so it doesn't take you too long to suffer wade through,
Yay!
Uh.... I mean... glad for the update!
(Seriously. I
am glad for the update.
)
this update brings us up to just after lunch... Enjoy!!
You're serving us lunch while we read? Nice!
Here is a map of the locations we traveled to this day so you can get oriented: (We went from Mayola, to Masiaka, to Port Loko and back. The river we crossed is right where the distance cloud is.)
Thanks for that. Now I can put it into perspective.
the Provincial capitol city of Port Loko.
Huh...
Sierra Leone is about half the size of Maine.... but has Provinces.
Huh. (again)
All my dreams of seeing mud huts with thatched roofs were now a reality with mile after mile of tiny villages dotting the grassy landscape.
Glad you got some touristing in with your work.
I was also pretty excited to come across the 8-foot high termite hill. Yes, even those are a real thing!!!
Kinda gives me the heebie jeebies. Wouldn't want to step on or kick one accidentally.
Maybe nothing would happen.... I don't wanna find out.
What I did not enjoy was the total lack of safety of both the driver and the highway infrastructure.
One is bad enough... put them
both together and.......
You’d think after years of living with terrible roads and worse drivers, I’d be “used to it”, but that is not the case.
No. I find that as we get older, we get
less used to it.
I think one never really becomes accustomed to the possibility of dying in a foreign country.
You'd think you would!
"Yay! I almost died in a foreign country! Just like old times!!"
our driver backed into one of her fences and tore off the driver’s side fender
Inspiring confidence (and leaving parts) wherever he goes.
my confidence wavered even more.
You don't say!
Don’t worry, fences can be easily mended.
Sure! They're built out of spare fender parts that are lying all over the place.
Pretty.
fake cheese for breakfast.
That stuff is everywhere. Spreads like.... Ebola.
But more lethal.
I wasn’t all that hungry anyway as hoping you will stay alive takes a fair amount of one’s appetite away.
Well, I'm glad you made it back home in one piece.
the driver thought he could fit. The wheels slipped off the edge and the folks standing in the back fell out as the truck tumbled over the side.
No guardrails!
Gorgeous!
Being that it is a single lane crossing, we had to wait for our direction’s turn.
Been there. When I was a kid my parents used to take me to a family friend's cottage. We had to cross a river on a single lane bridge. Had to wait a few times.
Eventually, we made it to our destination of the Provincial Ministry of Health Offices where we would be meeting with the Minister of Health. Little more than a dog and pony show in order for him to flex his official muscles, we presented our intentions and asked for his “blessing” to give our seminars on health education. It took an hour to: 1) be "pre-screened by a Jr. Officer, 2) find him and, 3) wait for his official invitation into his office. After the requisite questions and “just enough” display of skepticism and reluctance on his part in order to show who really had the final authority, he gave us his permission to proceed and told us he’d be sending his representative to "oversee our work". We kissed the ring and moved on. (Because, when else would $75,000 worth of goods ever come to his province unless there’s an active Ebola outbreak?) I will leave the ponderings about how anything happens at all in this sort of system to yourselves.
"Oh, the minister can't see us now? Of course. We understand. We were going to leave one of these new Toyotas with him as a gift, but we'll go to the next village and do it there. Bye!"
Speaking of which, let’s talk about Ebola for a bit, shall we?
Must we?
I honestly don’t know if you knew I was headed for the literal "Ebola-Central" on this trip. Ground Zero.
I did
not know that! Holy crap, Liesa!!
If you've ever read "The Hot Zone", you know what I'm talking about.
No, sorry. Haven't.
To give a little perspective… first of all, the fatality rates for EVD are about 50% on average and, depending on where you are and the supportive care available, it ranges from 20%-90%.
I knew it was bad... but up to 90%????
Every week 10-30 people from EVERY single village surrounding Port Loco , Mayola, and Masiaka died. Every village. Every week. For about 6 weeks. 42 days. There was not one family spared from having at least one orphan.
Wow. Just... no words. Minimum 60 people dead in each village.
Now defunct of their former uses, they sit as a storage place for equipment no longer used to battle the horrors of this tragic disease.
Hoping they
never get used again (for that purpose.)
While not proven, it is suspected that its origins are from handling monkey meat. But, we’ll get to that….
Okay.... erk.
Business all taken care of, we piled into our car, which amusingly still had our convoy placard on it, unscathed by drizzle and wipers,
One tough sign. Not going down without a fight!
The oppressive heat had already sapped my energy allotment for the day, and the sickness I’d been harboring for the last few days rendered my voice barely audible.
We pondered quietly as our hosts told us of its leaking roof which forced the children to squat in mud for their lessons.
Holy cow. I can't even. Squat in the mud to go to school??? What the hell?
But first, they would like to hire someone to build benches. I cannot even imagine.
Nor can I.
And you were there.
Beautiful, colorful clothes!
(Fried chicken, fries and fried plantain- are you seeing a trend here...?)
Looks pretty good. And yes... I see a trend towards plates with handles.
Was this your portion? Or a portion for sharing?
I know it's already been said, but I too thought of "before and after".
Then I thought....
"Excuse me? I'm looking for my wife? Did you happen to....
what's on your plate?!?!?!"
Next time, I’ll pick it up with our little outdoor classroom wherein 30 or so Community Health Workers learned about First Aid and Hand Hygiene
Looking forward to more!
and the US Nurses get one-upped by their students. 
Really! Can't wait to hear how!
The first chapter is written, but am a bit slower with photos. Soon though, k?
, commented on the hurricane-force winds blowing outside, and began to plan our Disney Monday. I can’t speak for the others, but I left looking EXACTLY like this:
My cousin nailed it...it's like having 2 wild toddlers. 
