By James Mansaray, Freetown:
We managed to get to the borders again and I had to pass the night there once more since the border was already closed. Sleeping place was the problem. A call from Mama Vicki lights me up a little since it was very cold there that night.
I finally found a sleeping room of ten for just three thousand Leones a night (a dollar). Very cheap but was it worth it? This I found when I got in there and this I wrote that night as I sat on my part of the ten man bed.
” As I write this down, it is still dark here. 2:35 AM I am right at the borders between Sierra Leone and Guinea. I just cant handle sleeping with ten strangers on the same bed in this hut, fearing theft or something else. My clothes still on, fearing more mosquito bites, the guy next to me rubbing and scratching all over his body. The other on the left side snoring like thunder signifying sound sleep in the mist of mosquitoes and bed bugs, he must be very comfortable with it.
At a distance a man talking at the top of his voice in Fula and a woman laughing. They, too, just cant sleep. The man next to me is up and he is talking to himself. I am scared, so I answered him, pretending to not be scared of him and as if I am used to the place. It is a long night and my flash light in my mouth to help me see what am writing. All these struggles in the name of Pa Barrie, yes, he deserves it.
Writing is good and it’s a stress killer right here in this hut. Still killing time, still no sign of the morning light. Seems quite now, no sign of man talking in Fula. Tons of snoring this time from the nine guys. I love sleep– but not here. My camera well held, you never know what might happen”.
So it was that dreaded fourth night.
To be continued on next post tomorrow…