We arrived on New Year's Eve, and I was curious if Freetown would be quiet, given the President's orders not to gather in groups and the cancellation of Christmas. Nevertheless, there was what sounded like a raucous
party in the streets outside our hotel windows. I
was happy to hear this joy, despite what has been a season of sadness for the people here.
Today in Freetown we saw many signs of normality - people go to the market, children hold hands when walking down the street, parents soothe their children, and lovers have intimate conversations. Still there are signs everywhere that things are different. There is very little traffic. Markets close promptly at 6 pm. There are hand washing stations and young men who point thermometers at your forehead at random checkpoints and building entrances. Everywhere there are signs like this one about not touching people:
The other non-normal thing is that there are many expatriates here from all over the world. It is impressive to see so many mobilized to respond. We met people on our flight coming from Europe, Australia, Japan and Sri Lanka. There were some muscular European-looking men who looked like they were ready to stomp all over this virus. I talked to two women coming for the first time to Sierra Leone, one to work as an epidemiologist for one month and one to work for six months at a treatment center doing administrative work. Agencies are now moving towards having staff doing longer tours, so that there is some consistency with the response. I am glad for this - I have repeatedly heard that people here on shorter tours (4-6 weeks) feel frustrated by their short time in country.
I am happy to be in the company of Susan. She has done work here for over 20 years, is fluent in Krio, and has a large professional network here. Her experience will definitely help us to maximize our time here over the next 10 days.
Today in Freetown we saw many signs of normality - people go to the market, children hold hands when walking down the street, parents soothe their children, and lovers have intimate conversations. Still there are signs everywhere that things are different. There is very little traffic. Markets close promptly at 6 pm. There are hand washing stations and young men who point thermometers at your forehead at random checkpoints and building entrances. Everywhere there are signs like this one about not touching people:
The other non-normal thing is that there are many expatriates here from all over the world. It is impressive to see so many mobilized to respond. We met people on our flight coming from Europe, Australia, Japan and Sri Lanka. There were some muscular European-looking men who looked like they were ready to stomp all over this virus. I talked to two women coming for the first time to Sierra Leone, one to work as an epidemiologist for one month and one to work for six months at a treatment center doing administrative work. Agencies are now moving towards having staff doing longer tours, so that there is some consistency with the response. I am glad for this - I have repeatedly heard that people here on shorter tours (4-6 weeks) feel frustrated by their short time in country.
I am happy to be in the company of Susan. She has done work here for over 20 years, is fluent in Krio, and has a large professional network here. Her experience will definitely help us to maximize our time here over the next 10 days.
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