November 27th
We set out for the animal park a little after 7:30 this morning on the Hondas.
My driver’s name Michael. What a sight we must have been, a procession of 7
Hondas each carrying a “white man” as they call all white people regardless of
gender. We stopped in Kamakwie so the drivers could pick up something to eat
since they would be waiting there at the park to bring us back when we were
finished. It was an awesome ride through a beautiful landscape. Fields, forests,
through a valley, the variety in the short distance was pretty impressive. We
passed through many villages where of course all the children had to say hello
to us as we passed. I did so much waving I felt like I was in a parade or
something. The road was pretty rough but on a Honda can dodge the worst and we
made pretty good time I’d say. At one point we had to get on this ferry that was
attached to a steel cable running across the river. The people then pull the
ferry across the river by hand. It’s a pretty sizable river so it takes a couple
of minutes to cross. While we were there we saw a man who was pretty much
catatonic and the people told us he couldn’t speak. They said he used be fine
but got sick and stopped speaking. Tom went to see him and asked how long ago he
got sick, they said a year. A YEAR? If I stopped talking altogether for a day
people would be rushing me to an emergency room. Waiting a year to seek
treatment for someone so sick is just crazy. Tom saw him at the hospital today
after we got back and thinks he might have a thyroid problem. He ordered some
tests and should have them in the morning. If that’s the problem and they have
what they need to treat it Tom said there won’t be any lasting damage beyond
losing one year of his life. From there it was about a third of the way left to
get to the park. The roads got even worse on the other side of the ferry so it
was a bit of a rougher ride but I still enjoyed it. We arrived at the park at
about 9:30. To see the hippos you have to take a canoe. Since there was only one
canoe and 6 people who were going out we had to go in shifts. Melanie, Meghan
and Randy went first. It’s about a two hour trip on the river to get there, see
them, and come back. So while they were off on the river Rebecca, Emma, Tom and
I did a little exploring, though we didn’t find very much, the available paths
were limited. After about an hour and or so we decided to have lunch and while
we were eating the other group returned and Rebecca, Emma and I set out on our
little river adventure. The person sitting in the front (aka me) had to help row
the canoe down the river to where we would see the hippos. It was just over a 45
minute journey to the spot and along the way we saw some beautiful trees, the
water was so calm that the shoreline and sky were reflected clearly in the
water. The river was very wide, about a football field at least. Since I was
rowing and Rebecca camera had died she was using my camera to take pictures, I
haven’t really had a chance to look at them to see what she took but I’m sure
there are some good ones. We got to see some monkeys up in the trees and an
iguana in a tree along the shore. It was so beautiful. We finally reached the
spot where you can find the hippos and watched them for a little bit. All you
can see is their head but it was still cool to be seeing hippos in their natural
habitat. We watched them for a bit, when they would surface and take a breath,
making a really loud sound. It was so cool, but we couldn’t get any closer as
they are quite dangerous. They kill more people every year than any other animal
in at least West Africa but I think Karen and Tom said all of Africa. They are
herbivores but if they feel threatened they can be quite vicious. But we were
careful and respected their space so we were quite safe. After watching them for
a little while we turned around and headed back upstream (not really much harder
because the river is quite still) getting back after about an hour and 45
minutes. On the way back we saw some more monkeys, even six in one tree, it was
really cool. My arms were tired from paddling all the way down and back;
considering I’ve not been in a canoe in years I’m not too surprised. Also, I had
a bunch of insect bites, from the black flies that live near the rivers. They
can carry a parasite that causes Onchocirciasis (sp?) which is called
river-blindness because left untreated it can spread to the eyes, though it
doesn’t seem quite desirable even without that little tidbit as it pretty much
spreads everywhere else and itches like crazy. So not taking any chances, when
we got back all of us took a dose of the medication that kills it off. After we
got back it was time to leave, and we kind of just dispersed, there wasn’t
really any order to it and we didn’t stick together. My driver almost got us
lost when passing through the first village outside the park but he got back on
the right track. We all met back at the ferry that takes you back across since
it was on the other side when we got there. As we were crossing one of the
drivers had fix a flat tire. Rather than replacing it (they had no spares) the
guy took a piece of rubber and wrapped it tightly around a piece of tire
including the hole to isolate it, put the tube back in and re-inflated it. After
crossing the ferry my driver and I were the last ones to get going. Michael is a
very safe but fast driver. On flat open stretches he really got going and we
passed a few of the other drivers but he went slow and carefully over bad spots
which is where he often lost ground (not that I’m complaining mind you) but I
think I picked the right driver for me, safe but speedy. Beneath all the fears
and worrying I really do enjoy a good thrill and he did it safely. It was a
great ride and the wind felt so good since it was really hot today. Though our
drivers were all wearing winter coats and weren’t even sweating, they are crazy
and think it is cold even when I’m still sweating. Anyway, we made it back safe
and sound at about 3 and after some picture taking all went our separate ways to
get cleaned up, we were all really dirty from the drive since the soil is very
dry and therefore a lot of dust was kicked up by the bikes. Anyway, after we got
cleaned up we wandered down to the market where I got a flashlight since the one
I brought is just too much effort. You have to it pretty much constantly to get
a good beam out of it. I thought a flashlight you wind would be good, but it’s
pretty rubbish sadly. The women got some fabric and they picked up some things
they had a tailor make for them. A few purse like bags and a skirt. By time we
got to the house it was dinner time and after dinner we chatted for a bit but
then everyone dispersed and Karen and I played card games. It was nice to just
relax. Anyway, that’s about all for today (you’re all probably thinking
“finally”) this was a pretty long one with just a brief recounting of the animal
park. It was an awesome experience and I’m really glad I got to go. It was so
cool. Off to bed now though, night all!

Blessings from Kamakwie,
Ryan Brooks

November 26th

I had a really good day today. I made it to chapel this morning for the first
time this week. The chaplain starts it early and so when I’m even a little late
getting down there because I had to finish up something at the house I’ve missed
it. I tried twice this week before and always missed it. The other days I just
didn’t get done soon enough. After chapel I came up to the house and spent a
little too long sorting out some stuff on the computer. I’m trying not to be too
attached to my computer; after all I did pretty well not having the internet for
almost a week when Karen was gone. When I finally finished that stuff up, well I
can’t really remember what I did. After lunch I had an hour to kill before class
but I can’t remember what I did then either… my memory seems a little cloudy
this evening. Class went well, I taught biology to the SS1 students and unveiled
my recently decided grading scale; they were rather dismayed when I told them
that 63% and less was a failing grade and that they would not pass my class. I
guess even as low as 50% is passing normally here, but I told them as science
students who wanted to become doctors and the like that I expected better from
them and if they couldn’t do it then perhaps it would be better if they switched
to Commercial or Arts now before they waste too much time in the sciences. I
don’t want to be mean, but I would rather they not try to do something they
can’t when there are easier paths. Science is definitely the hardest path to
follow. I gave the SS2 kids their chemistry test and gave them the grading
scale, they were equally disturbed at the “high standards” that I have for them
but Tom told me they have a tendency to settle for a passing grade and if they
are going to do that I’d rather have a passing grade be a higher grade than 50%.
We had a candlelight dinner this evening, we didn’t get any power this afternoon
and I didn’t run the generator so the lights died out before the power came on
(since it gets too dark to see very well by 6 and the power doesn’t come on till
7). After dinner we went downtown at night to pick up some drinks to take along
tomorrow. We are going to the animal park tomorrow, I’m pretty excited about
that. We will get to see hippos for sure Tom says. There are also monkeys that
we might see and Emma says that her Sierra Leone travel guide says that this
place is home to leopards. That would just be AMAZING to see one since
unfortunately there are no lions in West Africa, or at least this part of it,
which pretty much shoots my whole plan of riding one, darn… haha. Oh, there are
also supposedly elephants too. That would just be pretty sweet to see a wild
elephant. Anyway, we have to ride Hondas to the park which should be exciting,
it’s about a 45 minute ride to the park and I’m a bit nervous about riding that
long on a Honda but Tom swears that these drivers we are getting are very safe,
and he’s done it before so I am willing to trust him. Anyway, I’m pretty excited
about tomorrow to say the least. But for now I’m going to get ready for bed and
hit the hay. G’night all!

Blessings from Kamakwie,
Ryan Brooks

November 25th

Happy Thanksgiving! (Yes I know it’s not Thanksgiving anymore
now that you are reading this but it was on this day) Today was a
pretty good day and I was reminded many times today of all the
things that I am thankful for. Being here so far has been equally
incredibly difficult and incredibly amazing. It’s also made me think
about many of the things that I took for granted but really are very
thankful for. I am thankful for a savior who loves me so much and
knows better than I do the things I need. I am also very thankful
for the people in my life that mean so much to me that it causes
me to ache with how much I miss them. I feel like it’s really hard to
appreciate something when it’s always there and you can have
access to it all the time. Even when I was away from people say in
the summer they were never more than a car ride away. Knowing
what I know now I hope that I never take the ones I love for
granted like I used to ever again. I’m also very thankful to be here
in Africa not only to be able to experience the things I am
experiencing here but also being able to share them with you. I’m
thankful for the wonderfully cool weather we have been having in
the morning and at night. It’s still about 84 degrees in the morning
but with the total cloud coverage we’ve been having in the
morning it feels quite cool. Anyway, I’m so very thankful for so
many things that I could probably on forever, clean water, safe
food, etc… I spent the morning catching up on all the important
business that I had been unable to do without the internet (and
some not so important business). Classes went well, I gave my SS1
students a test in chemistry. Some of them did well and others did
outright horrid, but with what they’ve come from as previous
learning I’m not too surprised. I’m hoping these grades, along with
giving them my grade scale I’ve finally come up with, will persuade
them that they need to work harder. Life here is hard, and I feel
bad about giving them so much to do considering they have so
much work to do just for the sake of eating and survival in general
but if they don’t learn they won’t ever get anywhere and they will
be stuck in this position forever, so I’m doing my utmost best to try
and get them to put all the effort that they can into this stuff. I got
back from classes just in time for dinner, everyone who was
currently eating here (Randy, Emma, Rebecca, Melanie, Meghan,
the Ashers, Abu and I) plus the Emmits all had a thanksgiving
dinner. We had chicken, no turkey here, stuffing, mash potatoes
(instant variety) corn, cranberry sauce (canned), corn bread and a
pasta salad courtesy of the Emmits. Then for desert we had
pumpkin pie, custard pie and walnut pie. It was all very good and
really great considering we are here in Africa. Dr. Emmit shared
with us about the Wesleyan Medical Fellowship which helps
support a few Wesleyan hospitals around the world, here in
Kamakwie, one in Zimba, Zambia, India. They also help medical
missionaries cover the costs of continuing their medical education
in the States, sending short term missionaries to overseas hospitals,
and funding the training of nationals to work in overseas hospitals.
It’s a pretty cool thing and does great work. Dr. Emmit is the head of
it. Anyway, after that everyone kind of dispersed home and now I’m
going to bed. So I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, I had
a really great one here.

Blessings from Kamakwie
Ryan Brooks

November 24th

The morning didn’t go so well, I think I was just overstressed
because I went from daily communication with people to not
being able to write anyone or receive messages for almost a week.
Plus I haven’t been feeling well. I spent most of the morning
working on stuff for school and by lunch time I was starting to feel
better and then my classes went pretty well. Last night was pretty
good, we taught English for Karen since she wasn’t back yet but
she got in when we were almost done. She told us all about the
different things she had to do at the OB conference. She also
brought the internet stick, YAY! Haha, it’s nice to be able to know
what’s going on in the outside world again. I don’t have a whole lot
for today, so I guess that’ll be it for the evening.

Blessings from Kamakwie
Ryan Brooks

November 23rd
I went to the market this morning to get Rebecca’s phone charged
since they do it downtown for 1000 Leones, a quarter. The
universal charger she bought is pretty much rubbish. Over four
hours of charging and getting her one bar of three and lasting
under a day. I haven’t been feeling very well today. My stomach
has been upset all day, it has been cool all day and I haven’t
stopped sweating, and I feel extremely fatigued. It may just be that
I’m feeling stressed out since I have been out of contact for so
long. I mean I did get to talk to my mom and my friend Rhett, who
is just awesome and a great encouragement, on Sunday but I miss
getting to read the e-mails I get from people and being able to
write bad. It also doesn’t really help that I just found out that I
probably won’t have internet for a while, at least a week. Class
was ok today, nothing special. I gave back the quizzes to the 2s and
3s but I didn’t have the 1s so I’ll give those back tomorrow. I
finished up class and headed home at around 4. When I got home
Randy had finished putting together this rocking chair that the
Asher’s had sent over. Tom showed me an example of an African
attempt at a rocking chair. The carpenter had made the bottoms
of the legs flat because he was afraid that they would get hurt by
the moving chair. They brought this one over to serve as an
example for him because they want to put some in the OB ward
for the pregnant mothers. Anyway, after dinner everyone went off
to their respective places of residence or down to the hospital to
see some patients. Today was not a good day for children sadly.
There were two deaths, a 15 year old and a 3 year old, both were
girls. The 15 year old died early in the morning due to complications
with gastrointestinal bleeding. The three year old died in the late
afternoon; she had cerebral malaria and meningitis. She was being
treated for both and was improving then suddenly took a turn for the
worse and died. It’s such a hard and sad thing, but all too common
here. When Tom and Rebecca came back we watched two episodes of CSI
before going to bed.

Greetings from Sierra Leone
Ryan Brooks

November 22nd
I took Mrs. Emmit down to the market today. I was worried that
with a severely arthritic knee and having to use a cane that it
wouldn’t be a very good idea but it went pretty well. She made it
down and back alright and even came up to the house directly
afterwards to look at getting some books. People thought she was
my mom or grandmother. I’m not sure what to make of the mom
comment, either that she looks young or I look old, so I chose to
believe it was the former. Some of my kids in class today even
asked me about it. Anyway, I spent the afternoon preparing some
materials and such for my classes today so the afternoon was
really not very exciting. I had class from 2-6 today, five periods of
biology. Fun times that is. I gave all three classes quizzes today.
Many of the results were quite poor but there are a few really
good ones, I’m hoping that I can convince them to study more
because they really need too; most of them are barely passing
right now. Or in the case of one kid carrying a 13.5% average…
Granted they have quite a while to work on that but it’s never too
early to start. But classes went pretty well, though writing so much
on the chalk board is actually quite strenuous. I went downtown to
grab some onions and bread immediately after school because
Tom and the 3 new strangers were coming in tonight. I was just on
the way back when I ran into Pa, the Asher’s watchman, Pa is like
mister but they refer to him as Pa anyway. I greeted him and he
said “Dr. done come” which means that Tom had made it in. So I
double timed it up to the house because I didn’t want to be late to
dinner with the bread, and so I could help if needed. A guy named
Randy and his daughter Meghan came, as well as another lady
named Melanie who is a nurse I think. The guy and his daughter
are here for a week and a half or so the other nurse is here for like
6 days. I talked with Abu for the first time since Saturday, which
was good. Tom and Karen said I had been in the right sending him
out but I don’t think so and so I apologized because I really do feel
bad about it. Not to say that he was blameless I just reacted too
strongly. We talked a bit and I think we came to an understanding,
which is good because he’s really not a bad kid. He’s just young
and needs someone to work with him which I can’t do if we aren’t
speaking. Anyway, I’m glad to have at least gotten to talk with him
bit, even if he didn’t learn anything really. After dinner Rebecca
and I were just chatting when Emma came over because she is
watching the Mahr’s house while they are gone and their kerosene
fridge needed more fuel. The problem is that you have to fill it while
it’s burning because it’s a very finicky thing and if you’ve got it
burning good you don’t want to stop it. She was nervous about
pouring kerosene next to the flame so Tom went over to help her do
it. Emma and I managed to get some ants that bite on us, her worse
so than me. I got them off pretty easily before they climbed very far.
But sadly I can no longer claim to not have suffered any bug bites,
which I’ve been extremely lucky not to have since Rebecca is getting
eaten alive by the bugs. Everyone else has some problems with the
bugs but I haven’t had so much as a single bite before now. Oh well,
bound to happen sometime right? That’s about all I got for now. Off
to bed with me, g’night world.

From Sierra Leone
Ryan Brooks

November 21st
I got up this morning and made pancakes for Rebecca and Emma. I
was almost late getting it ready, I got up on time but I dilly-dallied
doing the dishes from yesterday and feeding the cats. I then
realized I had 15 minutes to make the pancakes, set the table, and
get everything out that I needed for breakfast, the coffee, sugar,
etc… Anyway, I got it all ready in time and had a good breakfast
chatting about the differences between England and America. It’s
quite fun to discuss the views people have of their own country.
We went to the Wesleyan Katherie Church this morning. The
service lasted about 2 hours and was quite good. They had one
offering where it was a competition of the surnames. They would
call out a surname and then everyone with that surname came
forward and gives an offering. For us it was the Ashers and the rest
of mankind. I had to get up and hold the offering basket. It was ok
because that’s all I had to do, for each of the previous surnames
one of them had to stand up and start singing, because they sing a
song during each offering. They really get passionate about their
offerings, smiling and dancing and singing. After church we
returned to the house and had some lunch, then I read for a little
while. I’m currently reading the books in the Chronicles of Narnia
and I finished the first one today. From there I went down to
Rebecca’s because we were supposed to see Samuel who got
some palm wine for us to try. It was interesting; it’s fairly fizzy with
a strange taste. It was good to try it but not something I think I
would really enjoy having very often. From there we went over to
visit a couple who live here in Kamakwie but work out in villages.
Pietro and Adele, two people from some group called Interaid.
Pietro is from Italy and Adele is from France. Adele is a primary
school teacher but she’s working with Interaid to get some
experience living in a country like this because from what is sounds
like is that she wants to work in a country like this. I almost got bit
by a “safe” dog. It had the rabies vaccine so it was ok to pet, but
that doesn’t mean it like to be pet. I was petting him and it was
going ok but I think he has a sore spot on his back that was sore
because he snapped at me when I touch a certain spot. So I quit
petting him. Pietro apologized because he had told me that it was
ok to t him. Anyway, we were there for a little over an hour. They
will be here until just after I leave so I’m hoping to be able to talk
to them some more. Nothing against the English but there are so
many here that I think it would be cool to learn more about France
and Italy first hand. They were really nice and offered to feed us
this evening but we felt like it would be imposing since they weren’t
really planning on having us there. We promised we would be back
some time to take them up on their offer because they insisted. We
went back to the house and made a quick dinner of macaroni and
cheese with tuna, it was quite tasty. I’m pretty tired but expecting a
call so I have to wait up, but that’s about it for my day.

Blessings from Kamakwie
Ryan Brooks