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.