12 November 2017
Days 5 and 6 - The first weekend
Days 5 and 6: The
first weekend
Most schools are closed at the
weekend so we decided to spend our time visiting compounds and families and
have a bit of rest and relaxation.
A late start
after the exertions of Friday saw us heading to the Medical Research Council’s
main site in The Gambia. The MRC is a UK agency that carries out and funds
medical research. It has a unit in The Gambia.
That unit carries out research and also has a clinical unit where local people
can come if unwell. We had brought over some items, mainly clothing for the
baby unit in the unit’s hospital and we delivered those. We visited a couple of
compounds to see sponsored students and visited The Gambia’s best bookshop to
buy some school books that some students had requested. The bookshop is
punningly named “Timbookto” and would put many a UK high street bookshop to
shame. We had to make a lightning return to the MRC to pick up something left
behind and then finished our day out at the Calypso Bar at Cape Point, where the
Gambia river meets the Atlantic Ocean. The bar there overlooks a small lagoon.
On the far bank of it a group of crocodiles live. Smart readers can tell me what
the collective noun for crocodiles is! We all photographed the crocodiles lying
on the bank and dipping in to cool down and feed.
In the evening
Linda joined us and we went to a delightful sea-food restaurant a couple of
miles away for our dinner.
On Sunday
morning we started our day at Langtombong’s compound. He is one of Kathy’s and
my sponsored students. After chatting with him and his family for a while we
drove to Abdoulie’s compound.
Abdoulie and his wife Aminata have a new baby, Isatou, who is just two weeks old and absolutely delightful. Abdoulie’s other children soon arrived followed by an impressively large number of other children. We played maths games with some of them and Mo led a singsong with a group of the younger (and not so younger children). We had a delightful time and then moved on to Wandifa’s compound.
Abdoulie and his wife Aminata have a new baby, Isatou, who is just two weeks old and absolutely delightful. Abdoulie’s other children soon arrived followed by an impressively large number of other children. We played maths games with some of them and Mo led a singsong with a group of the younger (and not so younger children). We had a delightful time and then moved on to Wandifa’s compound.
Welcome Isatou and congratulations to Aminata and Abdoulie
We were met by Wandifa’s charming wife, Mariama and his three children along with his extended family. Pippa met a local tradesman there to discuss having some furniture hand-made for Yundum barracks schools who are desperately short of furniture. We now have some idea of what he can make and how much it will cost. We will now have to discuss this with the schools to see of it meets their needs.
We were met by Wandifa’s charming wife, Mariama and his three children along with his extended family. Pippa met a local tradesman there to discuss having some furniture hand-made for Yundum barracks schools who are desperately short of furniture. We now have some idea of what he can make and how much it will cost. We will now have to discuss this with the schools to see of it meets their needs.
We all thoroughly
enjoyed lunch which Mariama had cooked for us. It was chicken domoda which is
chicken I a spicy pureed peanut sauce served with vegetables and rice.
Back to the
hotel then. David and Regina had been out for the day with one of their
sponsored children and her mother. They had all come back to the hotel for a
swim and we were joined by Linda and her “family”.
Tomorrow we are
going to the North Bank. This requires a 5.15 start to catch the first ferry
