Arrival (Heleen)

After eight months of Sabbatical I arrived on African soil again… I am sitting on a little veranda at my hotel in Freetown. It is so good to feel the warmth again, to hear the familiar sounds of Freetown at this hour, and to call out greetings to passers-by: “Gud-ivnin-o. Api Niu Ia!” (Good evening! Happy New Year!).

We made an early start Wednesday morning, as my sister and brother-in-law took us to Brussels Airport, leaving at 6.00 am. It was a huge blessing to be taken there by car and to share a cup of coffee with them before we said good-byes. I still don’t like goodbyes, but what a difference it is when you walk away with someone on your side, someone holding your hand, someone who says a prayer for a safe travelling, and offers a shoulder to sleep on. I am grateful…

Anticipating our four months of no-touch, we sat close together, stole a few kisses, and asked questions: Will you tell me if you are not well? (yes, that’s me, trying not to sound too anxious…). What are your dreams for 2015? (That’s Jon, always positive, helping me to look beyond the next few weeks…)

The arrival in Lungi was chaotic as usual. Added to the usual hustle and bustle, there were now buckets with chlorinated water to wash our hands, forms to be filled about our exact whereabouts over the past few weeks, and about any symptoms of sickness over the past few days. Our temperatures were checked, passports stamped, and off we went to collect our luggage. It took a while before our suitcases showed up and our contact persons identified themselves and got us our tickets for the water taxi. If I hadn’t made the bus ride to the water taxi before, I would have thought we were abducted and taken into the bush. But soon the beach showed up, and while waiting for the boat Jon and I briefly met up again. Finally, a quick goodbye: “I love you!” and off I went on the boat to Freetown, while Jon had to wait for his turn.

After a quick stop at one of the Save the Children’s houses the driver who picked me up took me to the hotel where I was supposed to spend my first few night(s). Typically overpriced and underserviced… There was no water in the taps so I ran down again to ask about it. A few minutes later the water started coming, a brown-yellowish solution… I kept it running and after a while it looked good enough to take a bath! Then I turned off the air conditioning (far too cold for me!), opened the windows to let in the tropical breeze and crawled under my mosquito net for a good and long night of rest…

At breakfast this morning I met some Save the Children’s colleagues who had arrived overnight to work in Logistics and Sanitation. Thankfully, these professionals more than agreed with me that the hygiene standards of the hotel were far below what is required for this Ebola-affected era. So I was not sad when I was told to check out before leaving for the office. The rest of the day was full of surprises, maybe more so for the country office than for myself, as I had not been expected and it turned out that my position doesn’t really exist! However, they were very happy to have me and there is plenty of work to be done, so they have started putting everything in place for me to join the team. 

In the afternoon I was taken to a better hotel (the one where Jon spent his first night) and as of tomorrow I should have a room in one of the Save the Children’s staff houses. Internet is not really working here, so I’ll have to post this tomorrow at the office. But my search for a new SIM card was successful this afternoon. My phone now works and I just found out that my beloved has arrived safely in Lunsar, where he will be posted for the next few weeks. His arrival wasn’t without surprises either, but I leave it to him to tell you more about that.

This evening I read Matthew 1 and realised that our engagement is actually not that complicated if you look at Joseph & Mary’s. Their “no-touch-period” lasted a good bit longer and was surrounded with shame and rejection, while Jon and I receive so much support for our decision to say “yes” to the call for help. Again, I am grateful…