New Hobby

So I've taken up a new hobby here in Africa. Periodically, I take my rug, drape it over the wall in the backyard, and pound the crap out of it until my arms nearly fall off. Considering my alternatives here, this is an incredibly exciting activity. In West Africa, greetings are a huge part of the culture. Let's role play a typical greeting:

You: Salaamaleekum (Peace be upon you)

African Dude: Maleekumsalaam. Somandaa be naadi? (Peace be upon you too, How is the morning?)

You: Somandaa be jan doron. (The morning is here only.)

African Dude: Dookuwo be naadi? (How is the work?)

You: M baa kan doman doman (I'm on it, slowly, slowly)

Let's focus on that last phrase...... "I'm on it slowly, slowly. " Only after being here for about 100 days, do I realize how literal that statement is. Life is SLOW here. Work is SLOW here. In America, I had gotten used to working (relatively) hard and fast.....that's a shame. But not to knock the Gambian work ethic and lifestyle - they just have a different set of priorities and motivations. It's kind of refreshing and frustrating at the same time...... like beating an insane amount of dirt out of my rug, only to realize that I'm never, ever going to get all of the dirt out.

--Junkung