Mr. Junior
Nikon D300s + Nikkor 35mm f/1,8
Say hello to Junior, aka CUTEST KID IN THE FREAKING WORLD. (He's coming back home with me. Just to prepare you guys.)
Anyway, it's Friday! Today I had an interview with a law organization in the morning, and now I'm at an internet café doing some work and answering some emails. Excited for the weekend, as usual. Dinner and party at a friend's house is already planned, and maybe a football game, and maybe a little bit of beach. We'll see:)
Besides that, my sister is coming in 8 days, and I'm going back to Switzerland in 24 days. What what what what.
Talk on Monday lovers. <3
Tiwai Island p.2
Another thing we did at the island was going for a small boat trip down the river. It rained in the beginning (surprise surprise, rain period in the rainforest) but then it stopped, and it was awesome and beautiful and fantastic.
We ended up at this little beach-looking stretch of sand. A little further away was a fishing community from Mali, and the whole place was so surreal. I just wanted to build a little hut and live there for the rest of my life, hang out with the pygmy hippos and crocodiles and my goat (because yes, I need a goat). So peaceful!
Then we went back to the island and I took some photos of bamboo.
Until it started raining again.
Whereupon we left. And that's that!
Tiwai Island p.1
On the road. The journey took about 7 hours. First 4 hours to Bo on a nice, tarred road, and then the last three hours on dirt roads. Massive puddles of water everywhere, and all in all SUCH A BUMPY RIDE. I hit my head on the ceiling of the car so many times just by bumping up so high, haha.
The island. Boat journey over, amazing nature, spiders, hidden geometry, our guide and loads and loads of monkeys.
Part 2 is on its way. Nikon D300s and Nikkor 35mm f/1,8 or 80-200mm f/2,8!
Diamond hunting
Canon EOS 1D Mark III, Canon 35mm f/2,8
Tiwai Island, Moa River.
When I told our guide that I found a diamond he laughed in my face, "Yeah yeah yeah, we get that a lot". I forced him to look at it anyway, and after politely examining it, he apologized and gave it back to me. "Sorry Maja, but that's a piece of glass". Hahaha. Better luck next time.
Anyway, the island was AMAZING. More photos soon! Wooowoowo
Freetown-Tiwai Island
Good afternoon lovers. It's Friday, and right now I'm at the American library answering some emails and doing some general research. Before this, I had a meeting with the Society for Women and Aids in Africa Sierra Leone (whom I'm going to create a video documentary for), and then an awesome lunch at a bakery here in town (APPLE PIE <3). And tonight we're going to a friend's house for a birthday party! So, awesome awesome awesome.
BUT that was not the point of this post. The point of this post is, this weekend we're going on a trip to TIWAI ISLAND, a river island about 7 hours from Freetown, full of monkeys, mini hippos, crocodiles and crazy birds. And jungle. And awesomeness. We're leaving super early Saturday morning, and coming back sometime Sunday afternoon. Waaaka waka!
In times of trouble, it's only natural to return to your mother tongue (bitter blogpost #2)
Ångest. Över ingenting egentligen, mer än mig själv. Vill vara, vill göra, vill ha. Kan man inte bara vara nöjd med det man har? Hur svårt kan det vara (väldigt, tydligen). Och samtidigt sitter jag här och gör ingenting åt vad jag vill ändra med mig sjalv. Tänker att "det fungerar inte nu ända, senare, jag lovar, jag fixar det sen, så blir det bra till slut". Men sen har hösten, vintern och sommaren gått och så händer det liksom ingenting. Man är precis samma person som man alltid har varit, och man fokuserar fortfarande på allt som är dåligt med sig själv. Därfor att jag är så jävla lat och utan självdisciplin.
Jag är hemma snart igen, i fina Schweiz och Sverige där allt fungerar som det ska. Jag fixar det då, jag lovar. Rensa garderoben, slänga gamla saker och gå ut mer. Hänga i solen, med mamma, prata med fina och smarta människor. Göra planer infor framtiden och jobba, tjäna pengar och ha det bra.
Hur svårt kan det vara egentligen?
Go ahead, call me cynical. As if I'm not aware that despite my attempts, it still doesn't make me better than you. Why? I'm still able to write you this message, aren't I?
This post deserves no image-
(or maybe, I just don't have anything saved, because this is a public computer.)
America doesn't always do a lot of things right, but when you casually walk down a Sierra Leone street and come across a building with a hallway full of books and computers and free internet access, that really does it. All I needed right now for sure. So that's where I am right now. Away from the busy Freetown streets, the hectic traffic and the shouting voices. As for what I'm doing, I couldn't be more sure than you.
Lunch. Soon.
Air-conditioning on an empty stomach, I'm hungry and not used to the cold anymore. Like that's all I have to complain about.
On our way to town this morning, our taxi took a small detour to avoid the heavy traffic in the city centre. Instead, we passed Kroo Bay. What's Kroo Bay, you might ask, sounds like a cute place by the ocean. It's not, let me tell you what it is. Kroo Bay is a large nieghbourhood in Freetown, and one of the poorest communities in the country. Actually, in the world. I'll give you a post about it later, but really, just passing a place like that from the safe distance of a taxi window, it can screw up and awaken a lot of thoughts and feelings. Yes. The world is a messed up fucking place.
Lakka Beach retreat
Nikon D300s, Nikkor 35mm f/1,8
Lakka Beach, Goderich, Sierra Leone. May 18-19. Love!
Little me and little you kept doing all the things they do, they never really think it through. And so, one day, baby, we'll be old (think of all the stories that we could have told)
Photobooth
I miss my girls. I miss running around, dancing around, listening to over-played party tunes. I miss drinking vodka redbull, not know what to wear and get changed for the fifth time, run for the tram, fall over and scrape our knees. Pretend it's our birthday and take disgusting tequila shots, obnoxiously sing too loud on the tram, eat kebab at four in the morning. Sing that one day, baby, we'll be old, let's make our stories count.
(I wrote this somewhere else already, but, I figured it summed it all up pretty well. hehe)
I'M SO HOMESICK AT THE MOMENT YOU HAVE NO IDEA
"Like wounds in your eyes, you can only see every once in a while. But that's okay, because whatever happens you'll be fine"
Nikon D300s, Nikkor 35mm f/1,8
My view of the weekend. I spent the whole two days at a little bungalow on the beach, with running water but not much else, listening to the sound of waves and the generator buzzing until early morning. Drinking tea and sugary drinks, eating fresh lobster, crab, shrimp, barracuda and whatever else there is in the ocean. Playing with the stray dogs, feeling the water, watching the sunset, you know. All of that.
Last week was insane, with police corruption, typhoid and rabies all within a couple of days, and in the end it was too much. So we checked in at a little hotel and spent the weekend doing practically nothing. Which was fucking great.
You'll get the rest of the photos tomorrow.
Love!
Distort
Photobooth
Hi lovelies. I'm at the office
(as usual, do I spend too much time here?)
going over some of our video footage, trying to get my email to load and scrolling through Facebook. Being unproductive. But that's okay, because we're soon on our way home, to eat some food, do some reading and play some UNO (as usual). Day-to-day-activities.
Thankfully, weekends are a bit more exciting. This one was great (as usual!). Friday night we stayed in, and on Saturday, it was Bob Marley night (huge celebration here, apparently). We spent some hours at Lakka Beach in the afternoon, enjoying the sun and drinking locally made Fruit Wine (I FREAKING LOVE FRUIT WINE), and afterwards, in the evening, we went to the National Stadium. Overall it was nice and relaxed, not a lot going on and we left fairly early. Actually, there was one minor event happening, and to sum it all up (and because I'm lazy), let me quote Facebook:
Being arrested by the weed-smoking policemen because they wanted a bribe, causing a fight between the police and the army (second carrying machine guns, let me listen to you please) and then released with the excuse (from the army boys) "Sorry, the police are assholes sometimes, want weed?"
What's life without excitement, right?...
Restaurant visit #2
Nikon D300s + Nikkor 35mm f/1,8
Remember I said we don't go to these expensive restaurants often? Well, last week we actually went twice (never happened before, I promise! haha), the other time at a place called Arabica. Cheaper than Balmaya, and once again, a really nice venue. Pascal had the burger (again) and I had some spring rolls. And Vimto of course. Vimto Vimto Vimto. It's like pure sugar, almost syrup-like (okay maybe not that bad), tastes like wild fruit or something the like, and so so so so so so AWESOME. Haha, really. I'm addicted.
Balmaya Art & Restaurant, cheeseburger and Vimto
Nikon D300s + Nikkor 35mm f/1,8
(for Sierra Leonean standards; in Switzerland, they would be about normal price)
but to expand our circle a little, we decided to go today. Pascal had a cheeseburger and I had a Vimto, really good, the staff was super friendly, and they also had an art gallery on site with really cool, local art on display. Worth a visit!
Repeat repeat repeat
Nikon D300s + Nikkor 35mm f/1,8
Hehe, sick of all the food and beach photos yet? These are from Sunday, River No. 2 Beach (and hanging out with the stray dogs) as usual, and then dinner in the evening. Plantain and beans, still unbeatable.
Evening dinner and UNO
Nikon D300s + Nikkor 35mm f/1,8
Hello hello, good morning, all of that. These are from a couple of days ago, and how things usually look like after a workday. First of all, awesome dinner (despite the fish heads). The potato-looking stuff is cassava root, and it's SO GOOD! Basically the consistency of undercooked potato (haha, does sound good doesn't it?!). Later we play UNO, which we're becoming geniuses at. Yes yes!
