Adjusting To New Places

 

So much help has been provided for me by the Diocese here to make sure I have everything I need. On Saturday, they sent over a plumber (my bathroom sink was leaking and clogged), an electrician (the microwave that had been provided wasn’t working), and a carpenter (to make sure my bed frame wouldn’t fall apart again). But now it seems that I will also be provided with a cook and a housekeeper. The meals that have been sent from the restaurant at Uni Mak have not been working out. Don’t get me wrong, their food is delicious. It’s just that they sometimes will deliver my dinners when I’m about to go to bed or not at all. So, I will have someone come three times a week to help with the cooking, the laundry, and the cleaning. I have been cleaning the house on my own and I don’t mind doing it. But I think it might be better if I have help. I’m supposed to be interviewing her today.

Yesterday was Sunday and I was, sadly, unable to go to Holy Spirit Church for mass because my driver was unavailable, and I missed my chance to drive over with the Sisters in the compound. I’m really bummed out because I missed another Young Adult Group meeting. I want to know my fellow parishioners better and make friends. They do keep me in the loop with WhatsApp, I just have no idea what they’re talking about. Reading Krio and listening to Krio are two very different things.

So, I went with Sister Peace to a different congregation in a village outside of Makeni called Mabonka. We were driven there by the priest who leads the congregation. He lives at the compound that Father Luigi lives in. He is originally from Congo. The people of Mabonka mostly speak Temni. The service was spoken in both English and Temni. The music was also sung in Temni so I didn’t know what most of the songs were about. But this congregation did sing one song I was familiar with. It goes “Alive! Alive! Alive forevermore! My Jesus is alive! Alive forevermore!” I was so happy to sing a song I knew! There are always drums and other percussion instruments in every mass I’ve been to in Africa. I enjoy it every time! It makes a joyful noise!

After we came back to the compound, I had some more Krio lessons with Father Gabriel, then went to rest in my house. I’ve been reading books on my Kindle when I am resting. Many books I’ve been reading are about people who are also living in foreign lands and how they adjust to the new cultures and traditions around them. It gives me some comfort as I read about characters who have struggles like mine. One book I’m reading that I recommend to anybody who is interested is Kidnapped by Robert Lewis Stevenson. It’s the story of a Lowland Scottish boy who finds himself a castaway and a stranger in the rough Scottish Highlands, a world very different from his own. If you’re not into books, there’s also a Disney movie adaptation that’s good. Anyway, I find myself relating to the main character often. I too am struggling to understand how things work in a new environment. But I’m learning a lot and I’m grateful that I am not rushed with my learning (or on the run for my life like the main character in Kidnapped), but that I am slowly immersing myself into a new country and new ways.