NOISE

OHMYGODITISSONOISYHERE!

I will stop shouting now. There is a bit of a lull in the noise level. Before I came I had an idea that it would be peaceful over here, I would be bathed in lovely bird song and the sound of the wind rustling through the trees. Fat chance. I have never heard such a racket in my life!

I will tell you about a typical 24 hour cycle. The quietest bit is usually from about 2 to 5.30am and that is not guaranteed. Around 5.30 the call to prayer is broadcast from the main mosque, then a smaller mosque joins in and, not to be outdone, the churches' bells start ringing. The call to prayer goes on for about half an hour. Why can't they get an alarm clock instead? Then our neighbours start their morning chores while it is still cool; lighting fires, chopping wood (maybe not in that order) and calling to each other. Whispering is unknown. Then everyone is up and about. The children cry and people argue and sometimes there is music, too. So I walk to work and along the road am passed by countless noisy vehicles with non-functioning exhausts, cranky engines and I don't know what. The local mobile phone companies like to drive trucks through the town playing music at a volume only possible in Africa, I suspect, aided and abetted by the generator to power it. All speakers must be at least the size of a wardrobe. I believe this may be enshrined in law here. The hospital is for sick people but they don't need peace and quiet, no no. They would probably think they had died and gone to hell. So the noise level continues unabated and in the evening there are the televised football matches (usually Manchester Utd. against whoever). There is a house near us where you can go to watch them and I am told you can't get a sheet of paper between the men crammed in there watching. I don't need to tell you that I can sit in my house and listen to the dulcet tones of whoever the English commentators are, do I? Then the music starts - always distorted - don't forget the size of the speakers, and sometimes they seem to have competitions to see who can play it the loudest. The time of day matters not one jot. You want to play it full volume at 4 or 7 am? Fine. As the electricity is provided by generator we have that added to the mix and, of course, we contribute to that ourselves as we like some light in the evenings. We also need it to pump the water from the well to the tank. We normally turn it off around 10 pm. So sometimes it gets quietish around midnight but then the dogs start!

IF YOU COME TO SIERRA LEONE BRING EARPLUGS.