the goodness of life
For the past three days, I think I caught a cold. I am not entirely sure. I am fine during the day, but at night, I feel stuffed, and my throat hurts. On Friday morning, I prayed about it, and on Sunday, I was fine again. Friday and Saturday, Lahai and I sat out in the back for a few minutes in perfect darkness. The sky was clear, and was covered by a thick blanket of stars. It has been some time now since I've seen stars. In New York, it's hard to find stars in the sky. Ocassionally, you can spot three or four. In India, I recall seeing the skies filled with stars. Everything around us is perfectly black with darkness, but the sky looks like a inverted mirror ball. Whilst sitting in the dark, looking out for dogs to stone, and making conversation about the black hole and the Bermuda Triangle, I thought of how well the good Lord kept me here for almost two months now. I've eaten local foods, drank tap water, have been bitten my mosquitoes, and every time, I flip open my mobile phone at night, I am attacked by massive Kamakazi insects blinded, dazed, and hopelessly in love with any sliver of light, that they red line their way straight to my face. I've been kept safe from all the witchcraft, and the possessed, rabid dogs that wander the streets. I am convinced that it's the mercies of God and your prayers by which I have been kept safe. There is still a long way to go and I do covet your prayers.A few other annoyances: Walking into cobwebs as you walk along the street. It's just not fun trying to wipe those off. Huge bugs that keep flying into walls, windows, and the nape of your neck unexpectedly. Being invaded by armies of ants, crickets in your room at night, and tiny little flies that you can only see when you turn on your flashlight - they are small enough to fly in through a mosquito net, and they crawl all over you at night. (Could the throat ache might have been caused by swallowing flies at night?) Walking into mud puddles thinking you're stepping on grass. Flashing. It's when people call your mobile and hang up just when you pick up. They then expect you to call them back. Cabbies. I thought New York was bad! I used to say that if I had a license to kill, I'd go after New York cab drivers first. They think they own the road, and they are absolutely mean. Seems the same problem exists here in Sierra Leone. When David and I were on our way to Tombo to pick up fish and Cassava leaves, we slowed down to take a look at an accident on the street. A poda-poda was trying to squeeze through traffic, and sidelined a private car. The man in the car came out and began slapping the driver of the poda-poda with the back of his hand while his passengers and others on the road watched. No one jumped in to stop the fight because the guy deserved a good lashing.
In a country where few laws govern the dwellers, I notice that the people govern themselves rather well. When political institutions are utterly useless, the people take the law into their own hands, and corporal punishment can be administered by anyone. It's just the same in India. Growing up in India, I remember getting some good licks in school by my teachers, at home by my parents and neighbors, in church by pastors and believers, by family members, and just people on the street. Yesterday, Lahai and I went out on a stroll to visit some of the locals. Walking along streets framed by groundnut shells on either side (groundnuts are a favorite snack here, and the shells are strewn along all the paths that people walk), we saw a young boy standing in the middle of the street with his legs spread apart doing a half way split. There was an SUV approaching, honking for the boy to get out of the street. He stood there in his stance as if to test his strength against the oncoming vehicle. Lahai walked by him and gave him a good, hard, unexpected slap in the back of his head. The wicked child jumped up and over to the side of the street and stood there rubbing his head with tears in his eyes. There is discipline among the locals. If you're attacked on the street by a thief (tif), you yell out "THIEF!!!!" and a herd of people will gather around, grab the cluprit and give him a good beating he will remember for a long time to come.
Almost everyone in this country speaks English, and they are very quick to learn new skills. If they see something new being done once, they will immedietly learn it and begin reproducing it. I had mentioned earlier that Sierra Leone was the first sub-Saharan country to to offer an English university education. People from Ghana, Nigeria, Guinea, Liberia, and elsewhere in Africa came here to be educated. Depending on who you speak to, some will say that Independence from Britian destroyed the country. Many were happy with Colonialism. There was continuous electricity, an extensive road system, wealth, education, good heathcare, etc. Such luxuries are scarce of late. The road system is still pretty extensive, and covers much of the country and extends into bordering Guinea and Liberia, but large sections of roads have been destroyed during the war. Potholes are not fixed, and many times, you'll come across civilians who carry dirt and stones to fix a small stretch of road, and they collect tolls (whatever you can give them) from vehicles and pedestrians to use as pocket change. Those who lived during the Colonial period tell me that hospitals had a very high standard during those times. The same hospitals are now dilapidated. Speaking of hospitals, I notice many young and old whose belly buttons protrude out like the stem of a fruit. Some of them are swollen and extend out a little over two inches. Some are even bigger. Is this because the umbilical cord was not cut properly?
It's now almost 10 PM and the generator will be shut off soon. More about Salone in time.
posted by bthomas24 @ 10:54 PM
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