CHAPTER 5 - BACK TO REALITY

From being welcomed into a school with 60 children clapping to beinbg chased by the darkness of night in a Gambian jungle. This experience has left me with a feeling i have never felt before, although im shocked and disheartened by the poverty, i also feel full and content.

This is the best way to describe how this trip has effected me,

I've not only experienced what lifes like in a third world country, i lived it. However i will never truly know what some of the people there go through and i wouldn't want to, i saw some harrowing things that I'm glad i witnessed but would also like to leave behind. The problems i face in daily life are so minimal up to the problems they have.

I live in a world where there is such immense opportunity to do well and succeed. Things pass me day in and day out that could help me prosper and forward in my life.
The kids i stayed with in the slums of Gunjur don’t have that opportunity, they don’t have a single thing. Their filled with such bright ideas and creativity but don’t have the resources or people to help them achieve their desires.

They're are trapped in a world where the only way out is education, which none of them an afford, caught up in a cycle of poverty and dismay. The flipside is that even without all this they are still happy, they’ve never had a life like i have so they have nothing to miss.

I have this opportunity at my finger tips. So wherever i am and whatever im doing, i wont stop doing it and try to further myself to be the best i can be. We have got the world in front of us and a lot of people are willing to listen and look at what we got. It’s up to us to show them and really take this world by storm.

I’m going to be doing it for those kids that can’t.

<3

Chapter 4 - End Days

With the project coming to a close i'll be devastated to leave friends here behind. Today i handed out football shirts, baseball hats & beloved flat peaks to children with next to nothing.

The internet connection in Gambia isn't the best and its been hard for me to get access until now. 

The past 2 nights have been unexplainable.

Since the start of the project we have had help from a friend of ours, a 25 year old named Sai Kou. Saturday night he wrote and conducted a speech to the students about the opportunities they behold having the life they have in England and how hard it is to make a life in Gambia, within 10 minutes after this speech he was arrested by the Gambian militia for having a dispute outside the hotel with our truck driver. The Gambian militia took Sai Kou by the neck and dragged him down the dusty path to a holding cell nearby. Thanks to efforts that were nearby he was released within the hour.

Sunday night I stayed in the slums of a Gambian village. My sleeping quarters consisted of a wooden bed in a tin roof shanty house, it was a horrifically scary experience.
The village has a population of around 15,000. That’s 1 white person to every 5,000 black people. Walking around the roads, alleys and side streets just lit by stars and moonlight was intense and i felt like my adrenaline was running for about 5 hours straight. I was with some well respected boys so no one came across in a ill or violent manner, in fact was really friendly and the streets were filled with locals of all ages. If this was England i would no doubt have been dead before dawn. The shops were still open, meat was being grilled, football was being played and kids were running amok. I felt like the center of attention, compared myself to Ross Kemp a few times, same first name, same job, just not as hench.

I woke up in the morning dying for water and gasping for air, it was humid beyond belief, i cannot express how hot i felt. I cant believe these people wake up to the scorching heat that was suffocating my body. The next day i felt so unclean, filming was hard but i got some fantastic stuff, still praying there's no problem with the hard drive which is currently storing 160GB of my HD footage. Throughout the day i felt more and more dirty, like the dirt was seeping through my skin and affecting me inside. I understand that if your brought up in a certain environment it becomes normal but the hygiene levels must be catastrophically low, i can see how fast diseases are spread and  how contagious they become due to the heat and lack of running water

The flight back has been delayed and i've booked this afternoon to interview the students about there experience and final thoughts on how they might change when they get home, especially in terms of appreciating what they have and the opportunity they behold living in such a developed and well structured country. (maybe well structured was an over-exaggeration)

Thanks to everyone that's kept up with reading this.

I'll post something final when im back home so keep check.

This past week has been amazing and the people I've met wont be forgotten.

Ross.

 

Chapter 3 - Back to the Jungle

It was dark, my heart was racing, i was scared and i was covered in spider webs.
Today i got accused of being a UK journalist and got lost in a Gambian jungle.

The day started as most others did, pumped some heavy rock as our truck descended from the populated area of Kuto and into the dusty village of Gunjur. We headed out to visit a secondary school. This was the most exciting day for me as it was a real chance to capture what Gambian children thought about their education system and also how hard they have to work to make a successful life for themselves. I interviewed a boy and one girl asking them questions similar to the ones i asked the Commonweal school students before the trip began.
one question was "What would you do if i gave you $100 right now"
to which 90% the UK students replied either TopShop or River Island.
the Gambian students told me it would go towards education, family and their futures.
i was quite taken back with some of the replies, i expected a difference but not one as substantial as i was given.

We went back to the village and i got given an African dress by one of the boys that lives in the compound who i've befriended. Ive managed to get two football shirts to take on Sunday as a thankyou.

On the way back i noticed a row of flags outside a fully glassed and beautifully colored building. I was eager to get back as i soon learned it was the African embassy. Now one thing you do not do is walk into an embassy waving a camera around asking for an interview. So as soon as we arrived back at the hotel i got a taxi back there hoping to ask someone some questions. After getting past security and waiting in a lounge with some important looking people, i was approached by the second in charge, the former African minister of justice. After interrogating me about who i was and the nature of my being there he decided to let me ask a colleague some questions. His colleague however thought i was a journalist and swiftly had me escorted out. Unfortunately i couldn't get any footage until i was outside but it was quite fun.
That however is where the fun stopped.

The guide i had with me Sukai decided it would be a good idea to take me to a place he had been before, one of the nearby jungles in the hope of seeing a monkey.
After not being able to get footage at the embassy i decided this was a great idea and that we should go.
Not only was i 4ft away from three Gambian moneys, i got some amazing closeup footage showing them in there natural habitat. (sorry cant upload any wildlife photos, their on my other memory card)
The walk back however began to get a bit tedious and i was sure we were traveling in a different direction to that we came. I queried my guide but he assured me we were on track.
30 minutes later the sun was setting and the jungle was becoming quite dark. I made some videos with the small amount of space i had left telling my guide he was a douchebag for getting us lost. As pleasing as it was to call him such things, little did i know how much i needed that camera battery and memory card space. It got dark very fast and the shadows of my surroundings were becoming quite daunting. As much as i knew i had to keep my head in gear and my focus on my challenge ahead i began to panic, desperately trying to find a way out. I honestly thought i was spending the night in a Gambian jungle with a tour guide i barley knew and my one thousand pound camera. It was pitch black and i was close to doing that scream for help you hear in films.
As my battery ran flat we began to run.
Hearing a truck ahead we knew there was a road ahead, my legs found a strength they didn't know they had. Blistering through spiderwebs and  jumping giant ant hills we dived into the nearest taxi outside and began the drive home.
My head rested back on the seat, my camera kit off of my back and my eyes catching glimpses of humanity outside.
life felt amazing.
and it still does, I'm glad I'm here writing this, because tonight was a close call.
but god was it ever exciting.

Chapter 2 - The Heavens Open

amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing, and i don't just mean the footage.
We visited a pre-school and were welcomed with 68 children singing and clapping.
One thing i found astounding was a conversation i caught between a teacher from Commonweal school (my room mate Martin) and a teacher from Kunjur pre-school. Martin was gobsmacked by the set lesson plans and curricular activities the teachers had in place for the children. This school consisted of 6 rooms in a line in the middle of a jungle. Children who couldn't afford to pay school fees stood helplessly at the metal bars looking in on the working children. After climbing various trees to get a heightened establishing shot of the school i was able to take in just how incredible and organized this place was for its scale.

We then eat African style at a compound in the village. One massive bowl of food per 5 people, you scoop with your hands picking up an array of rice, vegetables, meats and fruits. It was a strange experience but another insightful step into another culture. When visiting the village I've set up 4 interviews each person with a exciting and relevant story to tell.

After driving back through pouring rain i decided to have a swim in the sea. I was stood in a sea that was warmer than the rain hitting me, not only that it was twilight, the clouds were dense and the sun was just disappearing, i was in my element.
thinking my night couldn't get much better...
it did.
Hearing thunder seeing lightning never fails to make my jaw drop and my heart skip. Ive always been fascinated with the sky, stars and planets but tonight was a night like I've never experienced before. The flashes were constant and the thunder was frightening, i ran to the beach with my camera and began to shoot. I was stood on a deserted tropical beach surrounded by palm trees, the sea before me was lit a perfect white by the florescent flashes of the sky above and i was there capturing every moment.
So excited for tomorrow.
Arrangements for me staying in the compound with a family on Sunday night have also been arranged.
Missing certain people who know who they are and would do anything to have them share this experience with me.

Night!

Chapter 1 - The Village

This is the third time there has been a power-cut/blackout since writing this, its quite frustrating, especially when your trying to upload 40 GB of footage.

First things first, this place is chaos, but a beautiful chaos. It's actually quite difficult to comprehend how much has happened in such a short space of time, I'm beginning to feel as though I've been on holiday for a week not two days.
This first entry I'd like to paint a picture in your mind of what this place is like and the events that have occurred so far, the rest will most likely be my thoughts on the environment and atmosphere that I'm currently witnessing.

My camera has passed the test of shooting for 9 hours straight in 40 degrees heat today. It's shooting in 1080p HD and records around 4GB every 12 minutes meaning without a computer to upload footage to my hard-drive I wouldn't have a very long film. But if you know me you know that i blag just about everything. I have managed to get my hands on a custom designed UV blue gaming PC (the only one in the Gambia I'm told) meaning i can upload the footage with ease (3 hours of ease)

Trouble started yesterday as soon as we took off, flight delayed by 4 hours, one student loosing her suitcase, harassment by fake officials at the airport, bust up with travel co-ordinaters and waterlogged roads.

Arriving late, I made friends with the night time beach security guard and took part in some well deserved star gazing with my room mate, 29 year old Martin Scandling, a teacher from Swindon Commonweal.

Getting to the important stuff, today has been an insight like no other. So far in my life I've been all around Europe, across America, Gran Canyon and snowboarding more times than i can count. This is something entirely different. I cant quite begin to explain the types of people I've met and issues I've come across already. What I'm experiencing is something quite surreal. Entering the village really pulled my heart strings, even as busy as i was with the camera in my hands I couldn't help but feel for what i was seeing. Ive shot some amazing footage and arranged some quality interviews with interesting people, passionate about getting there word across.

Our hotel is nice, clean and extremely welcoming. I believe the thing that's hit me most is coming back to something so comforting after a day of seeing such poverty. The safety and comfort of the 23 students is the most important thing and staying in a hotel was vital necessity. With that said it is difficult knowing that most of the people i met today have never felt the comfort of a hotel room, let alone the idea of my house at home.
I'm arranging staying in a compound at the village, located an hour away from the hotels position.
If 9 hours of village life has emotionally moved me me the way it has today, i can't wait to see how a whole 24 hours affect me.

Things are going well & i can feel there is a lot to come.
Ross.

PRE-FACE

How could I possibly explain the past few months?
This project has been at the core of my thoughts for a long time. Ever since coming up with the idea and writing the treatment for this project, I wasn't sure of the actual feasibility and possibility of everything going ahead.
My three years at university has allowed me to see projects grow and prosper throughout production, from new ideas to script re-writes and location changes to equipment failures. This has provided me with valuable skills and prepared me mentally to create and take on new challenges and develop my own projects.
The realization of the efforts to bring everything together for this project have been substantial. Ive had to consider the logistics, timing, raising finances, creating time to develop thoughts and ideas whilst still continuing with my studies. This has required considerable management and discipline.
My studies at university can help prepare, but can not replace the actual effort required to realize the task.
I feel proud that my passion and drive has brought me the opportunity for such a fantastic challenge.
Three months down the line I have raised over £1,500, met the 23 children I'll be accompanying to The Gambia, bought a semi-professional DSLR and most of all starved myself of alcohol and partying.
So far this project has been a whirlwind, with many ups and downs. I'm excited about the structure and planning that i have put in place for this documentary and I haven't even arrived in Africa yet.

Thank you to everyone that’s sponsored me and put something into this project, as i wouldn’t be going without you, but an even bigger thanks to those that believe in me and what I’m doing.
The only thing that can stop me now is my equipment. Mentally I'm ready and I have the best technology at hand. Be sure to check back here to see if I loose my mind or my camera blows up!
I haven’t established whether i'll have internet access whilst away, but if so this will be a blog updated daily and might even include a piece or two from some of The Commonweal School students featured in the documentary.

Another massive thank you to those that have helped, this will be as big as an experience for me as it will be for the students.
Ross Silcocks
www.threezerosix.kk5.org

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This summer i have been working as a team leader of Bristol for the charity Save the Children.
Its given me inspiration and an insight to whats happening in this world and how far away we are as a western country from the truth.

So ive decided to entwine both my passion for helping third world countries and my fascination for film-making and create a documentary accompanying 23 school children to Gambia. Allowing these children to gain an insight to what life is like in a world so different to there-own.

This blog is to document and let people at home know what progress I'm making.

http://controleverything.wordpress.com/
http://controleverything.tumblr.com/