Sunday 10th
February
Got
up at 5:45 to discover that the electricity wasn't on, so had to get
dressed in the dark. Eleanor and I then just chatted for a while. We
could hear the local mosque as they prayed, which was quite melodic
and very nice to listen to.
We
went outside at 6:30- it was still very dark- the stars were
absolutely fantasmagorical. I ended up lying on the floor to look at
them: saw my first shooting star.
Chatted
till 7, when breakfast arrived. It was simple but lovely- we had a
loaf of bread each, then butter & jam. Also a boiled egg and the
nicest coffee. There were beans available, but no-one noticed them
until near the end, by which time they were cold. Ah well, always
tomorrow!
Went
off in the van to the hippo place (which turned out to be the River
Gambia...). Uneventful journey; fairly quiet. I mainly listened to
music, updated diary, looked out window and waved at passing people.
It's great here: they actually wave back! ^.^
Once
we got to the 'hippo place' we got into our assigned boats, done
strategically by Miss A the night before. I was with Eleanor, Anju,
Nicole, Eloise, Ben, Miss W, Mr B and Lamin. Then we had a 'driver'
and his younger brother, a boy called Samba who sometimes helped to
drive. Took lots of pictures whilst waiting to set off.
Our Boat!
Boat Group (Minus Mr B)
Ahh, There He Is
Had a
four hour journey in the boats; we spent most of the time chatting or
playing games. The games were so fun, we all laughed a lot! Samba and
Lamin also joined in. Learnt some Mandinka as well, which was nice.
The River Gambia
General View
Wash Time
Also
shared around our food, like a mini picnic. Very unhealthy- mainly
biscuits and crisps. But oh well, we're in Gambia!
I
spent some of the time chatting to Samba. He wanted to listen to my
iPod, and said he liked Rihanna. Being me, I decided that this was a
perfect opportunity to introduce him to good pop music- he really
enjoyed both Jack Johnson and Amy Macdonald!
Samba And I
We
didn't see any hippos for ages, and we pretty much gave up. Then, ten
minutes from the end, we saw three- in the wild and everything!!
Amazing! Got lots of pics, though camera was dying. Samba took some
pictures on my iPod for me; one is currently my lock screen.
HIPPO
Seeing
the hippos was such a good experience- even better that it was in the
wild, so completely natural and unstaged!
LOOK
After
the boat ride, we went to Georgetown. The toilets were awful; we had
the choice between a smelly hole in the ground or a shack full of
spiders.
Next
was a visit to a house that was once used to hold slaves, alongside a
talk on slavery- and a reminder that it still goes on.
Wall Of Slavery House
It was very
humbling. I'm in complete agreement with John Agard (Dem Tell Me)- we
need to be taught history,
not British-friendly history. People think we're so much better now,
but we're not there yet. We can't face up to the past, and until we
can acknowledge that we can't ever really move
on. Besides which, slavery isn't even a thing of the past. It
still goes on, and that alone is
sickening. There are many types of slavery, including human
trafficking. Surely we need to do something!?
Where They Kept The 'Bad' Slaves
Sorry,
I digree. After the slavery talk, we sat down for fizzy drinks, in
glass bottles- much
nicer than the English cans. Plus, D25 (around 50p).
Went
back on the boats to the van; Samba steered the boat (drove the boat?
I don't know which is right). It was sad saying bye to him. Leaving
the schools is going to be hell.
From
there we went to the Gambian Stone Henge. No,
the Gambian stone circles. I refuse to do the British
comparative/supremacist thing.
Stone Circles
It
was very nice; very big. Daisy was feeling ill and Miss A was looking
after her, so Mr B acted as tour guide. According to him, the height
of the stones represents the height of the person who died (they're
tombstones) whilst the width represents the weight. We're not so
sure!
Supposedly Short And Fat (!?)
We
all put rocks on top of the stones; you get a wish that way.
Rocks
Mr B/Mr
M were 'arguing' about- something to do with the origin of Islam
maybe!? It ended in Mr B attacking first Anju then Mr M. Will got a
lot of it on camera as well. Also had a very entertaining
conversation about Facebook/teachers/students. Amusing, but it got a
little too
enlightening.
On
the way back to the guest house (two hour drive) we saw a
circumcision ritual, involving a circumcision man. It was really
funny at first, then he lunged at the van with a machete and everyone
screamed. Of course, we were never in any danger, but it was still
scary. Will took a video that was mainly of his own face screaming
and declaring that 'amazing things' were going on all around us. Very
little footage of 'amazing things' however!
Just
as we were all laughing, however, we turned to the other side, and
saw a line of very young children, queued up- waiting to be
circumcised. It wasn't so funny after that; they all looked
terrified. Is this tradition really
so necessary?
When
we got back we had a chance to laze around for a while; Eleanor and I
just sat and chatted in our room.
Dinner
was really nice- foodwise, it was the same as the night before. I sat
near Eleanor, Eloise, Nicole, Will, Miss W and Mr M. We had some
interesting discussions. Later on, Mr B came up, and we had a
no-holds barred talk about circumcision/sexism.
After
a while, people got up and we all re-gathered in the living room.
Hannah started writing a section for the blog but it was eventually
decided that I'd type up bits of this diary, which I did.
Got
to the end of Friday whilst listening to the general chatter. Then
wrote up a few of the quotes, which made the teachers laugh.
Finally,
to bed. Going to the school tomorrow!!!