Kerewan

On Monday I went to Kerewan to conduct another Annual Partnership Review and Final Placement Evaluation for a volunteer who is just about to leave The Gambia. Kerewan is on the North Bank and involves crossing the river by ferry - from Banjul to Barra. This is infamous for being a bit of a pain in the butt, and we knew we would have to set out early if we wanted to cross. 

So, I woke at 5.30am and got ready for Ba Sarjo to collect me at 6am sharp. He arrived at 6.30am, and we arrived at the port just in time to see the 7am ferry setting off! On hearing that the next ferry could be an hour and a half / 2hrs away I decided to lay down on the back seat of the pickup and go to sleep! 

We eventually squeezed our way on to the 9am ferry, and arrived in Kerewan at 11am - only 2 hours late. They weren't ready for us anyway, so we had plenty of time to settle in and eat some breakfast (tapalapa with omelette and chips inside it). 

Four men physically lifted the VSO pick-up up, moving it
 closer to the edge of the ferry, to squeeze this car in!

But having seen the overcrowding of the passenger boats
I was happy to be on the vehicle ferry!

The session went well, and the volunteer had a lot of evidence about what he had been doing. As well as working to his objectives he had also done a lot for the community, generally helping our with all their IT needs, distributing bags of rice to ten needy families at the start of the rainy season, and supporting local schools by providing teaching and learning resources. It was clear to see that he had contributed a lot during his placement, and as with all the other reviews we have conducted, his employers will be very sad to see him go. 

We ate lunch - food bowls of domoda with rice, which I didn't have much of an appetite for having only eaten breakfast three hours before - and then set out back to Barra to catch the ferry. The scenery on the North Bank felt quite different, with more trees, river tributaries and wildlife - I even saw a monkey running across the road. 

A fence and a washing line!

We got to the ferry port at 4.30pm, and waited until 6.30pm for a ferry. It was clear that we wouldn't get on with the vehicle as the queue of traffic was huge... so I abandoned Ba Sarjo and Ebou and skipped on as a foot passenger. The sunset was beautiful, and it was a nice time to cross the river. 

Once in Banjul I walked through the back streets in the dark (relying on a vague memory of where to go having only really been to Banjul once during our in country training) and made my way to the gelli park, where I took a gelli to Bakau. After collecting my house keys from a friend I eventually got home at 10pm, and flopped straight into bed, too tired to think about eating or doing anything else! 

So it was a long day, but a good one, and great to see more of The Gambia.