Lots has been happening over the past few weeks, though I can't say any of it has led to much excitement in my life. Liberia held an International Women's Colloquium two weekends ago (March 6-8). All sorts of important women (and a few men) came to town to talk about women, development, and many more issues. It seemed very interesting and many people I know were involved in planning or presenting at the Colloquium, but it was also kind of strange. Some of the people who came brought in more people and security than one could imagine. One person even had motorcycles shipped down for his/her motorcade. Let's talk about how expensive it is to ship to Liberia. If you're visiting for a colloquium encouraging women's empowerment and their development, especially in third world countries, why not bring that money and flush it into their economies? Anyway, the colloquium was open to the public at the beginning of the week, but as I have to work on weekdays, I could not attend. The planning was also sub-par from what I heard. The government of Liberia and all the ministries had been planning the event for over a year. They were planning to send the programs to be printed in Ghana, but did not have them finished in time so they had to be printed in Liberia...the night before the colloquium began. This was a huge event with many important people including heads-of-state and women who have been part of the global economy for years and they did not have the security badges completed as of the night before the event. Some of the badges did not have people's names on them, so really anyone could have used them to get in to the event. It was held at the stadium here, with booths set up around the outside and conferences, etc., being held inside. Even though planning wasn't a smooth as hoped for (I don't want to say they didn't plan, because they did, it just seems not everything was taken care of as well as it should have been), everyone seems to think the colloquium went well and was a success. I will admit, however, that I wish it was more geared toward locals. It seemed so tuned in for women from foreign countries, but the local women there were generally rich or high class Liberians with a bit of power and than local women who came with NGOs showing off their projects. I suppose any publicity is good, but still…what about the everyday woman who’s working hard and not receiving support from NGOs or the government (ha!)? That’s just my opinion. Like I said, I wasn’t involved in it at all, so perhaps this aim did exist and I just don’t know about it. Any little thing helps, right?
The colloquium (along with a few other things) did bring an added perk for me, though. We had Friday, March 6, off from school unexpectedly. As Monrovia doesn't have too many roads, there was a fear that the traffic from everyone arriving for the colloquium would make the drive to and from school too difficult for many of our students' families. On top of that, Intercon, the company who does the security for the school, was in a dispute with the employees and the employees were on strike. From what I understand, someone leaked Intercon's contract with the UN. The employees then found out how much the UN was paying for security and how much of that money was actually getting to them. Needless to say, it wasn’t nearly as much money as was going into the company. Because of that, the workers went on strike for better pay. While some of our security was still showing up, some arrived without uniforms and some didn't seem to arrive at all. I can't say I really blame them as I'm sure the discrepancy between the two amounts of money was quite large. LNP (Liberian National Police) were pulling double duty for us at the school in terms of security. With the colloquium, though, LNP was needed in full force on Friday, so we may not have had our normal security standards either. These two things combined made for an impromptu no school day. Hey, who needs snow days when you can have security strike/colloquium traffic days? Only in Liberia perhaps...but enjoyed nonetheless.
After the three day weekend, Wednesday the 11th was a Liberian holiday so we had that day off as well. It was Decoration Day, a day when Liberians go to the graves of their loved ones who have passed on and they decorate the headstones--they re-paint them, lay wreaths... Here, graves are generally above ground and large concrete boxes. I was talking to a Liberian who said they are still 6 feet deep, but that they rise a few feet out of the ground as well and that the caskets are just lowered into them. I'm not exactly sure why they bury their dead in stone vaults rather than just lowering the casket into the ground and having a headstone, but this is the way it's done. Decoration day is an important holiday to Liberians. I think it must be nice to set a day aside to remember people who were important to our lives and take a bit of time to respect their memory. I think we’re so caught up in the rest of life that half of us can’t even remember the anniversaries of our loved ones deaths, so I fully support this holiday.
Okay, I’m off for now as I’ve been trying to post this for days now and just want to get something up. Stayed tuned for tanks that sound like trains and a rice harvesting spring break!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
January/February Update
So I’ve been seriously lacking in my blogging lately. I know I say this all the time, but I really do mean to blog more often. I think I just get caught up in other things so sitting down to write about my life for an hour or so just seems boring to me and I think I have trouble believing anyone else would want to read about it either. Alas, here I am trying to blog more frequently to keep people updated on life in Liberia and to have an e-journal or sorts that I can look back on to remember this time.
So January was somewhat busy. I had my first encounter with malaria. It wasn’t much fun. Basically, everyday I would get headaches between the hours of 12noon and 1pm that would last until bed that night. I would also get low-grade fevers with the onset of the headaches. I was very worn out and my body ached. I finally went and got a malaria test done at a local clinic and it came back positive. Luckily, I had a mild case. As malaria worsens, it can cause all sorts of things including hallucinations, or even death. Cerebral malaria is what you really have to watch out for, but I definitely did not have that. I missed one day of school in order to medicate and pretty much spent it sleeping in bed. I guess I should mention that I stopped taking anti-malarials here. Basically, even on them you can get malaria, you just don’t get it as badly. The thing is, once you do get malaria you’re medicated with a different prophylaxis anyways. Also, I was on Malarone and it made me sick. Everyday I had an upset stomach to the point where I thought I might have giardia because I was getting so sick at times. About a week after stopping the malarone, my stomach settled and began to feel better again. Now I only have the other related stomach ailments that come with living in West Africa. The good news is that since I have so much extra malarone, I can also just use that to treat myself if I do get malaria. I don’t mind the stomach aches as long as they are for only a few days and they get rid of all the other bad feelings.
The harmattan also happened in January. This is basically a high wind that comes off of the Sahara and brings lots of dust and cooler temps and breezes to Monrovia. It was like a big cloud had settled on Monrovia. It almost felt like the first days of spring in the morning hours and I loved it! Probably some of the coolest weather I’ve had since arriving. Temperatures were down in the low 70s at times. This is amazing for here, where the daily temp. is in the low 90s (in Fahrenheit). For more info, check out wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmattan.
I’ve mainly been trucking along as time has passed. School is going well, my kids are still awesome most days and bug me a lot on others. My friends are good and well. We have fun. I realize that I miss having parks to go and hang out in, coffee shops for meeting up with people, and Mexican food. Other than that, though, I can’t complain too much. Two of my friends put together a Valentine’s Day party at a local restaurant. It was 80s themed. My friend Ben and I spent a good part of the day in Waterside looking for outfits to wear. Right b
efore we were finished I stumbled on the most hideously perfect dress. It was fantastic! A blue-green color that some said reminded them of the Little Mermaid. There was a big bow on the side and it was a metallic fabric so it shimmered a little. I also found plastic heart earrings and a few bangles. What more could I ask for. I put my hair up on the top of my head, though it ended up being a side pony later in the evening, and danced my heart out with my friends to some great 80s tunes. A few of us ventured out to the club after and continued our dancing spree. All in all, a pretty great Valentine’s day.
The same day, after Waterside, Ben and I went up to the Ducor, an old five star hotel in Monrovia. The building has been gutted and pretty much destroyed, but the views from up there are still awesome. It’s amazing how Monrovia can look from far way…like an actual city. It is quite beautiful actually. A very nice man named Emmanuel showed us around. He used to work there before the hotel closed and still lives there. We went up to the top and looked around from the roof. We also decided it would be a fantastic place to watch the sunset or sunrise. You never realize how narrow the land that Monrovia sits on is until you can see it all from above. It pretty much tapers to a point and the city takes it up until the coastline. No matter where you are, you’re close to the water. Now if only all that water were clean and swim worthy…
After the Ducor we went to the National Museum. It’s a small room with masks and artifacts from all over the country. Unfortunately, it’s not designed well and has no flow. The man who showed us around, however, was very knowledgeable. He told us all about the old school that young girls sometimes are still sent to which focuses more on becoming a woman in villages than the traditional school system. It also makes them ready to be taken as a wife to someone in their village. There were great pictures from the 70s taken by a former Peace Corps volunteer who donated them to the museum. The hope is that the museum will be redone so the upper two floors are also used and the collection will have plenty of room to expand. The history of Liberia is quite intricate and unique and there’s a lot to say about the place. Besides the civil wars, there’s the whole bit about colonization by former slaves and the divide between the Liberians that were here and the Americo-Liberians. There are 16 tribes in Liberia, all of which have their own history and customs, and many of which have their own languages. It really is an interesting place and it would be fantastic to see it get more recognition and be more thoroughly explained in their own national museum.
Well I’m off to get ready for dinner. The Great Wall restaurant is calling the name of myself and a few others tonight. A UN vehicle just sped through the compound as I sit on the porch writing this. My view of the UN has also changed a bit since being here. But that’s information for another post. I’m off!
So January was somewhat busy. I had my first encounter with malaria. It wasn’t much fun. Basically, everyday I would get headaches between the hours of 12noon and 1pm that would last until bed that night. I would also get low-grade fevers with the onset of the headaches. I was very worn out and my body ached. I finally went and got a malaria test done at a local clinic and it came back positive. Luckily, I had a mild case. As malaria worsens, it can cause all sorts of things including hallucinations, or even death. Cerebral malaria is what you really have to watch out for, but I definitely did not have that. I missed one day of school in order to medicate and pretty much spent it sleeping in bed. I guess I should mention that I stopped taking anti-malarials here. Basically, even on them you can get malaria, you just don’t get it as badly. The thing is, once you do get malaria you’re medicated with a different prophylaxis anyways. Also, I was on Malarone and it made me sick. Everyday I had an upset stomach to the point where I thought I might have giardia because I was getting so sick at times. About a week after stopping the malarone, my stomach settled and began to feel better again. Now I only have the other related stomach ailments that come with living in West Africa. The good news is that since I have so much extra malarone, I can also just use that to treat myself if I do get malaria. I don’t mind the stomach aches as long as they are for only a few days and they get rid of all the other bad feelings.
The harmattan also happened in January. This is basically a high wind that comes off of the Sahara and brings lots of dust and cooler temps and breezes to Monrovia. It was like a big cloud had settled on Monrovia. It almost felt like the first days of spring in the morning hours and I loved it! Probably some of the coolest weather I’ve had since arriving. Temperatures were down in the low 70s at times. This is amazing for here, where the daily temp. is in the low 90s (in Fahrenheit). For more info, check out wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmattan.
I’ve mainly been trucking along as time has passed. School is going well, my kids are still awesome most days and bug me a lot on others. My friends are good and well. We have fun. I realize that I miss having parks to go and hang out in, coffee shops for meeting up with people, and Mexican food. Other than that, though, I can’t complain too much. Two of my friends put together a Valentine’s Day party at a local restaurant. It was 80s themed. My friend Ben and I spent a good part of the day in Waterside looking for outfits to wear. Right b
efore we were finished I stumbled on the most hideously perfect dress. It was fantastic! A blue-green color that some said reminded them of the Little Mermaid. There was a big bow on the side and it was a metallic fabric so it shimmered a little. I also found plastic heart earrings and a few bangles. What more could I ask for. I put my hair up on the top of my head, though it ended up being a side pony later in the evening, and danced my heart out with my friends to some great 80s tunes. A few of us ventured out to the club after and continued our dancing spree. All in all, a pretty great Valentine’s day.The same day, after Waterside, Ben and I went up to the Ducor, an old five star hotel in Monrovia. The building has been gutted and pretty much destroyed, but the views from up there are still awesome. It’s amazing how Monrovia can look from far way…like an actual city. It is quite beautiful actually. A very nice man named Emmanuel showed us around. He used to work there before the hotel closed and still lives there. We went up to the top and looked around from the roof. We also decided it would be a fantastic place to watch the sunset or sunrise. You never realize how narrow the land that Monrovia sits on is until you can see it all from above. It pretty much tapers to a point and the city takes it up until the coastline. No matter where you are, you’re close to the water. Now if only all that water were clean and swim worthy…
After the Ducor we went to the National Museum. It’s a small room with masks and artifacts from all over the country. Unfortunately, it’s not designed well and has no flow. The man who showed us around, however, was very knowledgeable. He told us all about the old school that young girls sometimes are still sent to which focuses more on becoming a woman in villages than the traditional school system. It also makes them ready to be taken as a wife to someone in their village. There were great pictures from the 70s taken by a former Peace Corps volunteer who donated them to the museum. The hope is that the museum will be redone so the upper two floors are also used and the collection will have plenty of room to expand. The history of Liberia is quite intricate and unique and there’s a lot to say about the place. Besides the civil wars, there’s the whole bit about colonization by former slaves and the divide between the Liberians that were here and the Americo-Liberians. There are 16 tribes in Liberia, all of which have their own history and customs, and many of which have their own languages. It really is an interesting place and it would be fantastic to see it get more recognition and be more thoroughly explained in their own national museum.
Well I’m off to get ready for dinner. The Great Wall restaurant is calling the name of myself and a few others tonight. A UN vehicle just sped through the compound as I sit on the porch writing this. My view of the UN has also changed a bit since being here. But that’s information for another post. I’m off!
Friday, January 30, 2009
A very late New Year's Post
So I started this post a little over two weeks into the new year, and there seems to be a lot to report on already. I'd like to start just before the new year, with the trip I took on the 30th, 31st, and 1st. I went to Robertsport with a small group of friends to celebrate New Year's at the beach. The adventure started early on this trip--on the drive down to Robertsport. Robertsport is about 3 hours or so outside of Monrovia. Six of us started this trip, taking two cars and mini-caravaning it down there. About an hour and a half or so into the trip, John's car (the one I was in with three others), started shifting strangely. We pulled over and realized that transmission fluid was leaking out very quickly. As the car had been serviced the previous day, we suspected that while fixing it they had created a new problem. To err on the side of safety and caution, we decided to turn around and go back to Monrovia to take the car back to the garage and have them take a look. Because the car was leaking so profusely, towing seemed to be the best option. It didn't seem so funny anymore that John had earlier joked about having a tow rope in his car just i
n case. The Tata (a small pick-up) began towing our large explorer sized car back to the city. About 15 minutes into the return journey, we pulled over to see if we could find some transmission fluid just in case, knowing that there were going to be a few places where we'd have to unhook and drive John's car and wanting extra supplies just in case. As we pulled back out onto the road after an unsuccessful stop, the tow rope broke. Bad news, my friends. The rope was retied, with about six feet of space between the two cars now. I was so nervous that we were going to rearend that Tata everytime we stopped that I had to switch seats and move to the back.
The journey back took about two hours, but contained some very amusing parts. We got stopped at every UN and police checkpoint along the way, shouts from local children and stares from the adults (look at the white people!), and once back towards the city, a few people trying to get us in trouble with the law
('arrest that car!' not us, the car. Apparently a smaller car is not allowed to tow a larger car in Liberia. We'll just add that to the list of laws not followed here, but since we were white, all of the sudden everyone wanted to see it followed and see us punished for not following it. I can't really blame them.) We also passed some UN tanks cruising down the road as well.
Once we got back to the city, dropped off the car, and learned that it wouldn't be fixed within the day, we had to do a little more planning. Should we find another car? Should we go down today if we found one, or should we wait till the morning? Well, we found a car to take and decided to go down that night so we could start our day off in Robertsport tomorrow. The next journey was less exciting, though we did get stopped by a police officer who was conducting a national and international car check. Basically he looked at our car, took some information, and decided that we weren't carrying illegal arms out of the city. It would seem more important to make sure people weren't carrying arms into the city, but whatevs. We were in a hatchback car this time, with the pickup behind us. Now the pickup has a cover over the bed of the truck so you can't really see inside of it. We told the officer that the pickup was with us and he didn't even check it. I'm just saying, if either of our cars were carrying illegal supplies including weapons, it would've been the
covered pickup with all that empty space in the bed.
We stayed at Nana's Lodge, the same place the full moon party took place at a few weeks ago. Basically our accommodations were built platforms with big tents covering them. Inside the tents are two double beds, two small tables, and two big chairs. When we arrived we knew we'd probably only be able to spend one night in the tents as there was a New Year's Eve wedding planned for the next day and all the tents were needed for that. We planned to camp on the beach for new year's eve night. As it turns out, someone didn't make it for the wedding and they told us to stay in our tent. On top of that, we were invited to the wedding and the reception that evening. While some of the group went to the ceremony, my, Jen, and Andrew went to an abondoned hotel just down the beach and watched the ceremony and sunset from the second floor. It was lovely.
After the ceremony, we were also invited to the reception. Now I felt a bit odd about attending this reception, but I went with my friends anyway and it turned out to be fantastic. Like I said, it was a small wedding, so everyone was seated at tables on the beach. There were tents set up for food and speakers, and the tables were lit with candle centerpieces. The tables were in a circle so that dancing could happen in the middle. Dancing in sand is harder than it looks. The reception had an open bar with champagne, wine and beer, and liquor. It was good timing for New Year’s Eve. As the evening got later, most people stayed around to enjoy the party. Two bonfires were lit at different spots on the beach and the sky was clear. The night wasn’t cool, but it also wasn’t hot. We hung around, drank, danced, had good conversations, danced with the Liberian children who joined us. It was lots of fun. After midnight, we went for another swim in the ocean. There was phosphorescence in the water. Everytime you moved, the water around your body glowed with little sparks. It was fantastic. Look up and the stars were shining in a clear sky, look down and sparks were glowing everytime you moved. We got out and I dried off by the bonfire. I went upstairs to change into dry clothes, but ended up coming back down. I took a short, ‘accidental’ nap by the bonfire. When I woke up, we danced a little more and chatted before finally going to bed. Needless to say, we won the party once again, just like we did the first time we were in Robertsport.
The next day was perfect for lounging and relaxing. There’s nothing like napping on the beach in the shade with the ocean just a few meters away. I went for a few swims throughout the day, read a bit of the book I brought, wrote in my journal, and listened to music. A wonderful, relaxing day where I didn’t have to worry about school, the city, how I was going to get somewhere, or what was going on at work. I didn’t want to leave. But alas, it was time. We packed up the two cars for the journey back, paid our bill, and peaced out. Luckily, the journey back was not quite as adventurous as the way there. We made decent time, passed by many Liberian New Year parties, and had no break downs, accidents, or stops by the police. Got back to Monrovia, grabbed some dinner, and watched Tombstone. I’m sorry to say I fell asleep during the movie, so I’ll have to catch that one again later…
n case. The Tata (a small pick-up) began towing our large explorer sized car back to the city. About 15 minutes into the return journey, we pulled over to see if we could find some transmission fluid just in case, knowing that there were going to be a few places where we'd have to unhook and drive John's car and wanting extra supplies just in case. As we pulled back out onto the road after an unsuccessful stop, the tow rope broke. Bad news, my friends. The rope was retied, with about six feet of space between the two cars now. I was so nervous that we were going to rearend that Tata everytime we stopped that I had to switch seats and move to the back.The journey back took about two hours, but contained some very amusing parts. We got stopped at every UN and police checkpoint along the way, shouts from local children and stares from the adults (look at the white people!), and once back towards the city, a few people trying to get us in trouble with the law
('arrest that car!' not us, the car. Apparently a smaller car is not allowed to tow a larger car in Liberia. We'll just add that to the list of laws not followed here, but since we were white, all of the sudden everyone wanted to see it followed and see us punished for not following it. I can't really blame them.) We also passed some UN tanks cruising down the road as well.Once we got back to the city, dropped off the car, and learned that it wouldn't be fixed within the day, we had to do a little more planning. Should we find another car? Should we go down today if we found one, or should we wait till the morning? Well, we found a car to take and decided to go down that night so we could start our day off in Robertsport tomorrow. The next journey was less exciting, though we did get stopped by a police officer who was conducting a national and international car check. Basically he looked at our car, took some information, and decided that we weren't carrying illegal arms out of the city. It would seem more important to make sure people weren't carrying arms into the city, but whatevs. We were in a hatchback car this time, with the pickup behind us. Now the pickup has a cover over the bed of the truck so you can't really see inside of it. We told the officer that the pickup was with us and he didn't even check it. I'm just saying, if either of our cars were carrying illegal supplies including weapons, it would've been the
covered pickup with all that empty space in the bed.We stayed at Nana's Lodge, the same place the full moon party took place at a few weeks ago. Basically our accommodations were built platforms with big tents covering them. Inside the tents are two double beds, two small tables, and two big chairs. When we arrived we knew we'd probably only be able to spend one night in the tents as there was a New Year's Eve wedding planned for the next day and all the tents were needed for that. We planned to camp on the beach for new year's eve night. As it turns out, someone didn't make it for the wedding and they told us to stay in our tent. On top of that, we were invited to the wedding and the reception that evening. While some of the group went to the ceremony, my, Jen, and Andrew went to an abondoned hotel just down the beach and watched the ceremony and sunset from the second floor. It was lovely.
After the ceremony, we were also invited to the reception. Now I felt a bit odd about attending this reception, but I went with my friends anyway and it turned out to be fantastic. Like I said, it was a small wedding, so everyone was seated at tables on the beach. There were tents set up for food and speakers, and the tables were lit with candle centerpieces. The tables were in a circle so that dancing could happen in the middle. Dancing in sand is harder than it looks. The reception had an open bar with champagne, wine and beer, and liquor. It was good timing for New Year’s Eve. As the evening got later, most people stayed around to enjoy the party. Two bonfires were lit at different spots on the beach and the sky was clear. The night wasn’t cool, but it also wasn’t hot. We hung around, drank, danced, had good conversations, danced with the Liberian children who joined us. It was lots of fun. After midnight, we went for another swim in the ocean. There was phosphorescence in the water. Everytime you moved, the water around your body glowed with little sparks. It was fantastic. Look up and the stars were shining in a clear sky, look down and sparks were glowing everytime you moved. We got out and I dried off by the bonfire. I went upstairs to change into dry clothes, but ended up coming back down. I took a short, ‘accidental’ nap by the bonfire. When I woke up, we danced a little more and chatted before finally going to bed. Needless to say, we won the party once again, just like we did the first time we were in Robertsport.
The next day was perfect for lounging and relaxing. There’s nothing like napping on the beach in the shade with the ocean just a few meters away. I went for a few swims throughout the day, read a bit of the book I brought, wrote in my journal, and listened to music. A wonderful, relaxing day where I didn’t have to worry about school, the city, how I was going to get somewhere, or what was going on at work. I didn’t want to leave. But alas, it was time. We packed up the two cars for the journey back, paid our bill, and peaced out. Luckily, the journey back was not quite as adventurous as the way there. We made decent time, passed by many Liberian New Year parties, and had no break downs, accidents, or stops by the police. Got back to Monrovia, grabbed some dinner, and watched Tombstone. I’m sorry to say I fell asleep during the movie, so I’ll have to catch that one again later…
Friday, December 26, 2008
Christmas in Liberia
'Tis the season and all that jazz, but in Liberia, things are a bit different. For starters, the temperature here is consistently reading 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. There is no fall, no winter, no snow, no dip in temps to make it feel like it's Christmas. Secondly, the Christmas decorations are a bit different. While I appreciate the effort put forth by some of the people living here, Liberia could most likely win a 'most tacky Christmas' award due to the amount of shiny tinsel trees and gold 'Merry Christmas' banners. Think Chinese imports and you'll get the picture. Also, everyone asks for money around this time. The very Liberian saying is 'My Christmas is on you.' Well, let's just say it makes you feel a little guilty thinking that the person isn't going to have Christmas, but at the same time you get pretty tired of hearing it pretty fast. I have to remind myself that $5 is not a lot of money to me, but to someone else it is. I did give money to a few people, but usually those I knew, whether it was the woman who worked at the grocery store, the beggar whom I speak with on a regular basis, or one of the guards on the compound who has done something nice for me. There are moments where I wish I could give to more, but there are a lot of downfalls with that, including seeing your money spent (and not always, just sometimes) on unnecessary or unsavory things. It's hard to live in a poverty stricken country at this time of the year, but it's also very eye opening to what Christmas is and should be rather than the commercialized version we celebrate back home. I went out on Christmas day to pop some bread in a friend's oven and was greeted with Merry Christmases by just about every Liberian I passed. Very few were looking for money, but rather just rejoicing in the day and that made me feel very happy and uplifted. I can't resist a smile and a 'Merry Christmas' to say the least.
To celebrate the holiday, a had a few people over for Christmas brunch. There were about ten of us total, eating pancakes and potatoes, banana bread and eggs, and of course, lots of coffee. It was delightful. My apartment's a bit small for ten people and cooking food, but we made it work and had lots of fun in the process. There was also a bit of fake snow spraying on the windows from a 'Waldo' (think Where's Waldo) look-alike, and some crossword puzzling going on. Fantastic. After brunch, a few people left to do other things, the rest of us went to the pool. Swimming, sunning, and gazing at the beach are not usually on my list of things to do on Christmas day, but in the tradition of making new traditions, this is exactly what happened. A few chicken fights and exhilirating games of tips later, we retired back to my very cool apartment. Most places that my friends live don't have a/c, or at least don't have it for almost the whole day. They really appreciate taking advantage of my a/c when they can, and I'm happy to share, as I love having company since I've started living by myself and all. Naps and a movie followed. Lots of lounging later, we headed out to dinner at Mamba Point Hotel. By this time our numbers had dwindled to six, though I believe that's a great number for a more intimate dinner celebration. Debbie, Andrew, Matt, Jen, John, and I enjoyed a lovely dinner and few pictures in front of the Christmas tree in the restaurant before heading home. I also managed to sneak in a phone call with the fam to catch up on Christmas festivities in that part of the world and send Christmas greetings all around. It was strange not spending the holiday with them, but I've realized I've become part of a different sort of family over here. We spend lots of time together and go through things here that help bring us together--like the holidays. While I was sad to not be home, I am very grateful that the holidays were still filled with fantastic people and good times.
Friday the 19th was our last day of school before the holiday break. Before the break the school completed a clothing drive. I was able to take the clothing we collected and give it to an organization that really put it to good use. The group, called Orphan Relief and Rescue, works with orphanages in Liberia, helping them feed, clothe, and bring medical care to the children living within them. The in-country people who work for the organization have become good friends of mine. They were part of the group with whom I spent Christmas. I was lucky enough to be able to spend time with them sorting clothes and creating gift bundles for the kids. Even luckier, I went with them to distribute these things to two orphanages right before Christmas. Each child received a new outfit from the donated clothes (from school families and other donors), a new pair of slippers (flip-flop), and a gift bundle with a toy, some candy, a toothbrush, etc. Check out the link below to view the video that one of the guys made of us handing out these things and the kids. It's not very long, but it really gives you a great picture of what they're doing here and the kids that they're serving.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83PFkUf5a8Y
This video makes me smile everytime I watch it.
To celebrate the holiday, a had a few people over for Christmas brunch. There were about ten of us total, eating pancakes and potatoes, banana bread and eggs, and of course, lots of coffee. It was delightful. My apartment's a bit small for ten people and cooking food, but we made it work and had lots of fun in the process. There was also a bit of fake snow spraying on the windows from a 'Waldo' (think Where's Waldo) look-alike, and some crossword puzzling going on. Fantastic. After brunch, a few people left to do other things, the rest of us went to the pool. Swimming, sunning, and gazing at the beach are not usually on my list of things to do on Christmas day, but in the tradition of making new traditions, this is exactly what happened. A few chicken fights and exhilirating games of tips later, we retired back to my very cool apartment. Most places that my friends live don't have a/c, or at least don't have it for almost the whole day. They really appreciate taking advantage of my a/c when they can, and I'm happy to share, as I love having company since I've started living by myself and all. Naps and a movie followed. Lots of lounging later, we headed out to dinner at Mamba Point Hotel. By this time our numbers had dwindled to six, though I believe that's a great number for a more intimate dinner celebration. Debbie, Andrew, Matt, Jen, John, and I enjoyed a lovely dinner and few pictures in front of the Christmas tree in the restaurant before heading home. I also managed to sneak in a phone call with the fam to catch up on Christmas festivities in that part of the world and send Christmas greetings all around. It was strange not spending the holiday with them, but I've realized I've become part of a different sort of family over here. We spend lots of time together and go through things here that help bring us together--like the holidays. While I was sad to not be home, I am very grateful that the holidays were still filled with fantastic people and good times.
Friday the 19th was our last day of school before the holiday break. Before the break the school completed a clothing drive. I was able to take the clothing we collected and give it to an organization that really put it to good use. The group, called Orphan Relief and Rescue, works with orphanages in Liberia, helping them feed, clothe, and bring medical care to the children living within them. The in-country people who work for the organization have become good friends of mine. They were part of the group with whom I spent Christmas. I was lucky enough to be able to spend time with them sorting clothes and creating gift bundles for the kids. Even luckier, I went with them to distribute these things to two orphanages right before Christmas. Each child received a new outfit from the donated clothes (from school families and other donors), a new pair of slippers (flip-flop), and a gift bundle with a toy, some candy, a toothbrush, etc. Check out the link below to view the video that one of the guys made of us handing out these things and the kids. It's not very long, but it really gives you a great picture of what they're doing here and the kids that they're serving.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83PFkUf5a8Y
This video makes me smile everytime I watch it.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The good things
I tend to spend a lot of time on here writing about the interesting and not-so-good aspects of Liberia. I think that this place is so different it's easier to write about these things in order to describe my life here. There are many good things, too, they're just harder to remember when you saw someone peeing on the side of the road or your shower and power cut out when you were in the middle of washing your hair (my morning, both). This past weekend, however, was a great example of some of the good times and beauty of Liberia.
A few friends of mine planned a party this weekend at Robertsport. Robertsport is about 2-2 1/2 hours away from Monrovia. Let me just say any opportunity to get out of the city is a good one. The drive isn't so bad for the most part, though the last 40 minutes or so can be a bit painful as the road's very potholed. Robertsport is a beach town. It sits right on the coast, about 30 minutes from the Sierra Leone border. It's beautiful. Also, as it's away from the city, it's much cleaner.
It was a full moon themed party, so we spent the night there at an eco-lodge set up by some South Africans. Basically, there are two double beds set up on platforms covered by tents. The rooms also have a fan, a small table, and two chairs. The water at Robertsport was beautiful for our weekend getaway: clear, calm, warm, just gorgeous. The sand is soft and not as trashy as the sand at Monrovia's finest. The lodge also has a bar and serves food, so we sat around and had a few drinks while we enjoyed the sun, sunset, and full moon. They even made a bonfire out on the beach later into the night. It was wonderful. I met some new great people who will hopefully turn into great friends. Just being away from Monrovia has improved my mood so much, I'm more relaxed and less stressed out. A much needed break from the city!
Other than that, school gets out on Friday for winter break. Though I'm not doing anything, I'm much looking forward to the two weeks off. I love my kids, but sometime's everyone needs a break from each other. I plan to relax, celebrate Christmas with some friends (though I wish I could celebrate it with everyone back home!), and read. Oh reading, I'm so excited!
Be in touch, everyone. I miss you all like crazy and don't hear from you often enough :) I love you guys!
A few friends of mine planned a party this weekend at Robertsport. Robertsport is about 2-2 1/2 hours away from Monrovia. Let me just say any opportunity to get out of the city is a good one. The drive isn't so bad for the most part, though the last 40 minutes or so can be a bit painful as the road's very potholed. Robertsport is a beach town. It sits right on the coast, about 30 minutes from the Sierra Leone border. It's beautiful. Also, as it's away from the city, it's much cleaner.
It was a full moon themed party, so we spent the night there at an eco-lodge set up by some South Africans. Basically, there are two double beds set up on platforms covered by tents. The rooms also have a fan, a small table, and two chairs. The water at Robertsport was beautiful for our weekend getaway: clear, calm, warm, just gorgeous. The sand is soft and not as trashy as the sand at Monrovia's finest. The lodge also has a bar and serves food, so we sat around and had a few drinks while we enjoyed the sun, sunset, and full moon. They even made a bonfire out on the beach later into the night. It was wonderful. I met some new great people who will hopefully turn into great friends. Just being away from Monrovia has improved my mood so much, I'm more relaxed and less stressed out. A much needed break from the city!
Other than that, school gets out on Friday for winter break. Though I'm not doing anything, I'm much looking forward to the two weeks off. I love my kids, but sometime's everyone needs a break from each other. I plan to relax, celebrate Christmas with some friends (though I wish I could celebrate it with everyone back home!), and read. Oh reading, I'm so excited!
Be in touch, everyone. I miss you all like crazy and don't hear from you often enough :) I love you guys!
Friday, December 5, 2008
Jailbreak!
Check it out...This is Liberia.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6272043.stm
Apparently the number rose to 150-200 later. No one ever seems to know exactly what's going on. I've also heard three different stories about how they escaped. Some say it's an inside job, others are saying the workers were on a sort of strike, and finally someone said the inmates simply threw bottles and stones at the unarmed guards (the whole disarmament thing) and they let them out. Who knows?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6272043.stm
Apparently the number rose to 150-200 later. No one ever seems to know exactly what's going on. I've also heard three different stories about how they escaped. Some say it's an inside job, others are saying the workers were on a sort of strike, and finally someone said the inmates simply threw bottles and stones at the unarmed guards (the whole disarmament thing) and they let them out. Who knows?
Monday, December 1, 2008
the experience of an ex-pat at Thanksgiving
As Thanksgiving approached last week, I wasn't too excited. I was bummed about being away from home, eating Thanksgiving day dinner with a bunch of people I didn't know, and not being able to spend the whole morning baking and preparing. I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun I had this year during this American holiday, though. I went to the US Embassy where a dinner was being held at the ambassador's residence. About 50 people attended. It was in a potluck style, everyone brought something, and the ambassador provided the turkeys. It was a beautiful day (a bit hot) and her porch overlooks the ocean where the sun was setting. There was a ship that had been tugged out to sea, but which had made its way back to the shore and had been pushed into the sand not far off the shore. It hadn't been there very long, but it sure looked like it had. Between the weather (hot and sunny during the day, rainy season earlier) and people pillaging it (there's really no better word), the ship looked like it had been sitting out there for years. I talked to some people I knew, some I didn't. Met the Peace Corps volunteers who are here (one of whom recently fell through a roof and has to return to Washington for a broken hand.) Also talked with some people that I've met very briefly before and got to know them better. All in all, not a bad way to spend a holiday which is synonymous with family and football for me.
I went to a friend's house after Thanksgiving and watched a movie. As I had Friday off from school as well, we went out that night to the Red Lion. This is supposed to be an English Pub. In all actuality, while it may be the closest thing, it's not really like an English pub. It is, however, a nice place to go for a few drinks with friends. It's often pretty calm and low-key, except on Wednesday and Saturday nights when there is live music. We met up with some of the marines from the Embassy as well as some guys who work for UNMIL through the US military. Basically we were hanging out with guys from the Navy and Marines, which is amusing in itself. Another good time of being relaxed and just hanging out with good people.
I guess I'm learning to live on my own during my time here. It's a strange new reality for me. I have no family here, no roommates, no pets. I do have friends, though, and they are pretty amazing. I'm learning how to make do at my job, with my social life, and with my new lifestyle (which involves less vegetarian food being readily available.) It's a struggle at times, but plenty rewarding as well. If nothing else, I've already met a few great people along the way and learned a lot about what I can handle.
I went to a friend's house after Thanksgiving and watched a movie. As I had Friday off from school as well, we went out that night to the Red Lion. This is supposed to be an English Pub. In all actuality, while it may be the closest thing, it's not really like an English pub. It is, however, a nice place to go for a few drinks with friends. It's often pretty calm and low-key, except on Wednesday and Saturday nights when there is live music. We met up with some of the marines from the Embassy as well as some guys who work for UNMIL through the US military. Basically we were hanging out with guys from the Navy and Marines, which is amusing in itself. Another good time of being relaxed and just hanging out with good people.
I guess I'm learning to live on my own during my time here. It's a strange new reality for me. I have no family here, no roommates, no pets. I do have friends, though, and they are pretty amazing. I'm learning how to make do at my job, with my social life, and with my new lifestyle (which involves less vegetarian food being readily available.) It's a struggle at times, but plenty rewarding as well. If nothing else, I've already met a few great people along the way and learned a lot about what I can handle.
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