Surprisingly

6-16-11

Surprisingly...

I really am surprising myself the more that I am here. I mean all the yucko things that I have had to do and seen really haven’t phased me the way I once thought.  So the bathroom situation in my compound is... kinda sick. There are these holes in the ground called latrines, where people do their business. There are no lids or covers so cockroaches and mosquitoes pretty much own this area. It gets sicker. So everyone in the compound uses this hole, 20+ people. Imagine the smell right? K so this area, ya it is also the shower zone. I’m still getting used to that :)

Next. My twin bed has a Peace Corps given thick green mosquito net over it. The other night I heard rustling, like I have been the past couple of nights, and blamed it on the malaria medicine, ‘metho dream’ is what PCV’s are calling it, but I was sure that I heard something in my room. So, I reached for my phone flashlight and as I shone it towards the celling, it caught 6 gleaming eyes. Rats. They were clinging to my net. One on the top and two on the sides. When they saw the light they scattered. One was trapped between my net and the wall and was trying to climb under the net, which he’d then be in my bed with me. I sat up, pulled my legs in and yes, I admit, had a bit of a freakout moment. I called Tammie, she calmed me down and I went back to bed, after I made sure my net was tucked in really tight. 

The pile of dead cockroaches in front of my door every morning, no longer grosses me out, but ensures my want of getting a cat as soon as I get to site. 

I had an interview with a man named Andrew, as to where I would ‘like’ to be placed and where I will be most useful, we should all be finding out around week 4, I am stoked!

It is really weird not looking in a mirror everyday. I can’t say I have forgotten what I look like, but it is certainly different not owning a mirror. I joke with Tammie that, “at least we know people hang out with us for more than just our good looks,” cause the greasy hair, no make-up, tired, sweaty ‘look’ cannot be super attractive. 

Welcome to Makeni

6-11-11

Welcome to Makeni

Since my last post, we all arrived in Makeni and got settled in with our host families. There was a ‘adoption’ ceremony where the families sat together and the PCV’s sat together, then corresponding names would be called and the family would meet their new son/daughter up in the front, take a picture, hug ect. My family is a woman named Aminata and her son, Prince, who is 12 and in grade 5. 

Aminata and Prince (first time meeting them)

A 3 hour poda-poda ride, people already getting sick, meeting the people you were to live with for the next 10 weeks , being fed rice and an entire fish (from now on fish, means a actual fish. Eyes, head, tail, every bone, scale, flipper and inside parts), and sweating buckets had all the volunteers a bit overwhelmed. It was great haha. So after picking out my bags from the heap outside, Aminata tells me her house is not far.... that may have been true if we didn’t have to haul 3 bags. I have learned that Sierra Leoneans like to tell you what you ‘want’ to hear, even if it may not be entirely true. So Aminata, at about 5’3 and 200lbs, flung my gigantic blue rolling suitcase (90 lb. at least) on top of her head! I tried to stop her but she insisted. Then made Prince carry my backpack, also on his head while I was left with the smallest daypack that had my valuables, and was pretty lightweight. She waddled her way all the way through the compounds till we reached her ‘house.’ My bags and I couldn’t fit in the sitting room, no exaggeration. 

The back door of the house, with some random kiddos

I barely unpacked when Aminata told me it was time for dinner. I was not hungry at all- but  we were told it is culturally rude to decline a meal. So I walked to the front porch area, where a crowd had already gathered to watch me eat. 4 fish (the same kind as mentioned before) a plater of rice, like ‘Happy Family’ chinese restaurant style, drenched in a sauce so spicy that it made you sweat just from looking at it and 8 bananas. No way was all that going in my stomach. No way. 

The 'coal pot' that is used for cooking

The water well

As the crowd of people watched me eat this meal for 5 with a spoon (more common than forks), all I was thinking about was touching something with the wrong hand (left), and where I was suppose to spit the millions of bones. After my interesting night of sleeping on a mattress made of hay and a tarp, I was handed two Subway 6” sized loafs of bread, globbed full with Mayonnaise and packed with fried plantains and a Nalgene bottle filled with tea, a powdered milk mix and 5 towering soup-spoonfuls of sugar. Yummmm. I was not surprised when I got sick that day.

Freetown Pictures

6-07-11

The view from the hotel balcony in Freetown

The visit to the Vice President, African attire and all!

TIA

6-3-11

This is Africa

After a very long flight, I am finally in Africa. All the days of traveling, blended into one, extremely long day. It is now Friday. 

Last night was our groups first night in Sierra Leone. Arriving in the Lungi Airport was an experience all of its own. There was one baggage claim, and about 150 people surrounding all sides. With each volunteer having 2 checked bags, things got crazy. Fast. 

After collecting the luggage, we piled onto 3 busses and drove to the ferry. While loading onto the ferry, the back of our van scrapped the metal and cement- heavy luggage. On the ferry, we were able to walk around, got our first malaria pill and a snack consisting if two bananas, two hard boiled eggs, a coconut cookie pack, a small saran wrapped ball of peanuts and bottled water. 

When we arrived in Freetown it was dark. Vendors off the side of the road were using candles or LED lights to illuminate loafs of bread, rolls, mangos, knick-knacks and trinkets. The honking was non-stop as cabs and vans passed by, each at least with 10 passengers. The cars were lit with inside black-lights or strobes. There is no way I would drive in this country- I can see why ‘transportation accidents’ was a major issue with the Peace Corps. The motorcycles had 3-4 people and zoomed in and out of traffic like it was no big deal. We passed so many people, all who would stare at us, some would wave and some would shout ‘apollo’ or something, translating to white person. 

Once to the hostel, Tammie and I had to carry our 100+ lb. bags to the third floor. With the heat and humidity, I was about to pass out. Our room, 317, has a heavy metal door, a balcony overlooking a giant cemetery, back windows looking at soccer stadium ( which a night host the Christian Crusade), two double sized mattress’ placed on single sized bed frames, a broken air conditioner, mosquito nets over each bed (Tammie’s has holes) and a bathroom that has a bobby pin for the toilet flush and a pipe for a shower. We had a great time last night. Lots of laughing at ourselves.

After our one light flickered out (the electricity goes out at least once a day I guess), we laid under our mosquito nets with dead bugs clinging to the outsides of them and sweat. I laughed when I looked over at Tammie, who was being eaten by her mattress, just the same as me. Since the mattress’ are too big for the bed frames, our body weight caused the extended sides to fold upward, making us even hotter. 

We fell asleep to what reminded me of the ‘rainforest’ setting on relaxation clocks, multiplied by 10. Frogs, crickets, birds and who knows what else chirped and crooned all night. 

This morning Tammie was able to kill about 6 cockroaches that appeared sometime in the night and we were sung to by a group of small children on the way to training...”apollo, apollo, apollo hey” over and over. 

Everything is going great! My current address is...

Kenna Peterson

Peace Corps Volunteer

Freetown, Sierra Leone

PO Box 905

This might change in about 3 months. And if anyone is sending anything package like, we were told for you to write “GOD is watching,” bible verses and other things that might deter any stealing. Also, don’t send anything expensive.

In transit

6-1-11

Chicago -> Brussels -> Freetown. 

Kyle showed me this video before I left and I found it inspiring. Love you everyone and I miss you already!

Today has been long. We flew through a day, literally. This morning at 8:30 we checked out of the hotel in Chicago, bused it to the federal building for out yellow fever shots (took way longer than was necessary) and made it to O’Hare. From there, we were on our own; well, all 49 of us. 

The plane from ORD to Brussels was long, especially after being on the ground with maintenance problems for an hour and a half, but free drinks came with it. I figured I should try to sleep since, that was going to be the ‘night,’ and we were flying into the sunset so it was getting dark. No position is comfortable on a plane, Elizabeth and I tried them all. We watched ‘Gilligan’s Travels’ (not recommended- possibly the worst movie ever). 

Brussels was a nice airport, from the 20 minutes  I saw of it. I was reminded I’m no where near Denver when we came up the ramp, saw a woman screaming with her hands above her head being held back by two TSA guards. Her 4 year old daughter with beaded braids in her hair was being swayed by an airport worker about 10 feet from the mother. The shouting and screaming continued as the guards drug the woman out of the checkpoint area and to nearby benches, the child then started crying as well. I’m not sure what was going on but before we boarded, I saw police and a drug dog. Yikes. 

Chelsea and Drew had no problem sleeping :)

The plan is now, to arrive in Freetown around 5-6pm their time. We have to stop and drop off some passengers in Banjul first.  From Freetown, we get on a ferry, try to get past the press that is awaiting our arrival, take our malaria meds and head to the hostel where we are not allowed to leave the premises for 4-5 days. I’m not sure if this is because of the malaria medication kicking in, or just to keep us safe in the most dangerous part of the country...?

Surprisingly, the other 49 volunteers are not as weird as I had them pegged. Imagine that, Facebook being deceiving. It is cool because we all have a common interest already. We are all bonding quickly and from what I can see there are no loners and everyone is one big clique. All of us being the around same age definitely helps. I met only one other from Colorado, Tammie, who went to Smoky High School and on to DU, but has been living in Chicago for the past two years with her boyfriend. 

My Address (till August 13th):

Kenna Peterson

Peace Corps Volunteer

PO Box 905

Freetown, Sierra Leone

Uncharted

Only two weeks of being patient left! I cannot believe my trip is coming so fast. These last 14 days are going to be filled with my wonderful FAMILY, amazing fRiEnDs, delicious FooD, and finishing up packing- which surprisingly is just about complete (sigh of relief). 

Bring on the graduation parties, visits from out-of-staters, weddings and farewell fiestas! 

24 (days, not hours)

Just 24 more days left before I board my flight to Chicago. Crazy, I know! I do not think it has really sunk in that I am going to be living in Sierra Leone. The morning of the 31st is the first time the group of us will meet and have a brief orientation before we depart to Brussels, then on to Freetown. There are a couple of us flying in the night before, but I believe the majority is arriving in Chicago shortly before orientation. Maybe it will become more of a reality when I meet the 30th group at the O'Hare Airport and as we shuttle over to our hotel, getting to know as much about each other as possible. I'm so excited- for the trip its self and being in the airport (my favorite place) but also to just meet all these new friends.

I'm busy packing and worrying about my bag weights, being careful not to exceed 80 lbs. It makes me a bit nervous that we "should be able to carry all [our] own gear." I have a large backpacking backpack, a day-backpack and was planning on also bringing a duffel that rolls... that's a big load for me to carry. I love shopping, but I have to admit that shopping for outdoor gear is not the most enjoyable.  Who knew outdoorsy stuff is so expensive? On top of that, its not like I really want a $100+ daypack. I need it, but I'd rather have an amazing outfit. Oh well, I know I will eventually want it.

Left to get I have host family gifts, some food must's (Nutella, chocolate and candy), bag locks and a safe carrier for my passport and money. So the next couple of weeks shouldn't have stress due to packing.