Site Visit :)

The  past four days I have been spent on site visit meaning I spent the last 4 days in my future home! It was a very exciting and nerve-racking trip to my village as I would be seeing the community, house and school I would be spending  the next two years of my life in.  This is probably the only time in my life I won't have a say in the town I will be working in or the house I will be living so as you can imagine I was a little nervous as the station wagon pulled to a stop in the center of town and my house was pointed out to me (oh and can I just mention that we fit 11 people into a station wagon for this journey..) Fortunately though I had nothing to be nervous about.  I absolutely love my village and my house.  My house is brand new ( i'm  pretty sure I am the first person living in it) and very spacious.  I have a bedroom, a  guestroom, a storage room, and a nice open parlor/dining room.  It is awesome.  It has big windows so it is very well lit during the day.  And as I said there is plenty of space so if anyone wants to visit I have room for you :) The house is almost like a duplex . I have one side of it and someone else lives on the other side but we have different front and back doors so although I am in the center of town and surrounded by people I can also  have plenty of privacy if I so choose.  The back opens up into a compound (shared yard type area) with the cooking area and the latrine. Chelsea's house is at the edge of the town but since it is a small town it is only like a 5 minute walk from mine.  After this visit I have decided that I am very grateful to have another Volunteer in town with me. Although I loved Fadugu, it was comforting to have someone else I was able to relate to and share the ups and downs with during this fairly overwhelming trip. 

Everyone in Fadugu was very nice and hospitable.  I really enjoyed my time spent there and am looking forward to moving there in just over a month.  We met all the chiefs and elders and many other community members. They were al very receptive and thankful to have received two Peace Corps volunteers.  There is one main road in the town with little shops but I will definitely need to either go to Kabala or Makeni to buy some things (like laughing cow cheese and  ketchup haha) But it is a nice size and beautiful.  It is surrounded by hills and forest so the view is amazing.  My school is pretty far away from my house (it is literally in the bush aka African Wilderness) but I love it. I think it will be a relaxing place to work and a good study environment for the children.  They are still working on the school but are trying to get it ready in time for school to start in September.  It is basically done it just needs the floors and chalkboards and some other things to be finished up.  There are only 3 classrooms and an office though so I am still a bit confused about how the schedule is going to work since it sounds like there several classes of students and 12 teachers.. but i guess it will just work on a rotation of sorts??  haha

This leads me to talk about my potential teaching schedule.  While Peace Corps suggests we start small and work our way up, my supervisor seems pretty set on making the most of my two years there haha. Which I think I may actually prefer since I'm not one to enjoy idle time.  Peace Corps recommends we dont start with more than 15 periods a week but considering each period is only 40 minutes, I agree with my supervisor that I could probably do a bit more.  He also, wants me to branch out beyond math though which is what makes me a little nervous but I told him as long as he has the book for me I can probably handle teaching any subject at the middle school level.. So i went from being a math teacher volunteer to probably teaching math and something else like home economics or physical health and education haha.. I am actually very excited to start teaching though and am looking forward to the start of summer school.  Summer school starts next week and lasts 3 weeks during which time I will be teaching two class periods a day. 

Okay so getting away from site visit.. some people mentioned they wanted to know a bit more about life in Sierra Leone  (Salone as is is called here) in general.  Well where to start.. Life in Sierra Leone is about as far from life in the U.S. as you can get in the world. I went from living in the wealthiest country in the world to a country that has been hovering around the bottom 5 in terms of wealth for the last several years.  Needless to say I have had some adjusting to do.  First of all, a good portion of the country goes without electricity and running water (I have neither in my home in Makeni nor at site) Those that do have electricity get it from a generator meaning it is fairly inconsistent.  Also, it is crazy for me to think that just 10 years ago this country was still in one of the most brutal, devasting civil wars in history.  During site visit I was given a book about a man's experience during the war that took place in Fadugu (my village) and it was so odd reading about how the village was repeatedly destroyed and people were massacred in the place that I am currently living.  It is very difficult to wrap my mind around this and to think that everyone I meet was affected by the war and most of the people I know and become friends with or work with had family/friends die during the war.  It is  something that I am still struggling to grasp since  it is so different from my own life experience.  Despite the war though people are very hospitable and   warm.  There is no violence between tribes or ethnic groups nor is there violence between religions.  It is just a very interesting place and I look forward to learning more and sharing it with you.

Okay well my internet time is running out so that is all for now! Love and miss you all but don't worry I am enjoying my time here and am being well cared for!