After one of the training sessions the presenter and my colleague decided to stay at the school to rest (in the end, we didnt leave school until 7pm!) and wait for the principal to arrange our accomodation at his house. I had no choice but to just go with to the flow, all in Gambian time. The school was quiet, so I decided to utilise my time and work on typing up this blog. Children started to appear and gather around me to look at the computer, the first computer they have scene. I had at least 25 children squashed around me, so I decided to show them some photos of Australia I had on my computer. We exchanged local language and English words for items in the pictures. They were also interested in my camera which was also sitting on my lap, so I took a video of them around me and played this back. If you can imaging me sitting on a chair, surrounded by 25 kids packed in tight tryin to spin my camera around as they all wanted to get their head the screen. I played this back many times to the excitement of the children seing their faces on the screen. The video is hilarious, a sea of smiling faces but when the younger children started crying because they were being squashed i thought it was time to put the gadgets away.
In my role as EducationAdvisor, I am working with the Lower River Region Education team to implement the Whole School Development Strategy in selected schools.The WSD strategy is changing the structures, management, organisation and practices within each school. It is a huge inititiative being sponsored and driven by the World Bank and other large organisations (Difid, Besfor).
Ihave spent the last 5 days on Trek through my region with my Gambian Colleague. We have stayed in small rural communities, which have been extremely hospitable. Principals have organisedfood and accomodation, often vacating their homes to provide a place for me to sleep.
The first stage of the initiative has been for communities to elect a School Management Committee, the communities have met in large gatherings to elect members. Our role was to observe the Principals/Deputys deliver training to 3 school communities about their role as a committee member, information about WSD and developing their school vision. The training was conducted in Mandinka(one site Mandinka and Fula) and information discussed was written in English. We went to 4 sites and participated, gave feedback and recorded what the community ideas were.
It has been a wonderful trek, meeting teachers, school children, community members and principals. I have spent quiet evenings chatting outside under that stars as there has been no power in the towns visited. I have shared a food bowl for each lunch and dinner. This has consisted of a huge rice bowl with a domoda (peanut gravy, often eaten with goat meat) or fish benechin (dried fish with cabbage due to limited vegetable supply). About 5 people ear together and share the food bowl usually without cutlery. Each breakfast has consisited of sardines, onion and mayanaise to a bagette with really sweet tea, both condensed milk and sugar added.
My thoughts about the project so far are positive, even though it is such a huge project. It had been wonderful seeing the parent community having a say and contribute ideas in their local language. Most parents are illiterate and it has been powerful to hear their thoughts and to indicate what they have to say is important.
I suppose it was only a matter of time really, even though I feel comfortable and enjoy riding a motorbike, I still need a lot more practice on the sandy, dusty, rough, bumpy and stoney roads.
Basically, Jenny and Sovie (other Soma volunteers) and I planned to take an hour and a half journey to have lunch. I was extremely excited, my first weekend in Soma after spending prrevious weekends camping on the beach at Kartong. 20 minutes into the journey, I was trailing the girls and road was dusty. I came over a rise, travelling about 50km/hr and at the last minute saw a piece of metal on the ground. I didnt have time to swerve and hit it. After the impact, Im not exactly sure what happened. I believe I flew into the air ahead of my bike, landed on my head and did a few rolls. Bike followed behind me. I was quite relieved I could stand up and felt I could get back on the bike, still believing I was invincible. With one arm I manged to lift the bike upright and assessed my body and the bike. The front of the bike was a bit bent, indicator light cracked and the top of my helmet was scratched and a small part came off. The girls finally realised I had crashed and came back. I still felt I would be able to ride on but my arm was aching and I couldnt bend or move it, thinking this pain would quickly pass. After sometimeI confronted the fact that my arm was not good, I couldny even get a lift on a bike back home as I couldnt move it.
We arranged a lift back with a friend from Peace Corps and another Peace Corps nurse assessed my arm. I could feel my fingers but could not bend or twist it. I still believed I would be fine and not to worry. As the day progressed no improvement was made and medication was necessary. We arranged for VSO to come out and pick me up in the next morning and head to Banjul hospital, about a 4 hour journey just to make sure my arm wasnt broken.
I was fine all day, in a bit of pain but in good spirits. In the evening, 11 hours later I had a panic attack, which scared the life out of me. I felt hot, tight in the chest and then felt like I couldnt breathe. My body went all tingly, dizzy and i couldnt stand up, convinced that I was going to die from not being able to breathe. I finally overcame this, but it left me shaken. I then felt another attack coming on and manged this one a little better.
With support from VSO, I went to the clinic that evening for a check up and then slept outside at the Peace Corps nurses house, I needed to have fresh air and open space around me.
The next day we travelled to Banjul hospital and after time there having x rays and doctors looking and prodding my arm they declared it wasnt broken, elbow was twisted and arm ligaments damaged. They put my arm in plaster and wrappped it up. I took the plaster off after a week and only used the base for protection.
So my motorbike riding days are over for at least 6 weeks. I am happy to say my arm movement is improving all the time.
It is customary for all visitors living in the Gambia to be given a Gambian name when moving into a Gambian home for the first time. The Gambian name given is usually connected to the landlord of the compound (compound is a name given to a group of shared houses and yard area, like a group of units or connnected houses). The surname given is the landlord's surname and the first name is often a family members name. Your Gambian name is then your name for your time in The Gambia.
My name is Aja Jawneh, named after the landlord's eldest daughter,Aja is also the name given to women who have made the pilgrimage to Mecca. My colleagues at work refer to meas Aja or Julie, I have given them the choice, likewise principalsand teachers in my region. The adults and children around my home and Soma know me as Aja. I hear this being shouted repeatedly or sung by children as I walk past them on my way to the market.
Initially i found it strange to be called Aja and felt I didn't identify to this name that people were calling me. I grappled with being called Aja in the work setting, but I am now used to it and really don t mind, although I still provide both my first names when being introduced to people. It is practice to sign a visitors book on arrival to schools and I write both of my names as I'm still not able to let go of my identity entirely.
