Our Gambian Adventure

Final Farewell

2011-07-29T09:24:00.006Z

This is my final blog as we are due to fly home on Tuesday, gosh how two years have flown especially this year. Last year at the same time we were looking forward to Dale’s arrival to The Gambia. I can honestly say we have experienced good and bad times whilst living here but at least we made that choice others aren’t so lucky and do live hand to mouth earning only a small daily income. For me I am going to miss the glorious sunshine although not the humid stickiness which we are currently experiencing where you have to shower three times a day and change your knickers just as frequently. I will also miss my work colleagues from Diana Mariam, I am so grateful to Mary who took me on as I would not have had the pleasure to meet such lovely people of which I hope to keep in touch with via email. Also the domada sauce and delicious mangoes which are currently in season I just can’t get enough off them. Even Serrekunda market has become a cultural favourite which I will cherish with all the hustle and bustle and the thrill of getting a good price by bartering. What I am not going to miss is the hand washing of clothes and cooking of dinner in this heat I can now understand why the Gambians cook outside under the shade of a tree, I just don’t know how they keep going all day long. As for Paul he has just coached his last game of rugby with the rhino’s so will miss the boys from the team. He received a leaving present from them of a sparkly trousers suit (Top Deck here I come) and a wood carved rhino which was engraved with all their names.

He will also miss the teaching at the college which he has found so rewarding and he was very emotional when some of his students thanked him for teaching them. Also he say’s he will miss the vibrant colours of daily life as the street vendors sit selling their piles of peppers, onions, carrots and fish which he passes on his way into work through the busy roads of Serrekunda. He certainly is not going to miss the bumster boys and beggars who just grind you down trying to get something from you (the white man giveth). As for Abigail and Bradley they will miss the wildlife especially the pretty birds no wonder it is one of the top destinations for twitchers. Although it will be sad to leave we have been counting down the days and are all looking forward to seeing family and friends who we have missed so much. It has been a rich and rewarding experience for us all and one which we will treasure for the rest of our lives. I now realise how lucky I am to have been born and brought up in the UK where you are not afraid to speak out for what’s right.

YIPPEE HOME HERE WE COME!!

Sally

2011-07-19T10:27:00.004Z

This week we have enjoyed spending another week in the resort of Sally in Senagal. We were closer to the centre this time so we had much better access to the shops. The apartment had the use of two pools one of which was right next to us and then another situated next to the resort restaurant, however on the Monday they started retiling and grouting the restaurant pool hence it was closed for the rest of our holiday. The week was spent relaxing by the pool or taking walks along the beach. On one such walk we spotted a Pelican and we were then suppressed when another lady started calling him by his name Daniel. We watched as he came waddling over to her to take a fish from her hand he even begged for it and wagged his tail which amused us all. That was it the children ran off to get more fish as we had noticed loads of tiny sprats which were getting washed up by the tide. I started walking off to help and happened to glance to my side and got such a shock as Daniel was happily waddling along by my side as if I was taking him for a walk. We then spent some time feeding Daniel by throwing the sprats into the air for him to catch. The next day we went looking for Daniel again armed with a tub full of sprats, at first there was no sign of him however a Senegalese lad took us further inland to the house where he lives and then called his name. He swam across the stream to get his fill of the fish which we had collected. Abigail and I even got to stroke his feathers which were very thick and soft. On one of our walks we walked to the resort near the Marina where we had stayed at Christmas, we got such a shock as the villas close to the beach plus the Marina Restaurants had been burnt down to the ground. Apparently it happened four months ago when some one had lit a firework which landed on one of the grass roofs and just spread from villa to villa, there was even a shell of a badly burnt out boat in the Marina.

View Of The Pool Over Our Wall

Daniel The Pelican

End Of School Term

2011-07-19T10:25:00.000Z

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LYNNE!

On Monday we held a party for the children with music, dancing and food as it was the last day of term for them. This also meant the last day for me to say goodbye to them, gosh I am going to miss some of the children and teachers. At midday Ida presented me with a leaving present of a tie dyed tablecloth, thank you card and paper flowers (made by Craft Club Uncle Musa). I thanked them all for the gifts and support they have given me whilst working at the school. A big thank you went to Mr Jadama for my first year of working with him. I then thanked Auntie Ken who I have immense respect for and who I will greatly miss, at this point Auntie Ken covered her face and had to leave as she was so upset. All was going well until Auntie Mansetta and Uncle Musa started to sing to me a thank you song. Mansetta speaks French and only a little English, she has such a lovely voice no guessing what happened, I started blubbering. To top this I then had the children crowded around me singing a song which I had taught them for African Liberation Day, It’s A Small World before then giving me a group hug At 1 o’clock I said my final goodbye’s to some of the children Fatou, Momodou, Sheriff, Nina, Fattoumatta, Ramatoulie and Carl to name just a few. As for the teachers I will see them tomorrow as it is parents open day also I plan to pop in during summer school before we leave for the UK.

Painting Workshop

2011-07-19T09:41:00.008Z

This week Abigail has been helping Mamaddy with some of his paintings. He is an Artist close to the market and Paul has got to know him through playing touch rugby on a Sunday. Mamaddy runs a youth art class where the children visit him after school and he gets them drawing and painting. Abigail and some of the other children were helping to paint a map of Africa by painting the ocean blue, Africa yellow and then painting in the sunset with red, yellow and white paint the finished result is quite effective.

Painting In The Sunset

On Tuesday Awa brought a little visitor to see us, her daughter Louise who we haven’t seen since she was one years old she is now nearly three.

On Wednesday and Thursday Abigail and Bradley were off school as year 3 and 5 were doing their Gambian National Exams. They were both pleased as it meant they could come with me on our school trip to Tanji Museum.

Fish Platter

2011-06-26T11:23:00.004Z

On Sunday we spent the day at the beach and Sailors Restaurant. Paul had been given a complimentary meal by Vicky the head teacher of Zenith as he had produced a Science paper and then marked them for her. She had organised a fish platter for us with a bottle of wine and soft drinks for the children. The fish platter consisted of lobster, prawns, calamari and four different types of grilled fish. This was served with rice, chips and salad. The meal was delicious however we were unable to finish all the fish so this was placed in a doggy bag for us to take home.

Bradley looking forward to the fish

Paul getting stuck in to the lobster

Meringo Planting

2011-06-26T09:50:00.004Z

On Friday afternoon Pete picked me and the children up in his new four wheel drive he has bought the car as he is planning to travel back with Bernie over land. We are all helping Mick and Jenny plant some trees along with other VSO and Peace Corp voulunteers. The trees we are planting are called Miringo or never die as they are very hardy. They are a super tree as they are packed with more nutrients than most foods. The leaves can be dried and sprinkled into food jenny on the day even made a groundnut pesto sauce with the leaves and it was very tasty. There were about thirty of us in total unfortunately we ran out of manure to prepare the ground so only planted two long beds over 1,000 trees we could off easily have done double that. Some of the group started on digging another bed ready to prepare for planting. Overall the day went very well although I was glad I took a change of clothes.

Birthday Celebrations

2011-06-26T09:18:00.004Z

This week I celebrated my birthday along with Mary the owner of the school whose birthday was on Friday. Mary as she does every year had arranged for cakes and drinks to be delivered to the school for the children and staff to celebrate with her. We had a short assembly and then everyone sang happy birthday to the both of us we then took some group photos before returning to class. The cake and drinks were distributed around during the first break.

Ida & Mary

On the evening we had planned to go out for a meal as my birthday treat however we had a twenty four hour power cut so I had to cook the chicken which had defrosted in the freezer, hence chicken yassa was our evening meal. Then plans were changed for a Saturday meal out when Max phoned late on to say he was hosting a party at his house. As we discussed if we could make it as we were also attending a naming ceremony on the afternoon of one of Paul’s rugby players we suddenly remembered that it was Max’s birthday.

On the Saturday afternoon we made our way to Tallinding which is where the naming ceremony is to be held. We walked through the back streets and after twenty minutes Paul phoned Billy to check if his directions were correct. Billy met us to take us the rest of the way first calling at his wife’s compound. There were a number of relatives mainly women and children waiting inside a very dark basic cement floor room. Outside aunties were busy preparing food, one lady was breaking up a huge bucket of cold cooked rice with her hands this is probably what we are going to eat later. Next we called to see his wife she was in his uncles compound who is the local Iman hence there was also a mosque in the compound. His wife had been there for the last six hours getting her face and hair done by her cousin from Senegal. She had styled her hair (or wig) up onto the top of her head very much like we do in the UK for weddings and was busy painting gold lines onto her scalp. Her face was heavily made up with jade green eye shadow. We went and sat outside for a while and were introduced to Billy’s father and uncle. We then had a ten minute walk to Billy’s compound where we were shown in to a room and introduced to his mother who is visiting from Senegal for the occasion. Billy was brought up in the Gambia by his fathers second wife who works as a chef at the Kairaba hotel in Senegambia. As we sat a group of girls outside were also busy preparing food some of which was brought in for us to try. Chakary is a sweet yogurt and cous mix which I sometimes buy for Bradley and is very tasty. It was now 5 o’clock and we had hoped to get to Max’s for around 6 o’clock. Suddenly the food Benechin which had been prepared in the other compound arrived. A group of lady’s placed some of the rice on various large platters and then scattered the cooked vegetables with there hands over this and then the ram meat was added on top. We shared a platter with one of Billy’s friends, the meat was very tough and hard to get off the bone hence Bradley decided to chomp on it using his hands. We waited a little longer before managing to make our excuses to leave for Max’s just as another couple of buckets of cooked chicken were brought in to be made up into foil containers to be eaten later on in the evening. We declined the offer of a container of chicken knowing we would also be enjoying some Philipino food later at Max’s.

Cashew Apple

2011-06-26T09:13:00.003Z

This is how they hang from the tree with the nut in the kernel at the base of the apple

African Liberation Day

2011-05-29T10:14:00.009Z

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HAYLEY THIS MONTH!

On Thursday at school we celebrated African Liberation Day. The children dressed up in their national costumes and tribal songs were sung and dances performed.

Sierra Leone National Dress

Mandinka Song & Dance

Fula Song & Dance

French Song

Auntie Nancy, Alaphi & Fatamatta

Isha, Aminetta, Alberta, Auntie Ken, Fatamatta & Auntie Adama

Sheriff, Lisa, Binta, Binta, Fatcilla & Fatamatta

Fatamatta, Nina, Kumba, Binta & Fatou

Oumie

Isatou & Khadija

Lydie With Sweets In Her Hair Usually Done At Circumcision Ceremony's

Easter

2011-04-28T11:39:00.007Z

On Easter Sunday we spent the morning painting eggs and also making Max an Easter card as he had invited a few of us over for lunch at 1 o’clock. The food as usual was very tasty and was a traditional Philipino Easter fare which included pork. After eating Max handed me some eggs to paint with the children, there was to be a cash prize incentive for the best painted egg. Once painted the children lined up and had to name their egg and go around the group showing them to us. Everyone except parents had to judge them, in the end they all ended up winning a 100 dalasi each as it was too hard to have an outright winner. The rest of the afternoon was spent drinking not julbrew but orange juice for me and Paul as we were not in the mood having drank enough this week. Some of Max’s friends who were Cuban’s entertained us by salsa dancing and Lynn was dragged up by Max to have a go which was very funny. We decided to leave just before 5 o’clock however Abigail and Bradley wanted to stay and play so Jenny agreed to drop them off later, this turned out to be very late with them not arriving home until gone 9 o’clock.

On Monday we were off to Lamin yet again unfortunately Paul is working all through the Easter Holidays on a training manuel and doing workshops so he was unable to accompany us. A friend of Jenny’s was holding a day for the children which involved an egg hunt and meal. We were the first to arrive just after 10 o’clock followed by some others thirty minutes later. The children did their first activity which was moulding dough into shapes, Bradley wanted a chicken, Abigail and Teo decided on a plait and Mia wanted a snake complete with a carrot tongue. These were then baked in a solar oven which took about two hours in total. As more children arrived they quickly ran out of dough. The next hour was spent being driven down the lane by horse and cart and I was quite concerned as it was a very hot day so applied more sun cream. When the easter egg hunt was announced the children ran off in all directions looking for them, fifty in total. Once all collected in they were hidden again for another hunt, Abigail didn’t find any of these so was a bit upset. They then grouped around a table were they set about colouring them with felt tip pens the broken ones were given out to eat. By now we were very hungry, Mick had gone off to collect the food which was being cooked by girls from the village. The buffet consisted of rice, cous, salad, roast potatoes, vegetables, fish, chicken, and domada sauce. At 6 o’clock I was given a lift by a couple to the junction where we managed to pick up a gelleh straight away for home.

Royal Wedding

2011-04-28T11:38:00.004Z

On Thursday evening we were invited to the leaving party of Phil the British High Commissioner which was to be held at his residence at Cape Point. We arrived at 6.30pm and showed our invitation card to the security at the gate. We made our way through the house to the garden area at the rear overlooking the sea and spoke to the commissioner. He told us he was now being sent to Sierra Leone for a couple of months before retiring to Brighton. As usual there was a constant supply of drinks which were handed out by the waiters however the food just kept passing us by eventually we sent Abigail and Bradley off to bring some of the meatballs and beef on sticks back to us. At 9.30 we left for home as Bradley was very tired some of the other volunteers left to go to the Scottish Embassy which is a local pub, restaurant run by Mark and is a meeting place for NGO’s.

On Friday morning we made our way up to Francisco’s to watch the Royal Wedding of William and Kate. We had arranged with David the owner to watch the wedding whilst having an English Breakfast at a discounted price. We arrived just in time having already missed Prince William’s arrival at the church. Tessa, Merrille, Gaynor and Jane were already there so we joined them ordering coffee and juice. Kate one of the Peace Corp volunteers arrived with some other girls and then they produced a variety of hats from their bags to wear for the occasion, very funny. Although not the same atmosphere as back home it was still good to be able to watch it over here. We left just after the kisses on the balcony as we had all made a decision to spend the rest of the afternoon at Safari Garden pool.

BeeCause Festival

2011-04-28T11:37:00.006Z

On Saturday Mick and Jenny were holding a weekend charity festival at their compound in Lamin. An area had been set aside for tents for anyone who wanted to stay over. Luckily our tent was already there, Paul would come along later as he is working delivering a workshop. At 2 o’clock we left for Lamin loaded up with a rucksack of a change of clothes and a couple of blankets and pillows. Once in Lamin we then had the walk to their compound unfortunately I had ran out of credit so couldn’t call Mick to pick us up. When we arrived Abigail and Bradley went off to play with Teo and Mia and a couple of other children who were already there. Mark from the Scottish Embassy, Dean and Pete had stayed over last night to help with preparations. Jenny was trying to have a little sleep as she had been up late last night and then early this morning cooking some of the meals which were to be provided with your entrance ticket. Eventually other VSO and Peace Corp volunteers arrived and started to put up their tents or a makeshift tent made out of Mosquito netting. Jenny gave up on her sleep and came down to join us as others arrived. It was a good turn out much more than they expected. During the day events were being held to beat the Pete the first one was a sack race, all the children joined in including Jenny and Dean. The game started and you could see the determination to win on Pete’s face however after viewing the replay it was decided that Dean just crossed the line first. They then had a bobbing for apples game for the children, Abigail and Bradley didn’t want to join in because it meant getting their hair wet. The apples used were cashew apples which are now in season and are quite sour in taste some people can have a reaction to them, Paul for one ending up with burnt lips. They are so weird to look at as a single cashew nut grows underneath the apple this is used for tanning and tattooing. To release the cashew kernel from the nut they have to be roasted and then usually the cashew kernel is roasted yet again to give them their flavour, no wonder they are so expensive to buy. I was then asked if I would help Chris with face painting the children’s faces. The paints were very oily and I bet will take some getting off. Abigail wanted a star and baubles as she was wearing her Christmas Tree dress for the fancy dress. Bradley wanted a tiger, Mia a butterfly and Teo wanted bee stripes as his fancy dress was a bee costume.

Paul arrived just before 6 o’clock so we went off to find a spot to put up the tent. We then mingled chatting with the other volunteers. Then the food was set out so we ate a selection of rice, tapala, Lebanese flat bread, beans, dhal, bolognaise, roast pork and salad, all of which were very tasty. As it started to get dark a group of drummers turned up to perform for us. The lady’s in the group sang and then started to dance gosh these lady’s can move, some of the volunteers got up to dance with them. We then had a couple of songs from Jane. As the night wore on Bradley was the first to go off to bed just around 10 o’clock. On the other hand Abigail enjoyed having a game of tug of war against her dad and a bit of limbo dancing with some of the other children. By now a fire had been lit so we sat around drinking and enjoying the atmosphere of living in such a pleasant area surrounded by forest. Abigail gave in just after midnight and went off to bed Paul and I left with some others just after 2 o’clock. The tent was only a small one so we just fitted however it was to be a sleepless night for me having to get up once to go to the toilet and move the lamp which someone had left near to our tent so it was shinning right into it. At around 5 o’clock I managed to fall a sleep but was then woken by the children an hour later as they got up with Paul to have a walk around the forest. The forest sounds were amazing as things came to life I laid watching a couple of hornbills in a tree and a squirrel jumping from one to another before giving up on sleep and getting up. We ate a late breakfast of egg tapalapa and then as people left we sat around talking and helping to clear up before leaving ourselves just after 1 o’clock

2011-04-28T11:29:00.001Z

Just Born Two Baby Goats

On Monday at Diana Mariam we set about making Easter Cards with the children. Most of the teachers were at a workshop all week so Mr Touray would be helping me in year 2. I had picked chickens, rabbits and eggs for our cards which were either painted or coloured using felt tip pens. We split into two tables I was overseeing those who were going to paint so I mixed the colours in yogurt pots. The children really enjoyed themselves and were patient whilst we left things to dry before continuing with the next stage. For the eggs we added a little glitter so as to give the effect of foil paper. I then cut around each figure and pasted them onto some bright Floraessant paper before cutting these out again with wavy scissors. We were pleased with the finished result as we had also stuck some thick card from boxes to the back so they stood proud of the Easter card like a 3D effect.

The next day I had asked the children to bring in some hard boiled eggs to paint. We were also joined by year 3 and 4 children which Madame Senghore would work with. Year 3 and 4 used felt tip pens whilst year 2 started to paint their eggs. These didn’t turn out as good as I had expected as some children broke their eggs straight away others kept on changing their minds and washing the paint back off. Also the paint wouldn’t stay on the eggs I think it was maybe too thin. With patience wearing thin the children gave up and decided to shell and eat their eggs, I think there was only about three eggs which made it home at the end of the day.

Prayers For Aja

2011-04-28T11:05:00.007Z

Wednesday was the last day of school for Diana Mariam children this would normally have meant a party with music however due to the death of Aja they had decided to invite the Iman in and hold prayers. When I arrived there were tented areas with chairs for parents as they were also invited. There was also an area of mats for the Iman to sit on. The children were wearing traditional African dress most of the girls had also brought scarfs which were used to cover their hair during prayers. I found a seat with some of the year 2 girls and we then waited for something to happen. Eventually at 10.30am the Iman and a group of men arrived and seated themselves on the mats. He distributed books amongst the men which I think were verses from the Keran. They then started to read aloud from the back to the front of the book at their own speed. This meant they all finished at different times so the chanting got quieter and quieter it took about forty minutes for everyone to finish. Durring this time some younger children required the toilet or drinks, also mints and bottles of water were handed around to the parents so it was very informal. Prayers were then given for Aja and a couple of teachers spoke on behalf of the school. Two hours later it was all over, the children ate their food whilst waiting to be picked up to go home.

Maimuna, Tida, Fenda, Ishatou, Khadija T, Khadija C

Oumie

John Paul In President Jammeh Pants

L Lydie, Fatou, Binta Jainaba

Daylam, Binta

Fatou Mboge - My Favourite Pupil at the School

Sanyang

2011-04-28T10:58:00.003Z

On Good Friday we were meeting up with some of the volunteers at Sanyang to stay over for the night. Jenny was also going with the children so she had agreed to take us if we made our way to Lamin. We were there just after 10 o’clock and waited for Mick to pick us up from the junction. Once everything was loaded we set off travelling via Brikama where we stopped to buy some fruit. Once at Rainbow beach we changed and made for the beach. Some volunteers were already there and others arrived during the afternoon. We spent a lovely afternoon chatting and chilling. Having made the most of happy hour we went for a shower to change for dinner. The tables had been set out on the beach for us however we decided to move into the restaurant area as it was quite breezy. We ate as usual our fish and chips and then sat around a bonfire until late into the evening. On the Saturday Jenny headed off back to Lamin early as she had a group of twenty five visiting this evening for dinner. We spent an enjoyable day lounging on the beach before setting off for home at 4 o’clock.

Bijilo Nature Park

2011-04-28T10:43:00.004Z

On Wednesday we had a school trip to Bijilo Nature Park, we were picked up from school at 10 o’clock by a West African Tours coach. The children were seated three to a seat and some were driven down by staff transport. Once at the park the manager gave us a talk about all the different animals which lived within the park grounds. Whilst he was talking a couple of Red Colubus Monkey’s were sat in a tree picking berries. We grouped the children into their year group lines and then the youngest set off walking with the guide. We soon saw a large group of Vervet Monkey’s sat in the nearby trees and on the ground. Another guide who was with some tourists was busy feeding them nuts he asked if I wanted some I remarked the signs say not to feed them so he quickly moved away. Some of the younger children were quite scared of the monkey’s however the older children decided to give them some bread. As we got further into the park some of the younger children were getting tired no wonder having to also carry their back packs these should have been left on the bus. The decision was made to take them back whilst we carried on with the older children. Our guide took us along a path which ran parallel with the beach and then he took us down a track onto the beach. The children sat and ate some of their food, I was busy telling them to pick up all their rubbish so as not to leave it on the beach they just don’t understand the problems this causes. We set off walking back to the beginning via a different route. The other teachers were sat waiting at the entrance whilst the children had been placed back on the bus which was quite hot. We set off for home arriving back just before 1 o’clock and time for me to leave to pick Abigail and Bradley up from school. I have been picking Abigail up at the same time as since completing their exams they havn’t been doing any work at all whilst the teachers sit writing their reports.

On Thursday Lynn had been asked by Pete if she would hold a barbeque at the compound for his two Yorkshire friends and her sister who were here visiting. We were all asked to bring our own food for the barbeque, Lynn and I also made, rice, pasta, coleslaw and salad dishes. It was only supposed to be a small event however throughout the day other volunteers phoned up to see if they could come. The first to arrive was Mick and Jenny with Teo and Mia who quickly went off to play with Abigail and Bradley. For Paul it was his Rhino training night so he would be in late so Mick set about digging holes to put the beer in to keep cool. Pete then arrived and set the barbeque going to start cooking a selection of food, prawns, fish, sausages, burgers and chicken. It soon became apparent that we would possibly run out of accompanying dishes of pasta, rice and salad as most volunteers currently have family visiting so the numbers had suddenly doubled. Once the food was cooked it just disappeared and others had to wait for the next batch to cook. As predicted the other dishes ran out although there were plenty of prawns to keep everyone going. At 10 o’clock Abigail and Bradley were getting tired so I quickly put them to bed, thirty minutes later I decided to join them. I was so glad not to have clearing up to do as Lynn had asked me if I would have the food in my house, which I declined to do. It was 12 o’clock before the party finally ended with Lynn, Paul and her sister left to clear most of the mess up after everyone.

2011-04-28T10:41:00.001Z

Bradley was back at school this week just in time for his exams which he remarked were very easy. As for myself we have been holding a reading competition with the primary children. Each day they take a book home from the library and the next day we split into mixed year groups, the children then read some of their chosen book and then tell us about the story and answer questions. Then on Thursday the reading was put on hold as we held our annual sports day. I had been asked to record all the scores along with Aisha. The first event was a group relay event with each year running a short distance around the roads outside the school. We then had a 50mtr and 100mtr race before going back into the school to continue with other events. We had events such as lime and spoon, matching words and pictures, potato and bucket race, sorting colours, threading beads, filling water bottles, one legged race and tug of war including a teacher tug of war game. As usual as we neared the end there were some heated debates and questioning over the scores however the overall winners were the yellow house. As last year it was a very enjoyable day with good team spirit from all involved. On Friday I had to take Abigail and Bradley into school with me as they had been given the day off after completing a week of exams. On arrival I was told that Aja the office accountant had died yesterday, apparently she suffered with arthritis. The morning was spent writing a short poem from the children to be placed in the local paper. Aja was a Muslim so the burial was to take place at 2 o’clock that day so the teachers were waiting for the children to be picked up so they could go and pay their respects at the family compound.

2011-04-17T10:00:00.001Z

On Monday Paul went off up country to do teacher observations in Soma. Bradley was still unwell and didn’t seem to have picked up after his medication so after dropping Abigail off at school I took him back to Africmed. The doctor decided to keep him in for observation over night this was a bit of a problem due to Paul being up country. Eventually I managed to track Lucy down who was staying in the Kombo all week as VSO had a two day workshop which volunteers were attending. She agreed to pick Abigail up from school and stay with her overnight. Abigail enjoyed herself as Lucy took her to Safari Garden on the afternoon for a swim and then she went out for pizza with Sam and Elle on the evening. As for us we were shown into a room where the nurse gave Bradley a quinine injection in his leg and penicillin via an IV line. Most of the day Bradley slept, I managed to get him to eat a little bit of a banana but other than drinking water he didn’t want anything. Every four hours he was given either the penicillin or quinine injections which were very painful for him. I had a very tiring night either sat in a chair with a blanket wrapped around me trying to sleep or laid next to Bradley on the bed. On the Tuesday the doctor gave him the all clear to go home as his temperature had come down and he seemed much better. On arriving home I made Lucy a cup of tea and we chatted for a while before she left for the VSO office. By midday Bradley was again tired and his temperature was high again he spent most of the afternoon sleeping, I even managed to get a couple of hours sleep myself. Lynn offered to cook dinner for us which was a lovely chicken and vegetable stew however Bradley just picked at it he has definitely lost some weight. On the night Bradley slept with me again he had a very restless night with dreams and high temperature. I gave him his medication and he seemed to pick up so we managed to do some of his world jigsaw but just before midday he was tired and fell a sleep again for a couple of hours. I decided to make a soup to see if I could get him to eat he thoroughly enjoyed it as well as a yogurt. By Thursday he was back to normal although weak and a little tired. Paul arrived home from his up country trek at 5 o’clock just in time for a fish and chip dinner followed by donkey plonk (cherry roll).

BeeCause Charity Event

2011-04-17T09:27:00.007Z

Over the course of the night Bradley had developed a bad cough and was feeling under the weather so a trip to Africmed was called for where he was given amoxicillin for a chest infection yet again. On Wednesday Lynn invited me out to dinner as she had a couple of friends over staying at the Sherraton Hotel. Alison had met up with a past Gambian boyfriend and had gone off to meet his family. Lynn, Sally and myself went off to The Blue Kitchen where we had a girly evening chatting over a nice meal whilst Paul and the children watched a DVD and ate pizza and popcorn which I had made them before leaving. Bradley having finished his course of amoxicillin seemed all fit and well however on the Friday I received a phone call from the school to say he was unwell. I left school early to pick him up and as soon as we arrived back home he started to be sick. Over the course of the afternoon he developed a headache and a temperature. On the Saturday morning he seemed okay so we thought it must have been a tummy bug, but by midday he was ill again so we decided another trip to Africmed was required this time he was given coartum for suspected malaria. Today was also the big charity event for Beecause at Mick and Jenny’s. We had planned to stay overnight in the tent and I had been busy baking a selection of cakes for them to sell at the event, carrot cake, lemon cake and flapjacks. Due to Bradley’s illness Paul stayed at home whilst Abigail and I made our way to Lamin. Mick was waiting with Mea to take us the rest of the way to their house. What a difference they have made since we were last there, they have now moved into the house on the top of the hill. They have also been busy all week erecting flags, hung from these were kerosene lamps for lighting. Everything was well organised down to a makeshift bar area, table and chairs, raffle tickets for drink and food purchases, guess how many bees in the jar and a tug of war game. Jenny was also selling her honey, peanut brittle and homemade soap and candles which were made from the bees wax. Abigail quickly went off to play with Teo following behind was Mia you can tell she loves having a big sister to play with. I sat chatting to Lucy, Max and Pete who were the only ones to have arrived. Over the next hour quite a lot of Peace Corp turned up, David who works with Mick and Jenny is a Peace Corp volunteer. Once all the volunteers and friends had arrived there were possibly sixty people in total so quite a good turn out. The beer, soft drinks and food were selling well including my cakes which I was pleased about. At around 8 o’clock we all made our way up to the bantabar area, Max, Jane and Dean were going to entertain us with some music and singing. Dean who is Gambian has lived in the UK for the last thirty years and was in the music industry but never really got that big break. He was singing along with Jane whilst Max played guitar and Brendon a Peace Corp volunteer helped with the drums, he is out here doing a Arts and Culture programme. Jane was an amazing jazz singer and Dean sang a couple of songs by Coldplay, David Bowie and a rap songs. Then we had a jamming session where we all joined in singing songs by the Eagles, Beatles, Animal’s etc. We were all enjoying singing along and it was announced a couple of times that we were to get into teams of four to have a game of tug of war. Reluctantly we made up teams of two boys and two girls. Myself, Lucy, Dean and Tom made up a team, we were the first to have a go with Dean as the back anchor man. We had a good rhythm going so won the first game however the rope was too thin so it was burning as we tried to pull and grip it. We then had to play against the winners from each group. Eventually we were in the final against Bernie’s team and although hard we did manage to come out as overall winners dragging Bernie across the floor which must of hurt Ow! It was getting very late but Abigail was still going strong, we were getting a lift home with Lynn so at 11 o’clock we left leaving the party still in full swing it didn’t end until 2 o’clock in the morning with a few volunteers staying over. Lynn had to drop Sally off first at the Sheraton which was in the wrong direction hence we didn’t arrive home until gone 12 o’clock, Abigail had already fallen a sleep in the car however she was soon settled down in bed. Bradley was settled in bed however Paul said he had been very restless all night.

Dean & Mark

Abigail Enjoying The Music

Jane On Jazz

Alex & Denech

Commonwealth Day

2011-04-03T12:08:00.007Z

On Monday we celebrated Commonwealth day at Diana Mariam. The children brought a selection of party food and were dressed in their national costume. When I arrived the children were all excited and were wearing some lovely dresses with lots of colour and sparkly braiding. Mansoora and her brother who are from Pakistan wore traditional Indian costumes, and one of the reception children Fattima wore traditional Wolof clothes including chewing stick, used as a toothbrush. Madame Senghore then arrived dressed as a Fula Lady. She had the traditional costume, her hair was braded and she had coloured her chin and forehead with paint to resemble the tattooing off the Fula women. She also carried a calabash and ladle as the Fula people were cattle herders so they used to carry their milk around in the calabash. Zainab one of the children from the grande section was in tears as she was scared of Madame Senghore’s appearance. I had forgotten my camera so I quickly rushed home to collect it so I was able to take some photographs. I was just in time for assembly, Madame Senghore and a group of children sat on a mat on the stage. She then told an old tale about the Fula people we were all engrossed with her storytelling. African music was then played and Madame Senghore performed a traditional Fula dance for us with some of the children following behind. The children danced until first break and then sat and ate their party food. There was a variety of Gambian dishes such as yassa and plases and western dishes such as chicken and chips. The teachers tried various dishes which the children had brought, one which I tried was like a large dumpling but it was actually boiled and mashed cassava which you then broke off and dipped into a fishy spinach based sauce of plases, not really my taste. It was a most enjoyable day for me it was great to see the children dressed in their traditional costumes however I have to say Madame Senghore stole the show with her all out face tattooing and costume. For the rest of the day lessons went on as normal until I left to pick up Bradley.

Fula Story

Fula Dance

Fattima – Wolof Lady

Madame Senghore & Ramatoulie

Mansoora & Brother

Saihou Senghore & Amadou

Ramatoulie, Fatcilla & Mariama

Shasco – Mauritanian Man

Bradley's Birthday

2011-04-03T11:32:00.006Z

We held a birthday party for Bradley on Friday a day early as Paul wanted to watch the rugby grand slam England v Ireland on the Saturday afternoon. Bradley decided he would like a barbeque so as soon as I arrived home from school I set about preparing macaroni cheese, rice, coleslaw and salad. I then marinated the prawns and meat. We had picked a selection of prawns, sausages, chicken, beef steaks and beef chawarma which is strips of beef which are cooked with garlic, pepper and lots of onions and then usually wrapped in Lebanese flat bread which is very much like a tortilla wrap, yummy. As guests arrived Paul started to cook the meat so at 6 o’clock everything was prepared and on the table. After eating we sang happy birthday to Bradley whilst he cut his chocolate smartie cake. Along with Teo and Mia we had invited a couple of Nigerian children called Stephanie and Rodney to the party they live a couple of compounds away and also go to the same school as Abigail and Bradley, they all seemed to play well together. As the sun went down we had a quick game of pass the parcel. Paul had wrapped the parcel with newspaper which seemed to go on and on forever with the occasional sweet between the layers. Finally we arrived at the birthday wrap Stephanie won the prize which was a ladybird book which she was pleased with. We then played musical chairs Abigail was the overall winner however there was lots of competition going on between Mick and Pete even to the extent of shoving the children out of the way. As the night drew to a close we sat around a bonfire which Paul had built in the compound chatting and drinking, Abigail and Bradley were still full of life playing with Mia and Teo however I had taken Rodney and Stephanie back home after Stephanie had thrown up all over her trousers I think she had eaten too much. The last guests left just before 11 o’clock so it was midnight before we were cleared away and ready for bed.

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BRADLEY!

Saturday and Bradley’s 6th birthday, he opened his presents excited as usual to see what he had got. He was pleased with his selection of books, creepy crawlies, Ben 10, DVD and Nintendo games which he received. The rest of the day was spent chilling I was so tired and playing with Bradley’s toys. We then made our way to Francisco’s to watch the rugby we had arranged to meet Mick and Jenny up there with some of the other volunteers. Abigail and Bradley played with Mia and Teo and then one of the expats who Paul has got to know bought them all an ice-cream for Bradley’s birthday. No sooner had they sat down a group of drummers appeared from nowhere and started to sing and play happy birthday to him obviously for a fee. We left just after 7 o’clock as Abigail and Bradley were tired after such a late night last night .

Rugby Tournament

2011-04-03T11:23:00.001Z

During the past week Paul and Biyo one of the Rhino’s rugby players have been interviewed on the local radio station to promote the game and the rugby tournament which is happening on Saturday. Margaret has organised the tournament she is an English lady who has a house here in The Gambia which she visits a few times each year. She is very much involved in charity work and also runs a scout group and rugby team here in The Gambia. Paul was acting as referee during the tournament which was a mix of boy and girl teams off different age groups. He also had a supply of goodies to give away some of which had been donated by Middlesbrough Rugby Club for the winners. There was a good turn out from teams and spectators who had come along to watch the game. Overall the day went very well and seemed to be enjoyed by all.

2011-03-06T11:40:00.004Z

Baby Winchats in our garden yesterday Aww!!

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JENNY!

Max's Return

2011-03-06T11:20:00.006Z

Last Saturday after the Rugby we went to see the new volunteers as they were having drinks and nibbles at Alex’s house in Brikama. The house was a new build and very nice inside with a fitted kitchen. We left just after nine as the children were getting tired. Whilst on the gelleh I received a phone call from Bernie I had only picked up her backpack instead of mine so Paul had to go back for it. When we got home I then realised my keys were in the backpack luckily Lynn was still up so she made me a cup of tea whilst we awaited Paul’s return.

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JONAH 28TH FEB!

This week we had a surprise visit from Max the Pilipino volunteer he has just arrived back in the country after spending two days stuck in the airport at Morocco after falling a sleep and missing his connecting flight. We welcomed him with a bottle of julbrew and he then gave us all some presents from Marielle and himself. Marielle had followed Max to the Philippines after his stay with her in the Netherlands. Abigail received a lovely dress and some shorts, Bradley a top, Paul some flip flops and I got a lovely pashmina shawl. It was so good to catch up with him glad he is back and he says Marielle will be visiting in April which is good to hear.

Cross Country Race

2011-03-06T10:58:00.004Z

Last week Bradley and Abigail were involved in their school cross country race. Bradley had been practising all week by running around the house and is really excited about competing. He is hoping to come first as during practice he is managing to come second behind a boy called David talk about competitive at such a young age. On the other hand Abigail was more reserved however she was more willing to take part than she was last year. We made our way to the school for 4 o’clock and at twenty past the first race took place by reception one class. When it was Bradley’s turn they all lined up and Mr Steven’s started the race. As they ran down the road some of the children where tripped up by others, unbeknown to us one of them was Bradley. The first runner crossed the finish line and there was no sign of Bradley eventually he came into sight taking thirteenth place. He was so upset about falling over and not winning the race. He eventually calmed down and decided to join us to cheer on Abigail. Abigail surprised us all by taking seventh place much better than last year and she was really pleased having passed quite a few of the boys from her class.

The other bit of news from the week is that Paul has been offered a job by the chancellor of the University which is now situated next to the collage campus. The job was within the sports sector and would also entail the overseeing of the new sports facilities of which Paul has been trying to get off the ground since arriving within the Gambia. Although this would be a European paid job Paul understands the need to get the children settled back into education within the UK.

Abuko & Lamin Lodge

2011-03-06T10:48:00.003Z

On Sunday Paul’s uncle arrived much later than expected as the plane had developed a problem whilst flying over France so the pilot took the decision to fly back to Manchester causing a delay until a new plane arrived. He finally landed just after midnight, Paul had returned to the airport to pick him up and take him onto Mamma’s Hotel where we had booked him in for the week. After a good nights rest Uncle Chris walked to our house and was ready for his first outing to Abuko Nature Reserve. Whilst in the reserve we had our first sighting of a Red Patas Monkey as well as the usual birdlife.

Red Patas Monkey

We then made our exit crossed the road and walked through the streets of Lamin to the lodge. A young boy of Abigail’s age was pushing a wheelbarrow full of fizzy drinks which he was taking to the lodge. He offered to show us the way so Paul briefly helped to push the wheelbarrow. Once at the lodge we ordered a round of drinks and some food. As usual the monkeys were very inquisitive and one even managed to pinch a chip from one of our plates as the waiter was bringing them up the stairs. No sooner had we sat down to eat the same monkey made a grab at Abigail’s plate and managed to get some of her chicken sandwich. He then sat eating it in front of her with bulging cheeks. Paul decided to go and get a couple of sticks to keep them at bay and shortly after his return the waiter brought Abigail a plate of chips to compensate for the loss of the sandwich. After another couple of rounds of drinks we phoned Mick and Jenny to see if they were in. Mick had just gone off to the local shop to buy a bottle of gin. Abigail and Bradley decided to run on ahead down the lane leading to their house. When we arrived Jenny was busy digging some holes for plants and the kids were in a large tub filled with water, Abigail and Bradley had already stripped down to their underwear to join them. Mick and Jenny have been very busy since our last visit and have succeeded in building a bantabar as well as managing to start work on their new house on the hillside. The idea is then to offer their old accommodation to paying students who would like to learn about the charity and bee keeping. Once we had looked around we sat in the bantabar and opened the gin and a bottle of red wine which we had brought. One drink turned into another as we sat and chatted whilst the kids played. We then had a bit of a drama as we suddenly heard Teo shouting snake from down near the house. We all jumped up and went running down to check they were all okay, passing Abigail in our tracks running back up the hill. We found Bradley and Teo up in the tree house and Mea upstairs in the house crying. Apparently Abigail had spotted the snake when looking out of the window as it made its way from some undergrowth and into the bamboo at the back of their house. Its not the first time the snake has been spotted by Mick and Jenny and they believe it to be a large black cobra. It is looking likely that they may have to look at getting rid of it just for peace of mind with the children. What was only supposed to have been a couple of hours turned out to be an all afternoon drinking session. We finally made tracks for home at 7 o’clock after a most enjoyable and tipsy afternoon with Mick dropping us off at the main road so we could get a gelleh home.

Independance Day March

2011-03-06T10:44:00.002Z

On Tuesday at school we had a marching parade to celebrate Independence Day. The children had made Gambian flags these were then waved as they marched around the playground.

Tumani Tenda

2011-02-27T11:29:00.010Z

On Wednesday we were all off work and school as it is a Islamic holiday. We had arranged for Keboteh to pick us up in his taxi at 8 o’clock and take us to Tumani Tenda. Tumani is a village just east of Brikama and is home to a community of Jola’s. Visitors to the site can stay overnight in basic lodges by the river and experience the rural village life. The camp is a community run venture and all profits go back into community projects such as running of the nursery school, fencing of the vegetable gardens and the planting of trees. They also offer the chance for you to have a go at various activities such as cooking, fishing, oyster gathering, batik making, tie dying, forest walks and dugout canoe trips on the river. On arrival we were offered drinks followed by a talk on what they were trying to do in the community. We were then shown around a couple of the lodges which were very basic with a separate toilet and showering area very much like camping. There were a couple of young female doctors from Ireland who had stayed overnight in the lodges. We then choose one of our activities, a trip through the mangroves in a dugout canoe. Abigail was the first to board and because the base of the canoe was wet she slipped and banged her elbow and back on one of the seats so that was a good start to our trip. Once all seated we were taken out into the river tributary and through the mangroves. We could hear the oyster shells snapping shut as we went. We sighted some herrings and king fishers within the trees however our best sighting came when Paul noticed something on a fallen tree the locals said it was a fox but on later looking in one of our books we believe it to have been a mongoose. Back on dry land we sat chatting to the two doctors and drank some coffee then a game board was produced by the Gambians for a game of ludo. Apparently the doctors had played them last night and said they were very good at the game. Abigail joined in helping to roll the die whilst Bradley watched. I went off to investigate the cooking off our lunch. The ladies were in a hut and were pounding and chopping ingredients, these were then added to the pot. After fifteen minutes I had to leave as the hut was just full of smoke, I am glad I didn’t opt to do that activity. We ate a lovely lunch of chicken yassa with rice and salad.

After a little rest the next activity began the doctors and I decided to have a go at tie dying. We were given a piece of cloth and had to decide how we wanted our design to look this was quite a hard decision as there were no samples on display for us to look at. Two of us opted for circles whilst the other girl choose squares. We had to lift up our cloth from the middle and tie string around at various stages to create the pattern. The other pattern consisted of folding the cloth into strips and then folding it into triangles. We were then given gloves and one by one our chosen colours were mixed. We had to wet the cloth then dip it into the hot dye solution being careful not to burn our fingers. It was then wrung out and the rope was cut before it was hung out to dry. As the drying took place the colours started to appear. The square design I have to say was the best choice of colours and would make a lovely beach wrap. We had enjoyed the day however I think there was a lot of sitting around, if they had really tried they could have got more activities into the day therefore earning themselves more money for the village. We finally left the camp for home just after 4 o’clock.

2011-02-27T11:21:00.005Z

A BIG HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY TO JULIE!

On Thursday Paul went off to work whilst I was still off for mid term holidays. I had decided to keep Abigail and Bradley off school as they will also be off tomorrow for another holiday to celebrate Independence Day. We decided to take Uncle Chris for an early morning walk to Kotu Bridge and then continue onto the beach for a dip in the sea. We arrived at the bridge having spotted some birdlife and as usual were approached by various Gambians trying to offer us their guide services. One such guide was put out when we implied that Abigail was our guide and he remarked that she needed a permit which we found very funny. We were on the beach for 9.30am and the waves were quite rough. Uncle Chris and the children stripped off and were straight in the sea I decided to take a miss on going in as I seem to have developed a cold. Whilst on the beach Adama came over to say hello and gave Chris a friendship chain, not his style I might add. We then sat in Sailors restaurant enjoying a coffee before heading back up the hill and calling in at the craft market on route as Chris felt obliged to buy a little something. We also decided to have a look around the golf course before heading home unfortunately there was a golf competition taking place so the walk was cut short. After lunch the children took Uncle Chris off up to Safari Garden to use the pool. I stayed behind to do some shopping as we are meeting up with the other volunteers this evening for a bring your own food beach barbeque. At 5 o’clock we walked to Leybato’s and found the other volunteers. The fire was lit and we waited for it to get going. We then started putting on some of our food, tiger prawns, pepper and tomato skewers, and some peppered beef and onions. We ate these with bread and jacket potatoes. The new volunteers had brought some huge pieces of fish and salad. We left for home at about 8 o’clock leaving the other volunteers chatting around the fire.

Albreda & James Island

2011-02-27T10:55:00.007Z

On Friday we were up early and waiting to be picked up by Keboteh as we were taking Uncle Chris to stay the night at Jerreh Camp Sittanunka and also calling in at Albreda and James Island. At quarter past eight there was still no sign of Keboteh so Paul phoned him he had only forgotten, ten minutes later he turned up. As we arrived in Banjul there were people all dressed up in uniform ready for the Independence Day celebrations. We arrived at the ferry terminal just missing a ferry so had a good thirty minute wait. The ferry eventually arrived however the crossing was the slowest ever as we were going against the tide it took us about an hour and forty minutes. Once across Kaba was waiting to take us onto the camp. We unpacked and then ate a lovely fish benichin lunch the only issue was all the bees which were buzzing around apparently Kaba said there was a nest in one of the trees.

We spent the afternoon chilling at the resort before taking a jeep ride to Albreda. We picked up our guide on the edge of the village and first called at the museum as we had just missed a pirogue which was going to the island. We then made our way back to the jetty for the pirogue. Once in the pirogue we set off, by now it was 6 o’clock and the river was starting to get a little rough hence Paul got quite wet when a wave lapped over the boat. At the recent Roots festival the island was renamed to Kuntah Kinteh Island by the president. We looked around and our guide told us the history of the island. As the sun was setting we made our way back to the boat leaving the pelicans who were just coming in to roost on the island. We arrived back at the camp for a late dinner of fish and tiger prawn skewers with rice, chips and salad. Abigail and Bradley ate little as they were so tired so I took them off to bed.

Kaba's brother

Sittanunka Lodge

2011-02-27T10:47:00.003Z

The next morning Paul and Uncle Chris were up early for a walk through the forest whilst we stayed in bed. We then ate peanut porridge for breakfast this is a mix of ground up rice and peanuts added to milk a bit like rice pudding. We then decided to walk along a track which runs parallel with the beach and leads to a new resort which has just opened. What a difference it was to last year when we were here, they have now built a bar by the river, leading from this are paths to each accommodation set in little gardens. We sat and had a cup of coffee and chatted to the manager of the resort. They plan to pick people up from Lamin Lodge in their catamaran and bring them across to stay at the resort. They already had a group of Gambians booked in for that evening. We then made our way back for a swim in the river before lunch. After lunch we relaxed before we were taken back to Barra to catch the ferry hoping it was a better crossing than yesterday unfortunately it was worse. The rest of the day was spent at home waiting for the time to take Uncle Chris off to the airport for his return flight home to the UK. The week has gone so quickly however I think we have managed to show Uncle Chris a good bit of the country I know we have all enjoyed showing him around.

New Volunteers

2011-02-06T10:56:00.006Z

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TERRY!

On Sunday we got a lift with Lynn to Sandele, she now has the use of a car from Gerry and Maurice from Safari Garden and just needs to keep it road worthy. We arrived just after 11 o’clock Malcolm, Lynn’s son is spending three days at the resort. We went off to look for Maurice as they have a large conference party being held there so he is busy getting things ready. With no luck finding Maurice we set off on our walk along the beach. We had decided to walk along to the next village of Tanji via the beach. It was a lovely walk once into the next bay we stopped to eat our picnic of sandwiches for lunch. Bradley was finding the going a bit hard as he has suddenly developed a tickly cough. We rounded the bend into the next bay and could see the brightly painted pirogues of Tanji in the distance. There were some lovely beach side residences along the way. Once at the fishing boats we made our way in land along a dirt track my only hope was for it not to be as long as the sanyang beach road. It proved to be just the same and went on for ever with no shade from the sun. Eventually we came to the road and then had a walk to the gelleh station. We arrived home just after 4 o’clock very tired and Bradley was struggling to breath luckily we had some amocycillan from his last infection left so started him on a course of them, two days later and a day off school he was back to his normal self.

Lately the weather has been a little overcast and windy especially on a night so I have felt the need to wear a cardigan and we have had a blanket in bed. We have been told it is the start of the harmatan, sand blowing down from the Sahara Dessert, it wasn’t this cold last year. However on Friday we had glorious sunshine so we decided to take a dip in Safari Garden Pool. Whilst there I met a couple of the new volunteers who arrived yesterday.

On Saturday afternoon we made our way to Kairaba Hotel at Senegambia as we were having our meeting party for the new volunteers there. We had decided to go a little earlier to use the facilities of the pool. We found Jane and June sat at the poolside they had had the same plan as us. After a swim and some chatting Lynn arrived and we dressed and made our way up to one of the conference rooms which was to host our meeting. A buffet dinner was laid on as well as soft drinks. We introduced ourselves and sat chatting until it was time to leave.

2011-02-06T10:55:00.003Z

A BIG HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY TO ALAN!

On Saturday afternoon we met up with Mick and Jenny at the Sandplover for a couple of hours. They were having dinner with a friend who has a holiday home at cape point. We spent the time chatting and drinking julbrew whilst the children played in the sea and sand, I was quite tipsy when we said goodbye a couple of hours later. When we arrived home at 7 o’clock some of the other volunteers were there Lynn had arranged a barbeque for Pete’s mother and brother who are here on holiday. Lynn was still waiting for Tom and Pete to turn up with the fish so was a bit worried as there was no food ready and it was already late. I quickly showered and then set about making pilaf rice as my contribution to the barbeque. The fish turned up and with Paul and Peter working the barbeque eventually at 9 o’clock the food was on the table. We ate a starter of huge tiger prawns followed by fish Caribbean style which Lynn had prepared and was delicious. The evening was spent in the garden and came to a close just after 11 o’clock.

Weekending, 22nd January

2011-02-06T10:40:00.006Z

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JAKE!

On Sunday afternoon Paul was picked up by the college driver in a minibus, this was a first for Paul usually it is one of the four wheel trucks. He was away all week observing the teachers in the schools, luckily he was located around the village of Kerewan on the north bank so it was only one hour away from Barra ferry terminal. Each evening we received regular updates of how it was going, his sleeping arrangements were quite good only one night was spent on the floor however it does take some getting used to squatting over a pit latrine. He arrived home on Friday just before 1 o’clock so the earliest and easiest up country visit yet.

On Saturday we went out for a meal to Mama’s Restaurant. We had been sent some money from Cathy and James ex volunteers to go out for a meal, however the catch was we had to make and wear party hats. The meal was lovely we did get a few looks from the other dinners probably jealous of our party hats. We were also joined by Lynn and her son Matthew who is here visiting for three weeks.

Goree Island, Dakar

2011-01-23T11:13:00.003Z

On Sunday we were up early and in a taxi for 7 o’clock to take us to Mbour to get a set plase to take us the hour and a half journey into Dakar. We arrived in Dakar just after 9 o’clock being a Sunday the traffic wasn’t as bad as on week days. We then had quite a walk to the centre to then get our bearings to see where the port was as we were going to take the ferry to Goree Island which is just a short thirty minute trip from the mainland. Once on the island we started to explore, there are no tarmac roads so no cars only narrow cobblestone alleyways. The buildings are very colonial in structure with little wrought iron balconies set in little courtyards. Although idilic the ancient buildings bear witness to the island’s role in the Atlantic slave trade. We walked along cobblestone pathways passing paintings and sculptures on display by local artists. Then we walked up a slight rise to the top of the island where we had an excellent view across the sea to the city of Dakar. Here there were the remains of a fortification and huge WW11 guns which had played a part in the sinking of a British warship in the bay of Dakar. As we were walking back down the cobblestones there was a huge pelican which we managed to get close enough to get a good picture of. We walked back to the bay and the French fortification and stopped for a drink in one of the many beachside restaurants.

2011-01-23T10:57:00.006Z

2011-01-23T10:47:00.003Z

Once back at Dakar we looked for somewhere to stay for the night eventually finding a decent hotel in the centre. After a quick unpack we set out again to get a short bus ride to Magic Land which is an amusement park. We had decided to take the children to a circus which we had seen advertised. We managed to get quite a good seat and waited it was due to start at 5 o’clock however finally started an hour late. The ring master came onto the stage and introduced the first act which was a man and women trapeze act. We then had a very good magician which was the ring master himself. Next was the turn of the acrobats and then the clowns came on which the children loved. There was a brief interval before the second half of the performance, most of the performers where doing a couple of acts. We all enjoyed the show even if it was in French finally it came to a close just before 8 o’clock. On our way back to the hotel we stopped at a fast food restaurant for burger and chips as we hadn’t eaten since midday.

Dakar City

2011-01-23T10:35:00.005Z

On the Monday morning we ate breakfast at one of the patisserie restaurants before setting off to explore some the city. The city was all hustle and bustle as the shops were opened much different to the quiet and calm off yesterday. We had to dodge our way around the many pavement stalls which were selling clothes, bags and shoes as well as ladies who were sat cooking breakfast. First we made our way towards Ave Leopold Senghor which is where the Palais Presidentiel is situated. It was built in 1907 for the governor of that time. It was a very large and impressive building surrounded by gardens. At the gate there were guards dressed in colonial style uniforms unfortunately no photos were aloud. We then looked inside a cathedral and an art gallery before jumping on a local bus to head out of town to the lighthouse. The bus was an experience very few seats just standing room and the conductor was sat within a cage collecting money. The conductor notified us when it was our stop to get off. We then had a walk through a housing estate to the lighthouse which was on a small hill. Once there a security guard took us up to the top of the lighthouse. From here we had a good view of Ngor with its small island in its bay as well as Dakar airport and the surrounding city. On a hill opposite was the recently built statue. For our return journey we jumped onto one of the white senbuses a bit like a large gelleh. Once back in the city we decided to have a late lunch at one of the patiserrie fast food restaurants and then made our way to the set plase garage to get our transport back to Saly.

Ave Leopold Senghor

Ngor in the distance

Pool & Beach Week

2011-01-23T10:21:00.007Z

The rest of the week was spent around the pool and beach.

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO kAYLEIGH

Saly Apartment Complex

2011-01-23T09:50:00.005Z

On Sunday we were up bright and early at 5 o’clock and ready to start our two week holiday to Saly in Senegal. We were at the ferry port just before 7 o’clock for the first ferry. The lady vice president was also on the ferry with her entourage of kafo dancers one of which had a huge headdress on. Once across the river to Barra we managed to get a taxi to the border post then once passports had been stamped we crossed the border on foot. We decided to give the kids a donkey cart ride for the short journey to the set plase garage. These cars are Peugeot 406’s which have been converted to seat seven people and are used for long distance journeys. We were lucky that a car was nearly full so after Paul had negotiated a price for three seats and our luggage we left just after 9 o’clock. We were at the back of the car where the boot would normally be with Bradley sitting between Paul’s legs. The first hour of the journey was on a good tarmac road, this didn’t last though as we hit a road full of pot holes. The driver took us off road via a sand track which ran alongside the tarmac road dodging trees and undergrowth. He seemed to know just when to slow down as we hit some bumps or deep sand. We passed through villages and open areas of savannah grassland before arriving at a large town called Koalak. This is the main route for up county into Senegal so the road was much busier and we were pleased to be back onto a decent tarmac road. We were now heading for the town of Mbour which is were we had to leave the set plase and find a taxi which would take us the short ride to the coast of Saly. We arrived at our apartment just before 2 o’clock and were very impressed with the resort and our apartment, the pool was large and very clean.

How high can you go!

Our Appartment

Beach Walk

2011-01-23T09:37:00.004Z

We decided to take a walk along the beach back to the centre of town to call at one of the supermarkets we had passed on the way in so we could stock up on food and drink. The walk was lovely each complex has its own private beach which is cleaned and raked every morning with the occasional stall selling crafts. Our complex beach area was just adjacent to the small Marina. There were lovely little thatched villa’s draped with bougainvillea leading directly onto the beach. It took us about thirty minutes to reach the supermarket which was very well stocked and had its own deli and meat counter. Back at our apartment we headed to the pool for a couple of hours before cooking dinner and a much needed nights rest.

Pool Day

2011-01-23T09:29:00.004Z

On Tuesday we decided to spend the day at the pool Paul first went off to the office to get some information and look around the area. When he arrived back he had managed to find a small minimart which stocked most things including fresh baguettes of bread which was handy. On the evening we went out for a meal, after much searching we finally found a restaurant which sold a variety of meat, pizza and pasta dishes however everything was wrote in French. We choose pizzas and carbanara which were delicious however on the night Bradley threw up all over his quilt luckily we had a washing machine (woo hoo) much to my delight. Over the fortnights stay we found that the resort was very much a secret haven for French tourists and expats, with few actually speaking any English so we had to brush up on our French Paul doing most of it.

We spent Wednesday morning around the pool just incase Bradley was ill again. On the afternoon we took a taxi to the centre and looked around some of the craft shops as we needed to buy Abigail another Christmas present. Whilst we were walking I ended up walking into a concrete block (too interested in what was in the shops) hitting my shin. This caused a sudden rush of blood to the area which swelled up to the size of a golf ball. I thought I had cracked a bone at first but was still able to move and stand on it. Paul sat me down and asked for some ice from one of the staff in a restaurant. As soon as he saw my leg he ran off for the ice. I sat with Bradley with my leg raised and the ice pack directly on the swelling. Abigail and Paul went off to look at a dress she had seen in one of the shops we had passed. When they returned Abigail had picked a dolphin beach dress which was much too big for her oh well it will be ok for the beach.

Somone Lagoon

2011-01-19T17:18:00.002Z

On Thursday morning we took a taxi to the next resort of Somone which has a large lagoon. We walked along a beach next to the lagoon and were approached by a pirogue the driver asked if we would like a trip around the lagoon so we decided to take a look. We set off along a shallow lagoon so shallow that we watched a lady walking across the middle of the lagoon. There were sand bars here and there so not too deep. We first stopped off at a bonsai baobab which our guide said was a sacred site. It looked as if it was covered in small white flowers but as we got closer we realised they were shells which people had put onto the branches. We travelled on through the mangroves then in the distance we saw a couple of animals running across a mud flat our guide said they were hyenas, we were doubtful and afterwards thought they could have been jackals. The guide pulled up to a shallow area where we got out of the boat and walked for a while on the sand banks. There was a small island with loads of pelicans on it but unfortunately we didn’t see any flamingos as we had hoped. When we got back to shore we were taken to his restaurant where we bought a drink. Bradley decided to have a play on the drums and was joined by one of the waitresses. From here we took a walk around the shore into the next bay. When we arrived back we were taken back across the lagoon to the beach and then we headed back to our apartment for lunch.

2011-01-19T17:06:00.003Z

Bandia Game Reserve

2011-01-19T17:01:00.004Z

When we were about to eat our lunch Pascal from the office arrived asking if we would like to go to Bandia Game Reserve as he had a group of French leaving at 3 o’clock which we could join. We were intending to go so we quickly ate lunch and were picked up on time and then had a twenty minute drive to the game reserve. The reserve was very much like Fatala which we had visited with Mike and Jenny back in February however there were much more animals to see. We were allocated a guide who sat in the back of the jeep with us and we set off down the sand tracks into the bush. It didn’t take us long to see a group of Impalas feeding from bushes. As we drove on further we saw some Rhinos laying down in a shade of trees and then a group of Giraffes, one was a very large male who just stood his ground looking at us. Next we saw some more Antelopes as well as Zebras grazing together. Bradley was pleased when we spotted some Ostriches as these were what he wanted to see. I found these hard to get a good photo of as they ran when they heard the jeep. The driver then took us to a large baobab tree within the reserve, he explained that in olden days they were used to bury the dead beneath. Within the roots of this tree there were quite a few bones scattered about. We continued on crossing a bridge over a lake which had crocodiles basking in the sun and then Abigail spotted some warthogs running with their tails up in the air. We finally made our way to the exit stopping of at an enclosure containing Hyenas and another one with some giant tortoises in. We finally walked to the restaurant area which overlooked the lake with crocodiles in it. We left the game reserve and were back before 7 o’clock for a late dinner.

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Mbour Market

2011-01-19T16:28:00.003Z

On Friday we decided to take a visit into Mbour to check on a set plase for a trip to Dakar and also to have a look around the market. Our driver took us to the centre of the market which was close to the beach. We walked to the beach it was full of people and boats just landing their catch of fish. There were various sections were people were cleaning, gutting and selling fish. We watched a woman cutting the fins of some small sharks one of which was a hammerhead shark. By now we had attracted some attention so had our first local bumster chatting to us. He accompanied us around the rest of the market whilst we bought some veg and prawns. We then made our way back to the main road to jump in a taxi still with our bumster in tow. He was not amused when we jumped in a taxi without giving him any money saying we didn’t ask him to walk with us and him thinking he was showing us around. We stopped of at the supermarket to pick up the turkey and sausage meat we had ordered and a few other bits and were back for lunch. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach.

Christmas Day

2011-01-19T16:24:00.002Z

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KIRSTY!

Christmas day and Paul and I waited listening for the kids to wake up, it was nearly 7 o’clock before we heard them moving around. They eventually came into our bedroom carrying a large stocking each saying Santa had been and Rudolf has ate his carrot. We had decided to buy stockings from Hawkins Bizarre which were all ready made up. They were soon rummaging in their stockings and opening boxes to see what Santa had brought them. We were very impressed with the toys in the stockings and thought they were very good value for money. We decided to have a pancake breakfast, put the turkey in the oven and then go for a walk on the beach before opening the rest of the presents

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Once back home we opened some snaks and poured us all some wine before starting to open the rest of the presents. Bradley was pleased with his new Crocs and Sonic Nintendo game, whilst Abigail was pleased with the Trinket box which Lynn had given her and the DVD Princess and the Frog. After opening the presents Paul took the children for a dip in the pool whilst I set about shelling the prawns to prepare a prawn cocktail, and cutting the vegetables. At around 2 o’clock we sat down to our Christmas dinner with less vegetables than usual but we were happy to just have a fresh turkey.

2011-01-19T15:59:00.003Z

Weekending, 18th December 2010

2011-01-09T10:00:00.002Z

We have said a fond farewell to Rachel and Max this week, Rachel is returning to sunny Australia on Sunday making a stop off at Dubai to visit friends. As for Max he is spending Christmas with Marielle in cold Netherlands before returning to the Philippines. We have not seen the last of Max as he will be returning in February with the new volunteers as he has signed up for another placement. On the Thursday we went for a walk with Lynn to the shanty village near to Kotu quarry. Lynn had been given some clothes from holiday makers to pass onto needy locals. Once at the village we asked for the Alkalo, we were shown to an elder of the village as there is no Alkalo here. He invited us into his home and asked us to sit down. Paul explained why we had come and handed over the clothes with the possibility of more yet to come. He was very pleased and after a quick photo shoot we left for home.

Diana Mariam School Performance

2011-01-09T09:45:00.006Z

I have had another easy week at school preparing for our school Christmas performance which is to be held on Saturday. We have been making crowns for the children to wear at the party and Christmas cards for them to give to their parents. As for the performance, in year two they are acting out a play which Aunty Ken has wrote and I have taught them the song When Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney with added verses and actions. The grande section are singing a song to music which Aunty Ken has provided about days of the week as well as a little play. We have spent most days from 11 o’clock practising outside. On Thursday we were off as it was a public holiday to celebrate the Muslim New Year. I returned on Friday for our parents open day. By 12 o’clock I left to pick up Abigail and Bradley from school leaving everything with Aunty Ken as some parents had still not arrived to see their children’s work.

Saturday and the day of the school party, I spent the morning at home sorting out our clothes ready for our holiday to Senegal. Then at midday I made my way to the school to help with final preparations. Alberta had thought it would be a good idea to do some of the decorations on Friday so some of the teachers remained at school until 7 o’clock. When they arrived back on the Saturday most of the decorations had been blown down making more work to do just sorting them out. I busied myself blowing up balloons whilst Rosemary tied them together. Alberta was busy putting up even more tinsel which made it a bit messy and over the top. At 1 o’clock guests were starting to arrive and we were still busy tidying up. Finally the DJ turned up as well as a camera crew from the local TV station. Food was on sale for the parents to buy, some things were a bit pricey however they had a good selection, benichin, yassa, chakri, cakes, wonja and baobab juice. The children’s performances were due to start at 3 o’clock and I was surprised when they did actually start on time. The younger reception children presented first followed by the primary children. We were a little concerned as some of the children who had major parts had still not arrived. Everything seemed to be going okay Mr Ndoy was enjoying himself and getting all the children up onto the stage to dance, Aunty Ken joined in as well as some of the other teachers. Then Mary came over to me dragged me to the front of the stage so I was forced to dance to the music, very embarrassing. Just as year 2 were due to go on stage to present their play and song, Momodou arrived to our relief. The song went well but then the microphone battery died so the performance was stopped midflow whilst they ran off to buy more batteries. This gave me my opportunity to make an exit as we were also meeting Mick and Jenny with the kids at wishes for their Christmas Festivities. I found out later that the performance went okay but they still had issues with the microphone so decided to do it all over again. Then food was sold again as well as dancing so the evening didn’t close until 8 o’clock on the evening.

Wishes Festivities

2011-01-09T09:27:00.010Z

I quickly arrived home showered and changed and jumped in a taxi to Palma Rima, Paul had left earlier with the children. I found Bradley and Abigail enjoying themselves on the bouncy castle with Teo and Mia. As they were getting off the bouncy castle a white limousine went passed tooting its horn with Santa hanging out the window waving. I quickly went and stood in the queue to see Santa whilst Paul and Mick went off to buy a ticket to see him. We were right at the front this year so after a little wait we were shown upstairs to his grotto where they all received a present. A photo with Santa was taken which we will be able to pick up from the store later. The rest off the afternoon was spent either on the bouncy castle, making crafts, throwing balls through a hole in a snowman’s tummy and tucking into snacks of pizza, sausage rolls, cakes and sweets. We did even get to see some snow, well imitation snow which was thrown down from upstairs the children thought it was great. The festivities were more staged down than last year but the kids still enjoyed themselves. We rounded off the evening with a drink at the nearest pub before heading for home.

Jenny & Mandy's Visit

2010-12-19T09:53:00.006Z

On the Sunday we were in a gelleh heading for Abuko for 9am. We have never seen it so busy as there were a couple of coach parties in, one of which were there only for the birds, armed with their large cameras and birdsong cassettes. When we arrived at the lookout hive we saw no sign of any birds however as we left we saw a group of Red Colubus monkey’s high up in the trees. We also managed to see the bush buck which has now been released back into the forest.

We spent a couple of hours in the reserve and then took the short walk into the village of Lamin where we then made our way to Lamin Lodge. As we walked down a sand track there was a local demonstrating the use of solar ovens to the community hoping that they might buy them. It takes about 2 to 3 hours to cook a meal in them and would save all the use of open cooking on a fire. The walk to Lamin Lodge was longer than Jenny had expected with no shade and with the temperature in the thirty’s it was quite hard going. We finally arrived and quickly organised a round of drinks to quench our thirst before ordering lunch. The food was very good and enjoyed by all even the local monkey was poised at the ready to pinch our fizzy drinks. Whilst there we called Mick and Jenny to see if they were home before then setting off to drop in a medical book for them. They were busy roasting a piece of beef in their underground oven as they were having their Christmas party and waiting for guests to arrive. We had a quick drink with them and then Jenny drove us to the highway so we could catch a gelleh for home.

The Monday afternoon was spent around the pool before making for home and picking up a Chinese takeaway from Bamboo Garden on the way. As for Jenny’s week it has gone far too quick however with no accidents this time.

Volunteer Christmas Party

2010-12-19T09:21:00.011Z

It was good to have a quiet week at school as the children were sitting exams so it meant no lesson planning. My afternoons at home were spent busy preparing for our volunteer Christmas party which is to be held on Saturday. On Tuesday Paul returned from the office with a cheque for 4000 dalasi which was to be spent on food for the party. We decided to make a start so made our way to Kariba shopping centre to buy some of the party food as well as food for ourselves. We ended up with two trolleys thinking this would be an easier option which it was until Paul paid for the party food and only forgot to get a receipt. Then on the Thursday and Friday I spent the afternoon making shortbread, sausage rolls and individual quiches. Finally Saturday arrived and I busied myself preparing the rest of the food. Jim came along to help with the preparing of the chicken and prawns. With the first batch of chicken in the oven I set about preparing the garlic bread ready to be popped into the oven later. As for Abigail and Bradley they spent the morning decorating the tree with tinsel and baubles so they were kept quiet. The first volunteers started to arrive at 3 o’clock with food which they had prepared for the party, mince pies, coleslaw, rice and cous cous salad. We ate at around 6 o’clock a mixture of Christmas party food and salad dishes. As it started to get dark the unexpected happened the electric went off, unexpected as it has been on every night since Jenny had arrived on holiday. We managed by torch light to play pass the parcel with forfeits enclosed and Jane helping on vocals due to no electric. Bradley unwrapped the first layer and received a forfeit, to disco dance like his dad. Paul got up and helped him do some John Travolta moves. After this Santa arrived with a parcel of presents to hand out. Bradley rushed off to get a couple of pictures which he had drawn to give to him. The rest of the evening was spent drinking and chatting finally ending at around 11 o’clock I was so looking forward to my bed.

Weekending, 4th December 2010

2010-12-19T09:20:00.001Z

On Tuesday Paul’s mum Jenny and sister Mandy arrived from the UK, they will be here for one week and are staying at Bakotu Hotel again. On the afternoon of their arrival Paul walked to the hotel with Abigail and Bradley and waited for them whilst I prepared dinner. Their flight had been slightly delayed so they arrived back home just after 7 o’clock in the evening. It was really good to see them and catch up on the latest news over dinner. We then looked through the bag of things which we had asked Jenny to bring out for us it was like Christmas come early bra’s, shoes, t-shirts and presents which we quickly hid to name just a few. On the Wednesday Jenny picked Bradley up from school and took him straight to the hotel to play in the pool. An hour later I picked Abigail up however as I neared the school I realised that I had forgotten her costume so had to make a return visit back home. Paul just missed us at home as we had just got into the pool when he suddenly jumped in surprising us all. On the evening we had a nice meal out at the Blue Kitchen. On Friday afternoon I took Jenny and Mandy to visit Serekunda market. I bought some material and a bracelet for three of our secret Santa presents as well as domada paste and wonja leaves to make some juice for Mandy and Jenny to try. Jenny bought some chicken material to make into a quilt, the same material I was trying to find for Paul and Dale’s trousers. When we arrived home we all jumped on a gelleh to Bakau. We sat in the Bakau Guest House which overlooks the fish market and watched as the boats landed their catch. They seemed to have caught quite a lot of fish as men and women waded out with buckets on their heads to then be filled up with fish and brought back to shore and tipped out onto the market floor. The pile of fish was quite large as they set about sorting it into what looked like varieties and sizes all ready to be sold on. On the Saturday we spent a lovely relaxing day at Sanyang, we had arranged with Kebateh to pick us up in his taxi at 11 o’clock. We arrived at Sanyang greeted the staff and found some sun beds. The afternoon was spent soaking up the rays and cooling off in the sea. It was so relaxing with no hustle from the locals although Jenny did get a little as she went for a walk along the beach we noticed a guy quickly trying to catch up to her. We then ate a fish and chip dinner on the beach before Kebateh arrived to take us back home just before the sun was setting. We can’t understand why we haven’t been back before today we will definitely be looking at making a return trip at the end of January with some of the volunteers.

Zenith Sports Day

2010-11-28T10:50:00.016Z

The Sea Snake I caught on the fishing trip.

Zenith Sports Day

On Wednesday it was Zenith’s sports day which was being held at the stadium. I had managed to get the day off work so at 8 o’clock we walked to the stadium making our way to the front entrance. Most of the children and teachers were already there waiting to enter the stadium. Paul went off looking for the PE teacher as he has been helping to organise the day’s events. Finally at 9.30am all the children were asked to get into their team houses, they then walked into the stadium behind their house banner singing the Zenith song as they went. They then had to do a small circuit of the field singing their house song as they marched. While this was happening Paul was busy putting out equipment around the field for each of the events. Eventually over the loud speaker the teachers were asked to get their classes assembled ready for their first event. Paul had organised eight events so each class would be participating at the same time before then moving onto the next event. Also Vicky had organised some of the stadium staff to help collate the event results with the teachers. Bradley’s first event was to throw a tennis ball underarm as far as he could. As the children were throwing I helped to take measurements and return some of the balls back to the children (whilst one teacher stood doing nothing). We then moved onto the next event which for Bradley’s class was the sack race. It was now after 10 o’clock and starting to get hot, I quickly ran back for my bag to get some water for Bradley who was saying he had a headache. Luckily I just made it before it was his turn for the sack race. He was doing really well until the two other boys decided to cut across the lanes and head towards the teacher. So Bradley decided to follow them however he was in the lane furthest away so had further to run hence he came last which did upset him a bit. Bradley moved onto the next event where they had to sit and throw a football over arm as far as possible. At this time I decided to check on Abigail only to find she was in between events and standing around. Paul was busy controlling the high jump as one of the stadium staff had disappeared, I quickly gave him a drink. I was then shocked as I watched a teacher giving some children glucose powder. Paul spotted this and took the powder off him saying it was not good for them. This became a heated debate with them saying it was bought by the head for the children. The next event for Bradley was a team event where they had to move a ball from a cone and then run to the next cone and swap over balls. Bradley enjoyed this event and his team managed to finish first. At the same time Abigail was doing the seventy five metre run I just managed to catch the back of her as she ran passed. She then had the high jump whilst Bradley had another team event where they had to pass a ball through their legs to the back and then run to the front. It was now past midday and the children were hot and thirsty so we broke for a quick lunch. Up to now everything had gone really well with all the children involved in some activity, most of the events after lunch were running events for the older children. The last two hours were pretty much like last year very disorganised with children running around dropping food and annoying Paul by standing on the track whilst he was trying to organise a baton race with the best runners from each class. I could see him getting very wound up this resulted in him shouting at the teachers asking them to organise their classes by getting the children off the track and back to the stands. Finally the day ended at around 2 o’clock with the house team steadfastness first, quality second and excellence taking up the rear. Abigail and Bradley enjoyed it much more than last year however it was still very tiring for them in this heat. I think it would be much better with less events for the children then maybe they wouldn’t get so hyper.

On Friday I had my hair highlighted at Yok Salon by Miranda who is Suelle’s sister, I was very pleased with the end result. Suelle had flown to Germany with his mother as she had fallen and broke her hip so needed a hip replacement. Paul on the other hand was due to play a rugby game at MRC with his Gambian team. The Gibraltar regiment are currently out here training the army so he had managed through the British High Commission to organise a game with them. He arrived home just before 7 o’clock saying it had been a very good game and all seemed to enjoy it however no one from the commission had turned up.

On Saturday morning I went with Lynn to Serrekunda market. She was looking for material as after borrowing my traditional dress she decided she would like the same style of dress making for herself. We had a good morning also managing to buy some material to make trousers and tops for her son and boyfriend who are due out here in the new year.

Tobaski Celebrations

2010-11-21T10:27:00.007Z

On the Sunday we had a pleasant lie in. We finally got up and Paul set about washing some clothes and sheets whilst I started making pancakes, this has become a bit of a weekend treat for us. We then walked to Kariba shopping centre at Palma Rima for a bit of shopping before returning for lunch. On the afternoon Paul decided to check out the tent which Sukey and Greg had passed onto us. The tent was quite large and we were all able to fit in as long as Abigail laid at our feet. Abigail and Bradley spent the rest of the afternoon playing in it. On the evening they then asked if they could sleep outside in the tent, I was a bit reluctant however I finally agreed making sure we left the door open for them. Abigail slept on Paul’s Mattress whilst Bradley slept on the cushions off the chair, along with pillows and a blanket it was quite cosy. We sprayed some fly killer in the tent and then settled them down. Within an hour all went quiet I was expecting them to come in around 10 o’clock. I finally took myself off to bed and spent a night waking up and listening every couple of hours. Paul checked on them before he turned in and all was quiet. At around 3 o’clock in the morning I heard Abigail at the front door. When I opened the door here they were with lantern in hand, Abigail was remarking how beautiful the stars were and gazing up at the sky. They quickly climbed into bed and fell a sleep. The next morning they said they weren’t frightened however Bradley had remarked that a scorpion was scratching the tent.

This week is the Tobaski Muslim holidays I am off all week however Paul and the kids are off only Tuesday and Wednesday. We had arranged with Mick and Jenny to have our own Tobaski celebration to avoid having to spend a boring day in someone else’s compound. We were going to their compound at Lamin as they have recently moved in. We weren’t sure if we would have trouble getting taxis so Mick was on standby just in case, however it proved no problem. Once we were dropped off at Lamin we walked down one of the sand tracks and headed in the direction of Lamin Lodge. We then new we had to turn right so started walking down another track none of which looked familiar. Finally defeated Paul asked a young boy if he new Toubab’s Mick and Jenny, he did and gave us directions. We had to cross a football pitch, then someone’s compound and then down a hill. We new we were close when we spotted some bee hives within a wooded area. We continued on a path through what we later found out was the women’s gardens. Finally we arrived at their compound complete with traditional hut houses three of which have the thatched roofs completed. The shower, toilet and second storage room are still to complete. On the right as you went in was an open kitchen area the hut on the left is used as storage and straight a head is an impressive hut which they are using as a bedroom. Inside there were steps up to a loft area where Mick and Jenny sleep in a double bed with Teo and Mia sleeping downstairs. The toilet is a hole in the ground toilet with cesspit, it would take me some getting used to having to squat all the time. We unloaded the cake and wine which we had brought and then had a tour of the grounds. Ten years ago the area was used for holiday lodges however most of it is now ruins or just disappeared. In one of the ruins Jenny has made it into a chicken and duck coupe, there were a couple of eggs which the chickens had laid waiting to be collected. We then went to an area which they call the big tree here they have some of their hives suspended in the air. From here we could look right across the river to Banjul, what a view. We then looked in a circular roofed structure which they are hoping to refurbish into their own living quarters at some point. The ceiling of which had tiny coloured glass lights very pretty with the sun reflecting through it. We made our way back so Mick could check on the meat. They were roasting a couple of pork legs in an underground oven, very impressive set up. An oil drum was dug into the ground and then poles suspended so there were three levels to suspend trays on. Mick took the lid off and checked on the meat it looked and smelt very good. The potatoes were placed in first so they could roast up, then the meat and finally the vegetables before recovering. We then opened up one of the bottles of wine which we had brought and chatted whilst the children played. Danny and his girlfriend Jenny who is out here visiting arrived at around 2 o’clock then one of Mick’s Gambian workers who had completed the thatch to the roof of the huts arrived. Lunch was finally ready at around 3 o’clock the meat had been in since 10 o’clock that morning. It was well worth waiting for even the pork skin had crisped up nicely, Albeno tucked in with relish he is a Christian so no problems eating pork. We had a lovely day and at around 7 o’clock Mick dropped us off on the main road where we quickly managed to get a taxi to take us all the way to the traffic lights. The roads were busy with Gambian children dressed in their finest clothes for the Tobaski celebrations.

Kitchen and Storage Hut

Bedroom

Paul Wathcing over the Pork

2010-11-21T10:16:00.008Z

Underground Oven

Do you think he's missing Pork.

The children were back at school on Thursday so I took myself off to Timbooktu to see if I could get on the internet to update my blog. I spent a good hour trying with no luck what a waste of a morning. On Friday the children were at the new school site which is at Kannifing they are practising for their sports day which is to be held next Wednesday. Paul has given them some advice on what events to do so hopefully it will be a bit more interesting than last year. As for myself I went off to Le Palais to use the internet. I was there for 8.30am and had a very clear phone call to my mum. The internet was also very good at uploading my blog photo’s that was up until I went to post one set of them and it showed up with a url error so I had to start all over again. It was then time to pick up the kids from school I asked if I could leave my laptop behind the counter as I would call back on our way home. Bradley was grumbling about having to walk back to Le Palais however the promise of a cake did the trick before heading for home.

Good Housekeeping Guide

2010-11-21T09:57:00.005Z

This week was very exiting as we were sent a copy of the December issue of the Good Housekeeping guide. They have written an article about us living in the Gambia however on reading it all I would say is how untrue some of the statements are.

The rest of the week was spent with Abigail colouring the fish on one of her t-shirts in permanent crayons (another birthday present) you then have to iron the shirt so as to set the colours. Bradley on the other hand not only coloured his pirate t-shirt but also decided to draw love hearts on his white underpants oh bless.

Coco Ocean

2010-11-21T09:25:00.006Z

The highlight of the week was on Saturday, we had promised Abigail a birthday treat so she decided that she would like to spend the day at Coco Ocean Hotel and then go out for a pizza on the evening. We arrived at Coco Ocean just after 10 o’clock and walked through security into the lovely grounds. We thought it wise to make our presence known at the reception also we wanted to check if we could use the internet at the poolside. The hotel is set on a slight hill so you have a lovely avenue of shrubbery to walk down. We set off walking down the avenue at various points there were wicker settees set out for you to relax in. First off all you arrive at a courtyard around which are various rooms, reading, breakfast and pool lounge all set around a small fountain and pool. You then can go around or through the pool lounge to another pool and sun bed area. The pool is over three levels each running into each other with sun beds dotted around. We found ourselves a couple of sun beds and took ourselves off to the changing room to put on our costumes. Paul tried to get internet access however the signal was very poor so he went back up to the reception area even this wasn’t very good so he finally gave up. Abigail and Bradley played around in the pool whilst I sat and read. The hotel was holding a large fundraising dinner on the evening (some volunteers had paid for the privilege to go) so they were busy erecting a stage and setting out tables on the lawn. Abigail and I decided to explore the rest of the grounds first taking a walk to the beach. At the beach more sun beds were set out under their very own little marquee, very nice. I took a few photo’s and we then headed back up the hill arriving at the spa and salon, Abigail wanted to have a nosey so we had a quick look in. We then made our way back to the pool. The rest of the day was spent in and out of the pool we finally started to get changed at about 3 o’clock to set off for home.

Avenue to the Courtyard

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Poolside Lounge up the Steps

Pool Side

To the Beach

Fundraising Dinner Preparations

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Beach and Sunbed Marques

Reading, Breakfast & Pool Lounge Courtyard

Yes it is a hairy caterpillar on Paul's lip for Mo-vember, I carn't wait until December!

Once home we washed and changed before jumping in a taxi to Palma Rima junction as we have been recommended a pizza restaurant there. The restaurant was small and more like a coffee shop however the Italian owner seemed pleasant. He had decided to leave Hull and come out here as he has recently married a Gambian girl. We picked a couple of pizza dishes and a pasta dish to share between us all of which were very tasty. The only down side was the owner was a born again Christian so he had decided on a policy of no booze. As we were leaving he gave the children a couple of doughnuts as he also supply’s bread and pastries to some of the restaurants in the Senegambia area. We decided to have one drink in the Commin to see the end of the Liverpool v Stoke game (shouldn’t have bothered), once over we jumped in a gelleh for home. When we got out of the gelleh there was a lot of commotion, across the road one of the electricity cables had caught on fire however it soon went out on its own, ugh would this mean no electricity for us tonight, yep.

Weekending, 6th November 2010

2010-11-19T13:35:00.003Z

On the Sunday morning we walked to Le Palais to use the internet we have stopped using La Parisienne as they have recently started charging 75 dalasi for an hours use with a complementary drink. Then after lunch we made our way to Safari Garden to meet Vicky Taylor. She is one of the VSO staff from the UK and is the lady who actually found us our placement. When we arrived Rachel was already chatting to Vicky, we introduced ourselves and then spent the afternoon chatting about our placement and the ups and downs of life in The Gambia. Abigail and Bradley spent most of the time in the pool along with a weird looking insect which was clinging to the steps. It was quite large and round with a long spike on its tail and six legs. The front legs where very much like a claw and at one point we did wonder if it was a type of scorpion. Paul decided to take it out of the pool picking it up by its long tail and prising it off the step which it did not want to let go off. When he put it down it crawled about a bit and seemed very awkward on land. We left it there and went back to talking, about an hour later the insect was still there and when we checked it again it was dead. We think it maybe was a water living insect so we had killed it by taking it out of the pool. We also had a short visit at the pool by Alpha he was over from Kenuma visiting his cousin. At 5 o’clock Paul went off to rugby taking Vicky along to watch. She is going out for a meal with Pete, Bernie and Tom after they have finished playing rugby. Vicky has worked with Pete in the UK VSO office so is quite keen to find out how his placement is going.

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO NAOMI!

Abigail's Birthday

The rest of the week was spent preparing for Abigail’s birthday. Dale had already brought some things over so we just needed a couple more bits. We had also arranged a barbeque party for her on the Saturday afternoon and invited the VSO volunteers as well as Mick, Jenny, Teo and Mia. On the Friday the day of Abigail’s birthday we were all up early watching her open her few presents a couple of DS games, a CD bought out here with about ten kids films on some of which we already have, a cross stitch monkey to sew, crayons, colouring book and a Gambian insect book. On the Afternoon whilst Abigail played with her new DS game I set about making a chocolate birthday cake. Oops I ended up burning it so had to make another one, luckily the faithful carrot cake turned out okay. Oh forgot to mention we now have a new member of the family in the house. Whilst Paul was locking the door one night this week he said something large flew in on investigating the next morning we found a large praying mantis sat on the curtain pelmet. We watched him as he sat licking his antennae and eating a fly which he had caught, so along with Freddy the skink (we think the gecko has made its way outside) we are a family of six.

2010-11-19T13:27:00.004Z

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Bradley in Middlesbrough Rugby Club strip, Paul had had some kit sent by the club and this was just his size.

A little skink which keeps coming in and out the house, Abi was tickled pink when it went on her foot.

Abigail's Party!

2010-11-19T13:00:00.003Z

Saturday morning was spent rushing about making pasta, coleslaw, salad, pizza and cooking chicken legs ready to then be put on the barbeque to warm through. As I was cooking the chicken legs I suddenly noticed flames in the oven, the juices from the skin had caught alight. As I flapped Paul sauntered in and got a wet cloth whilst I ran out of the house with the kids as by now the kitchen was filled with smoke, luckily the fire went out by itself. For the rest of the morning Paul was busy pottering about digging a couple of holes to put the buckets of drinks in, sorting out the barbeque and setting out some chairs under the plum tree. The party was due to start at 3 o’clock and the first guests to arrive were Mick and Jenny. The kids went off to play in the tent which we had put up. Within the hour most guests had arrived, Abigail had received a lovely present from the volunteers a wind chime to make and scoobidoos which are a plastic string plaiting craft game. Whilst Paul set about cooking the burgers, veggie burgers, sausages and chicken I started to set the table with the rest of the food. As usual I was trying to keep the doors closed and everything covered because as soon as there is food about the fly’s just appear from nowhere. Once everything was prepared we all tucked in and sat outside under the shade of the tree as it was a lovely sunny day. The kids enjoyed themselves playing with some of Abigail’s birthday presents, at one point she did get a bit upset about this because they were her toys. Yet again we then had a game of pin the tail on the donkey. Abigail really enjoys this game and we all had a good laugh as everyone tried to walk straight to the target not easy when you have had a couple of drinks and are made to walk in a circle around a broom. I then set the kids off looking for stars which I had hidden around the compound earlier, unfortunately Mia and Bradley didn’t get a look in as Abigail and Teo found most of them. We then had a game of pass the parcel no guessing who got the presents we had parcelled up a little present for each of the kids so no one felt left out. By now it was dark so most of the volunteers were making moves to leave whilst we brought the last of the things in. By 9 o’clock everyone had left Abigail and Bradley were in bed and everywhere was clean so we could finally relax after our busy but enjoyable day.

2010-11-19T12:53:00.005Z

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Weekending, 30th October 2010

2010-11-19T09:29:00.002Z

On the Wednesday afternoon we walked to Bakau via the beach. The tide was a bit further in than usual so we had to clamber over large boulders and try to outrun the incoming tide into the next cove. As we reached the fish market we were surprised at how little we were bothered by the locals, usually we will have guys asking if we want to buy fish but not this time. We continued on to the market and bought some groundnuts and vegetables before getting into a gelleh for home.

The children have now broken up for a week as for myself I will still be working as the school have decided to add holidays onto the Tobaski celebrations this will enable those who wish to travel to see family more time to do so. However this also means we will have to juggle the children between us. On Thursday Paul dropped the children off at Diana Mariam on his way to college. The school were due to go swimming at Sheriffs house so I made sure I packed Abigail and Bradley’s swimming costumes. The boys were picked up first by the minibus then at around midday they returned so the girls in year 2, 3 and 4 could go. Madame Senghore was already at the pool so me and Rosemary assisted getting the girls into the minibus some of which had to sit on each others knees. With all the girls in Rosemary climbed into the front of the minibus and shut the door as she did so I let out a cry as my finger was trapped in the door. She quickly opened the door, I had a small cut to my little finger and it was already starting to show signs of swelling and bruising luckily I didn’t think it was broken as I could still move it. We arrived at Sheriffs and all the girls quickly changed and got into the pool. Rosemary, Abigail, Bradley and myself then changed and joined them. It is a bit of a joke as no one shows them how to swim whilst there they just tend to play around. I tried to show some of the girls how to swim however with about twenty girls in a small space it was not easy. Also it doesn’t help when Fatcilla who is quite a large year 4 girl jumps in and ends up ducking the smaller girls. I decided I had had enough so got out to get changed, Abigail and Bradley then decided to get out followed by Rosemary. The rest of the girls were asked to get changed and we were back at the school by 1.30pm.

Weekending, 23rd October 2010

2010-10-31T10:05:00.014Z

Fishing Trip

The highlight this week was a fishing trip on Sunday. Lynn organised the trip with Ray who she has met through the Fajara club. We were to be picked up at 8.30am to then be taken to Denton Bridge where a pirogue was already waiting to take us on the river. Unfortunately Ray was delayed at one of the check points by the police who made him empty his car. Twenty minutes later he turned up so we were on our way. We arrived at Denton Bridge which is where a number of pirogues and boats are moored. Ray loaded the barbeque and food onto the boat and we were soon sailing down one of the many tributaries to the river Gambia. On board were a few Gambian crew members as well as Brian and Dave from the Fajara club both of which have young Gambian girlfriends, Dean who is Gambian has lived in the UK most of his life he has come back because his father is ill. Finally there was a lady called Petra who was in her sixties and very much mutton dressed up as lamb. She was tall and slim with long blonde hair and wearing a miniscule mini skirt, we were all privy to a flash of her knickers. I thought she was a bit stuck up until we got chatting and she proved to be a very nice lady who has been coming to the Gambia for years. Her and her husband had decided to move out here only to then have him die last year. As for our gang only Tom had decided to come along as the others were having a scrabble competition at Brikama. As for the scenery there was not much to see other than a landscape of mangroves, however there were plenty of herrings on the riverbanks as well as a group of pelicans. After a thirty minute journey the boat was anchored and we started to fish, even Abigail was given her own fishing rod. Prawns were hooked on as bait and one of the Gambian crew members showed me how to cast the line over the side. I did find it a little difficult at first especially because there was not enough head room as we were on the lower deck. At one point I did manage to get my hook stuck in the hair braids of Dave’s girlfriend oops. We stayed in this spot and were having no luck so we moved on to another spot. Eventually the first fish was caught although it wasn’t very big. I was really enjoying myself as was Abigail although I think Bradley was getting a little bored because no fish were getting caught. Whilst we were fishing Ray, Brian and one of the crew were busy upstairs cooking fish on a barbeque for our lunch. We ate in two sittings and I must say the fish was very tasty served with salad and jacket potato. We went back to fishing whilst the others ate. As we sat there we noticed some very dark clouds heading our way, the anchor was quickly pulled up and we made our way to Lamin Lodge hoping to outrun the weather. No such luck the heavens opened and although we were on the lower deck the rain was running through the cracks and drenching us all. Along with the thunder and lightning which Lynn hates it was very scary. We arrived at Lamin Lodge only to have to wait until the weather front had eased. Eventually we moored and then had to climb over another two boats to get to the jetty. We were soaked to the skin so we went straight to the toilet where I took off all our clothes and rung them out including knickers Abigail was finding it a bit cold so we rapped her in one of Lynn’s towels. Lynn and I had a sneaky laugh when we saw Petra she had streaks of mascara running down her face and looked like Alice Cooper. I gave up on mascara a long time ago as it is just too hot. We sat down and ordered some drinks whilst the rain eased a little and watched a huge spider on a nearby table. Within the hour we were back on the boat and set off to find another spot to fish at. This proved to be a good spot as we were soon hooking fish. Lynn managed to catch five fish and was able to feel them biting at the bait. As for me I just kept on looking at the end of the rod to see if it was bending. I suddenly felt a pull so tried to reel the line in thinking this feels pretty heavy. I had only caught a sea snake this was cut free by the crew and thrown back in. I then managed to catch another couple of small fish. As for Paul and Tom they didn’t catch anything but overall thirty fish were caught. We set off for Denton Bridge arriving back in the dark, but what a good day we had all had and is definitely something we all want to try again. We took four of the fish home and ate them the following evening tasty just not enough meat.

A BIG HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY TO DALE!

Weekending, 16th October 2010

2010-10-16T10:29:00.002Z

We have had a very quite week with the usual lack of power. On Sunday we decided to go for a walk and asked Lynn if she would like to accompany us. We wanted to check out a new pizza restaurant we have been told about so were looking to head off in that direction. We walked via the beach and then crossed Kotu Bridge and headed along the path to Palma Rima. Paul decided to show Lynn where Dunes Hotel was so we headed back to the beach again. We had been discussing all the rubbish that is on the beach at Fajara and that it wouldn’t take much to clean it up. So we were very surprised when we saw groups of children and adults actually doing just that at Palma Rima what a difference it made. We spoke to one of the adults who were working for Peace Corps and she told us they were trying to get the children involved with global warming issues and had decided to have a clean up day. We headed off the beach and towards Palma Rima junction and crossed the road passing the Commin Bar to start looking for the pizza shop. It didn’t take us long to locate it however there were signs saying closed on Sunday’s. I decided to buy some bread from the Turkish bakery opposite whilst Lynn treated us all to a Danish pastry which we sat and ate outside it was delicious. We set off for home passing Jackie’s house and hoping to show Lynn the mud houses near to Kotu Power station, unfortunately the path had been blocked off with some corrugated fencing so we had to back track putting distance onto our walk. By now we were all very hot and tired and in need of a sit down we returned home via the fields and road which was the quickest route. Whilst everyone crashed out and slept I had dinner to prepare so by 8 o’clock I was so tired that I went off to bed.

Then on Monday I invited Marielle and Max over for a fish curry dinner, I fed the children earlier so we were able to have a chat and a drink before putting the children to bed and sitting down to eat. Luckily the evening was spent with power so no looking for lighters to light the candles.

A BIG HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY TO RYAN!

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LEWIS!

Weekending, 9th October 2010

2010-10-16T09:12:00.012Z

Bijilo Monkey Park

On Sunday we took Lynn off to Bijilo Monkey Park which is where we visited last October near to Senegambia. As we were walking down the road towards the park Abigail suddenly shouted monkey’s and as we looked in the trees there were loads off them just sat with their babies walking along the telegraph wires it looked as if they were heading for the park. We paid our entrance fee and then started walking it was nice to be shaded from the sun overhead. We reached the end of the track and headed back along the beach I was unaware that we were actually taking a different route back to last time which ran along the edge of the sand dunes. We eventually arrived at the seated area and a little further along we saw an abundance of Green Vervet Monkeys lazing around in nearby trees or grooming each other, unfortunately we didn’t see the Red Colobus Monkeys this time.

It's A Hard Life

On Monday we received a phone call from school saying Abigail was unwell again. I picked her and Bradley up as on seeing her I decided to take her off to Africmed. She was very unwilling to go as she just wanted to sleep and was scared about any needles. When we arrived at Africmed it was very busy people were sat outside on benches waiting their turn. Luckily there was a hospital bed up against one of the walls so I laid Abigail down whilst we waited to be seen. At one stage one of the male nurses showed some concern by checking her temperature it was showing 39.9 very hot. After another wait we were seen by another nurse who took details of her symptoms and did another temperature check. We then waited again to have some blood and urine tests done before actually seeing the doctor. Two and a half hours later we were called to see the doctor, although no malarial parasites had shown up in her blood he was confident that she had malaria so prescribed her a course of coartime as well as some amoxicillin for a chest infection. Once home Abigail went straight off to bed and slept for the rest of the day. On the evening I went off with Lynn to do my yoga class whilst there Paul experienced some funny yet concerning noises from Abigail she was feverish and delirious which resulted in her making animal noises. She spent the rest off the week off school on Tuesday I took the day off work, on Wednesday Paul looked after her and on Thursday I took her to school with me. She seemed okay however at about 11 o’clock she started to feel tired so I laid her down in the library to rest. On the afternoon Abigail was in a fighting mood with Bradley mainly because she was so tired an early night was called for. By Friday she was back to normal and able to take a dip in the pool at safari garden. She does look very skinny after her illness as she had no appetite to eat anything all week.

Marielle's Welcome Back Party

On Saturday evening Max held a welcome party for Marielle who arrived back last night for a weeks holiday. It was nice to see her again and catch up with her life back in the Netherlands. She produced some little presents for us all, hello kitty purse and watch for Abigail, colouring book and felt tips for Bradley, a football lolly for Paul, clogs fridge magnet and waffle biscuits which were yummy and reluctantly I had to share them with the family for me. Max as usual gave us all a supper party with plenty of good food and drink. He had also invited a group of Cubans who put on some salsa music so they were up dancing it was great to watch them move. Jane is good at salsa dancing so her and max were also up having a boogie. Abigail started to get tired around 8 o’clock so she laid down on Max’s bed and fell asleep. Bradley was well up for a party and showing no signs of flagging so by 10.30pm we decided to make a move for home. We later found out the party went on until 5am Max having crashed out on the bed whilst others carried on partying.

Weekending, 2nd October 2010

2010-10-16T08:59:00.002Z

On Monday Bradley woke up ill yet again he had had a restless night with high temperature and cough. Paul was still off work so he took Bradley off to Africmed, after a long wait he was diagnosed with a chest infection and was put on a nebuliser to help with his breathing. He arrived home with the usual amoxicillin to clear up his chest infection.

On Tuesday and Wednesday Paul attended college for a meeting and the registering of the new students he is due back lecturing next week. He also found out that he has been getting underpaid since starting the college so he is due quite a bit of back pay. As for myself I am now back into the swing of school and enjoying teaching. Year one are still proving to be a problem for us so much that we now have Mr Ndoy the PE teacher sitting in the class with us. He is a very imposing character if you can imagine a six foot plus Senegalese man who doesn’t put up with any nonsense. However I still feel that we need another assistant to help with the less able children who are constantly calling out for assistance so you are getting pulled backwards and forwards. I am going home with a headache most days from their constant chattering.

On Thursday Abigail had her first day off school she was complaining of a stomach ache and sore throat, however she still went off to school on Friday feeling much better.

On Friday we had a surprise visit from Alpha so Paul decided to take him to some other company’s to try to get them involved with their cultural centre in Kanuma. As we were eating lunch Lynn arrived home so we introduced her to Alpha and then she joined us. Alpha showed us his latest batik work and Lynn decided to buy a couple off him as she is very much into art. Once Alpha had left for home we quickly changed and went to Safari Garden as Paul has been asked by one of the Ugandan VSO recruits also called Paul to teach him how to swim. By the end of the day Paul was actually able to swim the length of the pool although his technique needed improving we were really pleased with how well he had done.

On Saturday we walked to Kariba shopping centre and then spent the rest of the day in the compound. Paul helped me with some lesson plans so we sat outside in the shade. The weather this week has been so hot with high humidity levels this has resulted in three showers a day for me and the kids and the fact that the electricity is off is only adding to our misery as we are unable to put on a fan. It has also resulted in a couple of toadstools sprouting up out of the wood near the sink over night.

Weekending, 25th September 2010

2010-10-09T08:34:00.015Z

Teo's Birthday Party

On Sunday we were invited to Teo’s 7th birthday party at Cape Point Beach. Jenny had asked us to meet at the house and then we would walk round to the beach. We arrived at the house just after 2 o’clock and Paul helped Jenny load up the car as Mick is still in the UK and will be arriving back tomorrow. We gave Teo his present which was a large water blaster he was pleased and went off to fill it up with water to give it a try. It had three nozzles so we all got caught with some of the water. Whilst Jenny drove around in the car to the beach we set off walking with Teo, Mia and a few Gambian kids who had turned up. We helped unload the car and found a spot under one of the beach umbrellas. As we were getting the barbeque lit one of the staff from Calypso said we would have to move as the umbrellas were for customers only. It was a bit annoying as there were no customers as it was out of season and Jenny remarked about all the money she usually spends in Calypso’s. We moved further along the beach and the barbeque was lit. A few more children turned up then Mick and Jenny’s boss Peter and finally a young lad called Daniel who is helping them with their project. The Gambian children stripped off to go in the sea whilst Abigail, Bradley, Teo and Mia started to build a giant sandcastle. Jenny handed out some beers and then set about putting beef sausages on the barbeque for the Gambians and then pork for the rest. I helped making hotdog sandwich’s once they were cooked and handed them around with the ketchup and salad. This was followed by watermelon, popcorn and peanut brittle. After lunch we decided to all go for a dip in the sea with the Gambian children. They ended up hanging off us and splashing water at us, one little girl called Fenda at one point was going a bit too far in and Jenny had to rescue her. We then went back up for some birthday cake. Jenny put the candles on and tried to light it in our tent which we had brought. This would have been okay however all the Gambian kids decided to push there way in as they wanted to blow the candles out themselves. We eventually got them back out to the entrance so Teo could blow his candles out. We ate the cake and chatted for a while before packing everything back in the car as it was now nearly 7 o’clock. We set off walking back to Jenny’s were we unpacked the car and then she took us home.

Mia & Teo

Fenda Complete With Juju Around Her Waist

Jenny Dishing Out Watermelon

Water, Water Everywhere

On Monday I had my worst day ever, on entering year one class the floor was covered in food the children had had their break in the classroom due to it raining outside. We then had to wait for the cleaner to sweep up all the rubbish so sent the children outside as it had now stopped raining. This resulted in the lesson starting fifteen minutes late, we eventually got the children back into the classroom and Aunty Ken started the lesson. The children were still hyper and Aunty Ken was having trouble controlling them I was glad when it was 1 o’clock and I could go home however on entering the house I was in for a nasty shock. As I opened the door I could hear running water, on investigating I found the kitchen tap turned on with the plug still in, water had spilled out over the sink and onto the floor. This wouldn’t have been so bad only it had been running all morning so the water was nearly up to the second step and my knees. I could have cried I’d had such a bad day at school so this just topped it off. I quickly got into the water, sod my trousers and started to bail out the water with a bucket into the sink. Paul arrived with Bradley to the shock that it was him who had left the tap running he quickly started to help out. Two hours later after sorting through food which had also been damaged we left the room and cupboards to dry out.

Naming Ceremony

On Wednesday when I arrived home from school the compound was full of people as Aunty Lucy is having a naming ceremony for her nephews baby. At the back of the compound women were busy preparing the food in huge pots and over open fires of lighted wood. I asked if I could take some photos of the cooking and they showed me what they were making, benechin, yassa, dumplings and rice pudding. They all had there own jobs to do one was stirring the benechin with the biggest wooden spoon I’ve ever seen about the size of a boat oar. Another was taking the chicken out of a pan with a holed ladle the size of a dinner plate. I took some photos and then went for Abigail and Bradley. When we got back I sat on Lynn’s porch chatting to Tessa as she has had to come down from Bassa to do her resident permit. Whilst sat there Paul arrived home followed by Lynn. We sat discussing work as Lynn is finding it hard to find things to do at work. We had a good laugh as she explained what it is like in her office and how she keeps asking for a little project to do. Whilst sat there Abigail and Bradley were busy playing with a couple of children who were with the naming ceremony guests, and Tessa had a little girl who joined us and decided to sit on her knee. Aunty Lucy then sent one of the women over with bags of doughnuts and a bowls of benechin for us all, the benechin was gorgeous although I have the recipe it never tastes the same.

Adding Abergines To The Benechin

Taking The Chicken Yassa Out Of The Pot

Saturday was cleaning day and it proved to be a very hot and sweaty day. After lunch we decided to have a couple of hours on the beach. The water was lovely and the children played with their body boards in the surf. We were back home for 6 o’clock and ready for our dinner of pizza, salad followed by the yummiest water melon as they are now in season. The mango season has been a bit disappointing this year as when we have cut into them they have been bad so we have given up buying them or picking them from the tree.

Weekending, 18th September 2010

2010-10-09T08:22:00.006Z

First Day Back At School

Monday was my first day back at work I arrived on time and then spent the next four hours looking for something to do. The teachers had not been issued with a lesson rota so they just sat chatting whilst the children got disruptive, no wonder they must have been so bored. I ended up sorting out the children’s exercise books by writing their names and class subjects on the front cover. I then went into year 1 and did the same anything to keep myself busy. A new English teacher has started called Rosemary, she is a retired secondary teacher who now lives out here and is running a hotel business. Due to business being poor this year she needed to get an income so decided to go back into teaching for a while.

On Tuesday morning the school rotas were issued, I will be working with Aunty Ken who is the sister of Mary who owns the school. We will be covering year two and year one or grande section as they have been called. As for Rosemary she is working alongside Mr Jadama who I was with last year. I spent the day very much as yesterday trying to keep busy.

On Wednesday after two boring days the teachers finally started to actually teach some of their subjects. Some of the pupils were still absent from school however over the coarse of the week they started to turn up. I spent my first lesson in year one with Aunty Ken gosh have we got a job to do. The class has about twenty two children who are aged about five years old and it became obvious from the start that they are a very disruptive group.

On the afternoon we took Lynn to Wishes Gift Shop. Whilst Paul and the children looked for a present for Teo we went to have a look around upstairs. It is like Aladdin’s cave full of lovely vases, candles and wooden mirrors. We then did some shopping in Kariba before setting off for home. We decided to walk via the path way at Palma Rima. The fields on either side were very flooded with water due to all the rain we have been having for September. When we arrived at Kotu bridge the mud flats were free from the stream and looked quite dry so we decided to take a shortcut across to the golf course. It soon became apparent that it wasn’t as dry as we thought so we ended up with very sticky, squelchy shoes and feet. Lynn didn’t seem bothered I think she now knows what Paul’s walks are like so once home we quickly washed our feet under the outside tap.

On Thursday it was the children’s first day back at Zenith. They were both a bit grumpy about going however Paul took them off whilst I went to Diana Mariam. When I picked Abigail up she said she had done nothing all day so was very bored and didn’t want to go in on Friday. On the afternoon me and Lynn had a treat we went off to take a look around Coco Ocean Hotel at Senegambia. The hotel is one of the poshest in the Gambia and very Moroccan in appearance with white washed walls and outside gardens. We took a taxi to the entrance where we walked down a short driveway and through security into the grounds. There were lots of pathways leading off in different directions with lush vegetation of fruit trees dotted about the grounds. We arrived at the reception and Lynn enquired about looking at some rooms as her sister and husband are looking to come over in February. The receptionist took us by golf buggy around the resort to look at a couple of the rooms. The rooms were very luxurious with sea views one of which had a huge covered terrace area with wicker settees. He then dropped us off outside the hotel spa. We entered the spa and were greeted by a small Asian lady, we enquired about treatments and prices. The lady gave us a brochure and directed us to a seated area beside a plunge pool and then offered us something to drink. On enquiring about the hair salon we were told the hairdresser was off and would be back next week however we were given another brochure to look at. I was surprised at the prices of the treatments very reasonable compared to the UK. As for the salon the highlights were cheaper than what Sewell charges at Yok Hair Salon so I might just treat myself before Christmas.

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MICHELLE!

On Saturday I had to attend a workshop at the school to do with lesson planning. As usual it was supposed to be 9 o’clock start however we didn’t start until thirty minutes later and there were still a couple who turned up late. Aunty Ken explained the format we would be using in the primary section and the importance of having some visual aids for the children. We then saw a lesson plan which Mr Touray uses in reception it was agreed that this would be trialled by the other reception teachers. We broke for breakfast for fifteen minutes and were provided with bread, beef luncheon meat and tea. After break we were split up into groups and had to devise our own lesson plan around one of the subjects, our group chose English comprehension. Each group then had to present their lesson plan to the others. Aunty Alberta ended up teaching us an actual nursery Maths lesson instead of the lesson plan. At 1 o’clock the workshop came to a close much to my relief I felt we could have completed the workshop in half the time if only some of the teachers hadn’t waffled on about how they teach.