First Impressions of Sierra Leone - Part 3

 Where did we leave off the last time?

Oh yeah, I remember.  I was to tell you about transportation.

Okadas in Eastern Freetown

Transportation here is very interesting.  First of all there are no buses, well at least not around here (saw one in downtown Freetown though).  What they have are small cars used as taxis.  And they are not taxis in the way we understand them.  They are used as public transportation where there set points to which they go to and you pay 1,000 Leones from like say point A to B.  If you have to go to a point D then that means you have to make two connections through B & C and you end up paying 3,000 Leones the whole way (one way).  So for example if I want to go to the famous cotton tree in the Eastern side of Freetown from Aberdeen, I will have to make two connections.

Inside the poda poda

If you want to use the taxi as a regular taxi in the normal way most of us understand, then you tell the driver 'charter'.  That means the driver will not pick or drop other people along the way but will take you to your desired destination.  There are bigger vans which are a little bigger and those are called poda poda and they are sotta like the matatus in Kenya.  For one, they are very uncomfortable and unkempt.  You think matatus in Kenya look bad, think again.  Poda podas here are worse.  But those ones you pay only 1,000 for the whole ride no matter where you are going to so long as that poda poda is heading your way.  I had to get into one the other day just for experience sake and am telling you I will only use them the next time when I really have to.  The chairs are metallic, so throw comfort out of the window.  And for the taxis I noticed one thing, that instead of the driver telling you he is not going where you are asking, he just looks away and drives off.  Personally, I think that's rude but that's just me.  That reminds me of this makit uman (market woman) whom I asked how much the sandals are worth the other day.  She told me 30,000 and I told her I have 8,000 and she looked away and didn't even talk to me again.  I thought that was very rude.  But then I thought it was just the makit uman being rude, you know, like a one off situation.  Go figure.

Singing during gladi gladi

I promised to tell you about gladi gladi.  But I can't tell you about gladi gladi without first mentioning fistula.  I told you about the maternity ward and the fistual ward.  If you are like me before I started working with Kenya Children's Home, you are probably wondering what fistula is.  Well, if you have not googled the word already, I will take the liberty of telling you what it is.  Well fistula is simply a hole in the bladder which causes the woman to leak urine and sometimes even feaces (if it is a rectal fistula).  This normally results from prolonged obstructed labour during childbirth.

So one thing that immediately comes to your mind is, don't those women smell if they leak urine all the time?  The answer is a big yes, they do and because of the odor they are subjected to social stigma in the society.  I was being told of a woman who had the condition for 29 years.  She hid in her house and was brought food everyday by her neighbor.   Sounds familiar, yaap, talk about the woman with the issue of blood in the bible?  That is her in today's context.  So what we do here in Aberdeen Women's Centre is perform reconstructive surgeries (for free because most of them cannot afford) on them to correct the condition.  Actually before they come to the Centre someone goes to the villages to screen them - to make sure they really have a fistula.  Of course, we air the messages in the radio and there is a toll free number they can call and for those who are near, they just come to the Centre for screening.

Once they are admitted, they are monitored and prepared for surgery.  For some it takes days and other it takes months because they might have some health issues that need to be treated before they are ready for an operation.  They are also prepared mentally and they are taught how to read and write (because most don't know).  They also attend the devotions that we have as staff every morning.  Once they have been operated on, they stay in the ward until they have recovered and are strong enough to leave.  So on the day they leave, we have gladi gladi.  So gladi gladi simply means glad in Krio or happy happy and it is a celebration for the women who are leaving on each particular Friday.  It is good to see them when they leave, more healthy, with a better countenance and to imagine how they came.  It is just so moving.  There are some who came this week and most of them walk around with catheters.  By the way, most of the pregnancies that cause those women the fistula, the babies do not survive.  We currently have about 30 women admitted but only one has a child and she is leaving this Friday.  

I was doing orientation in the maternity ward on Tuesday and we were entering the ante-natal data and every time we entered data that one of the women had lost a baby or a pregnancy, my heart went out to them.  I don't even know them but for some reason God is somehow giving a burden for them.  It is now clear that I am not here just to work but to also minister to these people even if it is saying a silent prayer for them like I was doing yesterday when I was entering the medication in the system for the pikin (children).

Here when you greet someone you don't ask them how are you?  You ask them, 'aw di bodi' - how is the body?  So when they ask you that and you reply 'fayn fayn' - fine fine, they tell you 'teh papa Goh tenki' - tell father God thank you.  As in, they don't take it for granted.  You are fine, you are well, you are healthy - then that is a reason enough for you to tell God thank you.  And they make sure they remind you that.  I love it.  An attitude of gratitude. 

Apart from the devotions we have every morning, when the maternity women come to registration for the first time for ante-natal care, they also have their devotions.  I can't understand every word in Krio yet but again and again I here the words 'teh papa Goh tenki'.  "Yu geh behleh, te papa Goh tenki" - you are pregnant, tell father God thank you.  It is amazing.  Some of them you not even sure how they got pregnant, but whatever the circumstances they are to thank God.  

In the spirit of 'teh papa Goh tenki', I went to donate blood yesterday because they are having fistula surgeries next week and they will need blood.  My blood hemoglobin count was 15.7 and they were asking me if I eat a lot of fruits.  That means it is very high and that I am very healthy.  Normal count for women is normally between 12 and 15.  Any count below 10 indicates anaemia (just learnt that in the one week I have been here, are you proud of me? he he).  So, I clearly have something to teh papa Goh tenki.  I thank Him for my health and I pray that He will continue to make me strong so that I can continue serving the people around here.

Speaking of serving, I want to te papa Goh tenki for the people that are serving along side me.  We had our bible study today for the experts and it was nice to hear a doctor say that it is not by power nor by might and that there are cases that as human beings we have no control of and that we can only pray and commit the patients to God.  Some cases are just heart breaking.   And as heart breaking as they can be, there is nothing more we can do but pray.  It is good to have colleagues who remind you of that.  Teh papa Goh tenki.  I think that is a line I should be using everyday and in everything.  As in someone will just ask "how do I get to Aberdeen Women's Centre?" and before I utter another word I say 'teh papa Goh tenki', ha ha....just kidding.  But in all seriousness, the bible tells us to give thanks in all circumstances.  I Thessalonians 5:18.