Marilyn's Gardens

In 2007, Marilyn took a 3-year sabbatical from her private practice, and moved to The Gambia, where her husband Mike had been named Country Director for Peace Corps.  When Peace Corps decided that she couldn't hold informal sessions with Peace Corps volunteers, she turned her attention to other things she loved: friends, cooking, and gardening.  Working with Mafugi Sanneh, who had long tended the yard of the home that Peace Corps provided, over the course of three years, she turned that home in Fajara to a wonderland of flowers, fruits, even spices.

On more than one occasion, a hotel or restaurant would call Mafugi to see if we could spare some cilantro, or mint, or oregano.  Bananas, lemons, limes, oranges, even cashews came from the the garden.  Vegetables too, although the war with pests was constant, and chemical pesticides were not allowed.  Three colors of bouganvilla covered every wall.  The varieties of flowers were more than they could name.

In rural Gambian villages, gardening is an important source of supplemental income for women.  But gardening techniques have not changed much in the last one hundred years.