Getting back to "me"...

People ask me to write a book about my stay here, like what I am doing is something special or different.  I used to say I wanted to be a writer. Then, I got way too insecure and self-conscious about others reading my work…My thoughts. However, for me, it also feels a little weird to hear that my lifestyle or current path is any different than other ex-pats I see in Freetown...or even different for me. First of all, there are hundreds of us here…I don’t even see the majority who are living upcountry and deep in the bush most of the year. But also, this is my life - it's the path I chose for myself - is it really something worth discussing? Aren't all our paths different?

I remember being in Northern Uganda in 2008 with Nicole and Brian, and very specifically shunning any establishment where even one other muzungu showed up. We ended up spending time just amongst ourselves, and maybe a few locals we worked with. We ate local street food every morning (chapatti with eggs and grilled vegetables or a banana), and did not frequent actual restaurants or cafes.  We lived in one hotel room, and Nicole and I slept in one small bed together the entire time. We never ever wanted to visit Kampala, or any major city, and liked our very humble living.

Here, in Sierra Leone, however, I live in the capital city. I see Apotos every day, and everywhere I go. There is also a great number of Diaspora.  If I don’t bring lunch with me to work, I am happy to eat at one of the more local restaurants where I don't see other Apotos, and am more than happy eating African food.  However, if I eat out in the evening with friends, I usually eat at establishments where you only find other Apotos or Diaspora (I am including all the Lebanese in the Apoto category).  To be fair, not eating meat here does not give me many options, so the “white” establishments give me menus with choices. Also, with the current cholera epidemic, eating at the local spots just isn’t as good an idea. Nevertheless, my story can't be that different from theirs. 

Anyway, when I hear I should be writing every day, and taking lots of pictures, I don’t categorically disagree. I should. Why not? If nothing else, it will turn into memories for me.  However, I remember Uganda, from four years ago, perfectly.  Honoring oral tradition, I feel like Nicole, Brian, and I have told the same stories that stand out to us over and over again to anyone who will listen…especially Brian and his “So, there I was…” A part of me also maybe sees this as my forever life to some extent…where one day, Sierra Leone will just be another venue for my similar stories. So, is this really something I need to document?

Nevertheless, I promised my uncle I would write. Considering I haven’t written in so long, any writing is better than nothing. This is my commitment to him. Even if I am one of hundreds of ex-pats here, writing their blogs, living their lives away from most of their loved ones. This is a different story... because it is my story.