Blogs from Freetown, Sierra Leone, Africa

Today the exams were taken and all but one passed the course... I am so proud of them all so here are the guys and gal with "Anita" their very own resus doll.... its been a great week, a massive eye opener, people can tell you about Sierra Leone but until you experience it you can never prepare yourself for what you are about to see... it really is the ugly duckling, War, Poverty and Corruption. All these people in this picture grew up in a war torn country and have many tales to tell, some were evacuated to the Gambia and some were forced to be child soldiers and they are all very patriotic and want nothing but the best for their country. They are all grateful for the teaching's they have received and have ... read more

We left the branch a bit later yesterday (15/5); leaving just 10 minutes later can make a world of difference. It took over 2 hours to return to the hotel suddenly appreciating the congestion charge in London. 2 hours of driving through the slums watching how people live, women washing clothes in water running down from the hill, children playing around the drains, men sitting drinking their beer and playing chess and older women sweeping the piles and piles of rubbish that just is never ever going to end because everywhere looks like a landfill site. Men are burning the rubbish and the people are trying to clean it up but the next minute they are dropping it again… It was 6.45pm and I noticed many school children, all in lovely school uniforms looking very smart. ... read more

My Flight into Freetown was delayed by 3 hours due to technical difficulties... this is becoming a habit with me! On arrival we were delayed getting off the plane as the truck that has the stairs on it broke down.... and we are back in Africa :) I came through customs and immigration wanted to check my suitcase, this was fine as I had no dodgy dolls in it this time "passport" he announced in a rather gruff voice. so I said "sure" and I chucked it on the table in front of him... he told me off, apparently I should have passed it to him with my photo ready to be looked at. I apologised and he chalked a red mark on my case and I left to find Abdul, Abdul found me easily - ... read more

I haven’t been to a place in Africa with a sense of progress in the air since I was in Rwanda. Even though it is nowhere near Rwanda’s level, it’s at least a start. It was the week of Sierra Leone’s 50th Anniversary of independence from colonial UK and that added to this uplifting feel. I was excited to reach a country that is now peaceful and before it becomes the eventual packaged tour haven for Europeans. Unlike other nations in West Africa I’ve been to, you really can sense there is a want, a desire for progress and change from the way life has been running. Billboards are everywhere encouraging for a bright future. Corruption wants to be tackled. Tourism is seen as Sierra Leone’s get out clause, informing it’s the “…way to prosperity.” A ... read more

We weren't planning on going to Sierra Leone, in fact we weren't planning on going on any holiday. A HUGE stroke of good luck on my boyfriend Lukes part, meant that we suddenly had tickets to anywhere on the BMI network for free!! I know, I didn't believe it myself at first. So the plan was to go somewhere as far away as possible, cheap (as this wasn't a planned holiday, and so the budget was very tight), and somewhere that we would never have gone without the free flights. Looking through the destination list Sierra Leone jumped out at me. It certainly ticked all of the above boxes, but the response I got from Luke when I suggested it was not positive. I think his exact words were "Are you having a laugh, isn't that ... read more