What’s happening in the Weekends?

The weekdays are going fast and a lot is happening, but the weekends in Masanga can be a little long if you do not plan to do something. It can be so quiet here and also, it’s so nice to have some luxury, compared to life here. So two weekends ago Camilla (architect volunteer) and I spend the loveliest weekend on a Hotel in Makeni. We arrived Saturday at lunch, spend the day at the pool and using the internet, and then in the evening we had a nice dinner and went to a night club Apax, that was very good fun. Last weekend four of the girls were going to Freetown to experience the Independence Day and a weekend there. I got the offer to join them, but I actually felt more for a weekend home. The week had been so busy so I needed a relaxing weekend. Saturday is church day, and from 9 am until around 12 am the Adventists are going to church and bible school. Mr. Fortune had invited me to join. So I decided to go and experience, I went there at 11 am - didn’t felt for bible school ect. I got there in time for the sermon and the hymn. Good experience. I sat next to one of the HOC’s (almost a doctor) from the hospital; B.S and he was so kind to translate when they didn’t. He also wanted me to sing, but had to disappoint him. Sunday, suddenly, wasn’t that relaxing. We (Emil, Anja, Caroline and I) decided to go on trekking, we climb the mountain; Masamank - the big mountain that we are looking at every day, our view from the hostel and from Masanga. It was a very nice trip, good view over the area that we live in - breath taking and hard work for the muscles. This last weekend we had arranged to go and see Bo, the next biggest city in Sierra Leone. We wanted to go and visit the MSF (Læger uden Grænser) Hospital. We have a good contact there, but unfortunately they didn’t have the time to show us around this weekend anyway – so I think that I want to go there again. The hotel where we stayed was very lovely. We enjoyed our self both by the swimming pool and on the tennis court – my arms are now as long as a monkeys arm. The city was a very nice city – the people there are used to white/Western people, so we were not that special, and that is nice to experience once in a while. We also went out to a night club and had good fun with live African music – meet some Norwegian people from the MSF hospital.

Football mach in Magburaka

Life in Masanga is nice, but sometimes it’s also nice to experience life outside. Luckily it doesn’t have to be far away from here. Magburaka (half an hour from here) and Makeni (45-50 min. away from here) has also a lot to offer. At the moment the guys from Masanga are often driving to Magburaka to watch football matches and they think it’s great if we want to join them. Tomorrow we are going again – Inter against Bayern München. It is good fun, even though football doesn’t interest me that much. Some weeks ago we even went to see a football match live, that was fun and different. We are often going to Makeni, to shop and to get some luxury at the hotel; Wusum – here is the internet working - our connection to the world around, it’s nice. And some weekends ago I experienced that it’s possible to use Skype – excited..

Shopping with Mr. Fortune

Friday the 16th I had a very nice meeting with Mr. Thomas Fortune, the Hospital manager - A meeting about sanitation at the Laundry and in general at Compound. And Monday two weeks ago we suddenly went on shopping getting laundry baskets and waste bins for the whole hospital. Beside Laundry and sanitation I now have work to do in the new Waiting ward as well – a ward opening in continuation of the maternity ward. A ward where pregnant women from villages far away can come and stay before delivering.

Work and everyday life in Masanga

I have now really gotten use to my new life in Masanga, work is good, but sometimes difficult. We got some problems because of the langue barriers between me and the Laundry employees. And I have also felt that it has been difficult for me to deal with the slow tempo down here. But somehow I have managed to get use to it and try to get the best things out of it. It doesn’t help me not to. The engineer David, an Irish/Sierra Leonien guy from Freetown, who is going to help me with a water heating system for the Laundry, who were suppose to come three weeks ago, but didn’t, arrived Tuesday two weeks ago and stayed until Friday morning. He was very nice to talk to, and had good ideas about how to build a water heating system for the Laundry. Now he has started thinking and drawing, and hopefully we will soon start the actually building work. Excited to see how much of the building work I actually will manage to experience while I’m still here. Beside my work at the Laundry we (Lærke, Anne Mette and I) has started a clean-up in “Big Store” some weeks ago. We have spent quite some time there now, and it seems to work. Now we are in a waiting position, waiting for the carpenter to build us two new shelves. Now been waiting and asking for the shelves for two weeks.. Hmm..

The everyday life

In the e-mails and texts I have received, you have been asking me different questions about how I’m dealing with the heath, what we are eating and how to shower in the jungle, if I have used my dry shampoo and how my life with the other volunteers are. I will tell you a little about it all. How to shower in the jungle? I got a quite nice room, it contains a bed, a table, two chairs and a clothes. I have gradually arranged myself in a nice way. I have bought a carpet and some other things to make it homely and nice. It helps a lot with candlelight and incense. The bathroom I share with Anne Mette. Every day, except from the weekends, a girl is coming to fetch water from the well. Each bathroom has three containers and that is for shower, toilet flushing and hand washing. There is an almost functional bathroom between our rooms, containing a shower cabin, a toilet and a washbasin. The shower is cold, but nice, no running water, it’s done by pouring cups of water over yourself and washing with soap in between. At the moment it’s so hot that you sweat almost doing nothing, and there is almost no wind. So yes, I’m having a shower every day. Have used my dry shampoo a little, sometimes during the day it’s nice to fresh up the hair. What to eat in the jungle? We are not doing much to get something to eat. Every day at 6.30 our kitchen ladies are coming to cook breakfast for us, then later the lunch and in the evening our dinner. It’s mostly rise, pasta and cus cus, with some kind of vegetable in a sauce. Before I came they had the cus cus with onion sauce very frequent – they were sick and tired of it, so I wasn’t popular when I suggested that we didn’t only had the pasta and rise, but also the cus cus. Now it’s ok, just not with the onion sauce. In the morning, luckily, we can choose to eat the porridge of oats. That’s nice. The bread and eggs doesn’t make me feel full for long time. We get a lot of carbohydrate, but on Wednesdays we get the fish for lunch, the meet for dinner and on Thursday we get the chicken. The other days its food for vegetarians, but that ok with me – the beans I really like and it makes you feel full in another way then all the carbohydrates. Dr. Bread is passing by the hostel every second day, and its lovely bread. Suddenly I like cheese spreads – a thing that I never eats in DK, but when a cheese-lover like me can’t get any normal cheese you find out that cheese spreads is ok. At the moment it’s season for the mangoes and the pineapples, and they taste so lovely and sweet. It’ like being in heaven – fruit heaven. As you can read I’m getting something to eat every day. At the moment I can’t complain about the food, even though it’s a lot like the same every day. Maybe I’m not that positive in a month.

2nd and 3rd week in the jungle – still having a great time

Monday till Wednesday (15-17th of March) was just about work. Because of the dry season here, there is no running water in the Laundry – the well supplying the Laundry has totally dried out, but hopefully the water will come back again during May, when the raining season begins. Because of no running water, the hospital laundry has been washed in the river – not so good, because it’s the same place where people from the Village are showering, washing their own laundry and bringing water to their house holding - but that has been changed now. I have arranged it, so that we now get the water from our (the Hostels) well – we get the water in 5 gallon containers and transport it by car – a temporary solution. In beginning of May the rain will come and the well at the Compound will supply us with water again. Wednesday afternoon, after work, I had my hair done in the African way by one of the hospital kitchen lady’s sister. It was a fun thing to try and nice to spend an afternoon with the locals and to see their homes. The look wasn’t as good as the local ladies hair, but it was so nice to have my hair away from my neck for a couple of days. Thursday I went to Makeni again, had to do some shopping and to try using the internet again. Now I have an internet account at the Hotel Wusum, I can now go on the wireless internet when I’m there, I just have to remember my computer wire – in this heat the computer is working hard to cool down, and it makes the battery time low. Friday we drove on a four hours trip, on a very bad road, to Koido, a Village/city known for its diamond mines. We went there and saw some lovely diamonds and hardworking African men. Koido was one of the villages that were hardly affected by the civil war because of the mines. The village was very dusty and showed signs of the war. But it was positive to see that there is actually a building up of the city going on – new houses popping up. We were supposed to stay overnight, but somehow there were no hotel in the city that had an available room for six, hmm. So we drove the whole long way back home after a nice dinner at one of the Hotels. Saturday, we (eight of us, volunteers) went on a kano trip on the river passing by Masanga Village – very nice to experience the area around us. Nice and relaxing, and a good way to get to know the other volunteers. In the evening we had a lovely birthday party for the medical student Caroline. Party – all night long... 3rd week (22nd – 28th of March) This week has just been about work, work, work. In the morning starting together with my Laundry ladies and then cleaning at the “Big Store” – A lot of stuff is send to Masanga from DK by containers, and we have a big storehouse for it. But at the moment it is not totally clearly for us what’s there and which things that actually can be used. So we have decided to start a clean-up and get a general view. One very small washing machine came up. Sometimes we had a good laugh about things that that we found. For example we found artificial breast limbs suitable for a white woman and things that can’t be used because it’s broken, funny funny. Wednesday late afternoon I would go for a quick run before the big opening of the new library. But what a stupid idea, my legs where tired and my mind was in another world, so 7 minutes from home a root in the road grabbed me and I fell as long as I’m. (NEVER tried to fall like that during running) Stupid clown, I felt very stupid, and the blood was running from my hands and knee... I didn’t think of it as a very bad crash, but my left hand was hurting. When I came home I found out that I had made myself a very lovely deep gash. Luckily I’m surrounded by two doctors, two medical students and another nurse, so I was quickly repaired and had a painkiller. Friday morning we said goodbye to Jasper, who’s going home after four month here. He and the other guys were going on a guys-weekend trip to Freetown. I moved in to his room during Friday afternoon – Anne Mette (whom I now are sharing bathroom with) and I cleaned, and in the evening we had a small housewarming. Saturday after one more day by the Pool at Wusum Hotel in Makeni, we had a nice girl’s night here at the Hostel.

Easter holyday at Banana Island – 1th-4th of April.

In the Easter holyday we went on a trip to the Island; Banana Island. It’s just outside Freetown. It was nice and relaxing – a jungle island with lovely beaches. We slept in small bungalows close to the beach and were eating a lot of lovely fresh fish. But it was also a weekend where it shows how intense and sometimes difficult it can be for eight girls being together in 24 hours for four days. On Sunday, on our way home we went to see the Chimpanzee Sanctuary – Tacugama - very impressive. Furthermore we went to the Village Charlotte to see Charlotte Falls. Because of the dry season it was a quite waterfall that we meet, but we had a nice trekking in the area – the nature surround is so beautiful, so I might go there again when the rain comes. On Easter Monday I went out on my own for the first time – Big girl now! I went to the Village Magburaka, the first bigger city from our village. I had to do some shopping and needed some time on my own. It was quite an experience, everyone around here is so generous and helpfully. There is nothing to be worried about, and that’s so nice to experience. I took a taxi from Masanga Village – on the way to Magburaka we were just six in the car. The driver and two of the other passengers (the Baker – Ibrahim and chicken John – working on the Poultry farm, both from Masanga) didn’t wanted me to find home by myself, so they were waiting for me, to drive me back home. So nice of them and then I didn’t had to worry about how to find a ride home, even though there is a lot of taxies and Hondas to get. When I came back home there was Danish lunch waiting for me – cod roe, mackerel, salami and Danish remoulade, it was so good – after one month with just rice, pasta and cus cus it was lovely to taste a little DK. This must be enough for now – still not figure out how to type in a right way, so that the spelling on my blog is legible. Hope that everyone has had a nice Easter!? I’m sending a lot of thoughts home even though you don’t hear from me that often.. XOXO Charlotte

Weekend

Saturday the 13th of March: Now we are at a Hotel in Makeni, we have been shopping today, and now eating lunch by the pool. Nice.. Here, our internet connection is working, so now it’s time to let you all know that I’m all right, enjoying my adventure…A beer just came to me, so cheers. My African telephone no. is +232 78579873 My Danish telephone is ill, I think it’s the heath.. So a lot of your numbers I have lost. If you write me, feel free to do, that’s at the moment the easiest way to communicate. I will write e-mails as soon as the internet works again in the jungle. Miss you all, but I’m having a great time here in Africa.. Love Charlotte

First experience with a green Mambo

Friday the 12th of March: Today (morning), just teen-fifteen minutes ago, I was sitting working here at the veranda together with Camilla. Then one of the other girls, Julie, called and asked if I wanted to see a snake. We both ran outside and there was this very colourful snake, half of it where down in the ground (in a mousehole). We asked our kitchen-ladies if they could tell us if it was dangerous. It was a green mamba – the most poisonous snake that Africa have. All the ladies were screaming when they saw it and shouted on the local guys, also working here. One of them came with a big stick and he killed it – drama in the beginning of the day. I didn’t have time to get scared, but afterwards looking at a dead mambo and the film that I got of it all, I got a little scared anyway. They say that it doesn’t happen that often that a snake is this close to our house - very nice to have the locals around. Now it’s evening, the rain and thunder came again tonight. Danish thunder is nothing compared to this African-crazy weather.

Laundry-project and Africa life has started

Thursday the 11th of March: Now work has started. Monday and Tuesday has been quit. Both days I went around and was introduced to everyone at Compound – the hospital area. I had a look in the “Big Store” where there suppose to be some things that I maybe can use in the Laundry. Tuesday afternoon we (Anne Mette, Caroline and Lærke (the two medicine students)) went to an afternoon teaching of the nurse aids. It was about traditionally believes. A very interesting subject, because there is some funny believes down here, that sometimes makes it hard to run a hospital. Some of the most funny believes I will mention here (in Danish): - Mens man ammer, må man ikke have sex, da barnet vil få diarre. - Hvis en kvinde har kløe i skridtet er det fordi hun har spist for meget sukker eller fordi hun har lyst til sex. - Det er helt normalt at et barn hoster/nyser. - Hvis et barn har diarre, er det pga. et dårligt ammebryst og beskidt modermælk. - Der er intet der er farligt for et barn at spise, fordi det er et barn. Hvis et barn spiser afføring, vil det få en smuk sangstemme. - Får et barn diarre betyder det at moderen har haft sex med en anden mand end hendes ægtefælle. - Spiser et barn appelsiner, får det malaria. - Du kan få TB af at drikke komælk. - Feber skyldtes altid Malaria. Gravide kvinder: - Må/bør ikke spise rester fra dagen før (dette svarer til normal morgenmad)– da det vil sætte fødslen i gang. - Bør ikke bade udenfor, specielt om aftenen, da onde ånder kan gøre barnet handicappet. - Bør ikke spise æg, da barnet vil udvikle sig til at blive tyv. - Bør ikke udføre hårdt arbejde, som at hugge brænde eller rengøre fisk, da det vil medføre at barnet fødes med en flækket frontalis/pande. - Skal ikke blive stående for længe i en døråbning, da det vil medføre en lang fødsel. - Hvis man bærer bh, vil barnet ikke kunne bevæge sig tilstrækkeligt og det vil medføre en lang fødsel. Both Monday and Tuesday I have tried to get in contact with my laundry ladies. To meet them and find out how they do the hospital laundry, but they have not been easy to find. I might not be up early enough to find them. The laundry is getting washed and dried, but the working hours haven’t been easy for me to figure. This morning and yesterday I got up running at 7, yesterday together with the two male volunteers. The heath is not that unbearable at 6-7 o clock in the morning, so it’s has been lovely to run early. This morning I ran to the Laundry to see if there were any laundry ladies to find, after having no success I was running the same run as yesterday, together with Anja, the volunteer working in the tailor shop. It’s nice that so many are running down here, nice with company, even though it’s hard for me talking while running at the moment. Hopefully I will get use to the humidity soon. During the daytime the temperature is around 35-37oC. It’s lovely, but sometimes a little hard working. The heat makes me sleepy. But we have already had some rain and thunder, and that makes the air a little fresher. It’s difficult to believe that it’s still cold and winter-time in DK. Hopefully the spring will soon come. Yesterday, Wednesday, I joined the morning teaching at the hospital. Every Wednesday there is morning teaching from 8.15-9, somehow like on at Danish hospital. The CHOs (Community Health Officers) and Dr. Frank is on shift teaching in different medical subjects. Yesterday it was about pneumonia. It was a little difficult for me to understand everything, because of their English dialect. Then at 10 am Dr. Frank had asked me if I wanted to join my first operation – a legamputation. It was very interesting. And suddenly in the middle of the operation Frank was called to the maternity ward – there was complication in the delivery of a second twin, the arm came first. He explained that he delivered the child like a veterinary would have done it (he just put the arm back in and found the head, putted a cup on and pulled the child out…), because there was no time for a Caesarean section. I’m very impressed of our Doctor, you can tell, especially because it’s hard work to keep the people alive down here. They don’t come to the see a Doctor before it’s almost too late. In the time that I have been here now, not even one week, four people have died, two of them properly of Meningitis. That must be hard for a Doctor to experience. But somehow he manages to distance and still trying to saving lives…