Entry 2

Computer problems
The IT restrictions are not helpful if you try maintain this blog. This because I cannot access any social network/blog or photo share via my work PC . Therefore I have to do things on my personal laptop via a) a wireless connection at work or b) the dongle, what gives me very slow internet. But most importantly when I started my machine Saturday morning it gave errors with the result it didn’t boot, pretty useless. Now 2 days later – with a lot of reading-trying and googling it is still not fixed, I only managed to get a boot-CD what allows me to use windows again, a giant step forward from nothing, but still...

My project
The project I work on is about the projected effect of different vaccination schedules of pneumococcal vaccination on the total cost effectiveness of the vaccination program. This will include a projected effect of the vaccination on the disease transmission and the cost involved due to disease and due to the vaccine supply chain. My role in the project is some sort of data broker, where some people have a pneumococcal model, some people have data, and I put those two parties together.

The MRC
The place where I work is the medical research council or MRC. This is a research institute founded and run by the Brits to do research on infectious diseases. The main compound is where I am based, on the coast in Fejara, but there are several other compounds scattered around the country. One of those field stations is in Basse, which is further inland. Basse is the main area where my data is collected and I will be going there to get the data and speak to the local investigators.
The compound where I work is a very spacious, secured area, which means there is a big fence and 24hrs security. On the compound there is a huge rugby field and a volleyball field, a number of houses adding up to a small village and several research laboratories. The labs are all in different buildings. Also is there a bar/canteen with an Italian chef which does decent pasta’s for lunch and although the breakfast is not superb, it works for me.

Electricity
One of the biggest luxuries I have is electricity, especially during the evenings. Since the sun sets at 7:30 the evening starts early, and when it is dark – it is very dark. There are severe problems with the electricity supply at the moment, this because 2 of the 3 generators of the Gambia are broken. Which means electricity gets on at random in the evening which leads to forced cell phone/candle light lit dinner, but also no air conditioning after sunset. In a climate like this air conditioning is the equivalent as a duvet in winter – essential stuff for a good night sleep. But no problems for me, I have even satellite television, with clear reception of god knows how many channels I do not want to watch.

Social life
There are some people (around 10 or so in total) my age (+5/-10yrs) on the compound, they are mostly students working in Fejara for a short term (there seems to be a high turn-over), but they are fun to hang out with. There are some more phd students but they tend to come with wife/husband and kids, what is perfectly understandable because there is not much entertainment or other social life around here. For now I am happy this project is only for two months, long enough to experience the place, and short enough not to become mentally distressed.
Friday I had my first night out at the local tourist trap. A taxi ride is 25p and a beer 80, not expensive. What you get is what you expect – loud music, flashing lights and the same music you hear everywhere around the planet, but it is fun and it makes you feel on holiday.

Bumpsters
When you run on the beach you will meet a lot of Gambians, they are all around 18-25, all men and they all do push-ups & sprinting, serious the beach is crowded with them. Those boys are called bumpsters, ready to give tourists a lot of attention, especially the ladies. This attention goes much further as just telling they are beautiful. Less obvious on the beach, but more obvious in the pubs and bars are the female counterparts, they ask very polite where my wife is, where my girlfriend is, and when the answers are negative they suggest that they will be a very good girlfriend. There seems to be a quite substantial part of the tourist in the Gambia for this reason, sad but true. It remind me slightly of the cat at home, the cats comes in and will give you attention in a trade off for food, but also you will give this attention in a trade off for something as warmth and attention. People fly in just to get a bit of attention, some maybe to feel pretty (since they are not really fulfilling the western beauty standards) some just because it is possible, and the locals will give this attention, just to survive or maybe also just to hang around pubs and bars to get some sort of western life style (a beer is a third/half of what an average Gambian person makes on a day). In this game however the winner takes it all, the most fit boy/beautiful girl (some personality might counterbalance it slightly) is the winner.

Sports
Life besides work is about sports, last week I played touch rugby, run 10k, played volleyball for two evenings, a game of ultimate Frisbee and a game of tennis. The last time I played tennis was during my degree in Groningen, but I totally rediscovered it. Will try to get some lessons while I am here. Unfortunatly I am injured at the moment - cut both my big-toes open at rugby yesterday.

That is it for now - click here for some pictures.....

Cheers, Albert Jan