from bullets to bazookas

great developments over a Fanta...or not

Well honestly, not much has been going on. The building project is at a temporary stand-still until all parties involved come to a common consensus: Seems like everyone else involved has their own plans and ideas while the architect has already established the plans. I made the singular mistake of suggesting that the plans drawn out by the architect should indeed be followed, and I was ostracized for it. I have not been up at the site for nearly three weeks now. It's a waiting game.

In other news, we went to visit Chief Sourie again today. We did not want to go empty handed so we brought half a crate of bottled soft drinks. I did not realize that I had to leave a deposit of Le12500 for the crate and the bottles. I was assured that the deposit will be returned when the bottles and the crate will be returned. I was also charged extra because I asked for the drinks to be cold. When we arrived, we found him to be in good health and able to walk about. He began quoting scriptures, and thanking God for healing him. "By their fruits, you will know them" he said, speaking of his children who have all come to know God and are serving God in some capacity. Then there, over an ice cold bottle of Pineapple Fanta, among other requests to God, he prayed that God would allow a church to be opened up in Kono. It looked a bit silly - him sitting with a bottle opener over the cap of the Fanta, blessing the drink and making such serious requests. He had the heart of a child, bless him.

So aside from interacting with folks, reading, cleaning, and observing exotic species of birds and insects, not much else is happening. I am often reminded by everyone that this is Africa.

There are a few things that I overlooked and failed to make accounts of: Of them, the water here at Waterloo. We have to bring our drinking water from the taps at Freetown as the water that comes out the taps here in Waterloo cannot be used for drinking. It really cannot even be used for bathing but we manage. In the kitchen, in order to strain the water, we wrap a piece of cloth folded four times over the faucet. Still, the water is brown in colour. Every day, we have to clean the piece of cloth, and when unwrapped, there is a thick coating of dark brown clay to be washed off.

The people here in Sierra Leone just do not like to answer questions. They would much rather reply with another question, or take the opportunity to make themselves feel smarter. Everyone's smarter than the next person at any random time. Here are a few examples:

"Matthew, kam na ya" ("Matthew, come here").
"Le a kam?" ("Let me come?")
"Yes, kam wantem" ("Yes, come at once")

I was in the process of brushing (clearing the weeds, thickets, and bushes), and had already brushed about 14 feet or so all around me. Lahai approaches me,

"Yu no sabi fo brosh eh?" ("You don't know how to brush, do you?")

I stood by watching the band of men trying to capture the snake last week. I didn't know any of them. I recognized some as neighbours. I had not said a word to anyone, yet one of the young men came up to me and said:

"[sucking teeth], yu no sabi natin" ("You don't know anything")

I wonder what gave that away. I thought I was pretty good at hiding the fact that I am a dumbass. Nothing gets by these people!

"Lahai, what does kongosa mean?"
"[sucking teeth], yu dont no?"

Nope, not a thing. I know nothing. I cannot convince "men of God" that littering is not a good habit. Just about any place outside of their house is a litter bin. Those at the top set the example for others. Of course there is no such thing as street cleaning or garbage pickup; so all the trash that is left on the street, stays on the street. At homes, those who can and have the land to do so, will dig a wide hole in the back of the house and deposit their trash there. When the hole gets filled, the trash is burned. Those who can't do this, collect their trash in bins, and carry it to a common location - usually on the side of a main street, and dump all their trash there. This trash collects, rots, and reeks, and once in two months or so, someone who had seen enough of the trash, will set fire to the trash. It is not uncommon to see entire streets strewn with trash - especially in Freetown - the capital city.

I have tried on many occasions to gently remind people I am with, to hold on to their trash and deposit it at least in a common place and not on every street, but on each of those occasions, it is I who is chided in return by the words: "Dis na Africa, Oh!"

This is indeed Africa. God bless this land.

posted by bthomas24 @ 1:51 PM