"What are you gonna be doing over there in the jungle?"

The above is an actual quote from a very good friend, God bless her.

First, of all. The Gambia is not the jungle per se, but it is tropical. Don't think dense rainforest with monkeys overhead, think very flat land with some palm trees thrown in for fun. They grow lots of rice and peanuts.

Secondly, I suppose I should explain a bit what I will be doing for the next two years. I have been assigned to the Education Program as a primary teacher trainer. This is not the most eloquent job title so I will explain a bit more. My job is broken down into two categories, primary duties and secondary projects.

My primary duties will be to work with a Regional Education Office that is responsible for all the schools in a 10 mile radius. I will work with this office to observe teaching methodologies currently being used in the school. Once I determine where the schools are at, I can start developing curricula and programs to best meet the needs of the students and teachers. I will work with the REO to conduct workshops to introduce new programs to enhance teacher productivity. I am also responsible for determining the availability of local education resources and figuring out a way to improve the regional resource center and encourage teachers to utilize the resources in their lesson plans.

My secondary duties are any thing else I decide to initiate that strikes my fancy and that I see a need for in my community. I think it would be awesome to do some type of empowerment program for girls and women or informal education activities for out-of-school youth - since both of these are huge issues in The Gambia. I will have to wait and see what my community needs and wants. HIV/AIDS prevention activities would be interesting for me but The Gambia has a really low prevalence rate - approximately 2% which is awesome compared to other African nations. I may throw some in just for good measure to a female empowerment program.

I can't wait to start my training so I will feel at least half way competent enough to actually do all the things I mention above. My trusty little handbook says that just the blessing of me being born at the right coordinates on the map, and thus my American education, makes me more competent than one would imagine....let's hope so.

"The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards" ~ Anatole France