Things Are Just As They Are

A rather Islamic neighbourhood downtown - and the mosque is under construction, as usual

This happens to cars when even the best African mechanics give up their hopes....

In da office .....Salifu and Rashid

Renée, my dutch fellow intern

Ella and Joy

Life is turning into a routine - again! Considering how often in the previous years life had become a new adventure just to turn into rountine quite quickly afterwards, I know why I am so calmed down compared to when I went to Botswana. I just got used to it. I appreciate the new things completely capturing my mind and I also like when the daily life is just as it is and leaves you some time to think and digest you impressions and experiences.
Routine has nothing to do with boredom, don't get me wrong here but rather the feeling that you managed to adjust yourself somehow to a different way of how to live life. I also like the experience of getting to know myself better, it is always interesting to see what you are able or dare to do when there is no other option....don't get me wrong here either, I didn't do anything extremely risky, it is more that you would usually choose a more comfortable option, but this one is missing here...

Since my last post nothing extraordinary has happened, but many small things which made my heart or my mind move.....or in case of my first motor bike ride my bones shaky...it was Sunday night and I went to meet some other interns (who has been here for a while and are fairly involved in the expat community) for dinner at restaurant Mamba Point. Since my housemates did not wanna join I jumped in different shared taxis and found my way to Lumley police station from where on I was supposed to take another one uphill. Unfortunately all taxis were crowded so I ended up on a okada, the motor bikes here... I told the driver that it is my first ride and he promised to drive safely and so went on this very, very steep road and it was great....lovely panoramic view and a cool breeze - no better option after a day in the heat....

Children always make my heart move. There are so many here and most of them seem to be happy and lucky, but it always hurts me to see how they grow up and how unfair chances in life are distributed and allocated. Yes, I know, I should have known before and I knew but it something different when you see it...anyway, we have this school here next to our compound, just as big as an ordinary room, maybe 14qm (if any), and apparently funded by some Mongolian people working for the UN here in Freetown. The school is busy from the morning until 6pm (when it starts getting dark) and also on Saturdays. When I passed the building two days ago they just finished class and more than 20 children stormed out, happy to be done with the day's work. They all greeted me and one of them was brave enough to touch my skin....he realised that he is not getting white hands by then and told his friends about and within seconds I had all the children hanging on my arms and back, touching and smelling my skin and trying to rub my skin colour on their arms. When they realised that everything will remain as it is, they rather decided to tell me about school -we repeated the alphabet and they told me all their names and it was the best cheering up after a slightly annoying day I could have imagined....I guess I will ask if I can teach at the school one day....maybe on a Saturday when I am off work anyway...

Yesterday Salifu (Sierra Leone) and Renée (Netherlands) took me out for a football match in Wilbergforce, the area where Salifu lives. We had to climb very uphill and were starred at as the only white persons, but we got used to it anyway and enjoyed the second half of the game with some excellent Sierra Leoneans candies...it was really nice and we won't miss the semi-finals next week...

So as you can see life is very fine here....however, sometimes it is annoying to be white...the problem is not the colour, but tha fact that peopel will constantly mayke you recognize that you are different. That can be happen in nice or not so nice ways, but you are always kinda outstanding. And the men....well, it is nice to get attention, but sometimes it is too much....I just do not believe that people fall in true love with me just on the first sight....I am def not so adorable, hahaha. But otherwise it is fun and it is good when people know you in the city anyway...

For the weekend nothing so special is planned yet, but I guess we are going out to dance a bit and we are going to the beach, city centre and maybe church on Sunday....
And on Monday I leave to Makeni super early in the morning, since we will have a workshop there and I will accompany my colleagues on their trip....

So far for now, hope you are all doing well and please, Chels and Kathrine, watch yourself in India...I am not so worried yet but want to know you in good health!

Miss you all and wish you a wonderful first advent weekend with friends and family...