Decisions and Driving
on Lynn Sellwood (The Gambia), 10/Feb/2011 11:50, 34 days ago
I have been driving my car for two weeks. It is an Audi 100 with a new engine which has been modified. The bodywork is a little rusty and none of the panel instruments work so speed is a matter of guesswork. The petrol gauge works but I don’t have a windscreen water washer so driving is a matter of hope and experience. The plan is to drive the length of The Gambia with my girlfriends, June, Jane and Tessa in our own version of Thelma and Louise without the dramatic ending and hopefully a Brad Pitt to add to the fun!Driving in The Gambia is interesting to say the least. The tarmac roads are bumpy because they have buckled in the heat or are reduced to holes and gravel. The side roads are sand which can be treacherous and best avoided. The driving habits are very different to the UK. I can best describe it as guesswork. People join the main road from the right or left and stop without indicating, you have to be wary of cyclists who like to drive into oncoming traffic and then there are the goats, the sheep and the cattle which wander the roads. It can be best described as a fairground ride. And I have to do everything on the other side of the road that I am used to and change gear with my right hand.Me and LaminLuckily I have got the services of Lamin, who is a tourist taxi driver friend of mine, who has been willing to change the tyre for my first flat, check the engine and help me buy seat covers and floor mats. He has also agreed to drive me in the dark because believe me you are risking your life with no street lights, no road markings and the same sheep goats, cyclists (with no lights) and packs of dogs! I love having the car and am so grateful to my friends; Geri and Maurice, from Sandele for letting me have it while I am here.So, my routes consist of my trip to work in Banjul, I was bathed in sweat on the first attempt but now it’s easier, and my short trip to the gym! Yes the gym!! I joined last week on the recommendation of another volunteer. It is very western and has lots of machines I recognise and hot showers which is worth every dalasi of the membership fee. Gambia is very flat and despite all the walking it is easy to lose stamina plus I want to keep up this weight loss so that I lose another stone before the summer. No pictures available yet!!!I have also made the decision to extend my stay in The Gambia until February 2012. It was not a difficult decision and the bonus is that I am coming back to the UK for August and most of September to see family and restock for the next phase of my placement. I am really enjoying my job and the people I work with and feel that the extra 6 months will be necessary to see some of the work come to fruition.Nine new volunteers have arrived and I have been part of their in-country training which just demonstrated how far I’ve come in just six months. VSO are being subject to government cuts like many other organisations and are having to carefully question their involvemnt with certain countries. The Gambia remains one of the countries in need of support. If ever you are thinking of making a lifestyle change, thinkofVSO.Planting seeds around the banana treeCampama School is showing really good signs of improvement. I am sure that the interest shown in the school has caused the staff to get a new lease of life. When I first visited the school was very dirty with litter all over the grounds, the toilets were not functioning properlyChildrens drop toilet, cleaned up! and were not clean and the staff gave the impression of being overwhelmed by the enormity of their situation. In just a couple of visits, the school grounds have been tidied, the toilets are much cleanerCreating the vegetable beds and The Ministry of Education Planning department have agreed to mend and replace the non-functioning water towers, put the roof back on a classroom and designate the school as a site for an e-learning project for teachers.Teacher asnd children On top of this, the teachers have decided to plant a small garden in order to grow vegetables to supplement the School Feeding project. I have agreed to continue to raise funds in order to re-stock the library and put a new roof on after getting rid of the asbestos one!So, I really do need you to get my bank details so that I can start to raise money for the library and stock the nursery classes with suitable items. If you have any access to suitable reading or reference books with a reading age from beginners (picture books) to age 13/14, please get in touch and we can talk about shipping from UK or USA. My email address islynn.sellwood@gmail.comand the shipping company isRedcoatin the UK. My address is VSO The Gambia, PO Box 677, Banjul, The Gambia, West Africa. If enough of you want to send books then others can contribute the money for shipping?Matthew’s three week stay is coming to an end tomorrow.I'm keeping the hat for myself It has been great having him with me. I don’t think we have spent so much time together since he was 18 years old! It has been great to show him how I live and introduce him to my VSO colleagues and some of the people I have met. He has been particularly impressed withSandeleDaniel Craig? and theBeeCauseproject. He spent three days in Sandele and volunteered to do some plastering for one of the buildings for Mick and Jenny with a few other VSO volunteers.Pete and shovelMatt inside the "Hobbit house"Reading on Sandele beach He has read many books and has decided to train as a lawyer and go back and live in Oxford.Reading on my spare bed It seems The Gambia is a place to sort your head out........The next visitor is Andrew who has been given leave from work to return to The Gambia to accompany the cricket team to their first T20 in Ghana. They have been busypractising in local matches in preparation!