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.