Shopping in Port Loko

On Monday, I went to do a bit of shopping in Port Loko. It was about 2 miles down the road and i ended up with a blister and it was very hot. I got hard boiled eggs, oranges, bread and bananas. To get back we took taxis. That is plural because they are all motor bikes.They usually take 2 passengers but the road was slippery so they refused and Abie and I had to get separate ones. I rather enjoyed it. I will have to take one again on Friday because I am going to the primary school in the village of Maronka each Friday and it takes about one and a half hours to walk. Some of the kids come from the village every day but they walk faster than me.
I have just removed a large black ant from my shoulder, before it had tme to take a bite. There are small balck ants in my room and I think that is what is biting me at night. Obviously the mosquito net does not frighten them. we are going to put kerosine round the outside of the room to try and keep them out.

Tomorrow we are going to separate the girls who cannot read at all and I will start to teach them from the beginning. Some of them have not been to school at all and the local primary seems to be useless. One problem is that the government does not pay teachers for months so they have to find another way of getting money so they don't do much teaching.

The church has already got me in its sights. I've had an envelope addressed to me for money for the collection for the poor next sunday. mass starts an hour later at 10 but I am told it will go on for about 2 and a half hours. O for Fr Tibor's homilies, short and sweet.

Noow it is cooler, I shall get on with some work. Keep watching,

Pat