Location, Location, Location

Finally after two and a half weeks in a hotel on 4 April I moved into my own room in a shared VSO flat.  Wow, how good did it feel to unpack all my bags and put them in the store cupboard?  Amazing, that’s how it felt.  To be settled is what I had been dreaming of - finally it happened.  It was not without its little ups and downs but I made it and that is all that matters.

So what is it like? A first floor, three bedroom spacious apartment with large communal living space and an amazing balcony with views of the ocean and Freetown, most importantly of all it has running water and a good electricity supply.  That said it is desperately in need of a lick of paint but I love it anyway – one friend has already suggested a painting party to spruce it up.   I am sharing with one other VSO which means we have a spare room at the moment.

Here are some pictures to help you imagine where I am when you think of me, which I know is often!



My bed - Mossie Net up

Mossie Net down



My oasis of calm

Kitchen



My bathroom with shower in corner



Balcony - perfect



View from Blacony

The area of town where I am living is called Congo Cross – a busy road junction where a number of key roads come together.  For this reason it is a great place to pick up taxis and poda podas to go “up the hill”, west to Aberdeen or east into downtown.  A main road starting at the junction, recently paved by Chinese workmen, is Wilkinson Road which has many supermarkets so I’m within easy walking distance of those, downtown, the bank, local fruit and veg market and various bars and restaurants.

All this sounds too good to be true and it is as there is some bad news.  VSO are seriously contemplating not renewing the lease in June – bugger is all I can say.  I am working hard to try and change their minds but there have been a couple of security incidents in past months (we now have a security guard at night) so VSO are not sure how they can justify keeping the lease.  I feel perfectly safe but at the end of the day it will be their decision.

I’m approaching the end of my first month and slowly but surely I am starting to find my feet – absolutely helped by the fact I have a secure home where I am happy.  I mean the shower is better than Countisbury – but that wouldn’t be hard!