7am was our arranged set off
time today, but we had not bargained on the time it takes boys to
get ready! Worse than
the Girls! Atique was busy making sure
his quiff was perfect for the journey; Bahsan was dressing for the North Pole I
think in a quilted body warmer, Hamza was making sure his hat was at the right
angle, goodness knows what the others were doing. Omar had arrived on time and so all the transport
was ready and waiting; but it was nearer to half
past 7 before we set off.
Bashir and Amar were travelling in the truck with us. We arranged to meet for breakfast at
MandinaBa as the minibus was faster than our fully laden truck. It was light almost before we got to the
airport road and the shops were all open and the bread had been delivered when
we arrived to buy our sandwiches. Today
is the first day for the Boys and so they are not yet used to the idea that
there are no fast food outlets for breakfast and the choice is very limited
depending on the season and availability of food. However, being able to photograph banana
trees was a novelty and even though some chose not to have a sandwich, snacks
were available in the transport. We set
off again and reached the ferry at Soma just after 10.30am. The
traffic was busier than we have seen it for several weeks now and we had to
hustle to get near the front of the queue to cross. We waited for the larger ferry so we could
cross together and managed to get into Farafenni around noon. A quick stop
to buy buckets and ladles for showers, and then onto to Kaur to end our
journey. Channeh, the head teacher at
Jamwelly rang to check on our progress and arranged to meet us at the cross
roads to welcome us to Kaur. We arrived
after 1pm and were met on the road by
the Head Teacher, Mr Jarjussey from Kaur and Channeh, along with 4 other people
from the school. Greetings were
exchanged and then we all set off for the last half mile to the school. We drove in through the hole where the gates
used to be and were met with a wall of sound; all pupils from both morning and
afternoon sessions, (around 750) were lined up down both sides of the entrance way all clapping and
chanting ‘Welcome, Welcome’ Belle Vue
Boys had never seen anything like it and several of them were very moved by the
emotions it provoked. We were escorted
to a circle of chairs which had been arranged for us to sit down and then the
Chairman of the School Management Committee, the Head Teacher, the Deputy Head
and the Cluster Monitor all made speeches welcoming us all to the school. Eventually we were allowed to rest, and after
being shown the classroom where they were sleeping, the boys spent time blowing
up airbeds and arranging the mosquito nets which were to be theirs for the next
3 nights. Soon, lunch arrived, cooked by
Channeh and the school cooks, plates were retrieved and spoons found. We had decided to eat vegetarian for the
duration of the trip, as it was felt unfair to ask them to cook food which they
could not normally afford. Some of the
boys ate vegetables for the first time!
Although the rice was popular with everyone. After dinner we requested
the keys to the library and the boys were able to see what their fundraising
efforts had provided for the school. The room is just an unpainted shell at the
moment, clearly showing where a door has been blocked off and windows have been
created. Tomorrow we will all paint and
stock the shelves with books. Some of
the boys wanted to start work today, but as it was the hottest part of the day
and their first full day in the Gambia,
it was decided to wait until the relative cool of the morning. The boys proceeded to make friends with the
local pupils, Steve and I went down to Jamwelly to make up our bed for the
night. The little dog we rescued a
couple of weeks ago has settled in and although her leg has been broken at some
time it has healed well, just leaving a small bump on the join. She has been named Tiger by the school
children and is now a changed animal, quite happy and wagging her tail a
lot. Musa, the caretaker, is looking
after her and the school cooks are providing her with dinner every day. Steve brought a book on dog care on his last
visit, and Channeh found it ‘interesting’ that animals were so well treated in Europe. We set up our bedroom, had a rest out of the
hot sun, and returned to the school in time for supper and to plan the work for
tomorrow. At last time for bed, and we made our way back to Jamwelly.
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