Amazing gifts

With blogging comes a challenge to constantly be motivated to write new, interesting and witty (!) things.  Most of the time that is difficult especially when living and working in such an abnormal (the ship) and culturally overwhelming (Sierra Leone) environment becomes normal and even mundane.  At the other end even the best writing in the world would not convey half of what I experience.  I am sorry my blogs have slowed up lately but I will try and continue to amuse, entertain and interest you as long as I am in Africa!

One of the most touching things that I experience here is how welcomed I feel by my patients in to their homes and their gratefulness for the little that I do.  This gratefulness often expresses itself in the form of some gift or another.  People give what they can and I am always touched.  Last year I pretty much just received coconuts.  Now don't get me wrong, I really like coconuts.  Just not 1 bag (around 7) a week.  It became a running joke when we returned back to the ship laden with them.  This year has been much more varied (despite still getting several coconuts)!

We have received pineapples and mangoes, sadly only once (I hold out hope for more!).

During corn season we received several bunches.  I love corn on the cob and got stupidly excited about tucking into it.  It is commonly sold here as a street snack, grilled over coals which I was also couldn't wait to try.  But this is Africa where things are never quite how they seem.  The corn here is more like a type of maize.  Which means tough and chewy, despite boiling for at least 1 hour.  It was quite the disappointment.        

Cucumbers have also been a regular feature on the gift list.  We get cucumbers every day on the ship and considering they are one of the few green things we have, I eat them most days.  So to receive extra as a gift is quite something (meaning I never want to see another cucumber again when I get home).

The other day I got something a bit more exciting - several bags of coconut cups.  These are another popular street food which consists of dried coconut and sugar formed into cup shaped crunchy biscuits.  (Photo courtesy of my friend and wonderful photographer, Deb Louden).

So after being given a varied range of fruit and vegetables, my next gift was certainly interesting - a bowl of pap.  Pap is a type of porridge made with ground rice which is very popular.  It can be savoury but the most common way of eating it is sweet with coconut which is the version I was given.  And it was still warm.  Yum.  It caused much curiosity in my office but no one got past one spoonful as it was so sweet and watery with a texture not unlike tapioca.  All I can say is I'm very glad I did not have to eat it in front of the patient that gave it to me.  I tried to give it away to the patients on the wards but none of them wanted it either.  So unfortunately the pap had to be flushed away.

This particular patient was very keen on giving us food.  Our conversations on visiting her generally ended up revolving around food and how to cook particular foods.  She also offered on a regular basis to pack food up for us to take home on the plane despite our remonstrations that we would not get through customs.  She even suggested that the ship should go to London so that her food could be delivered to us!  So it was not a surprise that a couple of weeks after the pap incident we arrived to a bowl of rice and sauce waiting for us to take away.  The sauce was made up of commonly used cassava leaves (almost like spinach), seasoning, the obligatory chilli's ('pepe') and some chicken thrown in for good measure.  It actually came in very useful as we were on course to miss lunch that day so took the opportunity to tuck in in the car.  Esther was especially appreciative and it was pretty difficult to tear her away when we had to go and do a visit!  (Note us being very African and eating out of a communal bowl)

All these gifts have been wonderful and have certainly broadened my experience of the African culture however the best gift was definitely Clarence the chicken (see my earlier blog).  Clarence lived with Esther for a good two weeks after we were given him but now resides in chicken heaven after being thoroughly enjoyed by Esther and her family.  RIP Clarence.

Not only have I been given physical gifts, I have also been given a new (African) name by Esther!  It is common here to be named according to where you were born in the family.  So the first born boy would get one name, the second born a different name and so on.  The same applies to girls.  My new name (being the third born girl) is 'Finda'.  I have also been named 'Lastina', meaning the last born in Krio.  Harriet Finda Lastina Alice Molyneux.  I think it has quite a ring to it.