First, let me take a seflie.

Considering that we went to a nature reserve to see monkeys in the wild today, you would have thought that I would upload a photo of a monkey. However this photo made me laugh. The ever-prevalent old man in myself thinks that the whole 'selfie' thing has become a bit ridiculous. It was funny for a while, but now I just find it annoying. However, It's important to point out that those in the photo were aiming to get a 'selfie' with the monkeys, and aren't actually just being self obsessive, so I guess that's okay… Besides, I'm taking a photo of them taking a photo of themselves, am I one to talk?

Yet, part of the whole point of the trip to Gambia was to learn about yourself as much as learning about another culture. Looking back on ourselves, like in this photo, it's interesting to ponder how Western Civilisation is observed from the outside. One of the most important things I learnt from the trip was the concept of constructed normality. To be 'normal' is just to fit in to the construction of what we believe to be familiar. Our own culture must seem as bizarre and foreign to those outside it as their culture is to us. Who's to say taking photos of yourself to expose to a large group of people on the internet is any less weird than a husband having multiple wives? Yes, polygamy is an actual thing in the Gambia. That's the beauty of travel, experience difference, even if it is your own. Anyway, here's a picture of a cute Monkey I took:

http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/4549193