Monday 18th
February
Got
up 'stupidly, idiotically' early and finished packing. Also yelled
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Nicole- 16 today! Put suitcases etc. on van, then
had breakfast. Last one in Farafenni :( Going to miss these amazing
breakfasts!
Got
into van. On way, gave all donations to the hospital: mainly bottles.
Then drove out of Farafenni, very sad :'(
The Bottles Eleanor And I Have Collected
Drove
for about 2 hours, then went on very
bumpy track to get to Juffre- home of 'Roots' and infamous for the
slave trade. Once we got there, we put food orders in and used the
toilets. They had soap,
which everyone exclaimed about. We're all really enjoying the small
luxuries now!
Statue At Juffre
Had
talk on slave trade, then went in boat to James Island. Due to the
tides, it's 'sinking' and getting smaller, which is a pity as there's
so much history attached to it; if not nice history, it's an
important reminder of all that's happened. The slaves were kept on
the island and could only escape by swimming a long
way to the mainland. Most couldn't swim, so very few (if any)
escaped. In contrast, a high percentage died on the island.
Juffre
James Island In Distance
Wearing Our Life Jackets!
Looking
around the island was quite emotional. It's such a horrific part of
history; I can't believe people actually thought they had the rights
to treat others in such awful ways. One room we saw was almost an
underground dungeon, with one tiny window. The slaves would be kept
there for two weeks, jammed in like sardines, with no release at any
time and little food/water. How could anyone ever
see that as being right!?
The Island
Slaves Would Be Kept Here For Two Weeks
After
the boat trip back, we had lunch at the restaurant. Eleanor and I
both had chicken yassa, which was lovely.
Spiced but not spicy as such; a Gambian favourite.
One Of My Absolute Favourite Pictures
He's A Non-Swimmer, But Wanted To Be Cool Instead Of Safe
Short
but very funny moment where a stall-owner persuaded Nicole to confess
her love for Will in exchange for a necklace.
Next-
and last- was a trip to the museum. Again, really shocking. We also
went inside a replica shop (of sorts) and saw for ourselves just how
awful the conditions were. So cramped! We've been taught a bit abut
the slave trade, but it really doesn't sink in until an experience
such as the Roots trip.
How The Slaves Would Be Kept
The Ship We Looked Around
After,
it was back on the bus- and back up the bumpy bumpy road. I saw a
monkey.
It
didn't take long to get to the ferry port, but we had a long
wait once there. We went to an upstairs restaurant. Anju, Will, Ben,
Nicole, Eloise, Eleanor and I sat on a table together and played a
few games- Word Associations, Snog/Marry/Avoid and the like. Spent
maybe 1-2 (very long) hours up there, then went downstairs.
Sat
in a big waiting room in the same group as before. Chatted a lot- we
now all know Will's top 5 celebrities over and under 30. At one point
we were also a bit alarmed as there was a huge rumble; it sounded as
if the whole building was going to fall down! However, none of the
Gambians seemed to even notice it- just us tubabs.
Eventually
Anju and I played a very long game of 'Top 5s', which passed the time
very well. I think we were in the waiting room for a couple of hours
overall, but I lost track of time very quickly.
Sat
in van for a while, then we finally started moving. However, as we
moved into the ferry queue there was a bit of road rage. IT got a
little scary, especially when a car thought the best way to get s to
move was by attempting to drive through
the van. It stopped when we all screamed.
Once
we were in the queue, some people went to the ferry port, but most of
the people I'd been sat with earlier, and a couple of others, stayed
with the van. There was the possibility of a 2 hour wait, so we
settled in for a loong
'rest'. Eleanor, Daisy and Anju started watching Hot Fuzz on Ben's
iPad; I watched a little, but soon got bored.
Ended
up getting Mr B to tell us his 'life stories', which he tells pretty
much constantly anyway. Admittedly, they were slightly annoying at
first, but they've grown on me! However, the whole group has
delighted in pointing out to him that they nearly always feature a
different girl who is described as 'the most beautiful girl in the
world'.
Will
was reading an Empire magazine, which had some pictures of various
women, including a very nice French actress. Possibly wearing a
fairly revealing dress. Oddly enough, the four Cabot males all found
time to look at this page. I may or may not have done likewise.
Eleanor
then pointed out my hypocriticalness (ah well!) and decided that it
was a men's magazine, so would obviously
have 'far too many' unrealistic pictures of women. At this point, I
got out my Company magazine and went through pointing out each and
every unrealistic picture of a woman, just to prove a point. The
people at the back of the bus then got hold of the Company magazine,
and started giggling over the rude bits (yes, this group included
Miss A and Miss W!).
There
were two ferries, so we ended up getting on one with less than a two
hour wait!! Woo!! We all cheered again. I spent the journey stood
near the front with Will, Mr B, Mr M and Miss A (for a bit). We had a
very entertaining discussion involving Mr B's life stories and
various Cabot teachers. Miss A decided that we were all being far too
inappropriate but neither other teacher cared. It was very
funny.
Titanic...
Banjul Skyline: I'll Say It Again, Gambia Is Beautiful
I'm
missing George and Joe quite a bit; I think one of the hardest parts
for me has been being part of a very female group. I rely a lot on
spending time in a mixed or largely male group; just part of being
me. Anyway, it was nice to chat to Will/Mr M/Mr B.
Back
on the van. Thankfully the journey from the ferry to the Holiday
Beach Club is significantly shorter than the Farafenni/ferry journey!
Eleanor and I listened to music on my iPod whilst Will flicked
through my iPod pictures- namely the folder containing various
actresses. He basically just rated each picture. I'm glad I've got to
know Will a bit better; I didn't have the greatest impression of him
before (and he knows it!), but that's definitely changed now.
Once
back at the Beach Club, we took our suitcases to our rooms and had
five minutes to get ready and went out for dinner- it was fairly late
by this time. I wasn't feeling great, but thankfully that soon
passed.
We
went to a pizza place. They rearranged loads of chairs, tables and
people (!!) to get us all seated. I was near Eloise, Nicole, Anju,
Eleanor, Mr B, Miss W and Mr M, which meant there were some fairly
interesting talks. Mr B popped out and got Nicole a present and card
as well, so we all had to sign it without her seeing.
After
the drinks arrived but before the food, we ended up moving outside-
which involved another huge rearrangement! We spilt drinks on two
table cloths as well; the staff/other diners must really have hated
us!
Sat
in similar places; I spent most time chatting to Anju, Eleanor and Mr
B, which was funny and interesting. Food was great, but mine took
ages to come- just a
(small) chicken pizza as well! At the end we sang Happy Birthday to
Nicole. The doll also made an appearance in it's dismembered state.
Dolls Legs...
Shop
stop. Things here a lot more
expensive than Farafenni! Got lunch and breakfast for tomorrow
(safari day).
Back
to beach club; late night, so very tired.