Deodorant, bikes, and other random things

From 27/7/08

So, my Mom sent me men's deodorant. Because I'm weird and do not want to smell bad (although none of the Gambians actually wear it). I now smell of "mountain spring" or "forest something" or whatever random name that they give to the stuff. When I first found it in one of my care packages I was sort of annoyed, then I thought "oh whatever." So now I just smell like a man. I also got this really cool water backpack system. It's a fancy pouch with a tube that I can drink right out of as I am riding my bike. The best part of the whole thing is the mini backpack that it goes into. This is the most magical bag ever!!! It looks small, but the thing actually expands pretty big. It has hidden straps everywhere, and even has a hidden net to hold onto my bike helmet. Not that I really plan on using that part much, but it's nice to know that it is an option. Honestly the thing has so many "bells and whistles" that I had to look at the card that came with it to find everything that the backpack has. There is a compartment for every little thing possible. This is by far one of the coolest things that I have ever owned!!! Sad I know, but it really is the little things that get me through each and every day.

PC finally got around to giving us our new bikes. Now I go on really long bike rides whenever I can. This is often quite hard because it rains A LOT. Also. because of the rain my clothes have not been drying on the clothes line, and my host family has been holding onto my only pants that fit for three days. They do my laundry, so I sort of have to work with their schedule. I currently have all of my undergarments hanging on a clothes line that I hung myself inside my house. Just like every other Gambian, I now have a line outside, and one inside as well. This has been a lifesaver so far during the rain season! Back to the bike... so this is a really nice bike!!! I try to ride 15K, and then turn around and head home. I like to ride on the south bank road because it's paved, and it has a lot of hills that really work my legs. There are also a lot of things to see!

Whenever I'm having a bad day I feel so much better once I'm out on my bike. I get "toubabed" a lot, but I'm usually riding by too fast to notice. The other day when I was almost home and really tired, a grown man actually shouted "toubab" at me. It's one thing when the stupid kids do it, but it's rude when it comes from an adult that knows better! (God I sound just like Steven) I looked at the man and said, "Hey mofingo, n so minte!" (hey black person give me minte/candy.) The man just started laughing, and then said something about me knowing the local language. The kids usually scream, "toubab give me minte." (This is about the only English a lot of them know) They all do this because stupid tourists actually drive by and throw candy at the kids. I guess that they think that this is cute. I would love to know how the whole thing actually started. The real problem with this is the fact that it only encourages the people to expect handouts from white people. This has been their survival tactic for years, and they do not realize that they are actually being exploited. Toubabs (hey when they behave that way, they earn the name) come through my village all of the time and act so stupid. If I were saw one of them throw candy at kids, then I'd give them a piece of my mind! Just like when you feed an alligator, the kids learn to associate people with food and free stuff. Kids will run right up to me when I'm on my bike and try to tough me or my bike. Now I just swat them away. Maybe that form of positive reinforcement will teach them to associate toubabs with violence. Or if anything they'll leave me alone when I ride by. When the kids run up to the road it is so dangerous! Cars (especially Government vehicles) drive really fast down the road, and I'm always worried that someone will get hit. I now have no problem with parents beating their kids for playing too close to the road. I also joke with people about starting an "anti-minte campaign." Every time I catch a tourist throwing candy at kids, I'm going to throw a piece of candy back at them. I of course would really never actually do this, but it would be fun!
I now have all of the furniture that I planned on purchasing for my house. Thanks to a married couple that decided to leave, I saved a lot of money!!! I'm thinking about buying a couch, but I'm not sure if I really need it. My toy chest seems to double as a couch pretty nicely. I've even started hanging things up on my walls.
I currently do not have much food because I spent most of my money at IST on junk food and beer. Once I get money again, I plan on buying groceries and making some really yummy food! I really want to buy eggs in Brikama, I just have to figure out a way to safely get them home on the gele. I can buy 36 for 80 Dal (4 dollars), so it's worth it to me. I need more protein in my diet, so eggs seem to be the easiest way to do it. I'm also running low on propane, so I'll have to deal with that too. I've been cooking my own dinner, so if anyone has any ideas for things I can easily make on a single-burner stove that does not require too many ingredients, PLEASE let me know. I want to figure out a simple way to make wraps. Also, if someone could send me some dried fruit that would rock!
I've seen some really interesting things while riding my bike. Now that it's raining everything is green, and the place is actually really beautiful! I like to ride to spot where the paved road ends, so I really have the chance to see a lot. There's always a lot of children playing football (soccer to us Americans). The other day I actually saw a dead animal carcase being eaten my vultures. That was pretty cool! Sometimes while I am riding I just look around and observe how beautiful everything really is. Then I start to think about how lucky I actually am. Really, how many people my age, or any age for that matter, can say that they have gone on a bike ride through Africa? As much as I sometimes feel lost and wonder why I'm even here (surprisingly though I never actually want to go home), I always feel lucky at the end of the day. I'm usually high on endorphins at this point so that probably plays a big factor in my whimsical thinking. I also always think about how much my friend Kyra would love to ride her bike here. (This is usually as I am swearing while biking up a huge hill!) Kyra is finally going to get married this December. I'm really sad that I'll miss her wedding, but that's life. I knew I'd miss a lot by coming here (including her wedding), but I made the decision to become a krazy world traveler. Jenni and I jokingly made a pact that we had to be in a promising relationship (aka looks like it'll lead to marriage) by New Year's of our 33rd year. We got the idea from our favorite singleton, Bridget Jones. That gives me a little over ten years.
In about two weeks it will be six months that I have been here. Part of me says "wow it's gone by so fast," and the other part says "that's really all it has been?" Only 21 months to go!!!