I have been trying for several days to post this blog; this is the first time the internet has been fast enough to allow me in....it kept timing me out!!
Our classroom is in one end of the Administrative Building at the hospital; since there is no air conditioning, all the windows stay open the entire time we are in class. One day last week, I just started laughing because of all the different sounds which have the potential to disrupt the class. First of all, someone started wailing, either because they were afraid someone might die, or because someone did die. Next a large number of school children came by and were outside our windows laughing and talking loudly followed by a flock of sheep who were “bellowing” very loudly on that particular day. After a while, three men were standing right outside the classroom on the front porch and discussing how a certain procedure should be done. At that point, even though I felt frustrated, I laughed!! Because the students are so accustomed to working in that kind of environment, they seemed totally unaware of the noises J. Just a typical classroom!
Thursday afternoon, Lorena, Meredith, Bud & I headed for Freetown for a week-end of at least some rest and relaxation. There is no way to describe the road from Kamakwie to Makeni; it is dirt and we are very much into the dry season so it’s very dusty. That’s the easy part, the hard part is how bumpy the road is….if it were a washboard road, that would be great; however, it has hills and dips and rocks sticking out where the road bed has been washed away during the last rainy season. The driver must go from side to side all over the road to find the smoothest place to drive. I have a large bruise on my left shoulder where I kept hitting the side of the car as we bounced around. We finally reached Makeni after about 31/2 hr. and stopped by the Women of Hope Guest House where we visited with Kim Kargbo and met two of her children.
Then came the most challenging part of our drive, the drive from Makeni to Freetown after dark. Parts of the road from Makeni to Freetown are quite good, and traffic is minimal so the driver can make good time. However, as we neared Freetown, the traffic became very congested so the driver darted in and out between and around other vehicles anyplace he could. For several miles, we tailgated an ambulance; so if the ambulance passed vehicles on the right side, so did we; if he passed vehicles on the left side, so did we! Finally when we got very close to town, he passed the ambulance and made his own way again. It was hard to know whether to laugh or cry part of the time, so we primarily prayed J. Looking at it the next day, we had a hearty laugh; it was not always quite as funny as we were experiencing it! In case you wondered, none of us were driving, one always has a Sierra Leone driver.
We spent the morning shopping in a huge market in Freetown where they have hundreds of different kinds of cloth being sold by many different vendors. They also have a variety of other things, like Sierra Leone kitchen utensils, paintings, jewelry, various Sierra Leone musical instruments, carvings, etc. etc. We all got lots of ideas for possible future purchases.
I met with the Director of Sierra Leone Nurses to interview for my nursing license; I had previously submitted a variety of documents, so now I have to pay my fee and collect the license sometime next week. It was a good experience, although I was somewhat nervous not knowing what to expect. They were all very kind and friendly.
We spent the day Saturday at Lakka Beach which is just one of several beautiful beaches in Sierra Leone. Although not quite the plush facilities that are usually found in the U.S., it was quite nice. They furnished a table and chairs under a large thatched roof umbrella; they also had a reclining chair for lying out in the sun. the water and beach itself was very refreshing and clean. All of us except Bud have the sunburn to prove we spent the day there J. For lunch we had grilled shrimp shish kabob and fries for about $4.00 each. It was yummy!
Sunday morning, we left Freetown early and traveled to Makeni to attend church with Kim Kargbo, Director of Women of Hope. We had lunch in her home along with two of her children (Tiana & Jeremiah) and a team from U.S.A. who is currently working with her for a few days. We had a great time hearing the visions and dreams of the team as well as those of Kim.
We all have to get back to our usual routines tomorrow morning, so until next time….
No comments:
Post a Comment