One piece of hightly important information was missed to the end of this blog, of course it is that of the final epic two month Uno result. You will understand why it was missed off by Loz when you read it.
Parks - 11659 v Lozza - 15132
I think you all might agree he took quite a hiding. Never mind son enjoy the cold!
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Monday, 1 December 2008
Monday 1st December
I would just like to begin, quite reluctantly, by announcing that today, the 1st of December 2008, will now be, the last EVER blog day. With my departure tomorrow; and Parksy’s world renowned laziness, it is time to draw this 3 month work of genius to a close. And what have we learnt my friends? Well, firstly, that Africa is a place unlike any we’ve both experienced. Both hot and amazingly beautiful, Sierra Leone is home to some of the most genuinely wonderful people we’ve ever met. Yet at the same time, torn apart by a rebel war which has left its mark on both the people and the country itself, we both wonder if there is a solution, complex or simple, to Sierra Leone’s many problems. On a personal level we’ve learnt something even MORE vital. The truth that......an irritating young Southern fairy lad (loz)- supporter of the godly United, CAN co-exist with that older wiser northern money Parksy from Boro – supporter of Boro.....of course.
It’s been a blast, we’ve loved it, both surreal and sensational; Sierra Leone (Take 1) has been an experience that we’ll both remember for years to come.
67 schools and countless churches visited, 3 months down, in YOUR face Dunc, Parksy and Loz over.....and out.
It’s been a blast, we’ve loved it, both surreal and sensational; Sierra Leone (Take 1) has been an experience that we’ll both remember for years to come.
67 schools and countless churches visited, 3 months down, in YOUR face Dunc, Parksy and Loz over.....and out.
Saturday 29th November
This Saturday, we’d both decided (in the usual laddish Saturday spirit) that we’d play some football. However, unfortunately, neither of us had taken into account the fact that we are, both, ridiculously lazy. We woke, tired and in no state of mind to play such a game, thoroughly hoping that Pah Jalloh wouldn’t turn up......he didn’t. After dancing (that’s a lie we were too lazy) and praising Jesus for a while due to the fact that he’d answered our hasty prayers; we set about sorting out all things technological: i.e. the blog and our vast accumulation of pictures (don’t worry you’ll all see them when we get back.) And after this it was off to CAS Travel to sort out my helicopter ticket for Tuesday, (that’s right folks, due to various financial “difficulties” i.e. bankruptcy, I’m deserting poor Parksy a week early, sorry about that, and that’s right mum, I did say helicopter.....don’t worry it’s relatively safe.....relatively...haha)
After CAS travel we sped off to Mama Sue’s for a final gritty African meal, even meeting the legendary “Big Muma” herself, before heading off to Lumli beach.....for a swim and some eagerly anticipated Frisbee action! Needless to say, after nearly 3 months it was a brilliant, yet sad occasion to be hitting Lumli for the last time. And after successfully losing a few Frisbees, due to Parksy’s erratic throwing, we were off home. Once there we decided it was only right to toast the occasion with the consumption of recently acquired pound wine. And so, in anticipation of a slightly lengthy dedication service the next day, we drank a little...then drank some more. And suddenly, everything was right in the world.
After CAS travel we sped off to Mama Sue’s for a final gritty African meal, even meeting the legendary “Big Muma” herself, before heading off to Lumli beach.....for a swim and some eagerly anticipated Frisbee action! Needless to say, after nearly 3 months it was a brilliant, yet sad occasion to be hitting Lumli for the last time. And after successfully losing a few Frisbees, due to Parksy’s erratic throwing, we were off home. Once there we decided it was only right to toast the occasion with the consumption of recently acquired pound wine. And so, in anticipation of a slightly lengthy dedication service the next day, we drank a little...then drank some more. And suddenly, everything was right in the world.
Saturday, 29 November 2008
Friday 28th November
On Friday we did manage to leave early, we met at church at 7am in order for Canon to hand on some second hand clothing for the locals and then on with the journey. Our boat departed the dock at 8.30am and on we headed to Yago. On arrival we were greeted by almost the whole village after an hour there we hit the road. The journey went without a hitch, and it included a few stops for Duvui. We finally arrived back in Freetown at 6.30pm which was nice. Fatta had prepared an evening meal for us which was pleasant all that was left was to had a shower and enjoy having our own beds again. What a week and wonderful visit to a beautiful Island!
Thursday 27th November
One last job for our visit remained, that was a visit to York Island a even smaller, more remote island if you can believe that! Before we headed off we met Canon on a walk around the old folk of the Island. It was a pleasant experience visiting them in turn in their own homes, these folk where the stalwarts of the parish of old and have all spent their whole lives on Sherbro Island. As we were heading back for breakfast we were reminded that we were due to met with the Mayor at 9am and we were already late so we made a quick visit to him. When we arrived at the town hall, basically an old beaten building on the sea front we were greeted by the Mayor, two councillors and all the council staff. We then proceeded to a meeting around this surprisingly large table surrounded by 12 executive chairs, not that we were allowed to sit on them, we were on the wooden ones! The Mayor welcomed us to the Island and told us of his plan to start a process for Visa applications to visit Sherbro Island (He did add we wouldn’t need one though as we are now seasoned visitors) and also made a request for us to get power to the Island. Not sure if we will manage that but suppose if they don’t ask they don’t get. We left him and headed for breakfast and then on to the boat. Today’s boat trip was a much shorter one only a thirty minute trip. We spoke to the head on board the boat so our visit to the school wouldn’t need to be too long and on arrival went to meet with the Chief. The Chief of York Island was a lady, the first we had come across in Sierra Leone; she had inherited it from her father. After this we headed around the Island to the school and to the site were the old church use to be. It now has no roof and is in a really bad state of repair because if this they are now meeting in an old store room, that smells really bad. When we arrived back in Bonthe we had lunch and it was then time for relaxation and packing since we were leaving early the next morning. It was a really wonderful afternoon; we spent some time with our host family and then headed to catch a glimpse of a local football match, which was in honour of the RC Archbishop of Freetown and Bo’s visit to the Island. Not long after returning from the match, he appeared by our house and we quick chat before heading back for our evening meal and some more Duvui. It was then early to bed.
Wednesday 26th November
Canon Coker’s voice outside our door woke us early on Wednesday.....we were less than pleased.
We leapt out of bed and were soon walking, for there are no cars on Bonthe my friends, south to the local port to witness the morning catch! After this exercise we plodded over to the prison and radio station where we met some of the local bad-boy prisoners, one wielding a machete! A quick stop later and we’d met the local enigmatic DJ, let’s call him DJ cool, and we were off for some late breakfast. By 11 we were off on a boat trip to Manya, a local rural village to the west of Bonthe. A serene boat journey later, and a quick stop to collect some all important duvui and we were in Manya itself. And this was “really” a complete insight into African culture. A village completely isolated from Westernisation. We greeted the local chief, handing over 20 pence to grant us safe passage across his village and then set off across it to reach one of the only beaches on Sherbro Island (where Bonthe is capital.) The journey through the bush under the beating sun took its toll on Parksy’s shoulders, now without a shirt on, his red arms and white chest gave the illusion of him actually wearing a white wife-beater....he wasn’t though....just very burnt. The beach itself was idyllic, but lacking fresh water supply due to the obstruction of an offshore bar, a LOT of manky waste had collected along the water-line. Walking home, our driver, Monsieur Jalloh, leapt a mile at the sight of a snake in the bush, the rest of us being manly just looked on with interest. We spent some further time with the town chief and his coconuts, before setting sail for our temporary home at Bonthe. Once there, the day being late, we felt it was only right to take the time to talk on the Canon’s balcony and before long, some duvui, chat and duvui later and it was that dark time again, time to sleep and prepare for the trip to York Island on Thursday!
We leapt out of bed and were soon walking, for there are no cars on Bonthe my friends, south to the local port to witness the morning catch! After this exercise we plodded over to the prison and radio station where we met some of the local bad-boy prisoners, one wielding a machete! A quick stop later and we’d met the local enigmatic DJ, let’s call him DJ cool, and we were off for some late breakfast. By 11 we were off on a boat trip to Manya, a local rural village to the west of Bonthe. A serene boat journey later, and a quick stop to collect some all important duvui and we were in Manya itself. And this was “really” a complete insight into African culture. A village completely isolated from Westernisation. We greeted the local chief, handing over 20 pence to grant us safe passage across his village and then set off across it to reach one of the only beaches on Sherbro Island (where Bonthe is capital.) The journey through the bush under the beating sun took its toll on Parksy’s shoulders, now without a shirt on, his red arms and white chest gave the illusion of him actually wearing a white wife-beater....he wasn’t though....just very burnt. The beach itself was idyllic, but lacking fresh water supply due to the obstruction of an offshore bar, a LOT of manky waste had collected along the water-line. Walking home, our driver, Monsieur Jalloh, leapt a mile at the sight of a snake in the bush, the rest of us being manly just looked on with interest. We spent some further time with the town chief and his coconuts, before setting sail for our temporary home at Bonthe. Once there, the day being late, we felt it was only right to take the time to talk on the Canon’s balcony and before long, some duvui, chat and duvui later and it was that dark time again, time to sleep and prepare for the trip to York Island on Thursday!
Tuesday 25th November
Our first day in Bonthe was relaxing to say the least. After the “epic” journeying the day before, we woke late to the smell of our gloriously scabby mattress (yum,) before wandering off on our personal guided tour of the island itself. During the day we travelled the length and breadth of the island, visiting the local tourist resort in the morning (where we solved our drinking water shortage problem......we were duped into buying tap water by this local road-salesman on Monday......the swine....and he over-charged,) before spending some time working in the local Anglican Primary school. After lunch we visited the local derelict church and met some of the town elders. After this we moved onto more important matters, we HAD TO, taste the local, fabled, duvui.....
It may look slightly very like some sort of specimen at a fertility clinic, but this version of palm wine tastes magical!
After some duvui, we moved onto the Canon’s balcony for some more duvui. The latter moments of the day were spent walking to the town’s northern perimeter where we encountered an old American commercial plane wreck. Here it was, of course, necessary for us to climb into the cock-pit to take pictures of us pretending to fly the monster, very necessary we thought. After this we settled down on the Canon’s balcony once more for some more of the fabled juice before retiring to our home to spend some time with the family and kids. Night closed in, and we hit thou scabby mattress hard.
It may look slightly very like some sort of specimen at a fertility clinic, but this version of palm wine tastes magical!
After some duvui, we moved onto the Canon’s balcony for some more duvui. The latter moments of the day were spent walking to the town’s northern perimeter where we encountered an old American commercial plane wreck. Here it was, of course, necessary for us to climb into the cock-pit to take pictures of us pretending to fly the monster, very necessary we thought. After this we settled down on the Canon’s balcony once more for some more of the fabled juice before retiring to our home to spend some time with the family and kids. Night closed in, and we hit thou scabby mattress hard.
Monday 24th November
Monday was all about travelling. A huge part of the journey was on particularly poor roads so we intended to set off at 7am so we didn’t have to do any movement in the dark. Well three letters describe what happened next TIA (This is Africa), for those who have never been it simply means that anything can happen and don’t count your chickens that things will run smoothly. By the time Jalloh turned up it was 8am, then he went to collect Canon and come back to us this took us to 9am, finally we needed to collect some things before setting off, mostly things that cost money and we finally set off at 10am. Not too bad really just three hours late. Within the first hour of the journey the car seemed to be playing up but Jalloh insisted that it would make the journey there and back with no problem, since neither of us have any mechanical knowledge we trusted him. The journey took 8 and a half hours which included an hour stop at the school at Bauya, so our arrival in Yago was at 6.30pm, we then had a two hour boat trip into Bonthe. The boat trip was wonderful, the sea was calm and it was nice to be able to spread out and watch the stars. Finally on arrival in Bonthe we were escorted to a wooden shack where we believed we might be staying, we could feel the panic on each other’s faces. Fortunately we were just here for a meal before being escorted to our accommodation. The accommodation was with a family of parishioners (more will be said about them), they made us welcome then it was off to bed.
Sunday 23rd November
Sunday morning was the big day for the Diocese of Freetown, it was the ordination service. 10 candidates were due to be ordained deacon and 8 priests. After attending the rehearsal the night before – which took two hours – we were well aware that it was going to be a long service! How right we were in total we were in the church five hours fifty three minutes. There must have been over 2500 people for the service at St Georges Cathedral and in this culture the people aren’t happy if they can’t come up to the alter to receive so communion last an hour, 9 communion hymns were sung and 3 psalms chanted. It was officially the longest service either of us had ever attended!!!!! After church we had a quick chat with Canon Coker and his wife Lucy about the trip to Bonthe, and then the Bishop said we were to tell Pa to follow his car, he was taking us to a secret location for ‘something’. With the Bishop being a Grand Commander of the Order of Rokel (a Mason to those of us on the outside) we could have been going anywhere, fortunately it was to a tiny little pub (if we told you where we would have to kill you) to meet with some of his friends for a beer or two. It is the type of secret location we both rather happy with. Finally we had an appointment at 7 to meet with Canon Coker we thought to talk about the trip further but how wrong we were, his curate had just been ordained and it was to attend her party. More beer, Good times! We finally departed at 11pm with a beer in hand to get some good rest.
Saturday 22nd November
AHhhhhhhh, awake at 3am. Less than inspired by such an hour, we managed to muster the strength to reach the “Express” (oh yes, the speedy express) bus stop by 3.45, ready to magically return to Freetown as soon as possible. We were both knackered and once on board, and on the road, Parksy took no time to find some sweet sleep salvation!
By half past 8, much surprised at the speed of the journey, we were home. Absolutely exhausted we doddered around in a daze before poor Parksy had to head off at 2pm to a practice service for Sunday’s imminent ordination service, those of us who don’t favour the life of a Bishop’s Chaplain pottered about at home getting particularly angry at the speed of the internet......
By late evening, thoroughly lacking the will to live, Iain arrived home, after muttering senselessly for a while about ordination rehearsals and constant kneeling.... I sent him straight to bed.
By half past 8, much surprised at the speed of the journey, we were home. Absolutely exhausted we doddered around in a daze before poor Parksy had to head off at 2pm to a practice service for Sunday’s imminent ordination service, those of us who don’t favour the life of a Bishop’s Chaplain pottered about at home getting particularly angry at the speed of the internet......
By late evening, thoroughly lacking the will to live, Iain arrived home, after muttering senselessly for a while about ordination rehearsals and constant kneeling.... I sent him straight to bed.
Friday 21st November
Well, well, well. On Friday morning we both felt, as if by some weird twist of fate, we’d spent the night in “comfortable” accommodation worth £1.50.......and oh look at that, we had! Daru – “ simply unforgettable accommodation.”
The money was definitely worth it, yet the state of the bathroom (outside and dirty to say the least, and a tad over-run by giant spiders,) was not; thus we were both pleased to be on our way....oddly. The idea of a school at Levuma, then Biiama, and then the prospect of a brief sleepysleep in Bo with air/con, had us dreaming of a sweet return home to Freetown. And so, we were on our way!
Travelling from school to school, some official work under our belt, took us just over 4 hours, after an early start that is, yet we seemed to snap them up as if they weren’t even there! Levuma reminded us of many other schools in Sierra Leone, over-subscribed and lacking space, yet other than that it was surviving....just. And after a brief meeting with the local town elders we were off to Baiima, the only school run by a woman in Bo Diocese! Baiima was delightful, mainly, I must say, due to the fact that the school is run by a woman who has been to England. Appreciative of the link, she was accommodating, loved our presence, and even provided us with chips and tea for lunch.....just a dream really! And the school has benefitted from the link of course.....
After 2 school visits, we were on our way to our temporary home of Bo. And after a brief stop in Talia and Kenema to pick up some school packages we were off! To Bo and beyond!
By 3pm we were, slightly battered by the dodge roads, yet certainly alive and well in Bo. And with the prospect of waking at 3am to board the government bus to Freetown, we were, accompanied by some freebie beers from Kenema, on bed by 8.30.....
The money was definitely worth it, yet the state of the bathroom (outside and dirty to say the least, and a tad over-run by giant spiders,) was not; thus we were both pleased to be on our way....oddly. The idea of a school at Levuma, then Biiama, and then the prospect of a brief sleepysleep in Bo with air/con, had us dreaming of a sweet return home to Freetown. And so, we were on our way!
Travelling from school to school, some official work under our belt, took us just over 4 hours, after an early start that is, yet we seemed to snap them up as if they weren’t even there! Levuma reminded us of many other schools in Sierra Leone, over-subscribed and lacking space, yet other than that it was surviving....just. And after a brief meeting with the local town elders we were off to Baiima, the only school run by a woman in Bo Diocese! Baiima was delightful, mainly, I must say, due to the fact that the school is run by a woman who has been to England. Appreciative of the link, she was accommodating, loved our presence, and even provided us with chips and tea for lunch.....just a dream really! And the school has benefitted from the link of course.....
After 2 school visits, we were on our way to our temporary home of Bo. And after a brief stop in Talia and Kenema to pick up some school packages we were off! To Bo and beyond!
By 3pm we were, slightly battered by the dodge roads, yet certainly alive and well in Bo. And with the prospect of waking at 3am to board the government bus to Freetown, we were, accompanied by some freebie beers from Kenema, on bed by 8.30.....
Saturday, 22 November 2008
Thursday 20th November
We always knew that Thursday was the first real day of travel so much so we packed our thing from Bo and expected to be in Daru 70miles east by 4 o’clock to settle for the evening. Don’t worry we made it ok! On the way to Daru we head to Blama first a nice school just of the Bo-Kenema highway. We had a good time with the head before moving on again to the school at Komende. Komende is a particularly bad school as it has no building so the four classes all meet together in the town square. It must be impossible for the children to learning but 240 of them are at least trying. Although early on in our visit to Sierra Leone we went to the Kenema Schools we thought it wrong for us to go through Kenema and not see them again. On arrival we were greeted by Mother Tucker the new Bishops wife. From here we headed to our final school of the day Talia. Talia was an impressive school since they had a problem with the roofing of the building earlier this year. They made an appeal to their link school and they now have a roofed school and a second roofed structure to their credit. From here on to Daru! You wouldn’t believe it but we found accommodation for Le8000 which is about £1.60, granted not the most beautiful place but at least it was a bed each. After going for a few beers at a local establishment we headed back to the guest house for a meal that Mr Lusini wife had made(it was the live chicken we were given the day before!!!!). While we were eating we made friends with two Liberian women called Rose and Josephine and talked about our experience in Liberia – it seems so long ago but yet so close. It was then time for bed another big day ahead!
Wednesday 19th November
We started the third day of our 5 day mission with a visit to Bayama, the former Bishops birth village. As you will know from the earlier blog he is now retiring so we set off 35mins late (African Time) with a couple of twenty gallon tubes of palm oil and a goat (yes you read that correct a goat) loaded on the vehicle and we headed first of all to his house. We quickly passed from there on to the primary school where we were met by the children doing cultural dancing. We said a few words to them and met with the head before heading on to school two at Massam Kpaka. Sadly the link with Massam Kpaka hasn’t been a strong one and we met strong appeals to assist them in the link program. After spending time in each class we again headed off to Gobaru school. This was always going to be a difficult time as we have been having a few problems with this link but we were assured by the head that he would sort this out and after eating our third meal of the day we headed home to Bo. It seem Mr Lusini the Education secretary, never goes hungry.
Tuesday 18th November
Koiva – Vandahun – Helabu
A day of contrast for the school links team in Sierra Leone. The first school that we visited, Koiva, was dilapidated to say the least! No toilet, a run-down 40 year old building, situated in the middle of nowhere. Cultural dances, a school successfully audited, a link strengthened and an address to the town chiefs later (with a Megaphone!) and we were on our way to Vanwahun. And oh the contrast between the two closely abiding schools is so severe. Benefiting from a government grant (a rare occurrence) the school has it all! Toilets, working water well, a brand new building and, even, the holy grail of educational necessities, a brand spanking new head teacher’s quarters on site. Koiva, by the way, hasn’t even got a well. Well, after a meal of rice and bush meat (who knows what! Probably eagle or something...) we were off to our final destination of Helabu. And then, the fire-works!
On arrival at Helabu, let’s just say we weren’t happy. We walked into the first classroom, to inspect the newly furnished roof (paid for by the enthusiastic link school!) and we what we found was astonishing. The classroom, populated by 20 odd children did indeed have an excellent new roof. However, the ceiling held up by rods of bamboo, was sagging heavily, and intently, over the children. Any moment, the whole structure could have collapsed, crushing the innocent children to death! And I’m NOT exaggerating. What proceeded after this was a heated, perhaps forceful conversation with the headmaster and town chiefs about the safety of their children. Parks rammed the message home with the headmaster, and I attempted to lecture the town chiefs about their responsibilities as parents in the community, and the possibility that we would remove their link if the situation wasn’t resolved. The ironies of the situation were laughable, the subject, however, was deadly serious. After the visit, we set off for home, drained by the experience and thoroughly in need of some rest.
Oh and some, pound wine. Very important that pound wine....
A day of contrast for the school links team in Sierra Leone. The first school that we visited, Koiva, was dilapidated to say the least! No toilet, a run-down 40 year old building, situated in the middle of nowhere. Cultural dances, a school successfully audited, a link strengthened and an address to the town chiefs later (with a Megaphone!) and we were on our way to Vanwahun. And oh the contrast between the two closely abiding schools is so severe. Benefiting from a government grant (a rare occurrence) the school has it all! Toilets, working water well, a brand new building and, even, the holy grail of educational necessities, a brand spanking new head teacher’s quarters on site. Koiva, by the way, hasn’t even got a well. Well, after a meal of rice and bush meat (who knows what! Probably eagle or something...) we were off to our final destination of Helabu. And then, the fire-works!
On arrival at Helabu, let’s just say we weren’t happy. We walked into the first classroom, to inspect the newly furnished roof (paid for by the enthusiastic link school!) and we what we found was astonishing. The classroom, populated by 20 odd children did indeed have an excellent new roof. However, the ceiling held up by rods of bamboo, was sagging heavily, and intently, over the children. Any moment, the whole structure could have collapsed, crushing the innocent children to death! And I’m NOT exaggerating. What proceeded after this was a heated, perhaps forceful conversation with the headmaster and town chiefs about the safety of their children. Parks rammed the message home with the headmaster, and I attempted to lecture the town chiefs about their responsibilities as parents in the community, and the possibility that we would remove their link if the situation wasn’t resolved. The ironies of the situation were laughable, the subject, however, was deadly serious. After the visit, we set off for home, drained by the experience and thoroughly in need of some rest.
Oh and some, pound wine. Very important that pound wine....
Monday 17th November
Work, work, work.....work!
As you may have guessed, with the beginning of this week, we were back on the working trail. Bo Diocese, ready or not, here we come!
Today was to be spent predominantly in Bo town itself, visiting the schools of Bo Coronation Field (a short stone’s throw from our hotel,) the elusive Bo Dambala Road, Primary and Infant Schools, before finally bombing it the provincial wonderland of Sahn.
Well, an interesting day of school visits later and we were back in the hotel.
But what, oh what happened during the day? Well I’m writing this blog slightly later than planned, due to a mixture of laziness and early nights, maybe, induced by the purchaaase of some cartons of pound wine...maybe.
Anyway, I can’t really remember. The day’s highlights included Parks’ address to the local tribal leaders at Sahn, a truly humbling experience (humbled by the presence of the elders, not Parksy’s speech....well...) The tribal chiefs were so pleased by our presence, the school link program and everything that we had to contribute, that we were both overjoyed to be there, the experience gave our mission a sudden, wonderful and different meaningful twist.
The low-light of the day was definitely the realisation that Parks hadn’t packed the camera charger, and, completely out of battery, I may have pretended to take a few photos of some of the children to make their day and week....maybe.
After a wonderful day, we settled back in the pad, 3 schools and a day down in Bo Diocese, GET IN!!!
We’d also collected quite a considerable amount of the local Palm wine, and, oddly, it was missing in the morning.
As you may have guessed, with the beginning of this week, we were back on the working trail. Bo Diocese, ready or not, here we come!
Today was to be spent predominantly in Bo town itself, visiting the schools of Bo Coronation Field (a short stone’s throw from our hotel,) the elusive Bo Dambala Road, Primary and Infant Schools, before finally bombing it the provincial wonderland of Sahn.
Well, an interesting day of school visits later and we were back in the hotel.
But what, oh what happened during the day? Well I’m writing this blog slightly later than planned, due to a mixture of laziness and early nights, maybe, induced by the purchaaase of some cartons of pound wine...maybe.
Anyway, I can’t really remember. The day’s highlights included Parks’ address to the local tribal leaders at Sahn, a truly humbling experience (humbled by the presence of the elders, not Parksy’s speech....well...) The tribal chiefs were so pleased by our presence, the school link program and everything that we had to contribute, that we were both overjoyed to be there, the experience gave our mission a sudden, wonderful and different meaningful twist.
The low-light of the day was definitely the realisation that Parks hadn’t packed the camera charger, and, completely out of battery, I may have pretended to take a few photos of some of the children to make their day and week....maybe.
After a wonderful day, we settled back in the pad, 3 schools and a day down in Bo Diocese, GET IN!!!
We’d also collected quite a considerable amount of the local Palm wine, and, oddly, it was missing in the morning.
Sunday 16th November
Sunday was the day of the enthronement of the new Bishop of Bo, Bishop Tucker. It was a wonderful service; it was an African equivalent of a family service with African hymns and songs. We both felt it was one of the best services we had been to. The Bishop also made a statement about the future which was very positive. He challenged all of the staff, clergy and lay that they must improve and he would be there to challenge them directly, a very positive statement for the link. After the service we went to Bishops court with a small gathering for a light lunch and then made our way home. As it happens we passed an establishment that was showing the Boro match. For Le500 we couldn’t resist. As we got inside we realised, that we had been charge to sit in a wicker basket, it had one solid wall and three wicker walls. As everyone will know Boro drew 1-1 with Everton, a good result for us. We finally made it back to the hotel and sat and chatted for a couple of hours. When we got into our room we both decided we weren’t that tired so we played ‘Purple Place’ on the laptop. If you haven’t played it you should. It comes free with Vista. The biggest problem is that when we tried to sleep our minds where racing with the challenges of the game. Oh I forgot to add, yes we are losers in case you ask. Unbelievable I know!
Saturday 15th November
We started with a lazy morning, so much so our friend Lozza didn’t arise until 9am and I had already made it to breakfast, had a shower and read a hundred pages of ‘The Shack’. Finally when he managed to drag himself out of bed he headed for breakfast and put his face on he and was ready just in time for our 11.30 departure for the 70th(maybe slightly questionable) birthday celebration of the now former Bishop of Bo, Bishop Sam. The celebrations started with a service which lasted 3 hours (which takes our total up to 33 hours in services). After the service had finished we were invited down to the Methodist Hall for the shindig. It was fine but for some reason we had an agenda for how to celebrate, which include 35mins of statements and toasts. Finally we wished the Bishop a very happy birthday and headed back to the accommodation for a well earned rest
Friday 14th November
Due to the fact that the Bo Diocesan vehicle is being used over the weekend, we were forced to take a break, have a kit-kat, generally mooching in the Sahara Hotel for most of the day.
After a relaxed morning spent mainly in the relative comfort of the Hotel, we took a leisurely stroll into Bo to visit every-bodies favourite seamster (not stunning Seamstress unfortunately....one can dream!) collect some money, before having some lunch worth a mighty £2 each, for 3 drinks and a full meal!
After this we spent the majority of the afternoon relaxing, thoroughly chilled and, before long, the sun was setting and the evening was drawing in. Quickly rushing out to grab some bread and meat skewers, we settled down on our Balcony in the twilight hours to reflect on our time in Sierra Leone, happily munching on our skewers as we did so.
After a relaxed morning spent mainly in the relative comfort of the Hotel, we took a leisurely stroll into Bo to visit every-bodies favourite seamster (not stunning Seamstress unfortunately....one can dream!) collect some money, before having some lunch worth a mighty £2 each, for 3 drinks and a full meal!
After this we spent the majority of the afternoon relaxing, thoroughly chilled and, before long, the sun was setting and the evening was drawing in. Quickly rushing out to grab some bread and meat skewers, we settled down on our Balcony in the twilight hours to reflect on our time in Sierra Leone, happily munching on our skewers as we did so.
Thursday 13th November
After a night in Moyamba; we were raring to hit the beaten-track and, particularly, eager to tick some schools off our extensive Bo list. Hopeful of reaching Bo before nightfall we set off, now truly in working mode, to meet Edward Luseni – Bo Diocese Educational Secretary, at Moyamba primary school. With one more onboard, the Parks and Loz train to Kangahun Primary and Secondary School left Moyamba for the last time.
After an hour or so we arrived at our destination and set to work. A brief meeting with the Head Teacher later and one package off letters in hand; we busied ourselves by going from classroom to classroom introducing ourselves to the children and teachers. However, now firmly situated in Mende speaking country, on more than one occasion, the children would stare back at us with blank misunderstanding faces. Unfortunately for Parksy, his “northern accent” was causing quite a bit of a stir when it came to speaking to the kids who, in a word, seemed quite......clueless. This combined with the fact that after a week of holiday, both of our minds, especially poor Parksy’s, had turned to quasi-vacuum like...erm......mush, meant that we were finding the going slightly tough. Fortunately, as we all know, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going,” and after a quick team meeting, and a high-five (maybe even some spirit fingers,) we rallied. And soon, via a combination off photo taking, waving, smiling, slow “clear” inspirational speeches and general acts of Parks and Loz genius......the children loved us!!
Using the same godly techniques at the next school in Mano Dasse, we were soon 3 schools down, we’d spent 4 hours on the road and, by 3pm, we were in Bo......again!
We spent the rest of the afternoon collecting 12 bags of Bo “Garri” from the local dealer for Bishop Lynch, before settling down in our favourite Bo lodgings: The Sahara Hotel.
After an hour or so we arrived at our destination and set to work. A brief meeting with the Head Teacher later and one package off letters in hand; we busied ourselves by going from classroom to classroom introducing ourselves to the children and teachers. However, now firmly situated in Mende speaking country, on more than one occasion, the children would stare back at us with blank misunderstanding faces. Unfortunately for Parksy, his “northern accent” was causing quite a bit of a stir when it came to speaking to the kids who, in a word, seemed quite......clueless. This combined with the fact that after a week of holiday, both of our minds, especially poor Parksy’s, had turned to quasi-vacuum like...erm......mush, meant that we were finding the going slightly tough. Fortunately, as we all know, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going,” and after a quick team meeting, and a high-five (maybe even some spirit fingers,) we rallied. And soon, via a combination off photo taking, waving, smiling, slow “clear” inspirational speeches and general acts of Parks and Loz genius......the children loved us!!
Using the same godly techniques at the next school in Mano Dasse, we were soon 3 schools down, we’d spent 4 hours on the road and, by 3pm, we were in Bo......again!
We spent the rest of the afternoon collecting 12 bags of Bo “Garri” from the local dealer for Bishop Lynch, before settling down in our favourite Bo lodgings: The Sahara Hotel.
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