Fulbright Group Study Fellowship to Guinea and Sierra Leone
Journal Entries, May 24-28, 2008
Elaine Nichols
Sunday, 5/24/08
Lisa Randle and I departed the Columbia Metro airport (2:30 pm) bound for Atlanta, where we met the rest of the group around 4 p.m. We had a brief (two hour) layover in Atlanta and a six hour layover in Paris, where we met Mohamed N’Daou!!!
Fulbright Group in Atlanta Airport, waiting to board the plane to Paris
In Paris, Tim, Curtis and Lester had problems because they did not have tickets for the entire trip and Donald went with them to secure the tickets. Afterwards Tim, Curtis and Blondelle have difficulty clearing customs. Although it takes them a very long time, they eventually make it through.
L-R: Blondelle Tolliver & Ann McDonald, waiting for others to clear customs at Charles de Gaulle airport
L-R: Tim Brown, Mark Nadobny & Curtis Franks (he’s smiling because he finally cleared customs), Charles de Gaulle airport
Lisa Randle and Mohamed N’Daou during the 6 hr. layover in Paris. Some of the group members are sound asleep -- on the floor!
Monday, 5/25/08
We arrived in Conakry around 10:30 p.m. (local time). I have been awake since 6 a.m. on Sunday morning because I attended the 8:10 church service at Brookland Baptist with Karen, Vera and Vera’s daughter, Nina. I am wired more than I am tired. There is a soft rain as I exit the Air France plane. Everyone else has gone into the terminal and I am given a ride on a tram by two very nice employees, a lady and a gentleman. It is clear to me the moment that I disembark from the plane that this trip will not be typical and that the schedule that we have is just an outline or a general guide but not a strict schedule. I have a feeling in my stomach that we are about to face many circumstances where we will need to be patient, observant and flexible.
Mohamed N’Daou, Ph.D., a native of Guinea and former head of education for Guinea, has gone inside to negotiate things for us. He has graciously organized a committee of folks to welcome us: a very close friend, his daughter (with her three- month-old son, Prince) and his granddaughter. It is very comforting that they are here, even though only his friend speaks English. His friend attended USC in Columbia.
The Welcoming Committee at the Conakry airport. Mohamed holding his grandson, Prince and his daughter, Fatou stands next to him.
The section of the airport for arriving flights appears small and under renovation. After coming through the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, everything except O’Hare looks small. It is somewhat of a culture shock to have so many baggage handlers rushing to get our bags. Mohamed has instructed us not to allow anyone to remove our bags, so we pile everything, (there seems to be a mountain of bags and boxes, as we have brought supplies and books for the schools and universities that we will be visiting) into a corner and we form a human fence surrounding the luggage. The Education Department of the State Museum has cleaned out it closet of odds and ends (pencils, old program bags, rulers, etc.) and things that will no longer be used. I have taken a small suitcase filled with these items as part of our goodwill efforts.
Finally Mohamed says that we are ready to leave and the van drivers, Sidy Bah, Souliman (pronounced Sue-li-mon) Bah and Souliman Diallo (pronounced Jah-low) load up one van and a jeep with all of the luggage and all 13 passengers! It is tight and all modesty (given that it has been about 26 hours of being on a plane or in an airport) goes out the window. We arrive at the Novotel Hotel, a very nice place on the beach. The singer/rapper Akon has just given a 2-day concert that was, according to Souliman Bah, a sold-out jam. Akon is staying at the Novotel Hotel and there are many, many heavily armed guards on the surrounding streets. We never have an opportunity to lay eyes on him, but we are told that he is in the hotel. We are too weary to be overly concerned.
Tuesday, 5/27 /08
We leave early in the morning for Mohamed’s compound, which is located about 20-30 minutes away from the hotel, at the opposite end of Conakry. We have a different driver from last night. In the downtown area the police (about four of them) pull our van over and one female officer starts yelling at the driver, who is also yelling at her. Since most of it is in French and it is intense, I am not able to understand the dialogue. What is clear is that she says that she saw a camera flash from our vehicle. The driver is adamant that no one took a picture of the police. The heated exchange goes on for several very long minutes before she allows us (with a stern warning not to take any more pictures of the police) to drive on. It was very scary because prior to coming to Guinea, we were given very clear and specific instructions by Donald West that under no circumstances should anyone take pictures of public buildings (city hall, the army quarters, etc), the military or the police. I did not see the flash and could not imagine that anyone would endanger the health and well-being of the group for a picture. A week later, the culprit confessed that he had taken the picture of the police!!!
We went to the gas station to buy gas, but the station was closed. We waited and we waited and we waited some more, only to learn that the station was closed for the day. Mohamed was disappointed that the drivers did not secure gas for the vans the night before.
We arrived at Mohamed’s compound around mid-morning. A compound is a local term for a person’s home. It is usually enclosed behind very elaborate and decorative fences and gates. Driving down the roads I had seen guinee metalle signs on buildings and beautiful gates lying in rows along the way. It wasn’t until we arrived at Mohamed’s home that it all made sense. The guinea metalle shops sell various styles of gates and fences for residential or business compounds.
Fatou (Mohamed’s daughter), Madame Simone and her daughter and son, the imam, his wife, and other neighbors and friends were all there to greet us. I had a sumptuous meal of plantains, couscous, rice, a mix of onion/tomatoes/cucumbers in vinegar, and green peas. The meat-eaters had a beautiful, and, they said, delicious meal of chicken and fish stew with a hot pepper sauce.
A table of good food
Donald asked us to take only the essential items as there are several checkpoints along the way and they may charge us for baggage. Many people left half of their bags at Mohamed’s house. I left the school supplies and took the rest plus my back pack.
We left between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. All of the gas stations were closed in Conakry, in anticipation of a possible adverse reaction if negotiations between the military and the police were not satisfactorily resolved.
Leaving Conakry, Guinea for Freetown, Sierra Leone
It was a beautiful day, even though it was very hot and humid and the vans had no air conditioning and no shocks. I didn’t realize until much later how important the shocks would be! We purchased gas from street vendors and the diesel was trop cher-- very expensive. This street gas took us all the way to Sierra Leone.
Street gas is transported in the yellow cans shown on the ground here
In many ways the street market reminded me of large cities in America where corner vendors sell various and sundry items for your comfort and delight. Children approached the van with an assortment of tempting treats: biscuits (pre-packaged European or Lebanese sweet cookies), candies, cooked meat on a skewer, pans and baskets of bread, fresh fruit, and cold water in plastic sandwich bags, etc. They looked doleful-eyed and charming as they tried to convince you to pay 2 thousand guinea francs (gf) for biscuits. That’s less than one U.S. dollar. The exchange rate that Mohamed was able to get for us was 4,500 gf for each dollar. 450,000 gf can go a long way. The cookies (that I bought) were wonderful with a subtle ginger/honey taste to them. Others purchased some that were vanilla flavored.
We were on our way—on a trip that our driver, Souliman Bah, told us would take 7-8 hours. It ended up taking 18, long, grueling hours. Afterwards, whenever Souliman mentioned anything to us about distance or time, we would tease him and ask, “Is it a Fulani mile?” or “Is that in Fulani time?”
The Guinea/Sierra Leone Road. There is only one road that takes you there and some of it is paved and some of it is not paved
Again, I could not sleep. The roads were mostly uneven, unpaved, oversized pot holes that were sometimes filled with water. The ride was so rough that when we arrived in Freetown, I had a huge red, black and blue bruise across my right arm. I don’t bruise easily, but I was sitting next to the window and the constant banging against the side of the van took its toll on my arm. I missed the shocks as much, if not more than, the air conditioning, and it was very hot and humid from Conakry to Freetown.
We stopped at a market place along the way to buy food—avocadoes, pineapples, mangoes. One soul among our motley crew loved the sweet mangoes so much that, in one sitting, he ate two – one very large one and one small one. Mangoes are a wonderful source of vitamins and lots of fiber. Needless to say, he had diarrhea for several days and has since sworn off of mangos.
A market place on the only road that leads to Sierra Leone from Guinea
There were many check points along the way— some operated by the military, some operated by the police and a few operated by private citizens.
Lessons learned from this leg of the journey:
1. It helps to have someone along who speaks the language and understands the culture.
2. Patience and good spirits are a requirement in life. The most tedious journeys can wreak havoc on you, or worse yet, destroy you.
3. It helps to be surrounded by people of good cheer.
4. If there is order in you, there will be order in the world.
5. Excess creates disorder.
Wednesday, 5/28/08
We arrived at the Hotel Moi, in Freetown. It was a very lovely place situated on the ocean. At 6 a.m., and after a long road trip, the room was so inviting. I sleep until 1:30 in the afternoon, only to be awakened by the maid’s incessant knocks on the door.
The Hotel Moi in Freetown, Sierra Leone (Yes, it’s on the beach)
Thursday, 5/29/08
Fulbrighters on the beach near the Hotel Moi in Sierra Leone. Mohamed teaches us how to negotiate with vendors. It is expected that you never accept the first offer from a vendor. In the background a UN van and a house that is being constructed
Fisherman pull in the catch of the day
In the evening, the group enjoyed great fellowship and a lovely meal at an outdoor restaurant. Note: the light wattage seemed to be considerably lower than that in typical American homes and businesses. Buildings and streets appeared to be dimly lit.
Fulbrighters share their first evening meal in Freetown