Better late than never...

Hello and welcome to my blog.

My name is Josephine Dauda, a Sierra Leonean who lives and works in the UK. I am on a three week sabbatical (From the Business Software Alliance) and have been placed by AFID to volunteer with EducAid, a UK charity that runs the only free secondary schools in Sierra Leone. AFID provides the platform for Accountants to volunteer Financial Management skills in developing countries. About a year ago, I read about AFID’s good work in a CIMA magazine and thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to combine a visit home with volunteering. Seven months later I made the call to AFID and started the process.

I arrived in Sierra Leone on Friday 5^th November, the journey here was trouble free. Well, compared to the last journey I made in December 2008 when our flight was delayed for five hours and had to return to the UK only three hours after we finally departed because the plane’s windscreen had cracked. Anyway, that was then, now it appears the standard of service has improved dramatically with the change in airlines.

I always tell friends, you get a sense of Sierra Leone from the moment you arrive at the check in desk at Heathrow, which is never hard to find as there are twice as many people as would be booked on any normal outbound flight. This is mainly because Sierra Leoneans never arrive at the airport without family/friends to see them off, my Mum tells me it’s the custom to see people off, to relay messages to families obviously when T-mobile and Co did not exist. The other reason is of course excess luggage; Indeed, I arrived with my Cousin and two empty large bags as even my hand luggage seemed to be 20kg. So I head straight for the industrial scales which are never far from the Freetown check in desk. Here, a fellow traveller kindly tells me the airline has stopped allowing hand luggage on to the flight and all luggage must be checked in. This is also where you find out any information on how lenient the staff are with excess Kilos and which queue is better to join. With my strategy of packing my hand luggage with a couple of days outfit  at serious risk I go about embarrassingly redistributing items in my three luggage and try to locate that massive handbag which must now replace my pulley hand luggage. I manage to check in all luggage without any excess fees and make it on board the flight. Sierra Leoneans are very friendly people and don’t usually need much of a reason to celebrate so there were pockets of conversations and laughter throughout the flight, culminating in clapping of hands when the plane landed in Freetown.    

The airport is on Lungi Island; my Brother and his accompanying friend met me at the airport and had organised a crossing to Freetown with the hover craft. The other methods are by ferry, which provides a scenic view of Freetown as it ebbs towards the wharf, the helicopter is more suited to those with steady nerves and the roads route through the peninsula adds a few more hours to the 7.5 hours air flight journey. The hovercraft turned out to be a pleasant experience which offered complimentary drinks which we sipped whilst watching videos of Westlife’s 90s hits. Yes, Sierra Leone has always had strong links with the UK and is evident throughout the country. As we stepped off the hovercraft, I thought there should have been signs to say ‘mind the gap’ instead a friendly hand was stretched out with a greeting of ‘welcome to civilisation’. It was then 9.30 pm in Freetown, even at this time of night the streets were full of people and traders  providing a immediate insight into the bustle that is Freetown.

Well, I have the weekend to recover before work at Educaid on Monday so will keep you posted.