 6:30 AM! Some of us didnt even know that time existed!


Back at Nyillan's home, several students decided to forgo the beach experience in exchange for having their hair done in traditional african style! Seeing as the Barra Village has only buckets of water to use as a shower, Zianna, Amanda, Alanna and Jessi decided to make their lives a little easier by braiding their hair which they dont have to wash every day. This was a painstakingly long experience, especially for Amanda who spent 4 hours getting her hair braided! That's dedication to African culture!


After a relaxing morning we headed out to do some shopping! Nyillan informed us that we would be going to the largest market in all of Senegal. We took our normal bus ride there, and were surprised to find how hectic the market actually was. Our bus was at a standstill in the middle of a crowded street for 10 minutes while we waited for the people, and other cars, to clear out. Once our driver found a suitable parking spot, we hopped out in search of souveniers for our loved ones. However, we were ill prepared for the pandemonium that awaited us. We discovered that when you take a group of Americans into a Senegal Market, it means big bucks for the vendors, and they will chase you down until you buy their product. We were instantly bombarded by vendors bargaining and shouting prices at us, and Nyillan decided it was too much for the group, so we retreated back to our bus. Once safely back inside the bus, Nyillan informed us that all hope was not lost, and she would return with handpicked vendors who would personally come into the bus and market their products to us. We walked away with African statues, paintings, dolls, and handmade drums in tow to remind us of our incredible experience at the market in Senegal.

But our night wasn't done yet! We had promised Nyillan's friend Joure that we would come watch her play basketball in her teams Playoff game. Cheers of "USO" (her team name) could be heard eminating from the stands as we cheered on Joure and the rest of her team. We enjoyed roasted peanuts, courtesy of Nyillan, and laughed at Dr. Jarvis when he cheered for the wrong team! Unfortunately, Joure's team didn't win :( but we still had a great time watching her play. All in all it was a good final day in Dakar, Senegal. 


From here we continue our journey to the Barra Village in the Gambia where our real work begins. We are so looking forward to seeing the children, and offering all we can to the people of the Barra Village, even if we have to get up at 5 AM to do it! 


Written By
Brittany Beaudette

Day 3: May 17, 2012 A Day to Remember

Today started bright and early with a brisk walk to the local bakery to get breakfast for all of us.  The local bakeries are French, and have wonderful croissants, and baguettes.  When you walk through the door the scents of fresh bread tease you with a strength that is irresistible.  Throughout the neighborhood, and especially by the bakery, we saw neighborhood boys who were begging for money. Our local guide and all-around-troubleshooter, Ms. Nyillan, told us that they work all day trying to get enough money so that their boss gives them lunch.  Seeing those young boys, many not even nine years old yet, is a reminder that as Americans we can really take things for granted.  After leaving the bakery, Nyillan gave them a loaf of bread for them to share.
The rest of the day was filled with visiting important sights mixed with a lot of fun.  The first sight we visited was Goree Island.  The entire world, if able, should visit the island.  It is where 20,000,000 slaves were taken out of Africa for the slave trade, and is featured in Alex Haley's Roots.  While waiting for the ferry to bring us over to the island many of us enjoyed watching and lisrtening to local artists and street vendors.   One young musician caught the interest of Destiny, Alanna, and Courtney and Destiny purchased an African rhythm instrument consisting of tree nuts attached together with a string.  When you twist the string, the tree nuts bang together and sound like a small drum.

During the tour of the island we were shown where the slaves lived. While inside the large, plantation-style slave house you could feel the pain that the walls hold. The tour guide said that "Africa forgives, but never forgets," and no one should forget that part of the world's past.  Of the 20 million slaves shipped from Goree Island, only 15 million survived the Atlantic crossing to their new slave homes in the Americas.  It made our sleepless night on the plane of two days before seem very trivial.  We also learned the sobering details of the slave trade.  For example, any adult male who weighed less than 60 kilograms (132 pounds) was not shipped right away.  Instead the thinner and weaker slaves were kept in bondage at Goree and force fed large amounts of a local bean mash that fattened them up quickly.  The big, strong male slaves were used for breeding with females with 10 men and 20 women caged together until the women conceived children.  The children were raised up to about age two and then they were taken from their mothers and shipped off to America.  The guide said that the children were especially prized because they were born in captivity and therefore could be trained to accept their slave lives as "normal" right from the beginning.  He compared it to training a dog to be obedient.  Slaves who rebelled or resisted orders were kept under the stairwells in pens where they had to remain on hands and knees for days and weeks at a time.  They were given little or no food.  These all are examples of the pain we felt embedded right in the walls of a typical slave house in Goree.  There were over 200 such houses on the island, each one containing hundreds of slaves at any one time.  There were houses owned by the French, the British, the Dutch, the Portuguese, and others.
The "door of no return" was one that brought up many emotions for us thinking about what it would have been like leaving through a door never to return to our own home again.  The tour guide told us many slaves would jump to the cement walls below to commit suicide rather than living out their lives under slavery.

While at the island we were able to watch a local artist create a beautiful piece of work using glue and sand.  The sand is held to a board using baobob sap as glue.  It is very strong glue.  After the artisan finished his painting, he purposely dropped it on the floor to show that the sand grains would not come off.



 After we left the sandpaint shop, Courtney made two new friends who were kind enough to take a picture with us.  As soon as Courtney kneeled down, our two young friends jumped right into her lap.  They made us feel very welcome in their village.



















The next sight that we visited was a national monument representing the Renaissance of African Culture and Liberty since colonialism ended in the 1960s. The monument is HUGE and shows a man and woman holding a baby.  It represents the rebirth of freedom, dignity, and hope for the African family after centuries of exploitation and devastation by outsiders. We climbed over 200 steps to reach the top!





We also visited the local women's basketball practice of one of our hostesses, Jaure, and let her team know that we will be cheering them on during Friday's semi-final game for the women's national championship in basketball!



As we were meeting members of the basketball team, we heard some wonderful drum music coming from behind a stone wall near an apartment complex.  With a little searching, we found local drummers who performed and danced with us.  Beatriz could not resist showing us a few of her best Mexican dance moves.  Very cool!







All in all, we really had a great day! Filled with a great deal of learning, and insight as well as much needed fun!

--Blogged by Jessica Radcliff and Dr. J.