Things have been getting steadily better at work, I wrote two funding proposals to try and bring in money for IT equipment for the council (lets hope they get a generator up and running) and to buy 300 motorbike helmets to give to the Okada (motorbike taxi) drivers. The Mayor seemed to be impressed, which means that I may have more time to work on these kind of projects, which is the reason I came here.
I am off to Freetown tomorrow to meet with an energy company to start a proposal for solar street lighting in Makeni. It will be ambitious, and very expensive, I wont know until after the meeting if it is worth producing a full proposal.
In other news this week I found a pretty damn big spider in my room, which I despatched with bug spray and a hiking boot (sorry nature lovers, it was him or me). I found out something really bad about a guy at work (cant say too much here). I sincerely hope that he gets his comeuppance. I was invited to Sunday lunch with two nuns who also lecture at the Fatima Institute, and it was lovely. They have an oven, so went all out and even baked a cake. They were really interesting people too, they have been in West Africa for about 30 years, and were in Sierra Leone during the conflict. They told me their story of fleeing across the border to Guinea hiding underneath tarp in a canoe. Scary stuff.
Thanks for the comments as ever guys. Mr Crake; it was my pleasure, sorry I couldn't be there in person. To answer Mr Lindsay, I suppose people react in different ways to this environment; some people will turn to religion, others (like me) will view it as further evidence that there can be no God. Its interesting to say that to anyone here though. Most people are Muslim or Christian, are very tolerant of each other, but have no concept of atheism. They find me very strange! Although I have the Christians to thank for my house, the lecturing job, my internet access and last week's Sunday lunch, so they may well be on to something...
Thursday, 30 October 2008
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Football, pets and corruption
Its strange how people settle into a routine; life here is quickly becoming like Groundhog Day. Every weekday morning I rise at around 6.30, and go for a run or game of football. I then head to the Fatima Institute, as I can charge my laptop there and they occasionally have internet. I work from there, before heading to Checkpoint, one of the very few restaurants here, and eat one of the three dishes on the menu (Groundnut Soup with rice, Cassava Leaves with rice, or jolof rice).
I then head into the office for the afternoon. I work in the Town Hall, which is a strange building with a turbulent recent history. It was occupied by the rebels during the war, and was the venue of the Truth and Reconciliation hearings after the war. I don't like the place, but soon we will be moving – we might even have a generator so we can make use of the luxury of electricity!
After work I head home, feed the kitten (she is only about five weeks old, we look after her in hope that she will kill rats/cockroaches/snakes etc when she grows up). I then light the coalpot, Gearoid and I cook, eat, wash up, collect water from the well, and read until bedtime (which is usually pretty early)
Lately we have managed to get involved in some serious football, we played in a training match for the Sierra Leone Army against the Wuzum Stars, which was awesome. We played the first half only, and I was glad because those lads are super fit and the heat was killing me!
So life is good, but there are always things that bring you down here. I knew that working in Sierra Leone was always going to be frustrating and challenging, but there are times here when I just want to scream. In the last week alone I turned up to give a lecture but no students showed up, someone offered me a bribe, and my friend Rabia had her house burgled whilst she was at my place eating dinner. I suspect that dealing with such issues over the course of the year will define how much I get out of this whole experience.
I then head into the office for the afternoon. I work in the Town Hall, which is a strange building with a turbulent recent history. It was occupied by the rebels during the war, and was the venue of the Truth and Reconciliation hearings after the war. I don't like the place, but soon we will be moving – we might even have a generator so we can make use of the luxury of electricity!
After work I head home, feed the kitten (she is only about five weeks old, we look after her in hope that she will kill rats/cockroaches/snakes etc when she grows up). I then light the coalpot, Gearoid and I cook, eat, wash up, collect water from the well, and read until bedtime (which is usually pretty early)
Lately we have managed to get involved in some serious football, we played in a training match for the Sierra Leone Army against the Wuzum Stars, which was awesome. We played the first half only, and I was glad because those lads are super fit and the heat was killing me!
So life is good, but there are always things that bring you down here. I knew that working in Sierra Leone was always going to be frustrating and challenging, but there are times here when I just want to scream. In the last week alone I turned up to give a lecture but no students showed up, someone offered me a bribe, and my friend Rabia had her house burgled whilst she was at my place eating dinner. I suspect that dealing with such issues over the course of the year will define how much I get out of this whole experience.
Monday, 13 October 2008
Taking the Initiative
After a few days of despair and longing to be back in Freetown, I decided to try to make things happen for myself. I had met a few people during my first weekend in town, including Gearoid, an Irishman who has lived in the USA for half his life and is in Sierra Leone to gather evidence for his PhD. It turned out that he had a spare room and was happy to share the house with yours truly, so I set about arranging to rent the room. The house is owned by the Fatima Institute, a college run by the Catholic Church. Another friend arranged for me to meet with Father Joe, the charismatic African priest who is in charge of Fatima. We eventually agreed that I could live in the house with Gearoid until January, although I had to bargain. The house is only for people with an association to Fatima, so, to cut a long story short, I am now a lecturer at the Fatima Institute!
I will do two lectures a week on communication skills, focusing on public speaking, and writing. I am very nervous about it all (I start this week!) but I am assured that I am educated to a higher standard than most people in this country and they are confident that I can do it. At least the kids really seem to want to learn; the few who are lucky enough to be educated to college level take it very seriously.
Anyway, the house is amazing! We have a compound with a guard so its safe. We have our own well for water (a little bit creepy, like in The Ring) and an outdoor kitchen. My room is a decent size and the house is clean and cosy. It is near the only good standard hotel in town, Apex, which had a swimming pool, nightclub (nothing too exciting) and even an internet café. Even better is the full size football pitch right behind the house, which happens to be where the Wuzum Stars train. They are Makeni's professional team, and we went down to watch them on my first night in the house, before joining a game with some other local boys. I managed to score the only goal of the game and I have never had a goal celebrated with such vigour! I hope to spend a lot of time down there this year.
My friend Jen came to stay for the weekend and on Saturday we got up early to avoid the heat so we could climb the biggest hill in the area. Wuzum Hill towers over Makeni like a smaller, green version of Table Mountain. We found some local boys at the base who were willing to help guide us up the hill for the small price of 2000 Leones (about 40p) and this proved a wise investment as it is not an easy climb in parts. The view from the top was outstanding, we could see the whole town and the surrounding countryside and it was well worth the climb.
Then on Saturday night Gearoid and I invited people over to enjoy our baked potatoes that we cooked in our “bush oven” (hole in the ground with burning embers, thanks Ray Mears!) with a chilli. It really made me feel at home to be able to have friends around and cook. We then hit the aforementioned Apex nightclub which had a distinct wedding party feel to it for some Star beers and dancing. Most of the music is West African, often in Krio, and it is growing on me fast (perhaps owing to my “adapt or die” mentality).
The job at the council is still proving to be difficult, but I am just trying to settle in by getting to know people, work on my Krio and avoid jumping in too fast (apart from the fact that I have agreed to work two jobs!)
I will do two lectures a week on communication skills, focusing on public speaking, and writing. I am very nervous about it all (I start this week!) but I am assured that I am educated to a higher standard than most people in this country and they are confident that I can do it. At least the kids really seem to want to learn; the few who are lucky enough to be educated to college level take it very seriously.
Anyway, the house is amazing! We have a compound with a guard so its safe. We have our own well for water (a little bit creepy, like in The Ring) and an outdoor kitchen. My room is a decent size and the house is clean and cosy. It is near the only good standard hotel in town, Apex, which had a swimming pool, nightclub (nothing too exciting) and even an internet café. Even better is the full size football pitch right behind the house, which happens to be where the Wuzum Stars train. They are Makeni's professional team, and we went down to watch them on my first night in the house, before joining a game with some other local boys. I managed to score the only goal of the game and I have never had a goal celebrated with such vigour! I hope to spend a lot of time down there this year.
My friend Jen came to stay for the weekend and on Saturday we got up early to avoid the heat so we could climb the biggest hill in the area. Wuzum Hill towers over Makeni like a smaller, green version of Table Mountain. We found some local boys at the base who were willing to help guide us up the hill for the small price of 2000 Leones (about 40p) and this proved a wise investment as it is not an easy climb in parts. The view from the top was outstanding, we could see the whole town and the surrounding countryside and it was well worth the climb.
Then on Saturday night Gearoid and I invited people over to enjoy our baked potatoes that we cooked in our “bush oven” (hole in the ground with burning embers, thanks Ray Mears!) with a chilli. It really made me feel at home to be able to have friends around and cook. We then hit the aforementioned Apex nightclub which had a distinct wedding party feel to it for some Star beers and dancing. Most of the music is West African, often in Krio, and it is growing on me fast (perhaps owing to my “adapt or die” mentality).
The job at the council is still proving to be difficult, but I am just trying to settle in by getting to know people, work on my Krio and avoid jumping in too fast (apart from the fact that I have agreed to work two jobs!)
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
Well, it couldnt all be easy could it?
I thouroughly enjoyed the rest of my time in Freetown and was a little sad to leave all told, after making some great friends and getting to know the city pretty well. I was more excited about seeing Makeni, and getting into my new house... which isn't there!
So it turns out the council have not organised a house for me, which was a condition of the placement. So i have been living in a strange hotel for the past five days. It is a nice enough room, but the hotel itself is always full of rowdy men drinking on the porch, then sleeping in the common areas and corridors by night. I am very disappointed, as the other VSO guys in Makeni have pretty decent digs (some even have generators and running water!)
Well, at least it was going to be exciting to start work... or not. On my first day no-one was there to greet me and I spent the afternoon being driven around town on the back of a motorbike by a man who I suspect was drunk. I have at least met "His Worship, the Major Moses Sesay" who I will be working under, who earlier presented me to a full meeting of the council with great ceremony and adieu. This was a little over the top for my tastes. but people love formalities here, and I had to sit through the four hour meeting to learn that the hard way.
So the job is leading the development planning. This is going to be difficult as I have half a desk and no equipment whatsoever. The council does not even own a map of the town. There is so much to do but I have no idea where to start. They also want me to do a lot of fundraising. I am going to sit back and build some informal bridges before I make everyone else look bad by being too pro-active. The main focus of my work this week is finding myself a place to live, as they have not done it.
So, rant over.
The town itself is really nice. Surrounded by beautiful green hills, always hot, and home to some very friendly people. Everywhere I go, children shout "OPPORTO!" (The Temne word for "White Man"), but it is done in a very affectionate and friendly manner. The only way to get around town is by motorbike. Soon, I will probably have my own bike, but until then, all I have to do is go outside and shout "BIKE" and a bike taxi will coem out of nowhere to pick me up. There are a few other VSOs and NGO workers in town and I have settled nicely into the social circle.
So, I think once I have settled more into the job and have a place to live, I will be happy here. Until then, I am off to one of the three eateries in town for some cassava leaves with rice washed down with a Star beer.
So it turns out the council have not organised a house for me, which was a condition of the placement. So i have been living in a strange hotel for the past five days. It is a nice enough room, but the hotel itself is always full of rowdy men drinking on the porch, then sleeping in the common areas and corridors by night. I am very disappointed, as the other VSO guys in Makeni have pretty decent digs (some even have generators and running water!)
Well, at least it was going to be exciting to start work... or not. On my first day no-one was there to greet me and I spent the afternoon being driven around town on the back of a motorbike by a man who I suspect was drunk. I have at least met "His Worship, the Major Moses Sesay" who I will be working under, who earlier presented me to a full meeting of the council with great ceremony and adieu. This was a little over the top for my tastes. but people love formalities here, and I had to sit through the four hour meeting to learn that the hard way.
So the job is leading the development planning. This is going to be difficult as I have half a desk and no equipment whatsoever. The council does not even own a map of the town. There is so much to do but I have no idea where to start. They also want me to do a lot of fundraising. I am going to sit back and build some informal bridges before I make everyone else look bad by being too pro-active. The main focus of my work this week is finding myself a place to live, as they have not done it.
So, rant over.
The town itself is really nice. Surrounded by beautiful green hills, always hot, and home to some very friendly people. Everywhere I go, children shout "OPPORTO!" (The Temne word for "White Man"), but it is done in a very affectionate and friendly manner. The only way to get around town is by motorbike. Soon, I will probably have my own bike, but until then, all I have to do is go outside and shout "BIKE" and a bike taxi will coem out of nowhere to pick me up. There are a few other VSOs and NGO workers in town and I have settled nicely into the social circle.
So, I think once I have settled more into the job and have a place to live, I will be happy here. Until then, I am off to one of the three eateries in town for some cassava leaves with rice washed down with a Star beer.
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