Football Season

So the season begins; to my surprise about 500 people had come to watch, it was quite a sight playing with the stadium towering over the pitch with the sun on its way down.  Our first opponents included some players who play in the Gambian football league; it was to be a tough contest with plenty of chances, sadly the first half finished 0-0.  Second half was time to pounce with half an hour left we brought on another striker and played 3 upfront.  Unfortunately although we were dominating it looked like we would never score until alas with 2 minutes to go “Big Moma” broke free of the defence and chipped the ball over the keeper an into the net… GOALLLLLLLL!!! The crowd went wild all 300 of the Soul Samba fans were cheering and drumming, children charged onto the pitch, the goal celebrations went on for about 5 minutes before the last minute of football was actually played.  The final whistle went; yes relief and sheer joy was the reward for a solid performance.  After the game we paraded through the streets back to the club compound for a mini celebration of drumming and dancing.

My next regional visit was West Coast where I was based in Brikama, which is the largest town in the Gambia with many people requiring help.  The people I am working with are nice, Mr Joof “Boss Man”, Mr Jeng (I can’t pronounce his actual name), and Musu Bah “The lovely Fula”. Brikama is by far the poorest place I have been to, the majority of the homes I inspected reminded me of derelict medieval forts as they had uneaven stony flaws and small dirty mattresses to sleep on, sometimes the water would come up through the floor; although this is their own fault as they are living on marsh land which is still used to cultivate rice.  I got the chance to visit the Brikama craft market, which is apparently the best in the Gambia, here I saw the men carving various items.  I used my fantastic bartering skills to get myself a Mandinka game made called “Woro”, I got it personally made with my own design, I then got myself a beautiful little wooden box.  After going back to the office we chilled and drank attaya, which is they’re version of green tea, it is very sweet and is drunk from a shot glass.  It is quite a sight to see it being prepared, and Mr Jeng is an expert.  Final day of my Brikama visit, I will be sad to leave and hope very much to return one day it is by far my favourite place in the Gambia so far; the people are friendly, you don’t get pestered, I can speak a bit of Mandinka as that is their first tongue, overall it just has a really cool vibe.

Having had a busy week of training the team in fitness to the brink of death maybe, as they pleaded with me for a rest sometimes but like the dictator I am I pushed them harder.  I think some appreciated it maybe or simply laughed because they had no other option.  The day before our second game the training was short and relaxed so as the players would be good form for the match.  Again the crowd was around 500 for the match, and on my way to the game I was recognized by people as the “Touba Coach” for Soul Samba, it seems that I am now famous in the area.  However maybe my fame will disperse as a shocking first half saw us finish 1-0 down which was lucky we should have been down by 3 if the opposition hadn’t missed 2 open goals.  After a stern half time talk the guys were sent out to attack attack attack!  The second half performance was much improved as we countered and equalized via a header from a corner.  However as the game went on we were torn apart and finally the whistle went we had hung on for an undeserved point.  I was far from pleased.  And to finish my bad day off whilst out for a few drinks with the other volunteers we received a phone call from our landlady to say we had flooded the house, by leaving the shower on.  So we rushed back to find workmen brushing the “gushing” water out of the house.  Niyma had lost it with us; although it was far from disastrous the floor was a little damp at best.  “Chill Niyma, I deal with this situation all the time at work”, I felt like a naughty schoolboy.  Looking back it was actually hilarious “CHUCKLES!”

Me and Matt went to the Independence Stadium to watch Gambia’s final qualification match for the African Cup of Nations against Burkino Faso.  There was an awesome group of hardcore fans that were dressed in Gambia colours and were dancing and drumming none stop the whole time we were there, there was also a gospel choir at one end they weren’t quite as spectacular to watch but were still cool.  The game to my surprise was actually very exciting.  I loved it when one of the Gambian strikers went for an overhead kick and completely missed the ball… HA!  Before half time Gambia smashed the ball into the goal but it was disallowed for a debatable offside.  BOO!

The second half was much the same with Gambia creating many chances but being awful at shooting couldn’t score until finally from a Rory Delap like throw in they scored a header.  The crowd went mental; again kids ran on the pitch it was quite surreal.  However as the game went on the referee became a bit of a tool and kept penalizing Gambian and favouring Burkino Faso, finally with the last kick of the game they equalized and everyone was very upset and booing.  The whole experience was fun, although we were warned before going about trouble and fighting, which we saw none, I was expecting a scene from the football factory or similar.  Matt and me were expecting to be on the news as English football hooligans take over Gambian football or something to that extent.  Shame.

That night we had our first experience of the nightclub Aquarius, hmm… an interesting place with sleazy men and a few prostitutes dotted around me thinks.  But we had a good time as before that we were at Green Mamba bar where we are friends with the owner “Tony” who is half Gambian half Swedish, he’s cool, and gave us many a free drink and also got us into Aquarius for free.  There was some good music not much but some, but a good time was had by all the highlight being when Leah used this girls dreads as a face mask not once not twice but thrice, to her credit she did ask permission the third time. 

My next visit is to the North Bank Region where I will be based in Kerowan, but that shall be another story…

Extended Family

So four weeks later much has happened, new family, new name, and new life.  Having spent a week at the head office (NDMA) where not much was happening due to the abundance of volunteers and staff I offered my services for field work.  This was met with praise and I was immediately given a rotor where I would go from regional office to regional office spending 4 days at each, ensuring that I could still participate in my mandinka lessons.

My first region was KMC (Kanifing Municipal Council), although this covers a small area it looks after many people and is often badly affected by the flash floods.  The team here is much smaller than at the head office as is the office but I like it, there is still air conditioning and internet access although the power situation is more temperamental.  Although the surrounding area is lovely and quaint; the journey from Westfield to the office is eventful, constantly getting bombarded by taxi drivers wanting to take me to Banjul “I give you very good price”, “Well in that case then sure I will go, oh wait no I won’t”; they really need to work on their selling technique.  The easiest reply is simply I am going to KMC and they leave you alone, some don’t even say goodbye.  The field work is interesting I refrain from using the word fun because many people’s lives and possessions have been ruined.  I saw homes which were lucky to be standing and could collapse any moment on their occupants who are living outside of them, and many homes had simply collapsed or showed the remains of stagnant water which had been left standing waiting to be evaporated as there is nowhere for the water to go.  Other problems include the mass dumping of waste within 10 meters of people’s homes, and within the sewage system meaning that pollution is a major problem both in blocking water ways entering the river, and the thick toxic smells which lie there rotting in the local’s mouths.  As part of the field visits I got to communicate with the local people and get there point of view and ideas about what is happening and what should be done to prevent further damage.  This was very insightful, as many of the ideas were actually useful and could potentially help, although to implement the ideas would take some careful thinking so as not to waste precious time and money.  Overall the people seemed happy with what help they were receiving and the life style was vastly different to what I experience living in Senegambia, it looked smelt and painted  the perfect picture of a stereotypical idea of African village life.  This experience allowed me to write my own report on the situation based on what impact last years help has had on this years floods and what further help is required; I added some of my own personal ideas which may or may not be taken on board due to costs, although some of them I believe are very cost effective and would be hugely beneficial if they were to be implemented.

My second regional experience was at Banjul the sleepy capital city, summed up by the fact that on my first day nothing happened; I simply sat in the office (a small apartment on the 2^nd floor of a block of flats) and met the solitary other staff member who was chilled and we just relaxed.  The excitement started when Sisawo called me to say that he had set me up with a football team “Soul Samba FC” and I was to meet them later on that day, I also found out that 3 other volunteers who I had met once briefly at a meeting for the Ghana experience who had unfortunately been forced to move due to “safety” although it sounded like their hosting organization was a sham and maybe the main cause for why they came over.  Either way myself and Leah were delighted to get some company and add to our experience, “new friends”.  

So later that day I went with Sisawo and Ansu to the football field as it is known in Africa, I would refer to it as a massive sandpit, where I met with the players and the other coach conveniently nicknamed Alex.  There was about 40 players as the squad had yet to be chosen, before I met the team we watched from under a massive tree; we had a little kick about ourselves, I played barefoot as my sandals were useless this brought great pleasure and laughter to those watching, although I think Sisawo needs to work on his touch “Te He”.  After the training I had to introduce myself to the group which was quite daunting as they were all at least 18; however it was ok because as soon as I started talking they all looked and listened as if I was some sort of professional coach, which made me relax and almost laugh being as I have no experience in teaching or coaching anything never mind an adult football team.  After my introduction I also received a round of applause which made me chuckle again as I didn’t feel like I deserved any of this added respect, all I imagined is that they would appreciate my effort of trying to help but they seemed to appreciate my effort more than I had expected.  Afterwards the captain came and introduced himself and welcomed me to the team which was lovely and really helped me settle in.

The volunteers from Ghana arrived in the very early hours of the morning so we didn’t really sleep, merely snoozed until they arrived.  When they came it was late and I was tired but the welcome was exciting and they all seemed really nice.  Once the excitement calmed down we went to bed Leah and the 2 new girls (Hatty and Dell), and myself and matt in another room.  It felt strange going to work the next day but I did it anyway.  It was good; I was taken on a tour of Banjul to see the 8 canals which had been built as part of the DRR (disaster risk reduction), they worked really well and when combined with the pumping system any lying water took no more than 30 minutes to be moved into the canals and flow towards the sea.  The drainage system could also be seen as the covers were being taken off; this was so that they could be cleaned of any waste and allow the water to flow properly though them.  It’s a shame that so much time and money is spent cleaning, covering and uncovering the drains simply because there is no waste disposal plan so it ends up in the drainage.  Although now there is a no littering law in place to help minimize this, I have been told that this is working but still more needs to be done.  The problem was so bad that crocodiles used to live on the banks of the main canal within 5 meters of compounds, some locals got so intimidated that they slaughtered one of the crocodiles.  Crocodiles are rarely spotted there these days.

After Banjul I went back to the head office as Ash and Raphael from Everything Is Possible came over for mid-term training.  This meant that work was quiet although it allowed me to concentrate on my football team, devising myself a fitness routine and some basic football games to improve the team.  I was in control of the whole team training; they seemed to love what I had planned for them even though the un-relentless heat made training hard and energy wilt with every second.  They were so impressed that the actual coach asked me to type it up for him to help him acquire his coaching award even though I told him I wasn’t a coach.  Also some of the players seem to think that I am actually a fitness coach from Stoke City who has been sent to help, “CHUCKLES!”   I am glad that I have been given the chance to coach as it is very rewarding and some of the players who I walk back towards Senegambia with have told me that they have felt the benefits of not being stiff or soar after, and are in fact doing some of the fitness tasks in their own time which is good.

Now that there is a large group of us volunteers we feel more comfortable going out in the evenings which is good because it means we can relax without getting bored and can get to know each other better.  Everyone is really cool which is good because it makes it easy to feel relaxed and act yourself, going to the bars and listening to some local reggae whilst watching some of the bumsters dance with their broads.  HA!   It’s good to have different personalities within the group some people talk a lot and are very opinionated others sit back and take it all in simply enjoying the company.  Hearing the stories and inside jokes from Ghana is entertaining even if you do feel like some of the jokes have gone straight over your head.

The big event of the last few weeks was “The Naming Ceremony”.  For this we went to Banjul with Anty Niyma to pick up some African attire, I got a sky blue half Kaftan with MC Hammer pants covered in a “funky” star design.  On the day of the ceremony we were picked up by Sisawo and taken to Tujereng where we went for the end of Ramadan celebration; here we were greeted by what seemed like everyone in the village, I got to practice my mandinka on the locals although my pronunciation may be lacking somewhat.  It was lovely that all the children had remembered my name “ALEEEICE” as they call me, “TE HE”.  After the greet came the slaughter of the lamb, I chose to go watch as I thought it was good to see the whole cultural experience and I believe that if you can’t kill what you’re going to eat then you shouldn’t eat it.  It was quite surreal the colour of the blood was brighter than I thought it would be and as it squirted violently out it made a hissing noise like leaking gas.  The only horrible bit was when it was hung afterwards as it was still alive kicking out and twitching, it didn’t make me sad but it made me think that surely there must be a way to kill it outright so that it doesn’t struggle or sustain needless pain.

A marquee was setup where we sat on green plastic garden chairs.  Whilst everything was being prepared we entertained the kids teaching them novelty habits such as popping your cheek with your finger and making fart noises with your arm pits, I was guilty for the later and to my enjoyment it was the girls who took to it more than the boys.  I hope they don’t get in trouble for it when we leave.  As I sat there surrounded by children the drumming band started and the local women began to dance, it was quite a sight they take it very seriously, it was like some war competition.  They got us all to join in which was fun because everyone looked silly together; we were all jiggling around stamping our feet and laughing.  At one point a circle was formed and everyone had to do their own dance in the middle, this was great everyone did something different we all looked “awesome”.  Daniel are language teacher pulled some of his own shapes including what appeared to be the chicken dance; the crowd loved him, there was even a song about him.  After dancing we ate, the lamb was tender and tasted good although some bits were a bit fatty but it would have been rude to complain so I just ate around the fat.

Next we got changed into our African attire and came back to under the marquee for the naming.  We sat in a line whilst they pretended to shave our heads with a razor, then our names were announced one by one “Dawda Touray” everyone clapped and cheered.  Then we were presented with some white powder on our forehead similar to Ash Wednesday for Christians, and a Kola nut; however I learnt my lesson from last time and didn’t eat that nasty bitter bugger.  We were named after Anty Niyma’s family so are now a Big African Family ourselves “Extended Family”.  Unfortunately the rain came pouring down so we took shelter in the house and no more dancing could take place.  Later, having had many pictures and playing with the kids we ate.  You guessed it Lamb and rice “HA!” I got a lamb cutlet which was beautifully tender and melted in my mouth it was good.  “YUM!”  As the night drew in we said our goodbyes and headed back home having had a very special and enjoyable day.  I loved every minute of it.

So I shall finish there leaving you with the knowledge that Soul Samba have their first match at the big Serrakunda stadium on Friday 30^th September.

A whole new world

The shortish flight of 5 and a half hours seemed to last forever so by the time I landed all I wanted was some clean air and space, walking off the plane was hit by a wall of thick heat.  Great!
However my mood soon changed as I saw a precession of armed guards with a marching band who were there to greet the President of Senegal, it was quite a sight.  Having gone through all the security checks myself and Leah (the other volunteer) were greeted  by our host Sisawo and his working colleague Ansumana holding up a card with our names on; our greeting was not as grand as that of the Senegalese President but still pretty special.  On the journey to our "place of stay" we were treated by a ride through the busy village of Serakunda with many street stalls children running round in the pouring rain and muddy sand everywhere, the other side of the road had been blocked off for The Gambian President and his convoy as they came flying past in huge blacked out windowed HGVs and various military vehicles with mounted guns.  Needless to say within minutes of this sudden obstruction there was an accident which slowed things down to a turtles pace.  So this is Gambia a rainy place with reckless drivers and intense humidity.

When we  pulled up outside a house on a small dirt road the sun had come out and the rain was gone, we were directed through a gate and into a house by our hosts and were greeted by a local lady with a huge smile (Anty Nyiama).  We were given a mini tour of the house and shown our bedrooms.  I really wasn't expecting this; this house is insane, double bed en-suit, a huge 47" TV with giant speakers, the lounge is grand with seats worthy of royalty and enough to seat a small congregation.  I was lost for words and couldn't help but smile and laugh I was expecting some small building with plain walls a mattress and a possibly a table with 2 chairs. 

Wow this is the life!

The next day arranged to be collected by Sisawo to meet my work colleagues at the NDMA (national disaster management agency), however forgot to alter my clock so woke up and hour early, and was treated to my first experience of African timing.  Having been introduced to our work colleagues we were taken to see the national youth organisation based at the national football stadium which was pretty wicked.  On the way back to our residence we were treated to our first experience of a local market which was just a maze of passageways full of people, stalls and animals.  With the help of Sisawo we acquired some local fruit and veg at a good price.  We also dared to pick up some steak despite the fact that it was covered in flies. YUM!
Cooked our first meal with the local ingredients, it was pretty good; a nice end to a tiring muggy day.

To update our visas we had to travel to Banjul which is the capital, although it seemed quiet for a capital, it is home to the majority of official buildings which have the best air conditioning systems in the world, was getting cold whilst having my visa checked.  After this we were treated to another experience of visiting a local school were Sisawo had studied, although there weren't many students there as it currently summer holidays and so only a few were there for summer school.  We were introduced to the Head Master who we would meet again as he is the Chief of a local village where we will stay.  On the way back home we traveled through some local communities and full of children playing in the road and constantly smiling.  When you shake hands with one of them it starts a frantic craze of kids appearing from no where running towards you in an overly excited state just to shake your hands, it was surreal how excited they were to shake my hands I don't think I have ever been that excited about anything in my life.
           
Unexpected rest day today as unfortunately Sisawo had his bag stolen from his car so he had to sort that out, what a shame he is such a nice guy feel quite bad for him.
Well to make the most of the day when the sun came out we decided to check out the local beach, however being in a tourist area we were bombarded by "Bumsters", they seem all nice at first and then lead you to a secluded area and tell you some sob story about how they need money to help them play drums or feed children, it was an unknown area so we gave in and gave them a bit of money which is annoying and has put me off from wanting to visit that beach again.  Although we did meet one nice guy "Steve" who own a stall 23 in the tourist market of Senegambia, he gave us each a necklace as a gift we shall have to visit him again.  So a day which started unfortunately got worse but ended well.  It could have been worse so chin up.

Today we got our first work experience by helping with some tree planting in a small village which was nice although it did rain all day, the wettest yet.  After which we visited a snake & reptile park with other local wild life from within the Gambia, including the deadly House Snake, "Who's house".
Visited the largest fishing market in Gambia which was crazy, people everywhere running around with fish and shouting in the pouring rain, luckily Ansumana sorted us out with some fresh fish (Red Snapper), without his help we would have been completely lost.  Got 6 fish for a pound, what a steal!.

Started work on Monday 22nd August.  The work is relaxed and no-one ever seems busy but all the staff are very friendly and welcoming.  I got a lift home with the ladies from work which was nice, they are looking after me.  Being as all my colleagues are fasting for the Ramadan I to have decided to fast for the week, not quite the month, never mind.  The hardest part isn't not eating until sunset, but the fact that I am not allowed to consume liquids is tough especially in the humid conditions, also because I am too lazy to wake up at 5am for breakfast I am only eating and drinking between 19:30 and when I go to bed, so if anything I have it worse.

Been here a week now and already I have managed to achieve some air time on the national news (GRTS).  It was as part of a story with the relief process within the Gambia for to help prevent flood damage, I got to meet some very important people within the Gambia and Africa itself.  Although my highlight of the day was seeing the village head men discussing "Arguing" with the men in-charge of preventing the damage, it was quite funny, local people around were laughing and clapping.

Last day of my fasting period, it was tough but I'm glad I tried it and succeeded; however I will be happy to be able to drink and eat whenever I want again.  We were treated to our first African meal today by Anty Nyiama, it was succulent "COW" with cous cous and peppers. Mmm!. A great way to end my fast.

For the end of the Ramadan we were invited by Sisawo to spend it with his friends in a local village.  The day of prayers woke up at 9 to have breakfast "Snack".  We then got dressed for the prayers, I borrowed a lovely white traditional Muslim outfit off Sisawo, then we headed off for prayers, yes you guessed it we were late, Ha!.  The elders (all men) are at the front leading the prayers followed by rows of men and at the back are the rows of women.  Didn't really know what was going on just following Sisawo and then he joined a row with no more space and just pointed at me; oh dear I immediately panicked where should I be stuck in between 2 rows I head backwards maybe Leah is standing to the side taking pictures, nope she has joined a woman's row.  Then everyone went down to their knees and I was stuck in no mans land.  Bugger!
Luckily some boys had arrived late so started a new row near Sisawos row, I immediately joined them and participated in the prayer ritual, now I could relax and enjoy the experience.  Sisawo ushered me over to take some pictures, seemed weird but other people were doing the same thing so I felt ok.  We then followed Sisawo to greet others within the village and have pictures taken, including the Principal of the school as mentioned earlier as he is the village chief.  After the prayers are finished it is tradition to walk home a different way and visit the village elders including the chief lady of the village who is in-charge of the naming ceremony. 
Of course when we got back we were given breakfast round 2. Ha! so much food.
We helped with the cooking for lunch and tea, I was in-charge of the fire which required the melting of a plastic bag as the wood being used was damp, my ingenious idea of using ripped up card also helped get it going.  To my surprise there were no toxic fumes from the plastic bag, will have to remember that trick when having trouble with fires in the future.
It felt a bit like Christmas as everyone is dressed up family and friends eating loads, and the children go around from house to house getting money.  It was a lovely experience.    
After lunch we went for an evening stroll around the village, as the sun disappeared the night sky was illuminated by a plethora of stars, it was quite a sight.  Having arrived back at the house we were given more food,  all the food was traditional Gambian dishes mostly including peanuts.  To end the evening I sat outside chatting with the locals and Sivi (The lady of the house), we had green tea which was served in a shot glass and was very sweet.  To watch it being prepared was mesmirising, as it was poured from one shot glass into another falling about an arms width through the air in the dark with only a candle light, quite a talent.  It was delicious.

Currently learning Mandinka so will have to see how that goes, so far it is odd with the different sounds.

So that is the summary of nearly 3 weeks within the Gambia, having fully settled in now and knowing how to deal with the bumsters so that I can go wherever I want, the culture differences is still huge but I am getting more used to it.  Lets hope the fun continues and that I learn a lot from both my work and living experiences.