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I’ve got just over a week until we move out of our training villages. I’m going to miss Yuna, the village I’ve been living in. It took a while but I feel pretty comfortable here now and I enjoy spending time with my host family. Last night they taught me to brew Ataaya. To truly fit into the Gambian culture it is an important skill to have.

Attaya is a tea that most Gambians brew a few times a day. It was brought into this country by Arabic traders and it stuck. The tea is an extremely bitter green tea from China that is chuck full of caffeine. To counteract the bitterness a shot glass of sugar is added to every brew. The sugar is mixed in by a series of pours where the tea is moved between two small glasses Ataaya brewing is a process that takes about 45mins. The tea is brewed and served three times per session. A small shot of Ataaya jump starts your heart and almost replaces the Roos Roast that I am sorely missing. Ataaya brewing is a social thing, something men typically do throughout the day.

My fellow trainees and I are learning so much about the Gambian way of life. Everything will hopefully help us to integrate into our communities and build strong relationships. The food bowl is something we’ve focused on. The Gambians eat all their meals from a common food bowl. The entire family will gather around a large bowl of rice and sauce, unless the family is too big and then more bowls will be added the group will divide by age and gender. Food is eaten with the right hand from the part of the bowl directly in front of you. I’ve gotten pretty good at eating with my hand but my style is properly seen as undignified.

Gambians are very generous with food. No one has to be invited to a meal to be able to eat it. If you are around when food is served you are expected to at least take a bite. The more you eat the happier your host will be. When I walk around the village around a meal time I hear shouts from multiple compounds asking me to eat with them. It’s amazing how many people can fit around a food bowl. The hospitality and friendliness of the Gambians surprises me every day. Everyone greets. A chair is always found for a guest. And everyone wants you to join them for a meal or Ataaya.

It’s hard to believe training is almost over. I’ve learned a lot of cool things. Neem Cream is a mosquito repellent that can be made with leaves from a local tree and a few cheap ingredients. Yesterday I learned to cook some baby foods with local ingredients. We’ve also built tippy taps from local bedongs (large recycled plastic containers). They are a way to create a stream of water for handwashing. Most of the technical training will be after swear in.