Adventures of Miss Sierra Leone USA - Life in Salone (Part II)

Hello world!!!

I hope you and yours are doing well. I'm doing awesome, thanks to the Almighty for continuous blessings and lessons. I've been very busy, as usual, and realized that I'm behind on updating you all on this blog about my Kono/Salone adventures. I've uploaded some pictures below. For more frequent updates, I highly recommend you all to Like and follow me on my facebook page.

2013 Octea Mining Intern and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2012-2014 Ruby B. Johnson

Few weeks ago, I worked with the load/haul department. I got to see how the materials (granite, kimberlite, or laterite) are transported from the pit to the stockpile, and then to the plant. Another awesome opportunity is that I got to see how the excavators and haul trucks work, and also learn how to drive them. In the photo above, I'm sitting in one of the Koidu Limited's haul trucks; haul trucks are off-highway, two-axle, rigid dump trucks specifically engineered for use in high production mining and heavy-duty construction environments.

2013 Octea Mining Intern and Miss Sierra Leone USA 2012-2014 Ruby B. Johnson
Mining rocks...pun intended!

I am standing on granite rocks in the photo below that were previously blasted. Being that I got to work in a pit that contains the diamond-bearing rock, kimberlite, I like to proudly say that "some people wear diamonds, I get to walk on diamonds!" and also "some people work to buy diamonds, I get to work with diamonds!"

Kimberlite rocks at a pit in Octea Mining's Koidu Limited

These may look like regular rocks to the normal eye but they're actually kimberlite rocks. Kimberlite is an inequigranular igneous rock, and the rock that bears diamonds! Kimberlite pipes are the most important source of mined diamonds today. With this internship in Koidu with Koidu Limited, I'm learning a lot about these rocks and all things mining engineering because that's what is mined here, known as Octea Mining's Koidu Kimberlite Project.

Beautiful town of Koidu, Kono District, Eastern Province, Sierra Leone

2013 Octea Mining Intern and Miss Sierra Leone USA Ruby B. Johnson with some members of the Surveying team.
I had so much fun working with these guys, and they always made me laugh.

2013 Octea Mining Intern and Miss Sierra Leone USA Ruby B. Johnson with some members of the Surveying team.
 I had so much fun working with these guys, and they always made me laugh.

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson
About to eat dinner with a former classmate from Murraydeen Preparatory School

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson
"Shine bright! Never dull your shine for somebody else. You're born to be a star!!!"

THE COTTON TREE
Located in the center of Freetown, separating the Western and Eastern Area

Sign at the Freetown City Council building

Kam mek wi it o
Eating lunch at Lungi International Airport

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson

Bracelets: Green, White, Blue
Nails & Top: Red, White, Blue
Ruby B. Johnson, Miss Sierra Leone USA, Proudly Sierra Leonean American

Fambul den, this is Salone!!!

"Our lives are defined not by the titles we earn, but rather by the service we render" 

Erika Harold, Miss America 2003 and Attorney

Ruby B. Johnson,

Your Miss Sierra Leone USA.

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