Great Gambian adventure: Recovery and celebration

After writing last week’s blog post cheerfully announcing that I was feeling fine, things all went downhill again!

That evening a few of us wanted to go out or do something, but as it is the last quarter of our allowance no one had any money to play with. So Helen invited us to her house, and we had a games night with drinking, or a drinking night with games (depending on your priority). Helen, Rob, Joe, Helen L, Nicola, Abdou and I were joined for most of the night by Alieu and Rohay, the kids from Helen’s compound. They were very sweet and helpful, rolling the dice for us, running to get it when it rolled off the table and bounced across the floor, and helping to polish off our snacks and coca cola! Helen cooked some sausages and chips (which Rohay was even feeding to me at one stage!) and everyone brought round a few luxury items like crisps and Cadbury’s fruit and nut. It was a really nice night, but – conscious of the fact I had been ill – I tried to be sensible. I didn’t drink much, and when everyone piled in to Joe’s car to go to Senegambia I went home. However, on Sunday I felt pretty dreadful and by Sunday night was back to feeling feverish and generally rotten.

I tried to go to work on Monday but it mostly resulted in me walking very very slowly to the office, and bursting into tears when I got there because I felt so ill! I was quickly taken home, and to cut a boring story short, spent the rest of the week indoors trying to feel better. I hadn’t been eating or drinking well after the malaria, so I think I was dehydrated, weak and just run down, although it’s possible that I might have picked up something else, as things do seem to run in twos here.

I still managed to work from home towards the end of the week, and delivered my quarter 2 report, which I was pleased with, but it was frustrating not to get into the office. Thankfully I do feel much better now, but I may say that with a little less confidence than last week!

I was glad to be better in time for Dodou’s celebration on the beach, down at Leybato, on Saturday. His wife Jane recently travelled to England to have their baby – a very beautiful girl called Esme Sophie Bah. Dodou is desperate to get out to England, see his wife and meet his daughter but unfortunately his initial visa application was rejected. He is currently going through the appeals process. So in the meantime he decided to hold a celebration – not quite a naming ceremony (he’s waiting for Jane and Esme for that) but a chance for everyone to dress up and eat some food. Two ladies grilled up a feast - for what felt like hundreds - of chicken, fish and coleslaw right on the beach, and people danced and had lots of fun in the evening sun. A happy night.