Hi everyone! I know it's been a while since I actually wrote a blog--my apologies. I find it increasingly more difficult to write about my experience here because it just feels like life now, and not a news worthy experience to write about. That being said, my lovely mother has provided me with some topics people back home frequently ask about, so I shall do my best to satisfy some curiosities.
First, a brief overview of my summer. The summer holiday started off with a bang at the wedding of two of our Peace Corps volunteers here in Sierra Leone. A huge congratulations to Cody and Ivy!! I posted some pictures last week of the big night. Afterwards the wedding I spent a few quiet days back in Yele before heading to a summer school in Port Loco. Me and Amy volunteered for a week at this summer school run by a British group called EducAid. Following that I was in Bo for 2 weeks to help out at the training for our new PCVs in Salone. It seemed to be a great training and I have high expectations for their next two years of service! After the whirl-wind event of the swear-in ceremony for Salone 3 I headed back to Yele to check up on the town and make sure it was still there. (Side story: when I left 3 weeks earlier one of my cats had given birth to 2 kittens; one white, one orange. Much to my surprise I came home to 3 grey kittens. Turns out both the original kittens didn't survive, but a neighbor's cat had kittens and then the momma cat was stolen. My genius neighbors gave the 3 grey kittens to my mom cat to nurse. Everything worked out well and now we're one big happy family.) After some relaxing village time it was back to Freetown for our mid-service conference (MSC). Overall the conference was good and it was great to see everyone as a group again. Now I'm back in Yele getting geared up for the new school year! School was supposed to start today, but we're still in the process of interviewing (it's more like a registration than an interview) new students for the JSS 1 class. Actual classes will hopefully start next Monday (the 17th) but I'm not holding my breath.
As for life in Yele the biggest thing here that has happened recently was the opening of the hydro dam which has provided the town with electricity--my house included! Unfortunately it has been a very heavy wet season with tons of rainfall, which means the river is at unprecedented high levels. The overflowing river is dangerous for the hydro equipment, so they turn off the dam to protect it. Sadly for me that has meant intermittent electricity in the past few weeks (although I feel like a wimp complaining about it after a year with no electricity at all). The purpose of mentioning the electricity, however, was not to talk about my own personal benefit but how it has affected the life of people in Yele. The electricity to houses runs off of prepaid meters so the first step to getting electrified is to buy the meter box. When I bought mine (over 6 months ago) I paid 135,000 leones (about $30). Not a ridiculous sum, but certainly a high price for the average villager. Last I checked about 150-200 people had bought meters and many more are hoping to in the near future. As for the effect this electricity has had on those who have it, I'm not convinced yet that it has radically changed anyone's life here. I think it certainly has the potential to improve the standard of living, but it's going to take a few more years of development to get there. While electricity is great, to take full advantage of it requires electronic items. This is great for me (I can charge my phone, iPod, camera, kindle, and I recently bought an electric burner and water heater) but the only item most Sierra Leoneans have to charge is a phone. Eventually it would be great if women could use the electricity to cook over electric burners (thus reducing the health risks of cooking over a wood fire every day) but the cost of an electric burner, on top of buying a meter box, is currently too steep for the average person in Yele. Those who have not yet been able to buy a meter box can also benefit from the hydro dam because it also powers street lights for Yele (of course this also requires the dam to actually be working). Another great benefit I see is the environmental aspect. A hydro dam produces much cleaner energy than the current option, a generator. Right now, actually, the hydro is producing more energy than is being used. That extra energy goes back in to the river by heating up the water. This is not good because increased temperatures kill the fish, which is a source of livelihood for many villagers. That said, it would actually be better if more energy were being used. Thus, I consider it a civic duty every time I plug in an appliance. The electricity has been great for people who own and run businesses (especially those that sell cold drinks or play football games) and eventually I think the benefits will increase for the common villager, but it may take a while. The good news is that the first step is here allowing for improvements in the future!
Alright, I'm blogged-out now, but I will do my best to make sure it is not another 3 months before the next post. Miss you all and hope you're fully enjoying the conveniences of first world living (like electricity)!
First, a brief overview of my summer. The summer holiday started off with a bang at the wedding of two of our Peace Corps volunteers here in Sierra Leone. A huge congratulations to Cody and Ivy!! I posted some pictures last week of the big night. Afterwards the wedding I spent a few quiet days back in Yele before heading to a summer school in Port Loco. Me and Amy volunteered for a week at this summer school run by a British group called EducAid. Following that I was in Bo for 2 weeks to help out at the training for our new PCVs in Salone. It seemed to be a great training and I have high expectations for their next two years of service! After the whirl-wind event of the swear-in ceremony for Salone 3 I headed back to Yele to check up on the town and make sure it was still there. (Side story: when I left 3 weeks earlier one of my cats had given birth to 2 kittens; one white, one orange. Much to my surprise I came home to 3 grey kittens. Turns out both the original kittens didn't survive, but a neighbor's cat had kittens and then the momma cat was stolen. My genius neighbors gave the 3 grey kittens to my mom cat to nurse. Everything worked out well and now we're one big happy family.) After some relaxing village time it was back to Freetown for our mid-service conference (MSC). Overall the conference was good and it was great to see everyone as a group again. Now I'm back in Yele getting geared up for the new school year! School was supposed to start today, but we're still in the process of interviewing (it's more like a registration than an interview) new students for the JSS 1 class. Actual classes will hopefully start next Monday (the 17th) but I'm not holding my breath.
As for life in Yele the biggest thing here that has happened recently was the opening of the hydro dam which has provided the town with electricity--my house included! Unfortunately it has been a very heavy wet season with tons of rainfall, which means the river is at unprecedented high levels. The overflowing river is dangerous for the hydro equipment, so they turn off the dam to protect it. Sadly for me that has meant intermittent electricity in the past few weeks (although I feel like a wimp complaining about it after a year with no electricity at all). The purpose of mentioning the electricity, however, was not to talk about my own personal benefit but how it has affected the life of people in Yele. The electricity to houses runs off of prepaid meters so the first step to getting electrified is to buy the meter box. When I bought mine (over 6 months ago) I paid 135,000 leones (about $30). Not a ridiculous sum, but certainly a high price for the average villager. Last I checked about 150-200 people had bought meters and many more are hoping to in the near future. As for the effect this electricity has had on those who have it, I'm not convinced yet that it has radically changed anyone's life here. I think it certainly has the potential to improve the standard of living, but it's going to take a few more years of development to get there. While electricity is great, to take full advantage of it requires electronic items. This is great for me (I can charge my phone, iPod, camera, kindle, and I recently bought an electric burner and water heater) but the only item most Sierra Leoneans have to charge is a phone. Eventually it would be great if women could use the electricity to cook over electric burners (thus reducing the health risks of cooking over a wood fire every day) but the cost of an electric burner, on top of buying a meter box, is currently too steep for the average person in Yele. Those who have not yet been able to buy a meter box can also benefit from the hydro dam because it also powers street lights for Yele (of course this also requires the dam to actually be working). Another great benefit I see is the environmental aspect. A hydro dam produces much cleaner energy than the current option, a generator. Right now, actually, the hydro is producing more energy than is being used. That extra energy goes back in to the river by heating up the water. This is not good because increased temperatures kill the fish, which is a source of livelihood for many villagers. That said, it would actually be better if more energy were being used. Thus, I consider it a civic duty every time I plug in an appliance. The electricity has been great for people who own and run businesses (especially those that sell cold drinks or play football games) and eventually I think the benefits will increase for the common villager, but it may take a while. The good news is that the first step is here allowing for improvements in the future!
Alright, I'm blogged-out now, but I will do my best to make sure it is not another 3 months before the next post. Miss you all and hope you're fully enjoying the conveniences of first world living (like electricity)!
The electricity discussion was very interesting, Erica. Last weekend, a big storm knocked out power to our office for about 12 hours. This took down the computer systems, the corporate website, and e-commerce capabilities. I need hardly add that some people were not happy about this!
ReplyDeleteSo, now that you have a meter box, are you charged for your usage? Or is the use free at present...you just have to have the box? Are any "industrial" uses planned? Even things like using electric power to draw water from wells? Using it to power "movie nights" or other evening activities? (This was an early rural use in India.)
This is an exciting development for your community. It will be interesting to hear what next steps are taken.
i was a PCV in salon 74-75. i later went to cameroun and stayed until 79.
ReplyDeletei was in blama, st joseph's ag school. i have many stories.
all the RPCV i talk to say peace corps was the best thing they ever did. i agree.
enjoy yourself. there is so much that i don't remember. but i remember being happy and walking up the school and teaching classes. i've made a lot of money in the US. a lot of people say i would never go there. why do you want go back?
i suggest you go to Mali. i was there twice and loved it.
enjoy. after leaving freetown to up country we never went back to freetown. it was always 'a good time was had by all' in kenema. ho di go di go? i go fain boh. i remember sitting on my backsteps in my compound and looking at everything. Cheif Bangura had keyhouse (kiosk in Krio) and he would tell me stories. chief of the limbas. the palm wine tappers. he had a lot of ohmole. i wish i could go back.
a bizzare thing the internet