A New Beginning

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  Banjul, Gambia
Thursday, August 16, 2007

So it's been almost a year since I arrived in The Gambia.

As my VSO placement wound its way to a close, I've been doing a lot of reflecting on the last 12 months. I can't believe it's been a whole year since I was saying goodbye to friends and family, suffering countless inoculations, and trying to wrestle my luggage into one bag.

Looking back at the forms I filled out to apply for VSO in the first place, I'm amused by some of the things I said I was hoping to achieve whilst here. But I have gained a lot out of the experience. Not necessarily what I was expecting to
- I've made some great friends, both Gambian and other volunteers.
- I've learned a lot from my placement, both new skills I've developed, and awareness of children's rights issues
- For the first time in my life I possess a tan that did not come out of a bottle (and so lacks the orange streaks to which I'd become accustomed)
- I've learned some Wolof and a smattering of Mandinka (far less than I should have done, if I had tried harder)
- I've developed a tremendous respect for Islam, a religion I have now realised I knew little about
- I learned more than I could explain about Gambian culture and the importance of relationships
- I've become more relaxed when things don't work out the way I was expecting
- I've had malaria and learned a humbling lesson about not taking health for granted
- I managed to keep my Christmas tree up for 10 straight months without friends removing/desecrating/setting fire to it.

It's not all been a bed of roses. There have been times when I have been sad, mad, bad, or all three. I've been homesick, I've been sick, I've been frustrated. I've been bored. I've been exhausted. I've been pissed off. I've been appalled. I've had moments where I've had enough and wanted to come home.

I'm really glad that I didn't let any of this get the better of me.

On my last day at CPA, my colleagues held an impromptu farewell ceremony. All of them were in the office at the same time (an almost unheard off occurrence) and took it in turns to say a couple of words about me and my work there. I was very embarrassed and very touched. Like any VSO assignment, my placement at CPA has not been without its challenges, but I've met some terrific people there, and I leave with admiration for what the organization is trying to accomplish.

Incidentally, polite references to my "interesting music" featured in many of their comments. This is not the first time ex-colleagues have had made such comments, and I wonder if I will ever learn to become more thoughtful or at least develop some taste in this regard.

My placement as a VSO has finished. But my time in The Gambia has not. I've recently been offered a job at an international development NGO that will allow me to work on projects running across The Gambia and parts of Senegal and therefore will be here for another year. I have doubts and concerns about taking it up, same as I would do for any big decision, not least because it means I'll be away from home for that much longer and will no longer have the support network of VSO behind me. But it will be challenge and I always like them. So fingers crossed...

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