I like lists (written Dec 6)

We've been in Africa for a month! It simultaneously feels like the time has flown by and like we've been here forever. Now that we've had some time for the initial shock to wear off, I thought I would make a list of the things that have surprised me the most thus far here, in no particular order:

1) How good the weather is - It's sunny, dry, cool at night and warm/hot during the day. I know in other seasons it won't be as pleasant but I'm certainly enjoying this while it lasts.
2) How hard learning the local language is - I definitely underestimated this challenge. But we'll get there.
3) How many local people speak English - It's not entirely a surprise given that school is taught in English, but even people who didn't have much schooling seem to know at least a little.
4) How few stomach issues I've had - While we've both had issues here and there, knock wood, we've had remarkably few problems thus far, especially considering the food preservation techniques here (or lack thereof).
5) How we always have to be "on" - As toubabs living here, we are essentially living in a fishbowl. There is almost no privacy in this culture, so every little thing we try to say or do is a challenge attempted with your village watching, commenting, and often laughing. It is exhausting!
6) How rough people are to their kids and animals - It is very hard to watch...I don't know if we'll ever really get used to it.
7) How good the chicken is - I'm not a big meat eater at home, but I LOVE chicken here!
8) How much starch and sugar Gambians eat - It's no unusual to have rice, potatoes, and spaghetti in the same bowl. I've ever heard stories of spaghetti sandwiches! They put absurd amounts of sugar in their tea and often the breakfast porridge as well.
9) How few arts/crafts there are here - Beyond performance art (music, dancing, drama) and a little bit of tie dying, there is a shocking lack of arts/crafts. I've never been anywhere else in the world where you can go to a local market and not find ANY locally produced art, jewellery, purses, baskets, etc, etc. It is definitely a huge gap and a great opportunity for small enterprise that both of us are interested in exploring.
10) What a huge advantage it is to be here as a couple - I knew there would be benefits, of course, but I definitely underestimated how much of a mental and emotional challenge this would be - and what an incredible thing it is to have your spouse by your side to help you through it. It definitely gives me a huge amount of respect for the volunteers that are here and doing an awesome job despite lacking that support system.