I arrived back here on Tuesday evening. It's noisier than Rolal but the benefits are the loo, the shower and an electric kettle and toaster and far fewer biting insects.
I felt something walking on my face in bed last night. I jumped up and put the light on and saw a cockroach walking up the wall. I tried to splat it with a book but it ran too fast so I got it with a spray. Yuk.
I am going to pick up the boxes of toys and books I sent by ship this afternoon. I am looking forward to sorting it all out and cataloguing it. The idea is to lend the toys to the parents of children and I will give a box to the primary school I have adopted. they don't have anything much at all.
The rainy season is still here and we get some bad rainstorms but they should get less and less over the next few weeks until they disappear altogether.
I am writing some simple stories for the girls who cannot read well based on their lives. Somehow many of them are sad and involve early marriage. Education is their only way out but some of them have a long haul. Most of them only speak the local language Temne. If they speak the everyday language Krio it helps because there are a lot of English words so I learned to speak slowly. I will probably come back and speak in a very simple English to everyone!!
I hope I can go and have a swim later this afternoon in the sea. I have spent 7 weeks wishing for a swim. There was a river locally but bathing in fresh water is not advisable. You can catch all sorts of nasty things.
I was in Rolal to help with the opening of the new senior school. We had the official opening on Tuesday and it went well. The people who put up the money were very pleased. Now we are looking for someone to build the second floor.
Will get on with more work now, so will write again next week.
Pat
Thursday, 28 October 2010
Saturday, 16 October 2010
The smallest addition to the school
We had an adorable baby goat born a few days ago. a bit premature and very wobbly. the mother was very protectiv3e and squared up to anyone who went near the baby. They were kept separate from the other goats for the night and we had a terrible rainstorm in the night but it was still OK in the morning. Apparently goats are tough which is probably why there are lots of goats and no sheep here.
I visited the primary school again yesterday. I enjoyed the journey on the bike in the morning with the sun on my arms and the wind in my hair but it was spitting with rain and colder in the evening so far less pleasant coming home. For anyone confused by the reference to bikes, it is the only way of travelling on a taxi bike. Or I could walk for one and a half hours of course. I still get looked at as we race along muddy trcks past people's houses but generally everyone is very friendly. This is the politest and friendliest place I have ever been in.
We open the new school a week on Tuesday and there is still much sawing and hammering going on. We have the local MP and councillors coming as well as representatives of the charity that are providing the money for the school. The various clubs in the school are doing preentations and we have been busy making powerpoint prsentations to show the guests.
Looking forward to a hot shower when I get home and a plate of chips. Funny what you hanker after when they aren't here.
Bye for now,
Pat
I visited the primary school again yesterday. I enjoyed the journey on the bike in the morning with the sun on my arms and the wind in my hair but it was spitting with rain and colder in the evening so far less pleasant coming home. For anyone confused by the reference to bikes, it is the only way of travelling on a taxi bike. Or I could walk for one and a half hours of course. I still get looked at as we race along muddy trcks past people's houses but generally everyone is very friendly. This is the politest and friendliest place I have ever been in.
We open the new school a week on Tuesday and there is still much sawing and hammering going on. We have the local MP and councillors coming as well as representatives of the charity that are providing the money for the school. The various clubs in the school are doing preentations and we have been busy making powerpoint prsentations to show the guests.
Looking forward to a hot shower when I get home and a plate of chips. Funny what you hanker after when they aren't here.
Bye for now,
Pat
Sunday, 3 October 2010
Of plastic kettles and other things.
When I first arrived in Rola, I was intrigued by the number of stripy plastic kettles i saw. They seemed about as useful as chocolate fireguards, speaking of chocolate, tere is none here, or at least I haven't seen any.The total lack of fridges might have something to do with it. Anyway, back to the kettles. It didn't take very long to realise that they go to the toilet with them for washing, which also explains why the floor is always wet on the left hand side. I still don't like the the ground so a real toilet will be a bonus when I next visit Freetown. Eating etiquette is very strict. Food is not touched with the left hand, all food is eaten with the right. I was eating out of the communal dish the other day with my spoon when someone took it away and said it was time I ate like an african so I did. You mix the rice and sauce to make a squashy sausage and then put your hand right up to your mouth to eat. A bit messy but the plastic kettles are there to pour water on the hand to wash.
Last Sunday was a special day at church. They were collecting money for the youth group. Mass took 2 hours and the singing and collections etc from the youth group took nearly another hour. I hope I earned enough brownie points because I skipped off this morning because I had things I had to do before the car goes back to Freetown this afternoon.
I spent Friday and Saturday in Maronka, the little village with the primary school. I had another ride on the back of a bike taxi. The drivers are really skillful, going through mud and huge puddles and across log bridges. This time I stayed overnight but the grass mattress wasvery hard. I still slept, I ws tired. there ae 27 boys and girls who live in. Some are children of staff but most are rescued by Miriam. I have mentioned little Binta before. Her mother was in jail and she had been sevrly neglected by the person she was left with. Whenever I go, she rushes up and clings on and pushes all the others away.She is much better now. When she first arrived, she would not talk to anyone, now she plays and is happy. Little Ibrahim was taken from a severly alcoholic mother. He is 9 but really small and doesn't seem to grow at all. All the little one cling on and poke my skin and feel my hair
I was in the compound chatting this morning when a bike turned up with a boy on the back who gave me a lovely salad dish with noodles and hard boiled eggs and a few real baked beans sent by one of the other teachers. A lovely gesture and nice to have some food I recognise. I eat rice and stewed leaves and gari but I don't look forward to it. Most eggs are hard boiled as soon as they are laid. A good precaution in a land without fridges but I also suspect it has something to do with the fact they all run loose with the cocks so the eggs are fertile.
Will sign off now and maybe have a little sleep soon, it has been a hot morning althought he clouds are gathering so we are most likely in for a soaking later.
Pat
Last Sunday was a special day at church. They were collecting money for the youth group. Mass took 2 hours and the singing and collections etc from the youth group took nearly another hour. I hope I earned enough brownie points because I skipped off this morning because I had things I had to do before the car goes back to Freetown this afternoon.
I spent Friday and Saturday in Maronka, the little village with the primary school. I had another ride on the back of a bike taxi. The drivers are really skillful, going through mud and huge puddles and across log bridges. This time I stayed overnight but the grass mattress wasvery hard. I still slept, I ws tired. there ae 27 boys and girls who live in. Some are children of staff but most are rescued by Miriam. I have mentioned little Binta before. Her mother was in jail and she had been sevrly neglected by the person she was left with. Whenever I go, she rushes up and clings on and pushes all the others away.She is much better now. When she first arrived, she would not talk to anyone, now she plays and is happy. Little Ibrahim was taken from a severly alcoholic mother. He is 9 but really small and doesn't seem to grow at all. All the little one cling on and poke my skin and feel my hair
I was in the compound chatting this morning when a bike turned up with a boy on the back who gave me a lovely salad dish with noodles and hard boiled eggs and a few real baked beans sent by one of the other teachers. A lovely gesture and nice to have some food I recognise. I eat rice and stewed leaves and gari but I don't look forward to it. Most eggs are hard boiled as soon as they are laid. A good precaution in a land without fridges but I also suspect it has something to do with the fact they all run loose with the cocks so the eggs are fertile.
Will sign off now and maybe have a little sleep soon, it has been a hot morning althought he clouds are gathering so we are most likely in for a soaking later.
Pat
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