Ebola Don Come

Okay, I am going to rant a while about the Ebola Virus, how it is affecting West Africa in general and Sierra Leone specifically , so grab a cup of coffee and have a seat.

 Disclaimer: All of this is my own opinion and I am not a doctor, virologist, epidemiologist, anthropologist, or that requires more than 4 years of University. I have lived in Sierra Leone and have not left West Africa since mid 2012.  Also my ideas are not original. I am not going to give footnotes but just know that I borrow good sense from other people from time to time. Taking things from one source is plagiarism; taking things from several sources is research.

 
Question: Why is this current outbreak of Ebola so bad?

Answer: Transportation, Behavior, Slow/Bad Response.

Transportation: We have some very bad roads in West Africa, however they are getting better than ever (at least in Sierra Leone). Other Ebola outbreaks in the past have occurred in remote, hard to reach villages where a part of the village died off but the virus could not spread far infected  people couldn't easily travel far. Now you can travel from Guinea, to Port Loko, To Makeni, To Kenema, To Kailahun to Freetown all in less time than it takes to begin to present symptoms of EVD. As a result it is possible for EVD to spread across the map rapidly.

 

Behavior:  Behavior has not changed here, especially among the uneducated or undereducated. I see it every single day. Behaviors like, body contact, walking hand in hand, shaking hands, eating from communal bowls with hands, hugging, kissing, more importantly funeral rites involving ceremonial washing, drinking of said water, home treatment of the ill, hiding of ill family members, mistrust of government and medical workers, are still going on. Until behavioral changes take place, or an effective virus is implemented Ebola will be around.

 

The governments, the international community, NGOs all of us where too slow to respond to this particular outbreak. Even now there is far more that can be done in the region to stop this virus. If we are honest we were all several months to late before anyone took serious steps against EVD. Now there is a mad rush to win a fight against an enemy that cannot be seen (except by some very high tech laboratories). As in some grass roots revolution or guerrilla war, people with no former experience in infectious diseases or any medical experience have joined the fight.  Soldiers, child protection agencies, various non medical charities, traditional chiefs, community leaders, and yes even I have gotten involved in my own way. It is a fight that must be won, but it is an uphill battle.

 

When will Ebola be finished. I am asked this question regularly, as if I know. What I want to say is, EVD will be finished many months after and not before we change dangerous behaviors region wide and especially in Sierra Leone, treated or (God forbid) let nature take its course for all existing cases without allowing for further transmissions/reproduction, and got serious about our response. Instead I just shrug my shoulders and say, only God knows.

I Will Wait

I have many years of practice waiting on different things. This is a lesson that every child has to learn and we adults keep relearning. Patience is a virtue. So it should get easier right. At this point in time I should be really practiced at waiting. Only I am not. I hate waiting and I have a very low tolerance for inaction. My family has been separated since early May of 2014 and it is not getting any easier as time goes by. I have waited for circumstances that are out of my control, (such as Ebola to change for the better) for months. I still await circumstances that I should have a modicum of control over, to change (red tape), but cant seam to make any measurable progress. It is maddeningly frustrating to be so close to a goal but never able to reach it. Call me Sisyphus.

 

As I wait what do I learn? I suppose I gain patience by waiting but I can't seem to hold on to it for long. I learn determination. I learn focus. I learn stress management. Heartache, frustration, anger, loss of trust in humanity all of these classes I attend regularly. The school of life constantly in session. Cant it take a holiday break? I suppose the most important lesson I learn is to trust in God. I am forgetful and so need to brush up on that class quite regularly. I learn to pray. I learn that life is not about me. I learn that grey hairs are not so bad.

 

I feel like I have passed this waiting class, so can I move onto another class? I lost my syllabus so I guess I will see what lessons are up next. I will wait.

 

I feel the need to end on a positive not, but am not feeling very positive, so I will end with a quote. I wiser fellow than myself once said, "Sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes, the bear, well he eats you."

M.R.

Ninja Gingerbread Cookies are AWESOME...

We are still here! Sorry folks.

We do feel that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, though. Yay! We've been closely monitoring this whole Ebola thing and we are seeing major improvement in several affect countries and it looks like Sierra Leone isn't far behind! We are ready to be home and hit the ground running with new tasks, old ones and all the Ropieckis under one fun African roof!

Until then...
What have we been doing? So much! Michael has kind of been a rock star when it comes to locking down The Covering. Employees and kiddos remain Ebola free, healthy and in good spirits. It's ok, you can say it, he's freakin' awesome. He's also had a few side projects that he has been working on helping a few other organizations. Can't go into detail, but he gets more awesome.

He's also been an awesome dad to two little toddlers that we now have guardianship of and have paperwork in order! Awesomeness oozes from this man.

He does all this while maintaining a perfectly straight house, cooking three square meals per day and dabbling in flower arrangements and interior design...A few of these details may be embellished. But since he is the man of my dreams, I can dream big!

As for the stateside Ropieckis...
We've missed home a bit. But we are making significant headway in fundraising. We have been so overwhelmed at the outpouring of love and support. We appreciate so much everyone seeing the importance of what we are doing. It is humbling to say the least. We ask you to please continue with your help in raising awareness and support for our work. We still have a significant deficit in our budget for 2014.

We have also hit the books once again. School is in session full swing for these young ladies. They are not elated, but it has to happen! We have been hiding out at our family's cabin in the woods, which has been awesome! It is quiet and beautiful and quiet...really, it has been such a retreat. Just ignore the banjo music!

I have also been working on some TRS projects here and assisting where needed. Although being here this long wasn't the idea, it has been great for connecting with leadership and learning some ins and outs of an organization we love. And since this paragraph does not contain the theme word of this post...TRS is awesome. AWESOME!

Also, we made some crazy awesome ninja gingerbread cookies. Awesome really isn't a big enough word for them. I mean they are gingerbread cookies, shaped like ninjas. Your mind was just blown. 

So, lessons learned? Stories to tell? America is a little tricky for us to navigate these days. As I type this I look to my right and see the word "complain" strategically placed over my little trashcan icon on my computer...so there. God is working this out. I see it often, sometimes it feels not often enough and I don't quite grasp the reasons, but whatever the case, he's faithful and I am glad I don't have to do this without him. Lamentations (I know, not the most uplifting book to consult on this one) says, "The Lord's loving kindnesses, indeed, never cease. For his compassions never fail." My compassions do fail. ( I have a few friends and family that would attest to that) but he loves me.
Also, ninja gingerbread cookies are AWESOME!