Happy Kwanza!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! or as they say here in the Gambia, Merry Christmas. This will be my first Christmas not spent with my family. So today I will be spending it with my new extended family, that is my amazing fellow Peace Corp volunteers. Honestly I cannot say enough about these people, they are some of the most remarkable individuals I have ever met. With that being said I do miss my peeps back home, I have been here for almost a year (Jan 6th marks one year). All is well over on my side of the ocean, the weather is amazing. It is cold season now, so it is now freezing over here. The lows are around 60 in the night and highs of 95 during the day. Seriously I get REALLY cold during the nights and the days are some of the most comfortable and enjoyable days I have experienced in this country thus far. Work is good, been doing some work with the women's gardens as well as work in the cashew field in preparation for dry season. Also been doing a lot of brainstorming about projects for next year, its going to be a very busy year. So I am moving, yep thats right moving...nope not back to America. My friends I am heading to the city. In about two months I will finish my service in the city of Serekundna where I will work for an organization named IRD that does large scale cashew promotion in the Gambia. The main reason for the move however is for my basketball project, which I believe I discussed in a previous post. I am really excited about the move mainly for the reason that I get to do something I am incredibly passionate about. Basketball Baby! However this does mean I will be leaving my village and host family. This was a really difficult decision to make. The people of Dobong Kunda and the Jaiteh family have been the most welcoming, kind, and hospitable people during my stay there. I made friends for life and have come to love these people. I will of course get to visit, monthly if I so choose. However I am excited to get a new experience and some amazing work. Oh ya, this does mean I get to experience amenities again. There is something pretty hardcore and awesome about living in the bush with no amenities, it definitely makes me prideful and its something I will brag about for like a year once I get back. With that being said, I am looking forward to a toilet, electricity, and daily internet access. Anyways ya, um quick recap of life over the last couple months. Tobaski was celebrated, which meant rams were sacrificed in mass. Elections happened, Jamme is still president and if I were not a peace corp volunteer I would gladly write a long post about my opinions on that. HIV Bike trek happened, taught the finer points of HIV/AIDS to over 200 kids out in the bush. Loved that! Lets see what is coming up.....Going to Dakar, Senegal in January for a Peace Corps Conference that will be followed with an International Softball Tourney I will be participating in. New group of volunteers coming in, moving, hot season.................but ill have a fan this year!!!! Anyways peeps Merry Christmas, Happy New Years, keep me updated on life and TILL NEXT TIME!