News from the Jungle

Sunday the 7th of March Now I’m in the jungle!! Yesterday at 1 o clock in the afternoon, I arrived in Masanga village together with the Dutch doctor Anne Marie and her husband Martjin. I had only had three hours of sleep, because of my late arrival to the hotel in Freetown (at 2 am), so I was tired, but I had a very nice and warm welcome. The driving to Masanga was beautiful, the landscapes here are breath taking – even though it’s the warmest season, everything is green. It’s weekend so it’s quiet in Masanga. A lot of the local people are away, some goes to school in Makeni in the weekends. Three of the volunteers and a boyfriend (on visit) are away as well. One Sunday every month there is “women’s workshop” at the school. Julie, who works on the grown-up educationally part of the project, had arranged teaching in agriculture by one of the local teachers and in health care and food for children, witch Pernille were teaching in. Pernille is also a volunteer and she’s having a bachelor in nutrition and health. To get the women to show up at the workshop is hard work – even though Julie were around in the village yesterday to remember the women to show up, we had to walk around in the village and get the women to come along. The workshop was arranged to start at 3 o clock pm, but it didn’t start before 5 o clock. When it finely started the women were very interested, and in the break everyone were dancing and singing – that was a big experience. It’s really Africa I’m experience now – an Africa that I like. All the kids are running after you, asking for your name or shouting “oppodo” which means white man – I have now learned to say “unibe” back, which means black man. Very funny, the kids love it, and they laugh when you answer them back. Now it’s bedtime. We got electricity from 7 to 10 in the evening – it was a little delayed to night, but now it’s off again and it’s dark – very dark everywhere. Tomorrow morning works starts – I’m going together with Anne Mette to the Pharmacy, and I have to meet my employees at the Laundry, talk to them and start my rapport and make a plan for the Laundry. Dr. Frank, the Dutch doctor, who Dr. Anne Marie is going to work together with, has also a plan about using me at the hospital – I’m pleased to hear that they actually will be using my educationally experiences.