Skills I have gained– and am still gaining!
on Shona in Sierra Leone (Sierra Leone), 28/May/2011 09:47, 34 days ago
VSO’s motto I about “Sharing Skills, Changing Lives”, however I am constantly learning new skills here!1) How to have a bucket bath and wash myself including my hair with three cups of water.2) How to get dressed and ready for work in the dark.3) How to blag lifts around town– all good VSOs can spot a potential lift from a mile away!4) How to drink beer again. I think that Fred and Cat are quite proud of having got me into drinking beer for the first time since I was at Uni! For volunteers on a budget, Star beer is only Le3000 (about 50p) a bottle from small shops and local bars (Le8000 from Mamba Point!)5) Krio. I’m by no means fluent but I can certainly get by. It’s a great language – a kind of pidgin English with a bit of French and Spanish thrown in, with its own (fairly complicated) grammar. As I keep saying when people comment on my ability to speak Krio “I de try”.6) How to negotiate fares with taxi drivers. I’m not great at bargaining for food as I usually get my fruit and veg from the same people and they tend to give me good deals and throw in a bit extra for free. But taxi drivers – I am quite good at arguing with! (the Krio comes in handy here too!)7) How to be incredibly patient (sometimes).8) How to hiss to gain the attention of waiting staff in restaurants (it’s not seen as rude here, honestly! – although I still don’t like it).9) How to avoid giving out my phone number to random strangers and turn down offers of marriage (the fact I already have a husband is a very useful excuse here).10) Wise use of available electricity, to ensure my computer and phone don’t run out of battery.11) Ensuring I have everything I need under my mosquito net before tucking it in– phone, torch, alarm clock, book, glasses, water.12) How to manage a ward round complete with journalists, film crews and photopraphers….! (more on this at a later time)