Credit cards do not work here so it is cash only. I spent next to nothing on food and bike rides. Most of the cash went to hotels and Uncle Ben's SUV transports. I have to watch and not run out of money now, at least not until I get to Brussels.
Mrs Uncle Ben Ayisha is going with me, so is Kaiba who is no longer needed at the clinic as a driver when there is no car to drive. Bailor cant go because he has to stay and get Michael's project on track. Uncle Ben is sending Abu the driver this time. We were leaving at 8 AM Thursday but Ayisha was not ready till 9; she tends to stick to African time.
I said goodbye to Michael, BJ, Kulani, Ralphi, and Bailor. Hugs and photos. I told them to take care of themselves and of each other. To Kulani I added "Eat, girl, eat something".
Uncle Ben asked if an employee of his could go with me because his mother was ill in Freetown, I said of course. Ayisha however said something loudly which made Uncle Ben frown, then the employee got his bag and got out of the car.
Uncle Ben had worked with the UN refugee camp for 5 years after the war, then became a successful businessman in Koidu recognizing the housing needs of all the NGO and Mining traffic. He is a good host and it is the guest house that we each come home to after working all day. Perhaps I will see him again if he comes to the US next year for a church trip. Did I mention he resembles Obama?
We set out and it was obvious Abu is a good driver, adjusting his speed by the size of the potholes. The road is BAAAAD. I took some photos for Danny the road commissioner from St Joe; he would have a fit here. Bounce bounce swerve bounce---.
We stopped at several markets so Kaiba could buy meat and coals for Bailor's family. He also brought two big jars of palm oil for the family. I saw stands with okras, eggplants, cucumbers, squashes, peppers, mangoes, plums, and other produce. Ayisha said there were stands like that at Koidu. I just never have time to find them. I think had I stayed longer I would have soon been able to have a reasonable diet with rice, fruits, veggies, and a little meat or fish.
Because of the appearance of and the methods used at the butcher stands, and the history of amputations in the area, I won't describe them or take photos.
Around 4pm we got into the crawling Freetown rush hour traffic during the hottest part of the day. First we picked up Ahmidu the GAF travel coordinator who picked me up when I first arrived. He had stayed in Freetown to take care of the four Engineers Without Borders students who arrived this week to install solar panels for the clinic the next two weeks. Then we dropped off kaibi, and the goods for Mrs Barrie who had lunch for Abu, Ayisha, and me. It was rice with a tasty but super spicy soup. Ayisha will stay with Mrs Barrie for a few days. She told me she would see a doctor for her tooth, to keep it, not to pull it, as I had advised.
Then it was time to drop me off at the Hotel Bonmoi which meant we go from the notoriously poor, dense, and dangerous East side to the affluent West side.
I couldn't decide if I should go back to the eerily lonely Hill Valley Hotel where I had stayed the first night, or the Sierra International where the interns had stayed. Michael was adamant I not stay at the latter, the others agreed. Showers didn't work, water was brown, and luggage had to be on the bed because the floor was that dirty. Raphi thought the lonely hotel was better because no people was better than those suspicious Russians. In the end I picked a third option out of the guide book, a hotel on the "beach" which was $20 more but would allow me to see another part of Freetown.
The Hotle Bonmoi has wifi, continuous electricity, two pools, a western style restaurant with table cloth and nonplastic breakable dishes, and a real front desk manned by staff. The room has not one but TWO outlets, AC, running water with no issues, bright lighting, and, wow--HOT SHOWER!!!!
Ahmidu had orders to stay and wait for Bailor's call about meeting with Sarah, an American woman who, instead of getting wedding gifts, had asked guests to donate to GAF. She raised enough money to build a small building next to the clinic for an ultrasound lab, and an outdoor bathroom for the patients to use so they don't break the indoor one. Opening ceremony is next week.
We went to sit by the pool and sipped some Sprite. It was sure a different world from the one outside these walls. At 6:30pm I suggested walking down the hill to the beach part for dinner since it was about to get dark.
Immediately outside the hotel compound was poverty. We went down hill to the beach which was nice except for the garbage and litters. We sat down in one of the open aired restaurants and ordered dinner. I put on some OFF and offered it to Ahmidu. He said he had gotten malaria over 100 times so he did not need OFF, it was just like getting a cold for him.
The sea breezes and the sound of the waves should be soothing, but it just seemed a bit unreal, what where and when is the next struggle?
I asked Ahmidu what the solution might be for SL; he said fighting corruption would be the first thing. 90 percent of the government is corrupt. But How? People's attitude has to change he said. Then he told me about his friends, young people just out of college like himself, working for the government and taking bribes. For instance one works for National Security on the Guinea border and his job is not to allow too much rice and palm oil to be brought out of SL. Depending on the load, his friend collects bribes and allows passage. This friend is doing well and about to build a house. So much for attitude change.
As for social life among young people in SL Ahmidu was stoically bitter. His girl friend recently broke up with him because he could not "provide" for her, which meant supporting her shopping habits. She asked a few times but he could not afford the hand bags and shoes she wanted, soon he saw her going with another man. All girls look for rich guys he said, and their rooms are full of stuff like boutiques. But guys have their own problems too. They move from girl to girl for sex; then when it is time they would marry a "good" girl they barely know, a Muslims tradition.
This reminded me of a conversation I had with Uncle Ben's 19 year old daughter Alema, a great cook and a rising college Freshman, and her fiance Konba who works for a large NGO. Kulani and I guestimated Konba to be at least 30. I jokingly told Konba he was a very lucky guy to have Alema, but he told me Alema was the lucky one to have found him who could provide "security". I said but Alema would get her own security from an education and eventually her own jobs, but Konba insisted he was the best thing for Alema because of his established "stability". Then he smiled and said "we are happy together". Now I understand what Konba was talking about.
Ahmidu told me about his family. His uncle paid for his school fees and he is now paying his younger sibs' school fees. Everyone has financial expectations for him because has a college education and a job.
On that note we started to walk back in the dark. After crossing the street and only walking half a block Ahmidu all of a sudden said "lets get a taxi" and jumped into one three steps from us. The driver was eating his dinner so we waited inside the car. I asked why and he said it would not be safe to walk back because of me, a foreign woman often marked for robbery. There was a guy walking very close to us just before we got into the taxi but I thought he was just walking. Ahmidu is kind of quiet but very alert, he takes care of all GAF travelers coming and going. We got back to the hotel behind its gates and barb-wired walls, and he said I would be safe here.
Next morning Abu the driver came at 6AM instead of 11Am. Then at 11AM he was nowhere to be found. Eventually he came to take me to the ferry pier; but first we picked up Ahmidu after driving a long time in the traffic and heat. The pier is full of people who want to "help", and the ferry is crowded and slow. Watch out for thieves and pick pockets as I was told from day one. I now wore my backpack in the front as Bailor had done to secure it. Helicopters, speed boats, and hovercrafts can be used but they are expensive with questionable safety records. Well for that matter the ferry has sunk too. It is fair to say there are no good options to get across the bay to the airport. I was now convinced this whole thing was designed to make it hard for people to travel and leave. Ahmidu said the Brits built the airport and they did what was convenient for them, but then he said there might have been more infrastructure built had the Brits stayed longer. He has mixed feelings about the Colonial times.
We were in "first class" which was a hot stuffy room with deafening loud music where they advertised CDs by playing part of each track. Ahmidu said it would be safe for me to stand outside so I did. A young Chinese guy asked if I spoke Chinese and we talked. He works for the Chinese Embassy and was on airport pick up duties. According to him 90% of all SL goods is imported from China, and 1/3 of the SL rice is grown in the south by a Chinese Agricultural program. The SL government has asked for a bridge between the city and the airport but the Chinese engineers say it would be cheaper to build another airport. The SL government corruption is incredible, he often has to give the SL officials a TV or something just to get receipts for the Chinese aide checks he delivers. He is pretty bored most of the time and has requested to go back to China in 6 months.
It was another short Taxi ride after the ferry, then we finally arrived at the airport where many people wanted to "help" also. I said good by to Ahmidu who actually was subdued today. He said he was not feeling well, probably getting malaria again. I thanked Ahmidu for all he had done to keep me safe.
It was 5pm Friday now and my flight leaves at 7 for Brussels. It took almost two day's of travel to get to the airport from Koidu. If there were faster easier safer ways to get around Freetown and to the airport, I have not found them. I cant go places freely by myself in Freetown from a security point of view.
The Brussels Airline Airbus landed, and soon this big bird will take me home. Please dont cancel!! I found myself just dying for some airplane food.
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