I have been in Sierra Leone for one year and so much has happened! It feels like yesterday, but it also feels like it has been way more than one year. So much has changed and so much has remained the same. I remember interviewing for my current job and someone on the panel asking me if … [Read more…]
So… I haven’t written a blog post in 3 months. My last blog post was the morning of August 14th, 2017 – the day that 1141 people died in the largest disaster in Sierra Leone’s history. Sierra Leone had been through a war and an Ebola outbreak, but she had never had this many people die in … [Read more…]
We spent the last 2 weeks being tourists in West Africa and we had so much fun! We explored Senegal and the Gambia, and I was pretty stoked to finally be a tourist in my own backyard. I have traveled widely in the US, Europe, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and southern Africa, and I … [Read more…]
I can’t believe that it has been a whole month since I wrote my last blog post. I told myself that I would blog weekly but that was obviously a pipe dream. So much has happened this past month! My family arrived and we are finally all together again. It has been wonderful reuniting with … [Read more…]
I’m settling in quite well into our home. I sit on the veranda a lot, where I have a good view of the mountains, the beach, and my dog Sheba. I miss my family terribly though! I’ve been away from them for 2 1/2 months now and it has been very difficult for them and … [Read more…]
It’s been a tough two weeks, but I finally sense some calmness rolling through. Work has been hectic – there is so much to do, and I have had to travel up country frequently. I had also frantically been trying to put the finishing touches on our house and get the generator installed so that … [Read more…]
Last week was our Papa’s 85th birthday and we had a wonderful birthday party! We have every reason to celebrate – the life expectancy in Sierra Leone is 50 years, so it is truly a remarkable feat and a blessing for us to be able to celebrate his 85th birthday. It seems that every other … [Read more…]
The goats at Papa’s house are so darn cute! There are somewhere between 3 to 6 of them – I’m not sure of the exact number because they run away when I get too close, especially when Sheba is around. There is a black one, a brown and white one, a mostly brown one, and … [Read more…]
I had NO intentions of becoming a builder, but here I am, deep in building construction! When we decided to move to Freetown, we weighed all the pros and cons of different living arrangements. Should we move in with my Dad? He lived in a massive house with a huge yard – the kids would … [Read more…]
I conquered one of my biggest fears today – driving in Freetown. Driving in Freetown is not for the faint of heart – and my heart is very faint – so faint, it can barely generate a pulse! The city is congested – there are cars, Okadas (motorcycle taxis), a new 3-wheeled contraption that I … [Read more…]