My training family was fairly small as far as Gambian family units go. My host mother, Kombe, is the head of the compound. Her husband lives in SerraKunda, along with many of her 9 children. Her husband’s brother, Ousman, lives in the compound in Wurokang along with two of Kombe’s children – Ibraima (14) and Nyominding (10). When I first arrived, this was it for the members of Kamara Kunda, but after Tobaski the compound filled up a bit. Two of Kombe’s son’s wives came to stay in the compound with their children – Ayiso brought her two daughters (Fatu and Nyima) and her toddler son (Mohammed), and Kaddie Toureh came with her baby, Fatu.
The compound itself is really clean, in part because Kombe doesn’t keep any livestock. There is a round central area with a cement bantaba, and several houses along the edge. I lived in a mud house with a corrugate roof, attached to the house where the women and children lived. My section of the house had two rooms, a front room with a desk and a chair, and a back room with my bed and a trunk. My own backyard is fenced off and includes a cement walkway to a latrine and shower area.
At night, we would lie outside on the bantaba chatting (mostly listening for me, since my Mandinka is still small small) or playing cards. Visitors usually come by after dinner, and since Kombe is the chairperson of the Village Development Committee, there is usually some official business to attend to like clearing balances with the flour mill. The sky is clear and starry and the nights are cool.
The compound itself is really clean, in part because Kombe doesn’t keep any livestock. There is a round central area with a cement bantaba, and several houses along the edge. I lived in a mud house with a corrugate roof, attached to the house where the women and children lived. My section of the house had two rooms, a front room with a desk and a chair, and a back room with my bed and a trunk. My own backyard is fenced off and includes a cement walkway to a latrine and shower area.
At night, we would lie outside on the bantaba chatting (mostly listening for me, since my Mandinka is still small small) or playing cards. Visitors usually come by after dinner, and since Kombe is the chairperson of the Village Development Committee, there is usually some official business to attend to like clearing balances with the flour mill. The sky is clear and starry and the nights are cool.
Me with some selections of my training family (my neice Nyima, siter Nyominding, brother Ibraima, wife Kaddie Toureh, neice Fatou, and mom Kombe)
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