Yesterday

Let me share my yesterday with you now since I couldn't do it then. It wasn't that I didn't want to, but the Internet went down fro almost 24 hours and to top it off the generators that power the electricity for country (the part that does have it) are antiquated faulty and also went down and are still down. Thank GOD for my inverter system, nnow I need a solar panel/

I was forced into isolation, on top of that it's hot! Hot isolation, hahahaha, whew!  

Any way yesterday I was at the University of The Gambia to renew and sign the MoU (memorandum of understanding) between my organization and UTGSU (University of The Gambia Student Union). A MoU is a likened to a contract that lays out the terms between two or more entities. Yay, I learned that since I've been living here and developing my organization. Any way, I work  with senior female students from UTGSU to act as educators for, It's Nice To Be Nice (INTBN) International's Female Adult Literacy Program. I have been trying to get the MoU updated for more than three months. It is updated annually with the instalment of the new president for UTGSU annually, we've been doing this since 2009. So major accomplishment and another completed check on the to do list, yay!!!!!!!!!!!

I serve an awesome GOD and HE moves for me and moves me. When I was inspired to develop my literacy program one of the first things I thought was how could I find a teacher, especially someone dedicated to teaching, to INTBN and to me. Someone that would not try to use me or the program, believe me there's a lot of that here. So I prayed, I do my best and try to remember to pray about all things great and small. I know and am a witness to the truth that prayer can change any thing! Then I remembered that hey, I used to work at the university in the department of, "International Affairs and Information". That department used to oversee contacts with UTG and outside institutions. In fact I started the data base for those programs, helped to develop the first ever brochure for UTG, wrote press releases, helped with the newsletter and helped develop external contacts and after six moths of doing all that I was told that I could not be retained any longer because I was not Gambian. Hummmm, seems like they should've told me that in the middle of all that work. I was making less that $250 per month, but a job is a job. I was heartbroken when I was told I couldn't continue with UTG; I knew I had served them well. And as for not being a Gambia at that time, the vice chancellor was from Norway making bank! I do now have full Gambian citizenship status now and we'll talk about that another day.

Anyway, thank GOD for that experience cause it's where I learned how to liaise with UTG for my  org, see how GOD works! I developed the seven month curriculum for my program, but it was no way I could or wanted to teach it. Trust me, things do get lost in translation and I wanted the women to be able to learn in their own language as well as English; so who better to teach them except one of their own.   

Let's do a little back tracking: In Gambia statistics are that 2/3 of females 15 years and upward are classified as illiterate, not stupid, illiterate. Most, even men use a thumb print to identify themselves. In this day and age that's just not right, or that's my opinion! I had a housekeeper that would go to the market for me and I would give her such a long list that I wished I could write it all down so she wouldn't forget anything. No matter how long the list she never did, but I told her I'm going to find a program to help you to read and write and before I could complete the thought there it was, the big light bulb, the glowing answer telling me, "here's your purpose"!
So I rubbed together a few pennies, came up with some nickels, collected some dimes and here we are getting ready to register for Session 4. 

So yesterday was a good day! Any time I can help and continue what GOD has given me to do I'm happy. Soon I'll tell you how I came to be living here and how the organization was inspired. It was not a planned event at all. One day I must also tell you of the bird that crashed into another house I was renting and was left by everybody to die, but  stayed with that bird and prayed for that bird till it flew away!

Another beautiful thing about yesterday: I've been going to the gym three times a week and swimming laps on Saturdays cause I'm tired of feeling fat. I've always been a big girl, but I want a change and I know that it's up to me to make that change. Being queen size and feeling queen size are two different things! A couple of months ago I put on one of my favorite African designs, (I love to design my own African clothes, especially dresses) and it barely went pass my hips! Oh my goodness I almost went into a state of depression, because I could wear that dress and wear it well, but now it was choking the life out of me and looking all wrong. I refused to beat me up and got to work; well when I went to sign that MoU yesterday guess what dress I was wearing and it had ample room. Needless to say I was rocking it and I added an extra switch to my step! I'll take a pic and show ya soon!