At first my third week looked like a relaxing week without any VSO training as I wasn't required to complete the motorbike training. It ended up being the reverse with work at The University of Gambia, a trip to Brikama to visit Gambian College and an eventful trip to the national stadium to see The Gambia play Namibia.
I attended the first session of motorbike training in a vain attempt to get on the course (and get a bike at Mansa Konko). After this failed I called in at the law faculty of University of Gambia where my assistance in setting up wireless internet access was required. Having worked out the problem I made the fatal mistake of heading off for lunch. On return the electricity had failed and the gas generator had emptied so I had to return the following morning to finish things off. I won't bore people with the technical side of things. The supply of electricity & water in our area had been very temperamental - we lose power most evenings and water isn't available between 8am and 9pm (we use water containers to get by). After the success of the university visit I decided to visit fellow VSO trainers in the nearby town of Brikama - a 1 hour Gellie-Gellie ride due south (shared small van of varying quality that plies set routes - similar to a Collectivo). With hindsight I should have arranged a meeting with the IT manager so I could arrange a schedule of work. As the manager was out of the office my work at Gambia College was limited to plugging a keyboard into a PC!
As we were heading up-country the following week we decided to finish our stay in the Kombos with a trip to see The Gambia play Namibia in an African Cup of Nations qualifier. The weather in September has turned out to be more rainy than normal. August was fairly mixed with temperatures around 35c/95f, high humidity and afternoon/evening tropical downpours. The day of the football match the weather changed to more monsoon conditions (and it hasn't stopped raining since!). Despite the weather the game proved to be entertaining with The Gambia winning 3-1 (3 goals in the first 20 minutes!). The sound of vuvuzellas and the goal celebrations were worth the admission price alone (£2.50 FA take note!) Sadly the game was marred by the theft of several cameras, phones and my wallet! Luckily I had little cash in my wallet but credit cards have had to be cancelled and ID cards re-issued. I'll be paying more attention in crowded environments! We'll be heading up country tomorrow to our placement locations - Mansa Konko here we come...
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