Diamond in the Rough

      If you haven't seen the movie Blood Diamond, you should. The country of Sierra Leone only recently (2002) achieved peace following a decade of civil war. In many ways, Sierra Leone is still tainted by the brutalities of that war. There is evidence that the country suffered significantly everywhere you look: limbless victims wandering the street, intense poverty, prostitution, evident mistrust, bullet holes, hazardous living arrangements, awful roads, etc. Not to mention that the streets are riddled with those ridiculous billboards, and the airport has yet to consider marketing for tourism.

    Still, Sierra Leone is a "diamond in the rough". If you can persevere beyond the war-stricken roads of Freetown, just past the groundnut soup cookery that will make you want to vomit, you will suddenly find yourself standing in front of the most pristine, and seemingly uncharted, beach. It's at that moment that you first begin to realize that Sierra Leone has such extraordinary potential....

    Our fondest memory of our trip to Sierra Leone is our time at Bureh Beach. We spent one night at Maroon View Guesthouse where our living arrangements included two beach bungalows and a tent for Steve. The sand outlining the beach was so soft that it felt as though you were walking on cotton balls. We spent our days body surfing in the lukewarm Atlantic, floating along the low-tide river current, kraaling jelly fish, and feasting on barracuda, crab, and fried plantains.

A panoramic view of Maroon View Guesthouse

On the hammock in front of our bungalow

A panoramic view of Bureh Beach

    Additionally, we perfected the art of digging up and catching sand crabs. There were hundreds of "crab holes" scattered along the sand. After selecting a hole, the boys would dig down carefully (about 2-3 feet) until they reached the crabs resting spot. Taking hold of its leg, they would quickly fling the crab into the air and out of its hole. Then...they would catch it.

The first of about 7 crabs caught...

Dave & Steve had a little too much fun chasing crabs...

Grudda "crabby" picture

Thanks for hosting us, Steve!

Back in Freetown with Amie (Steve's dog)

-Dave & Nicole

Picture This on I-95

     Some pictures to entertain you while we procrastinate on writing one last blog post detailing the remainder of our vacation in Sierra Leone:

Only in Sierra Leone...

-David & Nicole

The Zone

      The real purpose of our trip to Sierra Leone was to be able to experience the life of Dave's brother Steve. At just 25 years old, Steve has recently been promoted to the Chief Operations Officer of a fruit juice industry in Sierra Leone. First Step (a subsidiary of World Hope International) created a Special Economic Zone just outside of Sierra Leone's capital: Freetown. In partnership with another company, Africa Felix, The Zone has been transformed into an industry which is striving to positively enrich the economy of Sierra Leone. Steve has been involved with the company (off and on) since it first commenced production of juice concentrate in 2011.
     CNN published an excellent video and article in 2011 which details what the company is all about better than we ever could. Additionally, Steve's name is made infamous in the following articles:

• 2013: Bread for the World -a condensed history of the Outgrowers' Project
• 2013: Sierra Express Media - comparing Steve to a handsome Westlife star
• 2011: Houghton College - meeting Tony Blair

You can also check out Steve's blog which provides additional (yet rare) updates about his life and work in Sierra Leone.

First Step/Africa Felix main office building - where Steve works AND lives

 Inside the production plant:

The final product: Containers of pineapple, mango, and cashew fruit juice concentrate

Pineapple fields surround the compound:

    Pineapples that are not juiced are sold wholesale to various restaurants throughout Sierra Leone, such as the Oasis Juice Bar and Cafe. We had sampled some of the freshly squeezed pineapple juice from this particular juice bar on Christmas Eve. It was delicious.

     In addition to touring the juice factory, we also visited Makeni - the nearby city where Steve lived when he first began his work in Sierra Leone. Back then, Steve wasn't nearly as stressed out with the amount of responsibility he has now...so he had time to sign a contract with the Wusum Stars: A professional soccer club team in Sierra Leone. Again, he made the headlines and is recognized as the first (and only) white man to ever play professional soccer in Sierra Leone. We got to see the stadium where he played.

Wusum Stars 2011

     In Makeni, we attended a Sunday service at the church where Steve attended while living there. Considered to be guests of honor (likely due to the fact that we were the only white people in the congregation), we were coercively ushered into the front pew seats. The seating gave us a better view, but it did little to improve our understanding of the sermon in spite of the fact that everything was in "English". Among the few things we were able to gather was that the term "halleluiah" is locally translated into "Tell God Thankee".
     Dave and Steve also hiked up Makeni's highest peak: Wusum Hill. The round-trip hike took them less than 1 hour...which attests to how miniscule the elevation of this hill actually is. Regardless, they managed to work up a sweat and capture a decent picture.

A panoramic view of Makeni from the top of Wusum Hill

     While we admire Steve's evident accomplishments in Sierra Leone, we do not envy the responsibility that has been bestowed upon him (nor do we envy his current, closet-sized living arrangements). Please keep him in your prayers as he continues to work toward bringing this juice company to its full, promising potential.

-David & Nicole

Christmas in Africa

    When we decided not to spend Christmas in Morocco, one option would have been to fly back to the US and spend Christmas in typical Maine fashion: a colorfully decorated Christmas tree, a Balsam Fir wreath on the door, plenty of Christmas lights, 4 feet of snow, stockings hung with care, long shopping lines, winter coats, festive wrapping paper, hot chocolate, etc...

    Instead, we opted to celebrate an atypical Christmas in Africa with the Grudda family. While it cost more to get to Sierra Leone than back to America and our Christmas decor was not so extravagant (one inflatable wreath, a fake miniature tree, and presents wrapped in suitcases/butcher paper), we thoroughly enjoyed exchanging 4 feet of snow for pristine sandy beaches and 90 degree weather. Jealous?

Christmas Eve
    Steve made arrangements for us to charter a boat from a local businessman and go barracuda fishing on Christmas Eve. We had brunch at a local restaurant, enjoying some freshly squeezed pineapple juice compliments of Steve's zone, while he dropped the truck off at the shop. Unfortunately, after taking a taxi to the marina we found that the captain of the boat had stood us up.

    We all crammed back into a taxi and headed back to the flat that was generously made available for our use by the Hogues, a couple who had traveled back to their home in America for the holidays. The Country Lodge Hotel was within walking distance, so we spent the rest of the day lounging by the pool.

     With plans to try fishing again the following day, we ate the Christmas pork on Christmas Eve, instead of the traditional spread of junk food. Despite traversing the Atlantic Ocean in a suitcase (not to mention the water-taxi ride into Freetown) and surviving several days of intermittent power in the fridge, the pork was excellent. We were especially grateful since pork is such a rare find in Morocco.

     The Grudda family traditionally opens one present on Christmas Eve. The present is usually some sort of toy weaponry which ushers everyone into a playful war. This years Christmas Eve presents included dart guns, helicopters, plastic bubbles, punch balloons, and bowling.

Christmas Day
     We opened a few more presents Christmas morning but had to leave early because, despite the garage's promise of having the truck done in 3 hours, we were still taxing around Freetown. We stopped at a local store and bought the coolest hats we could find to protect us from the sun.

     To our great pleasure, we arrived at the marina to find the boat already in the water and Martin, it's owner, behind the wheel. We spent the majority of the day being entertained by Martin's commentary on life and the history of Sierra Leone. Despite not catching any barracuda, we enjoyed spending the time out on the water and got to see much of the Freetown coastline.

We also saw proof that there are, indeed, some good-sized fish in the waters there.

Later that night, we finished opening the presents and ate too much candy.

Day After Christmas
      Because of Sierra Leone's historic ties to Britain, the day after Christmas is observed as Boxing Day. The truck mechanic took full advantage and so we spent another day in taxis. Our destination was now the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, located just a few miles outside Freetown, and taxi seating was tight!

 

     The sanctuary is home to almost 100 chimps that have been rescued from residents in Sierra Leone. Human characteristics and novelty make baby chimps a unique pet. They are trained to do all sorts of things from shaking hands and clapping to smoking, drinking, and picking pockets. A mature chimp is 5 times as strong a man, however, so they become less adorable and more of a nuisance after the first few years. The sanctuary liberates them from peoples' homes (it is illegal to keep them as pets) and works to rehabilitate them to the wild. This ensures that the chimpanzees can live out their 50+ years in relative freedom instead of in cages.

Not a typical Christmas...but we had fun. 

-David & Nicole