Ode to the Dirty, Dirty Brik...

Oh Brikama, my Brikama! For the past 18 months, this devilish city of wonders has seduced me with its bumster-filled bars, bumster-filled car parks, bumster-filled markets and ummm...small boys. I heart this city that has taken me in as one of their resident toubabs (white person). Its so nice when the kids just KNOW i want to give them mintys. That's why they ask so much, right?

Small girls asking for mintys!

Oh Brikama, I am sorry to be leaving you for the big city of Fajara. But, work opportunities are making me move a whole HOUR up the road. But what an hour it is.

To be away from you will be painful. To not go to Jokors to drink cold Julbrews with the Hoff, C-dog (Caroline), Casey and Kels, will be tragic. Alas, I was that place's best Hispanic-toubab-from-DC customer. Louis, Lamin, Rose, i will miss you. And I will miss the women who walk around the back garden area topless because they are taking a shower in some non-existent place with a shower but from which they always emerge cleaner (and still topless) as they change in the back bar area.

And oh the bumsters, the lovely bumsters! How can i not miss the various musings of "Hiii, Hiiii, Hiii!" and "Hey pretty lady, your walk is so smart!" and "Can i please talk with you? Can we marry?" and my personal favorite "My beautiful African Princess! Beautiful flower!" All of these essentially translate to: So uhhh, can i get a visa to America?? No my Gambian princes, i cannot grant visas, but i do thank you for always making me feel amused. Really amused. Okay mostly annoying, but still, Brikama wouldn't be the same without you.

And the grilled CHICKEN! To the Number One Shop (yes, thats the name) and Mr. Amadou Bah (who we all know eats too much bread) - I sincerely thank you for the time you took to prepare those delicious cuts of grilled leg quarters slathered with moutarde (mustard), ketchup, and cani (hot sauce). You made many a dinner for me and for that, i will always be thankful.

Post-gettin

Casey gettin her hair done at MJ's

And MJ's Salon!!! Oh, MJ's salon! A place where not only could i teach the students some life skills, but also hang out and watch Westlife videos or the Roots tv mini-series (based in the Gambia!!!) with Mariama. A place where she and i would walk to said Number One Shop, buy chicken and eat together while shootin the sh*t. A place where they all knew my name and i knew half of theirs. But still, it was one of my favorite places in the Brik and I will never forget it.

Jah Oil gas station

Finally, i thank you Jah Oil petrol station for simply existing. Not only do you serve as a destination point I can tell visiting friends to drop at so i could bring them to my house, but your mini-shop CONSISTENTLY had freezing cold drinks of many varieties such as Coke, Real Mango, Vimto, Fanta, juices AND ice. I was disappointed when you took the Onion Spring generic Ritz crackers off the shelves but you more than made up for it with your convenient stock of ketchup, cookies, and other cracker varieties. On top of that, you serve as a point where I can pick up geles going to Kombo (the big city) every 30 SECONDS!!!

So thank you Brikama. Thank you for your chicken. Thank you for the friends i have made here. Thank you for Jokors and Jah Oil. Thank you for giving me a fantastic host family that is always there for me but lets me do my own thing. Thank you for all the visitors i have gotten. But mostly, thank you for possessing the coolest Peace Corps volunteers in such close proximity so I can have consistently fun and amusing drinking buddies. Because isn't that what Peace Corps is all about ??? (No? Huh. Okay, i'll just stick with the whole "helping others" tagline...).

Peace Out Brikama!!!!