I very delayed Hello

Hello everyone!! So sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written. I can believe it’s been since August, time is just flying by. Things here are very well, still happy and healthy. My birthday was so much fun; turning 32 in the Gambia was a delight. I got a call from a few of you, which was wonderful. It always makes my day/month to talk to my beloved friends and fam. For the day, all my good friends came into town to help me celebrate, we cooked a delicious dinner and I made pineapple cake for everyone.
I’ve come into kombo to doing some work and for the elections (Obama won hurray!). My work has picked up I’m very happy to say. I’ve started a new and improved Environmental Club at the Lower Basic School in Dumbuto. Also the school has built a huge cinderblock fence behind the school which will be developed into a school garden/orchard and partly to be used as a community garden. I will be helping with the designing and planting, it will be awesome.
I’m the new Regional Coordinator/judge for the All Gambian Tree Nursery Competition; this is a contest the schools can participate in. The goal is to have the school establish a tree nursery where students will grow native trees, all while learning about the importance of the trees and their environment. They then go out plant the trees in the bush as a reforestation effort. I organize and inform all the schools in my region (about 100 schools with about 25-50 who participate) and I’m also one of judges that look at the nursery’s and effort of the school and students. Its hard work but really fun and it gives me an opportunity to see the remote villages in my region and to work with the school system and Gambia’s Forest Service.
I have organized a beekeeping workshop at Kiang West headquarters and I think it is going to actually happen I’ve been trying to get something like this going all year but with very little success but things are looking very promising. Peace Corps and the National Beekeepers Association of Gambia are coming on Nov. 21-22 to do the first part (the seconded part will be in Dec.) of a very intensive educational and hands on workshop for 25-30 Gambians from neighboring villages. You can mach SO MUCH $$ here in honey and there are native hives that can be constructed with on need for any money up front. Plus I will be able to help out and get my beekeeping groove on. I really enjoy beekeeping and plan on having a hive when I get home so in the future if you need honey you should keep me in mind.
The park is finally getting some much needed, very overdue TLC. Some of the rundown lodges are getting refurbished and the road to the park headquarters is getting worked on so it will be car savvy. I had no part in the organization of this but I’m told my monthly bitching to the Dept. of Parks and Wildlife Management has helped tons. This will allow people to actually come and enjoy/visit/stay at the park, now it’s barely being used.
Village life has been good! Everyone is harvesting their rice, millet, maze, and peanuts, it’s been a good growing season and everyone is very happy about that. The rainy season was very wet, last year rainy season was very dry and many crops failed. It stormed 2-4 times a week. I’ll miss the storms they are amazing. The rice I helped the women get, the ATM3 super rice, is a big hit. I ask the women, ”Ila maanoo be naadii?”(How is your rice doing?). And they respond “Tallaa maanoo a beteyaata bake!” (Amber rice is so awesome). They have named the rice after me and tell me they will always remember me, so sweet. I’m happy their happy. They (the women) amaze me! They walk 7km to the river everyday (a walk that takes 2-3 hours) to harvest and protect their fields. My father told me that the women I heard crying the other day lost most of her crop to wild animals (the monkeys and bush pigs eat it), so it will be really hard for her this next year. When the women aren’t in the fields they are cooking (camp style), gathering wood, watching their kids, doing the families laundry (by hand), fetching water, organizing events etc. The men do very little except work in the fields of a few month of the year and build things if it’s needed, the rest of the time they are “relaxing” or socializing in the shade somewhere. I’m just saying the women here kick major ass. So now the rainy season has tapered off and it hasn’t rained for 2 weeks, the humidity has dropped and its about 70-75 at night which is freezing to me now (I’m going to be in sooo much trouble when I get home). However during the day the sun, my God the Sun, is so F-ing hot, it’s rays in compose you and you can feel them penetrating your skin. Most people, myself included, stay inside or under the shade of a tree between 11-3pm, it’s actually really dangerous. I would say it reaches maybe around 120 degrees in the sunshine.
My personal life is very well. I still have my occasional bought of home sickness but they come and I miss you all and then it goes. Over all I’m very happy. I’ve started doing yoga and running on a daily bases which has helped me stay physically fit. I realized how out of shape I’ve been in and its time to get on and stay on the fitness wagon. I’m still learning guitar and playing everyday. Reading lots of books just finished “Out of Africa”, very good. My two cats are getting big and catching lots of bugs and mice. I plan to be kombo for Thanksgiving and I’ve noticed that the phone connection is much better when I’m here so if any of you want to give me a ring…
So that’s all for now. I miss you all terribly and hope all is well. Please enjoy some of that beautiful Portland Autumn weather for me, I miss it so.

Big hugs from Amber in Africa

PS I've tryed to post some photos but it's not working for some reason:(