A Few Thoughts on a Saturday Night...

I sit here, my second attempt at writing what is a long overdue blog. Do you think it's ironic that I started to write my blog on cross-cultural stress and then my computer shut down and I lost my first entry? I think it's funny, because it's so indicative of how my past month has gone.

Yes, some of the fuzzy feelings about Liberia have begun to fade. For those of you who have lived overseas before, you've probably reconized that time when the "honeymoon" phase begins to wear off. All the things that once seemed like an adventure, or part of the experience, become truly annoying and frustrating. For me cross cultural stress is pretty reconizable, as I grow easily frustrated with small things, feel agitated, find that I'm critical of others and the country that I'm in, find that I grow a bit outspoken, and begin to see everything in a different light. Some of you just stopped reading that list and said to yourself, "hey that sounds like her on a good day in Canada!!!"

So you're probably wondering what brought on this little funk that I was in? It's really a combination of lots of little things, and when I write them even they don't seem any reason to get down. But anyways, I think the rain and grey weather had a part to play, internet being out for two weeks, or things in the brand new staff house already breaking/not working. Part of it too is looking around and seeing some terrible things that are happening in Liberia right now. Petty crime on the rise, and other crimes happening even right near our workplace...so it's all cumulative I suppose.

Anyways, it's been an interesting past month for that reason alone. But, a lot of good things have happened as well. All interns are safe and in full swing with their projects. We have moved into our new staff house, and I have my own room and my own space. This has meant very good things for me, as I feel like I'm truly settled. And just generally things are going well at work. In fact, I got to spend some time with our Adult Literacy program and that was truly encouraging. People who didn't know how to hold a pencil a month ago are recognizing and putting sounds together, and are on the bring of reading. So, while it has been a tougher couple of weeks, it's also been filled with lots of blessings.

I'm going to post this blog, as I've been having lots of problems with my computer tonight. Go figure!! So, I have more thoughts to write, and I'll try to expand on these more in the future.