Cerridwen Johnson
Volunteer: Cerridwen Johnson
Bio:
I was an AgFo PCV in The Gambia, West Africa. I mostly worked in a rural health clinic doing community health.
Contributions from Cerridwen Johnson
-
My Husband
Bubacarr was the youngest son of the director of the bush hospital where I worked. One day he came to me and said that since he is Muslim, he get's to have 5 wives, and I was going to be his first. I told him that was fine, as long as I got to have 5 husbands. He was ok with that, as long as he was the one in charge. Then I told him that he had to give me a bride price, a present for being his wife. He thought about it for a minute, then me what he would give me as my bride price "Manda...
-
She's One Of Us
I had only been in village a few months. Most of the time, I was the only "tubob", or white person in my West African village. One day, as I was walking from the backyard of the main house, my host fathers youngest son, Mohamadou (3 years old) came running around the corner like the devil was at his heels. He saw me, screamed my name and threw himself into my arms. I picked him up and held him while he gripped me and burried his face in my sholder. My Serehule wasn't that great ...
-
Me and the boys
In this picture are the two sons of the director of the bush hospital where I worked. In the white shirt is the oldest, Mylamin. And in my arms is the 6 year old Bubacarr.
-
Cultures combine
My parents came to visit after my first year. Here they are in their Gambian outfits.
-
Gunane
Working in the groundnut field.
-
Should I get in this car?
A setplas I took to the Kombo from Basse. It had its own juju around the steering wheel.
-
Dead Toubab Clothes
Ever wonder what happens to all those clothes you donate to the poor people of Africa? This is it. They are sold in the market. The people want "Western" clothes, and they are free/cheap to the seller, so they are less expensive than going to buy cloth and taking that to the tailor. The locals call them "dead toubab clothes", because they can't imagine people getting rid of nice clothes like this unless the owner had died.
-
At the pump
My village was considered "wealty". We had a several solar pumps. They went on once a day for a few hours, and you would fill up as much as you could. This one my compund shared with 2 others, so we got it every third day.
-
Fetching water
My site mate and I went to get some water so we could bathe after a bike ride.
-
This is lunch?
My patents came to visit after my first year, and did not adjust to the food very well. Here, I am trying to explain how to eat the cous. She was not impressed.
-
Roots Tour
Some friends and I went to the Roots Tour. There, they did cultural displays for the tourists. These Fulla boys had just been circumcised, and were dressed up in their post circumcision outfits.
-
My Alarm Clock
These three vultures would land on my roof every morning. The sound of the claws on my corrugate roof (think fingernails on chalkboard) would wake me up every day. I named them Lamin, Malamin and Mohanadou.
-
My Education First
This is a billboard in Basse, The Gambia. The entire time it was up, PCVs would discuss what was going on in it, depending on the experiences we had had with the educational system. If you had a bad week, then it was a teacher propositioning a student. If you had a productive week, it was a girl telling her father she wasn't ready to get married. Either way, and everything in between, it was a lot of fun to make up stories about it.
-
Pounding Millet
Every day, all day, the women gather to pound the millet or the rice for the days meals. It is hard work, but can be a lot of fun also. They sing, tell stories, gossip.
-
Bubbacarr's Chicken
Bubbacarr was the youngest son of the director of the hospital where I worked. One day, his mother told him to catch this rooster so we could have it for lunch. He caught the chicken, but it pecked him and got away. He chased it down, and again, it got away. The third time, he caught the chicken, and was able to hang on to it. He marched around the hospital grounds, showing everyone his chicken before presenting it to myself and his mother.
