Several years ago a few friends and I started backpacking short sections of the Appalachian Trail. Honestly, despite the rain, blisters, bears and pain involved these were some of my favorite vacations. I love getting off the grid and being away from everything. Well, for the next month I am going off the grid again, but this adventure will look a little different. I won’t have the amazing mountain top views, but I am praying I will be rewarded by a closer relationship with the Lord, an increased knowledge of the Wolof language and culture and some new friends as well as new adventures in Gambian life.
For those that don’t know I will be residing in another village for one month (unless I can’t make it; everyone needs a “bail out plan”) and living more like the locals do. That means, no running water, no toilets (there is a hole in the ground out back), no electricity or solar (I will periodically pay to charge my phone in case of emergencies and my kindle because I will have to do some reading and these old eyes can’t read books in the dark anymore), no wifi, no comfy tubaab bed (I have a cot), no stove (I will have a bowl of food brought to me once per day and have some canned food to supplement), no morning coffee (unless I can find someone to heat me water on their small wood / charcoal stove in the morning), limited connectivity via email, phone or text (need to save any battery power I have). This also means some good quiet and simple time to appreciate what is really important in life and that I can live without all the “stuff”. Yes, even here I have too much “stuff” and I am a spoiled tubaab. Please pray for me over the next month and forgive the lack of communication.
alisondominguez-abwe.com 