Rain

Now I have experienced my first rains in Masanga. One night at half past midnight it came. I was awake anyway twitching and turning from a bad stomach ache. It was fascinating listening to the rain on the zinc roof making a great noise, sounding heavier than it probably was :) It stopped about half an hour later and the morning after you could not even see that it had been raining. There has been small rains during the night and a little during the day for the past week, usually accompanied by lightning, thunder and fresh winds. I almost forgot how the rain freshens up everything and brings a lovely scent to the day. Some calls the rain the mango rain because it is typical with small rains at this time when the mangos ripen.

This past weekend we had an offer to get a ride early Sunday morning, with a Danish guy in Makeni to a nice beach outside Freetown, going home the same evening. So at 7:30 pm we were picked up went for a three hour ride to a great beach with a hotel and a restaurant. Here we had the most delicious lobster and thinly sliced barracuda marinated in olive oil and lime juice. This was accompanied by a choice of water, whiskey, wine, beer or Savanna (strong dry cider). The place is called Franco´s and I am definitely going there again before I go home!

I have also been to a wedding or part of one anyway. I was invited by the bride whom I got to know during one of our screenings for cataract. We were invited to come at 12, we were there at 12:30 am and at 1 pm the couple entered the church. And then it took forever; there were several churchly acts that I recognized, and in between was a lot of music, singing and dancing lasting half or full hours. It was very optimistic and cheerful with all the happy dancing and singing people. A pastor did a lot readings, some of it I recognized as the meaninglessness of fighting over a bed not made :) At 4 m the party left the church and started singing and dancing to the music (from the two brass bands that also played inside the little church) on the street. This was when my companion and I chose to go home. Since we were on a bike we wanted to get home before darkness, and the party did not seem to begin any time soon.

We have visited Mary Stope´s clinic in Makeni. The clinic treats STI, inserts IUD, performs sterilizations and treats infertility. Besides that they go on outreach to the villages in their district where they sensitize the people among other things about the fact that women should come and give birth at a hospital, about family planning and about what they can offer at their clinic. They bring a drama group who makes up songs and dances and perform small plays about the subjects they want to teach about. This is the best way to make information “stick” as this is a way they use themselves and because many are an-alphabets.

So long for now :) See you!

See pictures in the Danish version.