ten things I WLL miss!

Dear friend,

Three days left. I feel like I have already 'checked out' from my life here. Especially with the arrival of a new medical student at our place, I have noticed myself finding it difficult to open up my life and heart to her because I know I am on my way out. The weather doesn't help this mentality, the cool season reminding me so much of Home. With most people who I would have wanted to say goodbye to already gone, I am just trying to wrap up my work as quickly as possible so that I can spend my last couple of days packing and getting organised. The tough thing is, even once I leave here it's only the beginning of my week-long journey home!

Instead of flying out from here late Sunday night to Dakar (Senegal), a friend and I have decided to go by road early Saturday morning and spend the weekend there. Originally I was due to spend Sunday and Monday night in Dakar -- hotel already booked back home -- then fly out to Istanbul on Tuesday, where I also need to spend a couple nights due to a lack of regular flights Home from this part of the world. My plan had been to spend the entire time I was in Dakar inside the confines (and comforts and safety!) of my hotel, sleeping, eating and in the pool, not keen to have any sort of repeat of my horrible experience in Dakar airport on my way here. BUT now that I won't be travelling alone -- and my friend is great value! -- it will be an awesome adventure. Going by road will give me a chance to see a bit of the country as well. I fully expect our journey to be riddled with police check-points, bribes at the border, and not to mention, risking my two large bags (which I half-heartedly am preparing myself to sacrifice if needed, lol) but it should be fine. More than fine -- good fun. Apparently live music on Saturday night is a must (Senegalese music is really big in West Africa), and plenty of sightseeing on Sunday including to the Dutch Islands off the coast (as described by my very Dutch friend).

With gearing up for such a big Transition -- physically and psychologically -- I have been having trouble sleeping. Hence, writing at six in the morning while it's still dark out. At the end of the day, I think I'm just really really ready to be Home. I've even finished the report I have to write about my trip for my med school, and yesterday I received an email from Middlemore with my work roster, and also one from the Medical Council with my registration number (exciting!). In saying all that, there are things I will miss about my life here.

Ten things I WILL miss about life in The Gambia (starting with Most and moving down):

1. The thing I will surely miss the most is, tapalapa, the local bread. Not just the bread itself (which is DELICIOUS, and which I have previously described), but the fact I can get freshly baked bread basically anytime I want -- and for only 50NZcents. You cannot fathom just how much I love freshly baked bread. This, and #2 below, have played a significant part in my gaining weight here!

2. Fried egg sandwiches from the little stand just outside the back gate of the compound. I cannot believe how addicted I've become to these sandwiches. The guys there fry the eggs with a bit of onion, stuff a six-inch piece of tapalapa with it, smother it in mayo and tomato sauce... all for only NZ$1.50. And they're basically open anytime! I've had it for breakfast... for lunch... for dinner... And with that, I am now craving one. How I will miss thee!

3. The beautiful smile of one of my friends here. It's the most perfect smile, if ever there was one.

4. Ngala Lodge. Mid-day coffees; Sunday brunch; dinner... the friendly waiters... and the million-dollar view. My second home. And definitely the place I will stay when next in The Gambia.

5. MRC beach -- our own private stretch of Atlantic, just off of Ngala Lodge/the MRC apartment building. We bonded, the Atlantic and I, and this is where it all happened. Dancing in the moonlight with an African trio; building a bonfire (and a sand fort because it never occurred to us to check the tide), toasting tapalapa and marshmallows; swimming for two hours under a full moon; fishing; chilling; hopscotch; my friend getting into the ocean fully-clothed one afternoon because she didn't have her swim clothes and watching us in the water was just too too irresistible... countless sunsets.

6. Tuk-tuk rides/Assan-jie, my tuk-tuk driver who I can call anytime when I can't be bothered with the hassle of five dalasis shared taxi/bush taxi rides. Assan is the most lovely man, so accommodating, and incredibly punctual! I've been told it's because I pay him 'NZ taxi prices.' Irregardless, I love tuk-tuk rides, and I will miss Assan.

7. Avocados. They are AMAZING here. Many a evening I have had tapalapa and a huge fresh avocado for dinner, so ripe you can spread it on like butter. It is melt-in-your-mouth delicious. And, with that, I will miss my Senegalese fruit and vege lady and her brother who I trust with all my heart -- I am so horrible at choosing fruits and veges, and all I have to do is tell them, 'to eat today' or 'to use tomorrow' and they always seem to know exactly which ones are perfect. Mhmmm... this is making me very very hungry. I seriously might have to get an egg sandwich for breakfast!

8. Fridays. My reasons being two-fold. Firstly, they are half days. We seriously need to implement half-day Fridays back home. They are AMAZING. It's like a three day weekend, every week! And I don't think it deters away from our productivity. My second reason being, because it's the Muslim Holy Day it is best dress day! Men all wear the lovely Muslim traditional outfit (because they go straight from work to the mosque to pray), and women wear their full-on African dresses, complete with headscarf. Everyone looks beautiful. A great way to end the work-week.

9. Getting dresses tailor-made for NZ$15 to which I have become a little bit addicted. Even now I am trying to convince myself I don't need any more made... but there is a high likelihood I may change my mind at the eleventh-hour. Hence, keeping myself away from the market this week where I will surely buy more gorgeous fabric. I have bought ENOUGH these past ten weeks. More than enough.

10. The dawn call of the birds. Living on the compound is like living in a wildlife park. And in the hour before sunrise, it is... magical.

Always,

-A