Salamaaleekum!

That means, "Peace be with you."

Finally here!  It only took 30 hours!  Our flight was delayed out of Brussels, so our entire group got to hang out in the Brussels airport for about 8 hours.  Fun times.  But we made it and that is all that matters. 

Our group of 30 is currently living at a lodge, but we will be going to our training villages tomorrow, which is really exciting.  So far we have been having lectures on the culture, norms and a little bit of language.  There are many languages spoken in the Gambia, and the one(s) we each learn depends on our final site.  They have not told us where that will be yet though, yay surprises!

It averages about 80-85 degrees here during the day, and cools down to about mid-60s at night.  It's actually pretty nice, but this is the cold season, so it will get hotter in a few months. 

We just received cell phones, virtually indestructable Nokias (insert Titanic reference here).  We will also be getting bikes eventually. 

I'm not going to attempt to load pictures at the moment since the connection is pretty slow and there is a queue for the computers, but hopefully I can get them up eventually.  That is all I can think of for now, I will try to make my next post a little more detailed.

Final Packing List

It's finally here!  Staging starts tomorrow!  Here's the final packing list:

Bags
Army duffel bag - the size of a duffel but with back straps (checked)
Kelty Redwing 2650 backpack (carry on)
drawstring bag

Clothes:
2 pairs cotton cargo pants
1 pair jeans
1 pair plain cotton pants
3 pairs capris
2 pairs shorts
2 long skirts
3 tank tops
2 T-shirts
1 hoodie
20 sets underwear
4 pairs coolmax socks
4 sports bras
2 regular bras

Shoes
1 pair tennis/hiking shoes (Keen)
1 pair walking sandals (Keen)
1 pair flip flops (Teva)
1 pair flats

Toiletries
2.5 bottles conditioner (Iso)
1 year supply contacts + solution (I hate glasses in hot weather)
2 pairs glasses (PC requirement)
1 bar soap
loofah
razors
toothbrush + toothpaste
hand sanitizer
hairbrush
tampons
8 sticks deodorant
1 small and 1 large towel
nail clippers
tweezers
1 jar coconut oil (works as a conditioner and skin moisturizer)
aloe vera gel
goldbond powder

Bedding
inflatable sleeping pad (REI)
lightweight sleeping bag (Cocoon)
1 set queen size bedsheets
2 pillow cases
1 travel pillow

Kitchen
Crystal Lite packets
Twizzlers
mints
measuring cups and spoons
veggie peeler
kitchen knife
knife/scissor sharpener
small frying pan
Cliff bars

Electronics
portable solar charger (Solio)
battery charger + AA rechargeables 
ipod (3rd generation nano, 8GB)
travel speakers, battery powered
shortwave radio, battery powered
netbook/laptop (acer aspire one)
portable DVD player (Toshiba) + a few DVDs
LED lantern/headlamp, battery powered
flashlight that lights up when you shake it
1 gameboy + Pokemon Silver (don't judge me...)
portable alarm clock w/ thermometer
digital camera (Nokia)
2 USB sticks (16GB and 2GB)

Misc
star chart
3 books
3 cross stitch patterns + supplies
scissors
2 photo albums
2 swimsuits
1 pair sunglasses
ATM card (Visa)
$200 cash
Leatherman
sunblock
bug repellent
bungee cords
combo lock
various decks of cards