DAY 10: Did you know…

Day 10: Did you know …

 

Did you know that …..

…. a safety consultant wears a life vest during road works?

… women do the road works?

… the beetles/cockroaches in the Gambia are really BIG?

… Gambians stop to chat with police officers on their way to work (and arrive late) ☺?

… our bus has a constant speed of 90 km/h, even when we’re not moving?

… our driver cleans his wind shield while driving, with a bottle of water and hanging out the window?

… in Tanji the catch of the day lies in rusted freezers without electricity?

… a Gambian teacher sometimes earns a little extra in the afternoon (maintenance of an orange grove)?

… there is a local Jos in the Hope school?

… the Gambians are very creative when it comes to devising child seats for bicycles?

… a talisman is put around a baby’s neck or middle as soon as they are born?

… a talisman is attached to the front of our bus (a cow’s tail)?

… adults wear a talisman in a ring? (so that the ring appears to be a thimble)?

… beautiful women’s gardens are in development?

… the Gambian flag’s meaning is well-deserved (red = sun, green = nature, white = peace, blue = The Gambia river)?

… we met many interesting volunteers from Germany, Denmark, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom?

… the headmaster from Nyofelleh helped a lot while we painted the school and worked with his pupils?

… we all received a Gambian name (Sofie = Oemi, Ingrid = Arabiatoe, Karen = Hawa, Annelies = Moeskeba, Ina = Kaddy, Lief = Arokki, Griet = Mariama)?

… Gambian rice is a lot more expensive than American rice?

… fresh fish is sold on the ground by the roadside?

… the life motto here is ‘domandin domandin’?

… the sun is still red?

… there are very large shells on the beach?

… when a car breaks down people put stones around it rather than an emergency triangle?

… there is only one single paved road in The Gambia. All other roads are tracks, some hardened, others not?

… we learned new words in Mandinka? Toubab means white person and morfin means black person.

… our bus has to slow down for 200 m before it can break?

… in Sifoe 4 refuges were built to allow the children to walk to school safely?

… we saw a lot of people cycling this year?

… the average age of a Gambian man is 50 years, while the average age of a Gambian woman is 63 years old?

… Gunjur has a protected area on the beach where turtles can lay their eggs?