Simplicity is Nice but……

You know, Africa is a very unique place. This has been my first encounter with the continent and so far, many things have blown my mind. And so, I’ve compiled a short list of things/situations you are unlikely to encounter in Canada.

-          A man walking up the street with a cube freezer on his head.

-          Waking up in the morning to 15 children digging out your backyard in search of a flatbed trucks chassis to sell the metal.

-          A rice paddy for a front lawn (awesome!)

-          Up to 300mm of rain per month.

-          Children running up the street screaming, “White man, white man, white man!” when they make notice of you.

-          Referring to an avocado as a pear.

-          “100% vegetarian” toilet paper.

-          4 – 5 people on a motorbike.                     

-          Monkeys crossing the road.

-          Monkey in a bowl.

-          Goats and chickens in cars, busses, and on motorbikes.

-          Referring to electricity as fire.

-          The vast majority of people living on a dollar or less per day.

-          Alluvial diamond miners panning for stones on the side of roads.

-          A restaurant named “Choices” with only 1 choice.

-          A large billboard with a condom-shaped man saying, “I’m Mr. Condom, use me and I will protect you from HIV!”

-          Slaughtering a cow next to the condom billboard on the side of the road.

-          Strangers offering you their daughters for marriage and their infants for care.

Although many things in Salone are different from what we would encounter back home, an expat once explained to me how Salone can be best described as “simple.” How right he was. Many things back home are convenient but not necessary simple. In Salone, if you need to get a fridge somewhere you carry it on your head, rather than call the movers or a friend with a truck; need to bathe? Fetch a bucket of water and rinse yourself with soap and voila, you’re clean. No need for the fancy showers, towels, shampoos, soaps, gels, and feet scrubbers. It’s a matter of getting it done, period; need a hand to weed the garden? Inform a friend and expect him to show up when he’s available. No need for appointments, follow-ups, and frustration if he arrives late.

Simplicity can truly be a beautiful thing. It shouldn’t, however, be confused with ease or effortlessness. The reality is that for most people here, life is rather tough. Behaviour I make witness to everyday is out of necessity and obligation, not preference. People carry out their daily tasks the way they do because there is no other viable option for them. Do you think that if that man could transport the fridge some other way, he wouldn’t? Do you think that woman really wanted to give away her infant child to a complete stranger? Of course he would and of course she didn’t! But the reality for many people in Sierra Leone is that of hardship and survival. And this is why CAUSE Canada and so many other NGO’s are present in this country - to impart skills and traning that ultimately empowers and improves the quality of life for some of the greatest and friendliest people I’ve yet to meet. No offense Newfoundland!