July 1. Mattru Jong

Same fliers of Ebola Symptoms in Bo office

Today, I went back to the field, Mattru Jong (Mattru) in Bonthe District. Mattru Jong is the capital of Bonthe District, and its main industries are fishing, palm oil production, cassava-farming and rice-growing. This major fishing town has about 8,000 populations, and more importantly, this town is the background of the book “A Long Way Gone,” the story of boy solider during the Sierra Leone Civil War. Revolutionary United Front (RUF) revels captured this town for eight months in 1995, and they governed and destroyed the town. There is a World Vision Jong Area Development Program (ADP) office in Mattru, and I will work on Access to Infant and Maternal (AIM)-Health mid-term evaluation by mainly visiting two ADPs, Imperi and Sherbro Island.

I needed to go to Bo, the second largest as well as second most populated city in Sierra Leone, first to transfer to Mattru. It took four hours to get Bo from Freetown. When I got World Vision Bo base office, it was lunchtime, and I introduced myself to staff. After three hours of waiting in the office, Vehicle from Bonthe District arrived at Bo office to pick me up. I enjoyed bumpy road; my butt did not stop bouncing and bouncing. At last, another two and a half hour driving took me to the familiar place, Yea Mamie guesthouse. I pronounced it as “Yeah, Mommy!” and driver Jacob laughed. I was in confusion, “Am I not right? Yeah~ Mommy!” The reason was that I should have actually pronounced it as “Yeh-Mamei”, which meant, My mother, Mamie.

Bumpy roads! 

9.5 hours of traveling was not that easy, but I was glad to be back. The electricity came to bulbs through generator, and the bulb lighted up my room. The sad thing was that modem did not work. Okay… Let me forget about emails and Ebola news for a while, and use Internet tomorrow at the office. It will not be the end of the world even if I am isolated from any civilization.

Soon enough, inky darkness fell upon the village. I have to learn how to talk with night sky; it gave rain to the ground this night. There was a dim light far apart from here, the bar where I watched football match two weeks ago. Besides that, it was just dark, and chilly wind brushed my cheeks. I may be here for two or three weeks, so I have to get used to it. No customers at guesthouse, I am here with security who is outside. Am I lonely? Not really… I have not become used to it yet. I want to abandon my image of city man, 도시남, here in Africa. I already miss Mr. Sun. A shaft of sunlight will cut into this darkness and make me rejuvenate for next day.