Tower and Town, October 2020

  (view the full edition)

Sally Touray

Sally Touray was influenced in Gunjur by people visiting from Marlborough and for the past five years has lived with her husband and young family in Finland.

It is a great honour for me to write this important article about my experiences and encounters with the Gunjur Marlborough link. First of all I would like to talk about my encounters with Marlborough people in Gunjur.

The link between these two was established before I was born and since then there have been group exchanges between the people of Marlborough and Gunjur.

I encountered many of the group visitors from Marlborough, some of these visitors became friends and very close to me and my family. My own namesake Sally Lovelace, is one of them and she is very close to my family. 

One of them (we’ll call him John) is our family member not just a friend; he is our second Dad and very dear to us. He has done lots for us - he helped pay for my education - and for the link, in terms of all kinds of supports and assistance. In the 90s John even sent medicine to my husband through my Dad. We couldn't thank you enough for what you have done for us.?

The link has played a vital role in the development of the Gunjur community and people. My greatest regret was the stopping or termination of the group exchange between the communities. Group exchange visits have played such significant roles for both communities in terms of projects and so on.

My purpose of coming to Finland was the decision made by me and my husband that we should live together as a couple (he was living in Finland when we got married) – that is the best and right way.

In Finland the weather is totally different from Gambia. It was very difficult for me to adjust during my first winter. I really wanted to return home but after a time I became used to the weather conditions bit by bit. And now I am learning the Finnish language which is not easy to learn. Finnish people are very quiet and shy.

As I say, I am going to school and caring for my children at home, I still manage to do a little to support my family back home. As we all know, Gambia is a very hard country, life there is very difficult. Of the little money I also get, I send some of it to my family.

Sally Touray