Last days in Farafenni

Good costume?!

The coming week is Tabaski. It is the main happening for the Muslims (like our Christmas). Tabaski is, according to someones definition found on google: This two-day celebration is the most festive and important holiday of the year for many Muslims. On this day, celebrants slaughter a sheep to commemorate the biblical story of Abraham, who was on the verge of sacrificing his son to obey God's command when God interceded by substituting a ram in the child's place. Today, the sacrificed animal is divided into thirds and given equally to family, friends, and the poor. After several hours at a mosque, celebrants usually gather for large meals and visit with friends. Tabaski is known in other Muslim regions by different names, including Eid al-Adha (Celebration of Sacrifice) and Eid al-Kabir (The Great Celebration).

This is what I have learned about the celebration: Ram is a must for those that can effort it, and the amount of rams that is bought shows the wealthiness of a family. According to one of my friends it is stated in the Koran that one should have a male ram. If one can not afford or get a male one, a female can be bought. If one can not afford a ram, a male goat can be taken. The price for the cheapest ram is for uneducated people with a job two-three months salary. Many of my friends are worrying about how they will be able to buy a ram for their family. The more wealthy a family is, the more rams are slaughtered. The slaughtering happends outside peoples house so I have heard that it can be a bloody mess. The testicles are the main dish on the ram. According to my friend, Kemo, it is the best part.. We will be in Senegal for Tabaski and I will let you know if anyone invites us to eat testicles! (I hope so)!

This is the labor ward by the way.. Inside this ward is where I have got most of my mosquito bites when I went to fill up my water bucket. There are sometimes cats here, and frogs are often seen. I saw the first dead baby the other day I went through.. It was a miscarriage. The baby that was lying beside it was very small and I thought it was dead partly because of the rough handling it was given by one of the nurses.. It was alive, but I don't think it would survive for long as it seemed to be too weak and small. Malaria, anemia, hard work and insufficient diet (among others) are prevalent during pregnancy and the stillbirth rate is very high. The lowest hemoglobin I have ever heard of was a pregnant women that was admitted to this hospital with 3.5. (Normal HB is 11-15, under 8 is characterized as serious anemia in Norway). And this girl was supposed to have blood for herself and the baby. She fainted on the way to the hospital. I have seen several kids being carried to the mortuary during my stay. It is so sad, because these die of diseases that the world have more than enough resources and knowledge to prevent.. 

 

This is the coolest insect I have seen! I have no idea what it is called but it looks like an alien.

 
A conversation at the tailor:

Me: I want a skirt with a little road of embroidery (broderi) around the bottom.

Tailor: that sounds very simple

Me: I want it simple

Tailor: Let me make it nice and make two roads

Me: nja, I would like one

Tailor: but it will make it nice

Me: ok then, make two roads

Three days later when I went to pick it up most of the front of the skirt was covered with embroidery.

Me: It wasn't exactly like this I wanted it

Tailor: Is it nice?

Me: yes, it is nice, but I only wanted a little road in the bottom

Tailor: that would have been very simple..

My friend Fatou, me and the skirt!

Today is my last night in Farafenni alone! The interviews are about to be finished and Maiken is coming this Friday! We will be traveling around in The Gambia and we'll be going to a national park in Senegal. (Johanna, da kommer det flere dyrebilder til deg!). Og jeg vet at jeg får norsk melkesjokolade..! We are going to enjoy unspoiled beaches, hammock and books :) More or less the rest of my stay here is a vacation so my next three weeks will be something like this..!

Naming Ceremony and Halloween

 I was very lucky and was invited to a naming ceremony in a village outside Farafenni. One of the American peace corps host mother had given birth to a little girl. The tradition is that the woman should stay inside the first week after delivery, and then they have a big party and the baby get a name. This was a big celebration. Loads of people and loads of food.. In this bowl they have meat, vegetables and sauce at the bottom and rice on the top.

 The cooks. My engagement in gender equality meets certain challenges unfortunately. The women cooked for hours. When the food was ready, the men came and picked it up. Then the men ate, and when they were finished we women could eat. Then the women did the dishes.. Well, to be fair the men did slaughtered the cow. So they did actually contribute. But I wish everyone could eat at the same time anyway.

The best of Africa! Colors, smiles, dance and African drums.. Amazing! Check out the video and enjoy! I wish I could do these moves!

I was told that for one of the tribes (especially Wollof), the women have some long underwear under their skirt. When they want their husband to visit them for the night (men can have 1-4 wives and live in his own house or share his time between the wives), they lift up their skirt a little so he can see the underwear. During the dance they sometimes lifted their skirt up, but I didn't get the chance to see it unfortunately. I have heard that clothing is very pretty and I am still looking out for these pants!

 The American girls made a potato and cheddar soup that was sent from U.S and served it to the guest. Most of the Gambians did not like it. A old lady looked very angry after tasting it, she obviously didn't like it all! I loved it

I had a bug invasion some days ago. I always have some bugs in my room, especially cockroaches seems to settle here.. But this evening there were bugs everywhere. I kept on wiping the floor for two hours continually and the amount was not reduced. It was weird. I used a lot of insect spray and when I turned off the lights they finally decided to stop their invasion. Above are the dead insect that were lying on the floor the next day, killed by my precious insect spray.
 

I accidentally bumped in to a Norwegian couple -a doctor and a social worker, and a nurse and a surgeon from from England. This happened in my "missing-home-period" and meeting them was a huge comfort! The lady beside me made sure she gave me some "mummy-hugs"as she called it, cause she was sure I missed my mother:) And she was right, it was exactly what I needed! I loved to be able to speak some Norwegian as well. These people does an impressing job for for mercy ships in West Africa.

I went to Janjangbureh island with a group of peace corps to celebrate halloween. Watermelon was a good substitute for pumpkin. 

 Preparations

The locals does not know what halloween is so the peace corps people had some trouble explaining their families here what they were up to. And it seemed like we were entertaining the people on the island.

 

Some the best costumes. I will post a picture later that will make this costume make perfectly sense!

Dirty laundry. The Gambian way!

I was told about the party a couple of days before, and had little time to plan for the happening (my first halloweeen!). With some idea input from Lato, some fabric from the tailor and the rest taken from my "office" stationary, I went as my facebook profile.

Dinner at Sambas. These are my favorite hang-out friends and it will be very sad to leave them, Wesnic and her two kids.

In a little while...