If you are interested in seeing pictures, you can check out my Flickr site. I am starting to upload a few at a time.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mountaintopsue/
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
HOME
The laundry is going, I have showered and eaten, it's like we were never gone. Unless of course, you look at the huge pile of newspapers and mail on the kitchen counter. I don't want tomorrow to come. At least not too soon. I'm not ready to go back to my reality. Liberia has certainly left a hole in my heart. We met some wonderful people and I feel guilty leaving them and coming back to abundance and comfort. This life will never be perfect and whole, but I have seen hope on the faces of those that shouldn't have any and that is enough for me. He is there among them and I was a witness.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Saturday
It was a day of goodbyes and picture taking (not that we haven’t been doing that all week!). Tony and Shelly brought a small photo printer with them and once people around us found that out, they all want a picture of themselves or one with us in it. So consequentially, we have had a lot of knocks on the door this morning. We have also presented some small gifts and cards to quite a few people who we have spent time with.
In the afternoon we were off to see Dr. Sanvee’s house which is in the process of being built. It was about twenty five minutes away from Monrovia. Unfortunately we had to take a smaller vehicle, so we went African style, two in the front (stick shift in the middle) and four in the back of a small pickup. We see everything from small taxis to large vans carrying over capacity amounts of people in them. Houses here are made from cement blocks that are usually made on the site. The blocks on her house were up to window height and even higher in other places. We got a tour of the three bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, dining and living room. It is located out in the country and she has hired a man who lives in a small shack on the property to be security so no one comes and squats on it or buries a body on it (no one will live on it if they do that).
We had a lovely evening at an upscale restaurant for our last evening. I will post a picture later of all of us in our new Liberian attire. If only it didn’t get dark so early, we would have had a beautiful view of the ocean, but alas… I can tell Dr. Sanvee is going to miss us all, especially Gretchen, but she will be visiting the US in May to see her daughter and new granddaughter, so it won’t be long.
I am going to end this so we can get on the plane. Later…
In the afternoon we were off to see Dr. Sanvee’s house which is in the process of being built. It was about twenty five minutes away from Monrovia. Unfortunately we had to take a smaller vehicle, so we went African style, two in the front (stick shift in the middle) and four in the back of a small pickup. We see everything from small taxis to large vans carrying over capacity amounts of people in them. Houses here are made from cement blocks that are usually made on the site. The blocks on her house were up to window height and even higher in other places. We got a tour of the three bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, dining and living room. It is located out in the country and she has hired a man who lives in a small shack on the property to be security so no one comes and squats on it or buries a body on it (no one will live on it if they do that).
We had a lovely evening at an upscale restaurant for our last evening. I will post a picture later of all of us in our new Liberian attire. If only it didn’t get dark so early, we would have had a beautiful view of the ocean, but alas… I can tell Dr. Sanvee is going to miss us all, especially Gretchen, but she will be visiting the US in May to see her daughter and new granddaughter, so it won’t be long.
I am going to end this so we can get on the plane. Later…
Friday
Dr. Sanvee and her sister Margaret (who has been cooking our meals) came for dinner. It was a nice evening of, good food, listening to their incredibly interesting stories and fellowship. We chatted around the table for quite some time and then eventually moved to the soft chairs on the other side of the room. After a short time, Dr. Sanvee got up and went to her car and came back with some bags. She made a little speech about how happy she was with our visit and then we proceeded to have Christmas! Out of the bags came outfits that she had made us by her tailor Solo. There were embroidered shirts for the men and beautiful shirts and matching pants for the women. We also received some carvings made out of ebony. Needless to say we were all very touched and from what Gretchen told us, this was pretty unusual.
Apparently on the night that Solo the tailor came to take an order from Shelly and I, she told him secretly to size us up. All but one, fit perfectly and they sent it back and it was fixed quickly. Tonight we will all wear them out to dinner. Tomorrow I will wear the skirt I had Solo make, to church. We picked out the material one time when we were downtown, with Dr. Sanvee, I think it cost about two or three dollars. They measure the material in lappas. My full length skirt took two lappas.
Apparently on the night that Solo the tailor came to take an order from Shelly and I, she told him secretly to size us up. All but one, fit perfectly and they sent it back and it was fixed quickly. Tonight we will all wear them out to dinner. Tomorrow I will wear the skirt I had Solo make, to church. We picked out the material one time when we were downtown, with Dr. Sanvee, I think it cost about two or three dollars. They measure the material in lappas. My full length skirt took two lappas.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Running Out of Steam
As our 2nd week winds down, I seem to be running out of steam. Some of us have less to do and find we are hanging around the house more. Others are trying to finish up computer work on documents while things are fresh in their minds. We probably only needed to be here for 10 days or so, but the new direct flights from Atlanta only go on the weekends and 1 week would have been too short of time. Until recently, you had to fly through Brussels and spend a night there on the way back. That flight was much more expensive and you had to pay for two nights in a hotel, so we are here a little longer than we need to be.
We are lucky that the hospital grounds are relatively large, but they are starting to feel confining to me. We can walk out of the hospital down a narrow street of vendors to the main thoroughfare, but once on Tubman Boulevard we do not feel safe to venture any further (although it is very tempting). I suppose this is especially true for women.
The food has been okay and other than the dried fish in a stew occasionally, we have been able to eat it. We have even had desserts such as pawpaw (papaya) turnovers, cookies and coconuts tarts. I realized today that other than a tiny amount of cheese, I have not consumed any other milk products. Dave has been having milk on cereal in the mornings (that we brought from home) and I have been having oatmeal. As far as fruit and vegetables go, I make fruit salad with oranges and bananas every night and we have had cucumbers and some squash mixed in our daily meat and gravy dish.
Shopping
Yesterday we went shopping with Dr. Sanvee down by the UN Headquarters. It was basically to buy souvenirs to take home with us. It was very interesting to watch Dr. Sanvee negotiate for us. She didn’t let anyone take advantage. It was actually very exhausting because everyone wanted us to look at their merchandise and everyone wanted to give us a good deal. It seemed more like hard work than a fun shopping trip. In addition, the tiny shops were very dark (no electricity – unless they turned their generators on and then the fumes were sickening) and with three or four of us in them it was sweltering and I was sweating profusely.
Today the guys had Bob Harris (driver) take them shopping for safety equipment for the maintenance employees. Their arms were full and overflowing when they returned. The only kink in the trip was that they ended up paying twice for the hard hats, when a man who offered to help carry them to the car, ran off down an alley with the box. They had to go back in and buy another set. So much for naïve Americans.
We are lucky that the hospital grounds are relatively large, but they are starting to feel confining to me. We can walk out of the hospital down a narrow street of vendors to the main thoroughfare, but once on Tubman Boulevard we do not feel safe to venture any further (although it is very tempting). I suppose this is especially true for women.
The food has been okay and other than the dried fish in a stew occasionally, we have been able to eat it. We have even had desserts such as pawpaw (papaya) turnovers, cookies and coconuts tarts. I realized today that other than a tiny amount of cheese, I have not consumed any other milk products. Dave has been having milk on cereal in the mornings (that we brought from home) and I have been having oatmeal. As far as fruit and vegetables go, I make fruit salad with oranges and bananas every night and we have had cucumbers and some squash mixed in our daily meat and gravy dish.
Shopping
Yesterday we went shopping with Dr. Sanvee down by the UN Headquarters. It was basically to buy souvenirs to take home with us. It was very interesting to watch Dr. Sanvee negotiate for us. She didn’t let anyone take advantage. It was actually very exhausting because everyone wanted us to look at their merchandise and everyone wanted to give us a good deal. It seemed more like hard work than a fun shopping trip. In addition, the tiny shops were very dark (no electricity – unless they turned their generators on and then the fumes were sickening) and with three or four of us in them it was sweltering and I was sweating profusely.
Today the guys had Bob Harris (driver) take them shopping for safety equipment for the maintenance employees. Their arms were full and overflowing when they returned. The only kink in the trip was that they ended up paying twice for the hard hats, when a man who offered to help carry them to the car, ran off down an alley with the box. They had to go back in and buy another set. So much for naïve Americans.
Sunday in Liberia
The cars came at eight this morning to pick us up for church. We attended Our Sister of Lebanon Catholic Church with Dr. Sanvee. It was a big church overlooking the ocean with a school attached. The service lasted a little over an hour and had contemporary music with drums and a keyboard. I knew that since it was it was a catholic service we wouldn’t get up for communion, so when the usher came and excused our row, I nodded my head no to her. She kept standing by me and finally poked me in the shoulder and said, “Offering”. So Dave & I promptly stood up and followed everyone down to the front where Dave deposited some money in the one of the three baskets.
Everywhere we go we run into someone of importance that Dr. Sanvee knows. Or we run into someone who says, “She (Dr. S) saved my life. On the way here from the airport, we gave a Supreme Court Justice a ride to his home and met his wife. At church we were introduced to the head the International Bank of Liberia. We are starting to recognize people that we have been introduced to earlier in the week, the sisters and some of the brothers from the hospital, etc. For the most part, everyone has been so welcoming and genuinely glad to see us. A few such as woman in the village where we had car trouble, was a little unsure at first (especially after I took her picture), but eventually she even thanked me. I just hope she took the curse off that she sounded like she put on me in the beginning of our encounter.
After church we all went home and changed into shorts. I don’t know why, but that was a treat. Then it was off to Thinker’s Village and Beach for some relaxation and lunch. The resort is owned by a man named Edwin, who after living in the US, came back to help rebuild the country by starting the business at the resort.
It was another beautiful day of sea, blue sky and clouds. Our lunch was ordered from the restaurant and we each chose something that sounded good. There were fish, chicken, sandwiches (which didn’t get eaten because it had lettuce and tomatoes on it) and even pizza on the menu. It was nice, but it is hard to get excited about food, when everywhere you turn there are very hungry people. Never the less, we had a relaxing day walking on the beach, looking for shells and seeing “The House at Sugar Beach” which is in the book of the same name by Helene Cooper. It was just on the other side of the resort we were at, but we didn’t get up close as there were clearly squatters living in it.
Maintenance Meeting
Dave and Tony held a meeting Monday that has been in the planning stages over the last week. It was for all the people in the maintenance department, their supervisor and the hospital administrator. There was a group of about 12 people in attendance and it was well received. They talked about preventative maintenance and other things in the facilities realm. They also used it as a chance to voice some concerns, which was a big deal because they have never had a chance to do that. After the meeting, word got back to us that the maintenance men came as a group to Dr. Sanvee and told her how much they appreciated what the Dave and Tony had done for them. Apparently this has never happened before. The guys also heard about their need for safety equipment (just basic things like rubber boots, rubber gloves and ear protectors), so someone has donated money to buy those things. So hopefully Tony and Dave will go out today with Ghana Boy and purchase those items
Everywhere we go we run into someone of importance that Dr. Sanvee knows. Or we run into someone who says, “She (Dr. S) saved my life. On the way here from the airport, we gave a Supreme Court Justice a ride to his home and met his wife. At church we were introduced to the head the International Bank of Liberia. We are starting to recognize people that we have been introduced to earlier in the week, the sisters and some of the brothers from the hospital, etc. For the most part, everyone has been so welcoming and genuinely glad to see us. A few such as woman in the village where we had car trouble, was a little unsure at first (especially after I took her picture), but eventually she even thanked me. I just hope she took the curse off that she sounded like she put on me in the beginning of our encounter.
After church we all went home and changed into shorts. I don’t know why, but that was a treat. Then it was off to Thinker’s Village and Beach for some relaxation and lunch. The resort is owned by a man named Edwin, who after living in the US, came back to help rebuild the country by starting the business at the resort.
It was another beautiful day of sea, blue sky and clouds. Our lunch was ordered from the restaurant and we each chose something that sounded good. There were fish, chicken, sandwiches (which didn’t get eaten because it had lettuce and tomatoes on it) and even pizza on the menu. It was nice, but it is hard to get excited about food, when everywhere you turn there are very hungry people. Never the less, we had a relaxing day walking on the beach, looking for shells and seeing “The House at Sugar Beach” which is in the book of the same name by Helene Cooper. It was just on the other side of the resort we were at, but we didn’t get up close as there were clearly squatters living in it.
Maintenance Meeting
Dave and Tony held a meeting Monday that has been in the planning stages over the last week. It was for all the people in the maintenance department, their supervisor and the hospital administrator. There was a group of about 12 people in attendance and it was well received. They talked about preventative maintenance and other things in the facilities realm. They also used it as a chance to voice some concerns, which was a big deal because they have never had a chance to do that. After the meeting, word got back to us that the maintenance men came as a group to Dr. Sanvee and told her how much they appreciated what the Dave and Tony had done for them. Apparently this has never happened before. The guys also heard about their need for safety equipment (just basic things like rubber boots, rubber gloves and ear protectors), so someone has donated money to buy those things. So hopefully Tony and Dave will go out today with Ghana Boy and purchase those items
Observations
WATER
Most everyone who does not have clean water available to them drinks it out of individual plastic bags. They just bite a hole and squeeze it into their mouth. Rich people like us, buy it in plastic bottles that pile up like crazy. There are empty plastic bags wherever you look. We wash our dishes in the sink and shower with the water that comes out of the tap, but that is about it.
SCHOOL
School supposedly is free, but from what I understand you have to enter a lottery to try and get in and even then there are costs, like books and uniforms, etc. They attend school for a half of the day, morning or afternoon. Everyone wears uniforms, so as you drive through the city, you see every color, sometimes navy with green or yellow and on and on. The uniform consists of a jumper for girls with a colored blouse and socks and the boys wear dark pants with the shirt being the school color. Everyone is always neat and clean. I don’t know how they do it as the streets they walk in are filthy. They have notebooks that they copy off the board and study from those. Most everything is written on the board with chalk and then learned by rote.
There is also a school for women on the hospital grounds that teaches tie dye, sewing (on treadle machines), soap making, cooking and baking and home decorating. We met a woman there who was taking registration for the next classes offered. Her name is Oretha and she lost both her parents in the war and has no family, but someone had directed her to the Lutheran Church and they paid for her to go to the school for two years. She now teaches some of the classes and is working on learning to read and
WORK
After the mini seminar that Tony and Dave gave to the Maintenance crew the other day, we found out that most of them make $70 a month and many of them have made close to that for the 20 – 30 years that they have worked here. It was a chance to have a grip session which I don’t think happens very often in group setting with their boss sitting among them, but with a least a 70% unemployment rate they pretty much have no choice, as real jobs are few and far between.
Our Days
Depending on our agenda, we can be up and out of the house by 7am. Other days we get up around 7, have breakfast (something made with hot water, juice, cereal, PB,etc.) and head out on our various adventures. Since our lunch is cooked at the Ministry of Health by Margaret, Ghana Boy has to drive through town to pick it up and bring it back, so it can arrive anywhere between 12 – 2. After every meal we wash the dishes (in the water we are afraid to drink) and then hang out or head out depending on our schedule. Then it is back to the house to wait for dinner to arrive, which of course can range anywhere from 6 – 7:30. After dishes, we sit and talk and try to solve the problems of St. Joseph’s or better yet Liberia. As of Sunday, we have started an UNO tournament and that has been a highlight in our evenings.
Most everyone who does not have clean water available to them drinks it out of individual plastic bags. They just bite a hole and squeeze it into their mouth. Rich people like us, buy it in plastic bottles that pile up like crazy. There are empty plastic bags wherever you look. We wash our dishes in the sink and shower with the water that comes out of the tap, but that is about it.
SCHOOL
School supposedly is free, but from what I understand you have to enter a lottery to try and get in and even then there are costs, like books and uniforms, etc. They attend school for a half of the day, morning or afternoon. Everyone wears uniforms, so as you drive through the city, you see every color, sometimes navy with green or yellow and on and on. The uniform consists of a jumper for girls with a colored blouse and socks and the boys wear dark pants with the shirt being the school color. Everyone is always neat and clean. I don’t know how they do it as the streets they walk in are filthy. They have notebooks that they copy off the board and study from those. Most everything is written on the board with chalk and then learned by rote.
There is also a school for women on the hospital grounds that teaches tie dye, sewing (on treadle machines), soap making, cooking and baking and home decorating. We met a woman there who was taking registration for the next classes offered. Her name is Oretha and she lost both her parents in the war and has no family, but someone had directed her to the Lutheran Church and they paid for her to go to the school for two years. She now teaches some of the classes and is working on learning to read and
WORK
After the mini seminar that Tony and Dave gave to the Maintenance crew the other day, we found out that most of them make $70 a month and many of them have made close to that for the 20 – 30 years that they have worked here. It was a chance to have a grip session which I don’t think happens very often in group setting with their boss sitting among them, but with a least a 70% unemployment rate they pretty much have no choice, as real jobs are few and far between.
Our Days
Depending on our agenda, we can be up and out of the house by 7am. Other days we get up around 7, have breakfast (something made with hot water, juice, cereal, PB,etc.) and head out on our various adventures. Since our lunch is cooked at the Ministry of Health by Margaret, Ghana Boy has to drive through town to pick it up and bring it back, so it can arrive anywhere between 12 – 2. After every meal we wash the dishes (in the water we are afraid to drink) and then hang out or head out depending on our schedule. Then it is back to the house to wait for dinner to arrive, which of course can range anywhere from 6 – 7:30. After dishes, we sit and talk and try to solve the problems of St. Joseph’s or better yet Liberia. As of Sunday, we have started an UNO tournament and that has been a highlight in our evenings.
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