The Day after the night before –
After the events at Paddy’s last night, this morning began slowly.
We were woken at 8am by the sound of Pa Jalloh’s car horn, and without much planning rushed out of the house as we realised the Bishop was keen to see us earlier than we’d thought.
However, as the day progressed it soon became clear that the passing of time in Freetown is completely and utterly dictated by the Freetown traffic. We reached Mark at the YMCA – eventually - and then set off in the direction of the British Embassy to register Park’s and Loz for their longer stay in Sierra Leone. Now, the assumption that we would be greeted kindly at the Embassy was soon crushed by the realisation that, in fact, the words kindness and Embassy just aren’t applicable in a sentence together. We were shouted at, frisked (Loz being hit in the nose by the eager woman with her baton) and then told to wait for no reason whatsoever whilst they pretended they were doing something. Meanwhile Duncan slept in the car soundly and Pa Jalloh shopped for a new hat. After 30 odd minutes the deed was done, and Iain and Laurence were officially registered for their stay.
Next, onto Holy Trinity School - Kissy Road. Greeted warmly by the delightful headmistress, there was chaos in the ranks as 300 young children ran around screaming at the sight of we strange white folk! Duncan thought it would be a good idea to take a photo of the kids on the balcony, which resulted in 200 children bursting up the stairs dangerously, in an attempt to poke their heads into the photo...it was truly manic, well played Sir Duncan. The kids were then severely told by the head for running down the stairs again! The purpose of the visit was to present a cheque to the school to fund a new toilet block, as the old block in fact consists of one toilet for 600 kids!!! The children were beaten into line according to age and began singing songs of welcome and praise before Mark, officially, handed over the cheque.
After enjoying a few beers (Star the “best beer in the world” according to the Headmistress,) we set off for some well deserved lunch joined by Canon Harding of Bishop Crowther Church. After this we visited the church briefly and Canon Harding tried to convince Loz that he should attend confirmation classes with the intention of getting Baptised and Confirmed, the full shiding!, all in one go in Sierra Leone!
Following the church visit we next visited a local Orphanage, Mark telling us to prepare ourselves for some sad sights of disfigured and severely disabled children. On arrival we were greeted very warmly by 14 of the 17 kids whose eyes lit up at the sight of our arrival. Many of severely disabled children were in fact at school, those remaining were the younger, very lonely children. We plan to visit again to see what we can do to help and Laurence will most likely spend a few days their getting to know the kids and helping to teach them. After sadly leaving the children, we returned to the YMCA to see off M-J who sadly returns to England tonight. Her company has been quality, she effectively removed us all from our comfort zones by taking us on an adventure to Paddy’s last night via Podahpodah (very eventful,) and we were all sad to say goodbye.
After this we set off for home, and to give you an idea of Freetown traffic, we set off at 5.45 and arrived at 8.15, the distance travelled.......3km....sweet!
Tuesday 30 September 2008
Sunday 28th September
With it being a Sunday it was up for church today and we were going with the bishop to the cathedral. As it was at the cathedral it meant a longer service than usual and that meant a full three and a half hours! Now that is commitment to church! Straight after was a meal in the newly decorated cathedral house. We were sat at the top table with such people as the minister for land, the minister for defence and the ex chief of education for Unicef. I got the feeling these people had ideas above their station sitting with the likes of us!!! But the chief of education may get involved with some of our work as she has now retired so it may be a good person to meet.
With it being the day of rest we went down to the beach for the afternoon. There was Dunc, Parks, Loz, Mark, MJ, Fatta and Ansu. After messing around in the sea with the football we offered a game of football, England vs Sierra Leone.
Match Report:
The English got off to a flying start and with some superb skill, flair and direct play quickly opened up a 6 – 0 lead involving some extreme celebrations in the sea. At this stage the English took their foot off the pedal and the superior fitness of the stacked Sierra Leonians took its toll and they came back into the game with 4 quick goals and some vicious fouling from the youngest player on the pitch! Luckily for the English Duncan Harper took the game by the scruff of the neck and scored a very important goal. This deflated the Sierra Leonians and they were never in it after that. At 9 – 4 the English kindly offered next goal the winner only for Harper to dispatch a typical 30 yard screamer which sent the adoring fans wild!
MOM: Duncan Harper for his important goals and typically awesome play!
Close Second: Lawrence Ivil for his 6 goal haul
By the time we got back to the flat it was getting pretty late so we got ready and went to Mr Waters for some tea. We had a couple of beers waiting for MJ and Fatta to arrive and then realised that Mr Waters was not serving food! After some deliberation and another beer we decided we’d head to Paddy’s as that is the only place that would be serving food. We jumped in a podahpodah into town and then a taxi out to Paddy’s. We had some western food which was a pleasant change and had few games of pool. Lawrence also got hit on by some locals but swiftly told them where to go in some harsh fashion! MJ was a bad influence and kept the boys out later than they wanted to. When it came to pay the bill we were short!!! We scrounged around everyone’s pockets as everyone had nervous laughter. We scraped together the money leaving us short for the taxi home. This was ok as we could get some money when we dropped MJ off. The taxi scraped along the floor as it had been welded together from 4 or 5 different cars! Duncan slept all the way home as it was past his bed time.
With it being the day of rest we went down to the beach for the afternoon. There was Dunc, Parks, Loz, Mark, MJ, Fatta and Ansu. After messing around in the sea with the football we offered a game of football, England vs Sierra Leone.
Match Report:
The English got off to a flying start and with some superb skill, flair and direct play quickly opened up a 6 – 0 lead involving some extreme celebrations in the sea. At this stage the English took their foot off the pedal and the superior fitness of the stacked Sierra Leonians took its toll and they came back into the game with 4 quick goals and some vicious fouling from the youngest player on the pitch! Luckily for the English Duncan Harper took the game by the scruff of the neck and scored a very important goal. This deflated the Sierra Leonians and they were never in it after that. At 9 – 4 the English kindly offered next goal the winner only for Harper to dispatch a typical 30 yard screamer which sent the adoring fans wild!
MOM: Duncan Harper for his important goals and typically awesome play!
Close Second: Lawrence Ivil for his 6 goal haul
By the time we got back to the flat it was getting pretty late so we got ready and went to Mr Waters for some tea. We had a couple of beers waiting for MJ and Fatta to arrive and then realised that Mr Waters was not serving food! After some deliberation and another beer we decided we’d head to Paddy’s as that is the only place that would be serving food. We jumped in a podahpodah into town and then a taxi out to Paddy’s. We had some western food which was a pleasant change and had few games of pool. Lawrence also got hit on by some locals but swiftly told them where to go in some harsh fashion! MJ was a bad influence and kept the boys out later than they wanted to. When it came to pay the bill we were short!!! We scrounged around everyone’s pockets as everyone had nervous laughter. We scraped together the money leaving us short for the taxi home. This was ok as we could get some money when we dropped MJ off. The taxi scraped along the floor as it had been welded together from 4 or 5 different cars! Duncan slept all the way home as it was past his bed time.
26th September 2008
Well the day began in Kenema - the land of diamonds. Having spent a day and a half there nursing a sick Jalloh mobile (car), the team were happy to get moving, especially Loz, who on his 19th Birthday, was keen to reach Freetown before nightfall.
And on much improved roads, we soon reached Bo in less than an hour....which we’d planned to reach 2 days earlier.
However, once there the car, our trusty steed, fell ill once more. We used the time in the morning to visit St Paul’s school which was by far the best school we’ve seen so far. Recently built, it is already thriving, with much of this due to the school’s conditions...unlike many of the schools we’ve seen St Paul’s has toilets (even separate gender ones!) We were introduced to the head teacher and staff in their staff room before being introduced to the pupils who were all outside enjoying a sing. We also had the pleasure of some female company as we met M-J (Mary-Jane) at Madame Wookies. M-J is British, and although based in Brighton, spends alot of her time in Africa as she works to establish the protection of refugees coming in and out of Britain. We soon realised she has much more confidence and experience in Africa than any of us (except maybe Mark) as she had indulged in a 9 hour Podahpodah ride to reach Bo....epic to say the least! After the school visit we spent the day waiting, and waiting.....after some more waiting (all of this time incorporating new four-way M-J Uno!) M-J, Loz and Parks hit the Market place. Or at least wandered for an hour...never finding the Market, yet enjoying the delights of Bo non-the-less.
It soon became clear that Loz’s dream of spending his Birthday night in Freetown was not to be. Instead we settled ourselves into the Sahara, a hotel which was, in a word – crap! They were not happy that Duncan and Parks were sharing a bed (neither was Parks, but the bond they share is so strong they get through tough tough times with relative ease!) The night ended with a few beers which pleased Loz very much, before the team hit the hay.
And on much improved roads, we soon reached Bo in less than an hour....which we’d planned to reach 2 days earlier.
However, once there the car, our trusty steed, fell ill once more. We used the time in the morning to visit St Paul’s school which was by far the best school we’ve seen so far. Recently built, it is already thriving, with much of this due to the school’s conditions...unlike many of the schools we’ve seen St Paul’s has toilets (even separate gender ones!) We were introduced to the head teacher and staff in their staff room before being introduced to the pupils who were all outside enjoying a sing. We also had the pleasure of some female company as we met M-J (Mary-Jane) at Madame Wookies. M-J is British, and although based in Brighton, spends alot of her time in Africa as she works to establish the protection of refugees coming in and out of Britain. We soon realised she has much more confidence and experience in Africa than any of us (except maybe Mark) as she had indulged in a 9 hour Podahpodah ride to reach Bo....epic to say the least! After the school visit we spent the day waiting, and waiting.....after some more waiting (all of this time incorporating new four-way M-J Uno!) M-J, Loz and Parks hit the Market place. Or at least wandered for an hour...never finding the Market, yet enjoying the delights of Bo non-the-less.
It soon became clear that Loz’s dream of spending his Birthday night in Freetown was not to be. Instead we settled ourselves into the Sahara, a hotel which was, in a word – crap! They were not happy that Duncan and Parks were sharing a bed (neither was Parks, but the bond they share is so strong they get through tough tough times with relative ease!) The night ended with a few beers which pleased Loz very much, before the team hit the hay.
Monday 29 September 2008
Saturday 27th September
After two days of waiting, we finally had the news from Mr Jalloh “We will make it back to Freetown“. Unfortunately we will have to wait till ten as it is cleaning day in the township of Bo, unless we can leave before 7.30am. A mad panic and we made it! The journey was uncomplicated just one stop for fuel. This never quite works out in Africa though, as we travelled through a market in one of the small towns, Mr Jalloh touted the horn as usual. This time was different - it wouldn’t turn off! Within the space of two minutes we had about forty Africans looking through the window at us. Mr Jalloh jumped out and unhooked the horn and away we went!!
We arrived back in Freetown at twelve, called to see the Jalloh family and on to our house. It was way out of my expectations. The diocese had done us proud. We were in a flat right next to the diocesan office overlooking the Atlantic. Pictures will follow! We dumped our stuff and headed off to Mamasu’s for lunch, then to the YMCA for a quick money change with Mr Barry and back to the house. We spent the next couple of hours unpacking and finished the day with a massive game of Uno on the balcony. What more could we want?
It was lovely to finally have something we could call home!!!
We arrived back in Freetown at twelve, called to see the Jalloh family and on to our house. It was way out of my expectations. The diocese had done us proud. We were in a flat right next to the diocesan office overlooking the Atlantic. Pictures will follow! We dumped our stuff and headed off to Mamasu’s for lunch, then to the YMCA for a quick money change with Mr Barry and back to the house. We spent the next couple of hours unpacking and finished the day with a massive game of Uno on the balcony. What more could we want?
It was lovely to finally have something we could call home!!!
Thursday 25th September – In memory of Dunc’s nan
We tried to get an early start due to the time we had lost yesterday, it was only an hour to Bo, so we had a cracking breakfast of omelette, sausages and a whole loaf of bread each and went to see Canon Tucker before we left. We were soon on the road but after approximately 2 miles the ever cautious Mr Jalloh decided we should turn back as there were still problems with the car. Mark and Lawrence were dropped at the bank and Duncan and Parks went back to Kenema school to do some work while they had some time and Mr Jalloh fixed the car.
Kenema high school had been built with a grant from America and they had extended it with money they had raised themselves. The principal was very switched on and knew what he wanted to do with the school, a computer room was on his list. At the primary school they split it into 2 with an AM school and a PM school.
Mark and Loz had been to the internet cafe and in an unusual turn of events were now enjoying a beer in a bar. Dunc and Parks then went to the internet cafe and then joined the others for a beer and lunch. After, we all went back to Canon Tucker’s house and waited for the car to be fixed, it was around this time that the heavens opened and it lashed it down all afternoon. It was one of the worst storms I have ever seen and it was what the open drains in the road had been designed for! After the rain had appeared to penetrate the veranda we were under we moved inside the house for a game of Uno. When the power went off it turned into blind Uno!
It was decided that we would spend another night in Kenema and after the car had been fixed we went back to the guest house of the previous night and we spent a few hours in the sitting room with a few jars before bed.
Kenema high school had been built with a grant from America and they had extended it with money they had raised themselves. The principal was very switched on and knew what he wanted to do with the school, a computer room was on his list. At the primary school they split it into 2 with an AM school and a PM school.
Mark and Loz had been to the internet cafe and in an unusual turn of events were now enjoying a beer in a bar. Dunc and Parks then went to the internet cafe and then joined the others for a beer and lunch. After, we all went back to Canon Tucker’s house and waited for the car to be fixed, it was around this time that the heavens opened and it lashed it down all afternoon. It was one of the worst storms I have ever seen and it was what the open drains in the road had been designed for! After the rain had appeared to penetrate the veranda we were under we moved inside the house for a game of Uno. When the power went off it turned into blind Uno!
It was decided that we would spend another night in Kenema and after the car had been fixed we went back to the guest house of the previous night and we spent a few hours in the sitting room with a few jars before bed.
Thursday 25 September 2008
Tuesday 23rd September
Duncan and Parks’ day.
It started with a trip to the bank to change some money and then to the supermarket for supplies. On the way back from the supermarket the heavens opened which meant instead of heading to the office going back to the guest house to change. The rain carried on coming down so we sent for a driver to pick is up.
The Bishop of Freetown was meant to send an email inviting Duncan but it had not arrived. We then headed across to the bishop’s office across town to see if the email had landed there but it also hadn’t (why we didn’t phone beforehand I don’t know!). Gus was looking after us today and he had the bright idea of phoning the foreign minister to get it sorted. He got hold of his number and within minutes he told us to get to the embassy as it was sorted! There was great rejoicing mainly by Duncan! Gus is a hero and is also a player as he never gives up an opportunity to chat up a lady.
After all that we had some lunch and then Duncan and Gus bored the pants off Parks by talking computer for the next few hours before heading back to the guest house
Mark and Loz’s day.
It was an early rise as we expected the Bishop to arrive at 7.30 and unsurprisingly, in true African fashion, he was an hour and a half late. From here on we set off in the Bishop’s vehicle to invade central Liberia. The Bishop gave us a 3 and a half hour guided tour of the country before we reached our first destination, St Peter’s Episcopal school, Bong County. On the way there we passed a Chinese Rubber factory and the residence of Charles Taylor....which I doubt he’ll ever reside in again!
At the school we sat before the students, very on show, and the church service ran its course. After Mark’s announcement that Loz is a supporter of the best football club in the world, Manchester United, the congregation of Chelsea supporters dressed in Chelsea Blue and White could barely contain there dislike for him.
After St Peter’s we reached Cuttington University. The University is unlike anything we’ve seen in Liberia. Much more developed, the campus, in complete American fashion, is a large open site with many structures ranging from a church to a museum to student accommodation. We enjoyed a service during which both Mark and Loz spoke. On the way back to Monrovia the entire team fell asleep in the car, except the driver, and when Loz awoke the surreal nature of the situation hit him. Sitting in the back of the Toyota land cruiser he realised that he was in the company of a heavily snoring Bishop of Liberia and his wife, a Canon Mark Payne nodding in sleep also snoring gently, and so, he settled down to listen to Jon Bon Jovi and buried his head in Cameron on Cameron....Laurence the Tory? Hmmmm.
We spent some time briefly at St Augustine’s School where we jumped in and out of the chapel before heading off in the car, eventually reaching our base back in Monrovia.
It started with a trip to the bank to change some money and then to the supermarket for supplies. On the way back from the supermarket the heavens opened which meant instead of heading to the office going back to the guest house to change. The rain carried on coming down so we sent for a driver to pick is up.
The Bishop of Freetown was meant to send an email inviting Duncan but it had not arrived. We then headed across to the bishop’s office across town to see if the email had landed there but it also hadn’t (why we didn’t phone beforehand I don’t know!). Gus was looking after us today and he had the bright idea of phoning the foreign minister to get it sorted. He got hold of his number and within minutes he told us to get to the embassy as it was sorted! There was great rejoicing mainly by Duncan! Gus is a hero and is also a player as he never gives up an opportunity to chat up a lady.
After all that we had some lunch and then Duncan and Gus bored the pants off Parks by talking computer for the next few hours before heading back to the guest house
Mark and Loz’s day.
It was an early rise as we expected the Bishop to arrive at 7.30 and unsurprisingly, in true African fashion, he was an hour and a half late. From here on we set off in the Bishop’s vehicle to invade central Liberia. The Bishop gave us a 3 and a half hour guided tour of the country before we reached our first destination, St Peter’s Episcopal school, Bong County. On the way there we passed a Chinese Rubber factory and the residence of Charles Taylor....which I doubt he’ll ever reside in again!
At the school we sat before the students, very on show, and the church service ran its course. After Mark’s announcement that Loz is a supporter of the best football club in the world, Manchester United, the congregation of Chelsea supporters dressed in Chelsea Blue and White could barely contain there dislike for him.
After St Peter’s we reached Cuttington University. The University is unlike anything we’ve seen in Liberia. Much more developed, the campus, in complete American fashion, is a large open site with many structures ranging from a church to a museum to student accommodation. We enjoyed a service during which both Mark and Loz spoke. On the way back to Monrovia the entire team fell asleep in the car, except the driver, and when Loz awoke the surreal nature of the situation hit him. Sitting in the back of the Toyota land cruiser he realised that he was in the company of a heavily snoring Bishop of Liberia and his wife, a Canon Mark Payne nodding in sleep also snoring gently, and so, he settled down to listen to Jon Bon Jovi and buried his head in Cameron on Cameron....Laurence the Tory? Hmmmm.
We spent some time briefly at St Augustine’s School where we jumped in and out of the chapel before heading off in the car, eventually reaching our base back in Monrovia.
Monday 22nd September
Woke up in Robertsport, Duncan having had 38 hours sleep but still with regular trips to the toilet. Parks did his usual trick of not having a shower in order to put the rest of everyone else off. We went for breakfast at the archdeacon’s house of fish sandwiches or egg sandwiches for girly Lawrence. During the breakfast a man from immigration came into the house, Duncan looked for a place to hide as his passport was still with the Sierra Leone embassy.
On to the next school. The drive was particularly uneventful apart from Parks not hearing correctly a conversation with Maximor:-
Maximor: “the government ministers don’t get any work done because they all sit around drinking beer”
Parks: “Oh that’s good!”
Maximor: “No it’s not!!”
It is particularly warm today but not according to Parks with his air conditioning. We arrive at Bromley high school for girls and are confronted with a fantastic looking building which sits on the edge of the river. We visited almost every year in the school, the classes are a sensible size and the girls are all very well behaved. Most of the girls are orphans who go to stay with families during non term. The school gets all its power from 4 solar panels on the roof which had been donated from America. There were a couple of groups singing on the field where a 4 year old girl decided to attach herself to Duncan (If you had a choice of Parks, Lawrence, Mark or me, who would you choose?). We then went on the final leg of our journey back to Monrovia.
Duncan and Lawrence were the first ones back to the guest house and Duncan and a couple of the Liberian chaps decided to go to the Sierra Leone embassy to see if his passport was ready. I was called in to see the big boss and he said that he couldn’t give me a visa for Sierra Leone because the original letter of invitation was addressed to the high commission in London!! This meant I would have to get a letter from the Bishop of Freetown for the next day when I would also then have to pay the $25 emergency visa fee.............. What a surprise!! As the embassy was about to close there was
No way to get it done today so returned to the guest house.
Everyone was now back at the guest house where they enjoyed a late lunch. Mark then turned his attention to getting the Bishop of Freetown to send an email inviting Duncan. After this was taken care of Mark went for a nap and in an unusual turn of events and due to the rest of the evening being free a massive game of Uno ensued. Duncan was the big winner of this session and there was great rejoicing.
Mark put an ending to the game by declaring that tea had arrived. A welcome change to normal with plain old chicken and chips! With a couple of beers, some tunes on the laptop and a phone call to Mr Jalloh we then decided to open up the 4 player Uno game before bed. Duncan was the big loser in this game and there was great sadness!
On to the next school. The drive was particularly uneventful apart from Parks not hearing correctly a conversation with Maximor:-
Maximor: “the government ministers don’t get any work done because they all sit around drinking beer”
Parks: “Oh that’s good!”
Maximor: “No it’s not!!”
It is particularly warm today but not according to Parks with his air conditioning. We arrive at Bromley high school for girls and are confronted with a fantastic looking building which sits on the edge of the river. We visited almost every year in the school, the classes are a sensible size and the girls are all very well behaved. Most of the girls are orphans who go to stay with families during non term. The school gets all its power from 4 solar panels on the roof which had been donated from America. There were a couple of groups singing on the field where a 4 year old girl decided to attach herself to Duncan (If you had a choice of Parks, Lawrence, Mark or me, who would you choose?). We then went on the final leg of our journey back to Monrovia.
Duncan and Lawrence were the first ones back to the guest house and Duncan and a couple of the Liberian chaps decided to go to the Sierra Leone embassy to see if his passport was ready. I was called in to see the big boss and he said that he couldn’t give me a visa for Sierra Leone because the original letter of invitation was addressed to the high commission in London!! This meant I would have to get a letter from the Bishop of Freetown for the next day when I would also then have to pay the $25 emergency visa fee.............. What a surprise!! As the embassy was about to close there was
No way to get it done today so returned to the guest house.
Everyone was now back at the guest house where they enjoyed a late lunch. Mark then turned his attention to getting the Bishop of Freetown to send an email inviting Duncan. After this was taken care of Mark went for a nap and in an unusual turn of events and due to the rest of the evening being free a massive game of Uno ensued. Duncan was the big winner of this session and there was great rejoicing.
Mark put an ending to the game by declaring that tea had arrived. A welcome change to normal with plain old chicken and chips! With a couple of beers, some tunes on the laptop and a phone call to Mr Jalloh we then decided to open up the 4 player Uno game before bed. Duncan was the big loser in this game and there was great sadness!
Sunday in Liberia
Liberian Sunday
We woke this morning fresh and ready for the day of worship ahead. Dunc was NOT feeling too sweet, and the cute cuddly character we’ve come to know and love had a hard time( notable irony...) as the day continued. We spent breakfast with our African-American Liberian friends and all enjoyed the scrambled egg and cake. From here on the day of Sunday continued as it began.
As soon as we reached the church, greeted by many church folk and Canon Robertson (the white American missionary) who tends the church, Parks began to feel slightly ill. He spent most of the service outside exercising his stomach muscles whilst we exercised our vocal chords within the church. The service lasted two and a half hours, during this time we enjoyed the blend of Episcopal standard worship and African vigour which comes from their amazing tunes, where clapping is vital to survival. The sermon was given by some Canon named Mark who delighted us with a story that none of us had heard last Sunday.....it was, in fact, enjoyable and very appropriate to the scene and situation. The peace was the definite highlight of the service when everyone began singing and cheering in a unique African style with enthusiasm only they can portray.
After the service we rejoined Iain and spent a time in Mrs Robertson’s quaint house. It’s crazy to imagine how someone can dedicate their lives to a continent far from their American home, it soon became clear however, that Liberia was much more of a home to her than American soils. Although she spoke of returning to America, in my mind she may well spend the remainder of her days here at Piso Lake as her husband had before her. Lunch passed without Iain and Dunc who returned to the motel to recover, whereas Laurence, Mark and Fatta enjoyed lunch of Rice and meats...a food that we have become accustom to during our African adventure. Loz enjoyed a relaxing time in the hammock outside, whilst Mark kept the Bishop entertained around the dinner table.
After lunch we decided to hit the beach British style. Accompanied by the priest of the church as our guide, we found a place to swim and chillax. This beach is by far the most beautiful of beaches we’ve seen so far, and to the sound of many fishermen fixing their nets, we did battle with the waves and wished we’d robbed Malamo of its’ Frisbee. Lozza trod on a crab and with the most manly of growls scared the poor crab away.....part truth. There was little rejoicing from Loz as he found that Man U had drawn with Chelsea but everyone knows that the best team in the history of the land always start slowly......
The saddest point of the day came with our introduction to Via. A 23 year old man who has, in short, had it very rough. During the war the rebels forced him to become a child soldier. Fortunately for him he fled with his girlfriend into the bush. He lived there for 3 months and she basically saved his life. Unfortunately after the war she left him alone with their child. Now, an orphan who lost his father last year, is caring for himself and his daughter alone. He has no money to his name and stomach ulcers at the age of 23. IF this guy had been brought up in England, he would no doubt have flourished. Unfortunately, he is a talented singer and intelligent guy who in Liberia will never fulfil his potential....not even slightly.
With much to ponder we spent the evening in a relaxed fashion. On the balcony of Hotel Piso the sweet sounds of Justin Timberlake escape from Club Piso and drift off into the African night sky.
We woke this morning fresh and ready for the day of worship ahead. Dunc was NOT feeling too sweet, and the cute cuddly character we’ve come to know and love had a hard time( notable irony...) as the day continued. We spent breakfast with our African-American Liberian friends and all enjoyed the scrambled egg and cake. From here on the day of Sunday continued as it began.
As soon as we reached the church, greeted by many church folk and Canon Robertson (the white American missionary) who tends the church, Parks began to feel slightly ill. He spent most of the service outside exercising his stomach muscles whilst we exercised our vocal chords within the church. The service lasted two and a half hours, during this time we enjoyed the blend of Episcopal standard worship and African vigour which comes from their amazing tunes, where clapping is vital to survival. The sermon was given by some Canon named Mark who delighted us with a story that none of us had heard last Sunday.....it was, in fact, enjoyable and very appropriate to the scene and situation. The peace was the definite highlight of the service when everyone began singing and cheering in a unique African style with enthusiasm only they can portray.
After the service we rejoined Iain and spent a time in Mrs Robertson’s quaint house. It’s crazy to imagine how someone can dedicate their lives to a continent far from their American home, it soon became clear however, that Liberia was much more of a home to her than American soils. Although she spoke of returning to America, in my mind she may well spend the remainder of her days here at Piso Lake as her husband had before her. Lunch passed without Iain and Dunc who returned to the motel to recover, whereas Laurence, Mark and Fatta enjoyed lunch of Rice and meats...a food that we have become accustom to during our African adventure. Loz enjoyed a relaxing time in the hammock outside, whilst Mark kept the Bishop entertained around the dinner table.
After lunch we decided to hit the beach British style. Accompanied by the priest of the church as our guide, we found a place to swim and chillax. This beach is by far the most beautiful of beaches we’ve seen so far, and to the sound of many fishermen fixing their nets, we did battle with the waves and wished we’d robbed Malamo of its’ Frisbee. Lozza trod on a crab and with the most manly of growls scared the poor crab away.....part truth. There was little rejoicing from Loz as he found that Man U had drawn with Chelsea but everyone knows that the best team in the history of the land always start slowly......
The saddest point of the day came with our introduction to Via. A 23 year old man who has, in short, had it very rough. During the war the rebels forced him to become a child soldier. Fortunately for him he fled with his girlfriend into the bush. He lived there for 3 months and she basically saved his life. Unfortunately after the war she left him alone with their child. Now, an orphan who lost his father last year, is caring for himself and his daughter alone. He has no money to his name and stomach ulcers at the age of 23. IF this guy had been brought up in England, he would no doubt have flourished. Unfortunately, he is a talented singer and intelligent guy who in Liberia will never fulfil his potential....not even slightly.
With much to ponder we spent the evening in a relaxed fashion. On the balcony of Hotel Piso the sweet sounds of Justin Timberlake escape from Club Piso and drift off into the African night sky.
Saturday 20th September
Another Day on the Road!
So we woke up in the Vicar’s house attached to the school in Malamo, with the sound of music. It was Fr Freeman(the vicar) playing the recorder. He was quite good but not the way we had planned to wake up. Then our main man Fatta had a go, what a noise!!! The Bishop then lead us in Morning Prayer and we had breakfast(Sardine Sandwiches), they were superb.
In an unusable turn of events one of the vehicles wouldn’t start so we had a bit of a wait and set off at 10.30ish. We were heading to Balama, it was a church and school attached being a Saturday we assumed we would just be having a look around. It had turned out that they had asked the children to come in which was a really lovely surprise. We were welcomed with loud shouts and then went straight into a welcome service. We were introduced and then had a tour of the school. We ended our visit with a meal.
We left around 3.30 to make our journey around the lake Piso down to Robertstown. It was a good journey except that for some reason Duncan and Loz had a naked competition to see who had bigger boobs. Thank God I was in the other car with Mark and the Bishop. We headed straight to the church and were welcomed by Mother Robinson, an American Missionary who is living out her life here. When we saw the view from her house and we instantly knew why it has a glorious view of the beach and the Atlantic Ocean.
We finally came to the accommodation. It was attached to club Piso, down by the lake. For some reason though they had built it off the main road and had it directly opposite the UN barracks!!!! As I later went through the stuff in the room we discovered a box of 100 condoms and the lady who runs the guest house came and told us that all the other rooms would be used later on. Not really sure what that means ...........
So we woke up in the Vicar’s house attached to the school in Malamo, with the sound of music. It was Fr Freeman(the vicar) playing the recorder. He was quite good but not the way we had planned to wake up. Then our main man Fatta had a go, what a noise!!! The Bishop then lead us in Morning Prayer and we had breakfast(Sardine Sandwiches), they were superb.
In an unusable turn of events one of the vehicles wouldn’t start so we had a bit of a wait and set off at 10.30ish. We were heading to Balama, it was a church and school attached being a Saturday we assumed we would just be having a look around. It had turned out that they had asked the children to come in which was a really lovely surprise. We were welcomed with loud shouts and then went straight into a welcome service. We were introduced and then had a tour of the school. We ended our visit with a meal.
We left around 3.30 to make our journey around the lake Piso down to Robertstown. It was a good journey except that for some reason Duncan and Loz had a naked competition to see who had bigger boobs. Thank God I was in the other car with Mark and the Bishop. We headed straight to the church and were welcomed by Mother Robinson, an American Missionary who is living out her life here. When we saw the view from her house and we instantly knew why it has a glorious view of the beach and the Atlantic Ocean.
We finally came to the accommodation. It was attached to club Piso, down by the lake. For some reason though they had built it off the main road and had it directly opposite the UN barracks!!!! As I later went through the stuff in the room we discovered a box of 100 condoms and the lady who runs the guest house came and told us that all the other rooms would be used later on. Not really sure what that means ...........
Friday 19th September
Friday 19th September 2008
What a Day!
Started off with breakfast in the guest house, which consisted of scrambled egg and some sort of sponge cake, not too dissimilar to carrot cake. We were picked up by the bishop and headed off to the office to swap cars around. There were 3 cars making the trip. Iain and Mark were in the air conditioned land cruiser while Duncan and Loz slummed it in the 4x4.
Iain and Mark’s trip went without a hitch, Duncan and Loz’s was a different story. The first instant happened at a police check point when asked for passports. Of course as Duncan only had a single visa for Sierra Leone his passport was with the Sierra Leone embassy. This was no issue for the accompanying men who said no, no and then drove off with whistle’s being blown and arms being flapped!
The 4x4 then suffered a tyre blow out which was nicely held by the driver. While the tyre was being changed Loz and Duncan watched a “terrible version of Wesley snipes” with a machete and a mac hacking down trees. He then engineered a spear and disappeared into the jungle!
After we were going again and left the tarmac roads we came across a tree which had fallen after the rest of the convoy had passed. We promptly used the 4x4 to break the trees and carried the branches to the side of the road.
Arriving at St Phillips mission school
Duncan and Loz arrived at the school approximately an hour and a half later than the rest. The school assembly was just starting. There was a talk from the bishop, principal and Mark. We then had a tour of the school, there was all sorts of fruit trees around the school. We then went down the hill to visit the local clinic. It had some very interesting posters on the wall describing all sorts of ailments.
We then moved up the road for lunch before moving on to St Stephen’s
Arriving at St Stephen’s school in Malmo
Having arrived at St Stephen’s school we realised that the 3rd car in the convoy had gone missing. This car contained Fatta and so was a major issue for us as we 4 men have absolutely no idea how to look after ourselves without him! Eventually after watching the kids play football and having a tour of the school (which is exactly the same layout as St Phillips) we had a service in the chapel. It had started to get dark by this stage and the kids had been there all day. The totally riveting talks by the same level of people managed to finish off the younger kids on the front row. Luckily they all woke up again! Fatta showed up half way through the service, phew!
After the Service
We were having tea at the priests house which is in the grounds of St Stephen’s. Dunc and Parks had a game of Frisbee while Loz sat it out with a case of the feeling girly. After tea Mark decided that we should all stay at the priests house. The priests house was badly damaged during the war. Apparently it has now been refurbished, although at this stage writing the blog I am not totally at ease staying the night and cannot wait to see the morning!
Goodnight everybody!
What a Day!
Started off with breakfast in the guest house, which consisted of scrambled egg and some sort of sponge cake, not too dissimilar to carrot cake. We were picked up by the bishop and headed off to the office to swap cars around. There were 3 cars making the trip. Iain and Mark were in the air conditioned land cruiser while Duncan and Loz slummed it in the 4x4.
Iain and Mark’s trip went without a hitch, Duncan and Loz’s was a different story. The first instant happened at a police check point when asked for passports. Of course as Duncan only had a single visa for Sierra Leone his passport was with the Sierra Leone embassy. This was no issue for the accompanying men who said no, no and then drove off with whistle’s being blown and arms being flapped!
The 4x4 then suffered a tyre blow out which was nicely held by the driver. While the tyre was being changed Loz and Duncan watched a “terrible version of Wesley snipes” with a machete and a mac hacking down trees. He then engineered a spear and disappeared into the jungle!
After we were going again and left the tarmac roads we came across a tree which had fallen after the rest of the convoy had passed. We promptly used the 4x4 to break the trees and carried the branches to the side of the road.
Arriving at St Phillips mission school
Duncan and Loz arrived at the school approximately an hour and a half later than the rest. The school assembly was just starting. There was a talk from the bishop, principal and Mark. We then had a tour of the school, there was all sorts of fruit trees around the school. We then went down the hill to visit the local clinic. It had some very interesting posters on the wall describing all sorts of ailments.
We then moved up the road for lunch before moving on to St Stephen’s
Arriving at St Stephen’s school in Malmo
Having arrived at St Stephen’s school we realised that the 3rd car in the convoy had gone missing. This car contained Fatta and so was a major issue for us as we 4 men have absolutely no idea how to look after ourselves without him! Eventually after watching the kids play football and having a tour of the school (which is exactly the same layout as St Phillips) we had a service in the chapel. It had started to get dark by this stage and the kids had been there all day. The totally riveting talks by the same level of people managed to finish off the younger kids on the front row. Luckily they all woke up again! Fatta showed up half way through the service, phew!
After the Service
We were having tea at the priests house which is in the grounds of St Stephen’s. Dunc and Parks had a game of Frisbee while Loz sat it out with a case of the feeling girly. After tea Mark decided that we should all stay at the priests house. The priests house was badly damaged during the war. Apparently it has now been refurbished, although at this stage writing the blog I am not totally at ease staying the night and cannot wait to see the morning!
Goodnight everybody!
17th and 18th September
The Task
Today was going to be an easy day! The job was to set off from Kenema at 9am and cross the border into Liberia at Bo waterside right in the south east corner of Sierra Leone and travel on to Monrovia.
How it happened
Well we all got up as planned for an 8am breakfast I was alittle later than the rest, it could have been really late if it wasn’t for the girly screams from the shower room – it was Duncan washing with cold water! The breakfast was lovely we had omelette and cooked ham with bread, then to the road.
The Journey
We first called at Canon Tucker’s(the Bishop of Bo elect) to make our final greeting and off we went. The journey started out ok but we had been warned of bad roads ahead. How right the warnings were, fortunately we had Mr Jalloh driving and he was a real star leading the trusty 17 year old vehicle through the jungle to Zimmi where we had our first immigration check. All was fine and we decided to stop there and have lunch, by now it was 12.30pm. Our biggest concern now was Mr Jallohs health, he said he was feeling feverish, not good for a man who is fasting during Ramadan. He wanted to continue and the roads got worse from Zimmi as we through the Gola reserve, it felt at times that we had to drive through rivers and lakes, but Mr Jalloh loves it so through we went!
The Crossing
Finally we made it to Liberia, things weren’t as easy as expected as we were checked over and over at the border first by the Sierra Leone police and then the Liberian army. They were very kind to us and got us through as quick as possible. It still took two hours though! Sadly we there left Mr Jalloh to head back to Freetown and at 4.30pm we set off for Monrovia. The Bishops vehicle collected us it was fantastic, we had air conditioning!!!!!!
Liberia
I have to be honest now I managed a bit of shut eye as we travelled the two hours. I was told that there are fantastic rivers here but the most notable change was the pure quantity of UN vehicles, here to assist in the peacekeeping after the war that ended a few years ago. I awoke as we arrived in Monrovia which was bumper to bumper down the main road and we finally arrived at the United Methodist centre, our accommodation for the night. We were greeted by the Bishop and some diocesan delegates and we ate together, a meal they had provided for us. It was then off to bed another big day over.
Thursday 18th September
This morning we awoke with a busy day of meet and greet ahead of us. After a quality sleep we all felt refreshed for the long day ahead. Not only that, but the sight of spicy sausages and pie on the breakfast table gave us all (especially Duncan) added enthusiasm for the journey ahead.
Once the breakfast had been demolished (all except for several scones (on a plate of twelve!) and the pie, as it appeared that our entertainers had confused us with.....some Americans!) we set off in the air-conditioned vehicle for BW Harris Episcopal School. On our way we stopped off to see the Bishop at his office in Trinity Cathedral. His office resembled that of an American Dean’s (and by the end of the day the huge American influence across Moyamba had been completely ratified in our minds.) The highlight of our visit to the Bishop’s office undoubtedly came from Duncan. The Bishop asked him “Duncan, have you seen James(a Liberian professor) this morning?” and struggling to understand Dunc then replied....”Yes! I slept very well Thank you!” haha. The Cathedral itself was phenomenal. A giant concrete block exterior, with a grand interior. The building seats 300+, a giant raised organ and, of course, the signal that it is indeed a cathedral...the Bishop’s regal throne. Next on to the school. Our only other experience of a school in Western Africa was that of the school in Moyamba, Sierra Leone, and the stark contrast was evident immediately. Firstly, the children had begun their academic term. The playground was teaming with enthusiastic kids playing games, Parks even managed to show some skill with the football, and to his delight a cheer rang out from the mouth of 1 of the 300 odd kids playing! We spent a time meeting the Headmistress and various teachers who were keen to know what we were doing there, before seeing what the school had to offer. In contrast to the school in Moyamba, BW Harris is incredibly well developed. They have desks, classes of no more than 30 pupils, a slightly redundant science lab, a toilet block, a gym and even a computer lab. The computer lab kept Dunc busy for a good half an hour. To round off Duncan’s morning of comedy as Loz and Dunc left the school, Duncan some-how managed to bang his head on the extremely low metal door frame, so low it was, that if he hadn’t been reading his note pad he would have probably broken his nose! Next we set sail for St Thomas school. This school was much more basic, yet a great experience. The children sang to us and we then explained to them who we were and most importantly what football team we supported! Via a system of hand raising it was soon confirmed that Manchester United were not only the most popular team in Western Africa, but also the best team in the history of the world! Liverpool and even Park’s Middlesborough did gain some sympathy votes however. The kids were very excited to see us, and when we pulled out the camera’s to take some shots.....there was much rejoicing! My heart was warmed by one small child who said his idol was Man U’s Darren Fletcher which for me proved that there is love in the world.
After this we went on to St Augustine’s where we exchanged the usual formal introductions before taking a tour of the school and chapel. Park’s and Loz were both asked for their email addresses, yet poor Duncan wasn’t loved at all. After this we spent time getting Dunc a new visa, as we decided it was best not to leave him in Liberia forever. Dunc got his photo taken, and while we waited we were treated to some quality viewing of Nigerian Deal or No Deal hosted by the legendary John Fashnou....what entertainment! Further entertainment was provided by Duncan mug shots which resembled a criminal line up at Liverpool Police Head-quarters...”Do NOT trust this man...” We then headed off to get a photocopy of his passport, which to our surprise was provided by a lad with a diesel motor and a photocopier standing on the side of a street. He started the motor and Dunc’s criminal mugshot was multiplied. After this visa adventure Loz, Dunc and Fatta took the rest of the afternoon off whilst Ian and Mark set off to see some more schools. The former hit the supermarket and returned with stocks of Crisps, Cookies, Beer, Gin and Water which sufficiently filled the requirements of Mark’s short shopping list. The highlight of the supermarket stop was the walk home when Loz enjoyed his “proud to be British moment” as he carried a crate of beer through central Monrovia. Another classic day was made complete with dinner and epic Uno...Loz triumphed with the cards once again confirming his Uno dominance.....
Today was going to be an easy day! The job was to set off from Kenema at 9am and cross the border into Liberia at Bo waterside right in the south east corner of Sierra Leone and travel on to Monrovia.
How it happened
Well we all got up as planned for an 8am breakfast I was alittle later than the rest, it could have been really late if it wasn’t for the girly screams from the shower room – it was Duncan washing with cold water! The breakfast was lovely we had omelette and cooked ham with bread, then to the road.
The Journey
We first called at Canon Tucker’s(the Bishop of Bo elect) to make our final greeting and off we went. The journey started out ok but we had been warned of bad roads ahead. How right the warnings were, fortunately we had Mr Jalloh driving and he was a real star leading the trusty 17 year old vehicle through the jungle to Zimmi where we had our first immigration check. All was fine and we decided to stop there and have lunch, by now it was 12.30pm. Our biggest concern now was Mr Jallohs health, he said he was feeling feverish, not good for a man who is fasting during Ramadan. He wanted to continue and the roads got worse from Zimmi as we through the Gola reserve, it felt at times that we had to drive through rivers and lakes, but Mr Jalloh loves it so through we went!
The Crossing
Finally we made it to Liberia, things weren’t as easy as expected as we were checked over and over at the border first by the Sierra Leone police and then the Liberian army. They were very kind to us and got us through as quick as possible. It still took two hours though! Sadly we there left Mr Jalloh to head back to Freetown and at 4.30pm we set off for Monrovia. The Bishops vehicle collected us it was fantastic, we had air conditioning!!!!!!
Liberia
I have to be honest now I managed a bit of shut eye as we travelled the two hours. I was told that there are fantastic rivers here but the most notable change was the pure quantity of UN vehicles, here to assist in the peacekeeping after the war that ended a few years ago. I awoke as we arrived in Monrovia which was bumper to bumper down the main road and we finally arrived at the United Methodist centre, our accommodation for the night. We were greeted by the Bishop and some diocesan delegates and we ate together, a meal they had provided for us. It was then off to bed another big day over.
Thursday 18th September
This morning we awoke with a busy day of meet and greet ahead of us. After a quality sleep we all felt refreshed for the long day ahead. Not only that, but the sight of spicy sausages and pie on the breakfast table gave us all (especially Duncan) added enthusiasm for the journey ahead.
Once the breakfast had been demolished (all except for several scones (on a plate of twelve!) and the pie, as it appeared that our entertainers had confused us with.....some Americans!) we set off in the air-conditioned vehicle for BW Harris Episcopal School. On our way we stopped off to see the Bishop at his office in Trinity Cathedral. His office resembled that of an American Dean’s (and by the end of the day the huge American influence across Moyamba had been completely ratified in our minds.) The highlight of our visit to the Bishop’s office undoubtedly came from Duncan. The Bishop asked him “Duncan, have you seen James(a Liberian professor) this morning?” and struggling to understand Dunc then replied....”Yes! I slept very well Thank you!” haha. The Cathedral itself was phenomenal. A giant concrete block exterior, with a grand interior. The building seats 300+, a giant raised organ and, of course, the signal that it is indeed a cathedral...the Bishop’s regal throne. Next on to the school. Our only other experience of a school in Western Africa was that of the school in Moyamba, Sierra Leone, and the stark contrast was evident immediately. Firstly, the children had begun their academic term. The playground was teaming with enthusiastic kids playing games, Parks even managed to show some skill with the football, and to his delight a cheer rang out from the mouth of 1 of the 300 odd kids playing! We spent a time meeting the Headmistress and various teachers who were keen to know what we were doing there, before seeing what the school had to offer. In contrast to the school in Moyamba, BW Harris is incredibly well developed. They have desks, classes of no more than 30 pupils, a slightly redundant science lab, a toilet block, a gym and even a computer lab. The computer lab kept Dunc busy for a good half an hour. To round off Duncan’s morning of comedy as Loz and Dunc left the school, Duncan some-how managed to bang his head on the extremely low metal door frame, so low it was, that if he hadn’t been reading his note pad he would have probably broken his nose! Next we set sail for St Thomas school. This school was much more basic, yet a great experience. The children sang to us and we then explained to them who we were and most importantly what football team we supported! Via a system of hand raising it was soon confirmed that Manchester United were not only the most popular team in Western Africa, but also the best team in the history of the world! Liverpool and even Park’s Middlesborough did gain some sympathy votes however. The kids were very excited to see us, and when we pulled out the camera’s to take some shots.....there was much rejoicing! My heart was warmed by one small child who said his idol was Man U’s Darren Fletcher which for me proved that there is love in the world.
After this we went on to St Augustine’s where we exchanged the usual formal introductions before taking a tour of the school and chapel. Park’s and Loz were both asked for their email addresses, yet poor Duncan wasn’t loved at all. After this we spent time getting Dunc a new visa, as we decided it was best not to leave him in Liberia forever. Dunc got his photo taken, and while we waited we were treated to some quality viewing of Nigerian Deal or No Deal hosted by the legendary John Fashnou....what entertainment! Further entertainment was provided by Duncan mug shots which resembled a criminal line up at Liverpool Police Head-quarters...”Do NOT trust this man...” We then headed off to get a photocopy of his passport, which to our surprise was provided by a lad with a diesel motor and a photocopier standing on the side of a street. He started the motor and Dunc’s criminal mugshot was multiplied. After this visa adventure Loz, Dunc and Fatta took the rest of the afternoon off whilst Ian and Mark set off to see some more schools. The former hit the supermarket and returned with stocks of Crisps, Cookies, Beer, Gin and Water which sufficiently filled the requirements of Mark’s short shopping list. The highlight of the supermarket stop was the walk home when Loz enjoyed his “proud to be British moment” as he carried a crate of beer through central Monrovia. Another classic day was made complete with dinner and epic Uno...Loz triumphed with the cards once again confirming his Uno dominance.....
Tuesday 16th September
Tuesday 16th September
Wake up in Muyamba
Had a terrific breakfast of omelette, boiled eggs and bread. Mr Jalloh appeared soon after with the car fully restored to full working order.... there was great rejoicing!!! We set off early heading to Bo. The roads were treacherous but the ever cool and wise Mr Jalloh had everything under control. Through the jungle there was the usual cries of “white man”.
Arriving at Bo
Due to the delay in Muyamba the only stop off in Bo today was to greet the Bishop and his council. We also saw the 3 vehicles that the diocese have which are off the road. The diocese are looking for funding for repairing these vehicles. It was time for lunch consisting of Chicken and rice or couscous, very pleasant. We were due to visit a school in Bo today but due to the unforeseen delays we have moved this visit back to when we return in a week’s time.
On to Kenema
On arrival at Kenema we were directed to our guest house. It was the Rendezvous club and guest house. Unfortunately club night was only Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, but we were determined to celebrate Mr Jalloh’s birthday which we had missed the previous day! The rooms were comparable only to some of the dingiest guest houses in Blackpool, so the northerners amongst us were right at home!! Duncan foolishly wrote computer engineer on his sheet and was asked to fix the owner’s laptop. Nah it’s broke mate was the standard response given!
We went for a walk before dinner around Kenema and managed to find an internet cafe to put on previous blogs and of course the compulsory visit to facebook, although Loz refuses to look at it while he is away.
We enjoyed dinner and beer with the Bishop elect and his wife. After they had left Mark and Parks managed to convince poor Laurence that when Bishop’s were consecrated they had to be engraved with four crosses with a pen knife. It was painful to watch but he finally realised they were pulling his leg!
An early night was had as there is much more travelling tomorrow to get to Liberia
Wake up in Muyamba
Had a terrific breakfast of omelette, boiled eggs and bread. Mr Jalloh appeared soon after with the car fully restored to full working order.... there was great rejoicing!!! We set off early heading to Bo. The roads were treacherous but the ever cool and wise Mr Jalloh had everything under control. Through the jungle there was the usual cries of “white man”.
Arriving at Bo
Due to the delay in Muyamba the only stop off in Bo today was to greet the Bishop and his council. We also saw the 3 vehicles that the diocese have which are off the road. The diocese are looking for funding for repairing these vehicles. It was time for lunch consisting of Chicken and rice or couscous, very pleasant. We were due to visit a school in Bo today but due to the unforeseen delays we have moved this visit back to when we return in a week’s time.
On to Kenema
On arrival at Kenema we were directed to our guest house. It was the Rendezvous club and guest house. Unfortunately club night was only Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, but we were determined to celebrate Mr Jalloh’s birthday which we had missed the previous day! The rooms were comparable only to some of the dingiest guest houses in Blackpool, so the northerners amongst us were right at home!! Duncan foolishly wrote computer engineer on his sheet and was asked to fix the owner’s laptop. Nah it’s broke mate was the standard response given!
We went for a walk before dinner around Kenema and managed to find an internet cafe to put on previous blogs and of course the compulsory visit to facebook, although Loz refuses to look at it while he is away.
We enjoyed dinner and beer with the Bishop elect and his wife. After they had left Mark and Parks managed to convince poor Laurence that when Bishop’s were consecrated they had to be engraved with four crosses with a pen knife. It was painful to watch but he finally realised they were pulling his leg!
An early night was had as there is much more travelling tomorrow to get to Liberia
One we missed out from 14th September
Sunday 14th September
St Philips Church, Patton Street
We were collected by Mr Mansaray at 9.15am sharp so we could get to Church on time for a 10 o’clock service. We made it by quarter too and were guided straight round the back of church by one of the very smartly dressed sides men. We met Canon Julius Coker at the door and his three curates (yes you read it right three curates) and he then escorted us straight through to the front pew of Church. Our first experience of an African service! It was a lovely traditional Holy Communion service with lots of singing and praising, it lasted just over two and a half hours. The service was dedicated to the elderly of the parish and those who have died within the last year. It really was a joy and a privilege to join them. The final part of the service was notices and as a tradition here in Sierra Leone we had to stand up and introduce ourselves and what we were hoping to achieve during our visit. Good times.
Parish Lunch
Straight after the service we were taken through to the newly built parish hall and sat at the only table in the room, with all the other seats facing us. They fed us a wonderful feast, with beer I might add (take note England). We then were welcomed by Canon Coker again and shown the school upstairs. We will be back when it is full of students!
Lumley Beach
Loz made a fantastic suggestion that when we got back to YMCA that we would change and go straight off to the beach. When we arrived we were amazed, a glorious beach was in front of us and we couldn’t wait to get in the sea. The waves were strong and we came out like we had done 12 rounds with Mike Tyson. Honestly this really is hard work!
Finally the Evening
We had decided that we would eat in, so on the way to the beach we had stopped for some stocks. We had cooked ham and beef salami with bread avocado and tomato. We then dealt out the cards. Uno of course, after a while Duncan went off to get some beer and we decided to fix him up (he will only learn this when he reads the blog!!), since Mark was sat next to him we put all the +4 and +2 cards in Marks hand. The game finished with Duncan having 23 cards, he did well really only having 164 points. Sucker!!!!! We then moved on to try Whisk, unfortunately we didn’t have real cards so used the Uno ones. Mark couldn’t handle that the picture cards were all different and that 1 was the ace. Amazingly through, with huge luck he kept throwing cards away only to discover that he had laid a good card and won most of the time.
St Philips Church, Patton Street
We were collected by Mr Mansaray at 9.15am sharp so we could get to Church on time for a 10 o’clock service. We made it by quarter too and were guided straight round the back of church by one of the very smartly dressed sides men. We met Canon Julius Coker at the door and his three curates (yes you read it right three curates) and he then escorted us straight through to the front pew of Church. Our first experience of an African service! It was a lovely traditional Holy Communion service with lots of singing and praising, it lasted just over two and a half hours. The service was dedicated to the elderly of the parish and those who have died within the last year. It really was a joy and a privilege to join them. The final part of the service was notices and as a tradition here in Sierra Leone we had to stand up and introduce ourselves and what we were hoping to achieve during our visit. Good times.
Parish Lunch
Straight after the service we were taken through to the newly built parish hall and sat at the only table in the room, with all the other seats facing us. They fed us a wonderful feast, with beer I might add (take note England). We then were welcomed by Canon Coker again and shown the school upstairs. We will be back when it is full of students!
Lumley Beach
Loz made a fantastic suggestion that when we got back to YMCA that we would change and go straight off to the beach. When we arrived we were amazed, a glorious beach was in front of us and we couldn’t wait to get in the sea. The waves were strong and we came out like we had done 12 rounds with Mike Tyson. Honestly this really is hard work!
Finally the Evening
We had decided that we would eat in, so on the way to the beach we had stopped for some stocks. We had cooked ham and beef salami with bread avocado and tomato. We then dealt out the cards. Uno of course, after a while Duncan went off to get some beer and we decided to fix him up (he will only learn this when he reads the blog!!), since Mark was sat next to him we put all the +4 and +2 cards in Marks hand. The game finished with Duncan having 23 cards, he did well really only having 164 points. Sucker!!!!! We then moved on to try Whisk, unfortunately we didn’t have real cards so used the Uno ones. Mark couldn’t handle that the picture cards were all different and that 1 was the ace. Amazingly through, with huge luck he kept throwing cards away only to discover that he had laid a good card and won most of the time.
Day 2
Pictures are not loading here so will post them at later dateMorning – 15/09/08After spending the past few days with the idea of acclimatising ourselves to Sierra Leone, today the adventure really began. We rose as we would any other day, down to breakfast for some bread and marmite, simple but more than sufficient, before Mr Jalloh arrived in the Diocese car to steer us off into the geographical heart of Sierra Leone. We dropped off various things at Bishop’s court (where Iain and I will stay during our months in Sierra Leone) then, at 09.09am we left in the direction of Bo.The Journey -The first part of our journey was spent escaping the bustle of Freetown. Mr Jalloh dodged the frantic drivers and pedestrians with consummate ease, and in next to no time the sign signalled that we were “ now leaving the municipality of Freetown,” and we were out, to adventure and beyond.We travelled in between vast Mangrove fields and smaller settlements before we became enclosed by the jungle leaves that would become customary before the day was out. The scenery itself is hard to envisage (luckily photos will be in constant supply) but it is easy to say that the jungle on either side of us is far from hard on the eyes. Mountainous jungle landscape as far as the eyes can see. It was not long before the red dusty roads became hard to cross swiftly and one bridge in particular has us holding our breaths until we reach the end. The roads became progressively bumpier and narrower as the day continued, and if it were not for Mr Jalloh, it may have taken much more than 3 and a-half-hours to reach Moyamba. Mr Jalloh prides himself in the fact that he hardly ever uses 1st gear in the big 4×4, which is in fact a pretty incredible feat. Some of the roads are so steep with cracks and pot-holes large enough to lose....Duncan in, yet his experience gets us through.Moyamba – We arrive just after mid-day, it’s been a long morning, the roads making it impossible to sleep. The town itself is like most of the rural places we’ve seem so far, they do the best that they can with what they have. On arrival we pass by the the old school...which consists of sticks holding up a make shift roof. The space is small and, at a time, used to teach over 100 kids. Within a couple of minutes of passing the old building, we reach the new Sierra Leone church school, Moyamba. Greeted by the school headmaster, “Mr Raymond,” we are shown the new structure and Iain begins his work to assess what more the school needs.After this we share lunch at the school with Mr Raymond and some of the locals. Lunch is excellent, we have tinned cheddar cheese and tinned meats, most importantly we get a taste of coconuts, and a taste of the local culture. By 1.30 however, Mr Jalloh is eager to get away and we say our goodbyes and clamber into the 4×4.........which WON’T START!Still Moyamba – 4 hours on the car still won’t start. We decide to call time on reaching Bo today and settle into a guest house in town. We’re all happy however, as the extra time gave us a chance to relax and walk through the town to the old school...which is very very “old school!” The day’s been long long but exciting, the adventure continues tomorrow!
Day one in Sierra Leone
Saturday 13th SeptemberWe woke up to a cockerel and sound of the rainy season made the first visit to the toilet happen much quicker than planned! The breakfast in the YMCA was a very welcome bit of bread and dairylea.Wander around FreetownWe had a wander round with a different guide called Mohammed. He is about to go to university and wants to be president one day! He may well be a good person to know! Anyway we made our way to the cathedral which is just like any English church. We were shown Queen Elizabeth’s signature in the signing in book which made our signature’s seem quite tame.Mohammed took us to the “Big Market” which has lots of stalls with very similar things and apparently looking is free!1st Bar in FreetownWe asked Mohammed to take us to a bar for the Liverpool vs. Man UTD match. There was a terrific atmosphere as the Leoneans are mad on their football and the pub was full of Liverpool and Man UTD fans, although Mohammed is an Arsenal fan and was stirring up some of the other arguments.After LunchWe visited Fourah Bay University which is one of the oldest universities starting in 1830’s. It used to have a link with Durham University. We then carried on up the hill to visit a reverend called Thomas Croker. He has set up a school in a community on the side of hill which consisted of a small room with blue sides and a tin roof. This seated around 100 kids and cost each of them £2 a term, which officially makes it a private school! We then carried on to Thomas’ house and were bombarded with shouts of white man from all the kids. After a quite exhausting walk back up the hill we continued in the car to a village called Leicester which had a fabulous little church. Right at the top of the hill was the catholic mission which is basically a safe haven to retreat to, and has a cracking view of the whole of Freetown. Hopefully we will get a chance to stay there at some stage.Back at the YMCAMark pointed out the drug rehabilitation centre next door to our building. It uses some quite novel techniques for people who are there voluntarily. We then went to Mamasu’s for tea and finished off the evening with beers on the balcony
Flight and arrival
Plane Ride8 hours of Uno, severe lack of kung fu panda which was promised, bad times! We also enjoyed one or two free wines on the wayArrived at airportLike a cattle market, very intimidating, luckily Mark and Loz appeared from nowhere and saved us from certain crying! They also had our guide with them called Fatter. Drove to ferry was amazing to see all the people on the side of the road with shops open. The ferry was there when we arrived so we got on and went straight into first class at the amazingly scandalous price of a pound a person!! We waited 3 hours for the ferry to leave so it was dark by that stage. We arrived at the other port and waited for car to come off the ferry, we were surrounded be beggars and watched a fight take place on the boat!First view of Freetown!Well a Friday night in Freetown is a sight to behold. Every single person who lives in Freetown must have been out on the streets. There was loads of shops lining the streets and loads of people gathered around candles.YMCAAfter driving through the madness we arrived at the YMCA. The room was covered in cockroaches and flies which were soon taken care of with the spray but it was much nicer than the shanty houses across the road. We enjoyed a beer on the balcony on the other side of the building and enjoyed the fabulous view of Freetown.We then had a bit of fun putting the mosquito nets up but had a cracking night’s sleep!
Airport part 1
Ok, it is currently 6.04 we're in the flybe executive lounge! la de da! Having arrived early we checked in and went to customer service to pay the compulsory excess baggage. The miserable woman then said that one of the cases shouldnt have been let in as it was too heavy! they then went to get the bag back from wherever they go. We swapped 2kg from the case into hand luggage, told the woman we were under so she gave us the boarding pass. We then checked back in the still too heavy bag for free! HAHA! Flight to follow soon
Visa Fiasco
Today I travelled down to London on the train to finally sort out our small issue of Duncan’s Visa. We were all set to go with two weeks before we travelled, the passports had arrived with a Sierra Leone visa inside. Bonus! The next task was to send them off to the Embassy of the Republic of Liberia so we could do a week church visit to the Episcopal Church there. My problem was I became too complacent that this would be easy. Two days later we discovered that Duncan’s passport was missing, we had the house turned upside down and nothing. So we clicked into action a phone call was made to the passport office, we need an appointment as soon as possible. “Tomorrow in Liverpool at 3.30pm sir”, was the response. I took up the mantle and off I trot to sort it out, fortunately it arrived two days later Wednesday 3rd September. Next issue was to get a Visa for Sierra Leone as it was essential for our arrival in Freetown on the 12th. Again I set off to, this time to London. We decided while I was there to get visas for Liberia too. So I got on a train at 7.22am and got in at Euston at 9.16am. Then to work some magic so I could be back on the 3.17pm train home. By the grace of God with a little bit of coming and going we achieved our goal. The excitement is real now! Just two days and we will land in Freetown to start what will be a life changing experience for us both, but hopefully for all those children of the schools we will meet and those of future generations
Us in the Paper
Switching on Sierra LeoneMost of us spend our summer holidays sunning ourselves on a beach in the Med, doing as little as possible and who can blame us, we work hard all year around for two weeks of “me-time”. So, it is both admirable and inspirational to meet two young guys who are not only turning their backs on the lure of an 18-30’s holiday, but are planning to forgo home comforts in Sierra Leone, West Africa, to install information and communication systems in village schools.Iain Parks and Duncan Haper are set go to to Sierra Leone to assist with an education based project that will provide communication support for schools in the Anglican Diocese’s of Freetown and Bo.Iain said: “Sierra Leone is a still developing nation that is recovering from a rebel war that ended a decade ago. Fortunately, there are many causes for optimism with their new government in place.”The project is run as part of the Diocese of Chichester’s Inter-diocesan West African Link (IDWAL), which builds contacts between parishes and schools in the Diocese of Chichester with those in West African nations such as Cameroon, Guinea, Liberia, Gambia, and Sierra Leone.Duncan explained why his trip was important, “The availability of communication technology in Sierra Leone is very poor. There are very few internet points, Limited access to telephones and posting mail is too unreliable. Improving access to communications is essential to Sierra Leone as it develops”. Using the ICT skills he utilises at CIC, Duncan will be providing ICT advice and analysing their communications needs for future visits from members of IDWAL. This will also help develop the communication of the children of Sierra Leone and the children of Sussex, as they grow to learn from each others experiences.Duncan and Iain will be going without home comforts, living in basic accommodation during their visit and can expect temperatures of around high 30’s and 98% humidity. Duncan said “I feel a mixture of nervousness and excitement, it will be a lot of hard work but I know it will be worth it.”
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