Three Weeks In

Well I reached the three week mark yesterday and I have to say that its going good here for me physically and mentally. I have not been sick or ill at all since arriving and have eaten some food on this trip that I never have before. My kerosene cooker is still working well and I have a combination of coffee, an omelet, and hash browns or fries every morning. Typically we will eat one other meal per day at about 3-4 just after finishing work and I have hired a cook to do all of the cooking for the boys and she is good, but I am ready to have some of my American meals that are in the container. I have lost about 10 more pounds since I got here, although I think that I gained 10 pounds in the weeks prior to me leaving America.

Mentally life is better for me here in many ways. For example the general lack of electronics like T.V., Smart Phones, DVR, and Satellite among other things can make life a little more sane I guess. Mainly because I am not caught up in politics or spending too much time in front of the T.V. screen, it frees up more time to read and relax in the morning and in the evenings.

I have developed a daily routine here in the past three weeks that I have enjoy. I get up in the mornings by 6-630, depending on how many times I press snooze and proceed to fire up the kerosene stove. Next I set some water on to boil and get the French press ready for my coffee. Next after the water boils I make my breakfast and do some reading before starting my day. I work day for the boys here is from 8 to 3pm and if I am at my compound working then I will work the same schedule on projects and then continue the paper work side after that recording the expenses for the day and so forth. Dinner is between 3-5 and after that I do some reading or homework before going to bed, which I usually do by 9 o’clock.  On days that I go into Freetown it throws this whole schedule of for me but that is how it goes.

Yesterday as I was eating dinner Jesi called me and told me she was going to bring me Basha’s chicken, which may be the best chicken dinner in Sierra Leone. A half is how it sounds, half a chicken cut long ways into two pieces served with steak fries, pita bread, pickles, really good mayonnaise and some extra hot pepper sauce. So after ending the call with Jesi I put my spoon down that was currently in sweet potato leaf sauce and rice and pushed it aside. She got here right after 7 with the chicken and an ice cold coke from Waterloo and I pigged out. 10 minutes and at least 2 pounds of food later I was leaning back in my chair and felt accomplished, like an alligator after eating a wildebeest.