Day 4 in Sierra Leone: Still No Water

When we arrived in Sierra Leone we had to fill out our immigration forms. We presented them to the customs people and again asked for a “tip”…ugh! This is the horrible part of West Africa. We gave them each $1 and they were happy. We passed through, collected our bags and skipped the inspection table because I told them I was a new teacher arriving.  Outside the airport we were greeted by the company we hired (with the help of my school) to assist us from the Lungi Airport to our new home.

From the airport we loaded all of our bags (except our important ones and the dog) into a cargo van which then headed to the ferry.  We arrived at the ferry and were greeted by a rough sea and the beginning of rain.  Once we were settled into our seats on the boat, with our life jackets slid over our heads, we set off. My husband is VERY motion sick and warned them before the boat took off.  The boat/ferry was closed in and has a strong gasoline smell that could overwhelm almost anyone.  The sea was incredibly rough and it would not shock me if we had actually become air-born part of the trip.  The boat ride was about 20 minutes long. I am very proud to say that my husband endured it like a champ! No accidents this trip!!

When we docked in Freetown we met the dean’s assistant from my school. She helped me to get everything loaded into the 3 cars/SUV that came to help with our move.  We set off slowly for the house.  The roads in Sierra Leone are like nothing I have seen before during any of my travels.  They are horrible!! A typical pothole is easily big enough to break a car’s axel.  Eventually we made it to our new home.  I will admit that at night we were terrified! Our yard (which we share with our landlord and gardener) is enclosed but a 12’ high cement wall, broken pieces of glass and barbed wire.  Our “compound” is also surrounded by the poorest of the poor people. Their houses are made of tin, cardboard, plastic and anything else they can manage to find. After everyone who helped us move left my husband and I sat down in the living room and almost cried. This was not what we had expected. We were mad that we had left our comfortable life in Egypt and traded it in for what? This??  There was no running water (it had been out for two days before our arrival).  Also, our old home was about 90m2 (not big but we owned everything in it and it was the way we wanted it)…this new house is maybe 80m2. It doesn’t sound like that big of a difference but it is. We went to bed that night both heartbroken and wondering how we can manage two years in this situation.

Morning came and our son woke us up. We asked him if he was happy and for the first time he said that he was not happy!  Terror could not have come over us so quickly. Yes, we weren’t happy but that’s okay…if he’s not happy then something HAD TO change!  We went across the yard to the landlord’s house and sat with them. We picked their brains and tried to get to understand and know Sierra Leone.  They had a 5 yr old daughter and an almost 3 yr old son (1 month younger than Jackson) who took to him and was so excited to meet him.  Jackson was extra shy and it took him awhile to warm up, eventually (10 minutes later) he did.  As a group we all headed to town about 10km away but 15-20 minutes away (due to the condition of the road) so we could buy things we needed in the house.  The city has a lot of personality and is actually vey naturally pretty.  The people were amazingly nice!  We got several things we needed included groceries and went home.

The second night here we installed our son’s mosquito net! He loves it!! We pretend that we are camping!!

Each day since we have been here we have gone into town picking up additional things we realize that we need.  Everything is unpacked now; this place is starting to feel like “home” now.  We miss Egypt horribly but know this is a once in a lifetime adventure so we are taking advantage of everything.

The rain has been constant, which is a very good thing.  Since the water is off we have the house help capture the water when it rains so we are able to boil some and have a warm sponge bath. The internet has been sketchy (at best) and the mosquitoes have made their self known.  I haven’t decided if life here is actually harder for an expat (besides the fact you must go to a million and five places to shop if you want the best price)…but I can definitely tell you working around the house is much easier. Our landlord has spoiled us to no end. We have a gardener (fixed into the price of our rental which is $350.00/month), house help (who washes the clothes by hand and cleans everything , and babysits Jackson for $60.00/month) and has offered us a car+driver+gas for $600.00/month. We have been spoiled!  I will keep you updated in a few days…cross your fingers the water comes back on soon!

Good Bye Egypt...Hello Sierra Leone!

I have decided to attempt to start blogging… I have a very low success rate at completing something long term; nevertheless, I have decided to tackle this since I am away from so many people I have met throughout the world.  I moved to Egypt with my 1 ½ year old son, husband (Egyptian) and dog, Colossus, at the start of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution.  I worked as 2nd and 3rd grade international school teacher.  After the end of my second contract I decided that it was time to move on (besides I hated the school it was more just memorization than an actual learning atmosphere, but that is neither here nor there).  My husband and I decided that it was time for a change (again) so I began applying to jobs around the world.  We had no serious destination in mind; our life had already been an adventure.  The best two job offers I had been in Beijing, China and Freetown, Sierra Leone. After weighing the positive and negatives we decided our journey would take us to West Africa.

At 9:00pm on August 1, 2012 we packed up the van with 7 check ins (so we thought), 3 carry-ons, 3 personal items and a dog. Our flight wasn’t until 2:30am the following morning but with Cairo traffic it’s hard to determine, so better safe than sorry.  I have had continuous emails between myself and the corporate office of Ethiopian Airlines in regards to my dog being too big to go in the cabin with me even though he’s a Chihuahua. Long story short, I had written confirmation that my dog would fly below cabin from Cairo, Egypt to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia then from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Acura, Ghana. In Acura, Ghana I was to be given my dog plane side to ride in the cabin with me the rest of the way.  Anything that could have gone wrong with these airlines WENT wrong! I was also emailed that because of the problems that had arisen my dog would fly for free from Cairo to Freetown. 

In Cairo I was told that my dog was now allowed to fly in cabin with me, of course I was extremely excited! Only to find out just a few minutes later that it was a mistake and he was going to have to fly below cabin. I tried to explain that when we arrived in Addis Ababa that it was only going to be 12*C and thunderstorms. The manager was not budging. I agreed to it and was advised that I could give him to someone while I was boarding the plane. After getting on the plane I slide the dog crate (which the airlines told me was too big) easily under the seat. I showed the flight attendant and asked if there was any way for me to get my dog back now. The flight attendants were AMAZING! They pleaded and begged until he was delivered to me. The rest of the way (until Acura, Ghana) went fairly smoothly…minus the crazy 3 yr old temper tantrum moments due to lack of sleep.

In Ghana there were more people demanding bribes than I could have ever imagined. They were extremely rude and rough talking people (women included).  I showed them the papers for the dog to be in cabin with me and the security told me that she does not care about the papers I have and I needed to pay her money.  I offered a few “choice words” and walked away with my dog in hand.  Right before boarding the plane we were then told that we needed to pay a $35 USD fee for the dog to go UNDER the plane. I showed them the paperwork from CORPORATE and then told me that the pilot did not like dogs and he refused to fly with the dog on the plane. Another fight broke out.  I asked to speak to the Regional Area Manager because I had conformation from him that he dog was able to go on the plane with me. I spoke to him and he told me that the Regional Area Manager of Egypt made the whole story up and he never agreed to anything (I will be writing corporate again demanding my $35 back as well as addressing this issue).  I finally gave up Colossus to them and explained that since he was in a soft crate and would get scared and rip it I would be coming after them for many more fees to be reimbursed.  I loaded the plane with my son and husband. A minute or two later the Regional Area Manager entered the plane and handed Colossus to me…I am not too sure why the change of heart, but I will take it!  We landed in Sierra Leone just a few hours later (total trip time with layovers from Cairo to Freetown 18 hours).  Colossus made it to Sierra Leone and on every flight with me. 

**Moral of the story: DO NOT FLY ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES!!**