Merry Christmas!

A second consecutive Christmas season in Liberia brings mixed feelings. I love living in Liberia, and I'm so appreciative of both my close friends here and the opportunity to be doing what I am, but its never easy being away from my NA friends and family over the holidays. It doesn't exactly feel like Christmas eve, but a few close friends have gathered over at a friends house to prepare for tomorrow's big Christmas celebration.

A recent query from a friend here who asked me why I'm interested in development work brought out a longer sting of conversations that began in the late nights of Santo Domingo with my friend Dan while spending a few months in the Dominican Republic, that progressed with my peeps at the international student hostel during the fall of 07's semester in Ghana, and is continuing to come to fruition here in LIB. I feel so blessed to be where I am now and I can't begin to take credit for a shred of what I've been blessed with. My 07' Ghana folks will be familiar with this line, but as a 24 year old caucasian Canadian/American male who grew up with a brother, sister and two great parents in a protected middle class society, who attended private schools and was given all of the benefits that go along with all that, I can't begin to appreciate how I've been given a 'leg up' over my Liberian young adult counterparts. I feel so blessed to be where I am, I thank God for the opportunity to serve, and I can only hope that I'll be able to humbly continue to be able to do so.

Admittedly, I'm rushing a bit on this blog post, but I really wanted to reach out of all of you and thank you for all you've done since I first decided to take on this venture. On that note, I'm happy to announce that I'm now kickin' it with 5 new tires on the jeep! Proper sized tires mean the jeep is riding about two inches taller, and I'm not getting flats! The jeep even rides straight down the road without any fighting at the steering wheel. I was overwhelmed by your desire to get the LEAD jeep in good condition and I can't thank you all enough for the Christmas gift!

Ahhh, much better!

Anyways, I'm catching flack from everyone over here at my friends' house for being anti-social, so I should get going. Thank you all for everything you've done, and I hope that - wherever you are - you're having a great time with friends or family.

All I want for Christmas is... new tires!

The used tire business is big in Liberia, where new tires must be imported by container ship, making them expensive ($90-$250). Instead of purchasing new tires, all taxi drivers and many individuals opt for used tires which are a fraction of the cost ($20-$40), but considerably less reliable, especially when driving on Liberia's rough roads.

Used tires from North America and Europe - often soft snow tires that don't have much tread left - are bought by Ghanaian, Nigerian and Lebanese business owners, packed into 20' or 40' containers and shipped over to Liberia. These containers are put on trucks at the port and taken somewhere like the Red Light market area where they are sold to Liberian tire repair shop owners. These people then take the tires back to their respective tire shops around Liberia.

Drivers getting flat tires will typically choose to have them repaired. In the developed world, a tire is repaired by removing the tire from the rim with a pneumatic machine before glue-covered rubber chords are pushed through the tire using a screw-driver like tool. In Liberia, tires are repaired by first manually prying and banging the tire off the rim. Then, the area around the hole is roughed up from the inside. A piece of inner tube is cut to size and glue is applied to the tube and patch. The glue sets until tacky, and is put over the hole. A steel mallet is used to pound the patch in place, and then the tire is worked back around the tire before being re-inflated.

This is a process I have observed an unfortunate number of times since coming to Liberia. LEAD - being a Liberian non-profit operating on a limited budget - finds itself buying used tires for its grey jeep, the one I typically drive. I have become quite familiar to the PBBBSS PSS PSS PSS PSS PSSS PSSSS PSSSSS PSsssss pssssss psssssss pssssss psssssssssssssssss... sound coming through the open windows of the vehicle after I've blown yet another tire. Although my stomach still turns each time it happens, I've become used to the ritual of changing flats on the roadside and I even carry a towel and water bags with me to clean up my sweaty, red dirt covered self when I'm done. Then, I carefully make my way directly to the nearest tire shop, hoping a second flat doesn't leave me stranded (which has happened on several occasions).

Honestly speaking, if any of my friends in Liberia would like to know where to get a tire repaired, call me at 0880.643.683. I'll be able to tell you that there's a shop in Central Monrovia on Benson Street, in Congo Town on Tubman Boulevard across from Musu's Spot, in Thinker's Village at the truck parking, in Smell-No-Taste across from the Total Station, in Gbarnga by the Ganta parking area, in Ganta on your right before you get to the new UBA bank building, in Buchanan at the Monrovia parking station, on the way to Robertsport right before the checkpoint where you turn left, and in Robertsport near the market if you were to take a right coming in to town. I've been to each of these shops no less than three times; some many more times.

Recently, when a third flat/tire repair in two days nearly caused a friend from the World Bank to miss her flight, I decided it was time to look around town for price quotes on new tires. I drove around Monrovia negotiating my way through six tire shops, and got quotes on tires ranging from very low quality ones for $140 to the knobby ones the mining companies buy at $200.

The prices were higher than I'd hoped, but it was while I was driving around town on Johnson Street for tire quotes that I once again heard that hissing sound coming from my back right tire. A fourth flat tire in three days? It was the straw that broke the camel's back and I made up my mind to work on getting new tires.

While I waited for Matthew (pictured above at the Benson Street tire repair shop) to repair my tire I texted a friend - someone who had often been stranded while we changed tires - to complain about the irony of my situation. To my surprise she texted back telling me that less than an hour earlier she had gone online and donated $300 to my partners account, with 'Two new tires for Derek' in the memo line.

Now convinced that I should go for new tires, I headed home as soon as I had four wheels on the ground. The next morning I got up early to head over to Old Road where I could get the jeep cleaned. It was the first Tuesday of the month and I wanted a clean vehicle for when I'd be driving some of my colleagues over to 'The Office' restaurant after our monthly staff meeting. It was then that, adding insult to injury, I got another flat tire; a puncture in a different spot of the same tire that had been punctured the day before, a 'good' used tire that I'd bought less than 48 hours earlier, a fifth flat in four days.

Yesterday I stopped by Cactus Enterprise on Randall Street to get one last quote. I know the guy there because I used to buy motorcycle oil from him and we got to negotiating. I told him my sob story, and he had compassion. He told me he could get me a solid, quality Chinese tire in the size I need (85R16, 245) for $150, a tire he'd sell to the better funded international NGOs at $190.

Here’s the catch: the quoted price I was given expires “next week Thursday or Friday” when his new shipment of tires is expected to be released from the port, and he'll be raising his prices roughly 20%. Sure, it’s a sales gimmick, but it’s an effective one and I've done my research: all the other tires of this quality cost about $25 more which means the cost for five of them would be $875 for the whole set instead of $750.

Here is my request: whether you support my regular fundraising budget or not, please consider making a one time donation to help me put new tires on the LEAD jeep. At this rate, I'm spending so much time, money and energy repairing flat tires that its actually taking away from time and energies that I could be better spend on LEAD's clients. Its not safe driving on these tires and its NEVER fun getting stranded by two flat tires. Also, when I leave Liberia, I'd like to leave LEAD with a vehicle that will reliably serve the organization for some time to come.

I already have the $300 which has been donated for the specific purpose of getting two new tires, leaving me with $450 to go. If you'd like to buy me one tire for Christmas (my birthday is coming up too...) donate $150, or any amount to help me on my way. In any case, please let me know how much you are giving for the specific cause of putting new tires on the LEAD jeep: I want to make sure that I'm not taking away any money that would otherwise go toward my regular intern budget, putting it in danger of being underfunded.

If you'd like to make a donation for the cause please do so by sending a check to Partners Worldwide at 6139 Tahoe Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49546 or by giving online at www.partnersworldwide.org. Be sure to write Derek's support in the memo/special instructions line. Canadians can have their gifts tax-deductible by writing checks to Stratford CRC with 'Derek Support' in the memo line and mailing them to 190 Althlone Crescent, Stratford, Ontario, N4z 1H9. However you make your donation, please email me at derek.hoogland@gmail.com and let me know how much you are giving. If you'd like to do it anonymously you can make an anonymous gift via any of the above-listed options and then make an anonymous comment with the amount in the comment box below, or contact Partners at 616-818-4900 and ask them to notify me of your gift amount.

Thanks for your support!

Merry Christmas!

Staff Meeting, Camping in Buchanan!

On the first Tuesday of each month the Program Managers from each county as well as the national staff meet to discuss business training class recruitment/progress, loan disbursement dates, upcoming events, disburse the monthly prayer calendar, and the infamous 'Any Other Business', among other things. The meetings are full of eloquence and protocol and tend to last about three long hours, but are actually quite beneficial for the organization.

Today Allen decided to invite not only the Program Managers from each county, but also the Education Coordinators and Office Assistants. It was the first time that this group has met as a whole and it was inspiring to see how far the organization has come since it started with just Renita and James using the back of a Nissan Pathfinder as an office. LEAD now operates in six counties and employs 23.

The LEAD staff, minus a few folks who were sick or otherwise unable to make it to Monrovia.

Today started a bit rough - with yet another flat tire (the 5th in four days) - but left me feeling a bit giddy. I love the folks I work with, and we're doing some pretty sweet stuff. The few weeks I've been back have been busy but things are really beginning to take shape for some of the things we've been working on. The children's book has been published, and the LEAD staff had a chance to look at it. Daniel Nya Kona, Program Manager for Nimba County was given a copy of 'My Name is Emmanuel' to give to Ernestson Wondan, the main character of the book, and I'm excited to hear his response.

PLUG: Buy your copy for only $15 by emailing Dick Ammons at dickammons@comcast.net.The photography was done by yours truly and all proceeds go to LEAD. Its a great Christmas gift for the youngins or your friends with youngins.

During the meeting we also discussed the peer mentoring program model that we are hoping to adopt from Ghana's Hopeline Institute. The staff seemed keen to the idea, and I'm looking forward to Thursday's meeting with Allen, Andrew and Matthew when we will be discussing it further and deciding how to move forward. At that same meeting, we will also be discussing how to further connect with the Liberian business community to use as a source of mentors for our clients; a project Andrew and I will be working closely on.

We also discussed LEAD's February conference. As it stands, we have A LOT of work to do yet, but the staff was also excited about the progress and I think we will have a lot of valuable content for the entrepreneurs in attendance from Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana. I'm particularly interested in our workshop list. Check it out:

Three themes with four options:

1. Agriculture

a. Workshop A: Appropriate technology

b. Workshop B: Increasing your yield through simple affordable methods.

c. Workshop C: Animal Husbandry

d. Workshop D: Bringing your goods to Market – storage and working with the middleman.

2. Food Processing

a. Workshop A: How to meet standard boards for drying foods

b. Workshop B: How to process fruit juice

c. Workshop C: How to process nuts

d. Workshop D: Sanitation, packaging, etc.

3. Service Industries and Retailers

a. Workshop A: Business Ethics – how it can shape your business

b. Workshop B: Personnel – Employees can make or break your business

c. Workshop C: Micro insurance – Necessary for all business owners

d. Workshop D: Marketing and Sales Techniques

As you can see we're focusing on promoting value-add businesses in Liberia; something not prominent right now where the vast majority of goods are imported, even a major portion of agriculture products which could be grown locally.

We ended our meeting by mentioning LEAD's upcoming agriculture intern, Brett Pfister, a farm boy from Indiana who will be joining LEAD for a year beginning early January, and will be a major asset as LEAD hammers down on promoting local agriculture. I'm looking forward to showing him around to my favorite spots in Funrovia during his first two months before he heads up to Nimba County.

After the meeting we all headed over to a new restaurant called The Office, serving great Liberian dishes. Hanging out with the colleauges, watching football and sharing food and drinks is always good times.

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Now, a few photos from this past weekend's camping trip to the beach out past Buchanan. Yes, life here is pretty sweet. Come visit, yea?

Postcard worthy beaches

Our campsite

White folks love taking photos

Hangin' out, doin' some fishin'

A real keeper

French toast anyone?

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Posted from my new favorite internet location Dona Maria's where you can get great pizza, the beer is served in chilled glasses, the internet is fast and the customer service is absolutely fantastic; something especially noteworthy in LIB.

Lets Talk Liberian English

As I type this Mr. Andrews, the landlord for LEAD's office in Buchanan, is having an entire conversation about rent prices, using an allegory of new and old mats at the medium for the conversation.

An excerpt from Allen: "When you make new mat, don't you have to sit on the old one?"

Mr. Andrews has come all the way to Monrovia to try to raise the monthly rent on us during mid-contract. As it turns out, he's not being sinister, he just has an emergency in the family and needs to come up with some extra money. Allen is explaining to him that while we are in the midst of one contract, he has no right to raise the rent price.

Furthermore, we are being good tenants, and it would not be wise of him to treat us poorly during this lease period when we are probably going to be signing another one with him. Allen goes on to explain that, because of the relationship he has with LEAD, he can come and request additional funds from us to help him out, but LEAD is certainly under no obligation to do so.

Liberian English is so much more than just an accent; its an entire methodology of speaking with rules, making it a dialect (as far as I'm concerned). Sure there is an accent, but that's just part of it, and overcoming it is just the first step of understanding. You see, you'll also notice that Liberians cut off the end of many words and even entire middle syllables, but there is a predictability to it, so with time you can anticipate it, even replicate it.

But that's not all! You also need to learn which words are replaced by others because you might not pick up the meaning of what is actually spoken if the speaker is not using all the same words you would expect. An easy example is one I mentioned in the last blog post: any 'SUV', as we say in North America, is considered to be a 'jeep'. You can explain to a Liberian that Jeep is a branch of the automobile manufacturer Chrysler and not a type of vehicle all you want, but you will only be wasting your time.

Another example would be if my colleague Andrew Davis would take/walk/bring the registration payment for my jeep over to the Ministry of Finance. Instead he would say "I'm going to carry the payment over there this afternoon." Similarly, when Allen hands me the keys after taking a stop at Mama Sallie's restaurant on the way back from Ganta and says "I think you can carry us to Monrovia" he's saying that he's tired having just drove the really rough road from Ganta to Gbarnga, and I should drive the rest of the way.

Now account for the Liberian sense of humor; dry and layered. It takes some time to pick up, and much longer to be able to replicate, but I've become a huge fan.

[Liberians speak LOUDLY!]

I began this post talking about how Liberians use allegories. Its something you really need to be looking out for to be able to have a full understanding of what's going on because they are used in all types of conversations. Now for a few allegories/sayings that come to mind:

"That man has snake eyes"

That guy seems to always have frown on his face, or he simple has a face that looks like its always mad.

"Let sleeping dogs lie"

The issue at hand is not correct the way it is, and it is a problem, but its not one that is going to 'bite us in the ass' as it is now, so lets just go ahead and leave it be.

"That man is stretching eye at you!"

My Liberian passenger is noting that I've offended someone with my driving, and he's showing it with his face.

My all time favorite still remains the one Allen taught me while driving in traffic. He was riding shotgun when a pan pan (motorcycle taxi) cuts me off, nearly killing himself and his passenger.

Allen "I beg yea, rice eh swee -oh!"

Literally translated: "I beg you, rice is sweet."

Translated for meaning: "Rice is tasty, and you probably enjoy eating it. If you'd like to continue to be alive to be able to do so, I advice you not to ride your motorcycle like that!"

If you can pick up on all that, then you just need to add 'oh' to end of about half your sentences, and you're all set!

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COMMENTS PLEASE!

While I was back in North America I was happy to hear that people were actually reading my posts, which is a huge motivation to keep posting. I created a hit counter for the page (on the right, bottom), but it keeps track of each and every visit, including my own, and including anyone who has it set as their home page (yes, the blog is THAT well followed).

However, I'd love to hear your feedback so comment away! For example, if you're an English major and it grinds you to hear me use 'allegory' twice when its really a parable or metaphor or whatever, or you hate how many commas I use, or if you don't approve of my recent love of the italics function for posting, feel free to have at it.

Also, email/comment your questions! Blog post topic request? Let me know!

Eat your heart out Alumni Association

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving, a holiday for spending time with close family, giving thanks for all the blessings we have. For the second time in a row I spent the holiday away from home. Last year I went to a restaurant with my housemate and some friends who I didn't know too well. It was good food, but I wasn't sharing it with those I was close to, so I went home from the restaurant feeling quite homesick.

This year was different though! I wish I could have spent it with the family, but I did have my close friends. Friends of mine run the bar 'Tides' where they held a potluck with 'authentic' Thanksgiving foods! I tried my hand at green bean casserole, something I'd never made before in any country, and had to improvise with a bit of spicy extruded snack bits to get that crispy layer on top. I'm told by close sources that it was pretty good. The meal in general was fantastic, and I felt almost miserably full at the end of the night.

At the Thanksgiving potluck with a few of the folks I'm happy to call friends!

Before we sat down to eat my friends insisted on participating in the 'go around and say what you're thankful for' tradition. When it came to me, I knew exactly what I was thankful for. I'm thankful to have learned to live in the moment this past year; to enjoy life as it comes instead of always pulling myself toward some future goal or event and ignoring the present. I'm thankful for my close friends here in Liberia who have enabled me to do that, to God for constantly watching over me in that process, and for you, my friends and family back home (or wherever you are) who have encouraged me in my venture to Liberia, letting me know that its okay to be here, where I am now, and away from home.

This first week back has been a ride! I'm so happy to be back with my friends and co-workers that I've missed. I was homesick for the places of Liberia that I've come to love, and I've even learned to pick my fights when it comes to the inevitable irritations. I've been busy re-settling in. There has been a lot of hanging out with friends, already one trip this past weekend (into the bush - I mean legitimate jungle - to help a friend set up a camp) and plenty of details to work out. My biggest daytime activities last week were looking for an apartment (I'm crashing at my friend Richard's apartment for the moment while I find long-term housing), and fixing the Land Cruiser I've been driving.

I came back to find the 'jeep' in need of a LOT of work:

3 used tires $105

alternator $120

used front shock absorber $50

locally made suspension bushings $10

glow plug module $50

engine oil $45

oil filter $15

fuel filters $30

car electrician $30

labor for all that plus repairing both front door windows, both rear doors and the horn $25

TOTAL: $480

While the mechanic had the jeep anyways, I asked him to take a look at the 4x4, which has been out of service even well before I took possession of the vehicle, with the front drive shaft removed and rolling around in the back seat. We were happy to discover that it will only take the repair of a u-bolt ($55) and new bolts ($5) to get it working again! My friends occasionally chide me for being the son of a former trucking yet getting stuck so often - in the mud, on wet grass... - but conveniently ignore the fact that I'm driving a vehicle with crippled 4x4 and bald tires. Well no more! I figure with the whiteman price to get pulled out of the mud at around $10USD/incident, the extra repair price will have paid for itself in around six months.

A souvenir purchased at the book store while back in Grand Rapids. I can guarantee you this is the first and only vehicle in Liberia sporting a Calvin sticker.

As you can imagine, I wasn't too impressed with the damage that over $500 in unexpected repair bills would do to my vehicle fuel/maintenance budget, and I'll now almost certainly go over budget on that line item. I ask you to please consider making a donation to help offset these costs. If it helps, you can think of it as your year-end tax deductible Christmas gift of 4x4 to Derek. As always, your continued monthly and one-time donations are very much appreciated!

Well, its 5:00 and I still need to finish up the monthly prayer calendar, a calendar of daily items of prayer relating to LEAD, its partners, Liberia and West Africa. If you'd like to check it out, you can download it at leadinliberia.org.

Reuniting with Ghana

For anyone wondering, yes you can make it to Ghana without a visa in advance, but no I don't recommend it. I checked in fine in Grand Rapids, and didn't run into problems getting on my Delta flight to Atlanta, but it was there that I had my worries. You see, navigating your way through the airport in Ghana without a visa is simply a matter of cost, but getting aboard a flight to the country without the respective visa bares the risk of not even getting on board.

Mom and Dad seeing me off at the airport after a busy day of errands and packing. Love you!

The Delta reps called all non-Ghanaian passport holders up front to check visas and, when asked what my final destination was, I informed them it was Liberia, which is technically true and is a country for which I hold a residency permit, but I dodged a bullet when they didn't ask how soon I'd be continuing on. There was no more trouble boarding the plane, although I didn't breath easy until the wheels left the tarmac.

11 hours later we touched down in Accra where I unexpectedly and delightfully found a 'Visas on Arrival' desk, behind which sat two immigration officers who ask very few questions, accepted the standard $150 fee (NOT a bribe), and after waiting about 30 minutes, directed me onward, even allowing me to bypass the rest of the immigration desks.

Pearl Budu, a longtime friend from Calvin, Calvin Phonathon, Semester in Ghana, and elsewhere picked me up from the airport and we made our way to the University of Ghana, for a quick drive through and a stop at the Basement Restaurant, (where we enjoyed Jollof Rice and Star Beer, staples of any time spend in the country) before heading on to the Budu residence.

While in Ghana I am staying at Professor David and Susan Hoekema, who normally live in Grand Haven, MI and are currently leading a group of 16 or so Calvin students on their semester in Ghana. Pearl, myself and the Hoekema's had fun comparing the differences between the Fall '07 and '10 semesters. As it happens, the current group may be described as more 'reserved' although perhaps more involved in cultural events. The '07 group may have been a bit more 'independent' and 'exploratory'. Oh, and to my '07 folks they've got it cushy: WIFI and wireless printer in the Calvin room, cellphones provided for everyone, and they get $90/week on food over our $40(?).

This morning I was picked up by Renita and we headed over to the Hopeline Institute office to meet with staffmembers Fanny and Juliette, and peer mentoring program participants Amma, Ravina and Prosper. Fanny and Juliette explained Hopeline's structure and how they operate their peer mentoring program; one LEAD would like to add to its mentoring program. Amma, Ravina and Prosper shared their experiences too. What most impressed me were some of the unique and unexpected benefits they were getting from their mentoring relationships. I'll go into more of that on another blog post, devoted to the new direction of LEAD's mentoring program. I shared some resources, and ran through LEAD's mentoring program handbook, explaining the progress we have made in Liberia over the last year.

Renita and Fanny, Director of the Hopeline Institute.

Renita and I stopped by a few [impressive!] businesses before heading back to her place; furniture maker and a welder (both do MUCH more that those descriptions give them credit for) before heading to her place. I'll get to meet her two kids Hannah and Noah -who I've heard about so many times, but never met - once Renita gets back from picking them up from school. Dinner here tonight, then hanging out with Pearl and Amma tonight. Bywell bar anyone?

Tomorrow we go back to Hopeline to meet up for lunch before continuing on to visit a few Village Savings Loans groups (VSLs) made of groups of 25 or so people each. It an interesting program, one that offers a savings option for Ghanaians who can't access banks, but desperately need that service. In Liberia, people actually pay to save their 'daily Susu', giving a small amount for 30 days, and then getting 29 days worth back at the end of the month. With these VSLs, each member saves a certain amount each week and then loans are given to clients for periods of three months. There are also conditions that allow individuals to access funds in cases of emergency. Then, at the end of nine months the money and interest is divided among everyone. Very cool. See http://reedsinthewind.blogspot.com/ for a much better explanation.

Saturday I hop on an Ethiopian Airways (prop plane) flight from Accra over to Monrovia's local Spriggs Airfield. Pro: saving some money, and an hour drive out to the Robertsfield International Airfield. Con: its quite likely I'll loose some luggage.

Its great to be back in West Africa! I already feel inspired by the work being done, and I can't wait to get back into it. Monrovia friends: see you soon!

Zero Day

After a great two and a half months back home in Michigan and Ontario, today I head back to West Africa! Thanks so much to everyone, its been great seeing you all and catching up. Lets keep in touch (stay tuned for SO many blog posts...) and as always, I envy your thoughts, prayers and encouragement.

At 5:30 I fly out of Grand Rapids for Atlanta, where I'll catch a connecting flight to Accra, Ghana. I'll stay there for a few days, sharing some ideas with the Partners Worldwide affiliate Hopeline Institute - and catching up with Ghana! - before heading on to Monrovia's Spriggs Airfield on Saturday.

Wish me well on this next six months, and keep me in your thoughts and prayers particularly today as I attempt to make my way onto Delta's flights and into Ghana without a Ghanaian visa... Yea, its embarrassing, but since I have my Liberian residency permit, getting a Ghanaian visa was not on my mind until Thursday, when it was too late to send my passport off to Washington. I can get a visa upon arrival from the Ghanaian immigration, who will surely penalize me financially for my foolishness, but the bigger concern is the Delta staff, who may not allow me to board without the visa. Hopefully, the proof of my onward ticket to Liberia on Ethiopian Airlines, a letter of invitation from the Hopeline Institute, and my boyish good looks will get me through.

So here's hoping. I hope to update you soon, from Ghana, to let you all know its been a success. Why do I do this to myself?

Sporadic Random Thoughts

That's my new policy toward blogging. I honestly wish I could use Twitter from Liberia... maybe I'll see if we can pull some strings and make it happen. The reason for saying so is that I think I'd be more motivated if I could put thoughts to the blog as they come to me. Perhaps I need a notepad for that type of thing. Nah, probably not my style.

Here's a few thoughts that passed between my ears in the past two months of being home:

More than ever I'm sure that Liberians and Americans are more intrinsically alike that we think. Only situations and histories shape our behaviors and thought patterns. The histories that have shaped us can't be altered, but the context of our current behaviors can. When 60mph winds blow out power on 28th street, Grand Rapidian drivers prove themselves to be just as inwardly motivated as Liberian ones. And I'm pretty sure that if it weren't for fear of tickets from the authorities or scorn from onlookers, we'd be driving in the sidewalks and turning lanes too.

The fall in Michigan is fantastic!

I LOVE being able to choose between more than Heinenken and Club beers. Wow.

I love visiting Ontario, and my amazing friends there.

America has an amazing middle class. In Liberia there are poles of very poor and very rich with, quite honestly, not much in-between, especially when I compare it to other developing countries I've visited. Its refreshing to see an economy where regular Janes and Joes can make a respectable living through regular types of meaningful work.

I asked Allen what his most and least favorite things were about America. I can't give justice to his full answer, but I'll paraphrase.

Favorites:

-Government support of private enterprise. During Allen's time in Grand Rapids, Baltimore, New York and DC, he was thoroughly impressed by the support structures that the American government has put in place to facilitate entrepreneurs in their endeavors.

-Work ethic. Americans find work to be rewarding, and there's honor in it, even in non-glamorous work. It drives the country forward.

Non-favorites:

-Abuse of freedom. Americans tend to think their own personal freedom can extend overtop of other individuals personal freedoms.

-Time. Americans have no sense of the real value of time: spending it! Despite all of our modern conveniences we never have enough of it, and we're always rushing, rarely spending enough time to develop those important relationships.

I suggested the lack of good Liberian food, but he politely suggested that with the aid of Chinese buffets, he'd be able to swing it for extended periods. Perhaps we'd just need to import some peppa' sauce.

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Now for a few photos:

A quick 30 hour layover in Brussels on the way back to check out the sites.

At home in St. Marys, Ontario with my parents!

Dinner meeting with members of the West Africa team during the Partners Worldwide conference.

No ALL work. My boss Allen in the US for the first time, so Craig's Cruisers was in order.

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I'm headed back Nov. 16. I'll first be flying through Accra for a few days of meetings and reuniting with my favorite open air bar on the University of Ghana's campus, but then its on to Liberia. The next six months will be similar to the past year, with some different focuses, but stay tuned for the next post when I'll offer more insights on that.

Eight to Ten Days

As I'm sure you all know (because you're holding your breath) I'll be flying out of Roberts International Airport next Sunday evening (eight days), spending a day in Brussels, eating chocolate, dining on waffles, drinking Belgian whites, and biking around the city, before flying back to Grand Rapids, MI, arriving Tuesday evening (ten days). Its been a good run, but I'll be happy to be home. This is by far the longest I've ever been away from my home, family and friends, and I'm a tad eager to see you all again.

Lets touch on the recent happenings. At work, my main priority has been preparing for my two month absence, and transitioning out of the daily activities of the LEAD mentoring relationships. Primarily, this means putting the mechanisms in place for mentors and entrepreneurs to communicate with each other so that they don't need third party intervention to prompt the scheduling of phone calls. Its also means finishing the last section of the LEAD mentoring program handbook. For whatever reason, I can't find a good (and brief) resource on Liberian history and culture. It seems everything I find is much too long for my purposes, and I haven't been feeling particularly motivated to write my own.

LEAD client Amie Kamara is impressive. She's only in her twenties, but with the help of business training and several loans she has expanded from a small table to a large container with several more tables outside. She also happens to get fed up with you if you take too long interviewing her and then take too many photos.

Enough shop talk. Its amazing how at any social gathering among friends, if there is even one new friend among us, the conversation inevitably turns to 'what are you doing here?', 'what's your role?', and the all engrossing, 'how can we collaborate on such-and-such?'. Networking is powerful, but its gotten to the point where I bore even myself when I talk about work. Also, talk is cheap, but sometimes I wonder if as an NGO community we spend more time 'netorking' and playing with our acronyms and buzzwords than we do actually working on our current projects. Okay, I started this paragraph with 'enough shop talk' and then proceeded to talk about...aaargghhhhh!

Here we go: the fun stuff. Lets see, last week I got to go to my colleague Charlie's graduation ceremony and after party. Charlie graduated in Business Management from UMU and is currently manages LEAD's loan tracking software. The graduation ceremony was, well, long but I had a chance to walk around the compound and check out the attached riverfront golf course. Green fees are $15, $5 for a caddy, $10 for unlimited balls at the driving range... I may bring my clubs back with me.

Me and Charlie, about to head over to the Unity Conference Center

BFFs Charlie and Amanda goofing off before the ceremony

Also fun was the chopper trip I recently took with some friends. Our friends Hein and Claus were gracious enough to let Joe, Andrea, Marjolein and myself go up for a quick tour of the greater Monrovia area. Segran, now also a good buddy, is a great pilot who was eager to see just how far over a chopper can go and show how we could fly up the St. Paul River about 5 meters off the water. Very cool.

Joe (left) taking in the sights while Segran (right) does some pilot stuff

Vaitown Neighborhood, next to the Freeport of Monrovia

Marjolein, Segran and Andrea join for a post-flight pose

Lots to do this week: buying Liberian trinkets and souvenirs and whatnot to take back to the US, picking up various items that I'm toting back to the US for friends, getting my Liberian residency permit, finishing up a few work items, moving my things to the new apartment I'll be staying at when I get back, packing my bags and saying goodbye to friends.

I'll be in GR from August 31 to about September 9, then in Ontario until about September 20, then in Michigan for the most part until I head back to LIB around Nov. 1!

Rumor Control

The rumors are true.

After over ten months of trying hard to reassure myself that one year in Liberia would be plenty, I've accepted an extension to my internship with LEAD. Upon landing in GR on August 31, I'll be spending two months reconnecting with friends and family, hangin' with the nephew I've never met, camping, sailing, working odd jobs, renting out my house, and planning / fundraising for a return to West Africa at the beginning of November where I will stick around until May, 2011.

Allen originally extended the invitation to stay on many months ago, but I'd always deflect any kind of commitment. I thought one year would be enough, and that after that I'd feel inspired to move on, do something else, and be able to tick off the 'spend significant time overseas' check box. But when going through my last quarterly evaluation, I began to really think hard about what roles LEAD and Liberia have now played in my life. I've carefully thought it through and I feel strongly led and excited to make a comeback tour.

Hmm, okay that may be overstating it a little bit but allow me to add this context: I do feel inspired to come back, however right now I'm exhausted; fed up with some cultural attributes, and I'm even a bit apathetic. I struggle to work up the motivation to make the extra effort to connect with those around me, and some daily tasks even seem a bit daunting. Simply put, I think its a sign of this being the longest I've ever been separated from the family, friends, activities and surroundings that I love and am used to.

Despite these frustrations, my expat friends in town are highly encouraging of me to stick around (I'm fun) and have all reassured me that two months back home will leave me hopping and skipping, ready to get back into the thick of it. I've also told many people that if I make the active choice of committing to more time knowing full well what I'm getting myself into, I've only me to blame for any frustrations I may have...

When it came time to make a decision, I did it the same way I did when I bought my house, when I chose a college before that, and when I tried to figure out who to ask to senior banquet before that: with a pro/con list. In an effort to explain my decision and stem the tide of angry friends and family, I'll share my LIBERIA vs. NOT LIBERIA list with you.

First, NOT LIBERIA:

-If I were to return to Liberia I would have to be away from family and friends for six more months.

-I would have to deal with six more months of culture stress.

-I would have to do more fundraising.

Now... LIBERIA:

-LEAD is at an exciting point. Its maturing quickly and I'd love to witness it as it continues to do so, especially if it means getting to work with Allen and the rest of the staff longer.

-I've noticed that I've developed a sense of 'ownership' with Liberia. I get a little hurt inside when people do things that harm the country, and I want to do my part to help its development.

-I'm really interested in the business mentoring program I've been working on, and I'd like to develop it further so that its model can be implemented elsewhere.

-There may be opportunity to work with some of the other Partners Worldwide affiliates in West Africa and I'd love learn more about what they are doing.

-I will get to work on some other fun projects, like planning a conference on the topic of marketing (a business skill lacking in Liberia second only to customer service, the topic of this past conference), and also seeing if LEAD could be a good Kiva field partner.

-My motorcycle accident set me back in terns of surfing, and I want six more months to get good. (I didn't say they were selfless reasons)

-I'll be back in time for the 2011 summer sailing season on Gauntlet! (although I may miss out on spring cleaning...sorry Guy and guys)

-I love my Liberia friends! (although its a bummer when they leave all the time)

-Expat newbs TOTALLY look up to you if you've been around for over a year, especially if you actually decided to stay on longer than originally intended.

-I'm not ready for grad school yet and more overseas experience will better prepare me for it.

-When it comes down to it, its only another six months, which will pass by quickly.

-With few other options available to me outside of Liberia which are directly related to my chosen vocation, all of these PROs clearly outweigh the CONs.

There you have it. Upon leaving Liberia 'for good' at the beginning of May 2011, I will have spent two American Thanksgivings, two Halloweens, two Christmases, two New Years', two Easters and I will have turned 24 and 25 in Liberia. I'll be around for the beginnings of the 2011 presidential elections which should be exciting and I'll make it just in time for the beginnings of next year's surf season.

I'm lookin' forward to meeting up with as many of you as possible in September and October!

Until then, keep your stick on the ice, Derek

What's happening now!

First time driving the new LEAD Land Cruiser, very cool.

Its once again been a while since I've posted, but recent events have 'inspired' me. Last week Thursday I got into a minor collision on my motorbike, which has put me out of action for a while. While crossing an intersection, a driver didn't see me and the front bumper of the SUV crunched my ankle into the side of my engine. My boss Allen gave me a ride to the the JFK hospital and we had it checked out. A quick tip for anyone travelling in Liberia: don't, for any reason, make your way into JFK hospital. Your wheelchair will be ran into walls, you'll be commanded to lay down on freshly blood splattered gurneys, and sit three feet away from an eight year old boy screaming while getting his flesh eating disease wounds changed. Not fun, although, you do get hot chocolate, and cornbread, with mayonnaise.

Saturday some friends took me to the Catholic Hospital, a much nicer place, where you are welcomed by a large sign made of taped together printer paper sign that reads "CARING IS NOT REWARDING."

Anyways, after a second round of x-rays we've concluded that there are no broken bones, but I have a half-cast on, and I'll probably be on crutches for a few weeks. I'm limited on mobility, which is a huge drag, especially in non-handicapped accessible Monrovia.

The Cape Mount County office.

So, aside from getting clobbered by SUV's, life has been great! Loan disbursements are still happening, the LEAD mentoring program is expanding, and I'm really enjoying life here in Monrovia. My friends are great, and we're exploring the city and countryside. Weekends are usually taken up by surfing trips to the Robertsport beach, two hours away, or places like Blue Lake, Liberia's second largest lake, which was formed when an 900 foot deep quarry filled in with rain water after it was abandoned during the war. The UN Pakistani engineer soldiers have built a small beach, diving boards, and palava huts which make for a great weekend destination.

Blue Lake, Bomi County. An old quarry mine, beautiful!

John Briggs, a Kiva Fellow working with another MFI called LEAP, and a cool dude, who is changing the tire on the old Land Cruiser after getting one of MANY flats that tend to happen.

Us, having fun at Robertsport. Some Swiss guys drove here, like all the way overland, and then we drove their vans out onto the beach. And got them stuck. Photo cred. to John Briggs

Celebrating Victory getting them unstuck! Photo cred to John Briggs.

The Latest Events

Its occurred to me that I really haven't posted too much in terms of daily-life type activities, so I thought I'd share a bit on what I'm doing today.

The big event of the day was attending the memorial service of Bob Reed, who passed away suddenly on March 20. Bob Reed was the husband of Rentia Reed, and father of Hannah and Noah. The Reeds came to Liberia in 2005 and it was then that LEAD was born, and it was here that the Reed family lived for three years, and came to love. Since taking their leave from their beloved Liberia, the Reeds moved on to Accra, Ghana, where Renita took a regional position with Partners Worldwide, and Bob took a position with CRWRC.

Bob and Renita Reed

Bob had been travelling in Nigeria, doing conflict resolution workshops and returned to Liberia on Thursday, March 18. He was feeling fine, even on Friday evening, but on Saturday morning he was feeling terrible, and was rushed to the hospital by Renita. Originally diagnosed as a staph infection in the lungs, then diagnosed as a blood clot in the lungs, Bob passed away suddenly. The details are better explained in Renita's words on their blog at reedsinthewind.blogspot.com, but a final autopsy determined the cause of death to be total organ failure after an anti-biotic staph infection took over his whole body (its also a fantastic blog, as is their previous blog, reedsinliberia.blogspot.com, which is a great resource for Liberia.)

Deep sympathies go to the Renita, Hannah, Noah, and the rest of the family and all their many friends around the world. I think that the aptly named blog, 'reeds in the wind' probably best describes how they must be feeling as this new gust of wind throws them for a loop.

The event went well. Allen asked me to meet Andrew Davis in Thinker's Village, where the Reeds lived while in Liberia. That entire community has been up in arms over the loss of Bob, and although I never met him personally, I've heard so many fond memories of him from residents of that community that I can't help but be impressed by him. I met Andrew with the jeep. We finally took possession of the new LEAD Land Cruiser supplied by the USADF, which means Allen won't be driving the old jeep anymore, and that I now have access to it. Its also, as one of my passengers from Thinker's Village pointed out, the same jeep that Bob drove while in Liberia. How appropriate.

We proceeded back to Providence Baptist Church, where the memorial service was held in the old sanctuary. It was very well done, with several speakers and a few readings. I was asked to read Romans 8:31-39, which touches on how nothing can separate us from the love of God; a good reminder of how death cannot permanently separate us from the ones we love. After the service I drove a few folks home and then went home myself.

Me, with baby Renita Bob (I forget the last name), named after, you guessed it, Bob and Renita Reed. This girl is super cute, but I'd never been able to get her to smile until this morning (us white folk are scary). Now I'm going to make sure there are fried sugary donuts every time we meet.

Also, as it happens, the new LEAD Land Cruiser (the white one) in the back.

This afternoon I'm catching up on emails, blog posts, and looking around for a good used/cheep new stereo for the jeep. Cruisin' Monrovia listening to Knaan would be nicer if he came through clearly, and the tape adapter only works for about 15 minutes before it starts acting up. This evening I'm headed over to some good friends' apartment for 'Burrito Saturday', which has me very excited. I'll be making a quick stop to the supermarket to pick up ice, as requested, and since I'm already getting ice, and its a Mexican themed event, some ingredients for frozen margaritas (my GR friends will know that I wouldn't go a whole year without buying a blender, or pass up on opportunity for getting excited about a theme party).

Culture, Part 3: the Riveting Conclusion

The Japanese economist and development theorist Francis Fukuyama has plenty of thoughts on development, but one has always stood out to me. It’s that of ‘incentivization’. He basically states that we are all individuals, and as individuals we are prone to - and can be expected to - operate in our own best interests. To provide order, there must be proper incentives to encourage good behavior (and dissuade bad behavior). It’s the same methodology you use to train a pet. In America, we’ve lost sight of the systems in place which keep us mostly in line. The fine you pay for speeding, the time you serve for stealing, even the social pressure that keeps you from littering; instead we feel that we are simply more morally upright people than the rest of the world. But how did we get to the level of social capital, togetherness, and cooperation that we have now? After a lot of hard work, pain, suffering, fighting, and plenty of time.

And eventual economic prosperity. It’s much easier to be good when you’re already wealthy.

So Fukuyama’s incentives are not exactly present in Liberia. If you were to pay some kid with a wheelbarrow of large rocks to stand by the side of the road (with permission from the police), and ask him to chuck rocks in the direction of any windshield passing everyone else on the shoulder (*see last post on culture), you would find that cars would soon wait patiently in line. But that is not yet the case.

This is just one example though. This unchecked self-interest is present at many levels in Liberian society. How did it get that way? Well frankly, when political instability has made the economy grind to a halt, stop agricultural activities and generally prevent long-term thinking (especially when there are more immediate threats, like physical violence), it becomes much more understandable that individuals would care for themselves and their families basic necessities first before thinking of the good of the entire society.

Next, realize that 25 years is enough for entire generations to be habituated into this, having never experienced anything different. Had I been born in Liberia, my president would have been the dictator Samuel Doe. He would be killed in 1990 during a military coup. My formative years would have been spent during the harsh civil uprising when Charles Taylor fought for and gained power, and then fended off military warlords, with civilians caught in between. Would I have grown up to be the same person I am today?

Finally, add the obvious fact that it ranks second to last on the Human Development Index (HDI) which measures quality of life and poverty. Following the 25 years of political instability, Liberia has been hurting. The physical infrastructure was destroyed, roads were left unrepaired, businesses had to be rebuilt over and over again leaving the basic economic system very weak, the institutions which would make contracts enforceable absent, farmland is still present but the owners and workers had to flee during the war and many landowners now live in Monrovia, with the farming knowledge of the previous generation never having been passed down and put into practice.

Liberia, well suited for growing rice, imports it from around the world. In fact, it’s hard to find many products that have been produced locally. As I stop now, I can think of a few local vegetables and some of the rice, charcoal, cement blocks, bagged water, one brewery, a Coke plant, um… I’m sure there’s more, but you get the point. Everything else is shipped in via container ships, or ‘sea cans’.

But I digress. Anyways, is Liberia ‘developing’? Well, slowly. I’ve heard it said that it will take 100 years to rebuild what took only 25 to destroy. But, it is important to understand that Liberia is a post-conflict country, and needs to be given the benefit of the doubt. With all that in mind, I can go about my daily activities with a bit more humility, impressed with how far the country has in fact come since the 2005 elections.

Mamadee Konneh, Chemo Konneh & Sheik Bongay - Mamadee Konneh United Blacksmith Shop

Name: Mamadee Konneh, Sheik Bongay & Chemo Konneh (from left to right)

Business name: Mamadee Konneh United Blacksmith Shop

Responding to the need for agricultural development in Liberia and the large number of war-affected Liberian youth, Mamadee Konneh and his brother Chemo began taking on apprentices and passing on their combined 90 years of blacksmithing experience by teaching them to produce agricultural implements and appropriate technologies products. Along with their business partner Sheik Bongay, they produce an impressive line of products, including their most famous product, the Freedom Mill palm nut grinder, which sells for around $600. The three sell their products through a network of retailers in the Liberian counties as well as Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea.

“We make mostly agricultural tools, any one thing you can think of,” says Sheik Bongay. “Cutlasses, hoes, buckets, rice mills, the Freedom Mill, cassava graters and many many more, too many to name.”

The business’ apprentices either become employees after completing their training, or go on to open their own blacksmith shops.

Business location: Ganta Highway, before the One Plus One intersection, Gbarnga

Number of employees: 3 owners plus 5 employees and currently 3 apprentices

When established: 2003

Startup capital: $300 USD

Opportunity for growth: “We have the plans in action to build a factory with a welding shop, blacksmith shop, office and showroom.”

Contact: Sheik Bongay +231 (0) 6773126

Mamadee Konneh +231 (0) 6201224

freedommillliberia@gmail.com

Theresa Davis - Quality Wear Center

Name: Theresa Davis

Business name: Quality Wear Center

Business location: Preston Street, Class Jewelry Shop, Buchanan

Theresa and her husband Matthew moved to Buchanan after getting married in 1996. She wanted to reopen the frozen fish shop that she had owned outside of Monrovia, but discovered that there was not a market for it in Buchanan, given the availability of fresh fish. Instead, she decided to go into the used clothing business and has been doing it ever since.

Theresa appreciated the business management taught to her when she joined LEAD in 2006 and she has successfully repaid two loans. With the income from her business Theresa is sending her three children to school.

Number of employees: 3

When established: 1999

Startup capital: $500 USD

Opportunity for growth: “I am currently joining with several other used clothes dealers and we are in the process of importing our own container of used clothing to allow for wider profit margins.”

Theresa would like to build a permanent shop and expand to multiple locations.

Contact: +231 (0) 6872757

Princess Kofa - OCEANS Waste Management

Name: Princess Kofa

Business name: Organization for Clean Environment and Neighborhood Services (OCEANS Waste Management)

Princess Kofa came to LEAD as part of a joint project between the Monrovia City Corporation and the International Labour Organization which brought in LEAD to provide business training and to service the loans for waste management companies being set up in Monrovia. OCEANS was provided with some equipment to clear backlogged waste in the MACOBENE Community and was then challenged to become a for-profit business. OCEANS currently serves over 500 residential households.

Kofa joined the mentoring program in January, 2010. She was the first client to be approved for LEAD’s largest loan product, which she hopes to use for the purchase of a pickup truck to more easily move trash to the garbage transfer station.

Service area: Mamba Point, Coconut Plantation, Benson Street and Newport Street (MACOBENE Community), Monrovia

Number of employees: 21

Established: 2007

Startup capital: $600 USD

Opportunity for growth: Further expanding OCEANS’ residential customer base as well as doing more business and government contractual work such as street and lot sweeping, drain cleaning, and regular collection of waste from deposit sites like the yellow drums around town.

What do you want out of your mentoring relationship? “Oh, I’ve even appreciate it a whole lot so far. I want to learn how to establish a larger customer base and how to build up the willingness to pay for the services. Also financial management, how to properly keep my records. I would like to get experience from outside Liberia to learn about how they go about waste management elsewhere.”

Contact: +231 (0) 6401165

keepclean2007@yahoo.com