From Lamin to London
It is strange to think that I left The Gambia nearly a month ago. In the time that has passed, I met my parents in Paris, traveled back to Minnesota, visited family in Maryland, and moved to London where I’ll be living for the next three months.
Memories of The Gambia surprise me at the most unlikely of times. Moments like the sunset or a familiar song or a brand of cookies will spark memories of The Gambia and remind me that it was real. A few days ago I was walking through Hyde Park at sunset back to my flat and looked up to find some birds flying overhead. I was instantly transported back to the Starfish International courtyard, where the other volunteers and I would watch the sunset as bats — not birds — flew overhead every day. The sunset would be a stunning mix of colors and we couldn’t help but stop everything we were doing and watch. At first it was a little unnerving to see hundreds of bats flying so close, but eventually, I loved it. I looked forward to it. Even with the chaos and uncertainty that each day brought, I loved the consistency I found in nature and the peace it brought me. As I continued my walk through Hyde Park looking at the beautiful sunset, I felt connected to my time in The Gambia and the people at Starfish International.
One part of the Starfish routine that I’ve adopted is a morning walk. Nearly every day in The Gambia would start with a 7:00 am morning walk. The volunteers would roll out of bed, lather up with bug spray and sunscreen, and meet one of our mentors in the Starfish courtyard for our hour walk through Lamin Village. The walks made me feel like I was a part of the community. I started to recognize landmarks, buildings, and familiar faces. We would greet people in their local language and chat as we started our days together. On our morning walks we would visit a variety of places, from a local school that many Starfish girls attend to a lush community garden. I felt connected to the people and places we passed each day and it made a major impact on my experience.
In London, I’ve started to do something similar. I’ll wake up relatively early and try to leave my flat by 8:00 am. I’ll walk to Hyde Park and then start my run by the Royal Albert Hall. Like in The Gambia, I get to see the city wake up and come alive. This morning walk gives me greater insight into how Londoners live. I get to see people commute to work, racing by in the bike lane. I get to see parents dropping their children off at school, tugging them along so they aren’t late. I know the landmarks, tube stations, and odd traffic lights. Through these morning walks, I’m beginning to feel like I am a part of the community — just as I did in The Gambia.
A few weeks ago, Kirsten — one of my fellow Starfish International Global Fellows — met me in London. While I had returned to Minnesota after our time in The Gambia, Kirsten had traveled throughout Northern Africa and Europe. Approximately three weeks after we had parted at the Casablanca airport, we reunited in London. Over dinner, we reminisced about our time in The Gambia and how much we wished Lindsay could have joined us. We spoke about our transition leaving The Gambia and how nice it felt to be talking with someone who “got it”.
For me, meeting up with Kirsten in London marked a conclusion to my Global Fellows experience. I felt like I was finally able to articulate how I felt and how the experience had impacted me. As I transition into this next adventure of living, studying, and interning in London, I take with me the lessons I learned in the Gambia. The adaptability, confidence, and cultural knowledge I developed in The Gambia has already impacted my experience in London and I hope to continue to draw on this experience as a way to better frame my global understanding and actions. In the past six months I have grown tremendously, and I am so thankful for the Global Fellows opportunity to do so. This post marks the end of one adventure and the beginning of another, and I am so excited to see what the future has in store.
