Skills and Trade Fair

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!