Blogs at Kings Road Primary School

Those are huge questions!

Medicines - you must take anti malarial tablets. Cerebral malaria is a big problem here. The anti malarials will not stop you getting malaria, but when you get it then you are not so ill and are mush less likely to die. Lots of babies and children die here from malaria as they have no anti malarials and no mosquito nets. I take a drug called Larium, once a week. There are some unpleasant side effects but I seem to be avoiding most of them. Some of my VSO colleagues have had malaria already, they were  very ill and it is not good at all, but they are all alright after treatment.

Before I came, VSO made me have Yellow Fever, Rabies, Hepatitis A and B. All the usual ones, like Typhoid, were also updated so I am as well protected as possible. I am very lucky, the people who like here do not have this level of protection and it is very sad when your colleague's children die from preventable diseases. I find this one of the hardest things to cope with as we have lose children at home, but not so needlessly. To be honest, I nearly came home one week as everyone in my office seemed to be away at a close relative's funeral, we lost a wife, 2 fathers and a child in one week. There are only ten people in my office.

Where to stay? There are lots of hotels here.The Gambia is a tourist destination and indeed, it brings in more money than any other industry. The hotels range from 5* luxury hotels to really grotty places - you would not want to stay in some. Most are fine, and visitors have a good time here, especially around this time as the weather is good and it is cold back home!

Transport - there is no public transport. There are however private 'bush taxis' that operate set routes for set fares. So, I work in Banjul and travel from Bakau in a gelegele, this is a van and holds the driver and passenger in the front seat, then 3 or 4 in the next 2 rows and 4 in the back seat. Goats and sheep travel on top along with any other sundry items. Being in the back seat is no fun, the vehicles are all rejects from Europe. Sometimes I think I must be mad climbing into one of them!

There are also smaller taxis that hold 4 people and cost the  same amount on certain routes.Or you can get a town trip and negotiate a fare with the driver. Hope this answers your questions!