Up Country Once Again

Last night was a beautiful evening up country. We drove 7 hours yesterday to visit one of our project sites just 15 minutes from the Ivory Coast border. I was able to enjoy both the sunset and an evening under the stars, and it was wonderful. I was commenting to co-workers how much I miss being out in the village, and how we were missing something living in the capital. It was calming and peaceful in a whole different way than what we experience at our house in Monrovia.

Anyways, the drive up was rather uneventful. We stopped at the three hour mark to visit an orphanage, and then continued on to Ganta. In Ganta we had a quick coke, and I've posted a copy of the Swedish UN tanks that we saw rolling through town. We continued on for another two-three hours till we reached Gbelegla, where one of our two programs for ex-combatants is located. Staff and students greeted us, and had laid out a brief program to highlight their training center. Our Regional Director is in country this week, and everyone was quite excited to see him.

We continued on for another 25 minutes to reach our second training center, and were greeted by staff there. The DDRR (Demobilize, Disarm, Rehabiliation and Reintegration) program is sponsored by UNICEF and implemented by our organization. We're currently in the third stage of the program, which is being accomplished by engaging ex-combatants in trade school training so that they will have a skill to rely on in the future. At these schools, kids can sign up for either agriculture, masonry, pastry, carpentry, mechanics, or comsetics training. They also have school social workers and business training as part of their program.

We sat with these kids for a couple of hours this morning, and I would have to say that I found it hard to picture these kids out in the field shooting and killing their countrymen. I was informed later on in the day that one of the students, the "General", once had 250 children under his command. When I asked his age, they told me that he currently is 15, but it is evident that he was a very controlling guy. Even today at the school if they're having conflict on the compound, they'll call on the "General" to talk to the kids. The encouraging part of the story is that the "General" was recruited to go fight on the Ivory Coast side, as his skills are much desired there, but he refused so that he could take part in this program. You get a real sense that people in Liberia grew tired of fighting, and really do want another way of life.

While it was tiring trip, it was definitely worth it. Driving is always a tiring thing here, and it can be quite an experience. Today, we came across a truck that had been carrying lumber turned over on it's side. The UN was already on site, and had two massive trucks with winches on them to try to turn it upright. We asked the policeman if everything was okay, to which he replied there had been a fatality, but they had taken away the boy. As we drove by, I was peering to look at the truck and realized that the dead boy was lying there with a pair of shorts draped partially over his face. I'm happy to say that we made it back without any further incients, and arrived safely at our home in Monrovia by 5:30pm.

Nimba County Trip

 

Ma and Kids

My One Month Anniversary

Well, I have surpassed my one month anniversary here in Liberia. I'm making it sound like something difficult by using those words, when in reality it has flown by quickly. I have mentioned this before, but it's truly amazing how the time has flown. I'm coming home each day mentioning to co-workers that already I can't get to all the things that need doing in a day.

We drove up to Gbarnga today, pronounced Bonga, to see an orphanage that we have partnered with for the past few years. I believe I mentioned this orphanage in a previous blog, but I don't think I have yet talked about the woman behind this place. Ma is the matron of the orphanage, and today like other days she greeted us with her trademark warm and friendly hug. I'll try to post a photo of her, but she is a large Liberian woman with silvering hair that is usually held under by a hair wrap. In the times that I have met her, she has been wearing a tank top, and a piece of fabric wrapped around her waist to be worn as a skirt. She has usually just come from the garden so her hugs are a notable and memorable experience. With her size, it's life sinking into a huge cushion and part of your body disappears within her grasp. Today, when I asked how she is doing, she quietly responded, "Thank God! We're alive!".

This response is one that I recieve often. I'm so conditioned to a response of, "doing fine", or "good", that this response given is one that still catches me off guard. After having lived through such difficult times, it's not a wonder that this has become a common response. Ma is just one example of someone who has miraculously survived this horrific time in Liberian history. While I don't know all of her stories, the ones that I have heard are amazing. She was given care of, or I believe even ordered to take care of kids during the war who were either seperated from their parents, or orphaned. The first time I met her, she shared with me a story of how she made a journey from Gbarnga to Monrovia with over 200 children. As I sat beside her on the bench, she demonstrated using my skirt and hers how she kept the kids together by taking pieces of their clothing and tying them one to the next, so that they walked as if in a huge chain gang. By car, this trip is a good three hours so you can imagine how long it took 200 children walking through dense, tropical forest to make it to safety in Monrovia!

She has told other stories, and one of the more phenomenal ones is of how at one time a number of children were captured by a soldeir. Ma watched from the side as this gentleman poured fuel all over the kids. They were bound together, and she watched with horror as the man searched for his matches. The remarkable thing is that she could see the outline of the matchbox in his shirt pocket, but he kept patting over the spot and was never able to find them. After minutes of frustration, and unable to find the matches, he simply walked away from the children and she was able to rescue them.

Spending time in the midst of individuals like Ma, or others that I will write about in the future is a humbling experience for me. I think over the things that I consider to be struggles, or the frustrations that I have had and complained about, and I'm humbled. It puts a lot of things in perspective for me, and it reminds me once again of one of the many reasons that I'm glad to be here.

Staff Soccer Day

 

Bomi Lake

 

My Third Week in Liberia

As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, I’m slowly starting to adjust to life in Liberia. I’m finding it hard to believe that I have now been in the country for over three weeks, and it seems unbelievable to me that time has flown by that quickly. That being said, there are still a number of firsts that I have experienced in this past week.

The first of those was last Sunday when we traveled about 1.5 hours NE of Monrovia to go hang out at Bomi Lake. For the distance you have to travel this is a great option to get away from the city and enjoy a touch of nature. The only really annoying sound to put up with is the generator sounds being created by the UNMIL group at the end of the lake. It can hardly be called a lake, as it’s more a reservoir created from an old iron/ore mining area, but a natural spring feeds it, so it’s a nice place to swim.

Anyways the first that I experienced was my first bout of illness here in Liberia. Within two hours of returning from the Lake, I was curled up on my bed feeling nauseous and achy. It progressed, and while I tried to push myself the next day to go to a meeting at noon, I knew I was in trouble as I was dry heaving in the restaurant where the meeting was being held. After two days of not eating and all the other flu like symptoms I experienced, I started to feel better. I’ve deduced that it was in fact either a touch of the flu or food poisoning. But, regardless, I’m feeling great now.
The other first is actually driving here in the city. It’s a bit of an experience, and in like most developing countries, it’s a matter of figuring out what the pattern of driving is and then adjusting. The city limit roads have two lanes on each side of the road and believe it or not, they actually have painted lines of the road. Now, please don’t misunderstand me…people don’t actually use them, but they are there. There is usually a lot of veering in and out of lanes, and honking as you go by just to notify the driver that you are coming up beside them. The taxis prefer to cut you off as they veer to the right hand lane, and then abruptly stop, partly on the road and partly on the shoulder to pick up passengers. The other one is that people suddenly stop to let pedestrians cross, but it could be at any random point on the road. I guess it just keeps you on your toes at all times!

Well, Kendell is back on Sunday, along with a new staff person and a 15 person short term mission team. Perhaps, despite there being not much going on here, our life will be kept interesting with the sheer number of visitors that come through the office. I have a workshop at the office tomorrow morning at 10 and plus the generator is being turned off here in 20 minutes, so I’m going to call it a night.

Till next time…

Tumukullie Village

 

A View from my Room

 

This Week in Review

Well, this past week has been an interesting one. I feel like in my second week here that I'm finally starting to hit a bit of a stride. It's exciting for me when I'm in an environment where I'm constantly learning and being challenged. Admitingly, there are plenty of times and situations where there are lots of unknowns. There have been a few meetings this week where I have walked out and asked co-workers, "so what was that lady talking about?". Thank goodness for great co-workers who have kept me afloat.

This past week we also had a guest from the UK who is going to bring a team of 15 coaches over in November to run soccer camps for underpriviledged children. He is a riot and kept us all in stitches throughout the week. Although it's months away, I'm already looking forward to the team coming, and know that it will be a highlight of the year. Soccer, like so many countries around the world, is huge in Liberia, and it will be a great medium to getting to talk to youth about important issues.

One of the highlights of this week was getting to visit one of the women rehabilitation homes. Originally, there was one home that was started by one of our Liberian staff a few years ago, and thankfully there has been the addition of another home. These homes take in women excombatants, ex-sex slaves, or women who were taken as wives or girlfriends of soldiers in the war. In this home that I visited there are 17 girls, some as young as age 14, and 13 babies. The women attend school, learn a vocation, and obviously work through some of the phsychological affects of what has happened to them. It's amazing to see the work that is being done in their lives.

We've had a change in weather this week, and the rainy season will soon be here. Two nights ago, I lived through the LOUDEST thunderstorm of my life. The lightning was like a strobe light going off in my window, and the strikes kept me awake till wee hours of the morning. As the electricity sparked out of one of the outlets in my bedroomI knew the storm was getting serious. The rainy season, as I mentioned before, will pose interesting moments and great struggles for our staff in the upcoming months.

Today, we found out at 3 pm, while in a meeting with other aid agencies, that Monday is a national holiday. It was a funny monent, because it was the first time we had heard about it. We went back to talk to our national staff, and even they were unaware of the day being a holiday. So, this has turned out to be a long weekend for me, which is very exciting. I may go to visit Bomi Lake on Sunday with our some of our staff. Unfortunately, I will have to work Monday, but thankfully only part of the day.

Well, to all you mothers out there...mine in particular...HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY on Sunday!!!!

A Devastating Past

For all of you reading this new posting, thanks for switching over. I was finding Xanga not to be what I had hoped and so I decided to switch. Part of the problem was that I was paying for their premium package, but I wasn't able to upload photos. Our connection here is not good enough that I can get them uploaded. So, I've decided to post on a new blogsite. Hopefully you've all found me and will continue to read about my adventures.

Anyways, new topic...the conflict in Liberia is obviously what has brought most of us here to work. For 14 years, 1989-2003, Liberia was in the middle of a war that resulted in 1/3 of their population either displaced, or killed. Many Liberians were forced into Internally Displaced Persons camps (IDP), many found refuge in Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire or Sierra Leone, and many others faced death. The UN spent over a year disarming combatants, and in the end statistics state that over 100, 000 were disarmed. For a country of only 3 million these are dramatic statics.

Many of you probably wonder what the feel is in Liberia at this time. I know that before I left many of you were concerned about the security situation here. For those staff who have been here for over a year they say the changes are dramatic. They have mentioned to me that they can already see an improvement in the road and building conditions, and that there is generally a more "safe" feeling. I believe, that Liberia has the largest UN presence in the world, and there are still many roadblocks set up around the country. However; I would say that I feel safe in the country. There is petty crime, and you do need to be aware of your surroundings, but I don't walk around feeling unsafe.

While I'm arriving a couple of years after the end of the conflict, it is amazing to still see signs of the fighting that took place. The other day, as I crossed one of the two bridges in Monrovia, I was really surprised to observe the lamposts that line the bridge filled with bullet holes. This area of the city was the stage for the last bit of fighting, and where they eventually captured Charles Taylor. The buildings around the area have patch work and you can see where they have covered bullet holes and mortar holes.

Overall, the new government is really trying to rebuild and rehabilitate within the county. A lot of our project activity will be assisting people as they return home, and as they try to re-establish their lives. It's an exciting time to be here, and also a huge challenge. The staff here are doing an amazing job and from what I've observed the rural communities are motivated to rebuild their lives. As I continue to discover new things and see the progress that's being made, I'll be sure to keep you updated.