Some notes

• Men here sometimes hold hands with their friends out on the street. It's a scene that takes getting used to given the implications this would have in the U.S., and it's really quite nice to see, in my opinion. Women do it as well, though less frequently. I gather that one sees this in other countries on the continent as well, even very homophobic ones. This says something about perception / customs across cultures.
• I don't think there are any traffic lights in the whole country. I've been all over Freetown, the capital, and haven't seen any. I've traveled to the 2nd largest and 4th largest cities and saw none in either of those nor en route. Given electricity is only periodic, I guess this makes a lot of sense. And it's something for police officers to do.
• One of the microfinance institutions I'm working with gathers in a circle each morning and sings the group's mission statement. Singing about "delivering a financial product efficiently and effectively to meet our clients needs" is a great way to start the day, no? I think Citigroup, B of A, et al. should consider starting their days in a similar manner.