Over the Christmas holidays, my older sister and her husband got into a big argument because of me. They disagreed about driving me to the airport or letting me drive myself. It had been hailing since a few hours, but it wasn’t freezing so my sister wasn’t concerned. My brother in law, who won the argument, pointed to my well-known fear of driving, and insisted on bringing me there. Nobody asked me. Once we were in the car, I told my brother in law that I could have driven my

One more marathon on the books! It was my fifth full marathon (42 km/ 26 miles) overall, my third marathon of 2025, and my very first trail marathon. Dirt roads, forest trails and a few little hills in cold and slightly rainy Drenthe, which is in the northern part of The Netherlands. It's only a 30-minute drive further north to get to Groningen, the city I'm from. The event was relatively small, which is typical for off-road running races. There's nothing commercial or hyped

I’m probably never going to be an expert in Gambian history or politics. Right now I’m far too busy living in the moment, enjoying my time here with family and new friends, and by just being outside a lot. My current job isn’t related to The Gambia at all, so that doesn’t help with finding out who is who in politics or what’s going on with the upcoming elections. On a very basic level, this is what I figured out so far: The Gambia is a young democracy. Its first leader after

I'm in one of those periods where nothing tastes right. This happens several times a year and it usually lasts for a few weeks. It’s often related to stress, having a cold, or not being able to eat home cooked food for a while. Or: having to eat on a strict schedule. For example, during the 10-day Vipassana meditation course I did earlier this year I was forced to eat at exactly the same time every day, which bothered me. Strangely, I could tell that my body actually loved it

“I can’t believe we live here.” That’s something my husband and I say to each other almost every weekend, usually over cocktails at the beach, staring out at the ocean while our children practice backflips in the sand or trot off on a pony. Or when we simply sit in our backyard overlooking the pool, the massive baobab and mango trees, listening to a cacophony of birds (especially the two hornbills who swing by every morning and pound on your windows to draw out bugs). Yes, la

The Gambia’s food scene is pretty interesting. As expected, the local food is completely different from the tourist fare and because I live in a very touristy area I have easy access to both. The necessities As soon as I arrived in The Gambia I realized that while options are limited, I’ve got everything I need here. Supermarkets are small, but they import from Europe, Asia and even the US, so all the familiar stuff is present. At least the basics—not so much the fancy stuff.

I forgot to post last Saturday, which was incidentally the day after the Marine Ball. I was blissfully recovering poolside with a gallon of coffee and a stack of Vanity Fairs and The Atlantics, as well as the new book I’m reading called “Chasing Hornbills: up to my neck in Africa.” The Ball was once again a success. All the guests were dressed to the nines, the cake got cut with a sword as usual, and there was a little dancing. Things didn’t go off without a hitch though, bec

Note: this post is a work in progress! Because there’s little publicly available information about road running, or any running, in Banjul/The Gambia, I'm sharing my experiences and collating the snippets of information I manage to gather. I'm a happy amateur runner living in Fajara since August 2025. When & where to run in The Gambia Sports and fitness are common in The Gambia, but long-distance running doesn't seem to be a thing here. As far as my observations go, there are

Well, I guess it’s time to talk about work! Since this is ultimately a blog about being a diplomat, I can’t get around talking about my work life for too long. Even though I generally find it much more fun to talk about my travel, hobbies, and daily adventures overseas. To recap: this is my third assignment as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer generalist and overall my eighth tour overseas. What makes this tour different is that I’m doing a domestic job, a “desk job” rather than

I did not want to spend the night in Casablanca. I missed my flight to Banjul by almost an hour so I knew I would have to wait for 24 hours, but there was no way I was going to turn this extended layover into a sightseeing trip. I just wasn’t in the mood. It was 2AM, after all. But once I finally figured out how to get a new boarding pass and a hotel voucher, alongside a dozen other tired and confused travelers en route to Banjul, Dakar, Niamey and Dakhla (a surfer’s paradise

Today I ran my fourth full marathon, in Amsterdam. After completing Dutch marathons in Leiden (2014) and Rotterdam (2024) this one felt the closest to home because I lived in Amsterdam for three years as a student. Planning & preparation This being my fourth marathon, I knew what to do to accomplish the primary goal of making it across the finish in one piece. I followed about 80% of a generic 16-week marathon training plan. I practiced drinking water and eating carbs (gels)

I never thought I’d enjoy “birding.” I have a friend who told me how much she enjoys it, but this friend also loves doing calligraphy and...

How are the kids liking it in The Gambia? That’s definitely the question I’ve been asked most during my first month here. Every parent...

You know when you have plans to change your life, maybe New Year’s resolutions, but you never follow through? I feel like I spent most of...

Some types of stress I can see coming from a mile away, like the cortisol spikes that inevitably accompany long distance travel, moving...

The first couple of weeks in a new country typically involve a lot of searching for stores to buy food, supplies, furniture, and...

During my first week in The Gambia I already experienced a bit of local culture that had me taken aback. I was surprised and a little...

So, I live in The Gambia now. The capital city is Banjul, a tiny town formerly known as Bathurst. But I technically live in the “Greater...

Every 2-3 years we take home leave, which is mandatory time off between overseas assignments. They typically last 4-6 weeks and require a...

Another year gone! Being 40 has been great. No complaints. Well, maybe a tiny complaint that my face takes a long time to unwrinkle in...