Blogs from Gambia, Africa - page 8

Well, we have spent 3 nice days at sea and arrived in Banjul about 10:00am. A couple days ago the ship had an auction to raise extra money for the crew. There were tons of items donated by passengers and creative items that Jamie and other members of the staff put together. It was a resounding success! They raised somewhere in the range of $30,000 to divide between most of the 450 or so crew members that we interact with and those do not see, like engine room and laundry personnel, to name just a couple. Banjul, formerly known as Bathurst, and officially named the City of Banjul, is the capital of The Gambia, and is in the division of the same name. Banjul is on St. Mary’s Island (Banjul Island), where the Gambia River enters ... read more

THE GAMBIA When someone suggested spending the weekend in The Gambia, I was all for it. We left Friday afternoon, with a taxi to the "garage" where buses & station wagons leave. It was a 2 hour trip to the border. One hour was on a good road, the other very pot-holed, so drivers were often on the unpaved area that would be the shoulder, left or right side, veering around trees and signs. Passengers cross the border on foot, stopping at immigration desks. The red tape was quick. Another van ride to get to the ferry to cross the river to Banjul, the capital. The Gambia is strangely located inside of Senegal, with one edge on the Atlantic Ocean. Senegalese describe it as the tongue on the mouth (see map). It is essentially a river ... read more

Well a rather long day of travel from Cap Skiring to The Gambia. Early rise thanks to Simon (5:30) and on the bus at 6:30. I hope he didn’t expect any cash? At the Gambian border I got pulled in to the border guards office for my “address”. It soon became clear that I wasn’t going to be allowed to go anytime soon. However, I wasn’t in a rush. Neither of us were willing to bring up the idea of a bribe (for different reasons). We casually chatted about sports, Canada and the weather. All the while the border guard was getting more and more antsy. He kept asking me: “You want to leave?” “Well eventually” I’d reply. Then I started to read his newspaper as his work started to pile up. Finally he asked: “you ... read more

So now we are back at school, back to being a teacher again... This week was quite stressful, I will give you a brief summary; Monday: I go to school at 8am, only to find about 50 students and 0 teachers. By 9am this number has gone up to 60 students and 2 teachers. By 11am this number remains at 60 out of 400 students and 3 out of 10 teachers. I then decide that the 60 students who have turned up should at least be given food for their first day, since they were all half starving after a 1month Easter Holiday of no school meals. This involves HUGE drama, as the cook isn't there, the person who kept the keys to the kitchen wasn't there, there were no bowls to eat from, and no ... read more

Let me give you an overview of my last two weeks here: Due on May 13: A 12-page ethnology project 5 2-page essays Due when i get back to Maacama 3-page self-evaluation Internet Cafe hours: 10-6 Sunday-Thursday 10-4 Friday 11-3 Saturday My Schedule: Today (Tuesday 5/5)-School from 8:30-6:30 Wednesday 5/6-School from 8:30-7 Thursday 5/7-School from 8:30-2 (and then probably about three hours at the internet) Friday 5/8-School from 8:30-2 and then going gift-shopping in Banjul Saturday 5/9-nature reserve Sunday 5/10-internet/beach Monday 5/11-school from 8:30-7 Tuesday 5/12-school from 8:30-6:30 Wednesday 5/13 (the day everything's due)-school from 8:30-7 (no internet time! ahh!!) Thursday 5/14-school from 8:30-2 Friday 5/15-school from 8:30-2 (last day!) then Banjul to spend all the money i have left on fabrics Saturday 5/16-getting hair braided, sponsor walk... read more