Home at Last
I had said many times whilst in the heat of the Gambia that I would have no withdrawal symptoms on my return. I dreamed of having large steaks, creamy cakes and chocolate in abundance. I dreamed of tasting ales, telling tales and loving cooler weather.
Now I am home and nothing that I have imagined has come true. I am tired, exhausted and want to sleep for twenty hours a day, yet I have no appetite. I don’t crave those steaks, I walk past chocolate counters with barely a glance and have only just, today, had my first cake.
On my arrival Lynn took me to a shopping mall and said, we must get you some new clothes. I wanted to run away. Sainsbury’s seemed too big, the choice too large, too abundant and overwhelming. Watching people shop without thought for whether they needed things or simply wanted them added a new dimension to my return. I had to leave. I have now spent my first week coming to terms with the country in which I live, the extravagance, the wealth, the waste and the attitudes. Now to be clear I do not have a problem with the United Kingdom coming home especially from the Gambia you realise what a clean, safe and protective environment it is. You realise what a culture shock it is to those people coming from places like the Gambia where the common bowl is normal, where it is acceptable to pick your nose in public and where spitting out food is allowable. Suddenly they would move into a world where a sandwich is a month’s wages, where throwing litter on the floor is no longer acceptable and where life moves at a pace beyond comprehension Of course there are exceptions but the UK is a clean and safe place. I wonder if those who live here but never venture beyond its shores realise just how lucky they are.
I have not yet had time to reflect on my time in the Gambia and will do so shortly. I will also publish the results of our final VSO review which asks our Gambian partners how successful our placement was however at the moment, I am back, happy, content but also cold and tired.
2010, Preparation for leaving | Tom July 6, 2010
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