SL 6: Bagbo 1

We eventually made it to our first stop in Bagbo.  This is where we planned to interview two of our sponsored children... but before we could do any shooting there were the formalities.  We had to meet with the chief and the village elders to explain our objectives first... and what an experience that was.  We all gathered in the open-air meeting structure in the center of town.  Wood floors & roof with no walls. There were chairs set up for us in front and maybe 40 people squeezed on to benches across from us.  Before we began someone yelled out something in a bush language an everyone began chanting a Muslim prayer... I just assumed it was a muslim community and bowed my head respectfully waiting for them to finish when to my surprise someone yelled out “Lord’s Prayer” and they all began the Our Father in unison.  I had heard from many people before our trip hat this was a common occurrence before meetings but I had forgotten... and assumed it was more likely in the big cities, not the Bush.  Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised.

Then a man stood up and began introducing the “important” people... the main chief and the chiefs of each chiefdom in the area... and a bunch of others that I couldn’t really understand... and then it was our turn.

Claudius introduced us in Creole and the WV rep for that village translated into the native tung.  It’s funny how quickly you catch onto Creole when you have to... he introduced me and when he explained Sam was my husband everyone cheered.  Then he described Michael as our “Papa” and again we got cheers.  It was very welcoming and wonderful.

Next it was off to meet the children at “the school”.  We walked up a path and found all the children standing outside of what seemed to be a small dilapidated school house and a second structure that looked like the frame of a building made of large sticks and branches.  They sang us a song and we took photos.  But to my surprise, when  I asked to actually see them “in school” they all picked up their benches and headed back down the path to the town center.

WV explained that the school building we were looking at couldn't be used during the rainy season (6 months out of the year which ends in November) so the children met in the town center where we had just been.  They pointed to brand new out-house bathrooms behind the building and explained that the sanitation project had already been funded an they were able to build these bathrooms.... but they were still waiting to receive the funding for the new school building (the frame I mentioned next to the old school house.  The way World Vision works, people can choose to fund certain projects.  Apparently people had chosen to fund the school-house sanitation before the school-house itself.  

So we traveled back down the path to the village center and the kids were already set up with their tables and benches reciting he alphabet.  When they began to sing their version of the ABC’s we all noticed a familiar tune... they sing the ABC’s to the tune of the New Year’s song Auld Lang Syne.

So then I met with the sponsored children.  We visited their houses. (Remember there is no power or running water in most of Sierra Leone, but especially in the bush)  The homes: Two rooms, dirt floors, one bed for the whole family... but they were very proud... and they quickly pointed out their mosquito net provided by World Vision.  The children of course were amazing and the parents were so grateful... and then we handed out toys.  Oh my gosh the looks on their faces... It was like I had changed their lives with a few small trinkets.  I can't tell you how that puts life into perspective.

Eventually it was back into the car to visit our next village and 2 more sponsored children... including Abduli, the boy Sam and I sponsor.  

SL 5: The villages in Bo

We woke up Thursday morning before sunrise and were back to off-roading out into the bush.  It is amazing how different most of Sierra Leone is from the couple of main cities.        As we drove along these dirt roads you pass a village about every mile or so... mainly houses with  mud bases with thatched roofs and the occasional concrete building likely built by an NGO.  The roads are very narrow and it quickly became clear that pedestrians do NOT have the right of way.  These narrow muddy/rocky roads are peppered with natives walking between villages or even making the 10, 20, 30 mile treck into the next main town.  They are almost al carrying things on their heads... lots of clothes to wash in the rivers, sometimes food, we even saw a guy with a generator on his head.  

So anyway, as we are barreling down this crazy road the driver is honking constantly...as he comes around corners, as he drive up a hill, around any blind spots and whenever he sees people.  That is their cue to jump into the 6-foot bushes that line the sides of the road... and when I say jump in I mean it.  They literally disappear into the bushes because the cars are swerving all over the narrow roads trying to avoid the biggest pot holes.  And it’s not just the people... it’s little kids, the dogs and even the goats... it like it’s instinctual... when they hear a horn they step into the bushes.  

So on our way deep into the bush to visit our World Vision sponsored children we must have passed 30 or 40 other villages...  And as we drive through each village children run out of the houses waving and screaming “Padee” meaning friend, or “white man” or they just scream with the biggest smiles you have ever seen.  And we wave like we’re in a parade and snap photos... and they cheer...  It's an experience that can not properly be put into words... the joy on their faces simply seeing us drive by.  

In one village along the way a group of people ran out and stopped our cars... we couldn’t really tell what was going on at first but then Caludius explained.  A child from the village was sick and had been convulsing.  The mother was getting ready to walk the 10 miles to the nearest clinic when they saw us driving through.  Needless to say World Vision picked them up an gave them a ride... but Claudius said it was unlikely the child would survive.

You see, in the bush the clinic’s are so far away that they usually try to cure illnesses with old herbal remedies and things of that nature.  It’s not until conditions get dire that they rush to the clinics (the nearest ones built by World Vision) but by that time rushing means a day’s walk and the child usually dies along the way.  This is one of the main reasons many children (28%) don’t make it past the age of 5 ... and they have one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. 

SL 4: The road to Bo...

... Was non existent :)  Ok, there were patches of road here and there, but I don’t want to get ahead of my self.

So leaving Freetown mid-day was like driving through Tijuana...  Loud cars & people, street vendors, the only difference is that everyone was carrying stuff on their heads instead of in carts (and the people aren’t Mexican).

But then we went up the hill from the city to try to avoid rush hour traffic and it got a bit more peaceful.  There were street vendors and dilapidated buildings... but a lot of new concrete construction as well.  Our Claudius, our WV guide,  pointed to this fortress on a far off hill and said “that’s the US Embassy.”  It’s one of the newer buildings, our should I say compounds... huge and white and surrounded by walls and guards... just then we passed the EU Embassy and he pointed to the UK embassy off in the distance... and that’s when he said something that really put it all into perspective, “This is the affluent part of town.”  I have video of “this part of town” and affluent is not the term that comes to mind.  I suppose it is affluent because some of the buildings are made of concrete blocks instead of mud (I still don’t understand how the mud houses don’t melt in the rains) and many of the houses had tin roofs as opposed to thatch... but needless to say it did not look affluent and it really opened our eyes.

A couple hours later we stopped out in the country to stretch our legs and have a snack in this beautiful green hilly area.  Of course we ate standing up because there were all sorts of creepy crawlers on the ground.

(Oh, side note, later that night when we were getting out of the car, Michael pointed out a bunch of cockroaches that were apparently living under my seat... let me tell you how excited I am to get back in the car tomorrow!)

So as we stood eating we noticed his woman walking by up a path in front of us... she was carrying her baby on her back.  She just kind of stopped and stared at us.  Claudius, our World Vision guide pointed out how malnourished the child looked.  Of course I Immediately asked If I could give her my sandwich and Sam and Michael added the rest of their lunch as well.  So our guide walked over but quickly discovered she spoke a bush language that he didn’t know (he speaks Creole like many in SL) He then showed her he had food by taking a bite then handing it to her.  She immediately handed her child a french fry (I know, there are a million things wrong with that statement, but the kid was starving so...:)

Soon her husband walked up carrying a large hoe-like tool and stopped to talk to his wife.    Sam asked if we could take a photo of them and something got lost in the translation.  We wanted candid shots but Claudius posed them prominently displaying their styrofoam containers of fried food.  And odd dichotomy considering they were clearly native tribal folks who had likely never eaten fries before... not the photo we wanted, but the irony makes it an interesting one to say the least.

It was heartbreaking driving away knowing that meal would likely be their last for some time.  

The rest of our drive to Bo was painful to say the least (and we hear the ride to Kono is much worse).The road is basically a series of potholes.  You occasionally come across a small patch of pavement, but just when you begin to relax it’s back to off roading.  And to think,  I used to off-road in high school for fun!

So we arrived in Bo, and were briefed at the World Vision headquarters in town. It was another dilapidated concrete building with a generator to supply power and three simple rooms filled with tables where the staff works diligently.  I must say I am in awe of these people.  The work they do with the minimal resources available is incredible.  I truly believe everyone should have he opportunity to witness this first hand.  

So from there it was off to the “hotel” in Bo.  As we laid in bed that night squished under one mosquito net Sam and I thought longingly about the dirty hotel in Freetown.  At least that one had a clean toilet.  Yet little did we know our world a about to be rocked and this creepy crawly Bo hotel room would soon seem like a 5-star to us.  

SL 3: Breakfast with Deer

So Wednesday morning we woke up and had a wonderful breakfast filled with interesting things I didn’t recognize... and did I mention we were  surrounded by deer! Yes DEER! Well, at least I think they were deer.  Mike got a photo, I’ll try to upload it.  They are like mini deer that act like dogs and wag their tail when you talk to them... and they jump in your lap if you don’t give them food (it was just like having Allie there :).  I assume they are wild and live on the hotel property... but the staff didn’t seem to appreciate them trying to jump on the buffet table.

SL 2: Our Freetown Hotel... The Family Kingdom

So after our beach experience, we headed back to the hotel room and prepared for bed... you’ve go to see the photo.  First off, the cleanest thing in the place was the toilet for which I was extremely grateful.  The shower was stained pink (thank God for shower shoes) and the sheets were questionable at best... again (like the bag of frozen rice) my ingenuity kicked in.  I covered my pillow in my sweatshirt, laid down the travel sheet we brought (a paper thin little sleeping bag than goes around you between the sheets) and popped up our mosquito net tent.  What was great about the tent, aside from the fact that it keeps the creepy crawlers away, is that it traps the smell of the room OUTSIDE the cocoon.  After a while all you can smell is yourself (and since we had the shower shoes;) we smelled 10 times better than the room.

Not bad, huh?

SL 1: First night in Freetown:

(NOTE: NOW IN GHANA... FIRST CHANCE AT INTERNET... HERE'S THE FIRST POST A WEK LATE)

First night n Freetown:

So the airport in Sierra Leone was different to say the least.  We had an escort set up ahead of time (thanks Wade) but I can imagine what it would have been like without him.  Forget the fact that I was drenched from head to toe the second we set foot outside customs... but we were immediately swarmed by people offering to carry our bags, sell us phone cards, etc.  Out guide (a young man studying journalism at the University in Sierra Leone and interning in PR at the airport this term) was a lifesaver.  He got us our helicopter tickets, a phone card and made sure we didn’t tip anyone we weren't supposed to.  Once safely on on the WWII chopper packed in like  a can of sweaty sardines we waited 8 minutes or the chopper to warm up and spent 7 minutes in the air before landing in Freetown.

I wish I could simply bottle this experience because I can’t put it into words... it may sound crazy, but we are LOVING every minute of the inconvenience and uncomfortableness!  And oh, the stories get better...

So we check in and meet up with Michael at the hotel (I’ll get to the hotel’s condition in our next blog) after grabbing a bite to eat we decide to cross the street and watch the sun set on the beach.  Keep in mind, all of the travel info on SL states you should NOT be on the beach after dark.  It’s a pretty safe country (with a crime rate much lower than most American cities) but there is petty theft & tourist scams (especially in the capital city of Freetown)... and what better targets than three unsuspecting white folks carrying camera equipment, right?

So we cross the street with plenty of daylight left and the first thing I notice are a bunch of dogs lounging all over the beach... you know me and dogs so I’m focused on taking scenic photos of the dogs  in front of the sunset, dogs in front of garbage piles, dogs eating garbage... you get the idea.  In the mean time Michael strikes up a convo with some random guys and before we know it he has a new BFF.  This man keep trying to get us to come home with him to meet his Wife and children.

Now we had been warned by EVERYONE not to give out money: A) for our own safety, and B: due to the old adage Give a man a fish/Teach him to fish.

So now it’s getting dark and people are coming out of the wood works and this guy keeps trying to get us to go home with him. I can see Sam is getting a little nervous (being the protector and all) so Mike finally calls us over and tells the guy he wishes we had more to give him, but instead, we would like to pray for him to find a job...

Sam and I are a little taken aback... but immediately join hands and go with the flow.  So there we are, standing on the beach, three tourist and this Leaonean holding hands and praying that God help him find work to feed his family... can you picture it?  Sun setting behind us... a dozen people selling fish on the road behind us... And what was amazing is that he actually seemed fulfilled when we were through.  No money, no handouts, but he was so grateful that we stood there and prayed for him.  Maybe not something we would have done had Mike not asked us, but I am so glad we did. 

On Our Way to Sierra Leone

We met with Global Witness today and are more pumped than ever for the journey ahead of us.

So were about 10 minutes from boarding our plane from London to Nirobi to Freetown, Sierra Leone... 10 pounds heavier (from all the pints & Brittish food!) and more excited than ever.  We ask for your prayers over the next 24 hours primarily for safe travels and (maybe more importantly) that our luggage arrives in Freetown intact.  

Our traveling partner Michael Teel will arrive a day ahead of us (since we're taking the cheaper longer rout) to we ask for prayers for his safe travels as well (especially alone).

I'm not sure where we'll get our next internet access but I'll write as much as possible.  Keep checkin in as I don't know if I'll be able to send the e-mail updates on new posts that I have thus far.

Cheers!

-Juls

Oh, P.S. I think we finally got the hang of our bags... Yea!  Lets just pray they get there now ;)

Playing With Diamonds!

If this is your first visit to this blog, I encourage you to begin with the September Blogs to get a better understanding of what this journey is all about.

So we spent the entire day at De Beers on Friday... and I have never seen my husband so happy... EVER!  He was like a kid in the candy store.

Now, we are not talking the De Beers

store here folks... This is the largest diamond company in the world.  They produce 40% of the world's r

ough diamonds (at one time they produced 90% of rough but have scaled back due to monopoly concerns). 

We spent the day at their London offices where they sort and 

distribute their rough diamonds. Between 9am and 5pm they gave us an all access tour of their operation.  We toured their facilities, observed their experts sort diamonds by hand and machine, and were given a course on how to sort rough diamonds ourself.  They call it "diamond school" and they taught us to sort rough by color, size, clarity and the best cut for a given piece of rough.

Sam had an ear to ear grin on his face all day.... but my favorite parts were 1) Lunch where we talked in depth with Simon Gilbert, head of IR for De Beers)... 2) Pints with the UN folks after Diamond School... 3) And of course playing with diamonds.  We louped a 49 carat rough diamond and shoved our hands wrist deep into piles of smaller stones... so cool!

Oh by the way, have you seen the ring Sam bought me to wear on our trip?  We had to leave my ring at home for obvious reasons... so he bought this one cheap!  Lovely isn't it?  Let me just tell you how much I missed my ring at De Beers :)

But now on the the important stuff (at least for me because that was the important stuff for Sam)

My purpose for meeting with De Beers was threefold... First off, who better to get a basic idea of how the rough diamond trade works than from the largest producer in the world.  Second, De Beers is like the holy grail for Sam and I felt privileged to provide him opportunity to spend time inside the enigma that is De Beers.  And third, De Beers has been long painted as a villain in the media.  From stock piling diamonds and acting as a monopoly in the early years to their portrayal in the movie "Blood Diamond"... I wanted to ask questions of them myself.

You see, De Beers was one of the first organizations I contacted when planning this journey to Sierra Leone.  Early this year, I began an e-mail relationship with Simon Gilbert who was a wealth of information on Sierra Leone.    Almost immediately he provided me with 90% of the contacts I needed in Sierra Leone.   These non-profit organizations and government agencies are unaffiliated with De Beers and include UN Representatives, USAID in Sierra Leone, the Diamond Development Initiative, Sierra Leone Government Diamond Office, and many more. 

As I worked with each of these organizations to prepare for the trip, I realized how much of a hand De Beers has had in rebuilding Sierra Leone.  Keep in mind that De Beers does not nor ever has mined in Sierra Leone.  Most of there operations are in Southern and Eastern Africa. Furthermore, the mining in Sierra Leone is mainly Artisanal (panning & digging by hand) where De Beers' operations are primarily industrial (where the rough is rarely touched even by mine managers).  So to spend time and money in a country that they have no connection to shows the dichotomy that I saw in De Beers... the good work they are doing on the continent of Africa vs. the villain status they have long held world wide.  

I was also surprised that I have not heard about any of this humanitarian work that De Beers has been doing... they simply don't publicize it.  Partially because it would likely bring an immediate back lash, and partially because there are many who would think it was a media ploy.... but needless to say the humanitarian work they are involved in is impressive to say the least.  (Note: It was not De Beers that told me about this work, rather I stumbled across references to their names in the numerous NGO documents I've studies and interviews I've conducted in preparation for this trip. 

Ok... so on to the tough stuff... when I questioned them on their "Villain" status I was surprised at how open and honest they were with me.  They admitted that their business practices dating back over a century may not have been ethical by today's standards... but they can't go back and change the past.  They can only impact their current work.  And currently they have no stockpiles (it is just not cost effective to keep piles of diamonds lying around anyway), they only control 40% of the industry (in stead of 90%) and ALL of their clients (78 site holders who are allowed to buy their Rough) are bound by best practice contracts.  They must undergo go incredible scrutiny before they can even buy rough from De Beers... including proper working conditions for employees, adherence to all state and federal laws and even extensive recycling programs.  They also have to prove that they are giving back to the communities they are working in.  

There are so many other things we talked about, but because my stories are not necessarily about De Beers (since they don't actually mine in Sierra Leone) I don't want to focus too much on them.  But if you have questions (or criticism) as I'm sure many will after reading this, I'd be happy to share with you more about our experience there.

Tomorrow we will be meeting with Global Witness... an NGO that works to "break the links between natural resources, conflict and corruption".  They were instrumental bringing the issue of Blood Diamonds in Sierra Leone to the forefront of media attention.  They continue to act as sort of global watch dogs over the African Diamond industry.

They will be our final meeting before hopping on a plane to Sierra Leone.  Stay Tuned...

Evacuees

Uh... so we woke up to the LOUDEST alarm ever this morning.  Apparently our hotel is on fire and we've spent the last few hours at the Le Meridian down the street.

Con: Horrible way to wake up, need a shower, are wasting a beautiful day in London

Pro: Free internet and mimosas

Funny: Sam keeps telling the staff here that "we are the evacuees" in hopes that they'll keep comping us.  When they look at him like he's crazy I simply explain that we're from the Park Lane.  I never thought I'd have to translate for Sam :)  (He speaks like 5 languages for those who don't know) 

Luggage Part II

I'll get to our day at DeBeers... but first an addendum to the rolling suitcase blog...

We spent the day yesterday with two UN consultants who have lived in Sierra Leone... and they confirmed my fears :) They said NO backpacks or soft-sided suitcases because they WILL be destroyed and the contents stolen... I knew we should have gone with the rolling suitcases...

I say this will a smile on my face... ah the beauty of hindsight ;)

Why can't we bring a rolling suitcase to Africa again?

So.. the flight to London was amazing... tons of food, champagne & lay flat seats... but getting from the airport to the hotel in London... Ug!

See the attached photos for explanation... :)

So, I guess it was early on in our planning for this journey that our friends with Africa experience told us to get backpacks instead of the big rolling suitcases.  I guess backpacks are less likely to get stolen... and I'm sure there are other reason

s... but after trucking through the London airports/trains/train stations carrying three awkward bags totaling maybe 90 pounds ... well I was cursing those friends (Sorry Mica, Sean, Mallie, & the Higgens!).  Backpacks were NOT made for London :)  I'll let you know if it was good advice once we get to Sierra Leone.. but for now...

Ok, so this may be the most trivial post you read on this blog... but I figure my close personal friends and family will find our struggles amusing.  

We have finally made it to our hotel in London (with aching backs and lots of sweat) and are stoked to be on this journey again.

Oh, and did I mention our Typhoid adventure?  So... we had to keep our typhoid vaccine refrigerated until it was time to take it this afternoon... take a look at the photo.  I think it was brilliant (if I don't say so myself), but I packed it in frozen rice (since you can't take frozen liquid on the plane).  So everywhere we stopped on our journey from San Jose to London, we had to find a place to keep it cool... On ice in our plane from SJ to Seattle, in a bar fridge while eating diner at the seattle airport, in

 the fridge on the plane to London, and on ice again through customs and on the t

rain into London.... oh.. and it can't be smashed in any way... so we had to carry that random bag of rice separately everywhere we went... needless to say, we w

ere stoked to finally be able to take the medicine and get rid of our rice bag.  I can't tell you how many times we forgot out little rice bag somewhere and had to RUSH back and get it!

Ah, the randomness of traveling to a third world country :)

So, I'm pretty delirious right now... and apologize if I'm not making much sense... but tune in tomorrow for our next adventure (likely more coherent after a full nights sleep).  

BTW tomorrow we go to diamond school at De Beers where we'll learn how to sort rough diamonds and meet some of the most amazing people in the world (people who's careers actually change the world)  More on that tomorrow!

Cheers.

So we've made it to Seattle to board our plane to London (you should see the size o our bags!)  So far the biggest problem has been finding ways to keep our typhoid vaccine "refrigerated" in route to London (did you know they don't have refrigerators on planes)... 

It just occurred to me that we are about to board first class (thanks to Sam's air-miles!) on our way to a third world country!   Lets just say expect a blog titled From First Class to Third World...

We're off!  I'll keep you posted... Oh, p.s. feel free to leave us comments on the blogs.