Newsletter editor – Nigel sends news from his volunteer placement in The Gambia

Saturday 30th
Words can`t express how wonderful this place is, I know I am a volunteer who is supposed to be working but this just seems like a holiday at the moment, because of my delayed arrival the plans for my work have gone to pot but I promise to be working on Monday!

Whilst leaning over my veranda this morning I Spoke to some boys, they were carrying large machetes’ and cutting down a fruit the name of which escapes me, they asked me about England and told me about their school which they love to go to.
So that’s young kids carrying large machetes’ who love school, not England then!!

Sunday 31st

I crawled out of my pit at 8.30am after a great night’s sleep, I left the fan going besides my bed for a cool breeze and I was dead to the world. It was cool when I got out of bed but soon warmed up and as I write this at 4.30pm I am trying not to drip on the keyboard!

When I got up this morning I noticed some red marks underneath my arm and thought they were mossy bites despite all my precautions but when I spoke to Geri she said they were probably ant bites as they were crawling over the arms of the chairs at dinner last night, Geri said that she keeps her feet off the floor and arms off the chairs at dinner, lesson learnt.
Whilst drinking a cuppa outside I saw what looked like an otter in the grass and this was later confirmed by Geri who has seen her with ten kits.

I am not a beach bum but the call of the ocean is too loud here, so a dip after breakfast, then lunch and then off to the snake farm.
Met with Adama at 5pm to sort out my placement and I start work at Sifoe farm tomorrow to help with the construction of a composting toilet.
It will be nice to finally start work; I have already received an email from Sallie asking if I will EVER get any work done!