Work days in the galley and dining room are intense. The entire crew works hard to prepare and serve the meals three times a day. It is an honor to serve with all the hardworking locals and other crew from around the world. When our three day weekend arrives every two weeks, we are ready to get off the ship and see the country. Our last weekend off was May 22-24 and we headed to Bo, the second largest city in Sierra Leone. Our friend, Aaron, was able to borrow a car and drive us on the three hour drive.
Along the way the car had a flat tire. Aaron pulled over at a close by mechanic shop. They patched the tire in the old fashioned way. They take leftover tubing and put it over the hole and using glue and pounded it down with part of an axle laying nearby.. Then wait for it to dry. Next to the mechanics was a carpentry shop manned mainly by young boys. They were fun to talk to and watch!
We continued our journey through lovely grasslands with palm trees. It was nice to be out of the busy city.
We arrived at the home of our friends, Emmanuel and Kadiatu and their daughter, Kathy. Emmanuel grew up in the same adoptive family as Aaron in Koindu . We were greeted warmly with a meal. Kathy who is six was anxious to share her school work with us. We visited awhile before going to our hotel, The Bo Inn. The Inn had beautiful grounds with a few large trucks needing repair in the dirt parking lot. The water was gravity fed, so we did have flushing toilet and working shower and adequate air conditioning. One breakfast was provided with the overnight fee, so we had to purchase a second one.
We spent Saturday with the family. Kadiatu brought us downtown to buy some fabric gifts for Tim and two of his coworkers to give in their gift exchange with the dining crew. Emmanuel and Kadiatu took us to see the plot of land they had recently purchased. We were very impressed that they had saved enough money to invest in this land. Sadly both Emmanuel and Kadiatu are university educated, but no paying jobs are available. It is a constant prayer of ours that they would be able to find work and be paid. Knowing someone or bribing someone seems to be about the only way to secure work. Kadiatu has been volunteering as a nurse for many years with no pay.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon at the River View Park. It was a lovely open space with many enjoying the beautiful afternoon near the river.
It was a great weekend with good conversations and experiences. We pray for the family, that they could find good means of support through paying jobs. It will take a miracle and that is what we pray for.
Tim & Kathy Simonsen 