Running Around

(This post was written on Friday the 24^th).

So I've spent the last three days running around and trying to get a lot of stuff together. Culmination of it all was this morning when I received my visa. Was a bit of an ordeal of course, but that was not unexpected. I got there at about 11 in the morning on Thursday. Now I will have to say that the Sierra Leone embassy is a rather informal affair – and I don't say this in any kind of negative way as I think it has this kind of endearing characteristic to it.   It is after all the third poorest country in the world and full of very enterprising and friendly people.  So – as my Germany loving brother pointed out – its not the immaculate 16 story German monstrosity in modernity. It is in an old building and is not renovated. You walk in an people are milling around and there is no specific consular section to go to.   It almost feels like walking in to a non-profit office on a busy day of work.  You just kind of wait in the lobby while people go into the depths of the building to wonder what in the world I am trying to do and why I would want a visa for Sierra Leone. It is obvious that there are not a lot of people coming in and looking to travel to Sierra Leone...

So let me tell you...

The day was also not helped by the UN general assembly meeting or Obama being in town for it. It was mostly chaos. There seemed to be a party going on for all the local people affiliated with Sierra Leone there in the embassy. Almost like we came at exactly the wrong time!! 

But you see...

Anyway, first thing was trying to get across to people what exactly I was doing and that I wasn't affiliated with any organization. As my trip is atypical, the women asked if I could write a letter explaining why I was going for visa purposes, “we can't just let anyone into the country without knowing what they are going to be doing”. They also wanted a letter of invitation.  Both of these of course are not on their website. They claim you need only a passport photo, passport, yellow fever vaccine, and the completed visa appication form. I had those, just not the things they didn't list on their site – why would I?!?! lol.  But no worries, I went and had lunch with friends and wrote up the letter. The women I spoke to said she would be there till six and to come back whenever. 

...what had happened was...

I went back a little before three with my brother and friend Lara. It seemed to be a truly amusing affair for them both. Watching my try to explain what I was doing to the next group of curious onlookers, and at the same time what other people there had been saying of me and to me. If you remember my previous visit to the embassy, Mimi was there again and far less full of sunshine!! I was definitely an annoyance, full of smiles or not. She checked with her supervisors while I ran to get a money order.  Her response was pretty much completely unsympathetic: to come back tomorrow.  There was of course no explanation of why or what problem seemed to be – which there definitely seemed to be!! The whole room was filled with skepticism and apprehension of me and my trip.  I certainly think we looked a bit out of t. he ordinary...  At one point – when I was speaking of my project and that I wanted to identify projects and then come back to the US and try to find funding – Mimi said wait, you are going to be taking money out of Sierra Leone? Lol.  It all just didn't seem to be adding up!!  I am indeed a novel concept!!  I did however made a new friend from MultiTV.SL. He had quite a few questions as to what I was up to and why in the world I had an interest in Sierra Leone. But he warmed and gave me his contact info while saying I could contact him in Sierra Leone once I was there.  People always warm up to honesty, hope, and good intentions.

Yeah, that's what it was!!

Gist of it all though, was I had to spend the night down in the city and run the risk of a parking ticket at the train station - but it would be less than another return trip ticket!!  Not a big deal to stay anyway though as I got to see some good friends, almost family really.

First thing in the morning though it was a light breakfast and a nice long walk through Central Park to the embassy (though the new Vibrams are threatening blisters on my heals).  I had no idea what to expect upon getting to the embassy.  I didn't even get in the door though before the receptionist (who was outside) spotted me and new what I was there for. About three minutes later I had my visa, signed on the dotted line, and was out the door.

Its always an adventure, but as I said to my friend this morning, you don't get anything done by just doing the same old thing as everyone else. You gotta take risks and you've gotta go out there and make things happen. That's what this trip is about, making things happen, not resting upon them...

Practicalities

I still have a post to finish about positive developments with the Gamechangers athletics/track project, but while I am working on that I still have had a few other time sensitive things that need to be handled this week.  Wednesday is my second vaccination cycle - second round of Hep A/B and the Yellow Fever and Typhoid (both of which I have to get a prescription for).   Trying to get my self clean and healthy to make it easier to handle.  Should be interesting. 

I need to get more contact lens as well.  I have been using the same prescription and "one year supply" of contacts since 2006.  lol.  One year my butt.  ;)  But I don't have enough now to be certain if something happens while I'm there, and my glasses are from 2003/a mess.  I can't afford glasses as well, but contacts are a must.  Sadly though, in the US in order to order new ones you have to have a prescription from within one year - 2006 obviously doesn't qualify!! lol.  So working on getting something together for that. 

Still working on funding, if anyone wants to donate... now is the time!!  I leave in less than a month and am down to the bottom of my budget.  I want to say thank you to the few people that have already.  You know who you are!!

 

I also have started thinking more about my stove situation.  I want to use an aluminum can stove as it would be light and easy.  But I need to use denatured alcohol (methylated spirits, grain alcohol, rubbing alcohol, etc.) and I am not sure of availability over there, thus an inquiry is in order.  I found one typical backpacker stove that uses three different kinds of fuel (including gasoline) here which would have been ideally versatile - but it costs $125, so I'm gonna try the can stove first.  Maybe try to make it this afternoon...



On Thursday, right after Wednesday's vaccinations, I believe that I will be headed in to NYC to apply for my visa.  We shall see how that goes, but it is something that I am actually quite looking forward to.  Not sure why, maybe another finality thing.  I've also been trying to get some work done while in the Hammock, but not so comfortable to type in there.  It needs a pillow of some sort for sure to keep your head up.  Ok, so I need to get back to work.  Hope you are enjoying your day. 

NYC and the Embassy

So amidst a hectic day in New York City yesterday I managed to squeeze in a quick visit to Sierra Leone's embassy to the United Nations (which also acts as a general consulate).  I didn't get much past the front door.  The receptionist was really it.  She was a very friendly and nice women, but a little shy perhaps, named "Mimi".  I don't think she really was used to a random white guy walking into the embassy and talking about going to the country to walk around the woods and villages for three months though.  I was trying to get her to tell me things about the country, to teach me sayings in Krio and to help me find local communities from the country.  I don't think she knew what to do with me!!  :)

The women that apparently was best for me to speak to regarding my project was not in that day and Mimi couldn't say exactly when was best to come back - only just to keep stopping in daily until she was in.   This of course isn't very helpful for me given that the city is a destination (and an expensive one), not an everyday occurrence.  It also tells a bit about how exact things there operate!!  lol.

As it was though, I gave her my contact information and website (really need some business cards).  If I was in the city regularly I would just wander by there all the time and say hi.  I figure if they get to know me they might be able to point me in certain directions or help in some way.  Over-friendliness can go a long way.  Puts people in positions where they just don't know what else to do by help you.  She did tell me to wait for the visa though, that I should come back in October for it.  Not sure I'll wait that long, but could let it get into September I suppose.  That's a pretty big thing not to have sorted out and left on your mind.

Working away...

So I was able to get out yesterday and do a little bit of hiking, nothing to strenuous, but I got a run in and then a bit of a hike, so keep on keeping on.  Today was a whole lot of moving things around - change of living situation - while trying to juggle writing up the Vibram proposal.  It's certainly not the best thing I've ever written!!  But I think it gets the message across and certainly points them to the website.

Otherwise, I will be in New York City tomorrow walking around looking at apartments for my soon to be returning from abroad travel advisor... my brother...  ;)  But more importantly, I am going to go by Sierra Leone's Embassy and see if they will have someone that can speak to me.  I can't apply for the visa yet because I can't get my Yellow Fever vaccine yet.  I will have this done on the 25th of August in exchange for my arm and my leg...  but hey!!  Even with only one arm and one leg, at least I won't get Yellow Fever!!  I'd love it if at the embassy I could get some leads for networking, with local communities, and/or language lessons.  I'm going to try to get into some outdoors stores and best buy to check on netbooks.  I've gotta get that computer situation sorted out.  Definitely effecting my productivity!!

Tomorrows landscape...

...October's landscape

Sierra Leonean Embassy

Very unhelpful I must say upon first effort.  I have done a little bit of research on the whole visa scenario in Sierra Leone and had this little hiccup with the whole 'fixed' itinerary thing.  I am certainly not looking at this little scenario with a whole lot of time deadlines or specifics; 2, 3, 4, x months, who cares.  I mean realistically I'm thinking three months, but they want purchased plane tickets, finite ins and outs, etc.  I am trying to be more flexible.  The whole point of the journey is to expereince things as they exist, as they come about, and under whatever time frame they take - do what must be done to gain further understanding of the country and how, if at all, I/we can be of assistance.  This flexibility is however, well, indeterminable.  lol.

I called the embassy and the person I spoke to really had little clue.  They only thing they knew was that I had to have an invitation to visit and thought I was an idiot because: "you can't go anywhere in the world without one, every country in requires this!"  Oh, wait except most of the ones I've been to, lol.  I needed one in Russia and China, that's it.  The rest of europe (not just EU), nothing. 

Anyway, the guy couldn't provide much help and I am looking at this project in very specific humanitarian/business terms.  I am trying to bring direct foreign aid to the country.  Now granted perhaps some people there don't want this.  I truely respect this vantage point.  But most all of them want money to flow in, they want investment.  I would think they would do what they could to promote this, or at least accept it.  Now I know this is naive, as it is written time and time again of the obstacles to doing business in some areas of the world.  But no matter, I has hoping, thinking that if I said "this is what I am trying to do... walking through the country... for charity... to raise awareness..."  Hmm...  I mean granted, he was probably just a young guy simply excited about being posted in NYC and looking at his job as some extra anoyance he had to do... but again, I had hope.

After it all, there wasn't much of anything to come from it.  I thought they'd be able to work with me with any visa rigidities over the length of stay.  I figured if they knew why I was going they would be more helpful or flexible...  well, we'll see.  He said, "Call when you are closer to leaveing and speak to my boss" in a dismissive, "I give up on this call" tone of voice.  lol.  I probably needed to speak more to a chamber of comerce type than a consular official.  Add it to the list.  Anyway, no worries, time I have...