Arrival in Sierra Leone

How de bodi? (How are you?)  I made it to Sierra Leone yesterday evening and the President of Sierra Leone was on my flight into Freetown!

This morning I woke up to the beautiful view of the ocean. I explored a traditional Sierra Leone backyard garden which consists of yams, cassava leaves and ground nuts (peanuts) and mango and avocado trees. After a morning of exploring I took my first bucket bath shower (one bucket of water only).  It has truly made me appreciate a shower head and unlimited water.

By noon, I left Freetown.  I took a 3 hour car ride down Kenema Highway to Bo, which is the capital of Southern Province. Immediately after arriving in Bo, I went to the open-air central market to buy fabric and food. It's pretty overwhelming and crowded.  People negotiating prices, while young boys and girls walk around with buckets or plates filled with smoked fish, fruits or vegetables they are displaying for sale. Bargaining with the sellers was a rush of excitement. Why can't we bargain for clothes and food in America?

When I got back to the house I am staying at, I sat down and ate a traditional Sierra Leone dinner of cassava leaf rice chop (cassava leaf stew on top of rice). To finish this yummy meal I had cakes puffs, which are like puffy pancakes. When I was done, I walked to the tailor where I chose a style from a book with millions of designs for skirts and tops. And now I am relaxing on a veranda (porch) while I listen to the sounds of thunder in the near distance. It’s rainy season.  The storms blow out to sea and cross the Atlantic to become our hurricanes.

Tomorrow I have to be up early to drive on to Pujehun, where I will stay for the next week. In Pujehun I will visit schools and teach students about the different food groups and the importance to the body of  portions from each group daily. We will also be working with a hospital staff in doing screening for diabetes. For those who are diagnosed with diabetes, we will have a class to educate those people on how to eat to lower their blood glucose levels.  We’ll also discuss ways to prevent diabetes from developing in family members and friends.