This Is Africa

I overslept because I was so tired from my long journey. Veronika came to wake me up because it was almost time to go to school. I could hear the birds singing from the palm trees and the sounds of the bustling streets nearby. Everyone was greeting us as we were walking down the street towards our taxi, families sitting down for breakfast in front of their homes. The roads are not paved and it's perfectly normal to spot chickens and roosters wandering around. We had to walk the last part of the way because the road was completely destroyed from the latest rainfall and it was impossible for the car to pass.

The first thing I saw when I entered the school was a welcome sign for me and a second later there were little kids running towards me from all directions. Everyone wanted to hug me and hold my hand, I probably had about 30 kids hanging off of me, saying my name. Urša showed me around the school and each class sang songs and performed for me. I was sent to the oldest class, 8 and 9 year olds and their teacher Abdula, who is originally from Sierra Leone. Their knowledge and their eagerness to learn were astounding. The teacher was also very open to suggestions and new ideas and we made a lesson plan for this week.

Teachers are very respected here and parents often seek their advice outside of school hours. The kids fear them more than their own parents. I guess the hardest thing for me to accept was that corporal punshment is an everyday thing at school in the Gambia. I don't mean heavy hitting or anything of that sort but someone who misbehaved despite several warnings would get slapped. I'm still just a visitor in this country so it's not in my place to voice my opinion.

The biggest problems were the heat and humidity, I could see the kids were having problems with it as well but they stuck it out. I think it was around 30 degrees Celsius and 90% humidity. I've probably never drank this much water before and my shirt was firmly stuck to my body.

After school was over for the day, we headed back home, took a nap and had lunch. I wanted to see more of the neighbourhood so Veronika and I headed out. Walking on the street here is completely different. Everyone wants to say Hello, people want to shake hands and it's impolite to refuse, cars are honking at you, people want to convince you to buy something. There is never a dull moment. It's impossible to go unnoticed as a white person or a “toubab” as they call us.

The highlight of the day for me was going to the beach. It was like something out of a movie. Palm trees, sand and the ocean. We sat on the beachside, drank amazing fresh mango juice and people watched. It was the perfect ending of a great day.