Pupils soak up life in Gambia
T'S not uncommon for school pupils to learn about life in Africa.
But it's not every day a group of youngsters from Swindon gets the chance to see what it is actually like for themselves.
Twenty-one students from The Commonweal School in Old Town travelled to Gambia.
The aim was to show the students what life in West Africa is really like - but there was stiff competition between the 86 students who wanted to take one of the 21 places available.
In the end teachers picked those who make the biggest contribution to school life .
The students and four members of staff stayed in Gunjur village - which is twinned with Marlborough - during the October half-term.
It was the country's rainy season and temperatures were a stifling 100F.
"The first thing that hits you when you get off the plane is the heat - it was so humid," said 14-year-old Joshua Lunn. "Also the colours of the birds and the wildlife were brilliant.
"I loved the way that when you walk through the village streets, you are greeted by so many people. In England you avoid eye contact with people."
The students had a packed timetable for their week-long stay. Along the way they met some of the older members of the community.
Grace McMillan, 15, said: "The first thing I noticed in the Gambia is that people are so polite and welcoming.
"That was a big change from England."
Gambia is a Muslim country and the visit came at the end of Ramadan, so the students visited families to see how they celebrate the end of the festival.
They helped shop for and cook a special meal which they shared.
"We went to the market and there were loads of spices and weird looking fruit and dried fish.
Catherine Smith, 15, said: "We sat on the floor and cooked on an open fire. It was really cool."
Along the way students learned basic Mandinka phrases and visited local pre-schools to hold workshops in puppet and mask making and mural painting.
They also took part in a Gambian drumming session.
This is the fourth trip such trip that Commonweal's head of performing arts, Sue Derrick, has organised.
"When you come back to England you really notice how lucky you are," she said.
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