The Thanks You Deserve

Freetown-Bo-Kenema-Foindu, Sierra Leone

On Wednesday, we left for the villages, starting very early in order to arrive and get settled before dark, which in equatorial Africa occurs around 7:00 p.m. In the early morning there is little traffic on the streets of Freetown, but people are out beginning their day hauling water in the dark.

Our first stop on the trip is in Bo, where we meet officers of Rotary International with whom we are beginning a project to build latrines and wells in the villages. When we return to Minnesota, we will complete a grant proposal to Rotary with the endorsement of the organization in Bo and their agreement to provide oversight of the projects.

Next, we stop in the much larger city of Kenema, where we divide the group in half and visit the hospital and the secondary school where we have several scholarship students enrolled. Our health committee goes to the hospital where they meet the district medical officer, a nursing supervisor on loan from Canada, and a nursing student who will work for us as a village nurse when she graduates in two years.

My visit to the secondary school is the highlight of the trip so far. Students here are in the equivalent of junior high school and senior high school, except that due to the short supply of facilities, they attend in shifts. As we arrive at midday, the junior secondary students are filing out into the street having completed their day. The senior secondary students will arrive later to start their classes. In between, students from Jokibu, Pujehun and Foindu and a few of their teachers gather in a classroom to welcome us and make a few speeches. Everyone enjoys being appreciated, and appreciation is one thing that people here have in abundance. In a particularly impassioned speech that would make President Obama proud, a teacher declares “My mouth is too small to give the thanks you deserve”.

Having had the opportunity to watch video shot in the villages last year, our arrival is much like I expected. The difference, however, is like going from black and white to Technicolor, from monotone to dolby surround. Masses of children in school uniforms chanting “Welcome” or singing a song about their patron saint, Jeff.

It becomes clear after spending time in the villages that their gratitute is too much for them to fully express and somewhat too hard for us to adequately appreciate. The way I chose to look at it was that they were not really thanking me, but everyone who has ever made an effort to understand and alleviate the difficulty in their lives. Therefore, I reflect their gratitude back to you, the reader, since you have read this far for a reason. And that is reason enough to give you the thanks you deserve.