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!!
There and Back - Duncan's Gap Year 2015 