Monkeys on the fence...

The situation was that I had to pack a three bedroom house full of furniture, clothing, appliances, pots pans, the works in twenty four hours and move it to points unknown. On top of that I still had stacks of books and other items from a forty foot container that had been donated to my organization. We had donated over thirty thousand dollars of new and used materials throughout Gambia to other institutions, communities, families and individuals in need.  Humph! Wow!

 Come on GOD I know YOU got this! I got real quiet and stilled myself and the air around me.  I had learned to still myself when I was much younger when there was no one there to comfort me or give me support. I have learned to wrap my arms around me and more importantly to feel and recognize GOD’s arms around me. I didn't have time to go into the; why me or panic mode, I had to stay clear headed, keep moving and trust and believe.

The registrar at the university ask me to come to the office to talk and explain  what was going on and I was thinking: I just told you I've got to be out of here now in less than twenty four hours but you want me to come there? Because my spirit told me not to fight it I went. Before I left the house I called a sister friend that’s been a rock and comfort for me here and told her what was going on. I had to let some of it go, the weight I was carrying. Besides I needed to talk about what was going on so I could hear myself think. My friend, my sistah turned to her husband while we were on the phone and told him what was happening and in one heartbeat he said he’d go get a truck and some guys to get me out of there. There wasn't even a second thought about it, GOD is so good!

When I got to the university and finished talking with the registrar he told me to go see the accountant. Huh, what!? When I got to the accountant’s office he was already waiting on me with a contract to have lodging in a property that assigned to it. GOD is awesome!  The contract said I had thirty days in which to find permanent lodging at no cost. Wow, wow! The house I stayed in is still my most favorite place I've stayed in since I've bee here in Gambia. It’s in an area called Mile Seven and has old colonial type homes in the heart of the city, but has the environment of a village. Every now and then I would see monkeys on my fence. Fence mind you and not high cement blocked walls.   

Finding a place here is not that easy. Most times if the landlord knows they are going to rent to a foreigner the rental price skyrockets, so it’s usually best unless you know the person to have a local make inquiries for you and make the initial bid for the rent. Yep I said bid, this is Africa and bargaining for things is still part of the social fabric. Another thing can make it difficult for some to find a place is that rent is usually paid annually, no monthly payments here. I think now it’s starting to change somewhat due to the economy. So I needed a place in a safe location, accessible to transportation, would accommodate my belongings, had to be within my budget and would take monthly rent.  Thank GOD for the five hundred dollars he had sent me a few months before that I had been holding on to like it was my last breath. At least I would be able to pay for three to four months of rent with that. The hunt was on!

I went here, there and even places I know I should not been looking trying to find a place. Some places I knew that as soon as I left for work the thieves would go to work. Uh uh, no you didn't think there no thieves in Africa, hello! When I wasn't working or sleeping I was looking. I also was still trying to get rid of the remaining items from the container that I didn't want to keep dragging it around like dead weight.

My friend’s husband referred a woman to me that has a school and she took many of the items. As we chatted while they loaded the items for her she complimented me on the house and I explained it was not mine and told her of my situation. She thought for a second and said she thought she knew of a friend that knew a place. I was on day twenty eight of my thirty day contract. She called her friend he escorted us to the house I live in to this day. I moved in on the thirtieth day of my contract!

Front view of my house

Part of my backyard, check out my bananas

Take a breath and get ready cause this is a one two punch! 

Have a blessed weekend, back on Monday!