A Day in the Life of a Gambian Girl
A day in which I learned many things — including the fact that my fish descaling skills are significantly lacking.
One of the most powerful days I’ve had while at Starfish International was my ‘Day in The Life’ experience. For the ‘Day in The Life’, we were partnered with a Starfish student and mentor and accompanied the student throughout their morning and afternoon routine. The purpose of the activity is to get a closer look into what life is like for many Starfish students.
I was partnered with Halima, a 12-year-old girl who lives in Lamin Village, and a 20-year-old mentor named Rose. Halima lives with her mother and younger sister. It was a privilege to be welcomed into Halima’s home and spend the day with her. I got the opportunity to have breakfast, clean, go to the market as well as make and eat lunch with Halima and her family.
Getting to spend the day with Halima gave me unparalleled insight into life as a young Gambian girl. Girls in the Gambia are responsible for doing most, if not all, of the housework for their family. That involves doing dishes, sweeping, mopping, shopping, as well as cooking every day. During the school year, they are responsible for these chores, schoolwork, and — for the Starfish students — their Starfish after-school programming.
These chores are extremely labor-intensive. During my ‘Day in The Life’, I was responsible for sweeping. I used the straw-like, handheld broom to sweep inside and outside of the compound. Halima had already done some of her chores before I came so I didn’t have as much to do. I later learned that Gambian families often struggle giving volunteers chores to do because they really value serving their guests and having volunteers do housework for them is uncomfortable. While reflecting on our experiences, Kirsten shared that she had a newfound appreciation for the modern appliances that make these tasks so much easier. I definitely agree.
A question that I’ve been thinking about a lot is “How do you modernize a country while maintaining its cultural integrity?” I don’t have the answer but having the opportunity to cook with Halima brought this question to mind.
One of my passions at home is cooking. At home, I would consider myself quite capable in the kitchen. Cooking in the Gambia requires a different set of skills and is also very time intensive. To make lunch, it took almost three hours for Rose, Halima, and I to prepare and cook. We started lunch soon after eating breakfast and doing chores by going to the market to get our ingredients. The market was a short 10-minute walk from Halima’s home through the village. When we arrived, the market consisted of a single stall with a table full of ingredients managed by one woman. For lunch, we made Chu.
Chu is a spiced, stewed, tomato-based fish dish served with rice. For Chu, we needed onions, tomato paste, fish, green onions, garlic, okra, peppers, and spices. We placed all of the ingredients into a reusable bag and carried it back home. For me, it was a little unnerving to have the raw fish placed in the bag with all the other groceries. In the US everything is always prepackaged or separated, and in my mind, raw fish and produce don’t mix.
To prepare the meal, we sat in her outdoor kitchen under the clothesline. I was eager to help, but my knife skills were not up to par. Halima first asked me to clean the fish. I looked at the fish as it looked at me and knew I was in over my head. I tried to descale the fish but had no idea what to do. For fear of ruining the fish, I asked Halima if there was a different job I could do. She then asked me to cut the onions. I thought, “This should be no problem. I easily chop onions at home.” Again, I struggled. Halima’s family, like many in the Gambia, chop onions without a cutting board and instead cut it in their hand. I tried to cut the onion in my hand, but when I nearly sliced through my finger, I decided this might not be the job for me. I was then relegated to peeling the onions, garlic, and green onions.
I watched as Halima skillfully descaled and gutted the fish and chopped the onions in her hand. I asked her how she had learned to do this and she simply replied that she had learned by watching her mother. I think she was honestly a little surprised that I — a 20-year-old woman — was unable to complete these seemingly simple tasks. Girls here are taught from a very young age the skills needed to run a household. I was consistently impressed by how knowledgeable and capable Halima was in the kitchen. Whenever Halima was unsure about what to, Rose would help step in to ensure that we both didn’t mess up the meal.
Next, I got the chance to use a large, wooden mortar and pestle or “blender”. It was beautifully carved and well used. In this new role, I finally felt like I was contributing. As they use charcoal to cook their food and only have one heat source, it took a long time to cook all the components. Halima, Rose and I had a lot of time to chat as we worked on lunch. I really enjoyed how social cooking in the Gambia is and how communal it felt.
When Halima’s mother returned, we set up for lunch. We placed a tablecloth on the floor of her living room and started eating out of the communal dish. It felt so normal and comfortable to be eating like that, and I felt lucky that Halima had brought me into her family. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to participate in this experience. By spending a day in Halima’s life, I’ve learned so much about the daily challenges and responsibilities many Gambian girls face. In the United States, childhood is often a time free from responsibility. It was so incredible and impressive to see Halima manage these responsibilities while also balancing her Starfish summer classes. I hope to be more like Halima.
So many things have happened in the last four weeks, but I wanted to highlight this experience as it speaks to many of the connections I’ve made in The Gambia. Halima and her family, as well as the entire Starfish International community have fully welcomed us into their lives. With only one week left, it is strange to think that our time in The Gambia is almost over. In this final week, I hope to remain present. I hope to further the connections I’ve made as well as embrace opportunities that allow me to grow. This last month has involved a great deal of change, and I know the month ahead of me will involve significant change as well. As I transition from The Gambia to Minnesota and then to London for the fall semester, I hope to take each day as it comes and carry the spirit of love, support, and curiosity that I’ve fostered during my time in The Gambia.
