Worlds Away. . . The days, and now weeks, have flown since my departure from Bo.
It had been a long day travelling from Bo to Freetown. There was even a goat on the roadside who waved goodbye to us (truly!)…totally bizarre, but we all witnessed this phenomenon. The goat actually waved, not just digging at the dirt with its hoof! We had some beach time watching fishermen, wading and breathing in the sea air, which was very luxurious after being landlocked in Bo. Saying goodbye to Julia was hard as we have been through thick and thin and developed a lovely friendship with a dash of mother/daughter bits too. She gets the trooper-of-the-year award for being the WAFF volunteer who has been in country the longest. (By the time she departs, it will be about 9 months.)
Flying back to London with Selena and Jenny was fun, especially since we could share the frustrations of the interminable Lungi airport check-in process. In the end they were rewarded with biz class upgrades, but I remained in cattle class!
Jenny and I lingered with Selena before parting ways at Heathrow immigration and shared that we could already feel the experience slipping as we shifted gears…we had a good laugh about the bathroom faucets in the airport with the sign “WARNING: HOT WATER”.
Hugs goodbye to Selena (another lovely new friend) and then Jenny and I trundled officially through into the UK). Her devoted and vivacious sister, Lyndall, greeted us as we came through the sliding doors, which was an absolute treat. They are going to have a fortnight of sister time together in the UK. It was such fun to see their instant sister connection take over…two peas in a pod for sure. We gabbed for a few hours at the little coffee shop. Lyndall shouted me to a gigantic cuppa (more like a bowl) of café latte which propelled me through the rest of the day!
Then the last goodbye to Jenny at Paddington Station. I am so grateful for her friendship. We really had fun being the “oldies” working together these past two months. It is good to know that we can catch up with each other in Australia or who knows where else.
I arrived in Paris via the Eurostar train which is so fast and efficient…definitely propelled me into another world as I arrived into Gare de Nord at rush hour. By the time I had arrived at Philip and Monica’s glass studio in the Bastille (Ag 12), I was just absorbing all the changes. France feels so “civilised”. Philip greeted me with two dress rehearsal tickets to the opera at the Bastille Opera House for that night given to him by a friend. Off we went and we sat down with a minute to spare before the curtain rose (Luckily since it was dress rehearsal, it was “come as you are”). I would put money down that I was the only one in the audience who had been in Bo, Sierra Leone just 36 hours earlier. Talk about a 180 degree shift, totally surreal. Verdi’s La Belle Masque was an amazing spectacle and I loved it. I stayed wide awake for the whole performance and soaked in the reality of leaving Bo. (Thank you, Augustino)
Exploring the markets, eating the food, relishing the stained glass in Notre Dame, loving the spring flowers and having cousin time in Paris was very special. Philip and I had the adventure of finding the house in Reuill Malmaison, the Paris suburb, where our family lived for the year when I was six when my father was working at the Herald Tribune. Very fun.
I also spent a few days in Aix-en-Provence with old friends from years past, Dana and Liz, who provided a welcoming and cosy household. Liz and I share the same birthday (exact day and year) and the chocolate birthday cake for our 55th celebration was the best EVER! Taking walks around their place was like being in a Cezanne painting. Fluffy clouds, blue sky, views of Mt. Saint Victoire and heaps of purple and yellow dwarf irises carpeting the ground were the norm. We spent one day hiking the Cassis calanques where the sea was a clear cobalt blue with Ed and Daria White. Simply sublime.
Now I am back in Maine immersed in this world. I am luxuriating in watching the Canada Geese returning to the cove to nest, noticing the soft greens emerge in the woods and renewing friendships with talks and frequent walks.
I try to focus on life in Bo. Hearing the laughter and camaraderie of the women from the ward as they return from the well with buckets of water on their heads; watching the neighbourhood children play happily with a stick and an old bike rim; smelling the fields as they get burnt off in preparation for planting; the taste of a sweet banana; the feeling of sweat trickling down my back all the time. It’s a world I have grown to love, despite witnessing suffering and experiencing frustrations and challenges.
I will continue to draw from my time there and the many friendships I have cultivated. I marvel at their love of live despite all the hardships. Increased patience, tolerance, compassion, flexibility, adaptability, appreciation for simplicity are some of the lessons which lie in the experience of being there. May I be fortunate enough to keep remembering these values as I get drawn back into this very different world.
Helen
