Ebola, Ground Zero part 2: Tales from Guinea. Putting humanity front and center. Then a week of rest In Dakar.

Even though the Mid Term election results defy logic, false equivalence again winning the day—thus leading to an even StupiderParty Congress (it had a 10% approval rating, so you figure people would want less stupidparty), regardless in spite of such domestic insanity, most Americans do care about the issues.

From a dear young Lady. What life is like between stints working in Guinea.

The Brave people working on the front lines of Ebola – the people that Donald Trump would refuse to assist, an issue that causes panic amongst SP devotees – the U.N provides these individuals  with a week of R & R. They get to go to Dakar in Senegal.

 I have finished a whole jar of vitamins! This is how I’ve been counting down the days so it’s a real sense of achievement today! Saying that time has gone quickly. I still feel like a newbie but many international staff who arrived with me have already left (because they come on temporary assignments) and with new people coming every other day, I should feel well established.

 The other week, Luca (the Country Deputy) called me and asked if I could accompany him to the field for an opening ceremony of a Transit Centre. (Transit centres are put in place to help reduce the risk of contamination. As soon as someone feels ill, they can go there to be ‘quarantined’, if Ebola is confirmed then they will be sent to the nearest treatment center, which could be two hours drive away. With terrible road conditions. So a transit center is an intermediary area and they will be building 16 around Guinea and 9 actual Treatment centers each having a capacity of 100 beds) WFP’s role is to provide hot meals to patients and their families and to build the centres, because WFP has a huge logistic capacity too.

 It was so nice to get OUT of Conakry. It took us 3 hours drive and once out of the traffic, the route was really beautiful, and I felt that maybe I could like Guinea. There is an abundance of resources here. Paddy fields, lakes, mountains!, green, lots of green, and small huts with straw roofs dotted along the side of the road. I was feeling so tired but there was no chance of having a nap as every 3 minutes you hit your head on the window because of the holes in the road. And every 30 seconds, the driver hoots his horn at a person walking by, or a goat, a chicken. A bit unnecessary.

 We arrived at the town hall where they had arranged a ceremony for the opening of the centre. There must have been about 300 people inside this hall. And I was stuck between two bands who continued to play different music. I tried not to laugh at the organization, but it was really so funny. When someone was giving a speech, another person would be waving at him to stop / or mouthing something incomprehensible, and people did not know what to do next. They were talking in Susu, one of the 4 local dialects here, so I couldn’t understand. It was so boring and I was so hot. Fortunately a kind man saw my suffering and tore off some cardboard for me to use as a fan. The camera men would approach you and film you for 15 seconds which was really awkward, especially because I could feel sweat trickling down my forehead.

When it finally finished, we walked out and the 30 degrees c hit us like fresh air. We went on to visit the transit centre, which was not yet operational. But they had everything in place and we had to get our feet sprayed with chlorine before entering. They showed us the rooms equipped with plastic mattresses and buckets and they demonstrated how to take off the PPE kit. It felt eery walking around, as if it was a prison camp.

 In other news, I realise that the maid can only cook 2 dishes, oily meat or oily fish with rice. Both taste very nice but I don’t want to know how much oil she uses. The avocados are huge here and such good pineapples and papayas. But it doesn’t last long, even if we put it in the fridge which defrosts during the day when the power is switched off. I am used to walking in puddles in the kitchen.

The highlight of my week is getting the washing machine fixed. Yes, I haven’t been able to do a wash for SEVEN WEEKS. I tried hand washing but it was a disaster. So a washing machine has brought much joy! And also I spotted someone cleaning the pool so I have been trying to go swimming although I won’t put my face under.

Yesterday I went to the airport to take some photos of an Antonov 124 , the second largest plane in the world, land in Conakry. It was bringing 5 tonnes of WFP cargo – tents and generators as well as a UN van. Considering the fact the runway got struck by lightning last week forming a huge hole in the surface (I’m not leaving here until we are 100% out of lightening season!)  it was quite impressive to see this gigantic plane land at little Conakry airport. But what was so bizarre was when the back lowered the Russian crew, about 8 of them, stepped out in their PPE kits like a spaceship! Gloves, boots, goggles everything. After the unloading of the 5 containers, they hosed down the boot of the plane  and took off their kits, making sure not to step on the runway, leaving it in a bin bag which they left on the runway. And it took half an hour for the aircraft to leave because the crew refused to take the bin bag with them out for health and safety reasons, and the airport refused to dispose of it out of pride! So my colleague collected it and we had to bring it back with us.

I am so grateful for my week off in Senegal. Dakar was a really great city with so much to explore, I loved it.

I took the UN plane which I was quite excited about. There were only three of us and it started moving before I did up my seatbelt! The most efficient plane journey I think I will ever take. Once we landed in Dakar, at the French Military base, we were screened by people dressed in their PPE kits and then that was it, I was allowed to go free! After that, there was nothing to do with Ebola in Senegal, no billboards along the road or no hand gel at every entrance. When I was asked where I came from, my response depended on who it was. If it was someone I wanted to get rid of quickly, I would say Guinea and they would step back or make a joke about not coming near me. In fact one maid in a hotel cowered in the corner of my room. Another taxi man asked how one catches the virus, so there is still work to be done.

Unfortunately, I have to say one thing very exhausting about Dakar was that people in the street did not leave you alone, even if I did use the Guinea trick. They were constantly trying to sell me something (no I don’t need a colander, a wall clock or a box of tissues) or try and lead you somewhere. Even if you ignore them, they will continue to walk along beside you. Apart from that, it was so nice to walk around freely. There were even zebra crossings and bins on the pavements! It felt strange shaking people’s hands, getting in a taxi and not having to rinse my hands in a murky bucket of chlorine.

I spent my first full day walking around getting lost in Dakar. A city where elegance meets chaos, noise, vibrant markets and glittering nightlife. You come across stalls selling bright fabrics next to modern fashion shops, french patisseries and coffee shops.

The next day I took a taxi to a town called Saly which was about an hour and half drive through barren land, so dusty and dry it made you thirsty just looking out the window. Horses and carts rolled alongside these huge ancient Baobab trees (a wide trunk with spindly branches). Saly is a seaside resort so it really felt like a holiday. The sea was so calm and clean and warm. I went from my bed to sun bed to the sea for two days, it was lovely! But people still come up to you on your sun bed and sit at your feet, trying to sell you the same shell bracelets and necklaces. And a chopping board, which he insisted I needed. I had to put earphones in and sunglasses and hide behind my book. It wasn’t very busy with tourists as it’s just the start of the season. I then headed back to Dakar for the next four days and stayed in a lovely hotel on the sea, which had a monkey and pelican as residents! I had a balcony that looked on to the sea and I slept with the doors wide open listening to the waves. There was an island not far out which on the first day I took a pirogue (a long skinny wooden boat) packed so full of people, we almost sunk. So the next time I swam (25 minutes) which was a bit choppy and I saw a fish that looked like a snake with a shark fin?! Never have I swam so fast. The island had a small population, lots of beautiful holiday houses and beachy restaurants. Life felt slow and lazy and time stopped.

I had a friend join me for the last 4 days so it was nice to share the holiday. We took a boat to the island of Goree (UNESCO) and spent the day there, visiting the Maison des Esclaves. From the 15th to the 19th century it was the largest slave-trading centre on the African coast. It’s rich in history and is probably the area’s favourite and most famous tourist attraction, every colour of bougainvillaea flooded the island.

I think you could have a very nice life living in Dakar. The climate is lovely and you have stunning houses, no power cuts, a good supermarket. I’ve been told it is like the Paris of West Africa!

So back to Conakry. When I arrived, three macho men with tattoos and shaved heads were sitting in my office, one from Belfast, one from Essex and the other from Northumberland! (there is a tendency to hot desk in the office because there’s not enough space) Their profession is a bodyguard. They are hilarious and it’s been a nice distraction in the office. They were telling me stories of working for Paris Hilton, in Iraq and Afghanistan (both of which were easier than working with Paris Hilton), being placed in jail in Iran.. Five of us in an office that’s meant for two! But they are really nice. You will be asking what they are doing here! As well as bodyguards and ex-army, they are medics and are here as health advisors. When they saw I wasn’t feeling well they tested me for Malaria (but it was just some dodgy fish I ate) so I am in good hands!

I’m missing home a lot a lot a lot! I would love for it to be cold enough to wear a coat and gloves!!!

Love and kisses from a fever free 36.8°