Educational Studies Students and Faculty In Action

I have been back in the States for a week and I am amazed by the deep amount of stress I was plunged into. In Gambia there is a sense of calmness, that regardless of what happens, everything that needs to get done will get done, you simply should not have any real expectations on when things will be accomplished by. In America there is a huge amount of stress put on deadlines and deadlines are currently what is pulling me under. I miss the freedom of movement of The Gambia. I miss the sunshine, the ability to walk everywhere you want to go, and the freshness of food. I have traveled a lot outside of America and each time I return, the one thing that bugged me the most while I was gone, is the one thing I miss the most—the lack of deadlines.

I read somewhere once that the rate of heart attacks due to stress is highest in western countries. That really shocked me because really what do we have to worry about here? We have clean water readily available. I can easily get untainted food to eat. Kids are provided with a free public education. And I know, as a woman, I have the ability to control my life and make decisions for myself. Nonetheless, we still stress the most. We push ourselves into this sinking hole of unrealistic expectations. We pride ourselves on being stretched thin. And we continuously forget about the most important people in our lives, our friends and family.

Don’t get me wrong there are still plenty of people in America who are deprived of clean water, nutritious food etc. but we should be grateful of what we have. I hear all too much in the education system people complaining about the lack of resources, and the lack of funding. And now I just want to tell all those people to stop focusing on themselves and to open their eyes to what the rest of the world deals with to educate their children. We need to learn how to be more resourceful, and we need to build our communities up again. I can count the amount of teachers I met and had a conversation with in the high school I taught at in America on two hands. I met and had discussions with every person who worked at the school I taught at in Gambia. We need to tear down our walls and open ourselves up.

There is a phrase that says it takes a whole village to raise a child. I can now say that I have seen that practice in motion and I think we can also extend it to education. It takes a whole school, a whole community, to teach a child. We as teachers need to make an effort to band together and collaborate to ensure our students learn. We need to be willing to work with our administrators, students’ parents, and professional development instructors to create an environment that fosters learning inside and outside of the school. And we need to accept that even teachers aren’t perfect. We always need to learn more, and to challenge ourselves. But most importantly we need to make sure we do not over burden ourselves. We need to make sure that we set reasonable deadlines and work on eliminating the stress. Because it is only in a collaborative and stress free environment that we can best serve our students.

Traveling and teaching in The Gambia has allowed me to look at my life through several different lenses. The way this experience changed me was one in which I could not have predicted. Over the course of 6-weeks I saw myself grow as a language learner, teacher, community member, and friend. I entered The Gambia thinking I would know what to expect. I knew I would be learning a new language, teaching nursery aged children English, submerging myself into a culture that is very different from the one I have grown up in, and finally, sharing my knowledge from my coursework and past teaching experiences with a new cultural setting. These were just a few of the invaluable experiences that shaped me on this journey.

Once in the country I was accepted entirely into the small community that is, The Gambia. Everyone was so genuine, kind, and welcoming. However, there was one “small” difference between someone born into The Gambia and myself. I did not know the local language. This was probably one of the most difficult aspects about being in a new environment. Everyone wanted to talk to me and ask me questions, but I struggled to make my thoughts clear because I did not know Wolof, one of the local languages spoken. To further submerge myself into the community I took Wolof classes that would help me communicate with both locals in the surrounding area and with my students I would soon be teaching.

Learning a new language did not come without challenges. At times I became frustrated because I knew what someone would be asking me, but I did not have the words to describe my thoughts. Over time this became easier. I felt more comfortable using the language even if I stumbled along the way. This experience in its self has made me realize what some of my students in the United States have experienced while learning a new language. Through this first hand encounter I will now be able to provide effective support needed to master a new language.

In addition to learning a new language I had to adapt to other cultural differences. For example, greeting everyone that walked by, eating from one big bowl in the center of a table, and justifying that I was capable of physical labor. As I mentioned in previous blogs there was never a time where I could walk down the street without talking to a single person. In the beginning I would walk outside and hope that I would not be bombarded with a bunch of questions but as time passed and I began learning the language I started conversations. At first when I would begin a conversation I would get stares of shock because there I was, a foreigner using the local language. However, through this initiative I gained respect and trust and was encouraged by the natives to continue using Wolof.

As part of my initiation into the community I participated in a naming ceremony. At this ceremony I was given a Gambian name and adoptive family. This family became a big part of my life over my six-week stay. I had a family that I became a part of. I would visit on the weekends and learned how to cook traditional Gambian food, how to carry a baby on my back, and how to properly butcher a fish. I was completely and totally one of them…I was a Gambian and not once did they look at me differently. However, there was one time where I was looked at and questioned because of the manual work I was doing at Agi Awa Bah Nursery School. For part of my time at my school site I worked with another MAT student to design a mural on the front of the school. We were climbing ladders, sanding walls, puttying holes, and painting up to 5 hours a day until we were done.

For the 2-weeks we were working on the wall, Kelly and I were the talk of the town. On our long walks to school and back we would be stopped several times by men and were asked how the wall was coming along? Or, if there was anything we needed help with? This service-learning project was something Kelly and I implemented and wanted to fully complete on our own. So even though we had several generous offers of assistance we would politely turn them down. We finished the wall, creating an interactive illustration that provoked learning.

Looking back at my time spent in The Gambia I saw how my self-confidence changed. In the beginning I was hesitant, nervous, and unsure that I would be able to integrate myself into a new culture. I wanted to gain experience working, teaching, and exploring in a new environment but I had to let my guard down in order to fully submerge myself into the community. I used to be scared of change trying to keep things as familiar as possible; however, I needed to allow change to fully gain what The Gambia had to offer. Through change I was able to gain confidence learning a new language, teaching children who were learning English for the first time, and navigating throughout The Gambia. By the end of the 6-weeks I did not want to leave because I felt integrated into the country. I finally knew how to communicate and navigate around the town. I could go to the market and barter. And I finally created the bonds and made long lasting friendships with individuals in the community. Even though I was sad to leave I knew that this experience changed me forever. I have a greater appreciation for what I have and I have learned that change is a good thing.

I had originally titled this blog “I am Home”, but then I realized that I don’t feel at home here. I feel like I have just left my home. I have so many more connections to The Gambia now that I ever could have felt with Lexington Park, Maryland. The trip back was by far the easiest plane trip I have ever taken. Both flights were not only one time, but were early leaving and early arriving. I even slept on the flight and in the airport, which is something very difficult for me to do. All four of use cleared customs and received ALL of our luggage in 15 minutes and were out of the airport. It was such an easy trip, which was good because it helped eased my sadness of leaving The Gambia.

When I travel, I always experience my biggest wave of culture shock when I arrive back home, and this trip is no different. At first the little things hit you, like all of the green grass or the use of fabric softener. Then you notice slightly bigger things, like the lack of trash everywhere and the police that you can’t bribe. Finally, you start to consider the big things, like why am I so privileged when other people do not even have the same opportunities to succeed as me? America is such a wonderful country and I am so blessed to have been born here, but sometimes traveling makes me resent this country and my privileged life here. The fact that I am a very poor graduate student here, but amongst the richest in The Gambia really makes me wonder why the world has to be so unfair.

Overall, I am very sad to be back and I do not think I will ever stop missing The Gambia or the people there. But, my goal for the trip was accomplished in that short period of time. I wanted to be changed for the better; and although I cannot say if I am changed for the better, I know that I am changed forever. I cannot explain in words how I feel changed, but I know that I am different. The way I think about the world is different and I feel more understanding of different cultures and ways of life. Seeing how much worse off I could be in the world, has not only made me more grateful, but more positive about life as well. Now I know that no matter what kinds of rough times I might be going through in life that things could be much, much worse. I feel less self-centered and ready to take on the world as a partner, not all by myself. I am so grateful for the privileges I have been given in my life and will never take them for granted again. I would not give up this experience for anything. The Gambia is forever in my heart.