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Monday, August 30, 1976, 5:00 pm - Day 216
Quite a few people seem to be upset by my actions of last Saturday, when I broke down the D4 bulldozer. The first is the head mechanic at the workshop. He was complaining that they spend months fixing the machines and then we take them and break them down in two days. He said that inexperienced operators shouldn't be let on the machines. He also said that D4's aren't made for pushing down trees, and that I should have used a D6 or D7.
The next person who was disturbed by my actions was one of our Sierra Leoneon road supervisors. He said that the engineers had no right to be on the machines. He said that if the engineer on his road had tried to operate one of his machines, then he wouldn't agree to it, and he would tell the engineer so in no uncertain terms, even though the engineer was his boss.
The last person is my boss, the assistant director, Henry Lisk. He didn't come right out and say that I had done a bad thing, but I could sense that he was displeased, and I have just now heard that he has issued two memos. I haven't seen them yet but Iheard what they were about. One is addressed to all site engineers and is on the subject of machine operation. The second memo is to me and is asking for a full account of my actions with the D4 last Saturday. For that I will probably just copy over what I wrote in here on last Saturday afternoon, complete with pictures.
I don't feel that I was wrong in what I did. I feel that if I am to be a road engineer, in charge of the machines, then I should know a little bit about them. I feel that the way to learn bast about a machine is to drive it.
They brought out the low loader this afternoon and picked up the D4 and took it back to the workshop. It's questionable at best if we will get it back. Bernard, the mechanic, seems a little over-protective with the machines. If we had it his way, all of the machines would stay in the workshop because when we take them out, then we just break them down. Bernard doesn't want the machines to beak down, and his solution to this problem is simple, just don't use the machines. He forgets that we are here to build roads, and that we can't build roads unless we use the machines.
Our assistant director, Henry Lisk, claims that he didn't know that the D4 and the grader at the school were being driven by inexperienced people. The main reason for having the machines at the school was so that people could operate them and practice on them and so learn to operate them. We had tipper drivers, greasers, other machine operators, and even all of the new Peace Corps trainees trying out the machines. Therefore, I was just one of a whole host of inexperienced operators trying to learn. Leveling the place for a track is secondary in importance. If it is not finished during school, then CARE would be obligated to stay and finish the job. During school, the main purpose is so people can learn to operate the machines, and making the track is just a by-product of that.
One more Peace Corps trainee arrived a few days ago. His name is Eddie Fischette and he also is from the east coast. He says that he had only about 1.5 weeks notice on his coming to Sierra Leone. I had a couple of months notice and I had to hussle to meet all of my deadlines even then. If he only had a week and a half to do all of that paperwork, then I could see why he was late in getting to Sierra Leone. He seems like a good friendly guy. I seem to remember that he is a carpenter, but I don't know for sure.
The other 7 new volunteers will take their oath and get officially signed up as Peace Corps Volunteers in about a week. I don't know what we will all be doing from then on up until work starts, probably in October. That leaves at least a month before work starts.
Some of the time might be used moving up to our worksights and getting settled in. Also, work crews need to be picked and hired.
Tuesday, 31 August, 1976, 12:00 midnight - Day 217
I came down to Freetown today. The trip wasn't too bad except for the last part. There are two ways to go. Always before I had gone by way of Regent, so that this time I decided to go by the other way, which circled around the mountains and not over them like the Regent route does. I don't think I will try it again. The whole last part comes in through a very busy part of town with narrow roads, lots of people, bumper to bumper stop and go traffic, with lorries, taxis, and buses stopping anyplace anytime, and other cars and trucks just parked on the road. For myself I didn't mind it that much, but I was a little concerned about my Honda, because I was in first gear and had my hand on the clutch for the whole time. I was afraid that I might stall, but luckily it didn't, but I was glad when I finally got out of all the traffic jam because I think that the engine was starting to overheat.
The reason for the trip to Freetown was to get my six-month's shots. Since I have now been in Sierra leone for 7 months, I figured that it was about time. I got 3 of them, one in each arm and one in the other place. They weren't too bad and I think that I'll survive. The shots were cholera, gammagobulin, and rabies. The first two I have to get every six months. The rabies shot was the third of a series of three, so I won't have to get it again.
I saw alot of people here in Freetown that were good to see and it made me feel at home. A few volunteers are here because they're a bit sick from ameobas, so that they have to stay around and give the Doc samples every so often. A few volunteers are here because their two years are up and they will soon be leaving for home. A few volunteers have just now gotten back from vacations. Also, today all of the new trainees have arrived in Freetown where they will spend the next week and finish off their training. It was good to see them all.
We went out to dinner tonight at the Lighthouse restaurant, which is a fancy place overlooking the water, with a lighthouse a bit further offshore. It was nice to live in stile for awhile.
Wednesday, September 1, 1976, 9:00 am - Day 218
I spent the night at the Freetown CARE resthouse. Charlie Harris is it's only permanent resident, and like always, he is out to make a buck any time he can. Charlie is one of the volunteers that came in with me. He is living in Freetown now, because his new job is being CARE's representative in the Ministry of Works. Ever since Charlie has been here, it seems that anything that he did, he had money on his mind. When buying something, he would seldom ever buy enough for other people, but would only look out for himself. He also feels that he has to pay for anything that someone offers him. All this in itself isn't too bad. The main thing that gets people against him is his habit of borrowing money from people and then never paying it back. At the house he charges Le1.00 per night, but I guess that is a fair price because he pays for the steward, and the price includes a bed, a shower, and breakfast in the morning.
I would like to stay in Freetown for a few days more, but I can't because I already told Henry Lisk that I would be back in Bo today. I don't want to break my word with him at the moment because I think I am treading on thin ice because the D4 broke down while I was driving it. I don't think that I am guilty of any great wrong-doing, but I would rather not make any more waves because some people are already displeased by my actions.
All of the other engineers are on my side because CARE policy up to now has been that any engineer can get on a machine whenever he feels the need. All of the new trainees have been on the machines already, so that my operating the machine wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Attention was brought upon me because I just happened to be on the machine when it broke down. At the next monthly meeting, it will probably be brought up again and discussed and a final policy decided upon. The new policy at the moment is that no site engineer will operate the machines. This was Henry Lisk's memo which just came out. Les Galagher, the director, will be back from vacation in a week, and it will be interesting to see what position he will take.
Wednesday, September 1, 1976, 9:00 pm - Day 219
I came back to Bo from Freetown today. It wasn't quite your ordinary trip. This morning while I was at the Peace Corps office, Charlie Harris told me that the nut that holds the axle for the back wheel of my motorcycle was missing. I was shocked. The nut holds the axle on and the axle holds the back wheel on. With the nut missing, then the axle is free to slide out. If the axle should slide out while you are cruising down the highway, then you can kiss it all good bye. Your back wheel will fall off, which wouldn't be too swift. Then Charlie informed me that he saw my motorcycle yesterday but didn't know whose it was, but he noticed that the nut was missing then. I was even more shocked! That means that I rode it all of the way over to the Lighthouse restaurant and back with the nut missing and the possibility of my back wheel falling off at any moment.
I was also relieved in a way, because now I knew that the axle tended to stay put and wasn't trying to slide out. Therefore, I put some wire in the cotter-pin hole of the axle to keep it from sliding out. I couldn't find a bolt at the Peace Corps office and was told that the Honda place didn't have any parts, therefore I had to make do with the wire.
I proceeded to ride the motorcycle back to Bo, doing maybe 35 mph. The axle wasn't giving me any problems. It was free to slide about a half inch before it would be stopped by the wire. For the whole trip I only had to move the axle back over one time, after it had creeped out about a quarter inch.
I have been calling this motorcycle "my motorcycle", but it isn't really. Mine is still at Michael's Honda in Bo where it has been for the last 3 months. This motorcycle I'm using now is the same type but belongs to a volunteer who is on vacation. Anyway, the motorcycle is not as good as the other one on gas mileage. My other one gets 90 to 100 miles per gallon, while this one gets about 60. The gas tank holds 1.5 gallons with a reserve tank holding about 3/8 gallon of that. Therefore, after you use up 1 1/8 gallons, you are out of gas and so then switch to your reserve tank. This gives you a warning that it is about time to get gas.
At the small village gas stations they only sell gas by the gallon, and so I have to wait until I have only a half gallon left before I can get gas. I usually wait until it goes on reserve and then stop at the first station I see. This time it didn't work. I was 22 miles out from Bo and I had to switch to reserve. The 3/8 gallon in reserve is what the manual says it is, but I never quite believed it, but didn't know for sure because the only way to find out was to run out of gas, but I hadn't as yet done that. I found out today - the manual is wrong!
After about 10 miles on reserve I found a gas station. They were out of petrol! I went on towards Bo, making a note of the mileage markers that I passed. I was able to tell how many miles I had left before I reach Bo and then I was figuring 20 minutes per mile and 3 miles each hour if I had to walk it. Therefore, I was keeping on the bright side, thankful for every mileage marker that I passed, because each marker meant one mile less to go and 20 minutes less to walk. After I had gone 15.5 miles on reserve and was still 6.5 miles (2 hours 10 minutes) from Bo, my luck ran out.
Still, I looked at the bright side. I still had 2.5 hours of daylight and only 2 1/6 hours of walking to do. It was nice and sunny, a beautiful day, with no chance of rain for awhile. Two hours of walking wasn't all that much, and I could easily handle it. The condition of the road was excellent, with a good running surface, and very gentle grades. On a road like that the motorcycle offers very little resistance and rolls along very easily. After about 3.5 miles I was still in a good mood, making the best of the situation, and you might even say that I was enjoying every minute of it.
Just then, one of these big truck lorries stopped and offered me and my motorcycle a lift into Bo. I gladly accepted. In Bo he didn't ask for money, or stall around like he was waiting for me to pay him. I don't even think he was expecting money. They say I should have offered him some, but I don't think so. It takes all of the goodness out of his deed when money is brought into it. Instead I think it is better to show your appreciation with a big "Thank you", and then remember him so that if you see him again you can say "Hello". This way he earns my friendship and respect, which is more important than money.
This goes both ways, for any one. If I do someone a good deed, then I don't expect anything from them except to respect me and be friendly with me.
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