Freetown, Part 1

There's a lot to write about my second visit to Freetown, so I think I'll do a multi-part series. Freetown remains one of the more interesting places I've been for work. But like last time, I've brought a cold back with me. I think the stress of travel does a number on my immune system. This time I took four engineers with me (3 contractors and one colleague), and being the team leader meant that I felt like the team "mom", constantly having to make sure that everyone was taken care of and nobody got lost or hurt. But it was a good group, and everyone was enthusiastic and open to trying new things!

The trip didn't start out too well. The flights were fine, but I arrived in Freetown minus one bag. Actually, it didn't bother me too much, because it wasn't my luggage--I was bringing something to a colleague. But I still had to wait in line in a tiny, stifling office to file a claim. It was so hot, when I signed the form, it was wet from the airport employee's sweat having dripped all over it. That done, we took the helicopter from the airport to Freetown proper. I was expecting it to be scary, having heard about these horrible Russian helicopters held together with chewing gum and duct tape, but it wasn't bad at all. Actually, it was kinda cool to walk out to the helicopter with its rotors still turning! Like in the movies!

The Country Lodge Hotel was nicer than the Cabenda, so that was good too. I had a mosquito net hanging over my bed (which I realized, too late, that I should have used), but the sheets and towels seemed clean. I woke up the first morning with a horrible headache, probably due to dehydration. So I popped a couple Tylenol from my little refillable travel bottle and went about getting ready. But I stopped 10 minutes later and thought...wait, is Tylenol blue? Oh no! I started my day by taking two Tylenol PMs!! I was a bit groggy that first day.

Our group of five ran with the local Hash House Harriers that Monday, and everyone enjoyed it. Joe and I opted to run, and the three others joined the walking group. As we ran through the back alleys, past people cooking dinner and taking care of their evening errands, I noticed more this time than last that the locals were really friendly. They seemed to enjoy the novelty of runners running through their neighborhood. Everyone smiled and waved, and little kids high-fived us. I guess it's because running for exercise is somewhat less common in Sierra Leone than it is in the US. People would even help us by pointing the way if we lost the trail. We had to fjord a small stream of runoff/trash/sewage, and I knew I wasn't going to be able to jump across without stepping on something right at the water's edge. Unfortunately, that something I selected as my push-off point was less solid than I had thought, and my shoe sank down in the muck! Ewww! When I got back to the hotel, I immediately threw out my socks and washed my feet and legs three times, then coated them in Purel! So far, my foot hasn't fallen off or become diseased, but I'm totally glad I've had all my shots. I considered not bringing my shoes home with me, but ended up double-wrapping them in plastic and plan to run them through the washing machine with a cup of bleach.

We went running again on Saturday near our hotel with a guy, Bob, we met at Monday's Hash. While we were running, one local man pointed at me and yelled "I admire this lady!" That kept me motivated at least until the next hill! Again, I guess it's not all that common for expats to run through these neighborhoods, and perhaps they don't see too many white girls doing it. As we ran through one street (and let me clarify here, that "street" means a 3-foot wide rocky dirt slope running between tin-roofed shacks that is as much a drainage channel as it is a street), Bob stopped to chat with some people. One lady sitting in front of her house yelled at me and Joe, who had been greeting people with "Hi" and "Good morning", to talk in Krio. I obliged by using the one greeting that I knew, "How de body?". Apparently that was the right thing to say--she smiled and laughed and seemed really pleased. The only thing that marred the run for me was that my cold had already started, so I ended up walking up most of the hills (and it was very hilly).

I'll post pictures soon, but there are a lot to cull through. More later....