7 years living in geographic Africa (Tenerife, that is), the mainland was tugging at me. A whole continent that I hadn’t checked out! I bought a Gambia guidebook , but was having trouble justifying time and costs to myself, since my wife was unable to come. The guidebook got shelved.
Then one thing led to another: I got the idea for an outoor art museum in a ruins with a great view. Working on “Arte Okupa” got me into learning about graffiti and street art. Tracking street art in Tenerife led me to a small town with the first street art festival in Tenerife. In this town, I met a group called Correcaminos, who had built a school in Gambia. There’s my in! I met the leader, Lorenzo — got a date when people were going. For justification, of course, I used my kids: they had to get a taste of another world (a taste that long ago changed my life in Gokarna, India). So I bought a flight for my oldest son and me: one week, including a few days in Lorenzo’s school.