Goodwill to all Men (and Women!)
on Lynn Sellwood (The Gambia), 29/Dec/2010 10:19, 34 days ago
In a predominantly Muslim country you would not expect to find that Christmas was observed in an obvious way. Not true in The Gambia. This country demonstrates its religious tolerance because all the shops and radio adverts acknowledge Christmas which has happened soon after Tobaski and the Islamic New Year. All my colleagues have been wishing me a Merry Christmas which I find really endearing. so, I took the opportunity of decorating my little house......Looks better inside!The VSO volunteers wanted to mark the occasion and had to have the party before some finished their stint of volunteering and others were going back to the UK to spend time with family (in the snow). There was plenty of food, thanks to the efforts of Denise who mustered sausage rolls, quiche, chicken with Paxo stuffing, egg nog and mince pies as well as Christmas cake and pudding!Terry and Tessa Santa made an appearance, along with his little helper and gave out “Secret Santa” presents which had to cost less than 50 dalasi (about a pound!).Getting my present! We had games and singing and just a little appropriate drinking and the electricity didn’t fail until the very end.I also met some people from the UK keen to help The Gambia by bringing donations for Campama School as part of "Sunshine with Smiles". They had negotiated an extra luggage allowance so they could bring cricket equipment, medical equipment, clothes and educational resources.Mrs Jatta and Judy Davies They were warmly received by the school staff but both Andy and Judy were shocked by the physical state of the school compared to UK schools. Andy was particularly surprised to find his native flag in the head teacher’s office.Andy looking delighted Paul and I took the clothes to a squatter community in Kotu, near where I live, on the Islamic New Year’s Day.Paul is taking the photo I also finally handed over the money donated by a friend (who wants to remain anonymous) for the kitchen project in Sinchu Njabo school. The kitchen is vital to the delivery of a lunchtime meal to the children in the area who often come to school having had no breakfast or prospect of a lunch. Having hot food at lunchtime is good for their well-being and encourages parents to send their children to school. You cannot believe that£500 could make so much difference.Handing over the cash to the Head Teacher I am getting more involved in small, community charity work and enjoy being the conduit to make sure donations are used appropriately. So, keep raising money and as soon as I have bank account details I will publish them.The week before Christmas bought a special present in the form of my daughter, Lois.On the beach She could only stay for a week so we had to pack everything in to give her a taste of The Gambia. We visited Serrekunda market to buy fabric for a dress and pajamas.flip-flop stall I thought this was a sudden introduction to urban Gambia, but she took it in her stride.Woman selling fish and carrotsLooking down the streetWe then spent two days in Coco Ocean Hotel and Spa. We both had some lovely treatments in the spa and we ate western food and sunbathed. It was just like Barbados!I had to introduce her to the eco retreat atSandele, where she was amazed by the huge empty beaches.Says it all, reallyWe got stuck in the shallows We got a man called Pa to paddle us up the river in a dugout canoe where we saw ospreys, herons, oyster catchers and pied kingfishers. The bolong is narrow so we crossed to the other bank and found ourselves in South Senegal.This is a typical fishing boatThe big trip was the up-country journey to Baboon Island, staying atBadi Mayocamp which, I have to say was amazing.This was the only way to protect yourself from the dust We had fabulous food, stayed in very up market tents in the forest and went for a truly magical boat ride to see the chimpanzees that have been rehabilitated back into the wild after being kept as pets or circus performers.Our tent with nets to keep out the lizards and mosquitosSome of you may remember Lucy, the chimp who was taught to use sign language? Well, she now lives here in the Gambia. Her trainer,Janice Carter. is one of the founders of the project and has other chimpanzee projects in West Africa.One of the chimpsTypical river view The road trip was amazing and Lois was amazed by everything that had caught my attention. The mud huts, the beauty of the landscapes, the friendliness of the people we met, the dirt and rubbish, the heat.........Sunset at Baboon IslandOn the way home we stopped to look at theWassu Stone Circles. These are just one of a number of stone circles in West Africa which are over 2,000 years old.My wish is there now In some ways they are similar to Stonehenge but on a smaller scale. It is believed that they were important burial grounds and local people place smaller stones on them to represent a prayer or wish.So, then came Christmas which we decided to spend at Sandele. (Are you getting the impression it is my favourite place?) I was with Jane and Tessa and her friend, Kirsty who was visiting. The first present I opened after my coffee was the awful Father Christmas which is a family joke. We try to pass it off at family gatherings, and my sisters thought it a good idea that I am landed with it in The Gambia.Me and Jane on Christmas morningWe all had a great day but the place is so remote we could not get a signal to Skype home to our familes. the owner, Geri, took us to a small town and trying to get a signal in the street we attracted the attention of all the children in the village.TechnologyJane (and the children) trying to speak to her family The evening was great with an excellent meal and singing courtesy of Jane and a Gambian singer followed by drumming, dancing and a bonfire on the beach. So, for those of you who are interested, I had a fabulous Christmas. Different, granted, but memorable.....