We just got the ever dreaded phone call and found out that we will not be leaving for Mauritania on time. Apparently, visas are necessary if you want to go live in a country for the next two years. The Mauritanian government has not yet issued visas to any of the upcoming class of Peace Corps volunteers so there are 58 other volunteers that are just as unlucky as we are. Hopefully after the July elections everything will clear up and Mauritania will start issuing visas again and we will still be able to go. Who knows....
Bottom line - this is totally out of our hands so I am going to do my best not to lose any sleep over it. Hello more time in DC!
A glimpse into our lives as we walk the proverbial mile in some very different shoes as Peace Corps Volunteers in The Gambia.
Where is The Gambia?
About The Gambia (courtesy of Wikipedia)
The
What time is it in The Gambia?
Mailing Address
C/O Peace Corps/The Gambia
P.O. Box 582
Banjul, The Gambia
West Africa
AIR MAIL
The most cost-effective way to send packages is to use flat-rate boxes. To discourage prying fingers, it's a good idea to tape the box up really well and use red ink (red ink is taboo here). Other tricks include writing religious material and listing the least valuable contents on the label (food, books, clothes, etc).
Wish List (updated Feb 28, 2011)
Food
Dried veggies of any kind
Beef jerky
Parmesan cheese (the kind with lots of preservatives that comes in a can)
Clif bars
Chocolate (the darker the better, but we're not picky)
Starbucks VIA packets
Double-ziplocked baked goods (believe it or not, they generally make it here just fine)
Sauce mixes/packets
Dry soup mixes
Spices/spice mixes
Non-food
Insect repellent (any kind)
Febreze To-Go (travel size)
Pictures of family/friends/home
Science/nature/news magazines (National Geographic, Discover, Scientific American, Outside, The Economist, Newsweek, Time, etc)
Dried veggies of any kind
Beef jerky
Parmesan cheese (the kind with lots of preservatives that comes in a can)
Clif bars
Chocolate (the darker the better, but we're not picky)
Starbucks VIA packets
Double-ziplocked baked goods (believe it or not, they generally make it here just fine)
Sauce mixes/packets
Dry soup mixes
Spices/spice mixes
Non-food
Insect repellent (any kind)
Febreze To-Go (travel size)
Pictures of family/friends/home
Science/nature/news magazines (National Geographic, Discover, Scientific American, Outside, The Economist, Newsweek, Time, etc)
Subscribe via email
Fellow Gambia PCV Blogs
- http://joshuakelseypeacecorps.blogspot.com/
- http://gonetogambia.blogspot.com/
- http://ktcahoon.blogspot.com/
- http://jggambiablog.blogspot.com/
- http://rambleongambia.blogspot.com/
- http://www.pcvlinzero.blogspot.com
- http://mattcarte.wordpress.com/
- http://caseyacrosstheatlantic.blogspot.com/
- http://pandainthegambia.blogspot.com/
- http://joanna-thegambia.blogspot.com/
Resources
About Us
Sarah graduated from Emory University (in Atlanta) in 2006 with degrees in Biological Anthropology and English. From 2006 to 2009 she worked as a grant writer for CARE (www.care.org), a non-profit humanitarian organization fighting global poverty.
Jacob graduated from Emory in 2008 with a joint degree in Mathematics and Economics. After graduating, he joined Sarah at CARE, working with the policy and advocacy team.
We were recently married and are thrilled to be starting off our lives together as Peace Corps Volunteers.
Jacob graduated from Emory in 2008 with a joint degree in Mathematics and Economics. After graduating, he joined Sarah at CARE, working with the policy and advocacy team.
We were recently married and are thrilled to be starting off our lives together as Peace Corps Volunteers.
DISCLAIMER: The contents of this website are ours personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or people, the Gambian government or people, or the Peace Corps.