Day 6 in the Gambia started with breakfast where students were fuelled up with enthusiasm, knowing that a very important event lay ahead: Sports Day.
Miss Seleshe got everyone in a team huddle and briefed the Earls students for the chaos to come.
Later that morning we headed to the venue where Omega School faced off against The Spring of Life School. The stage was set for a series of fiercely contested events including classics such as ball over head, bean bag relay, jumping with a ball between legs, 100m sprint, and the ever-chaotic 100m relay.
As with any great sporting spectacle, there were moments of incredible athleticism and a few moments of creative rule interpretation. Let’s just say that at times the rulebook may have been treated more as a suggestion, than a strict guideline. This only added to the excitement and showed just how competitive everyone was feeling.
The Earls students played a brilliant role throughout the morning, helping to organise teams, lead their groups, and even stepping up as event officials. Whistles were blown, decisions were made, and (mostly) respected by the competitors. It was fantastic to see them taking responsibility and helping the day run smoothly.
After all the running, jumping, throwing and enthusiastic debating of rules, the results were finally in. Despite the heroic efforts from everyone involved, Omega School emerged victorious!
Following the morning’s sporting drama, lunch at 12:30pm was very welcome. After refuelling, it was back to work for the final day of painting at Omega’s new School. The Earls team returned to the classrooms they had been transforming throughout the week, putting the finishing touches on the rooms they started earlier in the trip. Brushes were back in hand, sleeves rolled up once more, and the classrooms are now looking brighter, fresher, and ready for learning.
By the evening, the group had certainly earned a well-deserved treat. We headed out for dinner at Luigi’s for what might just be the most universally loved meal on the planet: pizza. After a long day of sports and painting, it disappeared at record speed.
All in all, another brilliant day packed with teamwork, community spirit, a little friendly rivalry… and a lot of pizza.
Team Project Gambia
