Day 3 - Infrastructure

I Drank The Water

No I didn’t do it as some pseudo declaration of my assimilation - or did I? We use bottled water for practically everything here; cooking, consumption etc... One might ask: Then what is the purpose of having a water tank?  Well one thing that I can name without hesitation is indoor plumbing. I have witnessed my neighbours taking “Bucket-baths” outside in the dead of the night (don’t ask me what I was doing out there)  On this morning after I had successfully taken a shower, with my mouth closed. I then counter poductively brushed my teeth with faucet water.  After parading through the house, open-mouthed with toothbrush in hand, I realized that panic, at this point, was useless.  On this day, I had to rely on my iron-clad stomach,

good health and “Let the chips fall where they may.”

Food Glorious Food
Curious to know what the food is like? Well I was too!

Rice is a staple food in this country and there are numerous varieties of it - mostly imported because although Sierra Leone has an abundance of green pasture they still have not properly cultivated their land to yield an abundance great enough to supply the demand.

Certain stews are popular and indigenous to the culture like Ground Nut stew (peanut)  Cassava Leaf (actaul ground leaves) stew and Egusi Ssoup (prepared with meat) all are well known, common dishes. Most dishes are prepared with palm kernal oil which is red, thick, and heavy.
The staple meals are nutrient rich & generally healthy. The benefits of the Sierra Leonean diet could explain in part how the natives recieve the nutritional intake that keeps them healthy despite widespread preventative disease and lack of helathcare.

In Lumley, seafood was easily accesible. We simply went to the beach, chose one of the many suppliers and picked from a variety of items like barracuda, grouper, snapper, squid and huge prawns to name a few  - all dirt cheap. At these prices (2$-8$ U.S.) you can afford to eat fresh seafood everyday. While most of the fishermen are male, the actual market persons are women. They pay a fare to the fisherman to go out to

sea or simply pay them for their catch, they then sell

the day's catch on the beach or in the markets .

The women in Sierra Leone are very entrepreneurial. They run most of the produce stands and sell most of the food stuffs which are  abundantly littered throughout Sierra Leone as well as fabric shops. And to the contrary a large number of the tailors (garment makers) are men.

This is not at all uncommon as my own Carribean father is also skilled in the trade.

On the streets of Freetown You can buy a loaf of bread, a bushel of produce or fresh cocount every other block without ever leaving your vehicle. Other than alcohol, there isn't too much that you can't purchase in the streets.

And although they do have grocery stores
and convenient stores, it turns out that it is far
more convenient as well as practical to buy most of
your sustainable needs from the street markets.
In condensed selling areas you will find everything
from goat meat, dried fish, to fresh habenero peppers and a plethora of produce. Refrigeration is a luxury here, so daily cooking is a must and the open air  markets are always bustling places teeming with life.
As a foreigner however, I had to think in less risky terms. And because restaurant sanitation standards in Sierra Leone aren't as stringent as they are in the States, you should therefore chose your local fare wisely.

Want to Grab a cold one? Ahh then you have come to the right place. The local lager in Sierra Leone is "Star" beer.  It hints faintly of the taste of Heineken beer. But just in case you prefer the real thing, then you're in luck! Heineken beer is as popular here as it is in the states -Guiness stout also. There are resturaunts and bars that serve right on the beach.  In Lumley most hotels and restaurants are just across the street from the closest shoreline.

There are multiple business opportunities for developement along the "Shore-line Strip" of Sierra Leone.  And this country is surrounded by numerous beautiful beaches including the white sands beach at River No.2

Now I understand why my friend T, a native Salonean says, "Going to the beach is no big deal, here we go to the beach everyday." And with two seasons, "warm & hot"  this is likely very possible.

 If this were the States there would be no land un-turned or undeveloped. Investment towards the development of the tourism industry will turn this area into a "Gold mine."  If the government of Sierra Leone were to take stock of it's many untapped revenue streams, this country could quickly begin to amend their economic debacle.

More International Than This?

Due to the large migrated Lebanese population in Sierra Leone you can also switch up your menu as you please. Baba Ghannouj and beer anyone? Humus, Fattoush & Lamb can be found on any local lebanoese menu. The lebanese have taken advantage of the investment opportunities here and settled in.
 Sierra Leone does have an Aisan population so it's likely you'll find  Shrimp-fried rice, wonton soup and Lobster Cantonese in at least several restaurants. However, Salonean women will proudly boast that they have learned the art of making fried rice far better than their asian counterparts.
 Later that evening we head to a restaurant by the beach.  Alex’s is a restaurant established by an expatriate that has taken up residency in the country. Non-native Sierra Leoneans are not allowed to own property, but you are certainly able to obtain a 99 year lease if you’d like!

It is here that I devour the biggest whole lobster that I have ever seen grace a plate – and not one but two!  All for less that $20 U.S.!! I order a Star beer and dig in. With lobster and butter smeared lips I make my hosts promise to bring me here again before I leave.



   Two fresh (whole) Lobsters $15 Star Beer $3 Calamari apptzr $5 my eternal happiness....

    PRICELE$$

Transportation

Okay So my Salonean girlfriend Lucy affectionately says "Yeah I know all American teenagers get cars at 17yrs old." While this is not a proven fact, I can tell you that here in the crowed streets of Sierra Leone, mass transit is the way to go!   At least 1/3 of the vehicles on the roads are privately owned taxis. Then you have your motorbikes, which are roughly 95% taxis. another significant portion of vehicles are privately owned by governemnet or NGOS (non-gov orgs.)  And lastly the most popular & cost efficienct way to roll are buses. And these are not your typical buses, think more along the lines of a 1970's style Volks Wagon bus or your typical 10 passenger van that looks as though it has gone through an episode of "Pimp my Ride." These "Buses" boast painted sayings such as "Original Taste," & "One Love." They are adorned with everything

from decals of Madonna to bibles and occasionally a stray citizen

who simply couldn't fit inside the vehicle. Hence, they

are jammed to the gills with people, produce

and your occasional livestock (if necessary).  Out in the regions where cars are few and far between these buses become a critical means of transportation. Especially for agriculture cultivated for profit in the most remote of villages.  Huge dump trucks are also a significant way to cart people and goods throughout the long widning roads of the outer regions. You won't find people riding horseback, afterall this is a city.  but if you know your way or even are up for getting lost then your two feet will take you on a African-urban safari. 

Family Ties

 

I’ve been meeting dozens of people and I realize that the marriage rate is high in Sierra Leon is high. In fact my friend Lucy tells me that many of the girls she attends university with are already married. And although marriage rates are high, life expectancy is not. Much of this is attributed to poor health conditions, and high rates of preventable infectious diseases.

Quality of Life

The life Expectancy rate of the average Sierra Leonean is roughly 46 years of age. This is drastically less than the average American and European by almost 30 years. Most of the population does not have access to preventative healthcare or health insurance, something that the country is in dyer need of.

More than 70% of the population does not have access to clean drinking water. As a result the country is  plagued with preventable diseases in addition to more serious diseases such as Malaria and Yellow Fever. I myself could not enter the country without first being vaccinated for Yellow Fever. Other recommended vaccinations were: Polio, Tetanus, Hepatitis A and B as well as a malaria treatment. I did opt for the later which began two days before entering the country in order to a build resistance and lasted 5 days after returning to lessen the chances of a delayed infection.

 All of these vaccinations are readily available in more developed countries however here in the poorest country in the world, they are far harder to come by. As a result of a lack of proactive-preventative healthcare, Sierra Leoneans also have an extremely high infant mortality rate; one of the highest in the world according to the Country's president. And according to Lucy, it is common for woman to die during childbirth.

 What I find extremely interesting is that while President Obama is trying to enforce a universal healthcare bill with a public option to a country divided; the majority of people in Sierra Leon have no healthcare at all. Can you imagine that what we believe is a right in the USA would be considered a priviledge in Sierra Leon?