Overall Impression

Going to Sierra Leone was definitely a life changing experience. It gave me a whole new perspective to life. I know we sometimes say that those who live in America take a lot of things for granted. But it never really dawned on me that we really do take a lot for granted.

In Sierra Leone, there is no centralized power, and only few places have running water. At night time, everywhere you go it's dark, or there's candle light. If you're lucky, maybe you have a generator, but only as long as you can afford gas.

There is no garbage collection service, and people burn trash everywhere 24/7 - in Freetown, at least. Driving through the streets, you will inhale ashes of things that you've never inhaled before. You will smell things you've never smelled before. You might want to hold your breath for a bit.

There is no postal service except in Freetown. So all the friends I made in Bonthe, there is no way for me to communicate with them except by sending letters to an address in Freetown. Never mind the internet.

Education is not free except girls get first two years of primary school free, and one year in secondary school if you achieve above a certain score on the WAS (West Africa something) Exam.

There was a clinic in Bonthe. They had one doctor, Dr. Sammy. He charged a small price for service, but not for medication which comes from donations, I suppose.

In Bonthe, nobody had a car. I think there were only two motor cycles: one owned by the mayor, and another one by someone else. Bumpy roads go for miles after miles. I don't mean "bumpy" as in the Indiana Jones ride. It's more like riding a rodeo machine while going forward slowly. You thought you had it bad when you had to squeeze a 6th or 7th person in a 5-person car, but you don't know what they do in Africa. They say, in a van you could fit 17 Americans or 30 Africans. They really know how to use their resources.

In Sierra Leone people usually eat only one meal a day. You might complain that you're too busy to eat breakfast before going to school. These people will go through an entire day of school without food.

I've tried, but it's just impossible for me to imagine living in their situation... to be born to an African family, to run around naked the first 6 years of your life, use one set of clothing for the next 5, another for the next 5, and so on... to eat once a day, perhaps an extra piece of coconut if you're lucky, and to stand on the streets with a basket full of something, anything, to sell on your head all day long... When you see a white man, you stare at them right by their side, hoping they would notice you and buy something from you. Ever since you were a little kid you had to sell something to make a living, to eat once a day.

Can you imagine? It's mind boggling. But I'm looking forward to experiencing more of that when I go to Kenya in July. I know it will be different in Kenya though. So it will still be a new experience.

I'm excited to see what God will do through me. I know that I will be helpless as a baby in such a foreign world. That is why, in everything I do, God will be glorified. Not me.