One Year (Struggle Anniversary) Return to Sierra Leone

Oh we celebrating one year now? Dang straight we are! It has been one hell of a year! So, for the third time in the last six years I moved back to Sierra Leone on September 28^th 2018.

The first time I moved back to Sierra Leone was in 2014. I moved back to be Global Minimum’s Innovate Salone’s Innovation Labs, Program Director. I never thought that Ebola would happen. When I left in August 2014 to go to the U.S. for what I thought would be a short break, things were getting bad, but I didn’t think it would get worse and that I wouldn’t return again until September 2016 (hey there is something about September). Although I continued doing Innovate Salone work from afar until 2015, it hurt me not being in Salone and helping in some way during Ebola. Luckily another chance came, and I decided to take a consulting gig and deferred my education for a year to an Ivy League (to the dismay of many) to return to Sierra Leone. I then went back to the U.S. and did that school thing again for a year and during that time, finalized my passion work, Sudu and decided, if I don’t start now, when?

I landed in Sierra Leone with a consulting gig for a big UN organization and I thought I was finally where I needed to be. I had the freedom to work on SUDU and will do consulting on the side. Two weeks from when I landed, I was walking away from the consulting gig feeling CRUSHED. I came to the terms with one of the things that have been quite hard here for me, which had never been a problem before: GETTING A JOB. I had thought I had reached a point in my career where this would be a breeze. Actually, the GETTING part wasn’t the problem, the issue was all the shenanigans that came with negotiations, people making you feel less than and so much more. I was even asked by a very BIG NGO who offered me a big role to renounce my Sierra Leonean citizenship in order to be paid as an expat (that is a whole blog post on its own, coming soon).

Next was the personal, which led to my next big struggle that I had a taste of in 2014 when I first moved back, which was FINDING LODGING. So, my feet were not even cold on the ground when some family drama exploded, which led me to be responsible for some young family members of mine. I had to find us a place and started assuming responsibility for three to four people (sometimes more if people from up country came to visit), which damaged my savings. So again, lodging is a whole other blog post, but let’s just say if you want to get the most basic things (I knew this already since 2014) and enjoy the comforts of things like running water, get ready to pay!

Freetown lodging is no joke and it seems like things are just getting worse, but I have now truly settled down. I found a home and I am settled. I am here to stay o! I have set up shop. Well at least until my lease is up in a year!

Through all of this, SUDU was also chugging along. It was my constant in all my turmoil. Of course, we had our ups and down and I’ll write about the experience of running your own organization as well if people are interested. There is not much negative here honestly because it has been what kept me going. The progress is what lightens up my day and every time someone sends a donation saying they support our work, I am fortified. Or even when a partner decides to be so open and friendly, I am like “wow, I never expected this.”

SO, I also recently got laid out by sickness. I mean when your body is ready to give up on you, it gives UP on you. Totally and utterly. My mother was ready to book me a one-way flight to U.S. because I was a mess, but luckily, I pulled through, made some decisions and I am the better for it.

All this to say: Happy one-year anniversary to me returning to Sierra Leone! Let’s see how long this move back lasts. I mean now of course SUDU keeps me grounded, but who knows WHAT Salone will throw at me.

I promised you all in my last blog post (the one about me shutting down my blog -haha) that I was going to answer all TYPES of questions and grant some requests, like people who have asked me to write about the organization who told me to renounce my citizenship. I will get to that. Since I was sick and didn’t get to start blogging from end of August to meet my blog’s 10 year anniversary on October 9^th, as I had planned to, I’ll just plan a series of blog posts until October 31^st. I’ll try for a blog post a week? Let’s go!

Thank you all for your prayers, love and support. Especially all that you have shown to Sudu.

❤ Voice of the Salone Diaspora