Dis na Africa

I’ve been at my site for about three+ weeks now, and I have to say that I have had whole host of experiences that I think only Africa can provide. I haven’t even begun teaching at St. Matthews and I have already been hopelessly frustrated in general inspired, often one before the other and at the same time.

So in my village, there are three and a half functioning radio frequencies, radio Makeni 88.0 FM, BBC 15400 AM (Which only broadcasts in the morning and mid to late afternoon, there are also other shortwave frequencies that broadcast BBC during the other hours when 15400 is down), and radio Numbara 102.5 FM. Radio Numbara is the only station that broadcasts solely for Bumbuna, Sierra Leone. A couple of weeks ago, I was walking around downtown Bumbuna (Downtown is literally the market place and a few buildings) and I decided to stop at a local bar and buy a fanta, which to my surprise was cold, despite the fact that there is yet to be electricity in Bumbuna and there was no generator running. The seller told me that she receives shipments of ice blocks from either African Minerals (the Sierra Leonean mining company responsible for the iron ore mining in the surrounding Sura mountains) or Salini Construtori (The Italian company contracted by the Sierra Leonean government to develop the damn in Bumbuna that powers Freetown with a substantial proportion of its power). I enjoyed the fanta and on my way back to the house, I ran into Ibrahim, one of the DJs at Radio Numbara. We started talking about affairs of the village and I asked him about general issues in the village that people are the most concerned with. It was such a vague and undirected question that he wasn’t quite sure how to address it so I helped him out by giving him some ideas Id bounced off of other people in my village. 

I told Ibrahim about the observation I made about malnutrition among some of the children in my village and related it to eating a balanced diet, particularly one rich in fruits since fruits are in high abundance in my village during the dry season. I told him that it would be great if there were some way for people to enjoy those fruits at other times during the year, through energy efficient means of drying and storing.

I told him that it would awesome if the old town library, which I believe was started by one of the first if not the first PCV in my village, were resurrected. Upon hearing that Ibrahim eyes lit up and he immediately exclaimed that that would be a wonderful idea. Although I’m curious to know the general literacy rates in my village. I had an experience one day near my house that was a bit discouraging. A few days back, I was doing some exercises in the outdoor patio at my neighbor cecillia's house and a couple of the men in my village were sitting down and talking. One of them offhand mentioned something about Fadugu, a village in the northern province of Sierra Leone, and I immediately thought of the book Black Man’s Grave which all of the PCVS received as a gift from the Friends of Sierra Leone back during orientation in D.C. in June. I haven’t read the book yet, but it was co-written by two PCV's who served in Fadugu and it is a collection of letters written individuals during the war to their loved ones. I brought out the book so that they could have a look at it and they were utterly amazed that there is in existence a book written about their little corner of the world. Although one of the gentlemen I showed the book to upon receiving the book, behaved as if he never before held a book, let alone read one. There was a moment when he held the book upside down and I had to patiently explain to him that a short synopsis of the book was to be found on the back. I guess the moral of this experience is that before one tries to get busy building a library in a post conflict area, it might be good to make sure that people can read.

I also told him that it would be awesome (forum for health issues) if there existed a forum wherein members of the community could discuss issues regarding health hygiene and sanitation, which is always a pertinent issue in developing nations. I would prefer to see a radio segment/show hosted by the youth in my village, i.e. students at St. Matthews, because I could easily host a show on these issues myself, being an outsider, I easily see things that could be changed for the benefit of the people here, but the change is much more SUSTAINABLE if the people here come to the realization themselves.

I think he was so enamored with the fact that there was a stranger in town interested in making a difference, especially through the radio, that he invited me to visit the radio station and observe on of his segments. The night that I picked to visit him was fortuitous. It was pitch-dark, and the station was on the top of a HUGE hill overlooking Bumbuna. The only light I had was the phone flashlight of my Peace Corps issued phone. PLUS I was carrying a plastic bag full of raw, fragile eggs. A precarious situation indeed! (I definitely slipped and fell quite a few times both on my way to and fro the station, without breaking them, how I don’t know!) Luckily I had help finding my way from one friendly man whom I saw a few days later and acted as if we were long lost friends; I felt bad because it was too dark for me to see his face so I didn’t recognize him. When I got to the station, a nondescript, unassuming little station with breathtaking scenic views of Bumbuna proper, they were in the middle of a segment talking about environmental sanitation and hygiene issues in the community. It was Ibrahim as the moderator, Francis I Want You (Yes that is his name) as the community elder representative, and two other local Sierra Leoneans representing a European NGO.

Quick side note: This conversation was in anticipation of the monthly cleaning day held in Sierra Leone, which usually falls on the last Saturday of every month. Basically it works like this. On this day, citizens are expected, no, required to stay in their compound and clean, up until 1000HRS. Apparently, if you leave your compound before that time, you can be seriously fined or arrested. There was an incident early on during training when a couple of PCT's went out running, oblivious of the law and were harassed by policemen who were wondering why the funny Americans were running on cleaning day. Point being, Sierra Leoneans take cleaning seriously on that day!

I was incredibly pleased because I know how powerful tool the radio can be for helping me stay connected, and giving them a forum to discuss germane issues within the community. To my understanding, a Dutch NGO started the station shortly after the war, and I believe that it is very important that the people here utilize it. I’m soo excited about the prospect of utilizing the radio during my time here for raising awareness, more consistent awareness, of problems specific to Bumbuna.

2) One night early on, I was sitting with Alfred, Cecillia, her peekin dem (children) Thomas and Banko, and a few other random individuals, enjoying some palm wine straight from the source, not watered down, and fresh, before any fermentation occurred (surprisingly good when enjoyed every once in a while!) when we started talking about past PCV’s in Bumbuna. Bumbuna has had quite the illustrious list of volunteers! One of Alfred’s brothers, Daniel Turay is currently in the states visiting Nancy Marder who apparently was the first PCV in Bumbuna and helped procure the resources to help build the library that once stood in Bumbuna but was destroyed during the war. I also found out that Joseph Opalla, who is doing important work archaeological and historical work at Baunce Island, was a Peace Corps volunteer in my village. I believe he was an agro-forestry extension, and given all the man has accomplished since his time as a PCV, it is pretty big shoes to fill. He has also been instrumental in linking so called Gullah communities in South Carolina to their families in Sierra Leone who were separated during the war. One particular Gullah family I believe retained certain vocabulary words in Mende, and there was one woman, who through old historical records, was reunited with one of her family members.

3) A few weeks back I decided to take a trip to Freetown with Carlos and Sarah Borrego to run some errands and get away for a couple of days. Settling into my house has been hectic (Doesn’t even begin to describe some of the experiences I’ve had in trying to make my house livable) and I want to be able to cook for myself quickly when the time calls because once school starts, I will have very limited time to be fooling around with a charcoal cooker, let alone other things. I can’t tell you how many times Id travel to Makeni and leave empty handed when searching for a gas cooker. It wasn’t until recently that I bought the gas burner set, which was ordered from Freetown, but the only man in Makeni who sells gas tanks did not have any full gas tanks on the day I picked up my burner. He did have them in the past, but that was when I was still wishy-washy on whether I was going to use gas. If there is one thing I’m learning slowly as I go along is that if there is any particular item you want and you happen to see it on any given day, it is best that you buy it right then and there! You never know if you will ever see it again, believe it! It happened to me with the gas burner and it happened to me in Freetown as well.

I heard through the grape vine that Freetown was the only place where gas could be purchased, so I travelled with the sole purpose of finding a gas tank…my other big mistake! In this country, never assume that what you set out to do will work the way you plan. Not only did I not find the gas tank I was looking for, I walked all over Freetown with Allie Kargbo (one of our Language and Cross-cultural facilitators during training in Bo) from one place to another, after multiple referrals, and all I had to show for it was an empty gas tank, (Of course, no gas to be found at all in Freetown…of course) which I bought to exchange for a full one on my next trip to Makeni, and a Sierra Leone/Freetown road map, which I wanted for the longest time. I almost bought another “full” tank from this man near K-stop in Freetown who claimed to have a full tank he purchased from his friend, Ibrahim Jalloh at one of the NP gas stations in town. But after testing the tank I found out that it was bone dry. The dude was going to make me pay the full price and then some for an empty tank! During this whole time, I was with an individual whose home village was none other than Bumbuna, luckily enough, and decided out of the goodness of his heart, to help me negotiate with this man regarding the “full” gas tank he somehow magically procured. Essentially, I came all the way to Freetown empty handed, but on the bright side, I found an item that I probably would not have thought to purchase had I found the gas tank. We stayed for two days. The first day, all over Freetown, I saw people walking around with welcome mats, and those are items I wanted to purchase for my house in Bumbuna. Unfortunately, I’ve come to find that Africa rewards those who capitalize on EVERY situation, no matter the circumstance. When I saw those welcome mats, I thought to myself, ‘they can wait! I’m looking for a gas tank today, I’ll just buy the welcome mats come tomorrow, they are selling them everywhere!’ Well what do you think happened the next day? It rained like a bitch, which makes sense because it is the rainy season after all! And the boys selling the welcome mats were NO WHERE to be found…missed opportunity.

Again, Africa has this funny way of surprising you when you least expect it. In other words, when you are looking for order, expect to find disorder. When looking for meaning, expect to find chaos, unless you are patient enough to sit and wait a while, which is what Carlos, Sarah and I did when our transport from Freetown to Makeni broke down on the highway. While we were in Freetown, we found a private vehicle going to Makeni, and generally, those are more preferable to taxis or poda-podas that, by definition, operate in a semi-dilapidated state. We found this one SUV that looked fine, but the same could not be said of the driver, who wore these dark wide-brimmed sunglasses and was gesticulating wildly for no good reason when he found us. It was my bright idea though, to look for another, potentially better vehicle, and I did, at first appearances, find this smooth looking Peugeot hatchback which was spacious and had plenty of room in the back seat for 4 people, Carlos, Sarah, me and one other person, so we made the switch. Well, of course the car broke down, about an hour into the trip and there we were, witnessing that good ole African ingenuity hard at work trying to restart the car, to no avail and we were as stranded as stranded can be on the side of a very busy and very dangerous highway wondering how the hell we were going to get home that day. We were sitting there and around the corner comes a mini school bus…yes a preschool bus came to our rescue. The bust was going to Makeni so we hopped on, and at least for me, it was the most comfortable ride id had since arriving in Sierra Leone, I swear to God! (I think Sarah disagrees with me that it was comfortable) I had all the legroom in the world, and the company was great.

There was a woman sitting a few seats in front of me who had her foot propped up on one of the benches in the aisle and I noticed that it was badly swollen. So, I decided to take that opportunity to inquire about the nature of her injury and practice my Krio, so I asked her how she was fairing and we proceeded to have a nice little conversation, all in Krio; and I even suggested things she could do to help it feel better and/or heal faster, again all in Krio. It wasn’t until we started talking more and more that I realized she understood my English perfectly and she spoke perfect English herself and I told her what my business in this country, Sierra Leone. It turns out that she (Miriam is her name) is from Washington D.C. and she is here in Sierra Leone for a short period of time visiting family (She was born in Salone and moved to the U.S. about 15 years ago where she’s been living ever since). She was very excited to hear see that we were here in this country as education volunteers, and we talked about the challenges we would face as PCV’s and the general state of affairs in Salone. We exchanged contact information and went our separate ways once we arrived in Makeni. For me, this is a prime example of how an unfavorable situation can turn into a favorable one, if you are willing to just go along with the flow, and take life as it comes...If you think you have one iota of control over your life, think again, my experiences thus far have led me to believe that control is merely an illusion, a clever turn of the human psyche to make us feel more at ease in this world…

4) Soo I think that my roof is finally fixed? We will have to wait and see. When I first moved into my house, I noticed that there were approximately three leaks, one of which was so bad, that strange mold and upside-down fungal specimens I’d never before witnessed were growing on my wall and window sill. It has been hell trying to get my house the way I want it to be during my stay in Bumbuna. As of now I have the walls in two rooms painted, and the ceiling in one room painted with the hopes of hiding the rain damage. The other room with the leak is unpainted because I want to neutralize the source of the leak before any additional water damage occurs. My first efforts at finding a handy man to fix the leaking roof were futile. This man ‘Bame’-which in Limba means ‘For us’ or ‘For we’ in the direct LimbaàKrio translation since the pronoun ‘us’ in Krio does not exist- replaced a few nails, but didn’t adequately fix the problem. It was very difficult to get him to come back the second and third time. I think he was expecting some sort of compensation, but I didn’t tell him that a functioning roof was a basic housing condition that should have been met by the community that provided the housing for the PCV so it is not the responsibility of the PCV to fix it. The next man, T.K., isolated leak in one section of the roof, but he didn’t do anything about it for the same reason that Bame didn’t. He was expecting some sort of compensation, and he even asked me for money for ‘chop’ (Krio for food) after looking at my roof but I denied his request. The third man who looked at my roof, Marco, fixed on leak, but was really upset when he found out that I would not be compensating him directly for the reason I mentioned earlier. I felt really bad when one of my neighbors gave him about Le 8,000 for his efforts. It made me look like the selfish American who is not willing to give or share anything that he owns, which is not at all the case!

I finally brought my problem to the attention of one of the Peace Corps housing coordinators to let him know just how desperate I was to get the leak fixed. It worked, and he told my supervisor what Id been going through and she sent my carpenter, Alimani, who has been building my furniture to look at the problem (It still took him three days to come to my house!) He finally fixed the problem using one of the many techniques devised by the various ‘bush chemists’ in Sierra Leone. He took Styrofoam and mixed it with Gasoline, or ‘petrol’ as it is called here and it turned into this sticky puffy which he used to plug up the leaking spots. I think it worked!!

If there are any chemists reading this who can explain the chemistry of this reaction, Styrofoam + gasoline = sticky putty, let me know! I will use it for my chemistry lessons when I begin teaching.

New developments?

I’m finally tiling my floor after SOO MANY setbacks, I will write about it next time.

And school is starting Monday and I have NO IDEA what I’m doing…Oh well, it will all work out in the end.

PEACE

PCV....Officially

Yea so Im now officially a Peace Corps Volunteer!!! Just thought Id let you guys in on that small little fact. It has been almost two years since I first began the application process, and those of you who were privy to all the ups and downs I experienced during this time, Im sure you will appreciate just how much this moment means to me. I have actually been at my site for over a week now. We swore in on 13 August, and it is good to finally be on  my own and away from the pleasant but often suffocating experience of living with a host family. I can actually leave the house when I want, eat the kind of food I want, without having to worry about offending anyone, which is very easy to do. I can't tell you how many times the locals here when we were served an oily plassas with rice (Plassas is a general term used to refer to any soup that accompanies a rice dish, the staple grain in Sierra Leone: Cassava, Potato, Groundnut, Kren-Kren), how concerned they would be over the fact that we were not eating, you would think that the sky is crashing down, with the amount of concern they would express. And it feels awesome to be able to move about my house without having to worry about people watching my EVERY MOVE. Life here for alot of people can be a bit monotonous and having peace corps volunteers around serves as constant entertainment for almost everyone.

Surprisingly I have not been too bored at my house, there is always something for me to be busy with: laundry, cooking, fetching water, talking with my neighbors who are really entertaining, especially Alfred Turay who is a teacher in Agricultural science at my school. I have had alot of interesting discussions with him about the kinds of crops grown here in Bumbuna, and he his going to be a valuable resource in helping me learn about the different varieties of crops grown here in Bumbuna, and the problems present with fertility of the soil, crop productivity, and adequate storage of sustenance crops, which is lacking here. I have found out also that the international presence here in Bumbuna is pretty extensive. Most notably the World Bank is involved, indirectly through a local development agency, in a lot of projects. There is a major damn operation here in Bumbuna that supplies most of Freetown with its power, is being operated by an Italian company. However, in the process of constructing the damn, alot of residents had to be relocated, and as a result, lost their income generating potential, almost exclusively in the form of agriculture (rice growing). The region I'm in also is rich in iron ore, the extraction of that ore has resulted in alot of environmental degradation. With Sierra Leone being last on the UN development index and its recovery from the devastating 15 year civil war, alot of international organizations have been assisting Sierra Leone in getting back on its feet. There are alot of opportunities for me in my village, and honestly I don't know where to begin: Mango trees are BOKU (Krio for alot), and during the harvest, alot of them just go to waste. Wouldn't it be nice if there was a way for them to be preserved so that their beneficial nutritional qualities could be enjoyed at all times during the year?; Basic habits regarding hygiene and sanitation that we take for granted in the West simply do not exist here. Wouldn't be nice if people here understood the direct relationship between lack of latrine use and the increased prevalence of intestinal diseases? Or how about the fact that in my village, there is not a library? (There used to be one, I was told my Alfred, by neighbor, that past PCVs in Bumbuna started one, but it was destroyed during the war) Even with agricultural products, no reliable method here exists for the their storage. Cassava and rice are the main staples and I know that with cassava it is relatively hardy, especially when compared to other tubers like potatoes, and yams, but cassava and rice are not the most nutritious source of carbohydrates. To be frank, malnutrition is a HUGE problem here in the rural areas, and even in parts of Bo I noticed it, especially among the children. In a country where food and land are abundant, malnutrition should not be as pervasive as it seems to be. Maybe there are other larger structural factors at work here? I know that at least in my village Bumbuna, wouldn't it be nice if people had a basic working knowledge of the more nutritious foods available to them in their community and understood the benefits of increasing the consumption of those foods? Especially for the peekin dem? (children)

A full plate indeed. 

Small victories thus far?

-Learning how to use a coal stove

-Finally purchased a gas burner, but Im still missing the propane tank and regulator

-Getting excited and intrigued by the smallest of things....i.e. the gradual diminishment of boredom

-Recovering from a bout of Giardia

-Getting my laundry done

-Finally putting up a new blog post!

-Meeting up with some PC colleagues/friend

-Drinking fresh palm wine...straight from the source...not watered down...It's not bad!

I'm writing this post from Magburaka, Sierra Leone, and it looks like this will be the place where I'll be blogging from/using the internet so all I have to do now is get into a routine. My life has been hectic these past few weeks with training and getting adjusted to my site so once I get settled in, expect more regular post updates...with pictures of course.

Gavina, Arteeca, and I during swearing in ceremony.

Albert and I at the house

Site visits.....Way back when

I’m not sure that there is any one word I can use to help me describe the natural beauty that encapsulates Bumbuna, Sierra Leone. I don’t think I could have asked for anything more in terms of natural scenery. We had our individual interviews quite a few weeks ago (I was interviewed by Andrew Kondovoh-Program Manager, and Annaliese Limb-Programming & Training Officer). During my interview, I really stressed how I wanted to be in a town where I could utilize elements of the natural environment when teaching biology and other science subjects. Well it seems like they were listening to me I think. I know for certain that there were other people in our group whose preferences didn’t match their site placements, so I consider myself extremely lucky. Now for some more information on my stay and trip up there and back.

The Peace Corps staff up top wanted us trainees to get more acquainted using the public transport here in Sierra Leone, with the exception of the okadas (Motorcycles) in which we are forbidden to ride. The Peace Corps has apparently done an assessment on the circumstances surrounding the cause of PCV deaths in West Africa, and the operation/riding of okadas was the number one cause, so there is one convenient mode of transportation that is off limits to us. That leaves us with the poda-podas,, taxis, bicycles which we wont be getting from Peace Corps until December at best, and our own two legs which if anything, shouldn’t fail us. The poda-podas here are EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, and in my biased opinion, can be a death trap on wheels. Poda-podas are essentially minivans, or cargo vans,  usually painted with religious innuendo/propaganda and other random phrases (I don’t know about you, but they are incredibly good for comic relief) on the hood, side, or trunk of the van. There are a couple of things that make these vans so dangerous both to operate, ride in, or get in the way of one barreling down the street (Yes, you’d better get out of THEIR way):

           

No seat belts….If you ask taxi or okada drivers about seat belts, they will look at you as if you are speaking a foreign language

They pack you like sardines inside…Unfortunately, the drivers are paid per passenger so therefore, they have an incentive to pack as many people as humanely possible inside. In-fact, a common occurrence is the overbooking of seats so to ensure that the poda-podas are packed. The same goes for taxis as well. You will often find that there is no set schedule of departures for a particular destination. They only depart when the compartments are packed to the brim, i.e. arms, legs, the occasional goat or chicked dangling out the window.

The overload the rooftops…99.99% of the time, these passenger vehicles function as cargo vehicles. Its not an unusual site to see the roofs of these poda-podas and taxis overloaded with goods of all kinds: Huge bags of rice and other agricultural products, goats, chickens, more people (the apprentices as they are called who help push these vehicles up hills), extra fuel, extra luggage, and anything imaginable. Oh and there is no reason to believe that the overly ambitious driver wont hesitate to place any of these items in the passenger compartment!

These vehicles are in various states of disrepair…It is almost laughable to assume that any of these vehicles regularly undergo maintenance…EVER. Despite this, it’s amazing to see these vehicles still functioning. I think it’s more of the African ingenuity that keeps these vehicles moving down the road, many of which are 30+ years of age.

No road rules…The only rules of the road are that there are no rules of the road. Simple as that…Well, maybe there are a couple: If you are a pedestrian or biker, you do not have the right of way. The bigger your vehicle is, the more privileges you have on the road. And people generally operate their vehicles on the right side of the road, but that is not always predictable or even guaranteed.

Luckily for me, on my way up to my site (we left a little over a week ago, the 24^th of July), I rode in my supervisor’s vehicle so I had a break from all the chaos at the lorry park. Eric Silverman was the only other PCT in the car with me so we had plenty of space. All in all it was a comfortable ride, not including the bumpy unpaved roads. We even stopped a couple times to do some site-seeing, stopping at a palm oil processing facility somewhere along the way to explore a little bit. Eric and I, and most everyone else were pretty anxious about seeing our sites and meeting the people we will be collaborating with for the next two years, and when Eric and I split up at Matotoka , the reality only became more real for me. It was just my supervisor, her driver, and I in the car.

The drive up to Bumbuna was absolutely breathtaking!  I was hanging outside the passenger side window most of the time gawking at the rolling hills and reveling in the cool mountain air. When we arrived in Bumbuna, I immediately knew that if all else fails, the scenery alone would be enough to keep me happy and busy exploring. The town itself sits nestled within whole chain of rolling hills and valleys that are visible from any part of town. Bumbuna proper is airy, and the sky is so BIG and vast, it is heartbreaking. I’m going to have a good time star watching with my students and other friends once the dry season comes. And there are birds everywhere!!! Especially the weaverbirds, which always become active in the evening time. Before our arrival, at the supervisor workshop, I talked to Theresa about seeing the other two houses she showed the Peace Corps. Andrew, and Morlu have been extremely busy visiting each and every single one of our sites to make sure that we all have houses before training ends. The way I understand it, our supervisors showed the peace corps staff a few houses, and the Peace Corps staff picked the house that they felt was the best and most reasonable, given the standards that peace corps sets in housing, while taking care not to place the volunteers in a residence that would attract unnecessary attention. My house is small. It’s a three-room house in an area called Kamankay, and the views that I have of all the surrounding scenery is definitely something I could get used to.

A quick word on my school. It is an agricultural school, Saint Matthews Agricultural School, established in the late 1970s. I visited it with my supervisor and was pleasantly surprised to see how well put together the school was. Soo much land devoted to agriculture: Potato plants, cassava, cashew trees, mango, pineapple and coconut trees, bean plants, rice paddies, I could go on and on. All the students have to have practical working knowledge of how to grow and sustain certain sustenance crops, and Im going to have a lot of fun teaching here, especially being a biology teacher where I will have ample teaching materials to utilize outside of the classroom. The school itself also has a really nice library, which I’m really happy about. There is a wide collection of materials on a whole range of subject: fiction, geography, philosophy, history, mathematics, general science, psychology, economics, and religion. Of course most of the textbooks are out of date, but at this point, I’m just happy to see that these books are here! The library itself is a bit disorganized, but that’s nothing a little work wont fix.

Enough for now!!!!

Me at Bumbuna Waterfalls

My lovely house

Summer School Commencement and Supervisor Workshops

It’s kind of late to be blogging about this, but summer school is finally over and wow was it an eye opening experience! We taught for about 2 weeks and 2 days; the first term lasted from Monday till Friday with exams on Friday and the second term lasted from that second Monday till Wednesday with exams on Friday and the award ceremony on Wednesday. The Sierra Leonean Peace Corps staff and the staff at Ahmadiyya Senior Secondary School really did a good job at advertising this summer school to the local community. I guess the opportunity to get taught quality lessons by the wacky pumuis (Englishman) and black Americans…oh, and Chinamen (To the average Sierra Leonean, those are the only races of people that exist in America) was too good to pass up. This was also apparent by the fact that during the first few days of school, we kept turning people away eager to join a class who missed the preliminary registration.

For the first term, I taught a JSS level 1 class for the first period (830-1030) and for the second term, I taught a JSS level 2 class (1050-1250). There were three of us to a class spread out across three subjects: English, Math, and Science. Our JSS1 kids were awesome! Even though these kids were fresh from primary school, they were incredibly bright and eager to learn. There were mostly girls in the class (literally only a handful of boys in a class of 50+ kids) I taught integrated science, Gavina taught English, and Kat taught Math. It was obvious that the kids were way behind and we all had to adjust our lessons to fit this sobering reality. Especially for Kat and I, who taught the kids relatively dense science subjects.  If there is anything  I learned from teaching this JSS1 class is that I do a pretty good job of feeding off the energy of my students. I really get excited when my students understand a concept I’m trying to convey. I should also thank Jesse and Jarrad, two former Peace Corps volunteers in Guinea and Liberia (They moved to Liberia after political unrest in Guinea). There was one teaching practical they held where they talked about effective comprehension checks to use on the students. If there is one endearing-if not maddening at times-fact about the students is that they are so damn polite! They are all so prim and proper; they will always say they understand you but when you ask them to repeat or paraphrase a simple concept you literally just explained they usually aren’t able to, either because they weren’t listening or because they don’t understand your English. A quick side note: I ditched the Sierra Leonean accent. It didn’t feel natural and honestly, if you speak slowly enough, and I mean SLOWLY the students will understand you. The Krio accent is only good every once in a while, when used quickly and obliquely referencing a culturally relevant aspect of Sierra Leone, be it food, music, geography, or what have you.

Our second period JSS1 students were a whole nother story! Teaching them-and I think Gavina, Kat, and the rest of the PCTs can attest to this-really tested our classroom management skills. It was clear from the very beginning that most of the students assorted themselves to the classes that would take them, and didn’t necessarily attend their appropriate grade level class. As a result, I had a lot of older looking students in my JSS 1 class and a mixed JSS 2 class. I don’t know if it was pre-pubescent restlessness or what but the JSS 2 students were the most unruly group of students attending the summer school. Teaching these kids definitely forced me to be a stern presence in the classroom. If you don’t earn your students respect from the very beginning, you can forget about ever getting it further down the line. The kids were so bad, that shouting at them when: they were talking during a lesson, or slapping each other during a lesson, or cheating on a test, or throwing paper, or even eating it, proved futile. Your best bet was to threaten to throw them out of class and do it if they refused to comply, and give them a zero for the term, although I didn’t have the heart to do that for a summer school.

I was glad to be able to teach SSS students for the second term. It was a science specific class with Erin, Scott, and I teaching math, physics, and biology respectively. The kids were a bit older, and pretty bright. It was good to be able to teach some more advanced material to the students, seeing as though my ultimate preference is to teach at the senior secondary level. My second period students were again JSS 2 level students, and while they weren’t as rowdy as my first term JSS 2 students, it was definitely a step down from my first period SSS class in terms of classroom management and behavior. It was Eric, Kristen and I (Language Arts x2, and Integrated Science respectively), and let me just say that Kristen may be little, but she is a force in the Classroom! I swear, there were times when she had me  quivering at the knees! Based on what I observed in her classes, I can guarantee that that she will be a teacher who commands respect, end of story.

 I actually had an incident in my SSS class that deserves some mention. In order to discourage cheating, I had my students take two tests, an A and B test. I had them write down on their test paper test A or B, then I had them write down their test letter on a master list which would stay in my possession so that if the students changed their tests, I would know and give them a zero for not doing the correct test. Afterwards, I noticed that there were only two students who actually did the incorrect test. When I handed them back their exams, one of the students didn’t try to contest it at all-He was actually one of my students who did a little dance number to Michael Jacksons Beat It in class the day before the award ceremony. The other student, who was one of the brighter students in my class, was incredibly disappointed when he saw that he did the incorrect test and swore on the bible that he did the correct test. I wasn’t inclined to believe that I made a mistake, but out of respect for him, I told him that I would look at the master list to make sure that I wasn’t the one who made the mistake and change it if I did, this being after I gave him a lecture on how he should have followed my directions. I also told him that he shouldn’t let this discourage him. I was well aware of just how bright of a student he was, and I told him that this summer school was more for us as Peace Corps trainees to practice our teaching methodologies. I told him that I admired his work ethic and that he should keep it up once the school year begins. Well, I bet you can guess what happened?? I was the one who made the mistake, so I kept to my word, and graded his exam and changed his final grade., to his delight. In looking back, I’m glad I didn’t waver in my decision to change his grade without looking at my master list, but I’m pretty sure that I earned the respect of that particular student, just by letting him know that I’m only human and as a human being, I’m liable to make mistakes.

The award ceremony was pretty special. We awarded the top boys and girls from each class who had the highest averages across all subjects from both terms. When the students were called to receive their awards, they came up to the stage and received them from their class masters. There were two class masters for each class per term, and some were class masters for both terms (Including me). A class master’s responsibilities included making sure all the grades in all the subjects taught for a particular class were tallied and averaged, so that the top performing male and female students could be recognized for their efforts. When Chrissy and I were called to give our JSS 2C top performing students their awards, something happened that made me more aware that with regards to standards of discipline, things are done completely differently here. One of the girls in the JSS 2C class, (which was one of the classes that I actually taught during the second term), when called, failed to show up and receive her award so we all assumed that she either wasn’t in attendance, or had momentarily left the premises and would later return to receive her award, and most of the staff on stage assumed this as well. However unbeknownst to me, there was at least one staff member who knew what was up.

Eric, Kristen and I

Erin, Scott and I. We taught the SSS science only class.

I went back to my seat, and a short while later, I noticed a girl to my left crying uncontrollably, but I couldn’t quite understand her Krio, so I asked the gentleman sitting next to me, who tried in vain to console the girl, exactly what was bugging her. He told me that there was a man in a plaid collar shirt (It ended being Dauda, one of the science technical trainers) who told her she had to leave the assembly and that was the reason she wasn’t around to receive her award.  I was a bit confused, but me not seeing it as a major problem, I assumed that she would be able to get her award since she was now here. I brought her to the stage where Abubakar, one of our cross-cultural facilitators, was standing. When I explained to him that there was a female student who didn’t receive her award, he was going to hand it over to her when Dauda, appeared out of nowhere and said she would not be receiving her award.  Feeling outraged, I asked why this girl who worked hard enough during the summer school would not be receiving her award that was owed to her. Dauda shouted at me saying that the girl would not receive her award because in the beginning, when the students were asked to set up the benches for the ceremony, she allegedly, obstinately refused to carry any benches, and for that reason alone, she would not receive her award. What really annoyed me, was how all of the Sierra Leonean staff members mindlessly agreed with Dauda, even though none of them witnessed the incident. I should state that Abubakar himself wasn’t even immediately sure why she wasn’t  to be given her award, and he would have handed it to her if Dauda hadn’t have appeared. His verdict was final, and my student (Elizabeth was her name) was not going to receive her award. After a few minutes of loud arguing, Sesay recommended that I let it go and go back to my seat; I did everything I could to stand up for this girl, but I had to let it go. Luckily the fact that I made a lot of noise must have made someone feel guilty, because Sesay later approached me to say that the award had been given to the girls parents and that for the one bench she refused to help set up, they made her put back five benches. Ultimately, I thought that the punishment was fair, rather then penalizing the girl for something done outside of the actual summer school. Maybe Im a bit to relaxed, but I do believe in rewarding hard work. Yes, there is responsibility that comes along with it. But rather than withhold her reward, why not punish her in a manner that fits the actual crime? I know that this is just one of the many challenges I will face as a teacher within the Sierra Leonean context: disagreements on over how to enact discipline, teaching methodologies, language barriers, priorities in setting up and maintaining secondary projects…and many more…Sigh.

I caught a chameleon near my home-stay and brought it to one of my classes when I taught my JSS kids the difference between mammals and reptiles. It freaked the kids out!

We ended our supervisor workshop last week before heading out to our sites where we will be posted for the next few years. It was an opportunity for the PCTs to meet and greet with our respective supervisors/principals (for those whose supervisors didn’t show up). My own supervisor, Theresa Conteh is a short, but incredibly lively and talkative woman who exudes confidence and self-assurance. I would expect nothing less from someone who was educated by a Peace Corps volunteer and also had assistance paying for her education by a Peace Corps volunteer. It’s interesting because there is one language and cultural facilitator here, Allie, who is actually my Limba instructor (I’m the only trainee out of the 38 other trainees who is learning Limba) who grew up with Theresa. He told me that all of the kids at the time were intimidated of and admired Theresa because of her beauty and also because she had the Peace Corps hook-up. Numerous people have told me that Theresa has a lot of power and influence in Bumbuna. She is a teacher at St. Matthews where I’ll be teaching and sits on numerous boards and committees in town. Generally she is just highly visible figure in Bumbuna, and everyone knows her. I’m fortunate to have somebody like that on my side.

The actual workshop lasted for two days, and we did a lot of ice-breaking exercises to get us talking to our supervisors. There were also a host of presentations and group activities wherein the primary goal was to make sure that all parties involved understood the ways that supervisors and trainees can work together and address issues and problems that are bound to arise throughout the next few years. I got good vibes from my supervisor form the very beginning; She was very excited to see me!

I think the workshop was effective in preparing us to deal with our supervisors. We actually visited our sites last week and for me it was an amazing and exasperating experience! I’ll write about it next time because unfortunately, my writing time here at Mars Internet Café is running out, and I need to take the time to post this entry and my photos…which takes FOREVER…..

WE GO SI BAK

Bumbuna, Sierra Leone

So I finally found out where I will be posted for the next two years: Bumbuna, Sierra Leone. I don’t have much time on to post, but here is what I know about my village/worksite:

Approximate population: 7000

School location: St. Matthew’s est. 1978. It is a Government assisted mixed school (Junior Secondary School 317 and Senior Secondary School 18). The advantage to those numbers is that my class size will be small for the first year, but once those JSS kids come up to the SSS level, the class sizes will be on par with the average Sierra Leonean classroom.

Languages spoken: Majority Temne and some Limba

My house will be a two bedroom house with a parlor, outdoor house and outdoor kitchen and a palm tree, with ample space to start a mini garden or farm if I want. Bumbuna itself had a market every day so finding food won’t be an issue. Another plus is that I’m in the north, and the weather is much cooler then the southern part of Sierra Leone, although I’m a bit isolated from the most of the other volunteers. My supervisor in Bumbuna, Theresa Mabinty Conteh, was educated by a Peace Corps volunteer back in the day so its special for me and no doubt for her (I’m pretty certain of that) to be interacting with a Peace Corps volunteer once again. Later this week, we will have our site visits, and spend 4 days living my ourselves at our sites in order to orient ourselves at our site and workd situation, and figure out what we will need once we move permanently. We will also be asked to find our own way back to Bo via public transportation so that it wont be so intimidating to do it by ourselves the next time

I have one small request before I have to go:

If there are any RPCVs who have anymore information on Bumbuna, Sierra Leone please don’t hesitate to contact me!

Some quick updates:

We went to Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary yesterday and hiked in the forest and spotted some monkeys (Red Colobus monkey and cool birds (Yellow Casqued hornbill and African-Pied hornbill) that I have never seen before.

Summer school is almost over at Ahmadiyya Senior Secondary School. There were two terms and right now we are grading exams and putting together progress reports for the awards that will go to the brightest student. It has been a rewarding experience, more on that later.

And we are now officially down to 38 volunteers. Mylinda unfortunately has left us and it was sad to see her go, more on that later

A bad picture of a Red Colobus monkey, but well worth the effort

Kat, Gavina, and I showing off our chalk stained hands. If you look closely, you will see that I have some trouble keeping chalk of my clothes.

Preliminary Thoughts On Teaching

I’ve said in my previous post that I’ve experience soo much already as a Peace Corps trainee that now, all of my posts are just exercises in recall. Just be patient and bear with me, I will eventually get caught up with everything in due time.

So we’ve finally started practicing what it is we came here to do as PCVs…Teach. We had our first micro-teach here in Bo this past Thursday at Milton Comprehensive School. The students weren’t actually supposed to attend class that particular day but the principal of the school had the students come under false pretenses. If she hadn’t have done so, none of the students would’ve showed up! We each taught our respective subjects for two 40-minute sessions to a class of students at the lower Junior Secondary school levels. It was a little soon to begin teaching in front of foreign faces for most of us, especially considering there are some PCTs here who have never thought a class before. Before our micro-teach we did about two peer teaching practice sessions, one 15-minute session on one day and a 35-40 minute session the next. The overall purpose of those practice sessions, presumably, was to help prepare us for our micro-teach. For my 15 minute peer teach, I taught about the structure of a bean seed, and for my 40-minute peer teach, I lectured my colleagues on a somewhat advanced ecology subject, species/species interactions and how they alter fitness through evolutionary changes. Both of my lectures were good (although I ran out of time), unfortunately I had to drastically lower the difficulty level of my lecture and completely change my method of delivery, lest my Sierra Leonean pupils students fail to comprehend any aspect of the lecture (An all too common reality given the nature of teaching styles and the levels of comprehension in this country).  I taught two classes with three PCTs total in each class (Hannah and Michael were in my first class, and Bryan and Chris were in my second). Here are some quick thoughts on how both teaching sessions went for me:

Class 1: I went after Hannah, but later felt guilty because it started pouring rain and the tin roofs made it almost impossible to hear anything, let alone a lecture. Hannah has a soft voice, so she basically had to stop speaking during the rain. I could have gone first and probably should have, because I can talk loud if need be. All in all my first class went remarkably well. I spoke SLOWLY and LOUDLY, something that is very important to do for students who have a hard time understanding our American accents. I also spoke with a Sierra Leonean English accent, which helped TREMENDOUSLY. I spoke using local colloquialisms and body gestures (West Africans speak in a manner that seems like loud, belligerent shouting to westerns and gesticulate wildly as well) and made references to local foods, plants and animals. All of the examples and terms I introduced were reinforced with class exercises which I believe helped my students understand arcane ecological topics like commensalism, competition, mutualism, fitness and the like.

Class 2: The only difference between this class and the first was the actual size. There were a lot more kids in my second class, and it was difficult to keep my students focused on the lesson. However to be frank, that scenario more closely approximates the reality we are likely to face once we are placed in our work-sites where the class sizes can be as high as 100 students with 60 students considered the low end! So we’ve been told. Fortunately all of the methods I used above worked for this particular class as well, and I left Amadiaye feeling pretty confident in my teaching abilities.

I think an observation that all of the PCTs had was how far below the students are in the comprehension of material they are supposed to know. We are all going to have to lower our standards as teachers; otherwise in trying to do too much we risk accomplishing nothing. I was surprised just how exhausted I was after teaching those two classes! I remember telling Michael later that day at the PCT training site just how hard I felt it would be for me to teach with that energy level day in and day out, all year long, through all the frustrations I will experience as a PCV teacher. I guess I just have a work at finding a teaching style I’m comfortable enough with to be able to implement on a consistent basis.

We start our summer school pretty soon, next week I believe. It is going to be pretty intense, but necessary for us to practice our own unique teaching methods in front of a class of eager students. I think on the whole, the students that will be attending this summer school are the over-achievers, so in that sense, it may or may not be realistic, but it is close. The summer school is one of three teaching practice ums we will be utilizing as PCTs: peer teach, micro-teach, and summer school.  I think it’s the opinion of a majority of the PCTs here that summer school is going to be the most useful in gauging our progress as teachers in the Sierra Leonean system, although peer teach is very useful because we get critiques from our training staff and fellow PCTs on areas of improvement.

On an unrelated note, Richard and Catherine Frazier arrived in Bo yesterday, along with one other RPCV and a few other teachers. They were PCVs back in the day (70s or 80s?) They were a great resource for me in the months preceding my departure for Sierra Leone and I’m glad that they are here. Unfortunately they are here for only a few days I believe before moving to New Dehli. India to teach at one of the American Embassy School there (Not sure if there is more than one in Dubai). They are going to be running a teacher training workshop for us PCTs to participate in and it is going to be great for us to hear from RPCVs who know what it is like to teach in Sierra Leone, especially since not much has changed. I’m also glad because Richard brought with him a Mende Natural History book he mentioned to me sometime ago. If I get my sight preference, which is to be placed near a protected wildlife or forest area, chances are I will be in a Mende speaking region. Richard and Catherine both were visibly excited to see us sitting there, especially Catherine (OH MY GOODNESS). They have been working hard for a long time, in conjunction with friends of Sierra Leone, advocating for the Peace Corps to return to this country. I believe one thing they can help us PCTs with is how to teach effectively using innovative methods despite the limited teaching materials.

The lack of resources is a palpable fear among a lot of the PCTs, me included, so I’ve been practicing incorporating local resources in my practice teaching lessons. I’m really glad I brought my 10+ lbs general biology textbook with me, although you can never have enough materials to mine from. Our training staff has been reiterating the persistent problem of the lack of resources during our cultural sensitization sessions (things work very differently here in Sierra Leone than they do In the U.S. as you have probably guessed…more on that another time). In fact, Richard mentioned to us on Friday how during past teacher training workshops, host-country national teachers have complained over and over again about the lack of resources. But I think, and I’m not alone in believing this, that the belief in a lack of resources comes with the assumption that all the knowledge you will ever need to learn can only come from two sources: 1) the text-book and 2) the all-knowing teacher who cannot be questioned under any circumstances. To me its pretty clear, especially with teaching subjects in biology and environmental sciences, limiting myself to these two methods would not be my best interest as a teacher and would not be in the best interest of my students. There is a wealth of resources here in this country to use for teaching the sciences. One just has to think outside the box. As a science teacher at the Secondary school level, I’m going to have a Sierra Leonean curriculum to abide by, but how I go about teaching the material is my decision. I definitely plan on being a dynamic interactive lecturer; the rigid, British based system of the unassailable lecturer and rote-memorization is simply not going to work in my classroom.

Much Needed Update

At the sacrifice of considerable detail, this post will be devoted to summarizing my experiences thus far as a Peace Corps Trainee (PCT). It has been a long time since I’ve last blogged, but it’s not entirely my fault. I haven’t had any reliable access to the Internet since leaving for Sierra Leone, and now that I’m actually in-country, my access is severely limited. It will only get worse after our swear-in ceremony, where we will make our transition from PCTs to Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV) and we’re all shipped off to our worksites, isolation and all.  We are all training currently in Bo, Sierra Leone, affectionately known as the second city, with Freetown coming first.

Our staging even was pretty fun. It was great getting to know everyone and hearing everyone’s hopes, aspirations, and fears for service, as naïve as they may have sounded (Mine included!) We all arrived on Tuesday night, 1 June at the Holiday Inn Georgetown, went out to eat together, and came back to the hotel for the next day of staging activities. That whole Wednesday was devoted to turning in paper work exercises, activities, group skits, etc. The basic premise behind all of these activities was to remind us of the hardships we were all about to face as PCVS, in addition to making sure we didn’t forget the three main goals of the Peace Corps, which escape me at the moment! (I know, I should be ashamed huh?) It goes something like: 1) to bring our technical expertise to needed people and areas, 2) to create a better perception of Americans on the part of people who have served as PCVs 3) and to create of better perception of the people served in their respective countries.  We also attended a ceremony at the Peace Corps headquarters that day, heralding our return to the country as PCVs for the first time in 15 years. Peggy Murrah, the Executive director of Friends of Sierra Leone, was there. A LOT of Returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCVs) were in attendance, Sierra Leonean expatriates, as well as Peace Corps dignitaries, NBC news and the Peace Corps press were there. It was a great event, with great food and interesting people. I was actually interviewed by both the Peace Corps and NBC. The NBC interview didn’t necessarily surprise me because I was expecting to be interviewed. I had a phone discussion with one of the producers assigned to cover our return to Sierra Leone. What surprised me was how scripted it felt. The interview was a bit rushed and it felt unnatural for me. Having to direct my answers to an individual (the Peace Corps director) who wasn’t the person asking me the questions, all the while making clown faces was a bit awkward, I would have to say. But it was a fun experience nonetheless. Not many people can say that they have been interviewd by NBC news. They are actually coming to Bo on Monday and are coming to my host family house to interview me and shoot some footage of me handling my business around the compound!! That should be interesting…More on that later.

We checked out of the hotel on Thursday the 3^rd, did our medical, and then left for Reagan International Airport. There were a couple of hiccups along they way. A couple of us, me included had a few luggage problems. One of my bags was overweight, so I had to redistribute the weight into my lighter bag. After I did this, I placed my bag on the scale and before I had the opportunity to lock it, the ticket desk attendant threw my unlocked bag on the conveyer belt. She actually did this twice! And the second time I had to get another assistant to go deep in to the bowels of the luggage security system to find my unlocked bag amidst the thousands of bags, and lock it. We nearly had another, more serious scare within our group. Andre, one of the PCTs, misplaced his passport at the airport before our departure to Brussells. Luckily he found it in one of his pockets, and we were on our way.

We landed at Lungi International Airport in Freetown about a day later exhausted and excited. We exited the plane and were immediately greeted by our country directors, Joel and Gale, as well as other members of the Sierra Leonean Peace Corps Training staff and the Sierra Leonean media (We made the news a few days later!). It was all just so overwhelming. All of the staff members were so excited to see us arrive. The Sierra Leoneans in attendance were absolutely mad with excitement. Many of them have had experience with Peace Corps volunteers in the past, and were happy to see us land. It was interesting for me though. I actually wore one of my traditional African clothes complete with a kofia hat and kente cloth, so I stood out from my other colleagues, all of whom were dressed in western clothing. I also think it played a big role in how I was perceived by the host-country nationals (HCNs). Honestly for me, It was just something comfortable to wear and I knew that I looked good, a no-brainer.

We spent the duration of our stay in Freetown at the stadium hostel near the national stadium, which has an interesting history of its own (That I wont go into for now). According to Annaliese (One of the PCT staff members) they were slowly trying to wean us off of the western mode of existence. We were lucky to have electricity, air conditioning, and running water in our rooms, although those amenities did not work perfectly for everyone! Basically our training began there at the hostel. We were introduced to all of the PCT-staff members that we would be working with for the remainder of our 10-week training. We weren’t allowed to leave the premises of the hostel for any reason whatsoever, save ‘Peace Corps approved’ field trips. There were however, a couple of notable trips. We all took a visit to the U.S. embassy house where the Charge d’ affairs (gle lived. His home was absolutely spectacular, although conspicuously out of place amidst the general poverty in Freetown. It was on the top of a large hill, giving us all a birds-eye view of all of Freetown. The Sierra Leonean ambassador to the U.S. was there, and two RPCVs, Scott Bode, and Jordan Kimball, who both work in Sierra Leone in the natural resource management sector. I enjoyed talking to them both because they are doing the kind of work that I would eventually like to get involved in after my service, and I wanted to hear how their service as volunteers lead them to their current careers. Before our arrival in Sierra Leone, we sent in our shirt sizes. We all received these styling clothes made by traditional Sierra Leonean tailors. We all went to the state house in Freetown and had a meeting with both the president and vice president of Sierra Leone. Plattitudes and speeches were given and we all shook hands and took a group picture with both the president and vice president which was great.

We left for Bo, Sierra Leone on the 9th where we will spend the remainder of our 10-week training. I can't even begin to describe the level of excitement and celebration our arrival inspired. Before our adoption ceremony (our adoption to our host-families who will house us for the remainder of our stay), we were greeted by traditional Mende (one of the dominant language and cultural groups in Sierra Leone) dancers who performed for us, and plucked a couple of PCTs from the crowd to dance. Gavina was one of the PCTs chosen and she absolutely KILLED it...my goodness I enjoyed watching her. And I bet you can guess the other individual chosen to dance for the crowd?...ME...yes,  I was pulled against my will to the center to dance to the beating drums. So I did. Simple as that; and it was great. It was funny though because somehow I knew in my gut that I would be chosen, yet I stood there like a man, and accepted my fate, instead of slinking to the back after Gavina was plucked from the relative safety of the crowd. Apparently everyone loved it and they are expecting me to perform for my birthday...that will be interesting.

There were a few glitches during my adoption ceremony. The family I was initially paired with wasn't happy because the head of the household was our of town for one reason or another, and he would have been extremely upset to return and find that another man had been in his house while he was gone, so I was swiftly transferred to another host family and so far it has worked out well. There are around 16 individuals in my family, some of whom I don’t even see regularly so it is difficult keeping up with the names of everyone. The language is also difficult. Krio is the Lingua Franca of Sierra Leone, and it is relatively easy for a native English speaker to understand, but to speak it fluently is another matter. On top of that, my family members speak a sort of village Krio which is much more difficult to understand, but I learning little by little everyday and my speaking proficiency is slowly improving. Baby steps now….”Small Small”.

Picture with some...emphasis on some...of my family members

Picture with Mohamed Kabia, my first Krio language instructor

So there you have it. Again, I have neglected a lot of detail in writing this post. But an update was needed. I will post photos and some more fillers another time. The Internet connection here is agonizingly slow, although it is faster because I have my laptop with me. I’m currently at the Mars Internet Café in Bo. This is supposedly the best café in Bo!