Work and messages

Thank you for all your wonderful messages, I really enjoy reading them. It's so nice to know that people are thinking of me and following my 'adventure'. I feel very lucky because I have the best family and friends in the world!

I have been at work for almost a week now and all is well. My role and the way in which people work here is quite different to back home but I'm sure in time I will adjust. Schools only opened yesterday so hopefully in the next few weeks I will be able to go out and do some visits. In the meantime I'm office based (which is a new thing for me)!

Thanks again everyone for your messages. Will try my best to keep you updated!!

My first passenger!

On the morning of Koriteh, Paul and I actually did some work (though we don’t officially start until Monday). Paul had been called by his employer the previous day and had been asked to write a letter requesting some funding for the improvement of the toilet facilities at the office. The letter needed completing with some urgency. Therefore Paul had to go to the office to remind himself of the state of the toilets and what needed to be done.

Paul invited me along on this trip and together we rode our bikes to the office (I think I’m the only new volunteer to actually have their bike already – established good friendships with the motorbike trainers and it obviously paid off)! When we got to the office the gate was locked. Luckily a man came out from a nearby compound and when Paul explained what we were doing the man said that he knew someone who had a key. He said he would take us to him and then he climbed on the back of Paul’s bike. We then rode through the village until we reached the compound of the man with the key. HOWEVER, he wasn’t there so the man on Paul’s bike insisted that we take him to the Mosque to find the man with the key!

So we rode back through the village to the Mosque and after a few minutes the man on the back of Paul’s bike identified another older gentleman and began speaking to him in Mandinka. Within a few minutes the older gentleman started to climb on the back of MY bike! I began to panic. Paul tried to explain that I was a ‘beginner’ and had never taken passengers but it became all very confusing and the older gentleman became offended. In the end for the sake of peace and progress I agreed to carry him! So I had my first pillion passenger! I thought I did exceptionally well and Paul was impressed too. I’m not sure how my passenger would have rated the ride though!

Eventually after the taking the older gentleman from the Mosque, back to his compound to pick up the key and then to the office to open the gate (and also drop the initial man on Paul’s bike at a different destination) we got into the office! We were able to view the toilets (which was handy because now I know how important it is to try to not go to the toilet at work) and Paul was able to get some inspiration for his letter. Paul did want to show me ‘our’ office but even though he had a key the door wouldn’t open due to a slight change in shape as a consequence of the heavy rain. Paul ‘joked’ that we wouldn’t be able to get into the office until the dry season. Ha ha?

My bike

Koriteh

On Friday, Ramadan officially finished and the celebration that followed is called Koriteh. People wear their best outfits on Koriteh and often change several times in the day. The mood on the compound was ecstatic! People were cooking from the early hours of the morning (during Ramadan people can’t eat during the day). Most of the people on my compound don’t have gas stoves; they build little fires in their outdoor areas at the back of their houses and use those to cook. We all live in close proximity so you can smell the fires and food across the compound.

I helped one of the girls get the stones and weevils out of the rice prior to cooking. We ran out of time though so the rice that we hadn’t done just had a quick rinse and got thrown into the pot anyway! Once the food is cooked it is often put in large ‘food bowls’ and is shared with whoever is around. There is an etiquette involved with sharing a food bowl but not sharing it, even just to have a little, could be considered in-polite. If you’re not around when the food is being cooked then the chances are that someone will plate you some up and bring it round for you. It’s all very thoughtful but as you can imagine it’s a bit difficult on the western stomach and the day after Koriteh I was confined to the bedroom for the whole day with stomach cramps, lying naked on my bed with a towel hanging by the door so I could quickly run out in the pouring rain to the pit latrine throughout the day. Horrific in so many ways! Paul’s wife Courtney was a real treasure though. She has been visiting Paul for Koriteh (she lives in the Kombos) and was sympathetic to my illness, checking on me throughout the day and bringing me water and rehydration sachets.

During Koriteh I also had my first ‘attayah’ experience. Attayah is like a herbal tea and the brewing and drinking process can take several hours. It’s as much a social event as it is about tea consumption. Lamin, a guy on the compound invited us (Paul, Courtney and I) to join him for attayah. Though there were just the four of us drinking the crowd of people soon gathered round to watch, chat and generally chill. The attayah was nice, very sweet as lots of sugar is involved. Don’t really get the whole process but it involves a little portable stove, a small tea pot, two glass cups, attayah tea leaves, sugar and lots of pouring from one glass to the other. Everyone who drinks attayah will share the same cups (not great for the stomach again!) It was a good experience.

I managed to take lots of photographs of the people on the compound. They were so keen to have their pictures taken when wearing their best outfits. Everyone wanted a picture and then would want to examine it! It was quite good fun. I haven’t seen many developed photographs here so I might get some of the Koriteh pictures put into a book and then give it as a present (will have to liaise with big sister Lucy)!

All in all Koriteh was a really good day (though I suffered for it the following day)!

The other 'Kaddy'

Some of the compound children

Some of the compound young women

More children on the compound (all dressed up for Koriteh)

Basi (my most frequent house guest!!)

Women of the compound posing for picture just outside the compound

One of the Ceesay brother's wives with her husband's baby (to a different wife)

Posing by the well (inside the compound)

Best dress for Koriteh

More posing going on here! Not sure where the shades came from but I think everybody had a go at wearing them at some point in the day!!

Lamin pouring attayah

The compound and my house.

I am very fortunate to be living in a family compound. The landlord (or head of the compound) is one of two brothers. From what I can gather each brother has two wives and several children as well as other children that they have taken in. So, on the compound there are two older men (known as dad and stepdad in Mandinka) and their wives (ranging in age) and then each wife has some children. There are also some grandchildren on the compound. There are a few rented properties on the compound (such as my own and Pauls) and there is another Gambian family living here. I haven’t come across any ‘nuclear’ families yet and I know that some of the children and teenagers here don’t have parents (it is also pretty common for people to send their children to live with other family members like grandparents, aunts and uncles). It all gets a little bit confusing because the Mandinka language has very clear ways of explaining who exactly the family members are and on what side of the family they come from however when talking to you in English they just refer to everyone as sister, brother, mother or father (even if they are what we would call cousins, aunties and uncles).

The compound itself is very nice and has its own tap within the walls. The tap is not on all the time but you can get water from it for a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the evening. The Ceesay’s are very welcoming and treat you like family which is really nice. They always want to know what you’re doing and often just like to hang around with you on the porch. Every time someone passes my door (which is often because I’m near the tap) they shout out ‘Kaddy’ and will come to greet me. The children shout out my name all the time and are always trying to get into the house to see what I’m doing or just to play with my belongings. People seem really intrigued with me and within often whole crowds of teenagers and adults gathered around just calling out ‘Kaddy’ and then speaking in Mandinka and waiting to see if I can respond (which often I can’t).  It’s also quite a lively and noisy compound. It’s a really nice atmosphere and I feel very lucky to have been placed with such a lovely family. There is another Kaddy here (she is about 3) and she loves the fact that we have the same name! Every time she sees me she says, ‘Kaddy, Kaddy’ then laughs!

My actual house is nice too. Though technically I live alone, I share my house with a mouse and termites (both of which seem impossible to eradicate). The termites are strange little things, I’ve never actually seen them but every morning there are random little piles of concrete and plaster on the floor. There is always quite a lot for one night and I bet if i left the house for a week there would be a proper termite mound! I have two rooms: a living area with a table and chair, two more ‘comfortable’ chairs, a coffee table, a fridge and a stove with a gas canister attached (which is currently empty) and then the other room is my bedroom. In the bedroom there is a bed and a chest of drawers (I haven’t put anything in there yet because i’m worried that the mouse might eat whatever is in the drawers!) When I arrived at the house there was also a broom handle suspended from the ceiling which I use as my wardrobe. There is a back door at the end of my bedroom which leads to an outside area where my pit latrine is. The hole to the pit is covered by a piece of wood with a stone on it and in the corner of the latrine there is hole (like a plug hole). There is no running water here so I wash myself in the latrine area using a designated bucket. I also wash dishes out the back (not in the latrine though and I have a different bucket)! And I wash my undies out the back too (in yet another bucket)! Buckets are crucial here!

I haven’t quite mastered using the latrine yet but I have made some simple contraptions that have made my life a bit easier, such as my toilet roll holder, privacy curtain (though Paul and I have separate latrines we share the same outdoor area) and a line to hold my towel. The outdoor area and latrine is uncovered so having a wash and going to the toilet in the rain is quite an experience and having diarrhoea, especially during the rainy season (which I had a terrible bout of recently) is a bloody nightmare! 

The street outside my compound (compound to the left)

Inside the compound (this is the row of rented houses)

Paul's house to the left, mine to the right (we share a porch)

My house! (and bike)

The tap at the compound (the yellow things are what I collect water in, I have 3 that are usable)

Inside my house (the living area)

Same room, different angle!

My table/desk with pictures from home!

My cooker (would be even better if the gas canister had gas in it!!)

Going through the doorway into the other room (bedroom)

Through we go!!!

My bedroom!

My wardrobe

Reminders of home!!

Bedroom (looking at the rear door - leading to ensuite!)

My outside area (rear of the house)

My toilet and shower

The toilet (obviously remove the wood covering the pit hole!) There is a drain for when I wash, clean teeth etc at the edge of latrine.

My handy toilet roll holder!

My privacy curtain (Paul's latrine area is just the other side!)

My rear door (looking back into the house)

My sink!!!

A new start in Kerewan

The time came for us to finally leave Kanifing House (the VSO house which residents often called the ‘Big Brother House’. I was surprised as to how sad I felt about leaving the house; I think it was more about the friendships I made rather than the house itself. I liked the neighbourhood too and was enjoying being recognised by locals who would call out my name and ask me how the day was.

Also life was pretty good at the house; it still felt like the holiday period with motorbike training during the day and friends to hang out with in the evening. Plus all the western goods you could possibly want to buy you could find in Serrekunda (often at a price). My favourite hangout was ‘La Parisian’ cafe. It had super air-conditioning, free wireless and wonderful ice-cream. It was always full of western travellers, VSO, peace corp. and wealthy looking Gambians with fancy laptops. You could be forgiven for forgetting where in the world you actually were!

However if I had stayed at Kanifing or Serrekunda I would have ran out of money and become incredibly fat and also the time had come to start in the direction I came here for – Kerewan.

We were picked up from the VSO house on Tuesday morning, there were 7 new volunteers heading ‘up-country’ so we were split into two cars, one took the south bank road and the other (ours) crossed the river from Banjul to Barra and then took the north bank road. The ferry crossing was interesting and despite the many people with whistles directing cars, lorries and a whole range of other vehicles as well as lots of foot passengers, people with goats, chickens, wheelbarrows etc, there was no obvious system to the order of boarding. We waited hours in the VSO truck to be let onboard, during the wait people were trying to sell us a huge variety of goods from cotton shirts to milk powder. We watched two ferries come and go before we finally got on. I’m told that it’s much quicker for motorbikes to get on but I’m going to be very anxious when the day comes for me to make that crossing alone on my bike. The actual crossing was quite short and within 35mins we were pulling into Barra. You have to take real care when coming off the ferry because the people are excellent at maximising space. There is literally no room to even open a car door, there are people squeezed into every tiny gap.

We drove along the north bank road (which is a really good road) until we arrived at Kerewan about an hour or so later. The truck pulled into the compound and Paul was there to greet me with the key (as well as lots of curious children). With the help of the others onboard we quickly unloaded my stuff and then the driver went to introduce me to the landlord. I was introduced as ‘Sira’ to the landlord’s great displeasure! He said that Sira was a Fula name and that I am Mandinka so he announced that I would be called ‘Kaddy’. Immediately the few adults that had gathered and the children starting calling me Kaddy and greeting me in Mandinka. So goodbye to Sira (my name of 2 weeks) and for the next two years I will be known as Kaddy Ceesay (they spell the surname like that here)!

Leaving Kanifing (This is not all my stuff! There were 4 of us travelling)

The Football Game

On Saturday I went to watch Gambia play Namibia at the Independence Stadium at Bakau. The atmosphere was great (despite the fact that it rained for the whole 90 mins!) and Gambia won 3-1. Entering and exiting the ground was an adventure in itself.

Sadly some of the volunteers had their belongings nicked, the pickpockets were exceptionally talented! From our number we had 2 mobile phones, a wallet and a camera taken (all from different people).I was fortunate, I’d be warned that this could happen and held my bag very closely.

My poncho came into its own again at the match and I managed to keep myself and everybody around me dry (relatively dry – well not soaking wet!)

I’m off to Kerewan tomorrow. I’m looking forward to actually getting to my own house and being able to unpack but at the same time I know it’s going to be pretty basic and I’m a bit nervous about work. Also I’ve got used to many of the luxuries in the Kombos and made quite a few friends so it’s going to be hard being out in the sticks on my own!!!

I’m not sure when I’ll next get internet access so apologies if I don’t respond quickly to emails and in terms of blog entries you might not hear from me for a while and then I might have to put a few on in one go! Thinking of you all.

View of the stadium from where I was seated

People behind me!

Pre-match presentation

Getting ready for the national anthem (Gambia are in red)

Me looking very wet but my poncho keeping the crowd dry!

A goal celebration

Motorbiking

I have now completed a whole week (well 5 days) of ‘in-country’ motorbike training. Everything that I have ever been told to avoid during my training in the UK (grit, sand, rain, holes in the ground, mud etc) was par for the course during the lessons here! However my bike (a little Yamaha AG 100cc complete with pizza delivery style box at the rear) seemed built for this purpose! For those interested in bikes these Yamahas are kick start only and the gears are all up, including first!

Day One – I went down to the yard carrying all my kit (of which I have a lot and considerably more than anyone else, instructors included) only to find that we wouldn’t be riding the bikes on this day! The day was spent discussing how to look after and maintain the motorbikes (as tempted as I am to go through this with you I will spare you the details)!

Day Two – We spent this day at a ‘field’ very close to the yard, (it was more like a muddy sand pit) going round and round in circles. Sounds easy but it was quite difficult in the sludgy conditions.

Day Three – Back to the field this time weaving in and out of stones. We are encouraged to use our breaks as little as possible here and to try and control speed with throttle (this is because brakes often cause the bike to spin or tip on the types of surfaces we are riding on). My friend Marcus came along on this day and took some photographs and did some mini film recordings, one of which he made black and white and speeded it up – it was very arty! It’s like a mini (2sec) film; I’ve called it ‘The Biker’. The films are on YouTube, you can find them at the following links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xXU45vxW1U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VYyE3_fTsA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gidRdWAQq10

Day Four – Wow what a day! We were allowed out of the field for a little biking adventure. We did a few main roads and then headed out to the beach – yes the beach – an obvious place to take a motorbike? We all parked up and then took it in turns to ride across the sand. I went first and was so scared. The front wheel of the bike rocks violently from left to right as it desperately searches for a better route through the sand. You have to hold it really firmly and put as much of your weight as possible to the rear of the bike. I did really well and was very pleased with myself (there were many excited onlookers) I even managed to stay on the bike! Sadly lots of people fell off during this outing and consequently the following day everybody ended up borrowing motorbike jackets from the instructors!

Not only was day four an interesting biking adventure but it also turned into a fascinating fishing experience as well! Whilst we were on the beach we saw some fishermen putting their nets out. They then made two lines about 40 metres apart and began to pull the nets to shore. We left our bikes and went over to help the fishermen. It was hard work, my motorbike gloves really came in handy as the nets and ropes could easily cause blisters. The men pulling the nets in were very muscular. The fishermen really appreciated our help (actually I think they appreciated that fact that we were willing to help more than the actual physical contribution that we made)! I met my ‘brother’ at the beach, a guy with the same family name as me ‘Siisee’! When we finally got the nets in there were a few fish all of different sizes and colours but there was also a huge sea turtle. I heard some of the fishermen saying that they were rare and that it was best to put them back into the sea however it was also apparent that the rest of the catch wasn’t all that great so I’m not sure what the fate of the sea turtle was!

Day Five – We spent the whole day out and about, both on the road and off the road. The day began with a ride through Serrekunda market. It had been raining heavily the night before and the market was busy and muddy with puddles everywhere. It was very scary! As we left the busy market and ventured into rural Gambia our ‘motocross’ adventure took us off the beaten track, through pools of mud and water, past horse and cart and through tiny villages where children ran out and called out to us with excitement. At one point as I was riding through a muddle the water reached my wait and the only part of the bike that was visible were the handle bars and big blue box on the rear. In a panic I stalled and then was sat for a few minutes whilst trying to find the kick start which was hidden by the muddy water. Obviously I got very wet but it was all quite thrilling and the children laughing at the puddles edge made it even more comical. It was an amazing experience and at the end of the day I felt really proud of myself!

So that’s it for my motorbike training. I managed to stay on the bike the whole time and by the end of the training my rather hot gear was the envy of the group!!! 

Ready to set off!

Action shot!

At the beach

The fishermen pulling in the nets (the other line of men can be seen in the distance)

Pull!

Bringing in the nets with care

'Releasing' a crab (they snap off the pincers first) then put the crabs in their pockets - alive! (minus the pincers)

Some of the catch on display

Me and my Siisee brother with a barracuda!!

The bikes parked up at the beach