Fast cars, a multitude of people, a lot of noise and good weather sums up the Formula One in Montréal, Canada! An amazing week spent with the family in Montréal and a Grand Prix weekend (June 10-12) as a bonus :) ... read more

Apoto, apoto, apoto!! is one of the main expressions we heard the children yell as we walked through Kabala, a city located 312km into the provinces. Along with two friends, I took a government bus (for Le20,000 / $5) from Freetown to the provinces. The 6 hour bus ride that was supposed to leave at 6AM, didn't leave until 7:30AM. I should have known, could have gotten an extra hour of sleep. Anyway, the drive upcountry was beautiful! It's nice to see the scenery change. The more north you go, the more hills and mountains you see. While in Kabala, we stayed at Sengbeh Guesthouse, run by a really nice man, who sent us bohku (a lot) of mangos after settling into our rooms. There's not much to do around town, since it's a lot smaller ... read more

6 AM runs; fresh, organic cucumber and mango breakfasts; glorious Lebanese za'atar lunches or local bread and beans; and an abundance of mouthwatering jelly (baby coconut) or pia (avocado) as snacks! Life is good!! All is well here and my research is coming just fine. I am making some interesting progress including meetings / interviews with the Social Development Officer of Child Welfare Secretariat; Assistant Director of Junior and Senior Secondary Schools; students, principals and teachers around Freetown and just a couple weeks ago I met Sierra Leone's former Vice President! When I'm not doing interviews, traveling around town, or meetings with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), I am spending my days exploring more of the country, culture, learning Krio, and cooking African dishes. I am currently writing another blog all about the chop (food) here and a ... read more

Kusheh paddy! Today ah de go talk to yu about waitin ah sabi about chop na Salone! Chop na Salone *Groundnut Soup, basically peanut butter soup, usually made with meat, chicken (since chicken isn't like any other meat ...) or fish; *Fufu, a glorious thick paste with Play-Doh-like texture, usually made from cassava (NOTE: To be eaten with hands ... my favorite!); *Potato Leaves, made from the leaves of sweet potatoes; *Kanya, tasty treats made with simply three ingredients: Rice flour or gari, peanut butter, and sugar; *Beans, black eyed beans, fish, onions, garlic and tomatoes (one of my favorite dishes na ya). Overall, the dishes here are pretty spicy, cooked with lots of pepe (hot pepper)! I have yet to try the pepe soup ... that should get your attention!! There is a large ... read more

Kusheh ... aw di bodi?! Krio (Creole) is one of the main languages here in Sierra Leone and a lot of fun to listen to; I've been trying my best to learn it! After spending a couple days in London, I finally arrived at Lungi Airport (FNA), located across the water in Lungi, 15 km outside of Salone's (Sierra Leone) capital, Freetown. There are several ways of getting from one place to the other, but here are the three most popular: 1) Helicopter 2) Watertaxi/hovercraft 3) Ferry I've been told that the old helicopters, which were once given by the Russians, are not that reliable. And since I wasn't that familiar yet with the watertaxi and its simplicity, I went by ferry, an adventure in itself. I must also add that I was picked up by ... read more