Hello world!!!
Hope you and yours are doing well. I'm doing great, thankfully to the Almighty for blessings and lessons. This past Thursday, Muslims in Sierra Leone and around the world celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr. Eid Mubarak! This day is observed as a Public Holiday in the Republic of Sierra Leone. Although I am raised Christian and a believer, I decided to celebrate this holiday with my Muslim brothers and sisters, and observe Pray Day (as said in Salone). I accompanied my friend and Koidu Limited volunteer, Bisatu, to the Ansarul Islamic Girls Secondary School (AIGSS) field in Tankoro Chiefdom, Koidu Town for the prayers. Of course prayers are usually done in the Mosque but due to the fact that this was a bigger celebration, the religious leaders chose to organize the program at a bigger location to accommodate the bigger crowd. Never been to a Mosque, this was my first experience in a prayerful and celebratory Muslim gathering. Being raised in Sierra Leone as a young girl, seeing Christians and Muslims interact peacefully and work in unity is very common. This is one of the many reasons why my country, Sierra Leone, is great!
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| Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson |
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| Octea Mining Intern and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson with friend and Octea Mining Volunteer Bisatu |
Fact: Sierra Leone is ranked as one of the most religiously tolerant nations in the world. Sierra Leone is a predominantly Muslim country, though with an influential Christian minority. People are often married across religious and ethnic boundaries. Christians and Muslims collaborate and interact with each other peacefully. Christians and Muslims celebrate Christian holidays and activities together, and vice versa. Religious violence is very rare in the country.
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Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson
"Every Haja needs a handsome and stylish Alhaji by her side!" |
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| Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson, Bisatu, Bisatu's daughter and cousins |
Fact: Eid-ul-Fitr or Eid al-Fitr, also called Feast of Breaking the Fast, the Sugar Feast, Bayram (Bajram), the Sweet Festival and the Lesser Eid, is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). The religious Eid is a single day and Muslims are not permitted to fast on that day. The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. This is a day when Muslims around the world show a common goal of unity. The date for the start of any lunar Hijri month varies based on the observation of new moon by local religious authorities, so the exact day of celebration varies by locality. However in most countries, it is generally celebrated on the same day as Saudi Arabia.
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"Just call me 'Haja Rubiatu'"
Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson |
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| Muslim women after prayers on Eid-ul-Fitr |
From the moment I got out of my room heading to eat breakfast, everyone at the company's camp base referred to me as "Haja." Haha... very funny. To make it more interesting, I told them that they could refer to me as "Haja Rubiatu" for the day. Some of my Koidu Ltd co-workers made remarks such as "Miss Sierra Leone USA is Chris-Mus," "I like how well you adapt and think outside the box," "Miss Sierra Leone USA is open-minded," and many more. In addition, they were impressed at how I could create an outfit overnight knowing that I'm not Muslim and do not own anything related to the outfits of the religion. Special thanks to Bisatu for taking me to town and helping me put together this ensemble in such little time. In the end, I enjoyed every moment of this Pray Day and glad that I could participate in it with my Muslim sisters and brothers.
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| Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson |
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| Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson on a bike |
After being away from Sierra Leone for 10 years and returning back this year, I haven't had a chance to ride on a bike as public transportation. After prayers and leaving the field, I decided to change the fact that I had not been on a bike and give it a try to go around town. Since going to pray was a new experience for me, I thought why not try something else that is new to me. I was terrified at first knowing how bumpy the roads are right now because of the rainy season in Salone, but I ended up enjoying the fast ride!
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| Octea Mining Intern and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson |
Eid-ul-Fitr being a Public Holiday in Sierra Leone, workers have a day off and get to relax. However, I was given the opportunity of this internship as an international student intern and expatriates in the company don't have days-off. So after prayers and seeing town for a couple hours, I returned back to work. I wore my attire for a bit, but being that I had to get back to being a mining engineer I had to change outfits from my Muslim wear to my work clothes and return to the pits. Luckily, I did not work throughout the regularly scheduled time for a weekday, expatriates were let out early and I was able to get off work a couple hours early.
Fambul den, this is Salone!!!
Ruby B. Johnson,
Your Miss Sierra Leone USA.
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