A video as promised earlier. It is unlikely that additional videos I happen to capture will be uploaded before I get back as this one took approximately 30 hours to get online.
A friend of a fellow Canadian volunteer plays in this band (along with his wife and other friends/family). We happened to catch this show at the Sheraton Hotel near Brufut at the end of March.
Baatin’s members are originally from Senegal, worked at a fish processing plant (think frozen hands) and learned music in the evenings. Currently they play regularly throughout The Gambia.
Have you ever traded proverbs? It’s one thing that one of the local missions staff and I have been doing. It all started when I picked up a book of Mandinka proverbs for another volunteer.
When learning a new language, in addition to new phonetics and grammar rules, it is those pesky idioms and proverbs that seem to cause confusion. And obviously so. There is a whole host of cultural understanding is entwined in each one.
I’ll provide the direct English translation and then the intended meaning for a few of my favourites.
.: Cold water kills. Still water runs deep. or Looks can be deceptive.
.: However hot water in the well may be it cannot boil rice. Know yourself better and your limitations.
.: If torn trousers allow you to stand up, you should also not sit down. Give respect where it is due.
.: Do not stop children having fun otherwise they will also stop your serious work. Leniency pays dividends.
.: Don’t put raw fish in a nauseous man’s mouth. Don’t make matters worse
.: One should have a toilet in their backyard in case of diarrhea. Give allowance for the unforeseen.
.: If you do not squeeze the neck, eyes would not be properly opened. Some work better under pressure.
.: The first pig to the lake drinks the best water. The early bird catches the worm.
.: If you make a bet with a locust to find out who can poop more, it will be you whose butt will get swollen. [based on the premise that locust eat and poop at the same time] If you try to do what you cannot the consequences can be severe.
All proverbs taken from “Mandinka Proverbs & Sayings from The Gambia.” N Gray-Johnson (ed). 2004. ISBN 9983 8800 3-2
I feel the need to provide another update despite feeling like nothing terribly exciting or interesting has occurred since the last posting.
In working out plans (again), I discovered I have a mere seven weeks left in the country. And while that seems like hardly any time at all, it did give my pause to reflect (again) on my activities to date.
God is in everything; the series of coincidences that led to my time here and that continue to occur — these are not mere coincidences. There is a plan and a purpose, even if I am unable to fully grasp it. And so, I strive to fulfill my small but God-given purpose.
Well, not really. But things could be better. You see, there are some chickens. The chickens (and a rooster) were left to be free ranging … but were eating the shoots in the newly planted garden. So they became enclosed in a slightly smaller pen. But no one really knows what to do with the chickens. What should they eat? How does one know if they are sick? Are they better for meat or for eggs? If meat, how do you get them bigger? If eggs, how do you get more eggs?
So, if anyone happening to read this has any experience in poultry raising, please drop me a note. And, just so you know what varieties we have, feel free to have a look at the family.
Finally. Photos! 130+ photos.
Mind you, not so many of the house or the monkeys or Charlie the crocodile. You can check those out in the photo sets from previous visits. (A monkey doesn’t change that much, right?)
