Sun 10th April
I accompanied Mohammed, Brima and Moses on a trip around the schools outside of Freetown. The day consisted largely of long minibus journeys from one school to the next. Most of the other people in the van were trainee teachers on the way to a 2-week training course. Some were fresh out of school (at Educaid) and others were older.
These journeys were great for having interesting conversations with people covering topics such as secret societies in Sierra Leone, initiations, the Sierra Leonean attitude to pain and religion and religous tolerance.
Before I left for Sierra Leone, my Mum told me in no uncertain terms that I was definitely allergic to all animals, and hence should stay away from them. Being a cruel son who likes to torment his poor mother, I will now list out some of the animals who shared the van journey with me at various points.
- At one point some fish were thrown into the van. Fortunately these were dead! Even more fortunately, my sense of smell was not very good. Apparently the type of fish is called Meena. When I upload the picture I took of one of the fish, I plan to send it to my Aunt Meena!
- One of the kids in one of the schools had a pet monkey and brought it with him in the van. It was very affectionate and clung to its owner lovingly.
- At one point on the way back I heard Moses calling something out. At first I thought he was saying "Bushfall! Bushfall!". I now realise they were saying bushfowl instead. When the car stopped, Moses ran back and picked up a chicken and brought it back into the van. It even laid an egg before we got home!
Readers including my mother will be reassured to learn that there were no ill consequences of this exposure.
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