Misconceptions

Friday 10th April 2015.

Walking through Marlborough high street, having been in what could only be described as ‘another world’ for 3 months, was incredibly bizarre. A week and half on from coming back home and the spaced out feeling is only now beginning to disappear. It was just so difficult to go from one life, hop onto a short 6 hour flight, and be thrown straight back into a world that couldn’t be more different if it tried. It goes without saying that the ‘short’ 6 hour flight seemed anything but short when you know that your this close to seeing your family and friends again. To say me and the girls became pretty restless on the journey would be a massive understatement, not helped by Thomas Cook only having one bottle of water each for the duration of the 6 hour flight.

I’ve been asked by a lot of people, since I’ve been back, “so what have you learnt?” I racked through my brain trying to think of an answer that would suffice, knowing that these people were expecting a ‘politically correct’ response that involved how much I learnt about myself and all the gap year stereotypes that come with it. But then I thought, as far as I’m concerned, actually Africa isn’t what 90% of the British public, believe it’s cracked up to be. Whether I have got a false impression of it or whether The Gambia is an anomaly, I think that living there for 3 months has given me a pretty good idea of what the actual situation is and am able to look beyond the misconceptions that are portrayed to us in the media and by the leading organisations in the world.

Waking up at 5.00am on the last Thursday of our trip was not exactly the most pleasant experience however it meant we could get to the port at Banjul very early for our Root’s tour of James Island. This small country in West Africa played a key role in the Atlantic slave trade throughout the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th century. The Portuguese, British and French were all big players and had established outposts in The Gambia, Senegal and parts of Mauritania. The day was truly moving with a tour of the trading houses, museums and the island itself. It meant we got a good idea of the shear scale of what scholars describe as the “African Holocaust”. Among the shocking stories and sights, one of the most memorable was the tale about the freedom pole. During the height of the slave trade the island became even more overcrowded and unbearable. The trader’s solution to the problem was to make a deal with the slaves. They said, “if you can swim from this island to the the northern bank of the river and touch the pole that stands on the edge of the village of Albreda, we will grant you freedom”. What they didn’t tell the slaves was that the river was home to over 10,000 crocodiles and the currents would take you under before you could even count to 10. In all the years people attempting to swim the distance, one person survived to tell the tale.

I mentioned earlier about misconceptions towards Africa, however it is also the misconceptions towards ‘Toobabs’ (white people) that are some of the most shocking. At the end of the day, from what I could see on this Root’s trip, us Europeans don’t help ourselves one bit. As far as 90% of the local people in the small villages near James Island are concerned, they see white people as over weight, Jul Brew drinking, photo taking, money giving machines. We quickly disassociated ourselves with the quite frankly embarrassing group of tourists who were paying D50 for a certificate that said “we met the elders of the village”. It was disgusting to see such a divide and more importantly I find it so frustrating because the Gambian people think they have to be something their not just to impress us.

Putting aside all the trips, projects and fun. Our main aim for this 3 month stay was to try and make a difference at the Gunjur Upper Basic School. I’m pleased to announce that I think we can safely say “Mission Accomplished”. The improvements were especially noticeable with the girls and the English classes as their grades improved massively. With me and the Maths, the average went from 6 to 11 which although does not sound a lot, it was more the attitude towards the subject that improved. Receiving a letter from all the class saying how much they appreciated my help, really hit home the important role that we took on for the duration of our stay. Before leaving for Africa people always said to me, “the children will be outstanding, respectful, they value education so much, it will be so different to England”. Frankly they couldn’t be more wrong. It reminded me of when I was back at school and our class had a supply teacher. The majority of the students would do they utmost to make the teacher’s life hell, with impossible questions, lack of concentration and much more leaving the teacher feeling like he or she had just done 9 rounds with Mike Tyson. Unfortunately, I was that supply teacher for 3 months. They were just normal teenagers that did not live up to this “respectful”, eager to learn stereotype that we all have in our heads. I then found out about the education system in The Gambia and began to realise the cause of this attitude. It turns out, the government fund a child’s education up until Grade 9. From this point they not only have to pass an exam to get into Grade 10 but their family also has to start paying for their education. This means that the brightest pupil in the class could pass with flying colours and still not be allowed into the next grade. It becomes quite difficult to motivate, encourage and help kids who shut their book and sit staring blankly at you throughout the 1 hour lesson. I thought this may be a Gambia specific problem however having spoken to a few friends who have just returned from Kenya, they said it is exactly the same scenario over there. It’s so disappointing to see, as thousands of potential entrepreneurs, engineers, teachers and doctors are throwing in the towel at this early stage at the country’s expense.

With radio adverts, flyers and the whole village talking about Jalisut we were more than ready for the grand opening on the Sunday before leaving. We had stocked up the shop with honey, soaps, candles and body cream so that we could begin selling at 1.00pm the next day. For Sulayman and Abou, the owners of the bee keeping business, they were gob smacked at the transformation of their shop and they couldn’t thank us enough for enabling Jalisut to reach new heights. The idea was even suggested about expanding into the English market but we quickly had to rain them back in and say you have to conquer the Gunjur market before you consider globalising the business! I hope that we have given them a good platform to build from and hopefully produce and sell their products on a bigger scale. The opening had all the usual speeches, honey samples and a bit of Bob Marley in the background to entice the passing punters in.

All the fantastic trips and adventures are all very well however it’s the day to day things that we have enjoyed the most. Teaching, beach parties, getting a lift on army trucks, games around the well, scoring in the last minute of a Fifa game in the village PlayStation shop and especially the nights around the campfire cooking marshmallows with friends. The true African memories. This is where the MBG provide such a unique  experience that no other gap year company can provide. We weren’t part of a big group that wore the classic volunteer hoodies and think they are saving the planet by coaching a rugby session for 1 hour. We were given the opportunity to become ‘Gambians’ and for that I would like to thank the organisation and the partner group in Gunjur, the GCL. The work that the MBG is doing, especially with the small business scheme and the women’s garden, is extremely promising. However, I do question the scale of the impact we can make due to factors out of our control. No matter the amount money that is pumped into The Gambia, not to mention the practical, on the ground help from NGO’s and other countries, I think a lot of it is in vain. The times in 2012 had this as a headline. “From independence to republic status there are no leaps in the economic advancement of Gambia”. The report highlights how on earth a nation relying on tourism and peanut sale can become a superpower overnight. Even after knowing that it is practically impossible, Gambians hope for the latter which only results in even more lingering doubts. To make matters worse, Gambia has, since July 1994, become completely lawless. When I was travelling to Brusubi for my malaria treatment we passed by a number of police check points. My driver was outraged to be told he had to pay a fine of D500 because he was speeding. Unless speeding is now doing 45 through a 50 zone then he 100% was not. But an opinion of a Toobab counts for nothing in this area therefore It was their word against ours. They took the license and withheld it from him until we paid the fine. Obviously this is not legal at all and it opened my eyes to the level of corruption that is rife throughout the country. It is scary to think that if the police service cannot resist corruption then how is the rest of the country meant to grow and thrive without the backbone of the law providing the foundations of society. Essentially I cannot see, with the current situation, how The Gambia is going to develop. It seems that any business deal, trading partnership or even sports event has the ‘back hand deals’ and bribes that will only benefit the wealthy elite living in their 10 bedroom, guarded mansions.

All in all, the last 3 months have been, unquestionably, one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. Being away from home and all the comforts that come with it was difficult however it makes you really appreciate all that we have. It’s beyond frustrating that we live in such a different world to the people over there and I without doubt underestimated the scale of change. If someone hasn’t been before it is nigh on impossible to explain what it’s like. Focussing on French and International Development at Leeds University in September will be another chance to find out more about this very current and complex topic. Making development action plans for some of the poorest countries in the world is my passion and the short time I’ve been in The Gambia is only the beginning of the difference I want to make.

I’m Alive

A St Francis colleague said in her email to me, “You don’t do things by halves”. This along with all the other kind emails and messages made me laugh as well as feeling very positive over the last couple of days. So thank you so much!! Contracting malaria is, I guess, another African experience I can tick off the list however not one I would have chosen at the start of the trip. Luckily, the best place in the world to get the disease is exactly where I am at the moment. The doctors and nurses in the nearby medical clinic have been incredible since Tuesday and have looked after me well! Also I’ve been ‘abducted’ by the owners of the lodge in Gunjur. They have said I can stay for as long as I need which is such a relief and so nice of them as the living environment in the African compounds is brutal at the best of times, let alone when your ill. All in all I’m doing well.

Since my last blog way back in February we have been engulfed with endless marking at school, had a near death experience at the independence day celebrations, tested my cooking prowess and made a trip up country among many other things that always throw up some odd challenges, this is Gambia after all!

The 50th Anniversary celebrations for Independence took all my expectations and smashed them into the next ball park. Street entertainers, food sellers and about 15,000 people trying to get into the stands through a gate no bigger than the average patio door. The word ‘cue’ seemed to get lost in translation from English to Mandinka and resulted in complete chaos with mass brawls, trampling and one scared volunteer from a little town in Wiltshire. We managed to find an army commando who was not threatening to gun people down and who could actually get us into the stands. He managed to prise open the gates, amidst all the chaos, just long enough for me and my Gambian friend to crawl through on our hands and knees. Post this monumental achievement I found out that the army commando had broken his wrist in the process. Funnily enough, I didn’t think saying ‘thanks’ would quite cut it. Once we got seated it was an incredible ceremony. The arrival of dignitaries, an array of marches and parades and of course the welcoming of Yayha Jammeh, the President of the Republic of the Gambia, who arrived in a stretched bulletproof hummer. A sharp contrast to the fact the biggest slums in Gambia were only 1km down the road… It’s very difficult to get across just the scale of the event and the utter madness that unfolded. Nevertheless a magical spectacle that I will likely never see again.

To turn up at the Jalisut shop on Thursday to see that the white washed outside wall had been covered with what could only be described as a Sludgy Brown, was a bit frustrating however if we’ve mastered anything out here, it’s biting our tongues at some of the minor annoyances. On the inside we’re making good progress. While I’ve been recovering, the girls have done a great job at designing honey pots, bees, logos and much more. I’m going have to star puling my weight next week and try to match their artistic vision… I don’t hold out much hope.

“This is Janneh Koto FM live on 101.1 with Phoebe, Sophie and Duncan!! It’s great to be with you on the smiling coast of Africa!!” To host the headline show on the most popular radio station in the Kombo South district, was a great experience and one that I will most probably not get the chance to do in England. It was entertaining to hear the combination of afro beat and reggae style music with a couple of middle class English phrases thrown into the mix.

The Gambia as a country stretches from the Atlantic Ocean, along the River Gambie, further inland. This means that the environment changes even in a short 2 hour car journey. A couple of weekends ago me and the girls decided to get away from all the hussle and bussle of teaching and the village so we booked into a lodge situated on the banks of the River Gambia, called Tendaba. We had relatively low expectations due to the bad trip advisor reviews but then thought that these people were probably wanting hotel style service. Seeing as we had been living like true Gambians for 2 months, anything was a luxury. Even flushing the toilet was a celebratory moment. Relaxing all day Saturday and then boat trips to see rare birds, crocs, otters and dolphins was the perfect way to refresh and get back to the village raring to go once again. For a country that relies on tourism for 60% of it’s GDP it still cannot seem to get some parts right. Continental breakfast for the weekend involved bread and butter, fried egg and spam. The Ritz eat your heart out!

When I said I would cook for my family one night, I didn’t quite appreciate the challenge I was taking on. The first hurdle was to try and teach them how to pronounce Spaghetti Bolognese and then secondly, make it. It felt like the final of The Great British Bake Off, but in replace of Mary Berry was about 30 Gambians all waiting to sample some of the ‘Toobab’s’ (Gambian phrase for White Man) cooking. Luckily enough it went down a treat and now the cooks on the compound know how to make a dish that doesn’t involve chips or rice.

The trip to Banjul, last weekend, was a great chance too see a very historic and important city in the day to day running of West Africa. Visits to the Independence arch and the museum enabled us to see what the country and the area was all about. Whether it was colonial history or even a lesson in Gambian Wife’s tails that date back to the 10th century. The city is tiny! So much so we could see from one end to the other just from the viewing point in the arch. The port that lies on the meeting point of the river and the sea plays an important role for trade in and out of the country. The characteristics are not too different from that of Singapore. 50 Years ago the two countries were given funding partnerships due to their strategic global locations and the depth of the ports (for container ships) which meant their futures were looking bright. From then till now, it’s easy to see which country has used this backing productively and is now reaping in the rewards. It has left many Gambian people and commentators thinking what could have been.

Tomorrow I’m leaving the Gunjur Project, where I’ve been staying throughout the malaria treatment, so will no doubt have many people back at the compound who will be over the moon to see me. I cannot thank Jenny, Bren, Jo and Butch for letting me stay at the lodge!! It’s been so relaxing and calm along with healthy English food to speed up my recovery. At the half way point of the trip I would have been apprehensive about Anita (the head of the MBG) as well as other volunteers going home and leaving us out here. However with the close group of friends, a strong family unit and a lot of laughs along the way I can’t wait to make the most of our last few weeks. Thursdays boat trip to James Island will be another amazing experience to see a place that was heavily involved with the slave trade roots in Africa. A weekend stay at a local eco lodge will be a great way to cap off the trip and the end of term school tests will give us a chance to see if all the hard work we have been doing, over the past 3 months, has made a difference. Yes, the thought of going home is great and, trust me, I’m eagerly counting down the days (16 to go), but there’s another side of me that thinks let’s makes the most of everything out here, I’ll just try not to get ill again in the process.

”Goodness of Oats”

Tuesday 17th February.

Define The Gambia in one sentence? If I even attempted to answer this, I would need a 3000 word essay with pictures, maps and video clips. What I’m trying to say is that this is one of the most diverse, complex and just simply ‘outrageous’ places I’ve ever seen or heard about. The constant struggle for economic and social development within the country is at times evident but then at others I have had to take a step back and see that it is often in vain due to the attitude and circumstances of a Gambian. A boy from the age of leaving school could go unemployed until the age of 60 and will survive on money sent back from relatives in either the US or parts of Europe. It seems ridiculous, but if this boy is receiving the equivalent of a months wages in one transaction it’s easy to see why he wouldn’t have the desire to work. Throughout my time studying development at school, I took the approach that a country needs industry and protected trading blocs to succeed. The Orange Juice narrative sums this up. If Gambia sold 1 orange to Germany they would make say £1. If they constructed a manufacturing sector with factories to use this orange, create juice and export the product to a closed and protected trading agreement with other west African countries, the value increases 10 fold. Manufacturing sectors create well paid jobs, entrepreneurs and much more which would lead to economic growth and improvements in health care or even education. If large developed countries interfere and persuade the elite style government with a desirable amount of money then the money never ‘trickles down’ to the millions of Gambians who are stuck in this trap of poverty.

These two weeks at school have at times been concerning and of course rewarding. While taking a lesson on inequalities I noticed that there was something not clicking with the students. They just weren’t understanding some major parts of the topic. I then realised that their basic algebra skills and knowledge was barely even to a standard that a year 5 student has at home back in England. So after some extra sessions and some intense lessons I think I’ve now got my two classes up to speed which now means they can tackle some more complex topics using this basic foundation. It’s been really beneficial to use a lot of the techniques and exercises that I saw at St Francis and put them into practice with the kids in my classes out here. A favourite at the moment is a game called splat. It involves a race to work out a range of multiplication questions and the kids treat the prize, which is a bog standard HB pencil, as if it was the world cup. The picture below is showing me and the headmaster in our first couple of days at the school. He was appointed at the school 2 years ago and seems to be taking it in a positive direction, all be it in a rather strict manner.

For the last two Wednesdays I’ve been coaching football in Medina Sallam’s Primary School which is the next village south of Gunjur. The language barrier is proving to be the most challenging part as they often resort to Mandinka which leaves me feeling very confused. So far I’ve been trying to emphasise the importance of ‘off the ball movement’ and using the space rather than getting bunched into a mass of people. Seeing as football is the lives of many of the boys out here, they have an incredible raw talent for the sport that cannot be taught. This makes most drills and exercises quite productive as they already have the desire to play and the solid skills. Embarrassingly, these skills at times exceed mine but I’m going to try and keep that quiet for as long as possible.

As part of a new Gunjur business programme, Sullayman, a local Gambian has set up his own business with bees. He has been selling honey, wax, soaps and much more around the village since 2012. For the rest of our time in Gambia we are going to be trying to take his company to new heights with flyers, a revamp to his shop, marketing and running tours at his farm which is home to over 12 occupied hives. Building was a profession I hadn’t really considered for a career however without a moments hesitation I was thrown a spade style tool, a bucket of cement and with some motivational mandinka words, which meant ”Get on with it” (an almost Robin Hood style speech), I did just that.

A week ago, Gambia welcomed musicians from all around West Africa to the Kartong Music festival. It was full of cultural, tribal dances and wrestling, as well as the most flexible human being I have ever seen who could morph his body into shapes that should just simply not be possible. In order to get to the festival we arranged a lift with another taxi driver with yet another name that left us questioning the strictness of the naming laws in the Gambia. This driver went by the name of SoundBoy and other drivers have legally changed their names to Diamond Geezer and even Christiano Ronaldo. And no, I didn’t just make those up.

Inter house sports day took any sports day that I’ve experienced, all through school, to a whole new level. The day started with the 5000m race at 2.00pm in approximately 34 degrees… Think of that what you will. All the usual events were on the programme with some extra additions such as Musical chairs which, to the shock of all the 500 strong crowd, resulted in a blood injury. The stand out athlete had to be a 12 year old girl who competed in 11 events and won 7. In 5 years times watch out for the name ‘Mary Dasilva’. Given the right equipment, training and facilities, she could go very far. And yes, I did compete. Let’s just say, I finished in the top 20 and I didn’t quite appreciate how difficult it is to run 1500m on sand.

I didn’t quite comprehend the word craving until travelling out here. I’ve ranged from craving cold milk, watching tv in the mornings, and PIZZA. Our craving for pizza was banished last week when we were treated to a Pizza night of cheese, pepperoni and more garlic bread than we could ever imagine at the near by eco lodge – Nemasu. It has been a difficult time for the owners so far this tourist season due to the scare of Ebola playing a major factor. Often we are given the impression by the media and the government that African people are uneducated to the level where they don’t even know about these diseases and how they spread. This is completely wrong. Signs are all along the road, checks are carried out at various points along a major highway on each carload of people and much more. Also, saying that the whole of West Africa has Ebola is like saying the whole of Europe has the same disease therefore you can’t go to Ireland because there’s a disease outbreak in Germany. The Gambia has lost 80% of it’s tourist industry this year and it hasn’t even had 1 case of Ebola and, touch wood, never will.

Having found a surfboard a couple of weeks and negotiated with the owner, I was given a week to try and make a fin and fit it to the board. We searched all around Gunjur trying to find a carpenter that was capable of such a fete, only to find that no one thought it was possible. I then got talking to the woodwork teacher at school and he was instantly excited by the challenge. Great I thought, still with a bit of doubt in my voice, as he kept using the word swimming instead of surfing – it was more hope at this point rather than any form of certainty. I didn’t hear anything for 2 days only to find out that the teacher had been carving the fin expertly from a piece of mahogany and was now asking for the exact angles and shape of the fin. Within one week, Kevin had taken my drawings, dimensions etc on paper and had created a varnished, mahogany fin that I have only seen before in the vintage Hawaiian surfing movies. In order to secure it tightly to the board he then crafted an oval shaped piece to screw through and pull the fin flush to the bottom of the board. There was only one thing left to do – surf. At 4.30pm GMT on 13th February, I can officially say I used a surfboard that I had a minor part in making and of course will now put this achievement on my CV and personal statement. Who needs A-levels?

Last weekend was without doubt the most action packed so far, yet the most touristy. Throughout our time in the Gambia we have always done our up most to avoid being recognised as ‘tourists’. If anyone asked we were teachers and living in Gunjur. Going to the Eagle Heights Nature Reserve and Camel Riding kind of went against this mantra however we decided to embrace it, just this once. The reserve is a sister park to a zoo in Kent and, from what we could see, was doing an amazing job at improving the conservation and animal rights in the country. There are so many posters around the towns and villages showing how the wildlife in the country has been massacred over the past 200 years by poaching and too much pressure on the environment. The reserve has begun breeding programmes for cheetahs, lions, hyaenas and monkeys with the overall goal to send them to the large national park further up country where they can thrive in the wild with a helpful hand from trained keepers and conservationists. I’ve spent a lot of the time criticising the input from developed countries however the work that this company is doing is brilliant and I can’t wait to see if they can achieve their goals over the coming years. So, after bird displays, lion walks, feeding monkeys and a near run in with a baboon we then went further down the coast to a small village called Tanji. Here, we had a half an hour stroll with Pepe and Buba, our very own camels. It wouldn’t be a gap year without the stereotypical pictures of riding camels!

My hosts in Gunjur are a fairly wealthy family in comparison to most others in the country. I have 5 host brothers living with me and 4 host sisters. Sirifor, the father of the compound, has been great for any advice and it makes me feel a lot safer knowing that I have this strong family unit to come back to each day. I didn’t believe anybody who said Gunjur will become your second home however I’m starting to see how the volunteering experience is made even more valuable and memorable, living on a day to day basis with a family. My bedroom is just off the living room in the main house with, from what I’m told, the only sprung mattress in the whole of Gunjur. It’s all pretty basic and the least said about the toilet the better, but once I put up a few pictures from home, my Dauntseys Hockey Shirt hanging in the window and a few wall paintings, it now has that ‘homely’ feel. However, there’s been one thing that hasn’t been making me feel at home which is the distinct lack of pudding with any meal. In England, whether it’s a Cadburys trifle, ice cream or Thorntons Brownie, it meant the meal was finished off with just the right amount of satisfaction. In order to combat the lack of chocolatey treats after the main meal I’ve had to compromise and resort to Hob Nobs. For some unknown reason it doesn’t have the same affect but nonetheless it is an adequate substitute and the slogan ”Goodness of Oats” is at least making me feel like it is vaguely healthy.

Tomorrow I’m heading to Bakau stadium for the 50th anniversary of independence celebrations which should be a very hectic and crazy day. Looking ahead to the weekend. On Friday we are making an appearance on the local radio station at around 10.00pm so if you get a chance to tune into Janneh Coto FM online then listen out for me and the girls talking about all things Gambia. Post our radio debut, we are making a trip up country to an eco lodge located on the River Gambia called Tendaba. With boat trips to see hippoes, birds and crocs it will undoubtedly show us a different side to Gambia and I’ll want to be back for a Julbrew, a few Hob Nobs and a surf on Sunday evening as the swell forecast is looking incredible!

Ai Dia Ai Lama Lama – Nice to be Nice

Monday 2nd February.

There is something quite different about a Gambian sunset. Whether its the beach bar I’m currently sat in writing this, the fishermen taking in their last catch of the day further up the beach or the Atlantic waves crashing onto the shore in harmony with the African drumming practice. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Nevertheless it’s special.

Over the past two weeks we’ve settled into our Gambian lives pretty easily. We’ve got into a school routine in the week now which is giving us a focus and drive to make a real difference in the community. Outside of school, last week was a chance to find out about any projects in the area that needed help, play in a huge family football match and get far too addicted to a Nigerian soap opera called Mauraina.

Two weeks ago we observed life at the school and got an idea of how everything works. It didn’t take us long to realise that we could make a lot of difference here, not necessarily through our teaching skills but more for the fact that English is our first language and for the students who, for the most part, speak mostly Mandinka, it’s a great opportunity to learn the language from interaction and not from a text book.

We’re quickly discovering that the main meeting spot for a catch up and drink in town is a little place known as ‘Kala Kalas’, or known as the ‘Place of Dreams’ among the gunjur people. We’ve spent many a night here trying to explain to our Gambian friends an array of english sayings. Our highlights have to be ‘spiffing’, ‘lush’ and ‘sick’.

The girls and I have planned all of our weekends up until we leave in order to see all the attractions that Gambia has to offer and much more. Our plans include going to the reggae music festival in Kartong and visting James Island which was the holding place for slaves on their way to America many years ago.

Last week was our cue to take on our teaching responsibilities and I’m determined to make loads of improvements. Having just had a recent end of topic test with only 2 passes, its clear that they need our help! If I said I wasn’t apprehensive about teaching, I’d be lying. However once you get into the topic and try your best to get your message across to the students its becomes almost like a dramatical performance which is not an alien environment to me.

It’s been great to meet other volunteers out here from ‘Volnet’ which is a German volunteering program also based in Gunjur. They have their own compound near the beach called ‘Benna Kunda’ and every Tuesday they have invited us to look after a children’s activity afternoon. We had near enough 40 kids all running around, drawing, painting and much more on Tuesday so to say we were tired at the end of the day was an understatement. This is exactly what I had envisaged when I was planning to volunteer in Africa. The kids are just so inspirational to be around. No matter the standard of living, the home life and level of poverty – they all still had huge smiles on their faces. I was taken back when a little boy was telling me about his life in the village and he told me a Gambian phrase that I’ll keep with me – Ai Dia Ai Lama Lama – Its nice to be nice.

The school is made up of an older section and a new block of classrooms that was built in 2012 as part of the Happy Gunjur Project. Each of us have been given 2 classes and it’s been difficult sometimes to strike a balance between being strict and relaxed as if I came across too strong with the maths they would instantly lose interest. A lot of the teaching is done by writing an example on the black board and working through it together. I find that if I give them classwork that they either get confused or find it difficult to resist distractions from other people. Just like it took a while to get used to Mr Lorrain at St Francis, it’s taking a while to get used to responding to Mr Bojang which is my Gambian surname.

The end of the week meant I could go to the bike project on the outskirts of Gunjur to buy my African companion for my 3 month stay. I’m still deciding on a name for the Apollo Carerra bike but the purple go faster stripes are already infamous in the village. The bike project is run by a British NGO and they’ve brought loads across in a container to sell. The money raised goes to the health clinic and local primary school that they are also linked with therefore I didn’t hesitate in handing over the money as I knew it was going to a great cause. Not only did I get a bike but also Anita the director of the MBG arrived in Gunjur on Friday with a package from home containing two necessities in life, shower gel and flapjack. This isn’t any old shower gel though. Radox Sea Salt and lemongrass is one of the best combinations invented by man – up there with strawberries and cream and I have been craving flapjack ever since we arrived in this flapjackless land.

Just as I thought I’d encountered all foods in the Gambia, I was greeted on Saturday evening by a bowl of rice pudding for my dinner. Not wanting to appear rude I asked my friend to eat it quickly without the cook seeing and 10 minutes later I of course thanked her for an excellent meal… Apart from this minor setback the food has actually been okay. It is for the most part, fish and rice meals with the occasional corned beef, chicken and chips. Breakfast is now a highlight of the day with a choice of fresh bananas, apples and grapefruits all growing around my house and I am having to grin and bare the powdered milk. Last week however I noticed that some of my biscuits had been disappearing quite regularly. I asked around and everyone in the compound was on Def Con 5 level security. Much to the amusement of the whole family, the culprit was Baby Fatou, a 4 year old girl, caught behind the house with a whole slab of my cadburys dairy milk.

It was such a relief to have a beach day yesterday as its been yet another chaotic week, with us finally getting to grips with the lifestyle out here. I’ve managed to tick a lot of things off my checklist such as buying a bike and finding a surfboard, the latter of which me and a volunteer from Volnet are planning to make new wooden fins and make it ‘surfable’. This week we’ve got a lot on with construction work at a local beach bar, painting at the local primary school and heading up the marketing of a new Bee farm selling honey and bee wax. Not to mention this weekend we’ve got sports day at the school and the biggest African music festival at Kartong on Friday and Sunday. As Lamin, our Gambian friend, would say, ‘It’s going to be a spiffing week!!

What a week!!

The first week out here has flown by!! We seem to have gone from the tourists of the town to locals within a few days and it’s been made easier by the kindness and the welcoming culture of the Gambians. My mandinka could still be improved but I think I have now got the greetings and basics down to a tee.

Since my last post it’s been a very eventful week with some major ups and some awful downs.

On Wednesday we took a bush taxi to Brikama which is the nearest built up town near our village. Now, a bush taxi is unlike any other mode of transport with at least 5 people on the roof and an array of people, fish produce and fruit crammed into the back seats with just about enough room to breath. The markets in the town were crazy!! We braved going into the fabric store and managed to get enough to make some traditional African suits, photos of which are never to reach the eyes of social media. Once we got back to Gunjur we were invited to a local beach bar to watch the local band practice their latest songs. LA LA LA GAMBIA!!

Being invited to a wedding on Thursday was a chance to see the very religious side of the country and make comparisons to our traditions or customs. To find out that the husband and wife don’t attend their own wedding was a bit surprising and it goes without saying that the whole day takes an entirely different format. The men gather in the mosque and pray for almost an hour whilst the women cook and socialise in the courtyard.

Friday went from being one of the most amazing days to the most shocking in a mere 2 hours. We visited the monkey jungle and crocodile pool in the morning which was absolutely amazing!! The human features in the monkeys were un canny and they could fit up to 10 peanuts in their mouth at any one time!! (Try it – its quite impressive).

In the afternoon we visited Bakau which is just north of Gunjur. No words or photos could capture the poverty and disease in this town. I had never seen anything like it. I always thought that the celebrities that go to Africa for documentaries were just putting on the tears. It turns out the dark sides of our world are worse than you could ever imagine and those tears are are 100% real. We were all taken back by what we saw and more the fact that for the people living and working in the town, it is all they have known. It’s awful! Only being here a few days, I have realised that often the priorities of a Gambian are completely wrong. You could walk down a street with plush hotels and apartments run by large European corporations, to turn a corner onto the poorest street in Gambia. No matter the range in wealth the main aim for a family is to own a flat screen TV… It is quite clear that this money needs to be spent on infrastructure, health care etc. Nonetheless they have been brainwashed by advertisements from developed countries like America who say, this ‘Samsung 40” is the answer to all their problems. However as long as ‘Bill’ from Samsung can pay for his 4th kid to go through public school he doesn’t bat an eye lid at the consequences.

On a more positive note the weekend has been incredible!! Our first gambian club night was another new experience with a different take on music and of course the dancing. The best way to describe it would be, trying to kick a really small marble on the ground as hard as you possibly can, but missing every single time.

The dancing continued over to the naming ceremony where we were special guests and had front row seats for the traditional entertainment of dancing and singing.

With the first day of working at the local school tomorrow we travelled to a beach lodge further along the coast to relax and unwind. Unlike other coastal countries the Gambians, for the majority of the time, avoid the beach completely. I think that Gunjur should be the definition for ‘deserted beach’ as for miles there is no one. The only life we saw today was the barman in the lodge and the cows that move from one end of the beach to the other in order to avoid high tide.

I can’t wait to skype home tonight as its been a really difficult yet amazing week. I hope that we settle in okay at the school which will be daunting at first but I’m sure we will grow into our roles. No more sun bathing, time to start the lesson plans!!

5.30am – Gatwick Airport

This is my first post from Gambia! Think of Africa in your heads and its exactly like that. Cows and goats causing traffic jams, sand and dust tracks and some of the poorest communities I have ever seen. When you’re actually looking down the main high street in the small village where I am based it just seems surreal and an eye opening experience is already and understatement.

Our journey to Banjul took a surprising turn of events when the pilot told us we were going to have to turn around and land briefly in Las Palmas due to fuel issues. If there is one thing that I have already learnt in the planning and in the first few days of this trip is NEVER fly with Thomas Cook. Not only was organisation not their strong point but we were slightly disappointed to hear that the pilots name was, in fact, Steve and not Tom.

The airport in Banjul was swamped with tourists and the heat was almost unbearable. It was reassuring to see that the government had introduced Ebola health checks for everyone entering the airport as it was a major concern for me, Pheeb and Soph throughout the planning stages of the trip.

From the airport we were met by Bouba who is the go to man if we have any problems and got a 40 minute taxi drive to the village of Gunjur. All 3 of us were pretty nervous at this point and I was first to be dropped off at the door of my host’s compound. I was introduced to all the family which was way into double figures so there were a lot of new faces and names to try and get to grips with. After having a local gambian style meal we sat around chatting with other friends and relatives joining us while the heads of the household prepared yet another meal.  I am already regretting saying that I like oranges as now I seem to get given in excess of 5 oranges as a side dish to every meal – for some reason fish and orange is not a winning combination.

The first night was actually okay. The sound of the crickets along with god knows what other bugs scurrying over my mosquito net and the mosque prayer calls becomes quite soothing after a while. I was woken up to shouts of “Omar, Omar”, which now seems to be my gambian name. I had overslept so had to rush to the meeting with the elders in the village in order to get formally welcomed into the community.

Managing to make contact to home has made the whole thing a lot better! All in all it has been without doubt a scary but great start to the trip and I cant wait for the rest of the week.

The journey begins! – St Francis

Working at St Francis for the first few months of my gap year has been an incredible experience. Not only has it given me an insight into teaching but I’ve made some great friends that I will definitely keep in contact with. It was strange, at first, to go back to the school 5 years on from leaving however the people and the general feel around the place hasn’t changed one bit. I seemed to be roped into doing some rather outrageous jobs. Starring roles as ‘Buttons’ in the christmas panto and being called by Santa to cover for his elves who could not make the christmas fair due to a malfunction with their elf-nav, were just some of the activities a gappy of this era has to be adaptable to. Teaching maths, drama and sport really tested me and means I can take these experiences to the Gambia which will be an extremely different environment to work in. I cannot thank David Sibson and the teaching staff enough for given me the opportunity to work at the school and making it such an unforgettable experience. I look forward to seeing everyone at speech day at the end of the year!