(This post was written on 7/10)
While I never thought I’d stoop so low as to have a blog,
I've finally caved as it seems like the best way in which I can organize my
thoughts and keep family and friends up to date with what’s happening –
hopefully both visually and mentally. I’ll try my best to post pictures but
since the internet here is quite a bit slower than back home, it may be limited
to just a few per post (if any per post). Anyway, I thought I’d start off this
first post by catching everyone up on what has happened so far.
TRAINING IN PHILLY/GETTING TO SIERRA LEONE
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| The last view of Detroit for awhile |
Training was quite the whirlwind. Between getting to the
hotel with my luggage and pride intact, signing the correct deferment forms,
and meeting the other 43 Sierra Leonean volunteers, I had little time to
breathe. While we didn't learn anything new per-se, our training adviser was
entertaining and helped to contextualize the upcoming 27 months. The Sierra Leonean ambassador to the US also drove up from Washington, DC to thank us and answer our questions. We only had a single day of overview and training before we
boarded the plane. After an 8 hour ride to Brussels, a 5 hour layover, and a 9
hour flight to Freetown with a quick stop in Dakar before Freetown, we had
arrived.
FREETOWN
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| First view of Freetown from the ferry |
We arrived in Freetown just as the sun was setting. Stepping
off the plane we were hit with a wave of humidity that will likely accompany us
for the next 27 months. By the time we got our luggage and were on the bus to
Freetown, it was unfortunately too dark to fully take in our surroundings.
Lungi International Airport in Sierra Leone is located across a bay from
Freetown and thus our trip consisted of a bus ride, a trip on a ferry followed by another bus trip to
reach our destination. We spent the first 5-ish days in the Kingtom section of
Freetown but didn't get to see much of the city. As it was a temporary stop, we
weren't allowed outside of the secondary school where we stayed. The
little we did see was quite overwhelming though. By in large traffic laws don’t seem to exist
and everything seemed a haphazard and disorganized. Despite its flaws, the
city has a certain energy and draw that is hard to quantify. In addition, everyone that we
met in Freetown was extremely kind and welcoming. During our stay in Freetown we were invited to an event with the
current US ambassador and the president of Sierra Leone as a gesture of
thanks to the Peace Corps. I’m thankful that I ended up in a country that is
this overjoyed to host Peace Corps members.
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| St. Edward's Secondary School where we stayed |
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| Bo, Sierra Leone |
The home stay has been a wonderful experience thus far. I’m
living in the New York section of Bo (about a 4 hour drive from Freetown) with
a father who’s a pastor and a mother who’s going to school to become a
nurse/midwife. The family that has taken me in has hosted two volunteers before
me and seems to know what to expect from an American. I technically have two
brothers: Kalon and Derrick and a sister named Esther. Sierra Leonean families
work a bit differently than the nuclear standard in the States. Instead family
units are extended+ which includes the extended family as well as second
cousins, neighbors, and any random stranger that decides to stop by that day. Much of my
time at home so far has been spent learning the many names and spending time
with the extended family. I haven’t had much opportunity to learn to cook yet
unfortunately, but I did learn to wash (brook in Krio) my clothes last weekend.
The process typically involves a couple buckets of water and a washboard and is
a skill I definitely haven’t mastered yet. It is surprisingly effective though, Kalon was able to get stains out that have been set in my clothes for a long
time.
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| My adorable and sassy little sister Esther |
The New York section of Bo is a bit outside of the main city
and because of this feels like a much smaller village. So far I've spent a lot
of time exploring both New York and Bo as a whole. One of my favorite things
I've seen so far have been the community soccer games which compare well with their US New York equivalent of Rucker Park. Much
of the community attends and each goal is celebrated as wildly by the audience
as it is by the players. Also, beer here costs about $0.80 when you convert
the currency back to dollars which is a pretty big plus - though it's occasionally warm and isn't all that great tasting.
It's difficult to describe walking down the street here – or really anywhere in Sierra Leone outside of
the downtowns of major cities. The fact that Sierra Leone culture mandates that
you greet most people you pass by combined with the lack of foreigners outside
of the metropolises results in a lot of attention. Children are much more open
about it – they often run up to you yelling “pumoy” (which roughly translates
to foreigner, though doesn't have the negative connotations that it would in
America) to hold your hand and walk with you to wherever you’re going. The
adults are a bit coyer in their responses but just walking a short distance is
usually filled with stares, shouts, and a slew of Krio and Mende greetings.
It’s definitely something that is going to take some time to fully get adjusted
to.
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| My host family house in Bo (The yellow one on the left) |
CLASSES
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| The training compound where we held most of our classes |
Classes so far have been pretty much a rehash of what we've
learned before coming to Sierra Leone. We've had plenty of sections on health,
security, and language. Thankfully this week we've started to delve into some
of the teaching methodology that I desperately need. Today we had to teach our
peers a subject and while it went pretty rough, it gave me a good idea of what
I need to work on before I get to site. The classes are pretty taxing – they
typically start at about 8:30 and end at 5:30 – after which we either have a
group activity or go home to our families. Classes have largely been helpful though,
especially the language courses, and they've helped to orient and contextualize
the experience of the home stay so far.
FOOD
The food has been surprisingly great. While I set my
expectations relatively low, I've been blown away with how much of the food I
like. While visually it isn't the most visually appealing nor healthy (lots and
lots of oil), I have yet to find a dish that I dislike. My favorite so far has been
rice and fried fish covered in a sauce made from cucumber seeds.
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| A local beer contest with goats as a potential prize (sadly none of us won a goat, though some did win 25kg bags of rice) |
LANGUAGE
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| Community Krio class |
Despite English being Sierra Leone’s official language, the
lingua franca here is Krio which bears a close resemblance to American Creole. On top
of knowing Krio and some English, most Sierra Leoneans also know their local
language (which is mostly Mende in the south and Temne in the north though
there are more than 16 local languages throughout Sierra Leone). Thankfully picking up Krio so far has
been decently easy though it is much easier to read than hold a conversation. Hopefully
I can speak it well enough to pass the exam in the 4
th week so I can
start to learn the local language of my site.
A DAY IN THE LIFE
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| A girl from nearby Jembe |
A typical day so far consists of me waking up at around 7am
to roosters, dogs, and my family who have been up since 6 or so. I generally
start the day with a bucket shower. After that I get my things ready for class
and eat the breakfast that my family is gracious enough to make for me every
morning. Typically it consists of an omelet and a loaf of sweet
bread (which tastes kinda like Hawaiian bread back home). I usually leave the house
around 8:20 so I can get to class at 8:30. Thankfully I live quite close to
where classes are held – others have to walk 20-30 minute to get to class on
time.
Class changes on a daily basis but it usually starts with a
language class from 8:30 – 10:30. After that we've had a number of classes on
safety, teaching, and mental and physical health. Around 12:30 we are served
lunch which has been a different Sierra Leonean dish every day. As stated
above, everything has been delicious. After a long lunch, we’re back to another
class like the one’s listed above. We usually end the day with a final language
class from 4-5:30.
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| Graceland, a common after-school hangout spot |
After classes, I typically head home to eat dinner. So far dinner has been waiting for me but I look forward to learning to cook the many
dishes I've had thus far. Etiquette around eating in Sierra Leone is also quite
different than the US. I typically eat alone as a sign of respect but from an
American perspective this is relatively awkward. I often try and get the kids
to eat with me though they typically refuse out of respect. After I’m done,
whatever is left is given to the children to split. After realizing this a week
or so into the home stay, I've begun to eat less so the kids can have a bit
more. After dinner I either go hang out with PC friends, go for a stroll with
my host father, or hang around on the porch and chat with the extended family.
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| The view from Graceland |
Everything so far has been great. While I’m sure it will get
more difficult later – especially when I’m on my own – I've thoroughly enjoyed
my time in Sierra Leone so far. There is still a lot to learn both culturally
and practically but I look forward to embracing the challenges that Sierra
Leone throws my way.
I’m not sure how often I’ll have internet access but it
should be more common now that I’m settled in a town and have the base language
to get around without looking too much like a ‘pumoy’ despite the obvious. I’ll
do my best to keep this blog updated as often as possible. (Ed note: clearly
this didn't happen…)
Thanks for reading, feel free to add comments or ask any
questions you have. I’d love to hear what is going on in all your lives. I miss you
all more than you know.
