As promised earlier (and not plagiarized) – Sierra Leone History part II

Politically, since independence in 1961, Sierra Leone has experienced ‘democratic’ elections, one-party rule, multi-party rule, military coups, and civil war. Financially, it was during the 1960’s & 1970’s that Sierra Leone was in its glory. The people were prospering, cities and towns were scattered with first class hotels and guest houses hosting multitudes of wealthy Europeans…beaches littered with tourists coming to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and warm hospitality …oh yes Sierra Leone was a treasure to behold…so much so that foreign exploitation of resources – particularly diamonds - lured many to this land in search of their fortunes. (Diamond exploitation did begin much earlier during British rule, was a primary factor in fuelling the civil war and continues today to be a major cause of government corruption) As usual with an abundance of wealth comes an abundance of corruption and Sierra Leone was no exception! The government and foreign ‘investors’ being the main perpetrators in it’s rapid decline from country of abundance to what the UN repeatedly listed as the ‘worst country’ in the world in which to live. In three short decades since independence, Sierra Leone found itself sunk into a bloody civil war that would last over a decade.

To summarize this country’s recent history into a few short lines is near impossible…years of corrupt government and mismanaged resources left the country ripe for rebel abuse. It is not in the scope of this writing to offer an extended overview, argument, or explanation of the 10 year long civil war…what I will offer is a brief account of general abuses, survival strategies, and Sierra Leone’s current situation.
Kailahun, in the far east of the country (Freetown – the capital – is in the extreme west) is where the rebels began their terrorizing – raping women, looting homes, threatening young & old, stealing young boys drugging them and teaching them how to kill - abuse of all sorts was rampant – little girls as ‘bush wives’, little boys as ‘child soldiers’, pregnant women having their stomachs sliced open, anyone at risk to have their hands and arms chopped off – your choice ‘short or long’ they would ask before they took a machete to you…this went on for over 10 years…in time they moved all over the countryside.
In the northern province in the city of Makeni (the poorest area in all of Sierra Leone) the rebels took over the military base where supplies and ammunition was in large supply…they terrorized without discretion first in the city then when they got bored they moved into the surrounding villages…as one friend tells me, “when the rebels came into the city they began destroying everything – we were staying my uncles home at the time…then my parents moved us to a village about 15km away – there we spent two weeks…when the rebels came into the villages my parents were smart and we moved out into the bush…we stayed there for one week then we got word it was okay for us to move to the capital (Freetown)…we walked for two weeks where our brothers met us at a bridge outside Freetown and brought us into the city where we stayed for a few weeks until we could return to our fathers house in the North, my uncles house had been completely destroyed”
They were some of the lucky ones…over 50 000 innocent people were killed during the war, many more lost limbs, and everyone was a victim. Nowhere in Sierra Leone was left untouched, buildings in the capital looted than burned, homes raided and used as slaughter houses, people beaten and killed in the streets, bombs dropped randomly in communities…it was every person for themselves, you could only pray to God that you and your family would survive and that this horror would end…then one day it did end…after 10 long years of civil war the terror ceased and the people rejoiced - grateful for their lives, troubled by the task of rebuilding.
But rebuild they have or at least it has begun…Sierra Leone is a very special place – abundant in beauty and natural resources…despite years of government abuse, poor living conditions, and a civil war Sierra Leonean's continue to smile, continue to laugh, they look to their future with hopeful glances, praying for good governance and proper management of their resources, desiring better education and a chance to use their skills...they want the world to recognized them again, not because of civil war and the abuse suffered, but for the promise that is held here in this little nation on the west coast of Africa – oh the potential! Sweet…Sweet…Sierra Leone.

Freetown: City of Stars

I have come to feel great love for this ‘city of stars’…with no lights at night the moon illuminates your path while the stars guide your way. Freetown has definitely grown on me with her little treasures here & there…from the beauty of the oceanfront and those magnificent cotton trees to the vendors walking up and down the street with the goodies they carry on their heads – like those tasty sesame sticks and the plantain chips I’ve become quite fond of. I booked my flight home today – June 26 – I feel great sadness when I think of this day coming – while sitting in a ‘western style’ café this afternoon I began to think of returning ‘home’ and what this means…for the first time in all my journeys these last few years I am not ready to move on – however I understand that in order for my being to fully integrate these past few months of experiences and take with me the lessons I needed to be given home is where I must go…It is going to take awhile for this girl to process this ‘trip’ already I know everything has changed. I have planted myself in a different vibration and now found myself a new rhythm…

Everything in this universe has a rhythm - from the spin of the earth and the cycles of the moon to the breath we take and the words I write. How many times have you jumped into an experience you had only imagined in your mind - stepped out of your usual vibration to resonate with a brand new rhythm. I read today how the measure of our creativity isn’t necessarily about how well we may draw a picture or sing a song - rather it is about how creatively we live our life. People often underestimate the challenge that living a creative life demands…it requires you to step into the unknown without a guide – life asks you to take part instead of shying back into your ‘safe space’ where your world is predictable and known…living a creative life means exploring vast potentials and finding an expression for what you discover.

Ohh Sweet Africa…she has seduced me with her rhythm…any time you initially enter a new space your being experiences a sensation of new vibrations you become engaged by its rhythm –– stimulating you and causing you to feel a sense of euphoria (possibly mixed with anxiety and slight nausea depending on how intense) this excitement reminds you your alive…at the very least. But after a time that initial feeling goes away & it sinks in that this rhythm that once ‘woke you up’ is not what resonates with you at all – you are not in harmony – worse you aren’t even in the same key…and then ‘reality’ hits or should I say ‘culture shock’ happens – vibing with this new rhythm may take awhile...but it can happen if you let go enough to lose yourself in it. The more chances we take the more we cultivate our rhythm and the greater our potential for creating those infinite harmonies…and what a harmony I have begun to create.

My Sweet Salone…we have only just begun to resonate. Freetown has captivated me…Sierra Leone has swept me up in her rhythm and I am thoroughly addicted – or should I say absorbed by her vibration…it seems as if we have only begun our dance and I must leave before the song is over****city of stars****like Cinderella at the stroke of midnight – maybe I too will be sure to leave my glass slipper behind…

An Ode to Bob

Today - May 11 - in Sierra Leone is Bob Marley Day - (as some of you may or may not know Freetown was a settlement for many freed slaves in the late 19th century, many of whom came from Jamaica and traveled through Nova Scotia settled around the old cotton tree and founded Freetown) It was on this day over a quarter century ago Bob Marley came and performed in Freetown - since this time May 11 has been used as a day of celebration to honour Bob Marley his music and his messages of justice, hope, peace and ‘one love’. While much of his music speaks to these issues I would like to share with you a song I believe says it all…

War

Until the philosophy which old one rates superior and another------------ inferior
Is finally----------- and permanently----------- discredited------ and abandoned
Well, everywhere is war
Until there is no longer first class and second class citizens of any nation
Until the colour of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes
Me say war
That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race
Well there’s a war
That until that day the dream of lasting peace---------- world citizenship------------ rule of international morality---- will remain in but a fleeting illusion to be pursued------------ but never attained
Now everywhere is war…me say war

I hope you find the time today to think about these words…to look inside of you and outside of you – to challenge those who believe they deserve more because of geography or history or worse the colour of their skin…we are beyond autonomy within our borders – we are global citizens capable of unifying and uplifting all – or isolating ourselves and destroying everyone - with privilege comes responsibility…are you being responsible?

Mysterious Universe

Well I guess I have been giving Freetown, Sierra Leone a bit of a bad rap lately mostly due to the intense ‘culture shock’ I have encountered since my arrival – this place feels like the exact opposite of everything I have ever known, yet at the same time its beginning to feel somehow familiar…the universe has strange ways of giving you what you need and for me it always seems to take me to ‘crazy’ first - then reveal its plan. To be quite honest I daily question my purpose here…cause what I came here for is in no way what I have been doing, but something inside me says not to be discouraged…take it all in…let my mind/body/soul/spirit – experience everything - absorb it all…envision the unlimited potentials…trust there is a greater plan unfolding then I can currently recognize.
Wow! Way easier said then done though…once again I find myself wondering what’s next? What am I to do upon my return to Canada? Have I been too passive in carving my own path, believing too much in the power of the universe to lead me and take care of me instead of focusing and dedicating myself to narrowly pursuing specific goals? I frequently find myself in this position - entering into the darkness of the ‘Moon’ - a place where we wait with little awareness of our destiny…our only comfort is instinct reminding us that we will – like the moon - emerge into the light…our path illuminated once more. Kinda like walking around Freetown I guess, you just learn to live in the dark most the time…relying on your instinct, stepping carefully, and trusting you will make it down the path even if you can’t see it.

Independence day

In honour of Sierra Leone Independence day – April 27, 2006 – the following is a brief history of Sierra Leone courtesy of a source I cannot recount…soon to come will be a more recent history I didn’t entirely plagiarize…following this brief tale I will give a short explanation of the celebrations in Freetown to honour Independence Day.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF SIERRA LEONE – European Contact to Independence
European contacts with Sierra Leone were among the first in West Africa. In 1652, the first slaves in North America were brought from Sierra Leone to the Sea Islands off the coast of the southern United States. During the 1700s there was a thriving trade bringing slaves from Sierra Leone to the plantations of South Carolina and Georgia where their rice-farming skills made them particularly valuable.
In 1787 the British helped 400 freed slaves from the United States, Nova Scotia, and Great Britain return to Sierra Leone to settle in what they called the "Province of Freedom." Disease and hostility from the indigenous people nearly eliminated the first group of returnees. This settlement was joined by other groups of freed slaves and soon became known as Freetown. In 1792, Freetown became one of Britain's first colonies in West Africa.
Thousands of slaves were returned to or liberated in Freetown. Most chose to remain in Sierra Leone. These returned Africans--or Krio as they came to be called--were from all areas of Africa. Cut off from their homes and traditions by the experience of slavery, they assimilated some aspects of British styles of life and built a flourishing trade on the West African coast.
The colonial history of Sierra Leone was not placid. The indigenous people mounted several unsuccessful revolts against British rule and Krio domination. Most of the 20th century history of the colony was peaceful, however, and independence was achieved without violence. Independence came in April 1961.



Celebrating Independence
On the evening before Independence Day thousands, upon thousands, upon thousands of individuals descend upon areas of the city to take part in the Lantern Festival – a parade of floats made by & representing different communities. These Lanterns are then marched to the centre of town in what can only be described as pure chaos…this event is known as being rowdy, rough, and rather unsafe, but a good time if your up for it (kinda like being in a traveling mosh pit). There is no security and it is each man/woman for them self as the Lanterns are paraded all through the night into the morning. For safety reasons I could only sit on my doorstep and watch as primarily youth began their journey to the local meeting point choosing instead to celebrate independence day (during the following day) in the more tame environment of the National Stadium where sports – track & field – took place in the day followed by a football game (Sierra Leone vs. Guinea) in the evening…happily Sierra Leone defeated Guinea 1-0.

45 years and still figuring it out…Happy Independence Sierra Leone!

A Day in the Life – part II

Well we’ve been through traffic and garbage removal here in Freetown, Sierra Leone, now let’s go into the home and discuss two daily duties - cooking and bathing. Cooking here is primarily done by the women...the journey usually begins with a trip to the local market – although for a greater selection one must travel downtown – after acquiring your daily goods (remember no electricity means no fridges means shopping everyday) you return home and start preparing to cook…this includes lighting your stove – a cylinder shaped cement object that you place coals in (unless you haven’t the privilege of affording a stove and coals then you would cook over a wood fire) most people do their cooking outside as their homes do not contain a space to cook indoors - although my family does cook inside where there is space between floors in the stairwell. Once your fire is lit the daily meat/fish is steamed or fried while the rice is sifted through to remove stones then placed on the stove to cook (we have two stoves here – but we also have about 15 mouths to feed). While this is going on the sauce is prepared, this can vary from a sauce made with oil, greens, and spices, to a peanut sauce, to a tomato like gravy with onions – everything spicy hot! The meat/fish that began cooking on its own is then cooked with the daily sauce…once the rice is finished cooking it is then distributed amongst various dishes – each member of the family having their own dish – then the sauce is distributed beginning with the parents getting the majority of the meat/fish followed in order by the eldest getting the next greatest amount of protein down to the youngest who will get maybe one bite sized piece of meat or fish (although no one other than the parents really get much more than that). This repeats each day. In my home the children are lucky… they get rice and sauce (no protein) in the morning, and then once again in the afternoon they are given a meal like what I just described - being fed twice a day makes them better fed then most the children in this neighbourhood, actually in the whole country.

Now let’s discuss bathing…it is a pretty simple ritual here. Being there is no real running water in the homes (most homes here are made out of tin roofs – never mind indoor plumbing – in this case a more communal outhouse-like structure to bathe in would be used) and even in my home made with concrete walls and new plumbing there is not enough water pressure to send the water up to my second floor room…so the ritual begins by filling a bucket with water from a larger tub of water stored in my room (I am being pretty spoiled, no one else in our home has their own washroom other than the parents – and we live well off compared to most people in our community) – everything is room temperature…never hot water, never cold water…using a smaller cup I pour the water over myself, which usually is a welcome relief to my body after being in the hothothot African sun, but not always…then I proceed as usual using soap, shampoo etc. and when I am ready I once again pour water over myself until I am all shiny and new**** Washing has become a ritual I look forward to each day…I don’t quite know if its to get relief from the heat…partially, but there is something peaceful to this quality of washing…maybe it’s the time to myself, maybe its knowing I’m only using a bucket of water to clean and feel good about not being wasteful…no matter - what I do know is that each day I look forward to pouring that cool water over my body…taking some time to be with just me reminding myself to feel thankful for the abundance I have.

THE CAT WHO CAME INDOORS

Once upon a time, there was a cat, a wild cat, who lived all by herself out in the bush. After a while she got tired of living alone and took herself a husband, another wild cat who she thought was the finest creature in all the jungle.
One day, as they strolled together along the path through the tall grass, swish, out of the grass jumped Leopard, and Cat’s husband was bowled over, all fur and claws, into the dust.
“O-oh!” said Cat. “I see my husband is covered in dust and is not the finest creature in all the jungle. It is Leopard.” So Cat went to live with Leopard.
They lived together very happily until one day, as they were hunting in the bush, suddenly—whoosh—out of the shadows leapt Lion right onto Leopard’s back and ate him all up.
“O-o-oh!” said Cat. “I see Leopard is not the finest creature in all the jungle. It is Lion.”
So Cat went to live with Lion.
They lived together very happily until one day, as they were stalking through the forest, a large shape loomed overhead, and –fu-chu—Elephant put one foot on top of Lion and squashed him flat.
“O-o-o-oh!” said Cat. “I see Lion is not the finest creature in all the jungle. It is Elephant.”
So Cat went to live with Elephant. She climbed up onto his back and sat purring on his neck, right between his two ears.
The lived together happily until one day, as they were moving through the tall reeds down by the river—pa-wa—there was a loud bang, and Elephant sank down onto the ground.
Cat looked around and all she could see was a small man with a gun.
“O-o-o-o-oh!” said Cat. “I see Elephant is not the finest creature in all the jungle. It is Man.”
So Cat walked after Man all the way to his home, and jumped up onto the thatch of his hut.
“At last,” said Cat, “I have found the finest creature in all the jungle.”
She lived up in the thatch of the hut very happily and began to catch the mice and rats that lived in that village. Until one day, as she sat on the roof warming herself in the sun, she heard a noise from inside the hut. The voices of Man and his wife grew louder and louder until—wara-wara-wara…yo-we! —out came Man, tumbling head over heels into the dust.
“Aha!” said Cat. “Now I do know who is truly the finest creature in all the jungle. It is Woman.”
She came down from the thatch, went inside the hut, and sat by the fire.
And that is where she’s been ever since.

A Shona story from Zimbabwe explaining how cats became cherished inhabitants of human homes. - I always knew cats were clever animals! =)

A Day in the Life

As many can tell from my recent entries I am on the mend - body, mind, and soul. I figured this may be a good time to talk about day-to-day life here in the ‘world’s poorest country’. Maybe you have been wondering how a city built for 300, 000 but hosting over one million people functions without electricity, paved roads or even garbage pick up – well to be quite honest the best it can! Traffic is left up to each motor vehicle operator to get where their going - left turns through 2 lanes of traffic and all! (no electricity means no traffic lights)…at a handful of intersections throughout the city there are traffic wardens directing traffic but maneuvering through the hoards – and I mean hoards – of pedestrians makes everyday seem like the most crowded day at Stampede (for those of you familiar with Calgary’s ‘greatest show on earth’) and you have the privilege of driving right through the middle of it…honking your horn as a means of communicating…few rules – no enforcement of them…proceed at your own discretion.
Public transit – although it’s a private industry – consists of two modes of transport: 1. Cars – like taxicabs - but who pick up people along the way, ideally as many as their car will fit, and who go to designate places only not wherever you wish, usually traveling short distances. 2. Vans – like Volkswagen vans – these travel more specific routes, picking up people along the way, but traveling greater distances to key drop off and pick up points. It is common to see as many as 7 people in a small sized economy car and as many as 15 people traveling in a van. A few main roads in the city are paved, but the majority of ‘side roads’ – although one time paved – have degenerated into a condition 4x4 and SUV’s were made for and even then you’d be putting your vehicle through quite a workout.
Garbage is another great problem in this city…there are no city mechanisms in place for garbage collection, so garbage is thrown out into the streets constantly, any time I wish to dispose of something I just throw it off my balcony onto the street below, mind you about a one minute walk away from me (and these are ‘littered’ – don’t mind the pun haha - throughout various communities) is a big burning pile of garbage that burns day and night – when the wind blows from a certain direction I have the privilege of smelling burning garbage right in the comfort of my home – no worries though most garbage is still just thrown in the streets and not on the smoldering pile. About a week ago was national ‘clean up day’…years ago one of the former military governments declared a national clean up day (monthly I think) although this has not been in practice for some time…the current government declared last Saturday to be a ‘clean up day’ all work stopped for the morning the military was out to monitor and enforce the governments declaration – apparently there was an investment forum going on and Freetown was expecting investors from all over to descend upon the city (so the government insisted the city be cleaned up before their arrival – which was a good idea in my opinion cause this city is filthy). However due to the governments lack of resources – or should I say mismanagement of resources – many communities sat with giant piles of garbage on their streets blocking traffic etc. until trucks were able to come and clear away the garbage to a burning pile of trash near you!
I hope this satisfies any curious readers…there are many more ‘day to day’ activities I could speak of but I’ll save those for another entry…please feel free to send me questions or curiosities about any of the daily happenings here in the City of Freetown! Peacelove&cleanstreets

Comin’ in from the cold…

Spring has begun (for those of you with four seasons)…it is a time for planting the seeds of our imaginations, understanding what we wish to manifest in the coming months and taking the necessary action to see our intentions materialize in the world…As the rivers thaw and the trees begin to bloom…so too it is time for us to allow our winter dreams to melt, and blossom into our lives.
Each and every year we go through a process of renaissance, we awaken from our winter slumber with fresh ideas, seeds of vision to be planted in the fertile grounds of our reality…it is important to take this time to remember your passions, discarding what is no longer useful to you, creating the space necessary for new growth.
After time spent in hibernation we awake from our cold slumber to find the world around us beginning to show the signs of rebirth, so too is that a signal for us to begin our process of rebirth…a garden full of weeds will not yield our desired harvest...careful attention, wise discretion, gentle nurturing, and continued persistence are what is needed to make the garden of our dreams grow.

Plant your seeds today for the fruits of your tomorrow!

“Seems I can’t deny…some days just don’t feel right…but I think I feel, I feel much better…”

I believe very strongly that one will only fall ill when their spirit is weak…my spirit has been weak these last few days. I have been ill for over a week now and am only beginning to feel better. I’m not quite sure my spirit was strong enough for Freetown…I am being tested; given strength through my weakness I have no doubt, each moment presenting me with a challenge…from the constant heat of the day and the mosquitoes in the night (oohhh…they love my blood) to the lack of variety/nutrition in my diet and the overwhelming crowds of people ever present anywhere you go…it has been tough on me, spoiled western girl that I am.
However, one must know down to know up. My warrior self is being tested and I am feeling stronger and more determined moment by moment – my first month here has shown me beauty and potential, as well as conflict and struggle…to leave one of the richest countries in the world and land in one of the poorest is a journey on the flipside - of course my spirit became weak – you cannot prepare for a journey like this, you can only live it and that’s what I have chosen to do – LIVE IT.
This is a journey I asked to walk, each step…taking me further away from my original vision, each step…taking me closer to unimagined destinations…I do not know where this path leads and I choose not to ask knowing that as I walk each step I am leading myself into my future…a world of unlimited potentials! These moments of weakness my spirit feels…will become my strength.

Stuck somewhere between Babylon and Zion…

“These streets remind me of quicksand…when your running you keep going down, and there is no one to hold on to and there is no one to pull you out – you keep on falling, no one can hear you calling…so you end up self-destructing” – Living in the Ghetto

A week no water, no electricity, and a fuel shortage meaning no power for the generator– a luxury item around these parts and our only ‘reliable’ source of electricity run nightly for about 3 hours. Boys fighting at a local football game and a public ‘flogging’- a community supported and encouraged beating (by the local authorities) of a youth caught stealing…not to mention the ‘flogging’ of children in schools as a tool of discipline…reality here - in the ‘ghetto’.

Numerous accusations of ‘jinni’ – dark magic frequently used in Sierra Leone particularly between competing wives and girlfriends…uneducated young women as economic refugees to their older unappreciative husbands…a man having more wives and children than he can care for properly making it near impossible to feed and school them adequately.

An attitude that encourages dishonest dealings, sneaky behaviour and the belief that you must take all you can before anyone else gets it…creating a culture of selfishness, corruption, and paranoia. Discipline through fear and order through chaos – a society that believes more in darkness then in light where the emphasis is on waiting to be saved, rather than seeking salvation from within.

Life in Sierra Leone will not change until the minds of the people change. ‘Reality’ is what we think it is…as Buddha states “with our thoughts alone we can change the world” until this is understood, this ‘ghetto’ will continue to be stuck somewhere between Babylon and Zion.

the village called Mapaki

We travelled to the northern province yesterday to visit the Paramount Chief of Mapaki and give him much needed medicines. The village hosts 3000 inhabitants who have worked very hard to rebuild their devestated village following the removal of the rebels. Upon our arrival we were greeted by the women and men in the village dancing, singing, and celebrating our arrival (though my first thought was that we were interupting a celebration until i realized it was our coming that they were celebrating!) This beautiful village is one of the poorest villages in the poorest province in one of the poorest countries in the world. Of 3000 members more than 2000 are suffering from TB (tuberclerosis), and many are losing they vision to what they call river blindness. They have rebuilt their medical clinic, yet it sits empty, there are no beds, no electricity, limited clean water, one nurse, & no medical supplies (except the suitcase full we brought). If a member of their community nees to go to the hospital they are carried in a makeshift hammock 6 miles to the next major village where they can then get a ride 35miles to the hospital in the main town of Makeni. They are blessed with a very progressive chief who does his best to look after his people and not just himself. The chief has asked us to procure their village a vehicle (which i will find a way to do) so they may treat transport their sick in a humanely manner...these are people whose lives deseve at the very least to be treated as such. Besides a vehicle they desperatly need beds for their sick who must lay on the ground in an empty room - even women must give birth on the ground - a disadvantage no person should have to bear.
Upon leaving this village i know i am to return at a later date and work with the healers and nurse in this village - this is what i came for. The Cheif has invited me back to work with his healers and my heart cannot refuse. I am a healer and know my presence alone will lift the spirits of these people whom the world seems to have forgotten...we are hope to these people who have sufferred in ways many cannot even imagine...and I will answer Spirits call and offer myself to them - it is the very least i can do. MANYBLESSINGS*****

a piece of paradise

Where does one begin to explain a place that seems a thousand worlds away? As I sit here watching people, cars, motorbikes, and chickens stroll up and down what would barely pass as a road by western standards, I can’t help but feel as though I’ve stumbled across a piece of undiscovered paradise. The beauty of the land…mango & banana trees, untouched beaches, and the most beautiful people I have ever seen makes Freetown’s potential enormous! These are Freetown’s gifts, but there are many challenges. One only has to get off the plane and journey into the airport (which looks more like a small town bus depot – despite the fact it is an international airport servicing a city of 1 million) to understand this country needs development. The war is over and the rebuilding has begun, the people are looking to their future, they are not living in the past…yet the city is still without a stable source of electricity, water is not always running, and there are far more people here than what the infrastructure can accommodate. Unemployment is high, pay is low, and change is slow. This city, this country needs to be able to support itself…as the NRA (national revenue agency) slogan goes…’independence, means no dependence’(although this slogan is meant to get people to pay their taxes). Sierra Leone is ready to join the world, isolation has been too long and its time for the people of Sierra Leone to manage themselves and show the world the true beauty they posses.
One of my primary objectives here is to see that the people of S.L. have an opportunity to receive computer training because as we all know computers and the internet are freedom in this world and to be without those skills means isolation. However many challenges face this objective, computers are expensive which is why we have been working very hard through a program called ‘Computers for Schools – Sierra Leone’ to provide institutions computers for free. (for more info please refer to the IPSI link on this page) Our first placement of 200 computers – from Canada – was very well received and we have been successful in placing them in various schools across the country (primarily in teachers colleges as teachers must know how to use computers in order to teach their students about them) unfortunately due to the lack of electricity these institutions are still without the adequate means to power the computer (our next phase – to find donors who can help us provide generators so these schools may be equipped to run the computers) We have received very positive feedback from the government here and support for our project is strong, however resources are still scarce.
Education is everything, it is empowerment, it is the opportunity to fulfill potential…a potential this paradise is ready to step into.

to relax my mind so i can be free...

for all my relations,
all of you whose spirit i carry, whose essence i have osmossed, whose gifts i have recieved...thank you for being your best you **** golden birds****spiritual warriors****fellow soul rebels********

many blessings onelove****

wow did someone say sierra leone?

here i go...my very first blog. i'd have to say in a perfect world i would have someone doing this computer stuff for me - my vision for what i would like to create far surpasses my skills at creating it, oh well one day...(by the way any hints, tips, or anything to make this as easy as possible is greatly appreciated)

Countdown...departure time to Sierra Leone - 13 more sleeps...i can't say that i'm overly anxious or nervous, rather it feels like a natural progression, to be honest i think my spirit is in Freetown already - my body just needs to catch up!****I'm down to taking my last immunization tonight (this carbonated raspberry tasting stuff that is suppose to prevent cholera & travelers diarrhea- lets hope!) i have yet to form an opinion on whether or not i believe in immunizations - my real curiosity lies in the claim that if they are soooo necessary for me why not for the people of Sierra Leone? Now I don't need anyone to explain to me the *Politics of it - misdirected power and a few $$$$$$ pretty much sums that up...but what i do feel is infecting myself with disease to prevent disease seems a little absurd...is this a holistic approach, like homoeopathy -you know, like treating like? maybe? hopefully one day someone with a little more knowledge on this topic will be able to enlighten me.