Kenema

Kenema is our favorite city so far...it has all of the convenience of a big city, but the feel/pace of a more rural town. Everything is sold in its own section of the city, whether it be school uniforms, bread, kebabs, dudes on the street waiting to change money, rainbarrels, etc. In Kenema we stay with Patrick, one of the WWOOF coordinators, and his "extended family," which he chuckles about every time he introduces his 20 plus kids who live at his place or come around to play all day. 

 

Patrick and his kitten eat dinner after coming home from work. It is common for men to wear boxers and a tank top as their "relax" outfit when they return home. 

Some of the kids help us carry our treated water back from the well.

His house is in the suburbs and is surrounded by farms and has a very safe and friendly neighborhood vibe. At night we look up at the stars, see the moon reflected off the water, and watch the lightning bugs flutter around us. During the day, we play Sierra Leone games that the kids teach us. One is a complicated versions of the opposite of "monkey-in-the-middle"...you are try not to be hit by the people on either side throwing the ball at you as you try to flip over bottle caps, flipflops, or whatever else you have at your disposal. When they hit you, they yell, "Toast!"  It is really fun!

Matt teaches some of the kids how to make an oragami crane

Some kids teach Matt useful Mende phrases. We will need these when we get to Daru.

Some randomn thoughts/observations:

The best coconuts in the world are found in Kenema.

A typical breakfast here is fried cassava (similar to sweet potato) and plantains and fish with speghetti.

One night, the power came on at midnight, so all the kids woke up and watched a movie.

There are lots of Albinos in Sierra Leone; so far we've seen probably 15.

Two things are found in abundance here: mango trees and school children!

Matt helps plant some crain-crain seeds in the garden.