It was approaching Week 6 of my time here in Guinea, and I realized I needed a break. The constant pursuit of research approval, my intense attempt to dive-in to my local setting, and the heavy conversations I was having about life for young women were beginning to affect me. Recognizing that my spirit (and patience) was being worn down, I knew it was time to address the "buzzword" of international development and global health work, the word that too many people say but rarely make the time to do: self-care.
Self-care, as the University of Kentucky defines, is comprised of " any intentional actions you take to care for your physical, mental and emotional health." It's that thing you know you need to do because you think you're too busy to take time for yourself, to stop, to breathe, to take a break. "Self care isn't just important," Kristin Wong of LifeHacker writes, "It's crucial."
I agree.
My own go-to for self-care - in addition to exercise, a nice glass of wine, and a hearty salad - has always been a change of scenery. And although I was more than 4000 miles and more than a day of flying away from home, I knew what I had to do. I had to get out of Conakry for the weekend and decided to visit one of my best friends in the neighboring country of Sierra Leone.
Like Guinea, Sierra Leone is a predominantly Muslim West African country. Its population of nearly 6 million is half the size of Guinea's 12 million, and it, furthermore, differs as a former English (rather than French) colony. Sierra Leone's history is distinct in many ways: the country suffered a 12-year civil war that ended in 2002 and was hit hard by the 2014-15 outbreak of Ebola. Getting to Freetown was a bit of an adventure - I found no flights and felt completely unsure about attempting public transportation. Instead, I was driven to the border (or almost to the border, followed by some negotiation with the Guinean military about letting the driver actually take me to the customs/border patrol building), and Jenn met me with her driver there.
My weekend in Freetown was calm and relaxing, with lazy days, good books, and even better company. We spent time in a cafe (that even had bubble tea and to-go cups!), had dinner and drinks along the beach, and went shopping in the local market, where I tried my hand at negotiating inexpensive goods down even further.
Most importantly for me, my time in Freetown was a complete break and a great reminder of the value of self-care. I was allowed to shut-off my mind, to read for fun, to chat about everything from the type of work I want to do in the future to my desire to dive back into fashion this Fall. It was just the medicine I needed - the perfect weekend of self-care - to feel rejuvenated about the work I'm just starting to do in Guinea.
Self-care, as the University of Kentucky defines, is comprised of " any intentional actions you take to care for your physical, mental and emotional health." It's that thing you know you need to do because you think you're too busy to take time for yourself, to stop, to breathe, to take a break. "Self care isn't just important," Kristin Wong of LifeHacker writes, "It's crucial."
I agree.
My own go-to for self-care - in addition to exercise, a nice glass of wine, and a hearty salad - has always been a change of scenery. And although I was more than 4000 miles and more than a day of flying away from home, I knew what I had to do. I had to get out of Conakry for the weekend and decided to visit one of my best friends in the neighboring country of Sierra Leone.
Like Guinea, Sierra Leone is a predominantly Muslim West African country. Its population of nearly 6 million is half the size of Guinea's 12 million, and it, furthermore, differs as a former English (rather than French) colony. Sierra Leone's history is distinct in many ways: the country suffered a 12-year civil war that ended in 2002 and was hit hard by the 2014-15 outbreak of Ebola. Getting to Freetown was a bit of an adventure - I found no flights and felt completely unsure about attempting public transportation. Instead, I was driven to the border (or almost to the border, followed by some negotiation with the Guinean military about letting the driver actually take me to the customs/border patrol building), and Jenn met me with her driver there.
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| Heading out of Guinea. |
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| Some of the bumpy Guinea Roads. |
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| Me and Jenn at the border! |
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| Hittin the streets of Freetown. |
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| Freetown! |
My weekend in Freetown was calm and relaxing, with lazy days, good books, and even better company. We spent time in a cafe (that even had bubble tea and to-go cups!), had dinner and drinks along the beach, and went shopping in the local market, where I tried my hand at negotiating inexpensive goods down even further.
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| Jenn taking shots of a stylish Sierra Leonean man. |
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| Lobster dinner with a nice view of the ocean. |
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| Gina's Cafe! |
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| Yes - Starbucks' style! |
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| Local Bookstore. |
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| Outside the Market. |
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| Inside the market. |
It's hard to fully explain what felt different between Conakry and Freetown. Freetown seemed somehow a little more grand and more Western - streets had names (that were known and used), the architecture was distinctly different (somewhat the influence of the British and Nova Scotian influence in the 17th and 18th centuries), the roads in the main town and to the border were paved and smooth (a direct contrast to the very bumpy journey on the Guinea-side of the border). I enjoyed looking at the differences in fashion too; clothes were crafted from the same materials but I saw shorter dresses, styles I would wear in the U.S crafted from local fabrics. Freetown wasn't "better" than Conkary but it was fun to get away and experience something a different and new.
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| The Fabrics! |
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| The fashion. |
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| Tried on some cute dresses too! |
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| Bumped into a classmate (from Boston) unexpectedly! |
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| An old wooden board house - one of the cool architectural features throughout Freetown. |
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| Forecariah, Guinea, on the way home. |
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