- After a 6 hour delay eventually boarding the flight...only to be told half an hour later that we had to get off.
- When we landed in London after said 36 hour delay, everyone sped through security and passport control only to have to wait for an hour for the baggage.
By this point, having being subjected to what was verging on cruel levels of sweaty, angry beetroot coloured English tourists I had resigned myself to the amusing side of the situation and found it funny. This was the time to sit and read War and Peace and fill myself with an undeserved feeling of superiority.
It did however, give me plenty of time to reflect upon my 5 week trip. Since I have returned to the mothership I have obviously been quizzed over how the whole experience was. I have been finding it difficult to give a succinct answer to the question.
I would hate to be one of those people who return from a trip and proceed to jaunt around the English countryside proclaiming "It's chaaaanged me" to the local wildlife - which in my experience are the only creatures which resign themselves to listen. Eveyone else will just walk off - far ruder than saying "shut up" as it suggests they can't even muster the energy to vocalise words and project them in your directions.
In all serious though, my experience in the Gambia did have, a profound effect on me. Perhaps more on my awareness more than my soul but they must be interlinked to a degree. It was fantastic to be so involved in an organisation which is making such a difference to the standards of health care throughout the country. Despite starting the job with practically no background in Riders, at the end of my 5 weeks I now feel an extremely strong affiliation with the charity. Having travelled extensively throughout the country and seen the spectrum of influence upon the people and the health care organisation which Riders is having, it would have been impressive if I came back feeling anything except the intense pride which I now associate with the experience.
Obviously, part of the experience is to have challenges. Some of these, were difficult to deal with at times, understandably. One particularly haunting moment was when Ken and I were interviewing the administrator of a hospital which has yet to receive a TAM ambulance. This means that their ambulance is maintenanced and fuel is provided by Riders. In the midst of our interview, a nurse knocked on the door to alert to the administrator to a problem - there was a patient who need referring and the ambulance had no fuel.
The administrator turned to me, looked me in the eye and asked me what I thought he should do. His exact words were "Lady, what do I do? Do I just leave this man to die?" Not an easy question to have to try and answer.
There were several others along the way who took the opportunity of talking to us to slag off Riders and what it's doing for purely personal and selfish reasons. These are the small minority of people who wish to use the ambulance for their own needs and therefore dislike that with the Riders system every kilometre is logged and if fuel is being misused, they would be found out. For example, the people in the Lower River Region....who used the ambulance to transport a cow.
Although the challenges were sometimes frustrating, and occasionally, upsetting they gave an extra and important dimension to the work. It also meant that when we would talk with people who were happy with the work which was being done had so much of a positive impact by comparison.
Gambia is an extraordianary country and I feel extremely privileged to have had an opportunity to explore it. Turns out, taking a gamble on the Gambia? Well worth it.
