The Gambia Trip - April 2024
Abbey Manor College conducted a residential trip to Gambia. 14 Students were chosen on the basis of their behaviour, attendance and work ethic.
The Gambia, situated in West Africa, is a culturally rich country whereby Gambian lifestyle is very different in comparison to us London citizens. Learning about different cultures, is imperative in our community where students and staff come from various backgrounds. We chose to take our students on this adventure for that very reason. We enriched them with various activities and investigated the life of Gambian people. Here is a day by daybreak down of what we got up to, plus a couple of students’ opinions on the trip as a whole.
Day 1
Arrival
Arriving in Gambia on the first day, after a 6-hour flight, we settled into our hotel and roamed around getting a feel for the Gambia air.
Stop 3: Market
Our next stop was The Gambian local market, where we roamed around looking at the traditional clothing, food, and jewellery. Day 2 was a jam-packed day, we set off at 9am for a jam packed 6 sites tour. First stop: Museum + Crocodile sanctuary. In the museum we learned about the history of Gambia, including their tribes and religion. After, we entered the sanctuary where we were able to touch the crocodiles!
Stop 4: Tree house
This was an enriching experience where we went out in the countryside of Gambia, where tarmac roads turned into hills of sand and shrubbery. We sat and had tea and traditional doughnuts in a tree house surrounded by a lake with an abundance of wildlife.
Stop 5: Lunch on the beach
We had worked up quite the appetite and were taken to a secluded beach where we indulged in the traditional Gambian food. After, we played football on the beach and soaked up the roaring sun.
Stop 6: Fish Market
Last but not least, the tour guide took us to the local fishing village. This was an interesting sight. It was where all the locals bought their fish. The aroma in the air was strong, it was incredibly busy, and we definitely stuck out like sore thumbs!
Day 2
6 stop Gambia Tour
Day 4: Safari! We set off early in the morning to their neighbouring country, Senegal. Due to the ferry breaking down last minute, we had to travel via little boats across the Pacific Sea from the Gambia port to Senegal. The boat ride took about 1 hour.
After checking our passports, we were welcomed into Senegal, where our Safari was based.
In the Safari, we saw an abundance of animals within their natural habitat. We saw giraffes, zebras, warthogs and even got so close to a rhino that we all took photos with.
As day 2 was jam packed and exhausting, and the year 11s GCSEs right around the corner, we revised all day, whilst taking breaks by lounging by the pool/ swimming in the sea.
Day 3
Chill by the Pool + Revision
Day 4
Trek to Senegal Safari
On day 5 we had pre-organised a charity football match against a group of local boys who were part of an orphanage. The charity fundraises money to help pay for their school fees. This was an eye-opening experience.
As hard as we tried, we had no chance in winning against them they thrashed 6-1 with a gorgeous goal from Beatrice.
After the football game, the lead charity organisers took us to a private beach where they organised for us to have local Gambian food.
We had delicious chicken and jollof rice, with peanut sauce.
Day 5
Charity Football Match
This was the highlight of everyone’s trip. We visited the Senegambia School, where AMC students met and played with Senegambia students.
We donated notebooks, stationery and money. The money was fundraised via the non-school-uniform day a couple weeks before, where staff members and students donated a minimum of £5 to wear their own uniform.
When we arrived at the school, we had a heartwarming welcome from the headteacher, staff and all students. The drama students showcased a song that they had been rehearsing, omitting words of thankfulness and hope.
We then had a tour of the schools. There were around 40 students for each classroom, and the students were amazed at the amount of resources the school had and the minimalistic features of the classroom. Students quickly realised their privilege- where they didn’t even have printed posters, all were hand made. No calculators, laptops or anything else of the sort.
Day 6
Visiting our Partnered
School
This was the highlight of everyone’s trip. We visited the Senegambia School, where AMC students met and played with Senegambia students.
We donated notebooks, stationery and money. The money was fundraised via the non-school-uniform day a couple weeks before, where staff members and students donated a minimum of £5 to wear their own uniform.
When we arrived at the school, we had a heartwarming welcome from the headteacher, staff and all students. The drama students showcased a song that they had been rehearsing, omitting words of thankfulness and hope.
We then had a tour of the schools. There were around 40 students for each classroom, and the students were amazed at the amount of resources the school had and the minimalistic features of the classroom. Students quickly realised their privilege- where they didn’t even have printed posters, all were hand made. No calculators, laptops or anything else of the sort.
Day 7
Leaving
Our time in The Gambia was an experience that will be embedded in us.
Liam (Year 9) said “I really enjoyed Gambia. My favourite was the hot weather and all the activities we did every day, especially visiting the school. I have learned to use sun cream as I got very burned on one of the days. Playing with the children was really really fun.”
Delarno (Year 9) stated that “my favourite part of the trip was playing football on the beach against the local Gambians who were already chilling there. I also really enjoyed the local food, and the buffet every night at the hotel!”
“Gambia was the time of my life! It was so nice bonding with all of my friends and going on a plane for the first time!” Ruby (Year 10)
