Post by Lara
14 February 2013 [Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!]
Earlier this week my phone stopped working, reading “SIM
registration error” across the screen and showing zero bars of service even
when Kevin’s phone, which was sitting next to mine, was reading full
service. We took it to our friends who
run a phone charging center and they informed us that the SIM card “don poel” [it has spoiled] and that the
only solution that will not change my phone number was to get a “Replacement
SIM”. Upon further investigation we found that replacement SIMs are not the
same thing as new SIMs, which can be bought in any number of places in our
town, for $0.50. No, replacement SIMs are only sold on Thursday. Or
Friday. In the Lorry Park (essentially
the bus station). Or by the man who manages Amy’s, the bar in town. Or at the
Airtel tower, where an official Airtel employee works. But everyone we asked
assured us that it was only one of these options.
Perhaps I should back up. One thing we’ve learned about
Sierra Leonean culture is that when you ask a question, you will get an answer.
It may not be the right answer, and the person answering may have no authority
whatsoever to do so, but an answer will always be provided. For this reason,
anytime we have a question about anything at all, we make it a point to ask at
least 4 people. Need directions to the
cathedral in Makeni? Ask at every street corner along the way, and don’t be
surprised if at least one person points you back in the direction you
came. Want to know how much it costs to
buy a live chicken? Ask several people before you even bother asking the person
selling it. Better yet, don’t ask anyone what you should pay for a chicken—ask them what they have paid for a chicken, bearing in mind that most sellers expect
you to pay more if you’re white. In any
case, you have to be aware that when you ask a question, the person you are
asking wants to make you happy, and in order to do that he or she would rather
make something up than say “I don’t know”.
So we asked around, and got a different story everywhere we
went. We even sent one of our neighbors
to the Lorry Park on Tuesday to scout out the place. She came back and said
Thursday is the day to buy replacement SIMs.
Then on Wednesday, Kevin went to Amy’s and asked about buying one, and
was told that no, you have to go to the Lorry Park. When Thursday finally rolled around, I
decided to start at the Airtel tower, since it is closest to my house. The man at the Airtel tower told me to go
into the Lorry Park, named several businesses I don’t know, and wished me
luck. Next, I stopped back at the
charging center and asked another friend where to go. He again directed me to the Lorry Park.
In town, I went straight to Ali, who has a hardware stall across from the Lorry Park, assuming he would know where to point me. To my surprise, he pointed me to a shop that I go to frequently. I went to the woman there who told me she sells SIMs, but not replacement SIMs, and pointed me down the road to a place “next to the police station”. About halfway to the police station, I stopped into another store and asked the woman there. Again, she told me she sells SIMs but not replacement SIMs, and directed me to the pharmacy that I passed on the way to her shop. At the pharmacy, the man informed me that he did not sell replacement SIMs, but asked me to wait while he called his friend John. John informed him that he would have them at Amy’s tomorrow, so he relayed that message to me.
After this, I was a bit discouraged and decided to do some normal shopping before heading to check out the lead at the police station. Thursday being market day, the place was packed and I got rice, bulgur wheat, eggs, limes, oranges, chicken, tomato paste, bananas, plantains, and onions before finally heading back up to the main road. At the police station, I was surprised that the female police officer there knew my name. I asked about the replacement SIM, and one civilian standing outside the station informed me that Amy’s is the place to go, to Mr. Bonda.
At Amy’s, I was pleasantly surprised to run into my host
father with his coworkers who are in town on business this week. I told them my
mission and they asked for Mr. Bonda, who apparently was out for the day, but
would be coming back with replacement SIMs sometime today or maybe tomorrow. My host father wished me luck once more, and
I was on my way home, to go one more day with no phone service. In summary, I walked over 2 and a half miles in
a giant corkscrew across town today and talked to more than 10 people who were
all happy to tell me how I can get a replacement SIM, but I’m still waiting for
one of these leads to pan out. In the
meantime, if anyone needs to contact me you can do it by email or Kevin’s
phone.
PS- I sincerely apologize if this story was boring.
[Possibly] more interesting posts coming soon!
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