Friday 18 May 2012

A postcard from The Gambia


You might think a photograph is cheating as this is my entry for the Postcard Challenge. However, I did take the picture - albeit 20+ years ago. I was hoping to draw one of these faces this week, but time got the better of me. I thought it would be a shame not to share this image though. It actually won a prize back in the day...

I studied Georgraphy at University and was lucky enough to visit this tiny corner of West Africa on a field trip. While I was there we spent most of our time away from the tourist beaches having a wake up call on 'how the other half live.'

I wonder if much has changed for these children who will now be around 30 years old. I doubt that suddenly every home has clean running water and a toilet. A generator was a rare commodity - you can't imagine the joy us Western travellers felt when we came across a shack in the middle of nowhere selling Sprite chilled by a fridge.

Well, back to the point of this exercise. It is of course for the postcard challenge. Remember our last correspondence - when the ink 'spill' covered up X's true identity....




16 comments:

  1. Love the photo you have used! Valeri

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  2. Love those smiling faces...must have been a great, eye-opening trip!

    Hugs,
    abby

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  3. It's a wonderful photo - thanks for shaing it. Ha ha! I wonder what the response to this weeks message will be!?

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  4. a great photo.. thanks for sharing your memories..

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  5. Wonderful memories and a fabulous photograph.

    Janet xx

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  6. Really great photo, thank you for a sneak peak into your field trip, a very special story behind your card this week. M

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  7. your photo is haunting, lovely faces!
    I often use photos to share special images
    Liked knowing the history too!

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  8. beautiful photo, how lucky that you got to visit. I am sure you have wonderful memories.

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  9. Wonderful photo, I wonder what those children are doing now, as adults.

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  10. Awesome photograph, Lisa! My dream is to travel around the world and hope it comes true soon. :) No more secrets revealed, eh? :)

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  11. Wow how amazing to have such a cherished adventure -sometimes a photo is the best way to convey a message!

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  12. Excellent photo, my father in law (well he woudl be, if Niall and i ever got married and became 'legal') went last year (he lives in SA) - he says it is worse not better, unfortunately...but still they have the best smiles in the world - go figure...
    FIL is a photo journalist - I'll have to try to get hold of his images...

    Dxxx

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  13. Wonderful photograph and happy memories. We have to hope things will get better one day soon.
    Jen x

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  14. Lovely photo! I love the smile on the one boy. Card vandalism...not good!
    Great card this week.

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Thank you for your comments - I always love to hear what you think :)

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