Africa...I'm actually IN Africa... in When West Coasts Collide

…and I have been since November 12th. Over a month abroad. I’m finally writing.

I’ve never been to New York City before, nor further North in North America than British Columbia, further South than Miami, or further North East than North Carolina. I’ve lived in Los Angeles (briefly), Oregon (where I was raised until I departed at 24, only to return at the age of 45) and in Tallahassee, Brandon, St. Petersburg and Old Town (not near Orlando - but rather in Dixie County - the ONLY Dixie County in the States), Florida, in that order.

Today, I find myself sitting at a table in a house I’m renting in The Gambia, in Salagi, eating a sandwich comprised of sweet bread (think sub size dinner rolls) and smoked Gouda cheese, and drinking a Sprite from a glass bottle. The power has been out for over 5 hours now (I woke up around 9AM to realize it was off). So, what better to do than to contemplate the fact that this year I managed to remove myself from all that I know to fly from Portland, Oregon to New York City, then on to Dakar, Senegal to meet my on-line love interest.

I flew to Africa, bitches! Seriously. After having never left the continental United States except to British Columbia as a kid, then at the age of 20, then in August for a k.d. lang concert, I decided to come to Africa.

This has been quite a wild ride, and I’ve got a lot to tell. There’s so much to catch up on, to write about, I’m not even sure where to start. Thankfully, I’ve been Instagraming and FB posting pics and a few status updates here and there. I’ve also been asking Marie to video things while I’m driving in the car. Yes, I’m driving in Africa, too. I rented the house owners Jeep for this stay so that we wouldn’t be stuck here. I’ll get into transport soon enough, as that is an interesting entity all its own.

I apologize to any new readers who stumble upon this and find this fragmented - it might be a bit until I get into a groove.

I’m not leaving the Banjul area until January 13th. We then fly to Dakar for one week, and then I’m headed back to the States…sadly. I’ve been encouraged to stay longer if I can, but I’m not sure my mental travel budget can handle it - plus I’d have to call the airlines to rearrange that flight, but it might just be worth it in the long run. I mean, I don’t know when the next time I’ll see Marie…and I know I’m going to be dying inside when I have to go. She will be as well.

I think I’ll start a new entry as to how I ended up here, and go from there. That seems like a good spot to start.

-T