I’m writing this from the Royal Hotel, a location perhaps as prestigious as the name implies; certainly by Monrovian standards. After waiting out the rain for an hour this morning, I tried to venture out for the twenty minute trip down Tubman Boulevard to the downtown LEAD office but only made it as far as the business district called Sinkor before the rain picked up, drenching my pants. Secretly pleased, I knew I’d have the luxury of speedy internet and a cup of brewed coffee so I pulled in to do a little work before heading on to the office after it stops pouring.
These types of delays are normal but my Western sense of regimented timeliness often conflicts with good common sense and finds me squinting through the rain with pants soaked and sand off road grinding between my teeth, trying to make it to work before 9:01 AM. So I’m learning to relax, and I’m beginning to accept delays but it’s frustrating that even after a few other international experiences I still have so much more to learn.
I’m finding that my experience in Liberia is far removed from any other international experience I’ve had so far. My semester at the University of Ghana was in an academic setting with a group of other Calvin College students and the Dominican Republic was spent with a close friend in entirely difference setting. My time here in Liberia is in a work setting, for a much longer period of time and I came here alone. I’m enjoying the opportunity to dig in and do work, and settle down and live in a new country but I’m finding the process of starting from scratch making new friends and finding my place in a new work setting to be a challenge.
That said, as I bring myself to cross cultural lines and invest time to learn about those people living and working around me, I’m finding myself surrounded by fascinating individuals with unique experiences very different from the stories of the people I’ve grown up with. Liberia’s history is unique and its living citizens have experienced a lot of history in the past few decades, each with their own story. Thank you to everyone who has been encouraging me over the past several weeks! Please continue to keep me accountable as I fight the temptation to withdraw from those around me and push me to find the time and energy to seek out their friendship and advice.
I’m happy to report that I have a new apartment! My roommate Jennah is a Liberian who moved to Georgia when she was 5 and has recently returned to work in President Sirleaf’s office. Our apartment is located off ‘Old Road’ and is one of 6 apartments in our building. Our second floor unit has a good view of the neighborhood around us and I’m happy to report we have running water most days and we may even be hooked up to the power grid in the next few weeks! The Scottish guy living on the main floor even has two dogs who welcome me when I arrive home each day.
