MJ's Place

This is my little cabin off Spur Rd., west of Freetown’s central district, a few miles from the ocean below. It is behind a larger house owned by a SL surgeon, who stayed here during the civil war and lent his skills to Médecins Sans Frontières.



It has running water, and a generator provides electricity from 8 p.m. to midnight. This can make it difficult to keep food in the small fridge, so I anticipate eating out a lot. The small AC unit works, but it only takes a few minutes after the midnight shutdown for the temperature to rise back into the 80s.

If I am not here during the power hours, my laptop and phone don’t get recharged. So the next day, I need to go to the office, or spend some time at one of two western-style eateries to plug in while grabbing a bite. Crown Bakery and Bliss Café cater to ex-pats and NGO workers, which means they are more expensive, but they serve a rare commodity: brewed coffee.

To go with the coffee, I especially like the slightly spicy groundnut stew or rice with 'plassas' (potato leaves). Roasted bananas also make a filling afternoon snack. I had one yesterday that was wrapped in a piece of paper. Printed on the reverse was a malaria education survey, a reminder that disease prevention remains a constant struggle in this country where the average age is a mere 17.