It is June, the month I can say I shall be returning home;
even if my plane will be taking off literally at the 11th hour of
the last day of the month. I marked the turn of the calendar by giving thoughts
to packing up. As is customary I will distribute or throw away things I brought
or bought when I first came out last September.
It feels akin to drawing up a list of bequests.
In the main my clothes have survived well, considering the
harsh conditions – especially the floor scrubbing brush that Awa uses to clean
them and the Soma practice of drying them on bushes. Never-the-less I will
discard many, with Awa’s help. They will either be passed on for extra wear or
relegated to cleaning cloths. As the mother figure to an extended family, Awa
will also put my linen to good use.
Awa, ready to go home and changed out of her work clothes
Awa, ready to go home and changed out of her work clothes
My two pairs of leather sandals have been ideal African foot
soldiers and have much life left in them still, thanks to the excellent repairs
undertaken here. These valiant soles (sorry!) will be coming home with me.
Spare medicines and my unused first aid kit will go to a VSO
friend who is an under-resourced A & E doctor at the Royal Victoria
Teaching Hospital in Banjul.
After Lilli’s relocation from Basse and her marriage to
Kebba, she says she will make good use of all the kitchen equipment in their
flat in nearby Kotu.
It is highly likely that Sarah too will be moving down to
Kombos from Basse. She has applied for a second year, to continue her very
successful Early Years work. No doubt it would make her life easier to inherit
some of my things, rather than transport a load from up country.
Other possessions will be leaving gifts to neighbours, work
colleagues and friends.
Although I am making these plans now, I will not enact them
until the last two days; Friday 29th, my last day at work and
Saturday 30th. The reason is that nothing is a luxury; none of it can
be spared while I am still here.
So on my last Saturday, 30th , tea and biscuits
will be on offer throughout the day at the Pink Palace with the guarantee that
no visitor will leave empty handed!
The Pink Palace: sadly my part is the lower floor, behind the formidable wall.
The Pink Palace: sadly my part is the lower floor, behind the formidable wall.
I have always tried to maintain a positive view of life throughout
my time here and to reflect this in these blogs, either ignoring or making
light of the inevitable challenging side. However, I will never again take for
granted feelings of personal safety and the social systems that promote order,
care and opportunities for the individual.
The challenges do ensure that every VSO volunteer leaves the
Gambia the better, having discovered new personal strengths and abilities, as
well as an appreciation for what is truly valuable.
All that sounds rather stuffy so here are some other
thoughts:
I have been
sustained by:
1.
Samsung
notebook (Thanks Dom)
2.
Contact
with home : Emails (Thanks to so many wonderful folk), Skyping (thanks Greg /Sarah
and Agnes), letters (thanks Mum), Parcels from home (thanks Mum, Janet and
Chris).
3.
Gambian
friendships both in Soma and Kanifing
4.
VSO
friends, their humour and the unstinting support network they provide.
5.
Radio
(especially marvelous Radio 4),
6.
Books
(I’ve never read so much in so little time– sadly mostly by torch or candle
light, necessitating a visit to the optician a.s.a.p.)
7.
Pink
bucket (just wide enough for my long feet!)
8.
PG Tips
9. Work. Practices
at work are very different to those I’m used to but progress still brings huge
satisfaction
I am looking forward
to:
1.
Getting
picked up at Heathrow
2.
Meeting
up with so many people I love and miss.
3.
Hearing
“Hello Gran”.
4.
Walks:
countryside, beaches, cities, Hadrian’s Wall (part of)
5.
English
weather (the novelty will probably soon wear off)
6. British
culture – all levels from pubs to theatres/ galleries but especially Village
Hall events and The Rex
7.
Resuming
hobbies (especially U3A, cooking, sewing and gardening)
8.
The
Olympics, mostly on TV but the Marathon “in the flesh”.
9.
Ordinary
life – which I will never view as quite so ordinary in future.
As Andrew Marr says “It is an incredible piece
of good fortune to be born British”. I
would also add “and a privilege to live in Britain”.
The above list notwithstanding, it has also been a privilege
and piece of good fortune to have worked here in Gambia for 10 months, especially
as my placement brought both up country and urban experiences.
A few of my neighbours here in Kanifing
A few of my neighbours here in Kanifing
I would say to anyone
with the chance to do something similar “Do it”. Just make sure you have the
back up in place to sustain you while you are here and to return to when it is
all over.
Life will never be quite the same!
