First impressions

Waking up at Safari Gardens on the first morning was great – I had been expecting pouring rain as it is currently wet season but the sky was blue. There is a pool here, surrounded by beautiful bamboo and palms… the only downside is that this encourages not so beautiful mosquitos and I have a few juicy bites already.

After breakfast of bread, boiled egg, fruit and tea we were picked up and taken to the VSO office – which is only round the corner. Once there we had the welcome introduction and were told about what to expect over the next three weeks. Everything has been really well organised, and a very full programme has been put in place to ease us in to Gambian life. We were given mosquito nets, deet sprays, and three different SIM cards for our phones so that we can choose the one that gives us best coverage depending on where we live. Next up was form filling – we applied for our alien cards and residency permits, and completed endless paperwork which helped make me feel quite instantly ‘established’. 

We then received an envelope full of grubby notes – our first month's allowance. We get 7372 dalasi a month, which is about £163. This works out as just over £5 per day, so some budgeting will be required!

After a sandwich we came back to the hotel and chilled by the pool for a while – as I said, the programme is designed to ease us into Gambian life nice and gently!

At dinner I learned that I will be living in Bakau and that I will have my own place. I was half expecting to share, and I can see positives and negatives for both options, but I am pleased to know that I will have my own little space.

Dinner was a buffet at the hotel with some of the VSO staff and current volunteers. The food was great; fish in coconut sauce, chicken, rice, potato salad, tomato salad and pasta followed by banana pancakes! That, topped off with a couple of bottles of Julbrew (the local beer), left me wanting my bed, so an early night followed. No electricity all evening meant no ceiling fan, so it was a hot night and I was glad that the power came back on at about 11.30.