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A Trip to Africa
Written by Adrian Sheppard

"Who would like to go on a trip to Africa?" asked Miss Sampson, the Geography class teacher one day. Four out of twenty hands waved eagerly in the air in answer. "Me! Me!" shouted Bianca, Kody, Kevin and Anastacia. They were all interested in a trip to the African continent. Miss Sampson smiled and said, "Well, that is great! Four of you have volunteered to go on the trip." She further explained that the school principal Mr. Hobbs was gracious enough to sponsor the trip. She continued, "Mr. Hobbs is sending us to deliver a package of school supplies and laptops to a community school in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He is paying all expenses for us. So, this will be our great opportunity to learn about the people of Sierra Leone and their lifestyles."

Bianca, Kody, Kevin and Anastacia were equally excited when they told their parents about the upcoming trip to Africa.
"I've always dreamed of travelling to Africa." said Bianca.
"That is a great opportunity to go to the Mother Land and discovering our roots." said Kody.
"My grandmother came from Africa." said Kevin, "She was born in Ghana. So I do have relatives there."
And Anastacia said, "I've watched a lot of those YouTube vlogs about Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Ethiopia and all the other African countries. They have fascinating sights and scenes there. So, I've learned quite a lot about them."

Weeks dragged slowly by as Kevin, Kody, Bianca, Anastacia and Miss Sampson all made their preparations for their trip to the African continent. And at last, the big day arrived.

Miss Sampson, Bianca, Kody, Kevin and Anastacia all met together at the airport and checked in with their luggage.

Very soon, they all boarded a plane for the long flight. They made a stopover in London and then continued the journey to Africa.

By nightfall, the plane eventually touched down in Sierra Leone. "Here we are, guys." said Miss Sampson, "We are here in Sierra Leone." Kevin, Bianca, Kody and Anastacia were amazed as it was the first time they had set foot on African soil.

They boarded a bus and left the airport. They drove to Anguala Resort where they were warmly welcomed by a couple named Mr. and Mrs. Omowali Anguala, the owners of the resort. They were served dinner in the open lounge. After dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Anguala gave them a brief tour around the resort and then showed them to their rooms.

Miss Sampson, Bianca, Kevin, Anastacia and Kody spent the rest of the night chatting and playing games with each other until it was bedtime.

After breakfast the very next day, Miss Sampson, Kevin, Kody, Bianca and Anastacia went out to the city centre. When they stepped out, the roads were wet and gleaming. It had been raining overnight, but now the rain had held up and the day dawned beautifully.

Bianca, Kody, Kevin, Anastacia and Miss Sampson took a bus to the city centre. The streets were bustling with Tuk tuks, buses, motorcycles and taxis trying to get passengers to their various destinations. Vendors were plying their trade on the roadside, selling fruits and vegetables and other foodstuff, footwear, clothes and craft items. People were walking along the streets carrying items above their heads. "It never ceases to amaze me how these African women are accustomed to carrying such heavy items on their heads while they carry their babies on their backs!" Anastacia remarked.
"Yes," said Miss Sampson, "They wear a pad on their heads, so that the load doesn't fall off while they are walking. That's how it is in every country on this continent."
"That is strength and skill." Kevin laughed.

They explored the many landmarks around the city centre. They discovered that quite a few streets were named after prominent African citizens. They went to visit public parks and saw statues and huge sculptures.

Miss Sampson, Bianca, Kody, Kevin and Anastacia visited some shops where they bought lunch. They enjoyed several dishes, most of which were locally made. They also tasted coffee specially brewed in Sierra Leone. "This coffee is the best." remarked Miss Sampson as she took a sip of hers. They met and chatted with the locals. "Sierra Leonians are really friendly people." said Bianca, "I can really feel the love."
"Sure, they make you feel at home," said Kody.

They spent the day and had fun in the city centre and later that afternoon, they returned to Anguala Resort.

At dinner time, they chatted with Mr. and Mrs. Anguala and told them about the day they spent in the city centre. They planned to visit the mountains and the beach the very next day.

The very next morning, Mrs. Anguala was kind enough to hire a 4-wheeler to take Miss Sampson, Kody, Bianca, Anastacia and Kevin to the mountains of Sierra Leone. They drove up the steep mountains and eventually they arrived at the highest peak.

They got out of the 4-wheeler and stood up to admire the breathtaking scenery. There was some fog on the other mountains, but they could still see the city centre and houses far below. "They say that the name Sierra Leone came from the phrase meaning lion's mountain, because whenever it rains, the thunder sounds like the roar of a lion on the mountain." Miss Sampson explained.
"Oh yes, I heard all about that." said Kody.
"It's so peacful up here on this mountain," said Anastacia, "I wish I could stay up here all day." The others laughed.

Finally, Miss Sampson, Kody, Bianca, Kevin and Anastacia left the mountains and drove down to the beach. When they arrived, they planned to take a dip in the sea and have lunch. They met more local people there and interacted with them. They had a fun time.

They left the beach early that evening and returned to the resort, for the next day, they were to go over to Freetown to take the package to the community school there. Freetown was accessible by ferry.

The next day, sure enough, Miss Sampson, Bianca, Kody, Kevin and Anastacia all boarded the ferry that would take them across to Freetown. They took along with them the package of school supplies and laptops.

After the half-hour long journey across the water, Miss Sampson, Bianca, Kevin, Kody and Anastacia got off the boat and boarded a bus that was waiting to take them to Ogobagou Community School. It was a long journey, but the group enjoyed looking at the sights and scenes. "Freetown is beautiful beyond compare." said Bianca.
"Yes it is." said Miss Sampson.

The bus finally stopped at Ogobagou Community School and Miss Sampson, Bianca, Kevin, Anastacia and Kody got off and were met by Miss Komowali, the school's head mistress. She welcomed the guests and led them into the community school. She introduced them to the students who were sitting together in the school yard. There were smiles on their faces as Miss Sampson presented the package to them.

After the presentation, Miss Sampson, Bianca, Kody, Anastacia and Kevin were serendaed by the children as they sang one of the local songs.
They applauded heartily and afterwards, they got to interact with one another.

Miss Sampson, Bianca, Kevin, Kody and Anastacia stayed in Freetown for a few more days. While they were there, they explored many more of the sights and scenes. They visited the city centre, and explored public parks and museums. They even toured an old train station where they were treated like royalty.

They had a lot of fun, going to the beach and visiting various shops and stalls where they bought some souvenirs. They also took an exciting trek up to the famous Chimpanzee Sanctuary.

All in all, Miss Sampson, Bianca, Kody, Kevin and Anastacia enjoyed an excellent stay in Freetown. Sure enough, it was an unforgettable experience.

Towards the end of the week, they took the ferry back across to the mainland and spent the rest of their time there.

And two days later, they took the long flight back home, taking with them a great deal of memories of their trip that they would share with their families and school mates.



The end

July 12th 2021