The Gambia

During my internship at Keur Samba Guèye I was lucky enough to be able to squeeze in a trip to the Gambia with some truly excellent travel companions, Kelly and Mollie. Reflecting on the trip overall, I keep coming back to the fact that man, did we luck out. 

Inventory

40 days
9 km of dirt road to Keur Samba Guèye

On sharing the adventure

     Sometimes when you travel it's not what you find that makes the trip but who. This is a thank you of sorts, a love letter, a petition, an affidavit, an inventory. To those now on planes hurtling away across oceans and continents: thank you, I love you, I miss you, I think you owe me 50 CFA.

The Clinic

     I walk in every morning to a full waiting room. Forty small villages depend in this poste de santé for medical care and we will work until they've all been seen. General cases wait for the nurse, pregnant women and new babies wait to see the midwife.

Each patient first buys a ticket. Adults pay about $4 USD for their consultation and any prescriptions. "The government set this price", the nurse explains, "it doesn't always cover even the price of the medications to the clinic."

An Ode to a Tree

In the center of every village stands a great, grand tree, easily a century old. It is the town's meeting place, a shady spot to nap, a landmark, the heart of the village. It is supremely graceful, its leaves reaching out in a perfect orb. Neither a neighbor or the elements has diverted it from its slow upward crawl to the sun. Outside the village the tree's cousins dot the landscape, each more striking than the last. The family is varied but even within the same species each tree tells a unique story of its patch of land over the past few decades.

A corner of the world

The toads hold their nightly conference on the doorstep under the flicking light. In quiet chirps they discuss the happenings of the day. Attendance is up tonight from yesterday to 28; there must be some juicy gossip to share.

Internship!

In a few hours I'll be leaving for my internship in Keur Samba Guèye. I'll be working at a Poste de Santé which is a local health center for the next 5 and 1/2 weeks. Keur Samba Guèye is east of Toubacouta and just north of the Gambian border so I'll be able to do a lot of exciting traveling while I'm in the region. 

My internet connection will be slightly intermittent so if you don't hear from me, don't be concerned! I'll share all of my adventures as soon as possible. In the meantime I wish you all the best!