Final Days

There is now only a few days to go until I am on the plane and homeward bound. I have had an incredible week, lots of ups and downs as usual but all crammed together.

My main aim of the week has been to complete a project that was funded by the VSO supporter group in Newcastle. The money is for building toilets in the village where I play football; an obvious health benefit despite long drops being a long way from the sanitation in England which I have learned to appreciate so much!

The project has been so inspiring and has made me happy to be leaving on a high. It has showed me that it really is possible to accomplish things here if you work with the right people. Seeing the Pastor work with the Imam is a real testament to the religious harmony in Salone. The chief and village elders have really supported the project. The community are doing all of the labour for free. Men dig and build, women bring water, sticks and other materials to the site (as well as cooking delicious food for break times!) and even children get involved (lets not dwell on the whole child labour thing for now...). The build is almost finished and the village seem happy.

A football match was held in my honour, like a testimonial without the money. Gearoid played for the opposition. It was a really fun game, with lots of drama. It ended a 1-1 draw after I scored the equaliser from an admittedly questionable penalty and Gearoid's last minute header was judged not to have crossed the line!

I had one memorably bad moment this week which was when my meeting with “his worship” the mayor turned into a pretty bitter argument. I would have punched him if he weren't as big as the guy from The Green Mile. Seriously, I'd probably have broken my fist. Hopefully my level-headed scathing comments will leave an impression, but I must admit I am doubtful. Local government in Sierra Leone has a long way to go.

Saying goodbye has been hard. I will miss my house mates, the other VSOs and expats, but most of all I think I will miss my Salonean friends. I have already received a couple of letters and gifts, and I must admit I choke up when I think about never seeing friends like Tyson, Emmanuel, Sullay and Edward again. These are good people, and they are being held back by elite, privileged people who have awakened more contempt within me than I knew was there.

Sierra Leone receives a lot of negative press, but it has been kind to me. There is so much promise and the truth is that there are a lot of great people here who deserve a good future. I sincerely hope that they get it, and there will always be a part of me that wants to be here to see it.