It has been a long
time since I have written. And I’m sorry about that. Life isn’t all Henna
Parties and new dresses. The day-to-day cares of life have taken up most of my
time. And they’re not really what I want to write about in this blog because
they’re pretty much the same troubles you get in the States, like house
maintenance or paperwork. Most of these issues have already been taken care of,
so now I have more time to write.
My work in the
hospital has changed yet again. I’m now helping count medications in storage
and keeping track of their expiration dates. I’m also giving physical exams to
university students who are attending UniMak. They are all required to get blood
work and chest X-rays. I mostly write down information like their name, age,
and address. Sister Nora has said she wants me to also teach the nursing
student more about checking newly admitted patients Glascow Coma Scales. For
those of you who don’t know, it basically checks your level of consciousness.
While my work has changed, the hospital has pretty much been the same except for one thing. Dr. Veronica came back! She’s the diabetes doctor from the UK I wrote about in a previous blog. This time she brought a whole team of diabetes specialists from the UK to help her address the diabetes issues here in Sierra Leone. I was so impressed by them. They invited me to lunch and told me about their plans. They set up a clinic here in Makeni and later in a village in the bush. They went to a radio station and talked about diabetes and the clinic they had. They came to the hospital and gave lectures to the staff about diabetes management. It’s wonderful to see people from all over the world coming to Sierra Leone to help people with their expertise.
Many of the expats
here do similar programs that help educate and provide services to the country.
My Italian neighbors at Stocco are part of an organization that helps with
immigration so people can come and go from Sierra Leone safely. There are other
expats that help establish wells for water or organize events to help fundraise
for schools. The locals do events as well to help promote local businesses and
create jobs. One of these events was called Trade and Skills Fair. It’s
basically like a Farmer’s Market. They had local tailors, jewelers,
woodcarvers, and farmers. There were people selling local handmade soaps and
even a school for the deaf selling handmade bracelets and bags. Me and my expat
friends went to go check it out. I bought some cashew honey from a local farm.
Apparently, the bees at the farm only make honey from pollen they gather from
cashew trees.
My expat friends and I are always up for an expedition to explore Makeni and any surrounding areas. Two weeks ago, many of us went on a hike to a waterfall. Since the rainy season is over, it’s safe to hike up the steeper hills. The waterfall was pretty close to a village, and we had to ask the locals permission to hike up there. They agreed and sent one of the men to guide us safely there. The view was fantastic. The waterfall was pretty too. I didn’t get the memo that we were going to swim in the waterfall and didn’t bring a bathing suit. So I watched and explored and took pictures while everyone else took a dip.
Last week was
Thanksgiving, so I invited all my expat friends to celebrate! I’m not much of a
cook and my house is way too small to host a large dinner party, so we all got
together at a restaurant we like called Fisherman’s. We all took turns around
the table saying what we were grateful for. It was fun introducing something
new to my friends. After dinner was finished, one of us had found a restaurant
nearby that sells ACTUAL ICECREAM! I couldn’t believe it! The restaurant had a
generator that kept the freezer going during blackouts! It was sooooo good!
According to the
locals, it has gotten very cold. When the rainy season ends, winds from the
northern part of Africa start blowing southward and it becomes very dry and
chilly. A freezing 75 degrees Fahrenheit. I’m the most comfortable I’ve been
since coming here. Everyone else is wearing fur-lined winter coats and Uggs.
I’m in my tank top and flip flops. Christmas is coming soon. I wonder how
people celebrate here. I’ll keep you guys posted. God bless!
P.S. I saw a
monkey the other day! A local was keeping it as a pet! I took a photo and left
and when I was walking back home, I saw people trying to find it because it had
gotten loose! Be free monkey! Hopefully no one tries to eat you!
