One of my favorite rappers is Childish Gambino, and in his song Won’t Stop, he calls himself an, “airport atheist … only pray when there’s turbulence.” And I totes feel you Gambino.
Getting to Sierra Leone took three flights and every time the plane shook images of Denzel Washington’s plane plummeting to the ground in the movie Fight flashed through my head. Getting to Salone (Sierra Leone’s affectionate nickname) also took all of 24 hours. The process was rather smooth though, and I’m glad to say I made it safely to Freetown on May 22. Here’s the journey in pictures. Click to enlarge!:
Flying over Brussels, where I caught a plane to Freetown.
I arrived in Brussels after 11 hours in the air, from Philly to Chicago to Belgium. A diverse group of travelers waited on the plane to Freetown from Brussels with me.
After five hours the flight to Freetown took a scheduled pit stop in Senegal. It was my first time in the country, so I was excited! I hope to come back one day and put my French skills to the test.
After an hour on the ground in Senegal, we took off! An aerial view of the francophone country.
A lush landscape of Salone.
Though I knew I was bound to see some ugly things once on the ground — poverty, hunger, streets filled with trash and sewage — this reminded me that I was in for some beautiful sights as well.
The view from my Freetown bedroom window on my first morning in the city. Our neighborhood embodies the economic disparities of Sierra Leone — large cement houses amidst rickety tin shacks.