The Smell of Urine in the Morning

So - as previously described, the Statehouse in Freetown is nothing like the US Capital building or any other US government building that I've ever been inside of. The Statehouse was built and rebuilt around the time of independence and since then has enjoyed few upgrades, other than a coat of fresh paint. The outside is painted white and blue, and the inside is yellowish/cream colour with red carpeting or cheap tiling throughout.

Now this is not a rich country and thus, its wonderful to see that the Government is not wasting funds on building and refurbishing their offices at the expense of the Sierra Leonean people. So, in many ways, there is nothing to complain about. But every morning I cringe as I walk the three flights of stairs up to our office.

Why do I cringe? Well its not because there are fruit bats flying and shitting everywhere. Its not because there are men sleeping in the corridors. Its not because a security woman calls me "Mr. Tony" every morning. Its not because the stairs are falling apart and feel as though they will crumble under my feet. Its not because of the terrible body odor that emanates through the hallways. Its not because the power is often not working and the building is swelteringly hot.

Why do I cringe? Its because the hallways and the stair wells smell like urine. The smell gets worse and worse every day that it gets hotter and more humid. Imagine trying to concentrate on your work when the smell of piss surrounding you is so strong that it could literally knock you on your ass. Imagine trying to eat your lunch or drink your coffee when every bite and every sip somehow involves a certain urinary aroma. In short - its pretty tough to deal with.

But for what its worth - as I already mentioned - I truly admire the Gov of Sierra Leone. They do basic maintenance on the Statehouse and other Govt buildings, but they don't overspend or build themselves garish offices. Although the Presidents office is clean and well decorated, its still nothing special. And I guess the good thing is that every day that I smell urine, so does His Excellency. One day he'll ensure the Statehouse doesn't smell so bad, but until then he and the rest of Govt are focused on trying to do the right things for their people and this is certainly not something to cringe over...