First days at Lakka

In the beginning there was a... (f)light

Which left on time (Heathrow airport 11.10), arrived on time (Lungi airport 18.05), the person to pick me up was there, the car to take me to the boat was there, the Pelican ferry was almost there and the boat trip did not last longer than necessary (25 min, which is normal) and my second pick-up was ready with an EFA van in Freetown. The day after my arrival I had a meeting with the director of EFA (at 9am) who was already up working at 6. No sign of ‘African timing’ so far.

A little anxious about wondering around Lungi airport all by myself I tried to spot nice people to pretend to belong with. Having breakfast at Heathrow airport I spotted two elderly people dressed in matching turquoise outfits (incl. Earrings on the woman), outdoor trousers and shoes, carrying a camera bag. They went for the full English breakfast at ease and I figured they must have decided to get to Heathrow well in time just in case, like me. And indeed they were going to Freetown but I could get nothing from them but a reserved smile followed by a quick look away. Next possibility appeared to be 2 English men but after having spotted them having beer after beer and the stewardess advising them to have coffee I didn’t pursue my intentions to tag along with them. Good for me as they were stopped by customs. By the end of the flight I’d accepted I would and could face the airport without having to pay my way through local ‘services’ I didn’t want or need when I met an Indian pilot from London. He was nice enough to pretend we were together which helped me through the airport as 'rich' as I entered the building. I could make my way to ‘my sign’ and was met by a Pelican ferry member of staff that guided me to the water taxi. The sign said Fee-Fee Romein and consequently I was referred to as Fi-Fi (a name we give to poodle dogs in Holland).

It’s not unheard of that you need to wait an hour for the boat and crossing the water can take more than an hour (ok, no complaining is justified here since going by land would take 3 hours at least). I really felt sorry for the personnel of the ferry company. They carried all bags on their head (23 kg of my stuff alone). The passengers were spread evenly over the boat equipped with a life jacket. The fine balance was required to stabilise the boat. Our luggage was transferred on a different (open!) boat leaving most of my stuff damp.
I was met at the other side of the water by an EFA member of staff driving the EFA car with seatbelts (!), by which time it was dark. We drove along the coast with the lights of Freetown on the left and the sound of rolling waves on the right. Little stalls with, I’m guessing, kerosene/paraffin lamps decorated the scene. People selling bread rolls and (in the dark) unidentifiable items which I’m sure I won’t recognise during the day either.

Thank god I don't have to experiment with local foods. Samuel, the caretaker of the guest house, has offered to cook us a local meal (yam, yam leaves, spicy fish etc) and then take us to the market to show us what we had. Since there are no facilities to cook right now we get boiled water/eggs from Sam and he also brings in fresh bread and fruits in the morning. The beach bars offer yummy meals for 30.000 Leones (I was ripped off knowingly but too tired to bargain) and 20.000 if you try hard. 5.500 Leones is 1 euro (I wrote this 1 day ago, today it is 5.200 leones)
Sam's wife does laundry, Sam's friends can cook a meal for 4000 leones and 1000 leones 'running commission' (to make sure we get the food fast and warm). I'm really not bothered about not having cooking facilities. It's great to eat locally grown products prepared by locals and to be able to support them for less than a trip to the supermarket/groceries would cost.

There’s another volunteer here named Chani. She’s half Dutch half Irish and sort of the director’s personal assistant. We’ll probably be working together a lot as she’s apparently the more technical info coordinator. It was nice to be met by her and taken to the beach the day I arrived to have some local delicacies and a fizzy drink with a tissue. Up until yesterday we had no idea what the tissue was about. I thought the waiter must have noticed my shiny face and decided to give me a tissue to wipe myself dry a bit. I've now heard another theory which unfortunately makes more sense: the crates with drinks lie around for weeks. Mice run around and pee everywhere. The tissue is to wipe off any possible pee. Oh dear. Speaking of animals, we have 7 dogs, lots of gekko's and salamanders. Mice. Spiders. I wish I could recognise the birds! It's unbelievable how many stray dogs are running around. And stray puppies! I need to refrain myself from touching them. They're probably nice little furry rabies balls.

My first night in the guest house was pretty sleepless because the moment I touched the bed one of the slats/slates (?) fell through the framework and I had to rearrange all to spread them evenly and didn’t dare move a limb at night. I’m also not quite accustomed to the sounds here. Birds, dogs, people, beach. I can hear the sea rolling in 24/7. It’s a strange luxury to have! If it weren’t for the sun threatening to turn me into a Fi-Fi hotdog I’d be acclimatising in the sea nonstop. The second night however was fine after a little drop of Jameson Whiskey and a swim in the sea (not in this order). I also had my first local (1 euro) dinner: chopped spaghetti on a bed of beans garnished with 3 salad leaves and a chopped egg with mayonnaise. Everything is nicely spiced up here and after a day of heat and no hunger the plate of carbs was very welcome after my refreshing swim.

The morning of the 11th I had my first official meeting with Tommy, the director. I have a better idea of what I’ll be doing as information officer and lots to read on my little USB stick. Tommy will be away most of the time and this job requires and stimulates a lot of independence and creativity. I’m hoping to have a better idea of the history and projects by next week . As the information officer I’m hoping to make the website more informative. If I were a donor or investor I would not be sure what I was investing in by looking at the website. And these days a website is the primary source of info for people to get an idea of what’s going on in an organisation. Also I’ll be writing the annual report. Which is actually a tri-annual report and requires lots of interviewing. I’m hoping that some site visits will be necessary as I’m dying to see more of the country and really get a better understanding of projects by seeing them and asking questions directly.

EFA is also looking for someone to continue with its Renewable Energy Program (REP). Someone with a passion for renewable energy, ready to get some field experience and administrational and organisational capacity. Know someone willing to commit for at least 1 year please let me know :)

If you've made it all the way down here: thank you for your devoted time and interest. It's highly appreciated.