Hey Everyone!

Wow… where to even begin…
It's been a while since my last updates, but my life and experiences here continue to go well, Khiva is fine, the weather remains hot, and... THE RAINS HAVE COME!!!



It's such a relief to enjoy the coming of the rainy season. As nice as it is to have the same, predictable weather every day for 8 months (HOT and dry), a little variety is nice. And watching the clouds roll in is nothing short of gorgeous. I must say I never really took the time in the States to see if storm clouds roll in like they do here, but I encourage you to check it out some time.



This past week we had our Annual Peace Corps All-Volunteer Conference for Gambia. We had a good 4 days of meetings, seminars and small group discussions, as well as an open-mic night to celebrate the 4th of July. It was a fun and productive time!


All the volunteers from my region of Gambia had matching overalls made. It was pretty rediculous. And you won't find any PICTURES of ME wearing them.



Celebrating the 4th of July outside the US is truly a unique experience, as the general atmosphere isn't quite as excited as those of us celebrating the holiday, but it's still great to be able to celebrate the freedoms and privelages we have (and often take for granted) in our country.

Back in Chargel life has been good. As the rains have come, its back to work in the fields. Millet, corn, rice, peanuts and gardens are all well under way.




The entire mood of the village changes the day of the first rains, as the whole "hurry up and wait" aspect of prepping for planting finally comes to an end. It's a nice change of pace!


But it's kind of weird to be a part of the planting knowing that I won't be a part of the harvesting, but it's still fun and exciting to be a part of the planting process.

When not in the fields I've been "busy" hanging out with friends, spending time with my host family and just enjoying being a part of the community of Chargel. As time continues to tick away I truly appreciate this experience and the relationships with my friends here exponentially more every day.




And with that, I'm more than excited that my aunt, uncle and cousin are coming to visit in less than 48 hours! I'm so excited to get to introduce them to the true way of life for the Fula and Mandinka people here in West Africa, as well as the many great friends who have made such an impact on my life and life-outlook.

I'm sure they will have great stories to share of the food, transportation, weather, and scenery. But more-so, I'm excited for them to get to share with you, from a different perspective, how incredibly hospitable, welcoming and comfortable the people of Chargel truly are. The amazing time they are about to have is truly a testament to how great of a village I live in.



So, with that, you can be looking forward to more blog posts and tons of more pictures at the end of the month.

Until then, I hope you are doing well and enjoyed a great 4th of July holiday with family and friends!

So Guess What...

Hey Faithful Readers

I'm back in Kombo through Friday to see off a few more good friends of mine whos time here has come to an end. Life and work in Chargel is pretty much about the same as the last time I sent out updates, but I DO have an update about my future plans which I am very excited to share.

No! I'm NOT getting married...

I have been offered, and accepted, the opportunity to extend my Peace Corps service to work with "at-risk" youth in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan!



And just in case you're interested, this is how it happened:

I had an informal conversation with my Peace Corps country director about my future, long-term goals of working with "at risk" populations in the Mid-East, and within just a few days I was contacted by Peace Corps/Jordan, suggesting I apply for an extension to serve as a Youth Development Volunteer there.

I had an impromptu phone interview with the Area Peace Corps Director of Jordan, and one could say that my resume with experience as a wellness RA, working with refugees in Denmark, work with the Kossuth Teen Center, and of course the projects and experiences I've been working with in Gambia were basically a slam dunk.

Really, this is nothing less than an absolute dream come true...to say the least. I will be working with at-risk youth in a community/youth center, promoting primarily informal education and recreation activities. Basically, two years of summer camp in the Middle East working with primarily Palestinian youth. I mean really... Plus, since my long term goals are to continue working with "at risk" populations in the Mid-East, primarily in relation to Palestinian refugees, this is about as good as it can get. (and I'm guessing the Arabic language skills will be a plus in the future, also...)



Life certainly progresses in creative ways, and I can see certain aspects of why this time in Gambia may have been a necessary pre-requisite to my life before taking on this opportunity. After all, personal maturity and self-confidence is a must, and I know these years in Gambia have been a great turning point in my life.

So... This means you all actually get to see me sooner than you expected! I will head back to the States in mid September for a month of vacation before heading to Jordan mid October to begin Training...again. It will be another two years of service, but I really don't have any qualms with that since this is something I thought I would have to have an MA or something to be able to work with. Something I didn't think I would get to do for quite some time. It seems almost too good to be true.

Another upside is that Jordan is quite developed, comparatively, so access to internet and cell phone reception won't be an issue anymore. So, while I will continue to work overseas for a few more years, communication will definitely be improved!



Plus, can I just mention how exciting it will be to work in a country with mountains, a RANGE of temperatures, and ABSOLUTELY AMAZING FOOD (can we say kabob? falafel? shwarma? hummus??)



As you can tell, I'm excited to share this news with you.

Until Next Time,
Cheers!

We Have Rabbits!

Hey Everyone!

We have rabbits in Chargel! Yes, we have HAD rabbits, but they have been more of the "pest" type...eating the gardens under the cover of darkness.

THESE totally cute, adorable, fuzzy, playful rabbits, on the other hand, have a more MEANINGFUL PURPOSE - one truly for the benefit of all ... meat!

Yep, in tribute to all those 4H-ers out there, I wanted to let you know we are starting a rabbit production program in Chargel. Actually, this is a program Peace Corps has been working on for a few years, and it is finally at a level where we are able to introduce it into the community level, and Chargel gets to be one of the first communities to take on this project.

We are actually modeling it after the Heifer project, meaning that when my host compound's rabbits have babies, they need to give a pair away to someone else in the community, who will then continue the gesture. And we have a system in place for cross-community sharing, in order to keep a more appropriate gene pool.


The guys made rabbit cages out of fish crates. They were REALLY EXCITED about holding and petting the rabbits. Apparently a new thing...


The Female


The Male


Just hanging out, enjoying the comforts of home.

We've only had them for about a week, so I really don't have any update other than to let you know we have begun this brand new project.

But I look forward to giving you updates in the weeks and months to come.

ALSO:
Be looking forward to updates on a final bee-keeping training, focusing on harvesting, honey processing and candle making with bees'-wax.

A training at the Chargel's skill center with three new peddle-powered sewing machines.

A training with the teachers of area schools on how to make/work with teaching aids made from locally available materials.

And most importantly...pictures from the upcoming FIRST RAINS of the rainy season.

Until next time, I wish you only the best!

It's MANGO Season!

One of the better aspects of the hot season is that it also signals the beginning of MANGO SEASON!!!










If pictures are worth a thousand words, I think this blog is pretty self explanitory.

You Know It's the Hot Season When...

Top Ten Reasons You Know It's The Hot Season:

10: Quite simply, you just never stop sweating.

9: You start dropping weight because you are drinking SO MUCH water your stomach just can't take anything more.

8: You don't even want to fan yourself because even that air is just too hot.

7: You develop an affinity for Gold Bond that you haven't felt since the days of Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

6: No more writing letters or journaling by candle light...that candle flicker is just too hot!

5: No more writing letters or journaling by candle light...because the candle melted before it was even lit...

4: Thermometers overheat.

3: Each morning you wake up feeling like you have the worst hangover ever...not from alcohol...it's just dehydration.

2: 92 degrees starts to feel chilly in the early hours of the morning.

1: You lie awake all night, tossing and turning to find that one part of your bed and pillow that hasn't yet become a pool of sweat. Eventually the donkeys start making noise, meaning the sun is about to rise...and so is the temperature!

However, I must also share that on the flip-side, this means we have all been sleeping outside each night (at least for a few hours), and since the rains aren't here yet there aren't any mosquitoes, either. Let me tell you, falling asleep outside... under the full moon, watching clouds build up, surrounded by silhouettes of palm trees and hut houses, while listening to the sound of drumming coming from different parts of the village MAY just be one of the most amazing experiences one could have. It's pretty cool (figuratively speaking), so say the least.

Some "Shout-Outs" to the Family

Hey Everyone!

First and foremost, I would like to welcome Adelina Rose Baty to the world, and to the Strohbehn family. She has NO idea what she has just gotten herself into (ie the Strohbehn family), but I'm excited for her!!!

Second, CONGRATULATIONS to Steve and Kristin, the brand new parents of such a beautiful baby girl, Adelina Rose.

Third, CONGRATULATIONS to Joe, Richard, Nick, Eino, Krystal and Darin on your respective graduations. Times of promotion and change can bring along uncertainty, but your time and efforts should also be appreciated, and certainly celebrated!

I'm excited for each of you as you continue to pursue your intests and work towards your goals. Changes, graduations and new opportunities can be fun, but also bring with them a degree of stress and uncertainty. But without sounding overly optimistic or naievely "rosy," it really can be good for us. After all, even when "life" doesn't turn out in ways we would have wanted or specifically planned for, we do have an awesome Creator looking out for us in ways we can't even fathom, nor ever fully appreciate. And it can be good to find rest in the faith that a loving God is always present.

Well done! Bravo to each of you!

Peace Corps Mail Run: 101

Hey Everyone!

Amy and I just got back into town after spending a good 5 days on the road, delivering mail, packages and supplies to anxious Peace Corps volunteers.

Now I'm sure you are all wondering, "So when I send my monthly letter to Mark out in Gambia, filling him in on all that I've been up to, since he does such a good job of keeping me updated on what he has been up to via his blog, how does it actually get to his little hut out in the middle of the bush?"

Well, lucky for you, here is a step-by-step process of how all that beef jerkey ends up at my door.

When mail and packages arrive from the States, they first end up at the Peace Corps P.O. Box in Banjul. Three times each week one of the drivers heads into Banjul to pick it up, and brings it all back to the Peace Corps office, where it sits in what we all call "the mail room." From there, everything is logged so that volunteers can see what, if anything, has arrived for them.

Typically, mail run heads out to start delivering on the third Friday of each month. That means whoever is going to be delivering that month's mail will spend Thursday prepping the mail and getting it packed and ready to go.

This means...



Step 1: Organizing the mail in people's mail boxes.






Step 2: Tackling the craziness that is the mail room,



and organizing it so that the mail is divided into which "day" (1-5) it will be delivered.



Step 3: Load everything into the truck. ("Load" is just puting it nicely. Really, we just need to make sure it all fits.)



NOTE: It can be a problem that some volunteers consider the mail run truck to be their own personal moving company, and often try to send beds, chairs, bikes, mattresses, gas stoves, tables... all at the same time.

NOTE: It can also be a problem that there is always that ONE volunteer who has a super important item to send out, but they don't let you know they have it to send out until the truck is already loaded.

Step 4: Head out at the crack of dawn on Friday morning, delivering firs to volunteers on the North Bank, before reaching Basse several days later and turning around to deliver mail to volunteers on the South Bank.


Step 5: Deliver mail, packages and whatever else has been sent out in the mail truck, to eagerly waiting volunteers.



Step 6: Enjoy the nicely paved north bank road!



Step 7: Brace yourself for all the bush roads!



Step 8: Enjoy the scenery of Gambia from the beauty of air conditioning!


Step 8: After a few days, reach the ferry crossing at Basse and head down to the South Bank.


Just waiting to cross the ferry.



Still just waiting to cross the ferry...

Step 9: Remember the good ole' days of the paved north bank road.



Step 10: Repeat step 6 for all the south bank volunteers.



Step 11: Beware of bush fires!



Step 12: Just enjoy the time on the road, getting to take in the sights of the Gambia with friends!



And that, my friends, is how all the letters, packages, and beef jerkey you send makes it to my front door.