hi,
I just have a few minutes because we are going out to the chimpanzee reserve when the driver comes. Mind you, that could be anytime. The joke here is that they run on BMT which is black man's time.
Mohamed had his graduation party on Saturday evening. It started about 10 o clock when the last guest arrived and we all sat down first, with me one of the top table. we started with a short prayer from the Rev. David. This involved singing, clapping but not brevity, then a few short speeches, me talking on behalf of educaid. then we were all served with chicken and rice and I got another fish-head but this time I did eat some of the fish. They had set up 6 huge speakers and then the music and dancing began. It went on until nearly 3 but I gave up and went to bed at 12 and fell asleep despite the noise.The dancing was very energetic, made me tired just watching them but I did get up and dance.
On Sunday, we crowded into the Toyota to go to the beach with the uninspired name of beach number 2. It was lovely. I hired a big round beachhut for us all. The Atlantic was too rough to swim in but I did sit and let the waves come in round me. The sand was very soft and yellow but the best bit was the lagoon on the other side of the sandbar. It was just about deep enough to swim in but lovely and warm and with a clean sandy bottom. I spent ages just lying in it, wallowing really. It might attract more tourists if they called it paradise beach. We had bought some bread rolls and a big jar of mayonaise, but unfortunately no knife. We solved the problem by using the car key to get the mayonaise out and spread it. Very tasty.
I spent yesterday working most of the day writing resources. the electricity went off again in the evening, but unfortunately the generator has an airlock so it was torches out. I went to bed at 9 o clock. It was very peaceful because the lack of electricity meant that the locals could not play the music and I slept through until 6.30 when a local evangelical deemed it necessary to call us all to the Lord through a loudspeaker.
Well, BMT has struck again but I had better go and take the computer upstairs and get ready
best wishes, Pat
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Saturday, 26 December 2009
Christmas Day
Happy Christmas to everyone. I am almost, but not quite, embarrassed to tell you about my day, with all the reports about the cold weather you have been having.
When I woke up, I found a stocking outside my door, a custom started by Miriam and ably carried out by Moses and Mohamed. It was filled with a variety of goodies, sweets, a rubber, post it notes, a small necklace and a bar of soap along with three photo frames from Ikea. The other sock was in there as well, that's part of the present.
We had the radio on playing non stop Christmas carols to put us in the mood.
In case the personel here are confusing you, let me explain first. Miriam was married to Alhassan and has a son Kofi who is now 5. Alhassan was killed in an accident this summer but his family live in the house next to the school, as do the 6 college boys who are ex pupils who go to the University but live in here. There are also some pupils who literally have nowhere else to go, so there were 28 of us in residence altogether. Miriam and Kofi are having a well deserved holiday in Spain at the moment.
Back to Christmas day. Christmas is a family time here as at home and we stayed as a big family group for the day. the tables and chairs were set out in a big square on the middle floor which is light and airy and we had breakfast with rolls and tea. The rolls were filled with a mixture of tinned sardines, spam chunks, onion and spices, which I know sounds horrible but was actually delicious. There were two buckets of tea, one with sugar and a much smaller one without.
After breakfast we all sat in the cooking area outside and everyone pitched in with making the dinner(I was taking the photos). This involved peeling and slicing vast quantities of onions, cooking fish and chicken in spices and drying the small red peppers before they were added as well. The rice was then sifted through to get rid of any husks. It was lovely and tasty. I was given two bits of chicken which I ate and a piece of fish which I'm afraid I didn't because it was a whole fish-head and I could imagine it looking at me.
The best bit of the day was after lunch. I had put a dress on for the morning but changed into shorts and sleeveless top for the beach. I took a taxi down to the end of the road with Mohamed and then we walked for about a mile down to the beach. By the time we got there, the others had caught up, they are young and walk fast!. The boys played a rather vigorous game of football interspersed with lying in the water while I paddled up and down. My shorts got very wet but they soon dried. The beach looks remarkably like Burnham with a long sweep of sand ending in a headland. Another walk and taxi ride back, followed by a cold shower completed the afternoon.
The rest of the day was spent resting and working in the evening. I still have a lot of resources to produce so today will be spent typing as well. It is Mohamed's graduation party tonight and apparently I am expected to dance!! and tomorrow we go to another, nicer beach a bit further away because we can use the car and Alhassan's mother will come with us.
I will post again sometime this week.
Best wishes, Pat
When I woke up, I found a stocking outside my door, a custom started by Miriam and ably carried out by Moses and Mohamed. It was filled with a variety of goodies, sweets, a rubber, post it notes, a small necklace and a bar of soap along with three photo frames from Ikea. The other sock was in there as well, that's part of the present.
We had the radio on playing non stop Christmas carols to put us in the mood.
In case the personel here are confusing you, let me explain first. Miriam was married to Alhassan and has a son Kofi who is now 5. Alhassan was killed in an accident this summer but his family live in the house next to the school, as do the 6 college boys who are ex pupils who go to the University but live in here. There are also some pupils who literally have nowhere else to go, so there were 28 of us in residence altogether. Miriam and Kofi are having a well deserved holiday in Spain at the moment.
Back to Christmas day. Christmas is a family time here as at home and we stayed as a big family group for the day. the tables and chairs were set out in a big square on the middle floor which is light and airy and we had breakfast with rolls and tea. The rolls were filled with a mixture of tinned sardines, spam chunks, onion and spices, which I know sounds horrible but was actually delicious. There were two buckets of tea, one with sugar and a much smaller one without.
After breakfast we all sat in the cooking area outside and everyone pitched in with making the dinner(I was taking the photos). This involved peeling and slicing vast quantities of onions, cooking fish and chicken in spices and drying the small red peppers before they were added as well. The rice was then sifted through to get rid of any husks. It was lovely and tasty. I was given two bits of chicken which I ate and a piece of fish which I'm afraid I didn't because it was a whole fish-head and I could imagine it looking at me.
The best bit of the day was after lunch. I had put a dress on for the morning but changed into shorts and sleeveless top for the beach. I took a taxi down to the end of the road with Mohamed and then we walked for about a mile down to the beach. By the time we got there, the others had caught up, they are young and walk fast!. The boys played a rather vigorous game of football interspersed with lying in the water while I paddled up and down. My shorts got very wet but they soon dried. The beach looks remarkably like Burnham with a long sweep of sand ending in a headland. Another walk and taxi ride back, followed by a cold shower completed the afternoon.
The rest of the day was spent resting and working in the evening. I still have a lot of resources to produce so today will be spent typing as well. It is Mohamed's graduation party tonight and apparently I am expected to dance!! and tomorrow we go to another, nicer beach a bit further away because we can use the car and Alhassan's mother will come with us.
I will post again sometime this week.
Best wishes, Pat
Monday, 21 December 2009
Nearly Christmas
Nearly a week since I last posted. The internet can be very on and off but seems a bit more stable at the moment. Both Miriam and Sean have gone home so it is quite quiet in the flat. People do keep popping in for a variety of things so I'm not lonely and I can always go down and talk to the college boys and pupils who are still here. There will be about 28 of us in total on Christmas day. The plan is to go to the beach, apparently everyone in Freetown has the same plan so I hope there will be a bit of shade. It seems rather churlish to go on about the heat when I know it is so cold over there and I will go onto the BBC website when I have sent this and see what is going on.
I was quite tired again today. There was very loud music until quite late but eventually I fell asleep but when I woke up at 4am, someone a bit further away still had his music blaring out so that was it for a few hours. There really is no escape from the noise, I just try and screen it out. There was an evangelical rally nearby yesterday which involved a brass instrument and a drum. At the end, they processed through the streets near the school.
I was sitting in the morning doing some typing for worksheets when I smelled smoke and a fishy smell. When I looked out, they had lit a fire in the kitchen area, an open lean to and had a tarpaulin spread over it covered in fish. When they had finished smoking them, they put cloths down on the tin roof of the house and spread the fish out to dry in the sun for the day. They will turn up in the soup that is the basis for most of their food.
I have spent the day getting all the chemicals and equipment out of the science cupboard, washing it up,recording it and putting it back nice and tidy. Most of the science staff are new so they don't know what is in there at all. I am doing a training for the science staff from all the schools on 2/3rd January but I'm not sure what I will do that will fill two days. But then again, they have never done any practical demonstrations, never mind done a practical with a class. The classes are more than 40 and the lab holds about 15 so the classes will have to be split somehow. There are 800 pupils on three floors and sometimes they are so close together, you just can't squeeze between them. There is no space at all around the building so they don't get out at all and sit like that for 4 hours at a time with no breathe of air most of the time.
The harmattan, the wind from the Sahara seems to have gone away for a bit but I am told it will be back. There is more sand around and it coats the tiled floor with a thin layer.
I am trying to send e cards but they take a long time and the connection sometimes drops in the middle, so if you don't get a personal message, have a good Christmas and New Year.
Keep warm and safe,
Pat
I was quite tired again today. There was very loud music until quite late but eventually I fell asleep but when I woke up at 4am, someone a bit further away still had his music blaring out so that was it for a few hours. There really is no escape from the noise, I just try and screen it out. There was an evangelical rally nearby yesterday which involved a brass instrument and a drum. At the end, they processed through the streets near the school.
I was sitting in the morning doing some typing for worksheets when I smelled smoke and a fishy smell. When I looked out, they had lit a fire in the kitchen area, an open lean to and had a tarpaulin spread over it covered in fish. When they had finished smoking them, they put cloths down on the tin roof of the house and spread the fish out to dry in the sun for the day. They will turn up in the soup that is the basis for most of their food.
I have spent the day getting all the chemicals and equipment out of the science cupboard, washing it up,recording it and putting it back nice and tidy. Most of the science staff are new so they don't know what is in there at all. I am doing a training for the science staff from all the schools on 2/3rd January but I'm not sure what I will do that will fill two days. But then again, they have never done any practical demonstrations, never mind done a practical with a class. The classes are more than 40 and the lab holds about 15 so the classes will have to be split somehow. There are 800 pupils on three floors and sometimes they are so close together, you just can't squeeze between them. There is no space at all around the building so they don't get out at all and sit like that for 4 hours at a time with no breathe of air most of the time.
The harmattan, the wind from the Sahara seems to have gone away for a bit but I am told it will be back. There is more sand around and it coats the tiled floor with a thin layer.
I am trying to send e cards but they take a long time and the connection sometimes drops in the middle, so if you don't get a personal message, have a good Christmas and New Year.
Keep warm and safe,
Pat
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
everyday life
I just thought I might give you a snapshot of what it is like for the people who live here. There are, of course, the rich ones who live in big houses but the vast majority certainly do not. The ones who have managed to get an education like the teachers seem to manage but I have never been to one of their homes so I have no idea what sort of houses they live in. Many people seem to eke out a living selling whatever they can and many of the pupils are sent out to sell goods on the street after school. The pupils tell me that some of them are told to go out and not to come back until they have some money so they sell themselves, which accounts for the high rate of young mothers round here.
Whenever the car stops, people rush up trying to sell you fruit, bread, snacks, anything to earn a bit of money. On one trip I saw a man by the side of the road breaking rocks into small chippings by hand for people to buy to put in the concrete.
The water supply comes in by plastic pipes that run in ditches by the sides of the road. they are always coming apart round here so the road outside often has puddles in it, which make the red mud splash up on the back of your legs. Sometimes there are children taking water into containers by the side of the road, I'm told they are stealing the water. I have to be careful with the amount of water I use up in the flat because the pupils have to carry it to the downstairs tank in buckets and then it is pumped upstairs to the top tank.
The electric supply is more stable now the new hydroelectric power station is finished but we do get blackouts every few days and in the evening the generator is put on when this happens. Two or three generators on in the area round the school is a lot of noise and impossible to escape from and certainly makes it hard to go to sleep.
Most of the clothes I have seen are from the USA or England and are sold in the market so there are a great variety of T shirts sporting highly unlikely logos. Some of the pupils obviously have very little but they keep them very clean. If anyone remembers their granny's rubbing board in the washtub, they are alive and well used here. Most of the women wear outfits made for them. the long skirts and tops are of the same material and they usually have a headscarf as well. They generally look rather elegant. Both men and women seem to like lacy material and the men's Sunday best is long trousers and a shirt in lacy material and they don't mind them being pink either. Sometimes they will wear the long Muslim robes and the next day look very western in trousers, and shirt.
There is very little variety in the food. Most of it is highly spiced with peppers and a lot of bright orange palm oil is used. I have seen very little refined sugar used locally but you can get it in the supermarket. Milk is hard to get, they use dried milk but I really don't like it. I'm using soya milk at the moment until I can get back to my usual supermarket.
Well the electric has just gone off so I am offline. I will save this and post it when I can. It has been 29 degrees today and teaching the women's group for 4 hours took it out of me so I went to bed for a nap after lunch but I'm fine now. Bye the way, I have tried to post photos but it just takes too long and they fail, but I will keep trying.
Best wishes,
Pat
Whenever the car stops, people rush up trying to sell you fruit, bread, snacks, anything to earn a bit of money. On one trip I saw a man by the side of the road breaking rocks into small chippings by hand for people to buy to put in the concrete.
The water supply comes in by plastic pipes that run in ditches by the sides of the road. they are always coming apart round here so the road outside often has puddles in it, which make the red mud splash up on the back of your legs. Sometimes there are children taking water into containers by the side of the road, I'm told they are stealing the water. I have to be careful with the amount of water I use up in the flat because the pupils have to carry it to the downstairs tank in buckets and then it is pumped upstairs to the top tank.
The electric supply is more stable now the new hydroelectric power station is finished but we do get blackouts every few days and in the evening the generator is put on when this happens. Two or three generators on in the area round the school is a lot of noise and impossible to escape from and certainly makes it hard to go to sleep.
Most of the clothes I have seen are from the USA or England and are sold in the market so there are a great variety of T shirts sporting highly unlikely logos. Some of the pupils obviously have very little but they keep them very clean. If anyone remembers their granny's rubbing board in the washtub, they are alive and well used here. Most of the women wear outfits made for them. the long skirts and tops are of the same material and they usually have a headscarf as well. They generally look rather elegant. Both men and women seem to like lacy material and the men's Sunday best is long trousers and a shirt in lacy material and they don't mind them being pink either. Sometimes they will wear the long Muslim robes and the next day look very western in trousers, and shirt.
There is very little variety in the food. Most of it is highly spiced with peppers and a lot of bright orange palm oil is used. I have seen very little refined sugar used locally but you can get it in the supermarket. Milk is hard to get, they use dried milk but I really don't like it. I'm using soya milk at the moment until I can get back to my usual supermarket.
Well the electric has just gone off so I am offline. I will save this and post it when I can. It has been 29 degrees today and teaching the women's group for 4 hours took it out of me so I went to bed for a nap after lunch but I'm fine now. Bye the way, I have tried to post photos but it just takes too long and they fail, but I will keep trying.
Best wishes,
Pat
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Graduation day
One of Miriam's protegees got his degree from the University of Sierra Leone on Saturday. As Miriam is up country, he invited me to go and watch, along with others.
We left at 5.45 am to make sure we could park, although it it only about 4 miles away and went the long way round to pick up his friend who was also getting his degree. Mohamed comes from upcountry and has no family so he has lived for years with a foster family and they came as well.
They finally let us in the stadium where it was all being held about 8 am and I was surprised to find that my ticket was for VIP's so I got a seat near the front, along with another teacher from the school and his foster mother, who speaks no English. I sat right on the central aisle so I could see everything. There were 1200 graduates and they started coming in to take their places so the sound of the police band playing carols and other Christmas songs such as jingle bells. I am having real difficulty in reconciling the temperature and Christmas, even though we all break up at the end of this week and exams are in full swing.
Back to the great occasion. After all the graduands had taken their seats, we waited and then the more minor academics processed in. Then the vice president arrived and took his seat and finally the rest of the university officials processed in with the mace and finally the President of Sierra Leone himself as the University Chancellor.
He was surrounded by men in sunglasses, security men look the same the world over. the initial speeches lasted an hour, then each group of graduands was presented and every one came up in a line and shook hand with the president. This took hours and the sun broke through about mid-day and there wasn't a breath of air. Everyone started to cook but no-one could move, it would have been very disrespectful to the president. then there was an honorary graduate and more speeches. I was plastering on sun cream and it seems to have worked. I got a nice tan but did not burn, although the top of my feet got rather red. It finally finished at 2.30, I had been sitting in the sun for six and a half hours.
We pushed our way out and met up at the car. There were some nice moments when groups that were apparently clubs lifted their graduates high on their shoulders and went through the streets doing that slow run you see Africans do on the TV, singing.
The trip home was an adventure as well. Freetown is as bad as London in rush hour so we headed off up the hills. It is a city built on hills with valleys between so the tarmacked roads go so far, then just run out and then it gets to be very bumpy. Our local farm tracks are skating rinks compared to foot deep ruts and piles of rocks. Just when you get down and think it is all over, up the car goes again.
When we finally got back to school, I had been out exactly 12 hours but it gave me a glimpse of another SL that is trying to get back to the normality it had before the civil war. Everyone was in their best clothes, just like in England but some of these graduates had overcome massive difficulties and their families had sacrificed so much to get them there. The costumes are lovely but that had better be another blog. Pat
We left at 5.45 am to make sure we could park, although it it only about 4 miles away and went the long way round to pick up his friend who was also getting his degree. Mohamed comes from upcountry and has no family so he has lived for years with a foster family and they came as well.
They finally let us in the stadium where it was all being held about 8 am and I was surprised to find that my ticket was for VIP's so I got a seat near the front, along with another teacher from the school and his foster mother, who speaks no English. I sat right on the central aisle so I could see everything. There were 1200 graduates and they started coming in to take their places so the sound of the police band playing carols and other Christmas songs such as jingle bells. I am having real difficulty in reconciling the temperature and Christmas, even though we all break up at the end of this week and exams are in full swing.
Back to the great occasion. After all the graduands had taken their seats, we waited and then the more minor academics processed in. Then the vice president arrived and took his seat and finally the rest of the university officials processed in with the mace and finally the President of Sierra Leone himself as the University Chancellor.
He was surrounded by men in sunglasses, security men look the same the world over. the initial speeches lasted an hour, then each group of graduands was presented and every one came up in a line and shook hand with the president. This took hours and the sun broke through about mid-day and there wasn't a breath of air. Everyone started to cook but no-one could move, it would have been very disrespectful to the president. then there was an honorary graduate and more speeches. I was plastering on sun cream and it seems to have worked. I got a nice tan but did not burn, although the top of my feet got rather red. It finally finished at 2.30, I had been sitting in the sun for six and a half hours.
We pushed our way out and met up at the car. There were some nice moments when groups that were apparently clubs lifted their graduates high on their shoulders and went through the streets doing that slow run you see Africans do on the TV, singing.
The trip home was an adventure as well. Freetown is as bad as London in rush hour so we headed off up the hills. It is a city built on hills with valleys between so the tarmacked roads go so far, then just run out and then it gets to be very bumpy. Our local farm tracks are skating rinks compared to foot deep ruts and piles of rocks. Just when you get down and think it is all over, up the car goes again.
When we finally got back to school, I had been out exactly 12 hours but it gave me a glimpse of another SL that is trying to get back to the normality it had before the civil war. Everyone was in their best clothes, just like in England but some of these graduates had overcome massive difficulties and their families had sacrificed so much to get them there. The costumes are lovely but that had better be another blog. Pat
Thursday, 10 December 2009
another early morning.
Sorry I haven't posted for a bit but it can be really difficult to connect to the net. Yesterday I was up at 5 am again for the supply run to the other three educaid schools upcountry. As I walked through the school to the car, two boys were already up and working. The pupils arrange the tables on their sides to give them a tiny bit of privacy and put out the mattresses and sleep on the floor. I don't know if it a particular thing here but I haven't seen a bed yet. I have a double mattress on the floor with a mosquito net so I suppose it gives the same feel as a four poster bed. At least I have a bedroom to myself with a shower room. Having a cold shower takes some getting used to, especially when washing your hair but a few minutes later you are dry and warm.
The trip can be very bumpy in places but luckily, the car is a toyota 4x4. Miriam is away up country training teachers so we used the driver for the trip. The back of the car was filled with wood for the cooking fire here but that was finally put on the roof rack so the cassava leaves and fish could go in the car. The last bit of the journey was done with a pile of leaves behind me and the gentle smell of fish wafting forward. When we got home, the fish was all smoked over the fire to preserve it.
We also stopped to get a few gallons of palm wine. This is actually the sap of the palm tree. It is tapped of the tree, a bit like a rubber tree, and then left overnight. It ferments and goes white and frothy and tastes rather refreshing. It is no stronger than a weak beer. I also bought some rather tasty biscuit like things. They make them from ground rice, ground peanuts and sugar and it is simply pressed together. I spent yesterday evening on the top deck above the flat sitting drinking palm wine and chatting to two of the teachers.
The Harmattan has started. This is a wind that blows from the Sahara. It is now much drier and windier during the day but it is a warm wind. The people here think it is cold but I was still in a sleeveless top outside at 10.30 pm. It will gradually get stronger and go on until after I leave.
As Miriam is away, I have been invited to the graduation from the university of one of the junior teachers on Saturday. The president will be there and we have to be in place by 8.30 for a whole day affair.
Well, there is my next post, as long as I can get a connection.
Keep warm!!!
Pat
The trip can be very bumpy in places but luckily, the car is a toyota 4x4. Miriam is away up country training teachers so we used the driver for the trip. The back of the car was filled with wood for the cooking fire here but that was finally put on the roof rack so the cassava leaves and fish could go in the car. The last bit of the journey was done with a pile of leaves behind me and the gentle smell of fish wafting forward. When we got home, the fish was all smoked over the fire to preserve it.
We also stopped to get a few gallons of palm wine. This is actually the sap of the palm tree. It is tapped of the tree, a bit like a rubber tree, and then left overnight. It ferments and goes white and frothy and tastes rather refreshing. It is no stronger than a weak beer. I also bought some rather tasty biscuit like things. They make them from ground rice, ground peanuts and sugar and it is simply pressed together. I spent yesterday evening on the top deck above the flat sitting drinking palm wine and chatting to two of the teachers.
The Harmattan has started. This is a wind that blows from the Sahara. It is now much drier and windier during the day but it is a warm wind. The people here think it is cold but I was still in a sleeveless top outside at 10.30 pm. It will gradually get stronger and go on until after I leave.
As Miriam is away, I have been invited to the graduation from the university of one of the junior teachers on Saturday. The president will be there and we have to be in place by 8.30 for a whole day affair.
Well, there is my next post, as long as I can get a connection.
Keep warm!!!
Pat
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Of failing internet connections
Pat has contacted me, via text message, to say that the internet connection has been very bad in the last day or two so she has been unable to post any updates.
She is off away from the school tomorrow for a day or two to go 'Up Country'. So she should have a few tales to tell when she gets back to her base.
Steve
She is off away from the school tomorrow for a day or two to go 'Up Country'. So she should have a few tales to tell when she gets back to her base.
Steve
Friday, 4 December 2009
Life in Sierra Leone
Sorry I haven't posted since Monday, but the net connection has been rather unreliable.
Life is much more basic here than we are used to. The infrastructure is very poor with some passably good roads but most not. This is the dry season so I can't imagine what its like in the rainy season when it is constantly pouring.
This area has some quite nice houses, mostly built on the same plan, two or three stories with a wide veranda round each story to keep the rain away. Most of them have shutters for security but no glass in the windows, it would be unbearable and there is no need keep heat in here. There are also quite a lot of wooden shacks with bits of material for doors and people sit outside them all day. Cooking is mainly done on open fires outside, even in well to do houses. All the washing is done outdoors too and they really beat their clothes hard, probably because they are using cold water, then the washing is laid out over walls or rocks, anywhere really it can dry.
The food is highly spiced but always with pepper. Rice with a spicy soup and some sardines is on at the moment but I have to admit I can only eat so much of it. The fresh bread rolls are lovely though and only 30p for four massive rolls. I have discovered where to buy laughing cow cheese spread and jars of pate so that will be my evening meal tonight.
Breakfast comes from a stall just outside the school. I'm sure most of my friends would just look in horror at the hygiene but I haven't had a tummy upset yet. They do chicken pieces and a choice of a sort of omelette with lots of onion, boiled eggs, fried beans (no tomato sauce) fried plantain and banana fritter type things. These all go in rolls or small loaves if that is your main meal for the day.
The medical care is probably the worst problem. Many of the doctors are not very good and just write out a prescription for 10 drugs and send you to their brother who runs the pharmacy. If one of them works, then people think they are good doctors.
Miriam keeps a supply of drugs for malaria etc, because the same illnesses come up again and again. The deaths in childbirth are frightening. We heard this week that two of the ex-students have died in childbirth and a quarter of all children born will die before they are 5. TB is still claiming a lot of people as well.
Probably the most frightening thing is the apathy of most people. It never occurs to ask whose fault it is, where aid money goes, can they complain and get anything done.The whole system is to never question your elders or ask questions so they have it knocked out of them very early in life. Most of the pupils are afraid to give an opinion on anything in case they say the wrong thing.
I will post this before I lose the network agian. Hope its not too cold.
Pat
Life is much more basic here than we are used to. The infrastructure is very poor with some passably good roads but most not. This is the dry season so I can't imagine what its like in the rainy season when it is constantly pouring.
This area has some quite nice houses, mostly built on the same plan, two or three stories with a wide veranda round each story to keep the rain away. Most of them have shutters for security but no glass in the windows, it would be unbearable and there is no need keep heat in here. There are also quite a lot of wooden shacks with bits of material for doors and people sit outside them all day. Cooking is mainly done on open fires outside, even in well to do houses. All the washing is done outdoors too and they really beat their clothes hard, probably because they are using cold water, then the washing is laid out over walls or rocks, anywhere really it can dry.
The food is highly spiced but always with pepper. Rice with a spicy soup and some sardines is on at the moment but I have to admit I can only eat so much of it. The fresh bread rolls are lovely though and only 30p for four massive rolls. I have discovered where to buy laughing cow cheese spread and jars of pate so that will be my evening meal tonight.
Breakfast comes from a stall just outside the school. I'm sure most of my friends would just look in horror at the hygiene but I haven't had a tummy upset yet. They do chicken pieces and a choice of a sort of omelette with lots of onion, boiled eggs, fried beans (no tomato sauce) fried plantain and banana fritter type things. These all go in rolls or small loaves if that is your main meal for the day.
The medical care is probably the worst problem. Many of the doctors are not very good and just write out a prescription for 10 drugs and send you to their brother who runs the pharmacy. If one of them works, then people think they are good doctors.
Miriam keeps a supply of drugs for malaria etc, because the same illnesses come up again and again. The deaths in childbirth are frightening. We heard this week that two of the ex-students have died in childbirth and a quarter of all children born will die before they are 5. TB is still claiming a lot of people as well.
Probably the most frightening thing is the apathy of most people. It never occurs to ask whose fault it is, where aid money goes, can they complain and get anything done.The whole system is to never question your elders or ask questions so they have it knocked out of them very early in life. Most of the pupils are afraid to give an opinion on anything in case they say the wrong thing.
I will post this before I lose the network agian. Hope its not too cold.
Pat
Monday, 30 November 2009
sunday services
Hi, sorry the last one ws late but I had trouble posting and Steve had to do it eventually. Well today is Monday and I have been to two very different church services. Last week I went to an evangelical service held in the school. Lots of swaying and singing and a rousing sermon on the lamb turning into a lion. I followed most of it but sometimes he really got carried away and shouted. they were a friendly lot.
Yesterday I went to Mass in the seminary about five miles away. A very nice situation on the top of one of the hills that makes up Freetown. It was a special service to raise money for the choir and they went to town. A big set of drums and a shaker accompanied all the responses. It was quite exciting to start with but then I found myself wishing for a bit of peace. The service was a lot about collecting money for various causes. The name of each family was read out and they came and put in money. The Catholic community here are the rich ones but they have no concept of raising money for the poor, of which there are many. All the money goes to buy vestments and costumes for the choir etc.
Anyway, it went on for two and a half hours. I told the priest that I thought he should preach on the parable of the widow's mite next week. It took him a while to understand the implication of what I was saying but it really isn't part of their culture to give quietly, its all about showing how rich you are. Unfortunately, most of the rich here have got their money from corruption and foreign aid being siphoned off.
I probably won't get another chance to go to Mass as Miriam is going up country and then away for Christmas but I didn't find it a satisfying experience anyway.
Bye for now,
Pat
Yesterday I went to Mass in the seminary about five miles away. A very nice situation on the top of one of the hills that makes up Freetown. It was a special service to raise money for the choir and they went to town. A big set of drums and a shaker accompanied all the responses. It was quite exciting to start with but then I found myself wishing for a bit of peace. The service was a lot about collecting money for various causes. The name of each family was read out and they came and put in money. The Catholic community here are the rich ones but they have no concept of raising money for the poor, of which there are many. All the money goes to buy vestments and costumes for the choir etc.
Anyway, it went on for two and a half hours. I told the priest that I thought he should preach on the parable of the widow's mite next week. It took him a while to understand the implication of what I was saying but it really isn't part of their culture to give quietly, its all about showing how rich you are. Unfortunately, most of the rich here have got their money from corruption and foreign aid being siphoned off.
I probably won't get another chance to go to Mass as Miriam is going up country and then away for Christmas but I didn't find it a satisfying experience anyway.
Bye for now,
Pat
Other Schools
hi everyone,
ON Friday we did the trip round the other three schools to deliver supplies of food and books. We left at 5:30 am becasue it is safer to do the first bit in the dark than the last bit over the mountains and it is a 12hour trip in total.The first bit was on fairly good roads but the last bits to the schools were tracks. The first one is a junior secondary school because there is a state primary in the village. It was next to a river and rather picturesque but probably full of bilharzia. I played a game with the little children who crept up behind meand I turned and roared like a lion and they ran off laughing. They would have kept it up all day. No one ws at school because of the holiday but quite a few children live in. There was one boy with a hole in his ankle and the tendon was sticking out and it was open to the dirt and flies. The monk from Korea is also a doctor and gave advice and the drugs were bought for him. The chief gave us a meal of newly harvested rice and stewed cassava leaves. They are like spinach but heavily spiced.
In the next village, one of the pupils had malaria and he ws treated and we finally got to the primary school in the lst village. Miriam had brought back lots of lovely resources from England and the chief's (adult) brother had a great time doing a big floor jigsaw with the children. No-one had ever seen a jigsaw and had to be shown how to match the picture. The chief fed us with the same as before but spicier and we had oranges afterwards.
On the way back we collected firewood, rice, cassava leaves and other supplies. Luckily there is a roofrack but people were still sharing the back with sacks and baskets. We got back at 5:30, very tired, hot and sweaty. Today I went to Mass but that is another blog.
Pat
ON Friday we did the trip round the other three schools to deliver supplies of food and books. We left at 5:30 am becasue it is safer to do the first bit in the dark than the last bit over the mountains and it is a 12hour trip in total.The first bit was on fairly good roads but the last bits to the schools were tracks. The first one is a junior secondary school because there is a state primary in the village. It was next to a river and rather picturesque but probably full of bilharzia. I played a game with the little children who crept up behind meand I turned and roared like a lion and they ran off laughing. They would have kept it up all day. No one ws at school because of the holiday but quite a few children live in. There was one boy with a hole in his ankle and the tendon was sticking out and it was open to the dirt and flies. The monk from Korea is also a doctor and gave advice and the drugs were bought for him. The chief gave us a meal of newly harvested rice and stewed cassava leaves. They are like spinach but heavily spiced.
In the next village, one of the pupils had malaria and he ws treated and we finally got to the primary school in the lst village. Miriam had brought back lots of lovely resources from England and the chief's (adult) brother had a great time doing a big floor jigsaw with the children. No-one had ever seen a jigsaw and had to be shown how to match the picture. The chief fed us with the same as before but spicier and we had oranges afterwards.
On the way back we collected firewood, rice, cassava leaves and other supplies. Luckily there is a roofrack but people were still sharing the back with sacks and baskets. We got back at 5:30, very tired, hot and sweaty. Today I went to Mass but that is another blog.
Pat
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Jabs all round
Miriam came back last night. For those of you that don't know, she is the lady who started this whole thing. She brought back lots of lovely things for the primary school. She also brought a Korean monk with her who is a member of an order that helps the poorest people and he has gone to see the Archbishop this morning.
The title of this piece is about the second unusual thing that happened today. A medical party arrived and innoculated everyone in the school against yellow fever. It is part of a big drive to try and mitigate its effects in West Africa. They did a lot about 20 years ago but the immunity has worn off and it is back with a vengance.
I spend most of my time in the science department. I have been introducing practical work, especially to the girls and finding apparatus in the cupboard that is still in its packing so there is a lot of work to do to get everyone doing some practical work.
Tomorrow, I hope to go out with Miriam and the monk on a tour of the other schools. They won't be teaching because it is a Muslim holiday but it will be nice to get out and see a bit more of the country.
It sounds a bit unkind to go on about the heat when I know the weather over there is rather nasty but when I got the thermometers out to do the experiment this morning they read 30 degrees C in the classroom and the sweat ran down my face but it has got a bit cooler now and there is a very slight breeze. My ankles swell up every day but less now than they did.
I shall try and post at the weekend to tell you about my day tomorrow but the net seems to go off at the weekends, so maybe Monday.
Keep warm!!
Pat
The title of this piece is about the second unusual thing that happened today. A medical party arrived and innoculated everyone in the school against yellow fever. It is part of a big drive to try and mitigate its effects in West Africa. They did a lot about 20 years ago but the immunity has worn off and it is back with a vengance.
I spend most of my time in the science department. I have been introducing practical work, especially to the girls and finding apparatus in the cupboard that is still in its packing so there is a lot of work to do to get everyone doing some practical work.
Tomorrow, I hope to go out with Miriam and the monk on a tour of the other schools. They won't be teaching because it is a Muslim holiday but it will be nice to get out and see a bit more of the country.
It sounds a bit unkind to go on about the heat when I know the weather over there is rather nasty but when I got the thermometers out to do the experiment this morning they read 30 degrees C in the classroom and the sweat ran down my face but it has got a bit cooler now and there is a very slight breeze. My ankles swell up every day but less now than they did.
I shall try and post at the weekend to tell you about my day tomorrow but the net seems to go off at the weekends, so maybe Monday.
Keep warm!!
Pat
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
the animal life
Today, I thought I would talk about the animal life around here. Forget the lions and elephants. this is West Africa and I'm in a city at the moment.
First there are the dogs. There do seem to be quite a lot of them and they lie around the streets looking rather scabby. At night, its more like a scene from a disney film, 'the bark' One starts and in a second there are loads of them barking, howling, yelping. Then it goes quieter until another one starts them all off.
The first night I was kept awake by a nearby goat, making goat noises half the night. I haven't heard it again so maybe it was someone's lunch.
The most irritating have to be the cockerals. They start their shift about 5.30 in the morning and carry on most ofthe day.
It's the little creatures that take more getting used to. I keep finding dead or dying cockroaches, so I dread to think how many living ones there are scurrying about. There is also an army of tiny ants that appear if you leave a crumb of food around. I haven't been bitten much at all as yet so I'm thankful for that.
I found a lizard tail outside my bedroom this morning, but no lizard, probably eaten by the cat, he wasn't hungry this morning.
Bye for now from me and my new 4 and 6 legged friends,
Pat
First there are the dogs. There do seem to be quite a lot of them and they lie around the streets looking rather scabby. At night, its more like a scene from a disney film, 'the bark' One starts and in a second there are loads of them barking, howling, yelping. Then it goes quieter until another one starts them all off.
The first night I was kept awake by a nearby goat, making goat noises half the night. I haven't heard it again so maybe it was someone's lunch.
The most irritating have to be the cockerals. They start their shift about 5.30 in the morning and carry on most ofthe day.
It's the little creatures that take more getting used to. I keep finding dead or dying cockroaches, so I dread to think how many living ones there are scurrying about. There is also an army of tiny ants that appear if you leave a crumb of food around. I haven't been bitten much at all as yet so I'm thankful for that.
I found a lizard tail outside my bedroom this morning, but no lizard, probably eaten by the cat, he wasn't hungry this morning.
Bye for now from me and my new 4 and 6 legged friends,
Pat
Monday, 23 November 2009
First week over
Hi to everyone.
I spent most of the weekend in school as the senior students did exams on Saturday and Sunday so I helped with the invigilation.
I did find time to go the the supermarket where they sell western food at silly prices but did get coffee and milk. It was an adventure in itself. The taxis do not go all the way to where you are going, they ply the main routes, backwards and forwards so you squash in five or six to a taxi and off it lurches down the bumpy potholed roads. Actually potholes indicates some semblance of a flat surface somewhere so bumpy will do. Pedestrians jump out of the way and the horns beep at everyone and everything. One of the pupils went with me, I could never have done it by myself. Had an ice cream, something sweet.
It is still very hot, about 30 degrees and it doesn't cool down much at night but I am getting used to it. To be honest, I don't go out in the full sun much but the terrace upstairs with the flat is nice to sit in the shade. There is a bit of a breeze at the moment so it is a bit cooler. During the day, all the rooms are open to the air with the shutters wide open.
I haven't felt bored at all. On Saturday evening, I played cards with some of the younger boys. I taugt them old maid and they showed me a new game which we played most of the evening. I hope to go to the beach next weekend, I hope there is some shade.
The rice here is quite different from the long grained rice we eat at home. It is round and sticky but is fine with a spicy bean sauce and a sardine or two. I bought three packs of laughing cow cheese spread and a couple of loaves of bread so I have that for breakfast with my coffee. There really is not much to snack on but I am finishing off the chocolate chip cookies I brought with me so I am hoping I will lose weight. With any luck I will be brown and slim when I get back.
Thye older students are doing mock exams to see if they should be entered for the School Leaving Certificate so I sitting with the last few who will finish in an hour. The exam is nearly four hours long. After that I shall go and have some tea and a rest before coming down to help the pupils who live in, with their work.
Miriam has a kitten who lives in the flat and he has become quite friendly, probably because I buy him tinned sardines. The other teachers think I am mad to feed him such good food, they expect him to go and catch his own but he makes a big noise and tries to scratch my foot if I don't come up with the goods.
I can pick up my e mail so anyone who wants to write, please do.
I will post agian in a few days,
Pat
I spent most of the weekend in school as the senior students did exams on Saturday and Sunday so I helped with the invigilation.
I did find time to go the the supermarket where they sell western food at silly prices but did get coffee and milk. It was an adventure in itself. The taxis do not go all the way to where you are going, they ply the main routes, backwards and forwards so you squash in five or six to a taxi and off it lurches down the bumpy potholed roads. Actually potholes indicates some semblance of a flat surface somewhere so bumpy will do. Pedestrians jump out of the way and the horns beep at everyone and everything. One of the pupils went with me, I could never have done it by myself. Had an ice cream, something sweet.
It is still very hot, about 30 degrees and it doesn't cool down much at night but I am getting used to it. To be honest, I don't go out in the full sun much but the terrace upstairs with the flat is nice to sit in the shade. There is a bit of a breeze at the moment so it is a bit cooler. During the day, all the rooms are open to the air with the shutters wide open.
I haven't felt bored at all. On Saturday evening, I played cards with some of the younger boys. I taugt them old maid and they showed me a new game which we played most of the evening. I hope to go to the beach next weekend, I hope there is some shade.
The rice here is quite different from the long grained rice we eat at home. It is round and sticky but is fine with a spicy bean sauce and a sardine or two. I bought three packs of laughing cow cheese spread and a couple of loaves of bread so I have that for breakfast with my coffee. There really is not much to snack on but I am finishing off the chocolate chip cookies I brought with me so I am hoping I will lose weight. With any luck I will be brown and slim when I get back.
Thye older students are doing mock exams to see if they should be entered for the School Leaving Certificate so I sitting with the last few who will finish in an hour. The exam is nearly four hours long. After that I shall go and have some tea and a rest before coming down to help the pupils who live in, with their work.
Miriam has a kitten who lives in the flat and he has become quite friendly, probably because I buy him tinned sardines. The other teachers think I am mad to feed him such good food, they expect him to go and catch his own but he makes a big noise and tries to scratch my foot if I don't come up with the goods.
I can pick up my e mail so anyone who wants to write, please do.
I will post agian in a few days,
Pat
Friday, 20 November 2009
The school day
Today, I thought I would describe the school day, especially for all the pupils at Mark.
The school has three floors made up of a large open room. The boarders sleep in these rooms on or under the tables and get up about 6 o clock. The food is all made in a tin hut outside the school so they have food made up in big metal dishes which they mix up and make into cakes in their hands. There are 4 or 5 pupils to each dish. The meals are rice and beans or cassava (like semolina) and beans. Not as bad as it sounds, the beans are cooked in palm oil and spicy.
Lessons start at 8.40 and the first one lasts 2 hours. There are four classes in each room which makes over 120 in each room and they are very crowded together, 3 to each side of a bench. Then they move to the second lesson which takes quite a time, moving so many people around between floors. The next lesson is another 2 hours and then half an hour lunch which comes in the big dishes for those who want it. The afternoon is another two hour lesson and then the day pupils go home and the 'home' students get a bit of time off.
The home students do prep for three and a half hours, yes, I did say that then make their beds back up again for another night.
They work so hard to succeed, and I have been taking some of the younger girls to interest them in taking science for the equivalent of A levels and invigilating exams, one of them 4 hours long. I will keep in touch, so log on every few days.
The school has three floors made up of a large open room. The boarders sleep in these rooms on or under the tables and get up about 6 o clock. The food is all made in a tin hut outside the school so they have food made up in big metal dishes which they mix up and make into cakes in their hands. There are 4 or 5 pupils to each dish. The meals are rice and beans or cassava (like semolina) and beans. Not as bad as it sounds, the beans are cooked in palm oil and spicy.
Lessons start at 8.40 and the first one lasts 2 hours. There are four classes in each room which makes over 120 in each room and they are very crowded together, 3 to each side of a bench. Then they move to the second lesson which takes quite a time, moving so many people around between floors. The next lesson is another 2 hours and then half an hour lunch which comes in the big dishes for those who want it. The afternoon is another two hour lesson and then the day pupils go home and the 'home' students get a bit of time off.
The home students do prep for three and a half hours, yes, I did say that then make their beds back up again for another night.
They work so hard to succeed, and I have been taking some of the younger girls to interest them in taking science for the equivalent of A levels and invigilating exams, one of them 4 hours long. I will keep in touch, so log on every few days.
Thursday, 19 November 2009
I'm here
Had a fairly unevenful journey here. the plane was boring but it got a lot more interesting when I arrived. It was hot even late in the evening, the temperature doesn't change much night or day.
Someone met me at the airport and I got my helicopter trip out of the seeming chaos. too bad it was too dark to see much but it only takes a few minutes to cross the river. The taxi ride to the school told of things to come. the road from the helipad was big lumps of dry mud but the coast road was better but crowded with local boys and girls cruising with their old cars.
Everyone here is very friendly and helpful and I am in a nice flat at the top of the school. The shower is cold but that doesn't seem to matter in this heat.
I am currently invigilating an exam in the science lab and someone has brought me a big bowl of rice and beans. You can buy a bean roll for 15p so the living is cheap. Will post again soon to talk about the school. All of you who were worried about me can stop. It is very different here but I like it.
Pat
Someone met me at the airport and I got my helicopter trip out of the seeming chaos. too bad it was too dark to see much but it only takes a few minutes to cross the river. The taxi ride to the school told of things to come. the road from the helipad was big lumps of dry mud but the coast road was better but crowded with local boys and girls cruising with their old cars.
Everyone here is very friendly and helpful and I am in a nice flat at the top of the school. The shower is cold but that doesn't seem to matter in this heat.
I am currently invigilating an exam in the science lab and someone has brought me a big bowl of rice and beans. You can buy a bean roll for 15p so the living is cheap. Will post again soon to talk about the school. All of you who were worried about me can stop. It is very different here but I like it.
Pat
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Final Preparations
Well, I have just got my visa and had the last of my injections so all the paperwork is now in place. For those who are wondering what this trip is about, I am going out to Sierra Leone in West Africa on 15th November for nine weeks. I will be staying with Miriam from a charity called Educaid which has set up four schools in SL and am looking forward to helping out in any way I can.
Now the date is getting closer, I must admit to feeling a mixture of excitement and trepidation. This trip will be quite different from anything I have done before.
Pat
Now the date is getting closer, I must admit to feeling a mixture of excitement and trepidation. This trip will be quite different from anything I have done before.
Pat
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