Ok, so it's has been about a month and life is progressing here. Here are a few of things that have been going on.
Work:
I have started "working" at the hospital... really I just go and hang out there for a few hours each day. I have no medical skills so right now there is very little for me to do there. When malaria season starts I think I will be doing a lot of health talks at the hospital while people are being treated or are waiting to be treated for malaria. I realize this is not prevention but it a way to reach a group of people who are having malaria problems. Before rainy season/malaria season I would like to bed net dipping and such for some prevention. No one wants malaria. I have also attended the monthly Reproductive Child Health (RCH) clinic and weighed babies. It was a great opportunity to observe the condition of children in my region, for the most part they are pretty healthy but many of them have not seen the hungry season yet so that may change in a few months. I would like to include some information about weening foods during RCH clinic but it's difficult because it is total chaos. 200+ women and their infants. The last clinic I went to there was even a brawl between two women over line jumping issues.
I'm also really excited because I am now on a visual aids committee that will be working on putting together and developing visual resources and aids for the Health sector here. This means information on mural painting, puppet making, banners, games and a tons more other stuff. I will probably also be updating the current mural manual here as well as doing several murals of my own. This is super exciting to me.
Training:
I have spent the last two weeks in training. It has been exhausting and educational. I am glad it's done but I got a lot from it. One of the best parts was visiting an NGO in Gunjur called TURAD that does a lot of work in health issues that effect the Gambia by using a variety of methods such as dramas, singing, dancing, aprons that have women reproductive organs painted on them to help with discussion on the topic and games such as snakes and ladders with health messages. They also did a puppet show about the dangers of adultery (it was hilarious). TURAD was really inspiring for me and I have a feeling I will be visiting them soon to get more information about their visual aids. Training also gave us all an opportunity to talk about our experiences during our first three months in village. It was good to find out that several of us were facing similar challenges such as finding appropriate and meaningful work, choosing the right counter part, etc.
We also got to spend one blissful day at the Sheraton working on peer counseling, which translates into talking, relaxing and enjoying the pool and beach. What a way to spend a day.
Village Life:
Village life continues along at an easy pace, not much has happened. The biggest thing that happened is that I have now moved to the communal food bowl and I now eat with the women in my compound instead of by myself in my compound. I really enjoy eating with the women because I eat less because I am not forcing myself to eat all the food they give me and I also have more options. There are three women who cook in my compound and they all make good food and want me to eat with them so each day I get to decide what I want and who I want to eat with. And now that my family knows that I don't like palm oil they conference everyday to make sure that at least one of the three is making something with out palm oil. My family is awesome.
Steven, the other volunteer in my village and now I am the only volunteer left in my village. I miss having Steven around, he was great fun and full of village information. Now it's just me. Malong my neighbor who was Steven's best friend in village misses him a lot and I told him I would do what I could to get him a new male volunteer friend, this will be difficult because in the whole of Western Region there are only two. Oh well, guess he will just have to be ok with me.
What's next?
Tomorrow I am heading up country to Basse. I am super excited but I may melt. It is so much hotter up there (the good thing is that I get to come home to my village when I'm done which is quite a bit cooler). I am going to Basse to help my friend Sarah turn her hut into a fish bowl... we are doing an aquarium themed mural in her hut. I am super excited to paint. I will also be heading to my friend Luke and Alison's site to visit with them. We will be making neem cream to keep away the nasty mosquito's. Should be tons of fun and I will get to go to the Brikama Ba lumo which will be crazy. The Brikama Ba lumo is like the biggest weekly market in the Gambia and is suposed to be pretty amazing.
Me and all of my Western Region peeps rockin' our asobee (matching cloth).
This little boy sat with me through the whole performance at TURAD.
Puppet show about the dangers of adultery. 
Don't sleep with her!
Me in village, I have decided that the tiko is fantastic for covering up bad hair days.
This preying mantis was chilling in my backyard for like a week, 
