A lot of Gambian memories were randomly triggered, if not, recreated, this past week:
– the summer heat
– living without A/C in my apartment
– Akon & Andy Grammar popping up on Spotify one too many times
– stumbling upon a horseshoe crab shell on the beach
– admiring a night sky speckled w/ stars
– watching a guy set up a hammock on the Schuylkill banks
– hearing 2 friends decide whether or not their mango was ripe yet
– seeing at least 6 pedestrians walking around in full-blown West African apparel
– fb’s “this is what you did exactly a year ago!” reminders
– walking by a group of guys whose cologne smelled exactly like baby Alima’s scent ๐
– a slow(er) pace of life thanks to less exams
– finding no iced water to drink last night b/c my roommate moved out & i forgot how much stuff in the kitchen actually belongs to her
– oh, & did i mention the summer heat?
& all of them have me reminiscing like CRAZY. a year ago, my life was drastically different. A Sunday afternoon last year would’ve been spent trying to find a ride back to Bwiam from the beach. Be it a gelli-gelli or the hospital ambulance, those 2-5 hrs rides (depending on how many ppl we pick up on the street) were so crowded and uncomfortable but nothing beats driving into the African sunset with the windows down, wind being your natural A/C, and Reggae music blasting on the radio as you zip in and out of a nap.
Everything was so simple. Where can you find anything like that back here? Gambia didn’t have any spectacular natural sights to see, nor were there any exciting excursions. The food/water gave me food poisoning multiple times, and the internet speed was practically useless – but everything was blissfully simple. that type of simplicity can only be found in fleeting moments, scents, or glances that are often overlooked/underappreciated during dental school. Really gives new meaning to “stop & smell the roses”. I’m reminded of that every time I chat with friends/co-workers from Gambia and their response to “How are you?”s is a wish of happiness and health for their family, whereas my response is a masked complaint about another exam coming up.
anyways, that’s all. Just another rambling. Apart from Mackenzie & Michael, I think this blog is the only other medium for me toย comfortablyย admit that not a day goes by without me thinking of someone, something, or sometime in Gambia (cheesy, I know but <3).
If anyone still reads this, hope Ramadan is going well! Congrats on the engagement, Saikou (you can serenade her with Akon but don’t forget to turn on the electricity/Wi-Fi every night!) & Enjoy the weather before rainy season starts!
jingambia 