Getting on with the update, on our last day Jim and I decided to do the touristy thing and visit the Tacguma Chimpanzee Reserve. This is a very large forest right outside of Freetown where 92 Chimps live. Most of the chimps are reclaimed pets or worse stories, but basically, the reserve is doing awesome work. So awesome in fact that they had a break out a few years back. That is right a chimp breakout where a pack of 32 lead by one of the best stoners (meaning he was the alpha male with the best ability to throw rocks at the gawking humans, the keepers call these males stoners). The chimps were on the lamb, but within a few weeks most had returned to the comfort of the reserve except 4 including the head stoner, they were spotted doing well in the Gola forest, where there are actual wild chimps (that's the same forest where those two crazy guys were trying to get the recording of the endangered owl). They also have wild chimps that come onto the reserve, hang out for a bit and then leave at their leisure. We were impressed with their program, if you ever get to visit Salone, they have guesthouses there, allowing you to stay inside the forest and the proceeds go to help fund the reserve. Chimp-tastic.Later that night we went out to dinner. Going out to eat at a restaurant almost always means we see other expats. This time was no different, and it being a small world, we bumped into a woman who'd been on the tour of the reserve with us earlier that day. We asked her to join us for dinner. She worked at another NGO that focused on children's and women's rights. I have to admit it was hard to talk to her about some of the stories she had about the abuses suffered by women and particularly sexual abuse inflicted upon female children by men in positions of power. Sierra Leone has come leaps and bounds in terms of legislation for women's and children's rights, but there is still a great deal of trouble with both enforcing and prosecuting perpetrators. All of the stories were nauseating and between dinner and reading the paper, there were too many to count, so I am not going to get into it in an email. It made me upset to know that it goes on, but it made me feel better to know that both the government and NGOs such as Becky's (that was her name) are making steps, however small, just like ours to do something about it.
Dinner was good, I had another Barracuda steak. And to add to the ambiance, the lights went out periodically. We ended up getting comfortable with this phenomenon after the first time and would just continue our conversation in the dark.
The next day I shed some of my unnecessary possessions at what Farah deemed the "good orphanage" which is scary to think that there is a bad one. I did get to walk through it because it was a Sunday and pretty much everyone was at church. It was more like a home for the disabled and an orphanage. Although the conditions were nowhere near up to what would be considered acceptable standards at home, they weren't bad for Freetown. Things looked clean and everyone looked well cared for. We had a good time trying to explain what soccer ball glue was, but eventually got that message across and then made a little boy very happy.
I also had an interesting experience dropping off what was left of my very large supply of lady products. These are not sold or widely used in West Africa, but I knew they would make some woman happy and last her at least 2 months (I deliberately over packed on that one, one does not want to be stranded without a product of that nature). But who to give it to? My Krio skills had improved, yes, but they only cover greetings, getting rid of guys who ask for my phone number/address more than 17 times in a row, and beer ordering, I don't think I could explain this one. I could only think of one person who'd I met earlier in the trip.
A few days before the inauguration (yes it is used as a marker of time in Sierra Leone too) I was looking for a Sierra Leone Stars Football Jersey and went into a store to ask if they had any. One of the women in the store stopped my ridiculous Krio attempts quickly and asked me where I was from. As it turns out, she was from Rhode Island (by way of Sierra Leone). Her mother was in her 90s and had stayed in Sierra Leone throughout the war. She had survived by hiding in the bush for some of it. The woman from Rhode Island, her name was Aisha, was starting a non-profit too. With her 12 siblings she takes turns returning to Salone and visiting her mother and repairing their village. Her family was from the heart of the diamond area and she said sometimes they would call home and rebels would answer the phone. The entire village had been destroyed. In the years since the war, this one family has rebuilt a whole village.
She was convinced God had brought me into the store. It could have been God, or Soccer fans would say, it was Soccer, but regardless, it was lucky we met. Their non-profit is still in the application phase and we talked for 3 hours about the process, and how we could help each other, tips etc. It turned out that was Aisha's last day in Salone and in a few weeks another sister would fly out to take her place. So near the end of the trip I came by her mother's shop with a "package" and a note for Aisha praying that the 90 year old mother would not be the one opening the package and wondering what the **** was this and that I would get the next sister. Luckily I did meet Mariama, and we talked for about an hour before I left my package with her (she said she could find plenty of women who would make good use of them) and I was on my way.
I've already heard from some of the friends I've met in Salone, including an email from Farah. Sure it wasn't a whole sentence, but Nicole, the woman doing the thesis on rape in wars that are not based on genocide is teaching him how to use gmail. And Aisha has left me a voice mail welcoming me home and thanking me for the package.
Next update: Ghana & NYC the trip home.
P.S. Some of you may have noticed the absence of spelling errors in this email vs. the previous ones, that is a total coincidence and has nothing at all to do with the fact that I have spellcheck again;)
I de go now,
Maureen (back home enjoying even pavement and constant electricity, will answer to given name)
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