GAMBIA – THE WAY OF LIFE
I had wanted to visit Africa for many years. When I stumbled upon the Kids Are the World and their programme Travel as a Volunteer, I knew that the Gambia was the country I wanted to get to know. I was not wrong – the land of laughter, sun and joy, but also the land of poverty and lack. A journey like this will definitely leave an impression and shake your own beliefs and way of life.
I had some savings, an extended student status and a huge desire to visit so called “dark continent”, so I decided to take advantage of my situation and go on an African adventure. A friend from high school, Katja, went with me, along with Maja, a volunteer we met on the way and realized quickly she will be an excellent company. Travelling to Africa is quite long and arduous, and when you step onto Gambian soil after hours of flying, you are happy to see Urša waiting for you with a smile in the sea of loud, dark men. All of this was followed by a short drive to the apartment and then a well-deserved rest. The next day had in store for us our first exploration of the Third World. You are definitely in shock and besides the obvious change of the environment and people, everything goes so slowly there – even a walk to the exchange bureau was long and slow, even though it was only some hundred metres away – so slow, it was making us nervous. I would never have thought that such a calm and uncomplicated life could get under your skin and you could start enjoying it.
THE CHILDREN
The first visit of the kindergarten is unforgettable for every volunteer. Children who are very eager for attention, “attack” you with hugs and kisses from all sides. They look forward to each glance, kiss and praise. This idyllic picture of the children, however, soon dissipates into reality. Katja and I came to a small classroom where two teachers tried to calm down more than 40 kids and correct their task of writing letters. Most of these 5-6 year olds did not even know how to colour a colour book correctly or to hold a colour pencil, so to them, writing letters was an absurd thing to do. The next day we divided the class in half and began using a different teaching method – you call a child in front of the class by name, assign he/she a task, expose them and praise them for a job well done.
Though this is not anything special for Europeans, it was a huge change for them. In the first few days, the children already got used to the new system, and some started speaking in public and socializing with schoolmates; something they did not do in the past. It is a great feeling to see such quick changes, regardless of how big they are. At the beginning, they are all the same to you – little, cheeky, tiny people of colour, but every day you learn a new name and after a month you know all of them by name, looks, character and level of knowledge. They definitely grow on you and parting is extremely difficult.
LEISURE TIME
All volunteers have similar activities planned for weekends – visit to the monkey and crocodile parks, afternoon walks on the beach while drinking freshly squeezed juice, and going to birthday parties prepared by the teachers, which give us an insight into typical African celebrations. Personally, visiting the town Barra was the most memorable. You see the stereotypical Africa in this town – children playing with tires, a woman who we photographed with her child, kids playing on a pile of garbage, longing for white people’s attention. The happy faces of these people surprise you, because they smile despite their troubles and are honoured to help you, show you around and spend the day with you. You realize that a mother’s love cannot be taken for granted, not education and much less material goods. You become grateful for all the things you took for granted that far.
CONCLUSION
The Gambia is a country where you live through many ups and downs. There are days when you feel lost in this “upside down world” but you can get to a complete turnaround in the next moment and end the day with a realization that the world is beautiful and full of new and interesting adventures, with which you need to deal. That is life.
Helena Rozencvet
