I thought I understood sacrifice until Seno Bajonki introduced me to it without warning. Here, life doesn’t whisper its lessons; it teaches them loudly, in dust covered roads, unfamiliar tongues, and long walks that stretch both the body and the spirit. What I expected from volunteering and what I found are not the same story and this is the truth I am learning to live.
Coming from urban Gambia, I was used to comfort that I never had to think twice about. Water. Toilets. Food choices. Distance. Privacy. Here, every small thing requires intention, patience, and sometimes courage. Life in Seno Bajonki stripped me of convenience and introduced me to endurance.
The language barrier is my first daily hurdle. Words fail me often, and silence becomes my translator. The food is unfamiliar, and my body is still learning to adjust. The environment is raw, quiet, and demanding in ways the city never prepared me for.
There is no direct access to a toilet where I stay. To use one, I have to walk into someone else’s room and ask. A simple human need now comes wrapped in humility. It teaches you quickly that dignity doesn’t always come with comfort it comes with adaptation.
Movement itself is a lesson. I walk almost 10 kilometers just to reach the highway. Other times, Go with a donkey cart or sit on a motorcycle something I had never done before holding fear in one hand and trust in the other.
Living with a host family also comes with its unseen challenges. There is a mentally unstable child in the household who often shouts or tries to get close to me unexpectedly. Some days feel overwhelming. Some moments feel like a nightmare. Yet, even in discomfort, I am learning compassion without boundaries.
In this short time, life has taught me more than years of routine ever could. Volunteering demands resilience, commitment, discipline, and courage. It stretches you until you meet parts of yourself you didn’t know existed.
This journey is shaping me into a better, braver version of myself. It is teaching me my strengths and humbling me with my weaknesses. Most importantly, it is teaching me how many ways there are to live, survive, and still find meaning.
Urban life taught me speed! Seno Bajonki is teaching me strength. Between long walks, unfamiliar food, and silence where language fails, my CorpsAfrica journey has become a mirror reflecting who I am, who I was, and who this experience is shaping me to become.
