My first week in
Sierra Leone = Salone is what most people call it.
Well right out of
the gate, the very first thing I want to put out there, is that Sally Rojas is
my hero! She has been so kind and compassionate! She's been watching over me
and checking in with me several times a day to see if there are words/questions
in my head that are not coming out of my mouth. Sometimes they are hiding in
there without me even knowing. I appreciate her knowing that those are living
inside my puny little brain. Many, many thanks to Sally and may God continue to
bless her sweet soul!
Okay, back to my
week. The flights themselves were uneventful & all of my bags arrived so
that's a huge win! I had no problems with customs and was able to move through
without a glitch. When I got outside however, trying to connect with Sally was
a slight problem that didn’t have to be if stupid Verizon didn't lie to me and
tell me they didn’t have any coverage in Sierra Leone - because they do!! 😔 There were several nice men who were eager to help
and take me where I needed to go. 😄. I respectfully
declined and then Sally walked up - I nearly jumped into her arms. It was
already dark by the time we got loaded up and left, I was bummed because I
couldn't really see anything along the way. But I did enjoy the snacks and
water that Sally brought for me. Got home late and went right to bed.
Day One:
Got up, took a
shower, met a priest - Fr. Dominic (Vicar General to Bishop Bob John). We're
invited to a special Mass tomorrow. There is a Cardinal from Italy here touring
the different countries in the area. Father was very excited. I know it's
always a big deal when a Cardinal comes to town. Especially to a small town
like Makeni.
I tried to start
unpacking and quickly realized that I needed some sort of bins or drawers for
my clothes. My room has what is equivalent to a coat rack with an area for
shoes. I have no hangers yet but I did bring my travel clothes line which is
helping. I draped my pants over the rod and then hung the clothes line around
the top. I have shirts in the clips and I've left the dresses in the travel
bags for now. I need to exchange my dollars for leones and to do that I need to
meet up with the Monsignor John D. who is the head of finance at the hospital -
he knows a guy who will give me a fair exchange rate. I guess if I tried to do
it even at the bank, I would be cheated because of my color/nationality. 😕 Until then, I'll make due until we can get what I
need. There's a lovely lady that works at the hospital that will take us
shopping to get what I need as well as a new couch or chairs tomorrow (the ones
in the house have seen better days) after we get back from the Mass at the
Cathedral. Everyone I have met here is so gracious, welcoming and kind. I don't
know how Sally did all of this and figured things out on her own. She said she
looked at it as an adventure, as if she was left on an island and had to figure
out how to make things work. Captain Jack-Sally!! 🏴☠️
I started to
become a little nauseous so I had a small bit of food & water and decided
to take a nap. I felt much better afterwards. I woke up to the smell of food
cooking. Auntie-P was making dinner. She's the nice lady that we employ to help
with food preparation and laundry. I am so grateful again that Sally has this
all set up!
Dinner was great -
chicken, rice, carrots, celery and PLATANOES!! (fried bananas, something I
enjoy alot). As Sally and I were talking about the electricity, how often it
goes out and when, how to pay the bill, etc. It went off, like it was listening
and wanted to give me an example. 😆 Fun fact,
during the dry season (what we're in now) it goes out basically every evening
around 6pm and remains off until after midnight 🥵😭 Needless to say,
I am not fan. We have a rechargeable fan and God bless Sally for letting me use
it in my room when we go to bed or I would never be able to sleep even for a
few hours. She doesn't sleep with her windows open due to concerns about someone
trying to reach in and take whatever is in arms reach. Because of the heat and
no electricity, I moved everything away from the windows and will be leaving
them open. Only Stretch Armstong would be able to reach in far enough to touch
anything! 😆 💪🏼
The rest of the
week:
The Mass was very
nice. When we arrived and were shown to our seats towards the front, there was
music playing. Sally said there's only one level of volume here and that is
“Loud” which definitely was the case that morning. It helped me wake up from
our early morning chaos. I looked over and Sally was giggling quietly. I asked
why she said, “the music”. Then it occurred to me that they were playing old
western spiritual hymns. I hadn't even noticed. She said she had never heard
anything even a little bit similar at any Mass she's been to. It reminded me of
my parents so I was enjoying it. Then they broke out some secular Alan Jackson
music which we both started laughing but sang along! We didn't stay for the
festivities that happened after the Mass.
When we got home
from "shopping" for furniture after meeting up with a local nurse at
the hospital. She's in charge of the women's department (OB/GYN). I don't want
to do that ever again if at all possible! 😳😄 The woman was
wonderful and so nice but we went at the hottest part of the day because we
couldn't get a hold of the driver and other such things that are very normal
here. 😒 She was a lovely person and helped
me buy a trashcan for my bathroom (never realized I would need assistance with
something like that). Amazon has ruined me. I'm not a fan of shopping at
Walmart or any storefront shops, the way we have to shop here is definitely
something I'm going to have to get used to and figure out how to do. I'm not
much of a shopper anyway let alone a bargainer - my son-in-law would agree I do
not know how to haggle - but unless I'm willing to be bled dry, I'm going to
have to learn. Thankfully I was smart and brought a full water bottle and other
possible necessities! I'm pretty sure I was the "whitest" person on
the street in all Makeni that day or possibly ever! 😂 I've included a picture. That neck fan is the best
thing man has ever created!! We weren't able to find furniture for the living
area but Sally got a mattress.
My first days at
the hospital:
We've spent the
last 2 days at the hospital. The driver arrives between 7:40-8:30. Every
Wednesday there is a morning Mass at 8:30 at the hospital but since this
Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the priests will all be busy at the schools. The
Sisters have Mass at 6:30am in their chapel at the compound so that's what we
will be doing. Please Jesus let me sleep tonight. And if not, like my coffee
mug says, “I'll offer it up” - ‘tis the season, right?!. 😁 Oops, electricity just went out. Aww well, whatta
gonna do?
I met too many
people to remember but everyone was so kind and welcoming. I spoke briefly with
Dr. Turay, who is the medical director, very kind human and very personable.
Sister Nora the “Matron” at the hospital (CNO), again very kind and very
welcoming. I met Monsignor John D. who is head of finance, Francis the charge
nurse and SOO MANY other people. The campus is bigger than I expected. There's
a team from the US that arrived and are performing surgeries, and supplying
care and other resources free of charge for people in the area. It's been in
complete chaos with people wandering around everywhere and lined up in the
halls. The US team were anxious to speak with us to see if there was a
possibility that Sally & I might be able to assist if we weren’t needed
elsewhere. Unfortunately we have yet to be able to help them, I hope we get to
before they leave. I’d love to see what and how they do things. I had to apply
for a new visa - this one allows me to stay more than three months and
volunteer at the hospital. I also need to apply for a residency card. We
learned that the cost of this card went from around $20 to over $300 in the
last year. Looks like most governments love to charge for random bureaucratic
paperwork! What sucks is that this is an annual fee. 🙁
There are many
things at the hospital that are very different from our US hospitals,
understandably so. I will NEVER complain about health care in the US ever
again! I won’t go into details right now. I’m still trying to wrap my brain
(and heart) around it all.
I don’t want to
end this with a downer statement so let me share a few other things I’ve
experienced or words of wisdom that people have shared with me. A very sweet
friend was wishing me a happy Lent and referred to my three years here as a
“Three year Lent”. I thought that was very meaningful. I knew this was going to
be difficult and I was going to be WAY out of my comfort zone, but I know God
has my back and He cleared the path for me to be here. Normally we give
something up for Lent or add something to our lives that will bring us closer
to Christ our Lord. I have decided that this mission, my time here and what I
do and don’t do will be my sacrifice for Him and His will for my life. I know
I’m not going to want to play along all the time and I’m sure I may even pout
and possibly throw a temper tantrum in the next three years but I know that I
will be receiving so many blessings and graces through it all. And I pray that
those blessings and graces will overflow to those around me and those I love.
I want to end with
SALLY ROJAS is my HERO!! One of the best and biggest blessings God has given me
thus far!!
Love to you all!
Keep those prayers coming! Sally was a prayer calendar too. Hers is on the
refrigerator, mine is on my Google calendar.
XOXO ~ Kathy
💛
P.S. There are two
dogs on the compound who eat all of our table scraps. And today I learned there
are also two little pups but I haven't seen them yet.
