Updates!!! Yeniva?? Present

April 30, 2008 — Yeniva Sisay (Views: 166)

Greeting’s Live from Freetown.  Yesterday, April 29 marked six months since I have been in Sierra Leone. I can still hardly believe it. A year ago I began in my quest to come. The message came in many different forms and it’s amazing to have an answer to the calling.                             

I am alive and well. Many of you have been writing me e-mails, leaving comments and sending me your well wishes. Thank you Thank you!! Your support has been a blessing in my life. This move has been one of my biggest lessons in my life. I realize now more than ever, no matter how much you prepare and figure things out in your head, life has a way of giving you its direction. 

 Being Yeniva; over ambitious, adventurous, determined, stubborn oh and yeah crazy, I went in headfirst. Soon reality had me gulping down gallons of reality and plenty of humility. People move from state to state it can take at over a year to get settled in. For some reason I thought I would land in a different continent and fly.  Well now I’ve been grounded and very aware things take time. 

 On a positive note, I know a new city (although still learning), I am driving on my own and can hail a taxi with the best of them. Believe me this is a great accomplishment, considering there are no traffic lights, small roads, no real traffic rules and horrendous traffic. My Krio is getting better and I am settling in. 

 There is a movement of young professionals moving back to Sierra Leone that is extremely encouraging. It is great to know other people are thinking the same way. Oh and we have been getting light consistently for at least 6 hours 4 days a week. There is hope for the future. 

Sorry this is so long. Last and most important EXCEL is underway!!!  I have secured a space to run the program from.

9 Dillet Street

! It is AMAZING~ it has classroom space, library space, and offices.  This is a major accomplishment. I have met a couple of stumbling blocks but still pushing. Funding being one of our major challenges and it has not been easy. The center still needs to be furnished and staff hired. We need help now more than ever. 

 In the mean time EXCEL has been establishing relationships secondary schools, observing programs that work with students and meeting with potential donors. It has been a great experience for me.  I have learnt so much more about the education system analyzing its strengths and weakness. With this knowledge we have been able to modify our programming and make it much stronger. By God’s grace the EXCEL Education Program will launch in July with a Summer Enrichment Program and follow into the new school year.  I would REALLY appreciate any form of support!!!  Because of YOU we have gone this far! Please request our New Wish List! or better yet DONATE HERE http://sierravisions.org/Donation.php 

 Well sorry for the long note. So much more to say. Im going to post another entry. You are welcome to keep READING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

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It’s Been 6 Months Already!

April 30, 2008 — Yeniva Sisay (Views: 123)

I have so much to say. If I were to say " I'll put it in a nutshell" the nutshell would probably explode. Well how about a seashell ? It's spacious and cute around the edges. No, no, a seashell just would not work. My experience in six month just can't be put in a box, container or anything else. It has been a ride.

 

I thought I would be able to keep up with this blog more.  I thought that I would make at least weekly updates. But life, I have not just been documenting it, I have been living it. The trek to the café, the slow service, and the sporadic availability of light has made it less than desirable.  You feeling bad for me now? Well don't. I am having the time of my life.

 

So after long adieu~ here are the updates.

 

Life is good. It has taken time to settle in but now I feel stronger about where I am and my purpose. A little over a year ago I started this journey. I began reading other peoples blogs and being inspired by their journey and now I am writing my own.

 

I guess I will write this in stages:

 

 I am still living at my family house. We live off of a major street Sr. Samuel Lewis Road which is more popularly referred to as Aberdeen Road. The house is at the end of a red dirt road not to far from the water. It is much different from living on my own quite condo in Inglewood. My house here is hustling and bustling with life at least 12 people live here. My favorite people are my nieces and the little girls in the neighborhood. They are a sight to see. They keep me very entertained. My little crew, they are there when I wake up, hang out in my room. I love my neighborhood. It is filled with children and families that have been here as long as my grandparents have. It is incredible to have this connection here. When I step out of my house I greet familiar faces. There is life and music. We have a wonderful view of the water and the Aberdeen Bridge from our verandah. I make it a point to admire it each day. Looking forward to getting my own place.

 

Food is great~ Rice is the staple food and we eat it with many different sauces. Groundnut Soup, Stew, Cassava Leaves. Although I get tired of rice I am getting used to it. Heck I have no choice. There are also many other things that they prepare for me, like grilled chicken and chips, fried fish, roast meat and such. There are also some fabulous restaurants in which you can get most things you desire like pizza and burgers and fine dining. Barracuda is my most favorite thing in Sierra Leone. I know some of you may be thinking BARACUDA but you have just got to try it!!!!

 

Yesterday as I was coming home from the internet café, I took some time to admire dusk.  You know that time when the sun is kissing the horizon? The ending of day. It was breathtaking. It was in that moment I realized I live HERE! In Sierra Leone where moments like those are never ending. As I continued to walk home I took note of everything around me. The shop keepers on the side of the road, the woman who sells coal, the Fula man that owns a silver shop, tailors, woman selling roast meat, the women braiding hair in the baffa. A smile spread over my face.

 

From the street I could here music blaring. As I turned onto the pathway a short cut from the main street I saw they had set up a music set behind the shops on the lower road.

" My Love is Wicked" ( The most popular song in the country right now) was playing. All the children in the neighborhood were dancing in the street. The children collecting water put their yellow drums to the side to enjoy beats. I could not help but laugh. My nieces came running to take my computer bag. " No go back and enjoy yourselves". I stood against the wall for a while watching them live life like there is no tomorrow.  

 

"Ehhh Yeniva you body done fine oh" Lef am so" ) Yeniva your body looks good. Leave it like that. They are making references to my weight. I have lost a lot of weight here. Eating habits are much different. No cappuccino's from Starbucks in the morning and snacking is unusual. I do more walking than ever before and definitely more sweating.

 

In the beginning I was trying to find the rhythm of life, the step to follow. Now everything has just sort of fallen into place. My schedule is full and I am pushing forward, much more independent. I wake up in the morning and get my own water now. I must admit I was spoiled, well more blessed. There is always someone available that wants to help me. Wash dishes, clean my floor, cook, go to the store. We don't have a water heater so the water has to be boiled every morning and it's stored in a flask. Now its no thing to tie my "lappa" and go get the water myself. Saturday I swept my room (with a palm tree broom) got a bucket of water, soap and a brush and started to clean my room. My nieces and their friends came upstairs for a snack and saw me. The "Dri Yeye Crew" five women in little bodies, all stood around the door way, hand on their hips, mouth open. "So Aunty Yeniva you sabi clean ?" ( So Aunty Yeniva you know how to clean)  " Yes I sabi clean, wetin do ar no get hand ?" ( Yes  I know how to clean don't I have hands?) " Put am don, ar dae can do am" ( put it down I will come do it) .  " No ar dae clean am for mi sef " ( No I'm going to clean it for my self) Some how I guess they think that we don't clean in America or cook are much of anything for that matter. I am working on them, but that a whole other entry.

 

I have had the chance to read more than ever before. Purple Hibiscus, The Power of Now, Shades of Grey, Ancestor Stones!!!!

 

The most encouraging thing is that many young people are moving back. It is such an encouraging sight to see. I have made connections with people I will know for the rest of my life. We all came home with a dream; we are in this experience together. So there is a wonderful support network, people who understand my frustrations and the day to day ups and downs of Sierra Leone. But what can I say its home.

 

I want to thank my family and friend FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT. I could not survive with out you. The  gifts you are sending are keeping me a float. ( PS keep um coming!! My Aunty Yeabu brought me some flip flops and a purse and I thought I was going to faint!!!!  There is plenty of fashion here and believe me I am sewing outfits but there is nothing like things from home!!

 

Wanted to add a new photo album but I have been here the last four hours and its not working. Check back tomorrow!! Peace!

 

 

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Diary Of a Returnee

March 18, 2008 — Yeniva Sisay (Views: 214)

Diary of A Returnee~ is the brainchild of Tamara John-Cummings. It is a an article published in the Premier Media Newspaper every Friday. This is an opputunity for Returnee’s to share their experiences in moving back to Sierra Leone.

Published  in Premier Media by Yeniva Sisay 

The art of moving is no easy task. It takes research, planning, precision, and most of all courage. When I decided to make the exodus home to Sierra Leone I tried to plan and consider all things possible. Little did I know that no matter the amount of planning I was in for some big surprises!

 

I thought I had crossed my T's and dotted my I's. I created a spreadsheet for my move, to do lists, and lots of folders. I went down my list: job-check, vehicle-check, shipping things that would make me comfortable check, check and so the list went on. Things like appliances and furniture I could be purchase in Freetown. For the amount it would cost me to ship them, I figured I might as well downsize and buy them on the ground.

 

There was only one task I had yet to accomplish before my arrival and that was housing. Although I have plenty of family I could stay and be quite comfortable with, there is just something about the independence that I attained abroad that could not be compromised. Looking for a dwelling place was one of the things I was most looking forward to. According to my research I could find decent housing arrangements for $2500-$4000 per annum. In my mind that meant that top of the line could run between $5000 and $6000.

 

I took a two month period to get acclimated in Freetown, learning how to maneuver the traffic and understand "the system". Soon that time period came to an end and I was ready to spread my wings, to find and create my own nest. I put the word out amongst my family and friends. 2-3 bedrooms, safe location, secure, AC a plus, preferably a self-contained house but apartment would suffice. 

 

Having been told about several different places, I would set out to see a few per day. Upon my arrival I would be greeted by the landlord and or caretaker and shown around.  There would be a tour of the premises, the guide highlighting the amenities of the structure, some of the places were beautiful, others left a lot to be desired. Once the tour was over we would come down to the most important part- talking price. I quickly learnt that my American accent was not a strong point during negotiations.

 

When I spoke English I would get quotes for outrageous prices ranging from $10,000 to $18,000 and even $30,000. I knew that if I spoke English it would mean only one thing - an automatic price increase. Eventually I would greet and deal in Krio but inevitably my accent would still give me away. Next I sought the assistance of an agent. This became yet another adventure from the agent not showing up for appointments, to going to houses where no one was home to show us around, to inflated pricing.

 

 I understand that rental agreements in Sierra Leone ask for tenants to pay yearly and most landlords quote in US dollars, but I still say give me a break. Let's be realistic here. $10,000 a year is roughly $833 per month. The successful Sierra Leonean professional struggles to make $200 a month, in a county at the bottom of the Human Development index, 177th (out of 177 countries) to be exact, there is a serious discrepancy.

 

When sharing my frustrations, many people refer to the number of NGOs and Consultancies that are renting in the country. The amounts that are quoted are no problem for them because as organizations, they can afford to pay an average of $2000 per month for rent. I say who cares? Surely that's discrimination. What about the people of Sierra Leone? Once an NGO's project is over or a private firm's contract ends they will leave the country and then what?

 

When leaving Los Angeles to come to Freetown, I never figured housing would be such a challenge. My intentions were to come home to contribute to the rebirth of our nation. If I had wanted to pay over $1,000 per month in rent I would have stayed in the US where my education provides salaries that accommodate those prices. But I'm here and here to stay; all I ask for is fair housing price, something decent that I can afford. I can only hope that landlords will start looking at the bigger picture and catering for the needs of Sierra Leoneans even those with an accent.

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Paradise Uncovered

March 10, 2008 — Yeniva Sisay (Views: 187)

It articles like this that make me hopeful about our future!! So when will you come for a visit??

Paradise regained

Six years ago, a holiday in Sierra Leone would have been unthinkable. But with the civil war behind it and new flights and hotels on the horizon, the West African country is starting to attract adventurous travellers. Clemency Burton-Hill takes an island-hopping tour and falls under the country’s spell

‘If I were writing of Freetown now, how unnaturally rosy would my picture be, for I begin to remember mainly the sunsets when all the laterite paths turned suddenly for a few minutes the colour of a rose, the old slavers’ fort with the cannon lying in the grass, the abandoned railway track with the chickens pecking in and out of the little rotting station, the taste of the first pink gin at six o’clock. I have begun to forget what the visitor noticed so clearly - the squalor…’
Graham Greene, Preface to Second Edition: Journey Without Maps (1946).

More than 70 years later, Greene’s words remain true in many ways. On reaching Freetown, capital of Sierra Leone, it is still invariably the squalor that the first-time visitor notices - the poverty, the scarcity of paved roads, the absence of infrastructure - all the unfortunate things that earn the country its place at the bottom of the UN’s Human Development Index.

And yet, before long, anybody who ventures to this blighted land will also begin to sense the magic that Greene recalls - a magic borne of light and history and some ineffable, inexplicable beauty of place. With sweeping stretches of perfect white sand nudging the sparkling warm waters of the equatorial Atlantic, and dramatic topography stretching up to Mount Bintumani, it is not hard to see why Sierra Leone was considered the jewel in colonial Britain’s West African crown, and why foreign dignitaries and tourists alike once holidayed here in their droves.

But after a brutal civil war sparked by years of misgovernment and economic decline in 1991, it is also easy to see why those same tourists abandoned ‘Sweet Salone’ when things turned nasty, diverting north to the Gambia or rejecting the restless West African coast altogether. Even now, six years after the long decade of chaos wrought by the Revolutionary United Front ended and Sierra Leone emerged into a peace that holds ever stronger, many people assume it must still be a lawless place where hands are chopped off and AK-toting rebels hang out on street corners.

In fact, Sierra Leone is a tranquil and beautiful place. A mere five-hour flight from London, Freetown is one of Africa’s safest capitals: the country recently underwent peaceful, free and fair democratic elections which resulted in the smooth transition to power of the opposition party. The main hazard now facing any tourist is probably malaria rather than crazed machete-wielding child soldiers.

 

For more http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/mar/09/sierraleone.africa

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Trip to Number #2

March 4, 2008 — Yeniva Sisay (Views: 192)

One of the best parts of Sierra Leone is it's natural pleasure's; the beaches. Sierra Leone is nestled on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. There are several beaches available up and down the coast of Freetown.


Lakka, Tokaeh, Susex, Burah, Kent and several others. But my favorite by far is Number #2 River. Number # 2 has a river as well as the ocean. It is where the fresh water meets the salt water. It is one of the most relaxing places on earth. The white sand just glistens in the sun. I have been to St. Thomas, St. John and a few other islands in the Caribbean. I am not trying to brag but they can't touch this.


My Mom and my friend Samarah arrived in January after the holiday rush. Samarah is a friend of mine from LA. We worked together at Inglewood High School. We are both in education and she has come to Sierra Leone to help me set up the EXCEL Program. After a week of meetings and planning we needed a break so one day I decided to take my Mom and my friend Samarah I decided to take a day of and visit Number #2.


Back at home in LA most beaches are crowded by people and new developments, Number # 2 is just full of majestic beauty. I have not really had the time to get out to the beach so this was a great opportunity. We arrived early so there was hardly anybody on the beach. The beach is run by the village youth organization, so they rent the tables and chairs on the beach as well as run a guesthouse and sell food.


We opted for a table very close to the water. As soon as wee arrived I put my bags down and headed for the water. It was just calling my name. The water is such a clear crisp shade of blue. My mother has a fear of water. It was just something that they grew up with. When she was younger they would jump of rocks and dive into the river but as a grown up it was not possible. The ocean is just uncertain. All of my life I have been afraid to swim in the water in Sierra Leone. We would hear stories of people who were lost at sea or "the water doe not like stranger's." This time however I had my mind made up. I was going in.


I had my bathing suit on before we even left the house. We settled in on the beach, bringing our novels to read, and the cooler. My mother strolled out to the sand picking up seashells along the shore. Soon other people joined us on the beach. There was a group of expat's that came and sat close by. I recognized one of the girls from the internet café.  I watched them as they jumped into the water and waded out. They made it close to the middle without swimming. I was convinced.


 As my Mom made her way further up, the shore, Samarah and I made our  way to the water. Slowly at first I waded in the shallow end. Little by little I was finally waist deep. At first the water was cool on my skin but after a few minutes it became warmer. Before I knew it I was in neck deep. I almost lost my self because I as a sistah I had no intention of getting my hair wet. (laugh)


Soon my mother came back to the table and watched us as we relaxed in the water. Samarah and I let the waves crash against our bodies. We walked further and further into the ocean. When the water got up to our necks we decided to stop. We got a little chicken!! "We will got all the way out next time." 


 Sitting on the beach I felt so blessed to be alive! This year has been such a blessing in my life. I'm so thankful to be where I am. Sierra Leone has so much beauty and potential. It is a paradise.


 

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