Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Suljeman Bargjini, a local ruler, although the area has been inhabited since long before the town was founded. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920. The city is surrounded on almost all sides by hills, with Dajti Mountain on the East and a valley that leads to the Adriatic in the distance, the Triana river also runs through the city, and is visible in many parts of the city. During WW2 Tirana was a fascist stronghold, that Benito Mussolini visited from time to time. A puppet government was established there with a puppet leader King Zog, at the reins. Tirana stayed in fascist control until is was liberated on 17 November 1944 after a intense battle between Communists and Nazi forces. The Nazis didn't hold for long and eventually withdrew and the communists seized power. The city experienced a incredible decline in architecture, as well as living standards as massive socialist-styled apartment complexes, and factories were constructed, while Skanderbeg Square was redesigned with a number of buildings being demolished. Tirana's Old Bazaar and the Orthodox Cathedral were burned to the ground for the creation of the Soviet-styled Palace of Culture. The Italian-built municipal building was destroyed and the National History Museum was constructed instead, while the structure housing the Parliament of Albania during the monarchy was turned into a children's theater. It seems as you have read and will read in the future, that when one regime enters, it destroys all reminders of the former regime, to replace it with a facade of their own. Of course, there were revolts against the standards of living and other issues throughout this time in Tirana's history, mostly by university students. Overtime, with the fall of the USSR, communism fell in Tirana. The most recent problem now is the chaotic development of the city. Everywhere you look the is construction. Multi-story complexes are going up and there is no utility backbone in the city. Many illegal homes are going up and the roads are not in great shape. Tirana is a colorful place, with a bustling nightlife, but no charm. Its a place with some kinks that still need to be worked out. So I arrived in Tirana and immediately saw the mess that it is. I liked it though. It was a fast paced city with movement everywhere. I walked around the square and took the sights, the mosque and clocktower, the opera house, the national history museum. A big statue in the center of a former Albania war hero, horseback. On my way to the hostel I heard screaming. I look over and see a woman screaming and almost throwing herself into the road. She is screaming at every passing car. She obviously had a mental illness. Everyone avoided her as they walked by and she ignored everyone...except those cars. The hostel was nice I stayed there for several days and met a guy working their an American. That was nice, because it was good to talk to someone in English for a change. We went out and drank throughout the whole time there. I went to Mt. Dajti to get a view of the city. It was a nice trip up to the mountain. Great views and plenty places to hike around. On the way out I ran into the prime minister of Albania. Have a secret service guy show me his gun, because I wanted a picture of the pm. It was cool all the same. After a couple of days I left for Berat. I was waiting on a new card to come in mail. I am still waiting to get back to that card and out of Albania. I am ready to see a new place. I love it here. I would recommend it to anybody, but its time for a change of scenery. Next stop was Berat.

Skopje is the capital of the Republic of Macedonia. Skopje, with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic center. It was known in the Roman period under the name Scupi. Some people still call it by this name today. The area in and around Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; the remains Neolithic settlements were discovered inside Kale Fortress (Skopje Fortress.) The night before the start of the 1st century AD, Scupi was seized by the Romans and converted to a military camp. Later in 395 AD, The Roman Empire was divided into two halves, east and west, Scupi came under Byzantine rule from Constantinople (Istanbul). From 1282 the town was part of the Serbian realm and its capital city since 1346. In 1392 the city was conquered by the Ottoman, it would stay that way for over 500 years. At that time the city was famous for its oriental architecture. In 1912 the city was conquered by the Serbs during the Balkan Wars and after the First World War and stayed that until the creation of what was to be called Yugoslavia. In the Second World War the city was conquered by the Bulgarian Army. This is one of the reasons Macedonia and Bulgaria don't get along to this day. In 1944 it became the capital city of all the reincarnations of Macedonia. The city developed rapidly after World War II, until the major earthquake of 1963, which destroyed 80% of Skopje. Skopje is approximately halfway between Belgrade and Athens. The Vardar River, passes through the city then flows south passing the border into Greece. Today, Skopje is spreading is growing leaps and bounds. The government has created the "Skopje 2014" project. With the help of the EU the city is changing its image of a bland capital into something different plans have been to erect several statues, fountains, bridges, and museums at a cost of about €500 million. When I arrived at the central bus station in Skopje, I saw was a unorganized, bland, and unimpressive city. I could see the VERO center, which was a major eyesore. I wandered to my hostel, which was in "Old Town" and was quite nice. Old town was a really nice part of the city, small streets, old houses, and Macedonian flags waving in the cold wind. I woke up the next morning and wandered around the city. I went to Macedonia square and saw the gigantic statue of Alexander the Great. There was a huge video screen next to the statue. It was playing a movie, that was fragmented often with car commercials. After seeing this I went to the Kale Fortress, it was a long walk to find it closed. I heard later from many people that this is a common issue as of late. Afterwards, I went to the National Holocaust Museum, which was very interesting and well designed. It was in Cyrillic and English, which was nice, even the movie playing in the rooms was in English. I discovered that the Bulgarians during WW2, entered Macedonia and made all the Jews write down their addresses, names, and bring a picture. This was a way of cataloging never seen, in WW2. Its the only one of its kind. The people in some of the pictures are smiling, some are not. The museum has many of these pictures. This is another reason Macedonians dislike Bulgarians. After the Bulgarians, the Ustaša arrived and reeked have on the people of this country. The amount of hate it took to kill so many people, I will never understand. From there I traveled around the city and stumbled upon the National Art Gallery. It was not very impressive. First it was expensive. Second, all the paintings suffered from water damage. Third, there was so little, maybe 30 pieces total. I did find one or two that I liked a lot. After this, I went back to the hostel and planned my next move...Albania.

SofiaSo Jesse and I arrived in Sofia around 2am. The bus there was not so bad. Our first border crossing went well. Few questions and the guards were generally humble. We walked through Sofia for quite sometime. We couldn't find our road for the hostel and my feet were going numb. If you remember, I burned my really good pair of socks in Goreme. We pasted by old shops, squares, a small river, prostitutes (who whistle at you!), and thousands of cabs. Jesse and I walked around aimlessly until about 5am. Finally, after telling Jesse that I would pay for the cab, we get one. The cabby tells us that he knows the place. We enter the cab and he takes up about a block away and we are now standing in front of our hostel. I would stay for the next 6 days. A little history about Sofia. Sofia with a population of 1.3 million people, sits ensconce under Mount Vitosha; which you can see from certain parts of the city. The well-preserved town walls, which are visible when you walk underground, date back before the 7th century BC, when the Thracians constituted their city around a mineral spring, which people still drink out of today. Sofia has three mountain passes that lead to the city, which have been key roads since days of yore, affixing the Adriatic Sea and Central Europe with the Black and Aegean Seas. The city was destroyed in the 447 invasion of the Huns. It was rebuilt by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (Remember him from Hagia Sophia in Istanbul) and for a while called Triaditsa or Sredets by the Slavic tribes. During the reign of Justinian it prospered, a great fortress with walls was built whose remnants can still be seen today. After a number of futile sieges, the city fell in 1018, but once again was established into the restored Bulgarian Empire at the time of Tsar Ivan Asen I. From the 12th to the 14th century, Sofia was a burgeoning center of trade and crafts. Again, in 1382, Sofia was seized by the Ottoman Empire in the course of the Bulgarian-Ottoman Wars after a extended siege. After this event the city started to construct more Ottoman style structures, such as Mosques and bathhouses. In 1878 Russian forces took Sofia again in the Russo-Turkish War, and became the capital of the autonomous Principality of Bulgaria in 1879, which became the Kingdom of Bulgaria in 1908. During WW2, Sofia was bombed by Allied aircraft, in late 1943 and early 1944. As a consequence of the invasion of the Soviets, Bulgaria's government, which was allied with Germany, was overthrown. These issues ended in 1946 with the creating of the People Republic. The architecture of Sofia is a mix of Socialist apartment blocks and quite a large amount of ancient Roman, Byzantine and medieval Bulgarian buildings are preserved in the center of the city. Many architects were involved in the construction of more modern buildings in Sofia, including places of learning. With the rise of Communism in Bulgaria came the typical Stalinequse construction of apartment blocks, large public squares, and particular designs for learning centers. This is also still present today, and can be found anywhere in former Communist states. The city is known for the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, National Opera and Ballet, National Art Gallery, National Gallery of Foreign Art, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Boyana Church, and SS. Cryil and Methodius National Library houses the largest national collection of books and documents and is Bulgaria's oldest cultural institute. Bulgaria is now a member of the EU and WTO.

The first issue occurred the next morning. I was trying to get money out of an ATM, which was not a problem in Turkey. I kept getting denied. Jesse fronted me some money and I was fine. Two days later out of money again. Again, I go to an ATM. This time it eats my card. We try calling the bank. They tell us that they will not give me my card back. I wait til the next day and again attempt to get it back from the bank. Here is a similar dialogue of what was said between me and the teller:

Me: "Can I get my card back?"

Teller: "No."

Me: "Why not?"

Teller: "Hold on, let me ask."

Me: "Good idea."

Long story short...got the card back and have been suffering from this issue as of now. Lots of Western Unions as of late. This has been somewhat of a problem. I just got to budget a bit.

Rila Monastery Its an incredibly beautiful place. A long trip up into the mountains, around them, through valleys, snow everywhere. You follow these things, until you hit a a wall and a door-that's it-the monastery. Rila Monastery is found in a deep valley of the Rilska River at an elevation of 1,147 m (3,763 ft) above sea level. The monastery is named after its founder, the hermit Ivan of Rila (876-946 AD). Who was said to travel into the mountains to be left alone and pray all the day threw. Well, it seems he was followed or discovered, as well as his hiding place, and thereafter turned into a monastery. Over the years large donations were made by almost every Czar of the Second Bulgarian Empire up until the Ottoman Conquest, making the monastery a cultural and spiritual center of Bulgarian national consciousness that reached its acme from the 12th to the 14th century. The monastery was rebuilt where it lies today by a man named Hreylu Dragovola during the 14th century. However, the Ottomans, as well as numerous raids overtime had destroyed the monastery by the middle of the 15th century. With donations by the Russian Orthodox Church, Rila was re-erected by the end of the 15th century. Three brothers from the region of Kystudenil, who moved Ivan of Rila's relics into the complex, were the main constructors of the monastery. After the complex acted as a cache of Bulgarian language and culture in the ages of foreign rule. During the time of the Bulgarian National Revival(18th-19th century), it was destroyed by fire in 1833 and then reconstructed between 1834 and 1862 with the help of wealthy Bulgarians from around the whole country. As we entered the monastery, there was a level of silence, I have yet to hear since I started on my journey. The snow fell with a bit of strength. I started to look around and become familiar with my surroundings, when a Japanese woman started shouting about a picture. I had not noticed her, until then. She was screaming "OK! Take my picture here!" I would take it, she would run back and tell me no, then we would repeat this process. Now I am not a camera man and I don't what kind of shot she wanted, but I apparently was not doing this "picture" justice, so finally she just looked at it and said "OK," in a sad kind of way and went off. Back in my zone I started to shoot away. The church was amazing. Every square inch was hand painted eons ago, by St. Ivans novices. Pictures of all the important religious figures were present, as well as St. Ivan and other big players of the monastery's past. The inside of the church, was really impressive. The same style as the outside, painted in every place, but with some graves inside, writing in Cyrillic so I cant tell who they were, as well as some splashes of gold, and a lot of candles. They even sold Rila Monastery bottled water inside! Got to make money wherever you can, maybe that's why there were 3 souvenir shops inside and a dozen outside? We stayed for about two hours, not because we wanted to, but because the driver of the bus disappeared. When the driver came back we left. I slept the whole way back. When we arrived back in Sofia. I had made a decision to book it. That night Jesse and I, on our way back to the hostel, were smoking ciggarettes. I saw a cop car coming up the street. I even joked, "be cool, the cops kid." Well, the cop car stopped right in front of us. A cop exited and a conversation started, that went something like this...mind was a bit clouded:Officer: asaldòlskdoapsodkùàèèò! (I don't know Bulgarian?)Jesse and I: We don't know what your saying, we are American.O: òpmnddilsiepeè! Bulgarian! Jesse: OKMe: Whatever you sayO: Where is the heroin, the marijuana, the cocaine? Me: Not here.J: Yeah, we don't have anything like that.O: Were is your Passports?Me: In the roomJesse: (While handing him his Tennessee driver license) Here.O: (Incredibly confused) OK. (Hands it back). Have a good day (and some other bs in there).The officer leaves in the car, walk home laughing. I was tired of it there. So after a night of bowling and drinking heavily, I told Jesse I was going. He felt rushed and possible pushed a bit (even though there was not a rush and he was not being pushed), so he didn't come with me. Haven't seen em since. I woke the next morning, packed and got out of there. Had a splitting headache that started, that morning. I had it for the next three days to come.

Also I am just curious if anyone is reading this thing anymore. I am quite behind with these, but am slowly typing them up. I would like to know. I am going to write them anyway. I just want to know. Thanks J

Istanbul

Meeting with Jesse at the airport was easier than I expected. We met at a Starbucks! Of all places...ha. We met up, hugs were given and we talked for about 20 minutes about travel and sights in general. We took the metro to Sultanahmet, where our first hostel was located. The first thing I noticed was how modern everything was. Tokens for the subway, computers and other machines everywhere. Now for 2 years I didn't see a receipt, let alone a computer. Istanbul is a huge city. We passed by buildings, stadiums, an old city wall maybe 50 feet high. The Minarets, towers, and other relics of the past are everywhere. The city has literally absorbed the landscape around it. It took us 45 minutes to arrive in our part of the city. We immediately saw Sultanahmet Camii ( Sultan Ahmet Mosque or The Blue Mosque) and Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia) in a large square. There was an Obelisk from the Byzantine to right of us next the road. These places take up every bit of the sky you see. I am still so impressed at their Brobdingnagian size. The work that was put into them, most have been labor intensive. We walked through the square and wondered down some cobble-stoned streets; streets barely wide enough for a car. As we finally drew near our hostel, I felt a big weight lifted off my shoulders. I was no longer in The Gambia. I was starting a new journey, something different and new. I looked forward to it.

The next morning after a hot shower and a sound sleep, we traveled back to Ayasofa and Sultanahmet Camii for views of the inside of these places. First, we went to Sultanahmet Camii. We wandered around the outside of the complex looking at outline of the mosque and its minarets, its overall size and all the small domes. There were ablution spots on all sides of it. The marble or stone was still quite lambent after so many years. I took several pictures of the outside of it, while taking everything in. I found the entrance to enter inside, but was sort of uncomfortable with entering. I remember in The Gambia that if you were not a Muslim, you could not enter a mosque. In this case, we being called by a Turkish man to come and see. We entered reluctantly and removed our shoes. Inside was one central room or the main dome. This "big" room was more like an infinite expanse. All the white pillars and walls were covered with beautiful designs in reds and blues. The soft carpet under toe was spotless and well cut. My first thought was how incredibly dingy it was, but after a few minutes you didn't even notice. You aren't there to look at the carpet anyways. There is a praying "area" where some Muslims were praying. They blocked it off with a long wooding banister. I noticed everyone taking pictures of the men praying. This bothered me in a way. This is there space and we are just here to see it. Its one thing that its prayer time and we're there, its something else to take pictures of them while they pray. The chandeliers that hung from the ceiling, were quite nice in their own eclectic way. I sat for a few minutes on the floor just taking everything in. I could feel the energy surging through the building. Its hard not to; there is so much history in that place. Looking out of a large wooden doorway; I could see my next stop on the other side of the square, Ayasofya.

Ayasofya was built before Sultanahmet Camii in 360. It was originally a Greek cathedral, but was destroyed by rioters twice, once in 532, again 537. It was a Roman Catholic cathedral from 1261 to 1453. From 1453, until 1943 it was a mosque. Its now a museum. The central dome is incredible. So far on my travels, I never seen anything to quite compare. Ayasofya is considered one greatest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture. The huge buttresses and arches are everywhere. The windows are copious. The architects over the years that have fixed collapsed domes, broken windows, and other structural issues were extremely ingenious. Through history always changing certain issues and replacing them with more inventive and pulchritudinous architecture. There are two floors with a views of the main room abundant. The walk up to the second level is through a space wide enough for carts to move heavy stones. The floor is made of cobblestone and is worn down by feet over centuries to a lustrous, almost slippery sheen. The second level of the church is decorated similarly to the first level, but with some older, unearthed pictures of Jesus and his apostles, as well as Mary. There are even old cast iron candle holders aligning the second levels inner walls. When you look up to the center of the main dome from the second level you can see the exquisitely painted works of hand. Saint John Chrysostom is seen as well as Pope John The Baptist, and other mosaics by Patriarch Photius with (Emperor Micheal III and Basil I present) , Emperor Alexander, Empress Zoe, and Emperor John II Comnenus. The artwork is gracefully painted in many colors, but with Christ wearing a blue robe with gold backgrounds (Typical 9th Century art style). There is amazing tile work everywhere and geometric shapes are plentiful. I wondered around taking all of this in. Ayasofya is another impressive construction endeavor. I was feeling the same vibe that I felt in Sultanahmet Camii here, but stronger. This structure felt to me like a breathing entity. I glanced over at one point to see Jesse sitting next to an old man in some wooden chairs along a wall. It was really picturesque. Jesse, a young, healthy man. The old Turkish man riddled with scoliosis, leaning on a wooden cane to sit in a chair.

After leaving Ayasofya, we worked around the city for possibly 4 hours. I found a nice doner and a park to sit in. As I sat, the fat cats of Istanbul arrived with hopes of some falling scrapes finding there way to the ground. Jesse and I chatted about a lot of things and our lives over the past two years. It is one of those memories I will not forget. Afterward, we wandered up a nearby road and passed under a Roman aqueduct. Once again, the city had built around this treasure of the past. It was weird watching traffic run directly underneath it. We walked into the Grand Bazaar accidentally. Inside the bazaar, people passed and weaved. Sellers offering prices and hot Turkish tea. Herbs and Spices galore. The arched ceiling and geometric patterns with a splash of yellow background was very appealing. Later on made back to our second hostel and had an Efes, the Turkish beer. It was tasty, not a Julbrew, but good. Drank a little Raki too. Turkish liquor that tastes like licorice. Went bed that night feeling pretty damn good.

Woke up the next morning and bought fresh pomegranate juice on the street. It was delicious. I also had the pleasant surprise of seeing my first snow in over two years that morning. We walked again through the city. Moved out of the touristy part of Istanbul and went to an area called Beyoglu. We were near Taksim square, in the pouring rain wandering around looking for our next hostel (we forgot to get an address before we left.) We stumbled upon a small riot over some issue (found out later had to do with Kurdistan). There were police with riot gear and shields waiting for something to happen, nothing did and we moved on. We eventually found the hostel, which was near Galata Tower. When we arrived we immediately sat next to a heater for over an hour. My feet were soaked to the core and had lost feeling. That night we met up with a friend of Jesse's that went to our college. She showed us around and took us to a tea bar. I drank to cups and a coffee. Watched a Galatasaray game on TV; they won. Afterward, we met up with a friend of friend of mine for food and beers. We went to a traditional Turkish restaurant and ate like kings. Met some cool people and then went for some beers. Drank Tequila and beer, met a Kurd, who lived on boats for a living. He had three months to kill, before setting off again. All he wanted was alcohol and women. he told me he lived in a container in Baghdad for 4 years. They told us about suicide bombers killing police. Putting bombs in trashcans, robbery, and murder. Not against citizens, but against the police and the government. Heard a story about a guy, who held an entire ferry at gunpoint, until the police arrived and gunned him down. No one knows why he did it. After dinner went back to the hostel and talked with a guy about the Peace Corps. He was really interested and said a lot of nice things about me and my choice. I was smoking a ciggarette with him, while he talked to his girlfriend in Qatar. Lots of "I love you baby"'s were said and lots of "I promise"'s too.

Went to Galata Tower the next day. It is a tourist trap, I didn't want to pay 15 bucks to view the city from a restaurant at the top of the tower. Jesse and I decided to go to Cappadocia, so we left for the bus station. When we arrived at the Otogar main bus station, I immediately went to the bathroom. I didn't see Jesse again until 5 hours later at the hostel.

Cappadocia

Jesse decided not to go the next morning so I went alone. I left earlier in the morning it was still dark. I encountered three teenagers. As I walked up, I realized that they all had lead pipes in their hands. I tried not to be too intimated, but as soon as they saw me their attention was on me. They walked up and were saying something to me in Turkish. I didn't understand. I just kept walking, they decided to follow me, which annoyed me. They were hitting their pipes against the walls of nearby buildings. I finally turned around and said "Fuck Off!" They stopped and stared at me. We waited for a few moments and they turned around and went the way they started.

The bus ride took 11 hours and was fairly crowded. When we reached Ankara the capital, it got kind of confusing. Several bus changes and no English didn't help. Luckily, small Japanese woman on my bus named Kobo helped me by translated Turkish into English. What a world! I made to the right bus and moved on. Saw an amazing sunset at Tuz Gulo an enormous salt flat. Made it to Nevinshir around 7 at night. It was snowing again, which was nice. Took a bus to Goreme. Goreme is a crazy little town. People live in caves there. The government regulates the work done to caves. I talked to one guy who told me that if he even put a nail in the wall that was 20 years in prison. He also told me that the caves are great for your health and keep food fresher longer. An Orange can last up to 5 years without going bad, an apple 4, grapes 2, and grapefruit 5. I arrived at my hostel and then owner took me out for some drinks. We drove around the town in his old Renault, until we found the place he was looking for; a small bar full of Turks watching the Fenerbache game on a projector. The owner a lunatic gave me tea and beer. I asked someone how to say thank you in Turkish, he told me. I said "Thank You," which was actually "Fuck off!" in Turkish. The owner flipped out, screaming "No! Fuck You! Get the fuck out of here!" I didn't know what was happening. Everyone laughed at my expense. I was warned about Turks and their ways of joking...I was warned. I came back to the hostel later and wanted to dry my socks. I laid them on top of a heater for a few seconds maybe ten at the most. I burned them and the room smelt like absolute shit. I went and told the owner what I had down. He was fine, but my Asian roommate was not to happy. All I got was "Really, why would you do that?" I know its hard to piss off a Asian person, there the nicest people on planet earth. I achieved that goal, I pissed him off. After my sock burning episode, I went to get some food. Ended up meeting my other roommates. We drank and ate, I played FIFA 12 on 60 inch plasma. The owner was a Turk, who just came back from Australia after 8 years. I called him the rubberband, its like the man had no bones in his body or he was double jointed everywhere. He could dance...like a rubberband. Talked with a solider about the war in Kurdistan. Talked to a Turk, who translated for American troops in Iraq. Drank a lot. We had the town to ourselves it was really amazing.

Next morning, went on a tour of Cappadocia, saw Derinkuyu Yeralti Sehri (Derinkuyu Underground City). Its the largest underground city of its kind in Cappadocia. We seemed to be in a hurry, so I didn't see as much as I wanted to. It was extremely impressive though. An insane feat digging 11 stories underground. Its so easy to get lost too. Lots of tunnels, holes in the floor (booty-traps), etc. The hallways were built so that if they were attacked by invaders only one man at a time could go down the hallway, making it easier to kill them. Saw some torture devices, a stable, a cathedral, a burial site, all underground. Next, went to a mountain cathedral, it was beautiful. Saw some valleys, went to a few small towns. That night, I decided to go back to Istanbul. Took a night bus, arrived in the morning, met with Jesse and we decided to go to Bulgaria. We went back to Otogar, this time didn't get separated. I got a ticket, thought I lost my camera, I found it. Pissed off a Turk for getting in my bag too much. That's Turkey for you. Off to Bulgaria.

81. When You are Engulfed in Flames - David Sedaris

82. King Leopold's Ghost - Adam Hochschild

83. 4 - Chuck Klosterman

84. Notes from Underground - Fydor Dostoyevsky

85. East of Eden - John Steinbeck

86. Steppenwolf - Herman Hesse

87. Big Sur - Jack Kerouac

88. Man Walks into a Room - Nicole Krauss

89. The Complete Short Stories - Franz Kafka

90. Within the Tides - Joesph Conrad

91. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

92. Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut

93. The Comedians - Graham Greene

94. A Moveable Feast - Ernest Hemingway

95. God Bless You Mr. Rosewater - Kurt Vonnegut

96. As I Lay Dying - William Faulkner

97. Where is the Mango Princess - Cathy Cummings

98. Invation to a Beheading - Valdamir Nabokov

99. A Sunday at a Pool in Kilgali - Gil Gamanche

100. Travels with Charley - John Steinbeck

101. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay - Michael Chabon

102. White Fang - Jack London

103. Fidelity - Wendell Berry

104. Player Piano - Kurt Vonnegut

105. A World Without Us - Alan Weisman

106. Falconer - John Cheever

107. The Essential Rumi

108. The Secret Agent - Joesph Conrad

109. A Year of Living Biblically - A.J. Jacobs

110. Imperial Ambitions - Noam Chomsky

111. Illusions - Richard Bach

112. Tao Teh Ching - Lao Tzu

113. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

114. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey

115.Homage to Cantalonia - George Orwell

116. The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway

117. A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson

118. Mystic River - Dennis Lehane

119. McTeague - Frank Norris

120. The Posionwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver

121. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

122. The Innocents Abroad - Mark Twain

123. The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner

124. Holidays on Ice - David Sedaris

125. The Guinea Pig Diaries - A.J. Jacobs

126. Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy

127. Skeletons of the Zahara - Dean King

128. Why Are We In Vietnam? - Norman Mailer

129. Beasts of No Nation - Uzodinma Iweala

130. Life of Pi - Yann Martel

131. Music School - John Updike

132. I'm a Lebowski, You're a Lebowski - The Lebowski Fest Dudes

133. Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenies

134. Sanctuary - William Faulkner

135. The Fall - Albert Camus

136. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee - Dee Brown

137. In Cold Blood - Truman Capote

138. Hells Angels - Hunter S. Thompson

139. The Gambler - Fydor Dostoyevsky

140. Island - Aldous Huxley

141. The Monkey Wrench Gang - Edward Abbey

142. A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway

143. Travels with My Aunt - Graham Greene

144. The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon

145. The Grapes of Wraith - John Steinbeck

146.Miss Lonelyhearts - Nathanael West

147. The Naked and the Dead - Norman Mailer

148. Jailbird - Kurt Vonnegut

149. The Myth of Sisyphus - Albert Camus

150. The Day of the Locust - Nathanael West

151. Nine Stories - J.D. Salinger

152. Confessions of an Economic Hitman - John Perkins

153. The Truth (with Jokes) - Al Franken

154. Watership Down - Richard Adams

155. Bagombo Snuffbox - Kurt Vonnegut

156. Burmese Days - George Orwell

157. People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks

158. Light in August - William Faulkner

159. My Life in the Bush of Ghosts - Amos Tutuola

160. The Palm-Wine Drinkard - Amos Tutuola

161. Factotum - Charles Bukowski

162. The Asian Journal of Thomas Merton

163. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

164. The Heart of the Matter - Graham Greene

165. Jayber Crow - Wendell Berry

166. The Bell Jar - Syliva Plath

167. The Outsider/The Stranger - Albert Camus

168. Reefer Madness - Eric Schlosser

169. Desolation Angels - Jack Kerouac

170. 1776 - David McCullough

171. Ethics for a New Millennum - The Dalai Lama

172. 1984 - George Orwell

173. A Home at the End of the World - Michael Cunningham

174. The Next 100 Years - George Friedman

175. Don Quixote - Cervantes

176. Brighton Rock - Graham Greene

177. Che - Jon Lee Anderson

I read these over the last year. Happy New Year Everyone!

So a few days ago I said goodbye to my host family. This comes with every volunteer service, but for me this was such a difficult moment. Tears were accompanied by sadness and fear. I was afraid, because I wasn't sure when I would see them again. And when I did, who would still be around. The life expectancy here is about 48 for men and 52 for women.

The last few days at site were very moving, eventful, and sad. It started on Christmas Eve, when my host father and I were sitting in his home talking until very late about everything. Tapha always full of compliments and sound advice telling me how much I would be missed, what he would do when I was gone and how we could stay in touch after I was home. Then, he told me that he wanted to offer me something and that if I would accept then he would take care of all of the paperwork, taxes, etc. I asked what he intended on giving me. He looked at me with a huge smile on his face and said that he wanted to give me some land. I thought he was joking and asked my host mom Ndaye about it. She said that no one had ever been offered this type of a gift and that I should be quite happy, because he was in fact, very serious. I agreed that I would accept his gift and we talked about how we would take care of everything the next morning. The next day we went out to see the land he intended to give me, a piece of land of about an acre and half. Then he called my host mothers Ndaye and Pul, my Mauritanian friend Baddy, and my aunt Kumba Tega. We waited for my witnesses to come with the kola nuts, which are commonly giving at large events and ceremonies. When they arrived we broke them up and shared them among ourselves. I took a few pictures, while Tapha buried some posts at all the corners of "my property." The last picture he took of this event was one of my favorites so far in my two years here. Everyone is showing their happiness through their smiles (which is not common in pictures here) and myself in the middle with a bandanna over my face (I was unable to stop coughing and the wind was carrying so much sand) looking like a bandit. Tapha at the end of the ceremony looked at me and said in English "This is your Christmas present, Merry Christmas!" That was probably the best Christmas present I have ever been giving. He also said in Wolof "Now you have no excuse to not come back, maybe next time you can bring you wife and children here and construct a house for yourself?" I agreed and felt very honored and humble.

After this wonderful day things went as normal. Except for everyone coming by my house and congratulating me on my land. As the days past I started to notice that I was waiting for the inevitable and how much I would miss my family.

Tapha had another surprise in store for me though. It occurred the night before I was to leave. I was sitting outside talking with my family, when Tapha said "go take a bath and when you get done I want to show you something." He usually never said it that way, but I follow his wishes and when I was done I exited my hut to find a music set in front of it. As the music started to play and everyone danced I felt so immensely happy. As the night progressed onward I danced with my host mothers, aunts, sisters, brothers, cousins, and friends from the village. I learned to dance like a Senegalese wrestler and a Gambian. My sisters hugged me and thanked me, my host father Tapha was even dancing. That night I was emotional. The dancing ended around 2am and everyone went to bed. I was unable to sleep that night. I couldn't stop thinking about the coming morning. As the morning light slowly pierced through my curtains I knew that I had not slept a wink.

When I stepped outside a lit a cigarette, I noticed a small fire in my aunt's compound. I wandered slowly in that direction, the cold biting my face. There I sat for a few hours talking to my aunt Kumba and the kids. Later, my host moms called me and we went into my empty hut, (I had given most of belongs to my family) drinking attaya and dancing again. All the women came from around the village and joined us. We did this until the car arrived.

When the car finally arrived, all the people waiting (maybe 65) started to pray for me. At that point the weight of sadness I had been carrying for the last few days finally hit me. A flood of tears covered my face. My host moms came up and told to me to stop crying, that I was loved and was a good person, and I needed to get in the car. But, couldn't stop. Then I heard waling coming from my aunts compound all the kids were crying, I asked for Tapha. The men were saying that he had ran away to cry and that I could not see him. My sister was screaming at me to stop crying. I looked at my sisters one last time and when they saw my face they started to cry and ran away. I could barely stand. I cried and cried. Eventually I escorted to the car. When I got in and we left I glanced back out the side mirror to see all my little brothers and sisters running after the car crying.

I talked to Tapha later that day and he told me he was sorry for not saying bye, but that he was so incredibly sad, that he could not see me. He also said that after I left my family laid in bed all day and did not eat lunch. It was so hard to hear that, but I knew it would be hard. I also did not eat that day. We have talked a couple times since then and everything is better now, but it is still hard to talk about it.

I will come back and I will build a home here, because out of this experience I was giving an amazing second family. I want to be able to come back and stay for a few months and see them again.

Also this blog is about to change...to a Turkey/Balkans travel blog. So if you are still interested in checking out what I am doing, then this is the place to find out.

I have about 2 months left here and I have a blast. I was so very lucky to have been placed with such a phenomenal family. I have grown to love this family as if I were born into it. The kids and older siblings have grown to like me. We have a good relationship. Everyday they tell me they will cry when I leave. I know I will do the same. My host mothers at first were really hard on me, but now are very proud of me and tell me so. My host father is amazing, has been from the beginning. He is progressive, reasonable, considerate, and of good morale standing. The respect I have for him is hard to express. I hope to grow up and be like him. I have learned so many things from him. He has been a hell of a counterpart and a damn good host. We have achieved a lot together.

The projects I have completed have been very successful. We are moving forward constantly. My field I paid for and fenced is looking great! My trees look good, are healthy, my fence is solid , my host father will reap the benefits in the future. He is going to be rich someday! My duck project is going strong. The whole family helps with the work. That project may be a future money-maker. My HIV/AIDS football tournament was an incredible success. Probably the best project I have worked on so far in my young life. I have to credit where credit is do, I could have not done it without the help of three other volunteers that were involved every step of the way. We did an amazing job and depend on who you talk to...didn't receive the credit we deserve. It is hard to believe that 10 months before we had are first kick-off, it all started with me and another volunteer talking about a simple football tournament over a few too many beers, in a shady bar, in a shady African town, during the hottest part of the day.

The thing that goes through my head is how incredibly lucky I am to end up here at this point in my life. I don't know much about the whole God thing, but I do feel blessed. I am 26 soon to be 27 years young and have received a wealth of knowledge that I feel only something like this can offer. Speaking, joking, and giving advice in a local language is an experience that in itself is wonderful. For your village to embrace you and not treat you like some stranger anymore is a great thing. The sad part is that this is happening now and I have to leave. But it is my time to go. I had planned to stay another year at one point, do to many things including Peace Corps politics, I have decided to come home and start over again. I am not going to fool you, I am scared as shit. I feel like I have forgotten everything. It may be funny watching me readjust.

There are so many things that this service has shown me and giving me. When I came here I had such low self-esteem. I didn't love myself of respect myself. I wasn't proud of anything I had done in the past. I felt inferior to everyone I spoke to and somewhat meaningless in the large scheme of things. Now I can say that I do not feel this way anymore at all. I have had a lot of time to think here and it has helped me come to terms with my life and who I am and I am proud of that. Another thing this service has giving me is a sense of connection with people that I have never had before. The friends I have made here are friends I hope to keep for the rest of my life. I have built a bond with so many volunteers here and it has been wonderful. I feel we all have grown together through this experience...what a bond that makes! I have learned that anyone can learn a language(well almost anyone.) I sure hell thought I couldn't, but I can get around pretty damn well with broken local language. I always thought I was pretty independent before this, if I wasn't before, I know I am now. I have learned here to laugh at myself and things around me. Laughing is good for your health and I need that after smoking for so long. I don't know what my life will offer me, but eventually I will stumble upon something. I am excited about it and will enter it with an open mind. I look forward to seeing whats next. Whatever it is I feel like I am prepared for it.

Hello everyone,

Its been a while since I have written anything on here, sorry about that I have been really busy lately.

First, I would like to say that our football tournament is finished now and was a great success. For 2 months every weekend we were travelling around the North Bank and watching great football as well as decimating messages about HIV/AIDS. We finished everything about 3 weeks ago. This project was what I expected to get from Peace Corps. 7 teams, over 100 players and coaches, 10 different speakers talking to the youth at halftime of every game in local language about everything HIV/AIDS. The message was well received and we had two radio programs to discuss it and promote it. This project was one the best things I have ever did and will always remember it. One memory that will stay with me was at the final. The game was over and the trophy was giving out (seconds later the winning team broke it!) and myself, our organizers that helped us, as well as the other 3 volunteers that worked with me on this project. It was dark on the field and our DJ was playing music. We started dancing and screaming and hugging each other all of us on the field dancing into the night. It was really memorable.

So I have about 5 months left in my service. It came and went really quick. I have had such an incredible experience here, but it is looking like I will travel and then come back home when I am done. I was thinking for awhile that I would like to extend here for one more year, but I think that the time is right to get a job and start my professional life. I think for future traveling plans I will use this blog. Just change the name of it.

Other than that, everything is going well and my projects are going very well.

It’s been sometime since I last posted. Some things have happened recently that are quite incredible. Firstly, our North Bank football project has received full funding from an entity of the US Government. This entities focus is on HIV/AIDS awareness. We are receiving more than we expected for this project. This money will be used to host the games and at halftime of each game we will have speakers discuss issues in The Gambia. We also want to have a large training of trainers meeting before the tournament starts, as well as a second TOT with the players alone. Currently, we are searching for a sponsor for the kits, shoes, balls, trophy, and cash prizes. This will become much easier now that we have funds for everything else. I think future sponsors we speak to will take us seriously. Until recently, the discussions with hopeful sponsors have been filled with a lot of “if’s.” I will inform you of more information, when I know something, as of now, this is it. Secondly, my duck project has gotten of the ground in big way. It started about three weeks ago, when one of our ducks laid 13 ducklings. My host father and were stoked about this, little did we know that was only the start of it, next day another duck; 12 ducklings, two days later another duck; 15 ducklings, A couple days later, another duck; 10 ducklings. Currently, I am being invaded…surrounded by ducklings. The ducks have covered everything outside my hut into a minefield of shit. These cute little creatures are causing havoc with control. I cannot wait until there are hundreds of these little heathens roaming the perimeter of our compound consuming all they can. Don’t get me wrong, ducks are awesome! This is just a new experience for me to witness. Thirdly, my host family awhile back installed solar panels on their house. It is really crazy to think that I came here to get away from it all and now have a light bulb in my grass hut. I couldn’t say no to the light bulb because I fell that it is there house and should have the right to add a light bulb to the hut if they want. I am not complaining to much it’s nice to be able to read book at night, without a headlamp, but I miss reading by candle light sometimes. Perhaps, you’re asking yourself where this money came from. The answer to that is watermelons. My host father planted 4 hectares of watermelon very late in the season. When the watermelon was ready, no one else had any. He made bank of it and bought solar panels. I thought he was finished after the solar setup. After about two weeks a man came and installed a satellite dish in our compound. I saw several kids watch TV for the first time that night, which was really incredible. Overall, things are looking up in my compound.

OK, Mali was incredible. I went with 4 other volunteers. We were there for 2 weeks. Mali is a beautiful country. The travel there took some time though. 50 hours on a bus! When we arrived we were stunned to see hills! Coming from a country were the highest point is 160 feet. Mali's landscape is what you would expect for a county in the Sahel. Mostly dirt, bushes, and mostly Acacia species. So to make a long story short we first traveled to Bamako the capital of Mali. Bamako is in a way a nice city. Some skyscrapers and bridges. More motorbikes than I have ever seen. Bamako has about 1.5 million people residing in the city. It may be the dirtiest city have seen. But it is known for the best music scene in West Africa, if not all of Africa. We went to one show is was really cool. Dancers, Kora players, drumming, and guitar.

Our second stop after Bamako for one night was a drive to Mopti and Sevare. In Sevare we caught up with our guide Hassimi. Hassimi is a big guy, but one of the must jovial guys I have meet. Many of the people in The Gambia are similar to him, by always showing their happiness through their conversation and attitude. Hassimi let us stay at his compound before heading out to Dogon country. That night myself and the other guys had a few beers at a local bar. It was really nice, good food, company, and of course the beer. In Mali, they carry 5 different types of beer. For you all this is not a big deal, but after drinking only one type of beer in The Gambia for a year, you are very excited about options.

The next morning went were in Dogon rather quickly. We would travel around Dogon for next 3 days. We visited many villages, which I have pictures of on facebook. Dogon is one amazing place. Villages built on cliffs and hills. Incredible rock formations and people that fought to keep there animist beliefs until recently (about 500 years ago.) Most are now Muslims. We did visit one animist village at the end of our trip. It was interesting. Most of the villages we went to are now built below the escarpment. The older villages we visited were still built off the escarpment. After Dogon, we traveled back to Bamako again for 3 days, which I talked about above and then home.

Since being back at site some work has occurred. My fence for my range land management project has been completed. So currently, about 4 hectacres is fenced with 3 lines of barbwire. Since completion, we have hired one man to guard the property because currently the Cashew trees are fruiting and the Indian Jujubes. Also, sheep and goats attempt to enter the garden as well.

Also, my compound just got electricity. I know have a light in my hut, my backyard, and front yard. My host father purchased solar panels from selling watermelons he grew on an acre of land! I don't know how I feel about it. I feel that it is taking away from my experience here. I feel that I did not have an option, because it's his house I am living in and his materials he purchased. It is weird to be living in the middle of nowhere and look up and see that there is a reading light above your head. Its weird to not have to purchase shit batteries for your lamp and radio all the time. I guess the times are changing here little by little (Ndanka Ndanka in Wolof.) So you can imagine that I was equally surprised when a man arrived to install a Satellite dish for my host fathers home. I found it so interesting to watch TV again after many months maybe even a year. I found that I have lost almost all interest in the Television. I would much rather read. The joy my family and half the village children had when the first splotchy images appeared on the screen was priceless.

In about two weeks I shall have about 6 baby turkeys in my compound. Currently, our duck project is going strong. About 6 or 7 ducks are sitting on eggs. This is good news, because if all the ducklings live we may be looking at 70 ducks or so. I currently have about 22 females and 2 males. I can't think of much else to say now but that I am healthy and feeling good. I want to thank everyone for the birthday wishes, they really made my day.

Later.

So I think this will be my last post before the year is out. Tomorrow I am off to Mali. I will be there for two weeks. I am returning on the 22nd. Next, we have Christmas and New Year's and a birthday. I will be very busy with all of this. So I thought that for the people who read this I would talk about completing my first year of service in PC. So when I first arrived to The Gambia I didn't know what to expect; I still don't. I am able to kind of speak my language. The people here are incredible. Some of the kindest human beings out there. I was placed with a great host family. My projects are slowly coming together. I made a lot of good friends here over this year. The PC experience is what I have always been looking for, it feels like one large family. Life is good. I have read lot since being in The Gambia and here are the books I have read:

1. No One Gets Out of Here Alive - Danny Sugarman and Jerry Hopkins

2. All The Strange Hours - Loren Eiesley

3. Blood River - Tim Butcher

4. Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris

5. In Dubious Battle - John Steinbech

6. In Patagonia - Bruce Chatwin

7. A Burnt-Out Case - Graham Greene

8. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid - Bill Bryson

9. About a Boy - Nick Hornby

10. The Great Escape - Kati Marton

11. The Wizard of the Nile - Matthew Greene

12. Welcome to Hell - Colin Martin

13. The Road - Cormac McCarthy

14. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim - David Sedaris

15. Post Office - Charles Bukowski

16. I'm a Stranger Here Myself - Bill Bryson

17. The Zanzibar Chest - Adian Hartley

18. Heart of Darkness - Joesph Conrad

19. A People's History of the United States - Howard Zinn

20. Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut

21. Naked - David Sedaris

22. The Prophet - Kahlil Gibran

23. Posioned Wells - Nicholas Shaxson

24. Dubliners - James Joyce

25. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

26. A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time - Mark Haddon

27. Don't Go There - Peter Greenberg

28. A Continent for the Taking - Howard W. French

29. The Back Country - Gary Synder

30. The Motorcycle Diaries - Ernesto 'Che' Guevara

31. Fargo Rock City - Chuck Klosterman

32. The Rum Diary - Hunter S. Thompson

33. Blue Latitudes - Tony Horwitz

34. Sex, Drugs, and Coco Puffs - Chuck Klosterman

35. The Orchard Keeper - Cormac McCarthy

36. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzergearld

37. The Subterreans - Jack Kerouac

38. Gulliver's Travels - Johnathan Swift

39. Ishmael - Daniel Quinn

40. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson

41. The Mystic Masseur - V. S. Naipaul

42. The Night Country - Loren Eiesley

43. The Power and the Glory - Graham Greene

44. Visions of Gerard - Jack Kerouac

45. Blue Clay People - William Powers

46. The Worst Hard Time - Timothy Egan

47. Child of God - Cormac McCarthy

48. No Longer at Ease - Chinua Achebe

49. A Discourse by Three Drunkards on the Government - Nakae Chomin

50. Islam, A Mosaic, Not a Monolith - Vartan Gregorian

51. Maggie Cassidy - Jack Kerouac

52. The English Patient - Michael Ondaatje

53. Sweet Thursday - John Steinbech

54. The First Man - Albert Camus

55. The Beat Motel - Barry Miles

56. The Book of Honor - Ted Gup

57. What We Say Goes - Noam Chomsky

58. First They Killed My Father - Loung Ung

59. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess

60. Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl

61. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

62. Shadow of the Sun - Ryszard Kapuscinski

63. A Bend in the River - V. S. Naipaul

64. The Immense Journey - Loren Eiesely

65. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

66. Catch-22 - Joesph Heller

67. The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgav

68. The Memory of Old Jack - Wendell Berry

69. Songs of the Doomed - Hunter S. Thompson

70. A Sand County Almanac - Aldo Leopold

71. Dark Star Safari - Paul Theroux

72. Dream Story - Arthur Schnitzler

73. Captain's Courageous - Rudyard Kipling

74. Round Ireland with a Fridge - Tony Hawks

75. Half the Sky - Nicholas D. Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn

76. White Nights - Fyodor Destoyevsky

77. Reading Lolita in Tehran - Azar Nafisi

78. The Glass Castle - Jeanette Walls

79. The Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

80. The Call of the Wild - Jack London

So yeah, I read a lot of this year. I want to make a New Year's Res. I hope to write more and to write better blogs. Until Next Year! Much Love to All.

Sorry for the time in between my posts. This is my second attempt tonight at putting this up. The first didn’t go through, which is a bunch of BS!!!!! So I have been very busy lately working on one of the biggest things I have put together in my life! With the help of 3 awesome volunteers in my region (North Bank Region)-(NBR) we are working on an amazing project. We are currently working on a North Bank soccer tournament with positive deviance messages at halftime of all the games. So far we are kicking so much ass with this. The tournament will consist of 13 games in 2 groups with a semi-final and final taking place in the largest city in our region Farafenni. The messages that will be addressed will be HIV/AIDS, Environmental Issues (not selected yet), Food Security, and one topic to be chosen by The Department of Youth Affairs and Sports in the NBR. So far we have built a great relationship with The Youth Affairs people, which recently sent in the budget 2 days before the deadline we requested (not a Gambian norm). As of now we have been running with this for several months without any bumps along the way. The hardest obstacle is still to come…funding! Currently I am in the capital until Friday morning working on this stuff. Right now we want to have this thing ready in 20 days and running by January or February of next year. Also, hopefully before my service is finished we will have a national model up and running with Gambians running the show and Peace Corps stepping back.

Other than that still waiting to work on projects October is ruthlessly hot no rain, insane humidity, and absolutely no cloud cover! So of course everyone just stays inside. I am trying to get my host father to help me the chicken coop, work on my main project that I discussed in the last post, and get a coop built for some duck and future guinea fowls. Also, the PCV before had a dog. The dog was there when I arrived. The dog was recently killed on the road. R.I.P. Ernest I dedicate this post to you. Otherwise, I am happy and doing well, the health is good and so is life. Oh, I and a few others are going to Mali in December for two weeks life is good.

P.S. All these Gambians kept saying that a wonderful Toubab like me needs a Gambian wife. At first I let it go. Well, recently I thought about and meet a girl that can cook…We are getting married soon! I am kidding…or am I?

So it has been sometime since I have written here. Well, it has been raining and Ramadan is in full swing. My projects are going smoothly and I have been quite productive. I am looking forward to working on my main project as soon as the rains stop and Ramadan is over. The fencing has been purchased and the fence posts cut. Mustapha and I have planted cashew, Mango, and Bean inside the field and soon Gmelina as well. I purchased another 500 Gmelina trees to be added into the field behind all the fence posts. In perhaps 5 years or so they will be used as the fence posts and are great for timber as well as coppiciable. We have also transferred about 100 Siisal plants. Which, brings me to an interesting story about transferring them. Sissal is very similar to the Yucca plant in the states except for the stock growing from the center. (When Siisal germinate a stock grows from the center as well.) These plants are quite large. I am morphed by their size. They are gnarly plants and when the pierce your skin the start to burn and immediately switch to intense itching. It took 5 of us to yanking these guys out of the ground with a rope and a small bar for cutting the root. I was stabbed several times. Most memorable were one through the toenail and one in the nether region. One of my host brothers was shredded when he tried to give one plant a good kick for leverage. He slipped and ended up in the middle of that plant. It was a painful and bloody mess. My family and other villagers laughed because of the damage I was receiving and my foul language after each injury.

I recently saw my first Wild Dog or as the Gambians call them "fox." I have always heard them, but never seen one. When laying down at night you can them in the bush. They sound like a bunch of puppies crying; that's the only way to describe it. Well, I was heading back on the road right before dark recently, when two of them darted across the road. Big-eared and black with long tails and slender bodies. That was cool. I hope to see a Hyena soon as well. Of course I do not want to be alone when I see it.

So I am writing this from Kombo. I am going back to site tomorrow. Today I hope to have a meeting with some government dudes about another project myself and 3 other PCV's are working on I will explain later. Gotta go now peace.

Hello all,

Sorry it has taking so long to write. A lot has happened. One being that the nearest city to me Farafenni had an accident. The accident being someone fell asleep at the powerplant and it partially caught on fire. So there is no electricity in Farafenni now, so no Internet.

So the rains have started. They are intense. Lots of wind and lots of rain. Let's see I was stung by the largest Scorpion in the world. It was painful. I was eating dinner one night and it crawled up my leg. (I was wearing long pants so I did not feel it.) And it decided to hide under my arm on my ribs. I moved my arm later and it took a swipe. It sucked. Currently my cashew nursery is village is doing wonderful; all is growing well and looking good. The nursery is home to 1,000 cashew trees. I created some amazing compost and am using it currently with amazing results. On a sad note a good friend of mine in my village died the other day. The first death I had seen since I have come to the country. So this is what happened. His name was Aladghi. He was our village Immom (Religious Leader). Before his death Aladghi and my host father were contacted from some Saudi about the construction of a new Mosque in my village. They discussed everything and agreed to start the work. So Mustapha (my host Father) and Aladghi were prepared for this construction and received all the bricks and concrete and etc. The work started. Everyday Aladghi would comment the work, he offered everyday to help. He seemed so happy to have a new mosque in the village. So recently, the day for the official opening of the mosque. I did not know this at the time, but Aladghi was at a hospital in the capital.

So there are maybe 5,000 people at the mosque for the opening prayer and right after its finished, Mustapha gets a call that Aladghi had died. The next thing I knew all the women in his compound were wailing and everyone was running to his compound. A group of men immediately went to the cemetery and started to dig the hole. All I can say is that it was a crazy. I am tired and going until later.

Not much to say. I'm sorry for that but, I have been pretty focused on getting my home fixed before the rainy season starts. The rainy season is coming. It will start in about 2 weeks or so. I am really excited. It seems that extreme downpours are on there way. Night thunder and lighting storms and lots of work in the fields. If you were here now you would be witness to everyone working on last minute construction projects and any other issues. My host father Mustapha and I are in the process of constructing a house for some chickens. He and I discussed it and with some help we agreed that the house should hold about 150 chickens. This is really good for him and myself. It's good for him because he will consistently have chicken in his family's food bowl and I mine of course. Also he will make some quick money consistently throughout the year. It's good for me because I now have a way to gauge my work there. I had a uncle in my village ask me the other day "Why are you here?" I didn't really have an answer. To him I was showing zero benefit to his village. I can understand him in a way. I have created nothing visual or viable in the village. I have created many grants and other things he knows nothing about, but the results from those come in time. I cannot remember if I stated this before, but my host family has moved in next to me. This is really cool and enjoyable for me. I am able to see my family much more often and my language has increased expediently. The way it used to be, I lived on one end of the village and my family lived on the other. We saw each other very little; for eating meals and at night. I am also getting a new roof on my hut, which is in bad need of repair. I may also be getting a light in my backyard! It will be hooked up to Mustapha's generator. A light! I am stoked about that. I also started working with another man Modoo in a near by village. He is the brother of one of my teachers and is a nice guy. Our project together will a massive tree planting project for his village, Kerr Saminyado. He is a very hard worker and he is very motivated like Mustapha. I look forward to working with him. Other than that all is good and I am healthy and happy. I want to state something off subject here. I have noticed more and more that people change so fast. Life moves so fast. My friends back home seem to have moved on with their lives. I expected this and am aware of this, but you realize that when you are not there in person it is easy to be forgotten about. You are easily thought of rarely, if ever. My family is different, my family cares about what I am doing and about what is happening to me. They try to stay connected and try to stay involved. I am forever appreciative of this. I think about these things sometimes. I understand that my friends have lives and I don't them want to stop everything their doing to worry about me or talk to me. I just cannot imagine in 2 years what we will have to say to each other? Sorry for sappy statement I just felt I needed to state this. Maybe some will understand and maybe some won't. I am overall just so happy to everyone so happy. It makes me smile to see photos of everyone living life. I always look forward to hearing from them and hearing about their adventures. But, I digress...Oh, one more thing. A guy here and myself have decided to start writing personal letters to independent record companies to receive free things. It has worked really well for him so far so I told him I want to try. It beats sleeping! I will update you on that later. Beynnan Yoon!

So I went on a small trek about 2 weeks ago and this is what I experienced. The gelle gelles are slow and everyone's site is very nice. I visited a friend in a village about 60k from me first. This was a great stay her family was very nice and we ate well. I ended up talking in some in Wolof better than I expected. I got a wife and moved on. The next day, I took a gelle to a once bustling town of Jangjangbureh. In its hey day JJ was a huge town (In Gambia Standards.) When river traffic was at all time high in The Gambia JJ was the place to be. Now the town is dying and there isn't much to do there. Our lunch was good. I had a few beers with my friends and went to visit another site. Once I arrived I immediately realized my language was useless. Everyone there spoke Mandinka and in the Gambia many locals who know Mandinka only speak Mandinka. Needless to say I only spoke to my friends while there. My two friends who live there cooked incredible food and I was really comfortable. The next morning we set out for a Taiwanese Co-op. On the way there we were biking and out of nowhere a troop of 200 baboons crossed the road in front of us. We stopped and watched it was one of the coolest things I have seen yet. There was only one issue. We were to close when they crossed and as they got to the other side the baboons started shaking the trees and screaming at us. We bolted. A little later we passed a little girl on the side of the road. As we passed she said "Toubab give me your liberty!" I stopped and laughed. We went on to the co-op. At the co-op was drank and eat our full for 3 days. I came back and went to visit another friend farther south. We had a good time. Back home I went. Back at site my host father and I finished building a new fence in my backyard. It is really nice. I will have some pics soon. My host father also finished constructing his new home. He is moving in tomorrow morning. His house is maybe 50 feet from mine now. I think it should be nice now that my host family will be closer to me. Before they were literally on one side of the village and I on the other. I have come back to Kombo to have my 3 month training. My IST was very helpful and long. Now it is over and I have three days mandatory meeting and I am going back to site again.

Hope everyone is well. I have been pretty busy lately. I am currently in Kombo for some work on my project proposals. One is a project for a community garden in my village Kerr Katim and the other is for the construction a fence for a local Lower Basic School near my village in Minteh Kunda. All is good both of these projects. I will inform everyone later if they are passed by Peace Corps and I get the go ahead. One funny thing happened to me recently that I thought I would share with you all. Minteh Kunda is a village about 2K from me on backcountry dirt road. I walk this road weekly because I have started a garden at the school and I am down there many days of the week to work on it. On one particular day though I was walking home when in the distance I see a boy on horseback coming towards me. This caught me attention because I never see people riding horses often. There is usually a cart attached behind the horse. When, you walk past someone you always greet them so as this kid sowly comes towards me I try a greeting in my local language...No reply ok...I think of another...No reply ok...Another greeting in another language...Nothing and we pass each other. Out of nowhere I hear in very clear english "What is your Mayonnaise?" I turn stunned by this comment. "What?" I say. "What is your Mayonnaise?" He says again. I think of what I like Kraft, Duke's, Helliman's he would know none of these. So I say "My Mayonnaise is Mohammed Baye What is your Mayonnaise?" He stares at me and says "Waaw, Mayonnaise Rek!" (Yes, Mayonnaise Only!)and starts going. I laughed the whole way back to village. I ask one of my sisters about this and she says in english "You know some people try to speak english and they are just stupid." I thought to myself...well put Awa well put.

I have been feeling better lately and am over what may have been ailing me. Well, I think my host father Mustapha and I have come up with a large scale project. I am going to be creating with the help of my village and other surrounding villages a community garden. This project will consist of a well fenced in garden made with qulaity materials and hopefully, hopefully a well. There are some problems though. Funding this project is very expensive in Gambian terms and the community has to help with the cost. I am not sure at this moment how that will work. I have realized that there are a lot of unforseen factors that will have to be overcome. But, only one can try. I want to look into a few smaller projects first. I am not sure what that will consist of yet, but I am sure I will find something. Well, other than this I am doing well and staying busy. I miss you all and will update when something comes up.

Hello to all,I have discovered a nice little internet cafe here in Farafenni, that should work fine for this. I hope all is well back i the USA. I am doing pretty well right now, I am currently suffering from some sort of stomach aliment. I have been pretty sick the last day or two, but overall everything is good. Some updates on everything, I was pickpocketed at my local market. The two involved in the heist set it up pretty well. A friend and myself were purchasing things in the market, when we got to a point where there was tight fit with everyone crowding one of the booths. I waited for it to break up a bit and went forward upon doing so I am shoved pretty hard by a man in front of me. I apologize to this man, but while he pushed me he knocked over a man behind me and in turn that man came to apologize to me. There was a moment of confusion and just like that my wallet was gone during the apologizes the asshole that pushed me some got my wallet out my pocket, while the other guy that was behind me apologized to me and had my attention. I went to the police the officer was very helpful and deeply ashamed that this happened to me. This same day something else happened. It was getting late at the market and I had about 15k to go to get back to my site. All the gelle gelle's were gone and I could not find a donkey or horse cart to ride back on. Until I found one man in my village that said he knew someone kind of heading that way. Now might I add that I am slowly learning an unwritten language and mistakes can and will be made. I am was sure we agreed on what it would cost and where we were going...Or so I thought. Everything started out fine at first we were on the road we supposed be on I recognized my surroundings and it all seemed good. Then, all of the sudden the horse cart buckles and the seven of us quickly get off. The man forgot tighten the wheel to the axle when replaced the tire earlier that day. At this point is starting to get a little dark and we are in the middle of the Gambian bush "hyena country." We get the tire sort fixed and we split up and 3 of us go to my site and the others get on another horse cart. The 3 of wobble into a village I am not familiar with people talking in a language I do not speak. I was not concerned yet, but when I wasn't even near my village yet and that we were not in my country anymore I grew weary. "I am tired...we stay here for the night." I immediately objected this and stated that I wanted to go to my site. As if things could not get anymore uncomfortable the villagers approach me requesting money, a bike, a broom. I was quite confused and worried. The man that was driving the horse cart decides that he wants me to have dinner with his family and that I should stay the night. Once again, I object and ask to go to my site. Finally, the brother of the guy with the horse cart says he will take me home. So I made it back right at dark after having my wallet stolen, leaving my country, and being completely beat. To top of all of these things that night while I explained the to my host family I completely didn't notice the Panticha "Awning" and walked right into it, fell on my butt and received a pretty nice cut on my head. My father felt so bad that he wanted to make me a nice breakfast. My host father informed me the next morning that one of my host mothers was going to bush for some bush meat. I was excited to see what she would bring back. Later, we seat down for breakfast and I see a plate of Lettuce! I was pumped! Then, I see a cauldron with lizard legs sticking out. I was stunned and I decided to try some I wouldn't turn it down it was a gift. So montar lizard tastes like chicken. I ate a lot. And here I am in Farrafenni with an upset stomach and a story or two to tell. Thats all that has really been happening lately. I will hopefully have pictures up the next time I post.

As of the 8th of this month I became a peace corps volunteer. Tomorrow I will be leaving for my site for my official start of my service. I am really looking forward to learning more Wollof and bettering myself as a person. I have grown so much already I feel. I have made great friends so far and experienced so much in a few months. I am so content about everything happening in my life right now. But, enough of that stuff. I tried to get my pictures up, but I failed to do so because the internet service here is not so hot so I apologize for that. I will try at a later point to do such. It will be difficult from now on to get in touch via email and internet, because of where I will be it will be close to impossible. The closest big town is Farafenni. The city has an internet cafe, but it is never open and electricity is not sufficient in town. I have a new cell phone number for my site we will see if I have service there now. Nothing big has happened lately so I kinda don't have much to say. I will try to keep in touch on this blog every month or two. Otherwise, you can call me at my new number.

Happy New Year Everyone,

My site for the next two years is called Kerr Katim. The last three days I was at my site visit. My father is a very cool guy. He is the Alkali of my village or the "mayor." He already has some projects going and has some great ideas for future projects in the village and surrounding area. My family in Kerr Katim consists of my father and my two mothers and maybe 30 kids ranging from all ages. Kerr Katim is located about 30k from Kerewan and 40k from Farafenni. Kerr Katim is a 2k walk from Minteh Kunda, which is located on North Bank road. I do not mean to confuse anyone with these geographic directions. Kerr Katim is a very small village of about 15 to 19 compounds a population of maybe 100 people. My house is at the back of the village separate from my fathers compound. From my backyard one only has to walk maybe 20 feet and you are in Senegal. My house consisted of a one room cement walled-grass thatched roof hut. I have a pit latrine in the backyard and plenty of eucalyptus trees surrounding my hut it is beautiful. My father is also a baker so I get free bread every morning. My food bowl has increased ten fold from my training village. My first lunch at my site consisted of DUCK!!!!! I was stoked and I am getting new fencing around my house and a new roof. Life is too good. I am really content with everything that happening in my life right now and have been thinking lately about how lucky I am to be able to have this opportunity to do this. Right now, I am back in Kombo or the capital region. I will be here for 2 weeks for the last of my training and swear-in and then off to my site for my two years. Too everyone I am going to have to get a new cell phone for my site because Africell does not have service at my site. When I find out what carrier I will use I will let you all know. Well that's all for now.

Bi Ci Kanam.

Hello Everyone,

Sorry it has taken so long to update my blog. Today is the first time I have had a chance to use the internet. So I will catch everyone up. So I just finished my time in training village. I was in Saare Samba for 2 months and I learned a decent amount of my language Wolof. My family was very nice and helpful. My family in my training village consisted of My father Keeba and his two wives Xojde and Mariama and their children. The first day in village I was certainly the most nervous I may have ever been. I could not speak any Wolof...except for my greetings. It was very interesting to say the least. My family was very good to me while I was there. While in training village I had a little brother that I feel you should know about. This boy is maybe 6 or so. He is an odd kid. Some of the things he did include the killing of baby birds and other small animals. Eating his own excrement, groping female trainees, as well as being quite the fighter. That made my time very odd and started quite a lot of jokes among we trainnees and volunteers. My meals during my time consisted of millet, rice, peanuts, and fish all quite bland, but piping hot. I started little phrases in my village randomly such as Baax Haile Dye! or "Watch Out Poop" and Fii Fii Fii:Fale Fale Fale or "here here here:There There There." Everywhere I went in village the air filled with childrens voices repeating these phrases. I enjoyed it at first...only at first. I did not realize at the time that it would not only annoy me, but every other trainee in our village. Overall, Saare Samba was an amazing experience in full. Every night I would lay down with my family outside on a tarp and drink Ataaya and stare at the stars. During my 2 months I was offered a wife and I was kicked out of my friends compound out of confusion. It was the most stressful time and the best time yet. I am going to add some pictures of my time so far. Hopefully they work. Next..............My Site!

Well, training is nuts. I am so busy. I really enjoy it though. I found out today that I will be learning my new language. The language is Wollof. It is such a cool language is kind of sounds like singing when you speak it. So in two days I leave for my training village. I am so very excited. In the village I will be learning the language with all the locals, while still learning the language. The village I am going to be in is called Salla Samba I think? It's on the Senegalese border. I am loving this experience so very much and am so comfortable with the way things are going right now. To answer a comment left before the food is incredible here and very weird, I will have to explain later, because I have to get some right now before it is gone. Much love to all and until next time, whenever that will be peace.

Hello,

I made it to The Gambia last night and have been busy since then. Multiple shots, binders, and paper work. This country from what I have seen so far is incredible. I am about an hour away from Banjul, I think. I have already seen some crazy stuff. We saw the President last night when we left the airport with his crew of stretch hummers and all. Goats are everywhere as well as dogs. When we got off the plane, you could smell the sea. There is sand everywhere and more taxis the one can count. The only bothersome thing is this heat. It is the hottest place I have ever been. Little wind, very humid, and very bright. Right now we (35 of us) are staying in the Peace Corps Transit House. It is very cool and some of the rooms have fans which kind of helps. I also saw a some funny things such as a car with a huge fridge tied to the roof. As well as a goat driving shotgun in a car. The people are so nice here and funny. I have a cell now. Apparently, we are the first groups of PCT's to have phones and plans paid for. Sorry Kathy I did not know this beforehand. I know this is jumbled but I am trying to think of everything. After tomorrow, I will be able to receive phone calls from out of country. It will cost you all, but not me. If you want the phone number email me and as soon as I get the net again I will send it to you. Talk to you all later.

So, it starts here. I found this blog and though it looked quite flashy and cool so I figured this would fit the bill. I will be compiling my experiences, stories, and anything else I consider pertinent. I hope people enjoy reading these things and I state here a head of time that I am appreciative of anyone who does...to anyone who doesn't...sorry ahead of time as well.