Janjangbureh

After finishing at Bansang Hospital Ebou and I prepared for the next session, and then chilled for the afternoon. After dark Ebou, Ba Sarjo, and I wandered out to get afra for dinner which we brought back to the rest house to eat by moonlight. I was shattered so decided to watch an episode of the West Wing and get an early night.

Afra - take a whole load of meat...

Sling it on a big fire and add some onions...

And then sit back and enjoy the meat feast! 

This morning we travelled to Janjangbureh and did the session with Beth and Cath, or Nyima and Tida if you go by their Gambian names. The session was different once again, but very enjoyable – and nice to discuss education… an area that felt a bit more familiar to me. Breakfast was arranged on site and consisted of grilled meat with onion gravy served in food bowls and tapalapa – I still haven’t got used to eating meat for breakfast, but it was tasty enough! Lunch was food bowls of stew and rice – with a huge fish or part of a fish at the centre of each bowl!

Food bowl complete with huge fish head!

Cath and lots of food bowls.

The day was a long one – although we arrived at 8.45 we didn’t really start until about 10.30… we were waiting for people to join us, and then waiting for breakfast, and then we faced the usual problem of people wandering in and out just as we were about to start the meeting, and then wandering in and out throughout the meeting, or using their phones, or just having a chat…! But it went well and we got a lot out of the session, and I managed to get the agenda back on track and finish at 4pm as scheduled, despite the delay in starting.

 

Me looking very serious!

Once we finished up we drove to Soma. We found a room in a rest house that was… how can I say… not quite as nice as the other places we had stayed! 

I had a frog in my bathroom but no washbasin!

Ebou and I grabbed a quick dinner and then Ellie came and picked me up to take me through to her and Helen’s compound on her bike. It was Helen’s last night so they were having cake and juice with the children they live with, and it was really nice to join them. No electricity meant that we sat outside under the moonlight, and it was a lovely. 

Me and Ellie

Helen's last night in her compound