Work has been progressing at a steady pace - I experienced probably one of the busiest days just before I was due to leave Soma for our annual VSO educational conference. I must point out that I remain very busy - some of the previous posts may have given the illusion that a volunteers life is just parties and trips to Kombo - not true Justin! With only an hour's warning I was informed by our Director that we would be holding a workshop for the new GABENTRY & WASSCE software. Gambians love acronyms - WASSCE has something to do with the West African Examination Board - I work for MoBSE, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education. All our cluster monitors and a selection of school principals descended upon our offices with Dell laptops in-tow. This is the time when we have to be on full guard as the spread of viruses could wipe-out all of the last few months good work. The customary procedure for workshops involves holding prayers/making greetings at the beginning of the day followed by breakfast at 10am (usually beef/chicken luncheon meat or Sardines with onions, potatoes and mayonnaise. This is usually accompanied by an incredibly sweet cup of tea (I make my own). A very lively debate ensues on whether mobile phones should be switched on or off and what should be the protocol should you miss a call! I took the opportunity to scan all the laptops and flash drives while breakfast was consumed - good job I did! Some people (no names mentioned) had even removed the anti-virus software I had installed as it was "making too much noise every time it detected a virus"! The rest of the afternoon (and I was trying to make an early exit) was spent assisting in the installation of the software and fixing rogue laptops.
The following morning I awoke at 6am to get the 7am "big green bus" to Kombo. Some weeks before Terry (advisor to the Director) and myself had "volunteered" to facilitate the educational conference. Terry does an excellent job in Mansa Konko and believe it or not his wife baby-sat me when she was studying at university quite a few years ago! Talk about a small world but my father taught her at Keele! By all accounts I was very well behaved! For some reason the big bus wasn't operating today and we made do with a gelleh-gelleh ride. I suspected either a lack of tyres or the road works between Sibanor and Kalagi (they're upgrading the road to asphalt!) Compared to previous journeys this was one of the best - Soma to Kombo in three and half hours.
I would be staying in Kanifing House during my stay in Kombo - this was the house that we originally used when we arrived in The Gambia. My choice of accommodation was based on the fact it had recently been "upgraded". I think VSO use Kanifing House so that volunteers can be acclimatised from hotel conditions to those up-country! Say no more! Our conference went very smoothly largely down to Terry's facilitating skills and the sausage and egg rolls we had for breakfast! It was held at the offices of TANGO - a very good acronym - The Association of Non Governmental Organisations.
During the end of week I had been made an "offer I can't refuse". If I could visit the Safari Garden Hotel and fix their computers I would be offered a couple of nights stay at their five star eco-retreat in Sandele (Winner of The Guardian/Observer Travel Award). When the owner Geri heard I was staying at Kanifing she immediately offered me a room for the duration of my work. As with many a case the work went smoothly apart from one PC - this of course had to be the main machine. Removing viruses is a complex job of ensuring both the PC continues to function and that as many of it programs and data aren't lost. Add the fact that many viruses will employ tactics to stop you from removing them and you're looking at quite a lengthy bit of work. Things quite often get to the point where you have to wipe the PC completely and start afresh. Fortunately after many a scan (and hour) I got to the point where I could sign off the PC as having a full bill of health.
You may remember that a few weeks back I had a meeting with the Deputy High Commissioner - the purpose was to find a home for some unwanted IT equipment. While at the High Commission party a few weeks ago I arranged another meeting to do the deal. I arranged this after the conference and to my surprise the amount of equipment increased and I was allowed to pick it up the following day. I'll need to do some work with the hardware but each region of The Gambia should get a PC! I also managed to get a vehicle from our region to head to Kombo to pick myself and the hardware up. This is a good food re-stocking opportunity as you can't easily take a box of groceries etc. on a gelleh. For security reasons the majority of the PCs have had their hard disks and memory removed - I'll need to replace these and then rebuild the machine (i.e. put the software back on).
While in Kombo I also took the opportunity to get a haircut - again things didn't go too smoothly. The friendly barber didn't mention that he had only previously cut local hair. My concerns were raised when he began to "line" my hair - this is when the perimeter of your hair-line is shaved. It was only by a few millimetres but as my hair grows quickly I already have "head-stubble" all around my head! Lesson learnt.
It'll be Christmas in two days - my first outside the UK. It's strange to be in a tropical country this time of year especially with the weather conditions back home. Many volunteers and family have been affected by flight delays caused by the snow. Thanks for the food parcels received - I'll enjoy those treats over the next few days. One of the amazing things that hits you about The Gambia is the incredible religious tolerance - I guess it's hardly a surprise when you consider how friendly people are. Even though the population is 90% Muslim - Christmas will still be observed with two public holidays next Monday and Tuesday. I'll be sharing this period with VSO friends before heading back to Soma on Monday.
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