Still I Am One

The Next Chapter

2010-08-03T18:54:00.000-04:00

As one chapter in my life has wrapped up, the next is just beginning.

Today marks my first full day on my own in my new home, Nashville, Tennessee. I drove up with my family on Saturday, moved in on Sunday and Monday, and am now in the long process of sorting through all of the boxes that sit inside this new house that is now my home.

I'm getting ahead of myself - let me step back a minute...

This summer has been a whirlwind. Here's the quick summary: home from Liberia; Nashville for a day to house-hunt; home to buy a car; bachelorette party for my sister; a couple days at home; my sister's wedding in Key West, FL; trip to Atlanta, GA, Wingate, NC, and Winston-Salem, NC for about 10 days; home for my sister's wedding celebration; 4 days at home; St. Louis, Missouri for Passport youth camp; family reunion/beach trip in Alligator Point, FL; home for 4 days; move to Nashville.

People have asked me a few times how the "reverse culture-shock" has been, but with all that has been happening, I haven't had too much time to sit and process. I think I've talked about this a little bit before, but the discomfort that comes with feeling strange in your own home comes and goes. There are days when I feel completely normal in a Super Target and days when it feels like a foreign land. There are times when I wish that I was still in Liberia, and times when it seems so far away and so different that it feels almost as if it were all a dream. I try to surround myself with small reminders that help me hold my memories close and motivate me to try to stay in touch with the people in Liberia who have been so dear to me over this past year. There are moments I miss it so deeply. I look forward to the day when I will know for sure that I am going back.

In the meantime, I'm trying to focus on my new reality: Nashville. I'm still in that awkward beginning phase of living in a new place when you don't really know who your friends are, where the grocery stores are, where to go for a run, etc. I know I've experienced this each time I've moved to a new place, but it's funny how the memory of this part of the transition always fades so that when you experience the awkwardness, it takes you my surprise yet again. I know in a month or two I will get used to being here, learn my way around, and maybe even make a friend or two. In the meantime, I'm trying to appreciate the final few weeks of an unscheduled life before school starts and things really get going.

All I can hope for is that Nashville is as special to me as all the other cities I've lived in have been!!

A Note of Clarification

2010-06-17T15:20:00.000-04:00

This blog is not over.

It's not about Liberia, exclusively. It's about my trying to make a difference in the world and sharing my journey with you all. So stay tuned... the blogs may be less frequent and may seem less exotic, but I'm going to try to keep it interesting :)

Things Change

2010-06-17T15:13:00.000-04:00

It has been less than a week since I arrived back Stateside from Liberia, and it is unbelievable to me how quickly life has swept me back up into the frenzied pace I can't seem to get away from in America. After over 30 hours of travel, I finally arrived home on Saturday night. For all those who are wondering, my first meal was at a local Mexican restaurant: nachos for an appetizer, then a burrito with beans and rice for the meal (which I could barely even put a dent in after all those nachos!).

Sunday my family and I went to my church in Tampa where I was greeted with the "surprise, you're speaking this morning!" I suspected this might be the case though, and I don't at all mind impromptu talks about Liberia :) It was great to see some familiar faces and be back in my church for the morning. After church, the random errands began, from beginning looking for a car to getting a cell phone. Monday the fast-pace persisted as I looked for a car, got my dress altered for my sister's wedding, and tried in vain to get a loan for said car at the bank. Fortunately some of the car dealers think they might be able to make something work, so I'm holding out hope that I will find some means of transportation for the summer (and beyond)!

Tuesday morning I went to the airport super early to catch a flight to Nashville, TN, my new hometown... you can bet I was reluctant to get on an airplane again!! The next day and a half in Nashville were nuts! I think I looked at 9 different housing locations, met 3 prospective roommates, 3 students and a couple professors from my program, and got to spend time with my friend from Passport and host for the weekend, Klem-Mari. At the end of it all, I have housing narrowed down to 3 options and will hopefully make a decision in the next few days and be able to check "find a place to live in August" off my list.

I'm currently milling around the Cincinnati, Ohio airport after some flight misadventures. Thankfully, I will make it back to Tampa tonight, with one minute to spare - 11:59pm.

So I guess the pressing question of the moment is, "what's it like to be back in the States?" This is a tough question to answer with any completeness, so I'll give you the summary response:
- It is good to see family and friends.
- It's nice to have the AC (even though it's blazing hot!), familiar food, showers, etc.
- It's not good to leave yourself zero time to re-adjust. I'm exhausted in every sense of the word.
- America is a strange, strange place, and no matter how much anyone tries, no one knows my experiences from the last year (just like I will never fully know your experiences either). I want people to look at me and recognize that I'm a white Liberian trying to get used to America, but they don't. I want to talk about Liberia all the time, but it turns out that other people have other things they want to talk about as well...

With all that said, I am OK. I'm slowly re-learning how to drive with speed limits and lines on the road, how to wear make-up or blow-dry my hair, how to carry a purse, how to send text messages, and all the little things I didn't realize I had almost forgotten how to do.

I think the strangest part of it all is not my surroundings - it's me. I'm suddenly back in a place where I'm supposed to feel comfortable and familiar, but I don't. In an indescribable way, I am uncomfortable. I've changed, in ways I don't even know yet, and because of that my experience of the world around me is changing as well.

It will all even out, and one day soon I will get at least 8 hours of sleep and slowly begin to figure out how to be an American again. Until then, I'm just taking it one day at a time!

Last Post from Liberia

2010-06-10T10:47:00.000-04:00

It feels impossible to explain how strange it is to be writing my last post from Liberia. My head knows that this will be my last - for this time around at least - but the rest of me is struggling to grasp that reality.

It's about 2:30pm right now here... as I go through this day, I keep reminding myself to soak it all in, because it's the last of each thing. Enjoy the walk up the path to the school. Enjoy this meal in the dining hall. Enjoy the sound of the rain falling. Enjoy the visits to the house from friends and neighbors.

Enjoy it. Remember it. Appreciate it. Don't forget it.

By the time I write my next post I'm sure this will all have set in more surely as I will actually be away from Ricks. For now it's hard to shake the feeling that I'm just taking a short trip - a weekend away - and that I'll be back soon. I have every intention of coming back one day, although I do not know when or in what capacity or for how long or who I will come with. But I know that my return is not imminent. It will be at least a year, likely more, before I can set foot on the soil of Liberia again.

My emotions are mixed, for sure. There's the obvious sadness of saying goodbye to the people who have been my family and the place that has been my home for the last 10 months. There's a certain amount of curiosity, almost worry, about whether and how the things we have begun here at Ricks will continue. There is great hope and expectation that the next time I see Ricks, and Liberia in general, it will look much different than it does now, in a really great way. There is some apprehension about re-entering American culture after spending a year in a culture that is vastly different in so many ways.

So it is with a heart and head swimming with all these thoughts and emotions that I prepare to say goodbye.

Words are not sufficient... but I was listening to "Small Town Jericho" by Sugarland last night and I thought it appropriate for this occasion:

"It's hard to say goodbye,
Cause baby it's a good life.
Goodbye to memories that I saved
Goodbye to all the friends I made
Goodbye to all the home I'll ever know..."

And with that, there's nothing left to say but, "Farewell! I'll catch you on the other side of the Atlantic."

The Daily Observer

2010-06-09T08:08:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Ann Elizabeth and I had the chance to take one final trip with a group of students. Throughout the year we have been leading a writing workshop with a group of 10 students. We meet for an hour each week and listen to the students' writing and work to improve each person's skills. Throughout the year we have worked on descriptive writing, research, informative writing, creative writing (writing short stories), writing about the past, writing about the future, etc. We are continually impressed by the writing of each of our students... their creativity, unique way with words, and genuine enjoyment of the writing process. In order to wrap up a great year, we wanted to take the students somewhere that would be educational yet enjoyable. So on Tuesday we went into Monrovia to the headquarters of the Daily Observer, one of the most popular and oldest (it has been around since 1981) daily newspapers in Liberia.

Our contact person at the Daily Observer was Mr. Kenneth Best, Manager and Publisher of the paper. Mr. Best had to be at least 70 years old, but you would never know from meeting him. He was extremely knowledgeable (especially when it comes to Liberian history!), engaging, and inspiring in his conversation with our group. He nit-picked the students pronunciation of every word - especially his last name... for example, his name isn't "Bess" or "Bea", it's "BesT." As he pointed out, Liberians like to leave of the "t" or the "s" at the end of a word - but not in his office! We stood in his office for well over 2 hours - although I think our backs and feet were all sore by the end, our minds were spinning. We talked about everything including the secret love of a former President/poet, why he prefers to publish his most recent book here and not the US, how many times previous governments burned down the Daily Observer office because of the articles they wrote, and his time in prison for writing about the government. I think we all could have stayed there talking with Mr. Best for the rest of the day without losing interest!

After talking with Mr. Best we met the new Associate Editor, Fatumata, a bright young woman who just recently accepted this new position. She could certainly serve as an inspiration to many of our female students! She showed us around the building to the IT room, the press room, the publishing room, the printer, and the library. I think one of the most impressive things about the Daily Observer is how unimpressive the circumstances are where they are working. The headquarters is an old building with a roof that leaks in the rain. There is one small toilet in a space more akin to a closet than a bathroom. There are a few new Dell desktop computer but otherwise the office is dominated by ancient-looking PCs and printers. The work space appeared to mostly be large desks in small rooms used by as many people as could fit in the work space. The library was nothing more than a small room with papers grouped together with manila folders and stacked in piles around the room. Even the printing room was composed of only a few small printing machines; it was clear that if one broke, the whole operation would be thrown for a loop.

Despite the limited resources, the Daily Observer puts out a lengthy newspaper, on time, each morning. The paper features articles about health, the environment, sports, international news, local politics, economics, editorials, columns, and so much more. The paper is one of the highest quality papers in Liberia. Although Mr. Best pointed out that no paper is ever error-free, they strive to continually improve the paper and make it the best it can be.

Some of the most exciting parts of our trip were the opportunities we were given by the Daily Observer. They first offered to publish a short story written by one of our students this Saturday!! We are working on editing the story now and will submit it tomorrow morning! Additionally, they offered to publish any articles on environmental topics that our students wanted to write. What an incredible opportunity for teenagers to have their work published in a major national newspaper!

We finished off our tour with sodas and biscuits (oreo-like cookies) generously provided by Mr. Best and the Daily Observer. What a great trip!

If you want to check out the paper, you can do so here:
http://www.liberianobserver.com/

Dialogue from a Distance

2010-06-05T12:43:00.000-04:00

On Thursday afternoon, Ann Elizabeth and I had the opportunity to travel to the American Library (a section of the US Embassy) with 5 students and their faculty sponsor, Mr. Sarnor, for a DVC (Digital Video Conference). For these 5 students - Bendu, Isatta, Watchen, Joroam, and Theophilus - DVC was nothing new. There have been several opportunities in the past for them to conference with others - whether they be at other schools in the US or members of a church, etc. The DVC is no casual Skype session - it is typically a formal affair about a specific topic that involves hours of preparation before the conference. Typically the DVCs are held in the morning so I have never been able to go due to my class schedule; with this one being in the afternoon it was the perfect opportunity for me to be able to see the students in action. The information the students received prior to this session stated that the discussion would be held with students in South Africa and Uganda about the state of the Liberian government under Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's presidency and the progress or problems they perceived since she took office.

We arrived at the American Library and sat around a U-shaped conference table with a TV and camera at the top of the U. The room was fairly plain with the exception of pictures from Liberia - especially ones with the American Ambassador - and portraits of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Hilary Clinton. After a little waiting, the TV was dialed into a conference. We weren't sure exactly what was happening at first, but eventually we figured out we were watching a conference between the US and Cameroon but we were not participating. That conference was mostly about journalism, freedom of press, and social networking sites. We could see and hear the American participants well, but it was virtually impossible to hear the students in Cameroon. After their conference was over, we were told it was Liberia's turn.

New American panelists came out and we listened to them introduce themselves to boisterous applause. Even though the panel was only made up of 5 people, it was evident they were in a large hall with a big audience. No introduction of our students in Liberia was made. The conference started with a discussion of youth leadership and how young people are involved in the development and rebuilding of post-war Liberia. There was one question about progress being made in Liberia under Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, but then we seemed to go off on a tangent about how music inspires and influences youth. These were not the questions that our students had spent hours preparing. What was interesting to me was that the American and Liberian students were being asked similar questions; I expected each to talk about their own country, but apparently the American students had researched Liberia prior to the DVC. While the American students sat in their large cushy chairs and gave responses on microphones met with boisterous applause, the students here in Liberia fought to speak loud enough for one central microphone to pick up their voice. Worst of all, there was a terrible echo - delayed about 5 seconds - in our small little room. Because of this delay, students were often cut off when they attempted to add to another student's response to a particular question. The DVC was cut short after about 10 minutes due to technical difficulties - sadly before all the Liberian students even had a chance to speak. After the DVC was over, we could hear comments being made to the participants in the US - "please go to such and such room for lunch." We wished we could join in for lunch! The difference in circumstances, to me, was stark.

What was most impressive, however, was the composure with which our students performed in the situation. It was clear their previous DVCs had not had these kind of technical difficulties. Despite the echo, the seemingly random questions, and the general confusion of the DVC, the Ricks students were composed and confident in their answers. I don't think anyone could tell that the answers they gave were not the responses they prepared. Anyone who has observed the educational system in the US and Liberia will tell you that Liberia is behind - how could they not be after 14 years of civil war? But in all honesty and with as much objectivity as possible, I would say the Liberian students answered the questions better than the American discussants. This speaks volumes of these 5 youth and their potential as future leaders of Liberia.

I left this DVC thinking over the whole situation. Who was really benefiting from this? At first I thought bitterly of the American students in their enormous hall with ego assuaging applause after every response and the authority with which they felt they could speak about Liberia after doing a little research. And then I thought fondly of our Liberian students, sitting in their plain little room after hours of preparation feeling disappointed by the brevity and lack of depth to the discussion. Then I took a step back - both groups of students were making a genuine effort to communicate across the Atlantic about a common topic. They were both doing the best in their particular circumstances. And despite the shortcomings of the conversation, they did engage in conversation. If nothing else, these students benefited from making the effort to communicate and prepare for this conversation, even if the conversation itself was a bit lackluster. Technology is not perfect, no matter where in the world you are. What was important on this day was the intent and the effort to learn from others, and I think that did happen on some level.

Musical Reflections

2010-06-05T12:06:00.000-04:00

There are a couple of songs I've been listening to recently that have inspired me in one way or another, so I thought I would take a few minutes to share some of the lyrics/my thoughts with you all.

The first is a song entitled "Further the Sky" by The Gabe Dixon Band. The first time I listened to it, I thought it rather pessimistic; but the more I listened, the more I found the lyrics to be honest and truthful. The chorus goes as follows:

"The higher you reach
     the further the sky,
The more miles you walk
     the longer the road,
The steeper you climb
     the farther you stand to fall,
The stronger you get
     the heavier the load."

At first, the message I heard from these words was "the more you do, the more you have to do," like trying to climb your way out of quicksand. But as I mulled over these words (this song was stuck in my head for days!), I realized the truth this song spoke to me, especially as it relates to my work here in Liberia. I came with naive ambition and a "change the world" mindset. "All my students will pass!" "A new love of math will emerge among the junior high students at Ricks!" Yet my frustration grew deep as students failed and seemed unmotivated at times. The more I do, the more I realize there is to be done. It's not that my work is creating more work; my work is simply opening my eyes up to the needs that have been present all along that I was unable to see before. The more I get to know Liberia, the more I understand her problems; the more I understand her problems, the more realistically I can think about the solutions and the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving those. But through all that, I don't think the message is to stop reaching, walking, climbing, or getting stronger - I think the message is to continue doing those things knowing that you will never be "finished" but instead appreciating the journey that the pursuit of the sky leads you on.

I'm not sure if I'm making sense, but I hope I am! This next song is more straight-forward. Just as Gabe Dixon points out that we might not ever achieve the goal we're striving for, Carrie Underwood reminds me that any change, even the smallest, is worth making. In the song "Change" Carrie Underwood says the following:

"Do you tell yourself -
     'You're just a fool, just a fool to believe you can change the world?'
Don't listen to them when they say,
     'You're just a fool, just a fool to believe you can change the world.'
The smallest thing can make all the difference,
     Love is alive
Don't listen to them when they say,
     'You're just a fool, just a fool to believe you can change the world.'"

Some people do think me naive, a fool even, for believing that this world can change. I do believe that our generation has the opportunity to end extreme poverty (defined as living on less than $1 or $2 a day, depending on which definition you use). I believe it is possible to actually transform the world so no one has to watch their child die of diarrhea or chicken pox or hunger. I don't want to go off on a tangent here, but if you don't believe me, read "The End of Poverty" by Jeffrey Sachs and let me know what you think. The point is, I believe that each and every individual, no matter where they are in the world or in life, can make a difference. We can all change the world. And I won't listen to them when they say I'm a fool for believing this is true.

I'm not fooling myself either - I recognize there are tremendous obstacles that lie in the way. I've experienced throughout this year the challenges that come with trying to change even just a couple hundred lives. But the effort is worth it. Even if I have only changed one life this year, and even if that change was only in a small way... well, that's something, and it matters to that one person. Can you imagine what this world would look like if we ALL did something?

What I Will Miss

2010-05-16T15:24:00.000-04:00

This little series of blogs goes out to Elloa - thanks for the request! Just goes to show that if you ask - I will respond... and probably in more detail than you were thinking :) I was going to make a short "Top-10" list for each of these, but by now you all have learned that brevity is not my strong suit. There are definitely more things I could add to each list, but for now I'll stick with some highlights. So listed with some explanation, here are some things I am going to miss about Liberia:

People. The students, fellow teachers, staff, families on campus, friends. All the people here at Ricks have undoubtedly become our extended family over the past 10 months, and I will miss these people more than anything. I don't think any further explanation is needed.

Pineapple. It's incredible. Some of the best, most naturally sweet pineapple you'll ever eat. Some kinds can even be bright green on the outside yet still amazingly sweet and juicy inside. There's just no compaison.

Saying hi to every person I see. Literally every person I see on campus says hello. One of my favorite greetings comes from some little girls and little boys who don't know my real name so instead simply call out "white woman hello!" in a sing-song type of way that makes it sound like all one word. Other children think my name is "Miss White" which is closer to Miss Wegman but not quite, yet still very cute and funny to me. Adults aren't without greeting either, whether it's "good morning" or "how's your day?" or simply, "yeah, hello ma." I know I'll be moving to the south where hospitality abounds, but I somehow doubt it can match the warmth and friendliness of the Ricks community.

Being part of a nation during a critical point in its history. Liberia is at a crossroads. Having recently emerged from a civil war and looking toward the future with hope, Liberia is at a point where working for progress and development is crucial. Roads are slowly being paved, power is progressively being restored, and access to clean water is gradually improving. There is abundant hope for Liberia. Yet there's also the sense that it is a collective effort, and that all people in the country - non-citizens included but especially Liberians - are needed for the rebuilding effort. It's an exciting time in this little nation's history, and I feel privileged to get to be a part of it.

Liberian food. I really like it! Rice with some kind of spicy, oily soup... not exactly something I would have picked out for myself, but really unique and really quite good! From potato greens to Okra, ground pea to plantains, I will miss this stuff! I've heard of a couple Liberian restaurants in the States and might even try cooking some myself if the craving strikes and I can rummage up the ingredients.

The slower, more simple pace of my life here. For the first time ever I have a job that I go to in the morning and finish with in the afternoon or evening. There are no papers I should be reading or writing or extra things I should be doing at night. I have free time, and lots of it. I read books for fun and write in my journal and come up with long blog posts. I can go a week or two without leaving campus - and therefore without getting in a car. I can walk everywhere on campus I need to go, and everything I really need is right here. I'm part of a small community where everyone knows each other, and I love this.

The beach. The beaches here are gorgeous, and the water seems somehow more wild and majestic than it does in the US. Perhaps this is because I'm looking out into the Atlantic instead of the Gulf of Mexico... but there are always waves and often big ones. There are no tacky, neon-colored shops selling seashells and one-size-fits-all t-shirts. It's just the beauty of the beach and the water, and often some striking black rocks. When I'm on the beach I often feel I've slipped into Narnia or found some remote island that no one else knows about... It's a feeling that can't be replaced.

Feeling a sense of purpose in my life each day. Without question I believe that each day of each person's life has purpose, and that the work I do in graduate school is just as important and done in the same effort to serve God and love others as the work I'm doing here at Ricks. I firmly believe this. Yet it's easier to feel and believe that's true here. Something about being labeled a "missionary" - having someone say, "you're doing God's work" - makes it easier to remember the purpose of what I'm doing each day. Naturally, it's easier to find purpose and meaning in teaching students than it is in being a student and getting caught up in the reading and writing and research of graduate school. I will miss the ease with which I remember my purpose here at Ricks, although I will strive to remember it more intentionally in the days and years to come.

What I Will NOT Miss

2010-05-16T15:22:00.000-04:00

I love Ricks, and I love being here. I know this is where I was supposed to be for this year and it has become my home. With that said, I admit there are a few things that won't be too hard to say goodbye to... so here's the list of things I will NOT miss when I leave!

The Heat. After sweating profusely for the better part of 10 months, I'm looking forward to the day when I'm so cold I can't feel my face or toes. Now I realize I am going back to Florida... in June... not exactly an arctic tundra! However, rest assured that air conditioners will be cranked! I am, without question, a person who prefers cold to heat - no contest. The fall in Nashville will be absolutely glorious.

The bugs. Everywhere, all the time. Tickle on your arm? Bug. Random itch on your stomach? Mysterious bug bite. Hear a buzzing? Flying insect. I miss the days when a tickle on my skin meant a stray hair - now it inevitably means a bug is crawling on me. I have killed more bugs of every variety this year than I have in a lifetime. You know that statistic that says a certain number - what, 3? - of heinous 8-legged creatures will crawl in your ear while you sleep each year... I don't even want to think about how many I've had this year!!!

Fans. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE my fan. I would probably say it is the most valuable object I have here. But I miss being able to be cool without sitting directly in front of a fan. Have you ever tried grading a stack of papers whilte sitting in front of a fan set on high? It's tricky!

Power outages. On average I would say the power goes out 5 - 10 times in a day... sometimes for 2 seconds, sometimes for 2 hours. The timing is tough on occasion. At times I swear someone waits outside our bathroom window listening for me to get in the bath and once I'm in and am wet enough that I can't get out, they give the cue to cut the power. Not really... but I have taken several baths in the dark. One night I even shaved my legs and washed my hair and everything when it was so pitch black I literally could not see my hand in front of my face. I'm sure this skill will come in handy one day...

Telling students to stop talking. One of the most frustrating things in teaching has been having to say, probably a thousand times, "please stop talking." Believe me, I've tried every disciplinary measure I can think of, but nothing seems to do the trick. My classes have definitely improved throughout the year, but the idea that you don't talk when someone else is talking still hasn't been fully realized.

Weird skin problems. From the most widespread and persistent case of ringworm in history to some weird problem with my lips that made me look like a botox patient, I've had some random dermatological concerns this year!

What I Do Miss From Home

2010-05-16T15:20:00.000-04:00

Of course there are also aspects of home I miss. Some of these are obvious, some might be a little less so.

Friends and family. This seems obvious.

Food. Lots of it. My first meal back will probably be Mexican food. I actually know several Americans who go abroad to various places and agree that this is what they miss... there's just no substitute for endless chips and salsa and enchiladas and burritos and quesadillas... hmm. Cold Stone Ice Cream (I actually dreamed about it sometime around our second month here). Mellow Mushroom Pizza - I've had pizza, yes, but nothing like Mellow Mushroom! Panera... everything there. Abundance and variety of fresh fruits and vegetables (although there is a good bit here, it's often different kinds than I'm used to). Cereal. Fresh orange juice!! Smoothies. Starbucks (sadly, yes - I admit it). Chik-Fil-A. Man, now I'm hungry.

Driving. Although we've driven a couple times here, it's different... and we're driving 15 passenger vans! I miss my Jeep - although sadly it is mine no more... so I will be looking for something new to drive once I am home!

High Speed Internet. Broadband has not made it to Liberia yet. Some connections are faster than others, but none are really sufficient for watching videos or uploading pictures to Facebook unless you have a lot of time to spare.

The basics you would expect: showers, air conditioning, constant power, TV (the Office!), my bed, etc.

My clothes. I mainly bought clothes to bring here - long dresses I thought would be cool and modest. Most of my clothes were not practical to bring, so they were left behind. On the bright side, I will feel like I have an entirely new wardrobe when I get home!

Makeup. Never thought this would happen, but I miss it. It's easier to feel pretty and feminine with it - things I haven't felt much in the last year! I'm OK with that... but I suppose that's another thing I miss - getting dressed up and feeling pretty.

Unlimited phone usage. Pay by the minute makes you very aware of how long each phone conversation lasts and how much it costs. I certainly took having a phone plan that lets me talk and text all I want for granted - I will be more grateful now!

Going to the gym. Although I have recently been running more and trying to do some basic exercises (crunches, push ups, etc.), I miss spending an hour at the gym working really hard and leaving feeling totally spent. I miss my workout classes, especially spinning. And free weights... canned foods just aren't heavy enough!

The Day-to-Day

2010-05-09T08:51:00.000-04:00

When I first got to Liberia, I was updating my blog 3 or 4 times a week. Everything that was happening was part of a new and exciting adventure. As my postings have slowed over the last few weeks, I've realized it is because so much of what was once completely new is now simply routine, normal even. With this in mind, I've tried to remind myself of the questions I had before arriving in Liberia so I can try to answer those and give you all more of a glimpse of what life here is like. Really, I think most of my questions revolved around what my day-to-day life would be like. So, I thought I'd give you a glimpse into "a day in the life of Holly" here in Liberia. We'll go with a school day because those are most routine.

I usually get up sometime around 7am, have a quick breakfast (cold Pop Tart and a little juice), throw on some clothes and head to school. The school day starts at 7:30 AM with the students lined up at the flag pole to say the pledge of allegiance, sing the school ode, and sing the national anthem. After that they head in to the chapel to sing a couple hymns (or sometimes more contemporary songs from a kids CD) and have morning devotion - about 5 minutes led by one faculty member (I do it about 2 weeks each semester). After that, things in the chapel can last anywhere from 5 minutes to another hour depending on how many announcements, speeches (seniors all have to give a speech to graduate), and random other things are happening on a given morning. First period is supposed to start at 8:15 but often chapel cuts in to this time; the school day is not adjusted, I just lose time with whatever class is first, which can be tricky!

After chapel (assuming we're out by 8:15), I have four 40-minute periods. Although each period is 40 minutes, there's no time between periods to change classes, so by the time I pack up my things, hurry to my next class, unpack my things and take roll, I'm usually down to about 35 minutes in a given class. After the first 4 periods we have recess for 45 minutes. During that time I am always in the library hoping my students will come ask me questions; they don't nearly as often as they need to, but sometimes they do come and it always makes the sitting there worth it! After recess I have anywhere from 0 - 3 more periods to teach, so I finish as early as 11:40 (Thursdays) and as late as 1:40 (Mondays and Tuesdays).

Once school is over (on Monday, Wednesday, Friday) I head home and sometimes eat lunch (a Lebanese wrap with PB&J and some Pringles) and change for basketball practice which goes from 2 - 3:15ish. During afternoon basketball practices I fulfill the role of assistant coach more than anything, just making sure the team stays on task and helping with some drills. With my limited basketball knowledge and experience, I definitely don't take the lead here! After practice I sometimes eat in the dining hall (rice with some kind of "soup"), sometimes go home for a little bit, and sometimes just hang out up at the school. Then in the evening at 5:30 (when the students finish with study hall), I lead conditioning/jogging practice with the basketball team. We've worked up to about 15 minutes of running, with a break in the middle to do some strengthening exercises. I love this as it brings back fond memories of running cross country in high school and teaching my fitness classes at Wake. Over the last month or so I've started to add my own running on at the beginning or end of practice... I'm working my way up, adding a minute to my runs each day - I'm up to 35 minutes now (the hardest 30-something minute runs of my life in this heat!).

After this I definitely need a shower! And by shower, I mean I stand in a pretty normal looking bathtub that has a bucket of cold water in it. Showering is done by pouring a big cup of water over me. The cold water might sound harsh, but it's almost always quite welcome to help me cool down from a hot day! Yes, we do have running water - but the pressure is not sufficient for an actual shower. Same with the toilet - we have an actual toilet, just not enough pressure to flush it, so we just pour cups of water into it to "flush." We're lucky that we usually don't have to walk to a well and haul water to our house as most of our neighbors do.

At night Ann Elizabeth and I have dinner together (we have 3 mainstays: macaroni and cheese with canned green beans; instant mashed potatoes with canned pork & beans and canned corn; and noodles with tomato sauce). After dinner I usually spend a little time preparing for school the next day (grading or writing plans) and writing in my journal (something I make myself do every night!). If I finish early enough, I usually watch a DVD on my laptop (we can buy movies in town - about 20 movies on one disc for around US $2.50 - obviously illegal but not really an issue here!). With that, Ann Elizabeth and I fall asleep on our twin beds in our shared room with little fans pointed right at us all night so we're cool enough to get under the sheets.

That is pretty much my standard day here at Ricks. Everyone always seems to think my life here is so exciting and exotic, but the things that happen day to day are really quite normal and routine, exceptional only because they happen to be taking place on a continent different from the one where I usually find myself. Don't get me wrong - I think my life is exciting... but I think life is always exciting, no matter where it's taking place!

If there are other questions you all have been wondering about, please let me know and I'll do my best to answer. Also, check out some pictures I just uploaded to Picasa!

The In-Between

2010-04-16T11:41:00.001-04:00

I officially have less than 2 months left here in Liberia at Ricks Institute. It's hard to believe how quickly the last 8 months have gone by. It feels like just yesterday I was home in FL trying to figure out what I needed to pack and how to make it all fit in my two suitcases. Yet here I am, mid-April, done with 5 of 6 marking periods for the school year.

As my time in Liberia is winding down, I find myself facing a familiar dilemma I like to call "the in-between." This problem is one I have faced many times in the past and know I will face many more times in the future. Basically, the dilemma is that I am in one place that I love with people that I love doing something that I love, but I'm also preparing and looking forward to being in a new place, meeting new people, and doing new things that are all tremendously exciting in a completely different way.

Liberia has become a new home to me. Many of the friends I've made here joke that Ann Elizabeth and I are real Liberian women; there are times we know directions to a place that others don't, we've become fairly proficient in understanding and occasionally even speaking Liberian English, and we notice the subtle changes in weather unique to a tropical climate. I've heard several people who have spent time in Liberia talk about "catching the bug"; once you come to Liberia, something about it stays with you and changes you and holds your heart so you can never forget this place or fully leave it. Thinking about saying goodbye is tough, and I know I will be incredibly sad to leave this place and especially the people I've come to know here in LIB.

But, I've also got some pretty exciting stuff on the not-too-distant horizon. My sister will be getting married two weeks after I return home, I'm working for Passport St. Louis for one week trying out a new kind of camp, I get to spend time with my family at the beach, I'm hoping to make a trip up to Winston-Salem, I'll go to a retreat for all Student.Go and Passport workers in Birmingham... and then on top of that I get to move to a new city, make all new friends, and begin the next 4-5 years of my life as a PhD student (for those who didn't see the Facebook post, I'm going to Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN!). I've heard nothing but great things about the program I will be in, Vanderbilt, and Nashville as a whole. This is something I've been working towards and planning for over several years, so the fact that it is now about 4 months away is so exciting!

I think this feeling of being between things - still clinging to one place while looking forward to moving on to the next - can be summed up by a question people have been asking me a lot lately; "So, Holly, how does it feel to be going home in less than 2 months?" My answer reflects "the in-between"; "I'm equal parts sad and excited. Sad to leave Liberia, excited to be going home." In the meantime, I'm doing my best to embrace the present and to take in every moment of these last two months in Liberia. I know I will be sitting Stateside in no time, so I'm trying not to wish a way a single moment of what remains of my Liberian adventure. A lot can happen in two months, and I'm excited to see what these last 2 will bring!

Frustration

2010-04-12T09:51:00.000-04:00

Ever since I found out I would be living in Liberia for a year, I find myself often engaging in conversations with other people who have spent time in Africa. Throughout these conversations I have learned a lot about the differences between our experiences and various countries in Africa. Despite the many differences though, I have noticed a common thread running throughout each person's "Africa-experience" narrative. Almost everyone I have talked to who has spent significant time in Africa agrees that the experience was simultaneously one of the most rewarding and one of the most frustrating experiences they have ever had. I agree completely.

The joys and rewards of living in Liberia are undoubtedly many. I feel like I blog about these "ups" often, and I hope you agree! There have been nights when I lay in bed just feeling joyfully content, for no reason in particular. Some mornings I wake up feeling like something is right in life, and walk to school in awe of the places and people I have come to know over the past 8 months. These are sweet moments, and thankfully they have not been rare.

Also not so rare, however, have been moments of enormous frustration; moments when I feel like nothing I do matters for anything, that no one is listening or learning, that things will never change, and that I should just walk away. This little voice of pessimism is one that I normally do not hear. Those who know me well know that, despite some whining and occasional self-pity, I'm generally an overwhelmingly positive, optimistic, "the glass is more than half full" kind of person. To experience moments of frustration as deep as I have in the last 8 months has been a challenge for me in and of itself.

What brings about such great frustration? I have a great deal of time trying to answer this question. Why do I get so mad? What is it that bothers me so greatly? I think I have finally come up with an answer; it's facing problems bigger than I've ever faced, and knowing I can not solve them on my own.

When I'm angry that everyone in 7th grade scored below a 60% on their first decimals quiz, it's easy for me to think that I'm doing something wrong. Even as one who is not a teacher by trade, I know that a basic rule of teaching states that if more than half of your class is failing, the teacher is not doing a good job. But how can this be, when 6 of 10 questions come directly from 3 pages in the book or notes repeatedly given in class? It turns out that my students never study for math. Although it's partly a result of lack of individual motivation, it's also a result of culture - the students have not typically been expected to go home and read their math text book... they don't normally even have a text book!

Or time. Oh man, time. I know the States has a unique obsession with time not shared by every country, but Liberian time is something else! For example, I wrote a few entries back about the Miss Ricks Pageant. The night of the pageant the program was supposed to start by 7:00pm (they even printed 6:45 on the tickets) so it could end by 11pm at the latest (so the students wouldn't be too tired for school the next day). When I was up at the building at 7:30pm only 1 contestant was present and about 5 spectators. I found out after the show that it actually started at 9:00pm and ended at 12:45am. Due to that, and some other organizational issues with the pageant, I was too frustrated by it all to even stay and watch the show. And it was tempting to blame people - individuals - for the delay. But the reality is that the Liberian culture is not time-conscious. Most people do not even have a clock or a watch... the only clock in the whole school is in the front of the building. So the frustration is not with one person who dropped the ball - it's with a culture that functions differently than I am used to.

These are just a few small examples - and these not even explained as thoroughly as needed to really elucidate the source of my frustration. Feeling this much frustration is not always fun - it is often draining and defeating. Yet I think it's important to talk about this frustration. If my frustration really does result from being confronted with problems bigger than myself, then it's essential that I talk about these problems. If the effects and relentless cycle of extreme poverty frustrate me, then great - that's a start. But frustration is not enough. Frustration must turn to empowerment, empowerment to action, and action to a solution. I continue to pray daily for patience to understand and face my frustrations and do what I can about them, but also for strength not to turn away from frustration but to be motivated by it to do something more.

More to Come Soon!

2010-04-11T09:44:00.000-04:00

I know my posting has been sporadic... but I'm not done with this blog, I promise! More to come as soon as the internet is back regularly at Ricks. Thanks for sticking with me!

I'll Take That As A Compliment

2010-04-11T09:27:00.000-04:00

Just a couple funny anecdotes I thought I would share.

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to meet with the American Ambassador to Liberia, Linda Thomas-Greenfield. It was really interesting to here her talk about Liberia, the country's future and path to development, and partnership with the States. She was both impressive and personable - not at all intimidating! After about a 20 minute meeting as we were leaving, Olu mentioned to her that I am getting ready to begin my PhD and that I just graduated with my Master's degree. She laughed and said, "Master's?! You barely look like you could have graduated high school!" I thought I finally looked at least 20 years old, but according to the US Ambassador I'm apparently still a teenage look alike. I had a good laugh after that one!

My other favorite "compliment" often comes from my Liberian friends. Before the personal story, a brief cultural note... In Liberia, it's not really offensive to describe someone as fat. When describing someone, if they are even a little bigger, people have no qualms about saying "she's fat." It's like if I said "she has short hair" or "she's tall." It's really just a description, and not seen as a derisive term. In fact, it is often intended as a compliment... being fat means you're eating well, which is a good thing.

Alright, back to the anecdote. Coming to Liberia everyone speculated about how skinny I would be when I returned home and how much weight I would lose. So, you can imagine my frustration when all my clothes began fitting much tighter after a couple months here. Over Christmas break I began to really notice my new "insulation" so I made a conscious effort to eat better and exercise more. At the end of Christmas break when I returned to school I was greeted by a compliment; "Oh, you're looking good." "Thanks!" I replied. "I can tell you ate plenty over the break." "Thanks..." I said once again, this time in a slightly more dejected tone. My favorite example of this kind of "compliment" was when one of the girls on the basketball team came up to me, grabbed the fat on my arm, and said, "you're getting big!"

While these kinds of "compliments" would be pretty awful if received in the States, I have tried to take them in stride. It's just an observation! I love that, in Liberian culture, having a bigger body type is not a bad thing. Having some meat on your bones isn't a source of shame... it's just an attribute. Despite my initial dejection at receiving these kinds of compliments from my Liberian friends, I tried not to let on that I saw this fact as less than ideal. The States have shared enough of their culture - both good and bad things - already... I won't rush in the need to spread the obsession with the "perfect" body type.

Yes, this is a random post... but I find these stories funny and hope you will too!

What's Been Happening at Ricks

2010-04-02T11:02:00.000-04:00

So much has been happening at Ricks over the last few weeks! Even though our 5th marking period has been filled with lots of holidays and days off from school, there has still been a lot going on.

A quick note: our internet at the school is down for the moment due to a broken router... we're working on getting a new one ASAP, but in the meantime my posts might be a little scarce!

I'll start with the biggest news first: the Ricks Olympics!! The Ricks Olympics used to be a grand tradition of Ricks Institute. I'm not sure exactly when it began, but I know the last year it happened was back in 1989 when the civil war started. Before the war, the Ricks Olympics was known throughout Liberia. Schools would come from all over the country to participate in the events. To win the Ricks Olympics was a big deal for any sports teams, and the Dragons worked hard to keep as many victories at home as they could.

The efforts to bring the Olympics back this year were not just about giving schools a chance to play sports - the Olympics represent the rebuilding that's happening in Liberia. The Olympics are intended not to breed competitiveness (although some healthy competition is certainly a part of it!) but to foster relationships and youth development. This year the Olympics brought together 15 schools representing, I believe, at least 6 of the 15 counties in Liberia. At the height of the games on Friday (games started Friday, were single elimination, and ended Saturday), I would say there were probably at least 1,000 people - both participants and spectators - on campus for the event. The Olympics received several major sponsorships: Lonestar Cell, a major cell phone company in Liberia, invested about $15,000 in the campus doing renovations of the courts, fields, and facilities in exchange for painting their logo in a few places... not a bad deal!; Coca-Cola had the exclusive right to sell beverages on campus, and all proceeds from their sales were donated to Ricks; LBDI, one of the biggest banks in Liberia; and others I'm sure I'm forgetting!

Overall, I think the Olympics were a definite success. There weren't any major disputes over the outcomes of games (we hired officials from various organizations around Liberia), the students all seemed to get along (even all the ones crammed in the dorms with Ricks students!), and the teams seemed to have fun competing. The games gave the students a chance to meet new friends from lots of different counties and learn a little bit more about life in the various schools in Liberia.

Oh - I guess I should talk about how all the teams did! The female kickball team and the male soccer team both won 1 game and lost their second. They all played well though, and at least won 1 game at home! The male basketball team finally played to their potential and won the Olympic plaque for male basketball! They were so excited, as were all the spectators! The girls basketball team had one game Friday and one game Saturday. We played fairly sloppy on Friday, but pulled together enough to win the game... the end was definitely better than the beginning! On Saturday, the Ricks kickball game was right before the basketball game, and 3 of our starting players are on the kickball team. So, by the time they finished that game, they barely had enough time to change uniforms before hitting the court for our game. Needless to say, they were rather exhausted. That, in addition to lots of missed layups and giving up a little bit at the end, the Lady Dragons suffered their first lost of the year on Saturday. However, the team we played, Nathaniel Gibson, was an excellent team and really did outplay us on the court. We're just hoping we can work hard and play them again before we leave!

In other Ricks news, this week also brought about the Miss Ricks Pageant. There were 6 contestants who have been working for months to prepare for the show. There was a kickoff the weekend of the Olympics I went to, and the girls all looked great and had obviously put a lot of work into preparing for the pageant. However, the night of the show was at the height of a week that had been long and frustrating for me for many reasons. When the show was 2 hours late to start, it conflicted with a phone call I had scheduled with a student at a graduate school, and I just couldn't hang around waiting for the show to start... so sadly, I did not see the pageant. I did, however, hear rave reviews the next day... it's clear the contestants and organizers put a lot of work in to the show! All in all, it was another major event at Ricks - one of two within the same week! - that showed the progress Ricks is making and the continued growth and rebuilding of the school and youth development in Liberia.

The excitement is calming down a bit over the next 2 weeks; we have today and Monday off for Easter, next Friday off for Liberian Fasting and Prayer Day, and then the following week we have our 5th period tests. It's amazing how quickly all of this is passing by... for now I'm just trying to make the most of every day I have left here in LIB!

What's Today? It's a Holi-Day!

2010-03-17T12:18:00.000-04:00

The Liberian Academic Calendar is made up of 6 marking periods (3 per semester). Typically, a marking period consists of 5 weeks of instruction followed by 1 week of testing. Our 3rd marking period was unusually short - 3 weeks of instruction followed by 1 week of testing; but our 5th and 6th marking periods are unusually long - 6 weeks of instruction followed by 1 week of testing. When AE and I first noticed these extended periods, we thought for sure they would go by much slower than the first semester. However, what we have quickly realized is that we need the extra week in the next two marking periods in order to get in the same amount of instruction we would have in a typical period!

When we were beginning the 2nd semester, we heard lots of people talk about the number of holidays we would have. We figured there would be a few, but didn't think there would be too many - after all, who doesn't love a day off school to sleep late and relax? Now, I have to admit, I am amazed by the number of holidays we have, especially this period! Out of 6 weeks of instruction, we only have one 5-day week. Let me give you the rundown:

Week 1: Full week - phew!
Week 2: No school Wednesday - Liberian Decoration Day
Week 3: No school Monday - JJ Roberts' (the first president of Liberia) birthday
Week 4: No school Friday - Ricks Olympics (more details on that soon to come!)
Week 5: No school Friday - Good Friday
Week 6: No school Monday - Easter Break; No school Friday - Liberian Fasting and Prayer Day

That's a lot of holidays! In 4th period we got a day of for Liberian Armed Forces Day, and in May we'll get a day off for National Unification Day. (For a complete list of Liberia's National Holidays, check out this website: http://www.qppstudio.net/publicholidays2010/liberia.htm) The amazing thing is, I've been told that the current number of holidays is greatly reduced compared to the amount of holidays in Liberia at different points during the war. Apparently government officials would want a day off, so they would declare a national holiday - great idea for people with money and the luxury of taking a day off, terrible idea for those who need to earn what they can each day to support their family. Once the country stabilized, so did the number of holidays. I'm trying to learn what I can about each holiday as it happens, but I find that many are like holidays in the US: celebrated for their intended meaning by a few, enjoyed as a day off by all (how many of us really do something special and intentional on Memorial Day?).

The blitz of holidays during 5th period can be a little tricky, especially for my classes that only meet Monday, Wednesday and Friday! Despite the complications that the days off can cause, I'm trying to enjoy the down time and make good use of it - you know, doing things like updating my blog :)

Hope you all are doing well. Are there things I still haven't talked about that you want to know? If so, tell me!

Sometimes, It Just Hits You

2010-03-13T10:16:00.000-05:00

I live in a third world country. Liberia is among the poorest nations in the world. I've heard statistics indicating that Liberia has an unemployment rate somewhere around 80 - 85% and estimates that roughly 70% of the population lives on less than $1 a day. In my daily life, I interact with these "dollar a day" people. They are not marked by any obvious physical indicators; most often they are people making an average wage (by Liberian standards - perhaps $60 - $100 per month) who are trying to support so many people - usually children - that their pay ends up needing to stretch farther than it can. They are my students, members of my community, and sometimes my friends. Poverty is a clear reality in Liberia.

Despite the staggering statistics and overwhelming poverty that was impossible to ignore when I first arrived in Liberia, I have found myself growing accustomed to this reality. Although I still notice the tin roofs over dirt floor homes, the children running around in mismatched flip-flops and tattered clothing, and the little boys trying to find a meal from the leftovers at the dining hall each day, I have found that the poverty takes its emotional toll on me less the longer I am here. I want to believe that I'm not becoming hardened to this reality but instead adapting to my present circumstances.

Despite my overall diminished emotional response to the poverty around me, I still have moments when the sobering reality of it catches me off guard. I experienced one of these moments recently when we were in Monrovia at the Sports Commission for one of our basketball games. After our game we were sitting in the bleachers leisurely enjoying watching the boys team play. There are always vendors at the game selling soft drinks and biscuits (cookies/crackers), plantain chips, ice cream, etc. But on this day I really noticed who some of these "vendors" were - children. A little girl and a little boy, neither older than 10 years, working for hours in the oppressive heat selling bags of water for 5LD (LD = Liberian Dollar; 5LD is approximately 15 cents US). The little girl grabbed my attention and I couldn't stop watching her. Her clothes were ill-fitting; a halter top clearly meant for someone twice her age and slippers (flip-flops) worn thin. She worked constantly and quietly. Every now and then I would see her and the little boy stop to sit on the bleachers and watch the game. I could see a certain sadness in their eyes, and I wanted for them the recreation and freedom to play that kids need. I felt so fortunate that the girls at Ricks are able to play basketball - to PLAY. But for these children, their afternoons are not spent on swing-sets or playing hide and seek; their afternoons are spent working, selling bags of waters for pennies to help out their families.

I think this is one of the most striking things about poverty - how it steals away the childhood of so many. It takes away the right kids have to play and forces them into tasks that will enable them to survive - doing anything they can to help their families earn enough money to get survive. One of the first things I heard about Liberia came from my friend, James Blay. As our camp pastor at Passport - Wingate in 2008, he told a story of children who had to sit on the side of the road, breaking apart rocks with small hammers to create materials for building. After hearing this story I remember praying for these children, hearing God call me to be with them, and committing to God and these children that I was coming. I didn't know when or how, but I knew I needed to be in Liberia. Now I'm here, and although the laws, thankfully, have outlawed this particular rock-breaking labor for children, it has not prevented children from engaging in the kinds of labor we would never allow our children to do in the States. Now that I'm here, what am I doing for these children? I felt God calling me to these children, but sitting and watching this little girl at the Sports Commission, I felt helpless. I know I'm teaching at a school, and that is an important step. But what can we, as humans filled with compassion, especially for children, do to help? I challenge you to explore this question with me.

Monrovia: An International Hotspot

2010-03-07T06:34:00.000-05:00

OK, I admit - Monrovia isn't quite up there with the ranks of NYC or Brussels as an international destination. However, when you find yourself in Monrovia, you quickly realize you are not just amongst Liberians; Monrovia is actually home to many ex-pats who find themselves in Liberia for numerous and varied reasons. The last couple weekends I've been reminded of this, so I thought I would share some of my experiences of the international atmosphere in in Liberia.

When we come in to Monrovia to visit our friends and stay the weekend, I often feel like I have briefly stepped back into the US and American life. I suddenly find myself surrounded by people who talk with southern accents, lament the absence of Chik-Fil-a, tell jokes that take advantage of our shared cultural knowledge and understanding of subtleties like sarcasm, and food that can't be classified as anything but southern home-cooking. It's a funny experience because it's comforting and familiar, yet at the same time is a little odd to encounter in Liberia. These are some of my American international moments - I think they both help me keep my sanity and help me embrace and appreciate Liberia knowing I'll be back to full immersion in American life soon enough!

American culture is definitely not the only one we experience in Liberia. Last weekend we had the opportunity to go to a primarily Lebanese party. A friend in town was close with several of the people hosting this party (a goodbye party for a couple preparing to leave), so we were invited by extension. When we first arrived at the party we experienced that initial awkwardness that comes with going to a party where you don't know anyone except the people you arrived with. After a few minutes however, we quickly started making friends. There is a strong Lebanese presence here in Liberia, and many of the more prominent businesses, hotels, restaurants, etc., are Lebanese owned. So, we would meet someone and ask what they do, and the response would often be, "oh, we own the ___." But there was no arrogance or elitism in these statements, just matter-of-fact information. After some time a little dance circle formed (you know, everyone in a circle, one or two people pulled in the middle at a time). We thought for sure the people there didn't know us well enough to pull us in - we were wrong, and had lots of fun dancing with our new friends. Later, people began to throw one another in the pool with all their clothes on - luckily they didn't know us quite well enough to do that ;) Throughout the evening we met lots of new friends, including the Lebanese ambassador to Liberia and the head of Consular Services at the American Embassy. It was a fun party filled with laughter and fun!

This weekend our American friends were having a party at their apartment compound as an early celebration for 2 people's birthdays. All of the people working for their company were invited in addition to an assortment of other friends. Throughout the evening we met people from the US, Liberia, Turkey, Nigeria, Algeria, the Philippines, and Ireland. It was quite the party too - food from lots of different cultures (pizza, zatar, Texas caviar, ice cream, chicken wings, hummus, and a WHOLE pig) and a live band. The Liberian band did covers of everything from Michael Jackson to Garth Brooks to popular Liberian music. Everyone just danced and ate and had a great time.

I came to Liberia expecting to experience one new culture - the Liberian culture. This is definitely the culture I have experienced most thoroughly, and I am so grateful for that. At the same time, I am grateful for the glimpses of other cultures I have been afforded through my time here in Liberia and the friendships I have been able to form with people from so many different places. I think we have much to learn from one another, especially those coming from ways of life different than our own, and I am thankful to be learning a little more each day.

Where I've Been

2010-02-27T13:42:00.000-05:00

This blog title might be deceiving - it sounds like my post will be more philosophical and profound than it really will be... talking abstractly about the journey I've been on. Sorry, that's not what it's about!

I know my posts have been scarce lately - sorry to those who keep looking for updates! Things have been busier than I thought they would be. Things at school really picked up for a few days - between teaching, grading, basketball (practice and conditioning), writing workshop, and other little things that come along, I have actually felt very busy with school lately.

But the most time consuming project has been the work I'm still doing for PhD program applications. Although the applications were finished and submitted in December, the process requires continual effort even after the applications have been sent. Starting in January and continuing to this day I have been having phone interviews with professors and students at a number of schools. At the height of it all, I was having 1-2 interviews on the phone each day. That may not sound like much, but when it's in the midst of everything else, when it required switching my brain quickly from Liberia to one PhD program to another PhD program, it became really draining. Most of my online time has been spent responding to emails, reading about programs and professors and students and cities, etc.

The good news, however, is that all of the work has not been in vain! I have heard back from all but one school, and am waiting on a final decision from one other. Here's the quick rundown for those interested:
UVA: We talked and decided we were not the best fit for each other - aka, did not get an offer.
Georgetown: The only formal rejection to date.
Penn State University: Accepted, but I have officially declined that offer
Michigan State University: Accepted
Vanderbilt: Accepted
NC State: Accepted
NYU: Accepted
University of Illinois - Chicago: Interviewed, should hear a decision this week or the next.
University of Michigan: No word, but that's OK... I like my other offers :)

So now I'm coming down to decision-making time, which might prove to be the toughest part of this whole process yet. I'm not complaining - having to decide between all the amazing schools is a wonderful dilemma to have... but it's the next 4-5 years of my life, so I want to end up in the right place. The good news is, I don't think there's a wrong place, and no matter where I go I'll have moments when I'll wonder what my life would be like if I went somewhere else. It's crazy and a little stressful and so exciting all at once - I'll update again when I make a final decision.

We are down to just a little over 3 months left here in Liberia (we're pretty sure we're leaving June 11th), so I will try to be more faithful in posting here. In the meantime, I'm trying not to spend too much time thinking about next fall and concentrate my attention as much as I can on the amazing place I'm already in and enjoying every moment of life in the LIB!

It's Gonna Be a Hot One

2010-02-10T10:26:00.000-05:00

One of the great things about living in one place for (almost) a year is that you get to experience that place in every season - not just a week or a few months out of a year. For example, I lived in the Netherlands one year from August to December. I got to experience a touch of summer, the fullness of fall, and even flirted briefly with winter. I was able to experience a decent sampling, but ultimately I totally missed the spring, which I hear is the best time to be in the Netherlands (think fields of tulips).

Coming to Liberia, I knew that I could expect warm weather year round, but I was anxious to see how that played out and all the subtleties and fluctuations of Liberian weather. I grew up in Florida, a tropical weather locale, so I imagined it would be much the same. Mostly warm and humid, but slight changes and occasional spurts of something a little different.

Today I am here to report that Liberia truly does have 2 seasons, at best. Largely referred to as Rainy season and Dry season, I have come to think of them as two parts of the same season: "wet and hot" and "no rain and hot". Rainy season begins sometime in the spring... I have heard estimates as early as March and as late as July, and lasts throughout the summer until October or November. During the rainy season the rain is almost constant. There are reprieves now and then, but to see the sun is rare and to have a whole day without rain is even more unlikely. I expected the rainy season to be somewhat cool, but after experiencing it I would describe it as "less hot." The most striking thing about the Rainy season is the humidity... it is unreal!! Mold grows on walls in a matter of days, and even a container of Morton salt left on the counter quickly disintegrated due to moisture.

Once the rain clouds move out, the sun moves in and dry season has arrived. Dry season is less humid, although still muggy. The sun is strong and it feels like my skin is burning after about 1 minute standing outside without sunscreen; after all, Liberia is only about 6 degrees off the equator. Dry season is very, very dry - it literally does not rain for the entirety of dry season, and it is very strange if even a few drops happen to fall. Dry season begins when rainy season ends - sometime around November, and goes until the rains come back. I hear that March is the hottest, so I'm really not too excited about March.

Despite my naturally warm-natured disposition (I get hot too easily) and the constant heat which leads to constant sweating, I do love Liberia... but that doesn't mean I wouldn't change her climate a little if I could. On days when I'm sitting on a beautiful beach in January looking out over the crystal clear water and admiring the bold black rocks along the shore, I really can't complain. That said, if some of you in the South want to ship some of your snow over here, I'm sure we could all benefit from an averaging of our extreme temperatures!

I'm Still Here!

2010-02-05T06:12:00.000-05:00

Hello faithful readers. Sorry I have not been a faithful blogger. After Passport ended, things seem to have stayed really busy and I just haven't made the time to write in a while. Not to say there's nothing to write about - I have lots of ideas, it's just a matter of getting them out of my head and onto this blog!

In the meantime, I thought I would post a quick update. We are now wrapping up the third week of fourth period, which is hard to believe. Two more weeks and then we are testing once again! Classes are going pretty well, and I'm hoping to continue to see improvement in my students throughout this semester. More than anything, I hope to see increased critical thinking. I just want my students to think about what they're doing, not just to do things because someone else said to do so.

Last week (Jan 25 - 30) was spent in Ghana, another West African country about 2 countries east of Liberia. Ghana has not had the setbacks caused by civil war that Liberia has experienced, so Ghana is more developed than Liberia. We (Ann Elizabeth, Ottolee Menjay and me) spent the week in the capital city of Accra, which is actually really really big! We flew in at night and AE and I were amazed by how far the lights stretched out over the land - as far as we could see! Sadly, on the way to the airport to leave for Ghana I started feeling bad and by the time I went to bed the first night felt awful. Turns out I had Malaria, which sounds very scary and can be if not treated, but is not too bad when you are quickly treated. So I went to the doctor and was tested and treated the next day, but much to my frustration, I never did feel 100% while in Ghana, resulting in a less adventuresome spirit and far fewer "I want to see and experience everything" activities. On the bright side, it could have been much worse and I was able to see a good bit of the city. In places it looks much like Liberia, but in other places in looks more like an American or European city. There are multi-lane, wide, nicely paved streets and an advanced system of traffic lights, roundabouts, highways, etc. We even got to go to a mall one day, do some shopping, and see a movie in an actual movie theater!!

The other downside of the trip to Ghana was that at the end of it, Ann Elizabeth had to go back to the States for a few weeks. While in Ghana she was able to see a doctor about a small problem she noticed, and the doctor recommended she go back to the States to see another doctor and possibly have a small procedure. So AE is now back in FL/AL and getting things taken care of as quickly as possible. She is doing fine, and the problem is not an immediate danger - just something that needed to be taken care of. She should be back here in Liberia by Feb. 22nd at the latest, but perhaps even sooner if possible.

In the meantime, I am back at Ricks and finally getting back in to the routine of teaching, basketball, and everything else that goes on here. We had a basketball game yesterday which we won - due to forfeit, but we won all the same ;) There was a group here from First Baptist Columbus, GA from Jan. 25 - Feb. 3, so I was able to spend a little bit of time getting to know them. One member of the team is actually staying for 2 additional weeks, so I think we will help to keep each other company while we are each living on our own! Currently I am very grateful it is Friday and am looking forward to a weekend of rest and fun as I spend a couple days in town with friends.

I will try to update more - thank you all for sticking with me through this journey!

I Give In - I'll be a Tourist for One Day

2010-01-22T12:10:00.000-05:00

It had always been my personal "travel philosophy" to try to see everything I can in a new place without ever feeling like an actual tourist. Of course, in order to see all the sites of any location, I'm sometimes required to suspend my belief that sight seeing is not necessarily equivalent with tourism. This is exactly what I did here in Liberia last Saturday as I loaded up in a 12 passenger van, Swiss Army side purse on, camera and extra batteries in tact. Thus, along with Ann Elizabeth and the 4 guys here from the States for Passport, we became the Ricks tour-bus for the day.

We started off the journey at the site of the Hotel Africa. Hotel Africa was built for the 1979 OAU (Organization for African Unity) Conference and was the first 5 star hotel in Africa. It was probably 8 stories tall, located right on the beach with a view looking toward the Freeport and central Monrovia, and even a pool in the shape of Africa. Sadly, the hotel was completely destroyed during the war, I believe sometime in the 1990s. We had seen this hotel from a distance when we first arrived in Liberia but had not had the chance to see it up close until this weekend. We were actually able to walk around inside the hollow shell of a building. It was so strange to be in this building and see remnants of what it once was - a shard of beautiful tile on the floor; the bare bones of a once gourmet kitchen; the now algae ridden water in the old pool; statues of elephants both missing trunks. As I made my way carefully through this seemingly alternate reality, I think I was suddenly very aware of the reality of war and the extent of this particular war's destruction and decimation of the land. My heart felt heavy in my chest, and I just kept asking myself, "God, how can we do this to one another?"

From Hotel Africa we drove to the nearby Unity Conference Center, once home to Liberia's House of Representatives. The conference center is now only used on a limited basis, and is still in tact. The biggest problem the conference center experienced was looting. Luckily, this structure was not hit by the rockets and missiles that took out Hotel Africa. We were lucky enough to get a short tour inside the Conference Center where I was most impressed with the artwork hanging on the wall - see my pictures to see it for yourself!

After hotel Africa we took a break to grab lunch at a Barbecue place in town - really good!! - and then ice cream. We drove past Liberia's capital hill, the executive mansion (comparable to USA's White House), Court House, etc., and then made our way up to the highest point in Liberia and home to another formerly great hotel in Liberia, Ducor International. Ducor opened sometime in the mid-50s and was also quite a beautiful hotel in its heyday. I think the highlight for me of Ducor was the view. Standing on the patio area on the second floor, we could see out over the ocean, parts of Monrovia (all of Bushrod Island), the Freeport, even back toward Hotel Africa (where we earlier stood looking toward Ducor!). It was an incredible view, and so interesting to be able to look out over Monrovia from an aerial vantage point. We also had the pleasure of meeting a man named Moses there who began working for Ducor in 1976 and worked his way up to head of security before the hotel shut down. Moses was even able to show us a brochure preserved from sometime in the 80s, I believe, showing all the amenities Ducor once offered. Although not in ruins they way hotel Africa was, Ducor was still a reminder than no structure in Monrovia was untouched by the war - even the seemingly impenetrable. Please see my pictures - they describe way better than I can!

After Ducor we went into town and were uber-tourists: we went to an area by the American Embassy where they sell lots of souvenirs, crafts, etc., and bought some fun keepsakes. After that we walked around Benson Street, the place to go for clothes, fabric, etc. We even had time to visit Providence Baptist Church, the church founded by the freed slaves who landed in Liberia in 1822. Parts of the sanctuary we visited - the walls, the pulpit, the bench behind the pulpit - have been there since the church's founding in the 1820s. We were lucky enough to catch one of the church's staff members there who was able to give us a tour - it was like stepping into history!

After that, we were all exhausted and went to meet up with Olu for dinner. We had a good time just sitting around, talking, sharing stories and ideas and dreams, and generally enjoying one another's company! It was a long day - especially after a week of camp - but overall very educational, interesting, and definitely thought provoking.

Did I mention you should check out my pictures (I'm uploading as I type this!): http://picasaweb.google.com/holly.wegman/ATourOfMonrovia#

Free for All!

2010-01-18T06:56:00.000-05:00

It is hard to believe it is already Monday and we are back in school! The long Christmas break - 4 whole weeks - seems to have really flown by. But no time has passed by quite as quickly as our week hosting Passport Liberia here on Ricks' campus. We had almost 100 students share in a week of learning and fun and worship and work and general craziness (in the good sense, of course) here in Liberia.

I don't really know where to begin to summarize our week of camp. So much happened! Sunday was our opening day; the campers arrived, registered, and settled in to the girls' and boys' dorms. For some of them, this was quite normal; for others, however, staying in the dorm was a new and exciting experience. That evening after dinner we all gathered together for Opening Celebration, a time of excitement and celebration of the week we are preparing to share. Afterward, the campers met with their Bible study groups for the first time - groups consisting of girls and boys from all different grade levels, many of whom would not typically spend much time together during the regular school year. After Bible study time we gathered together again for Vespers, a short worship service to prepare ourselves for all that God would teach us throughout the week.

The next 4 days were packed! We all gathered together for morning celebration to begin each day. It amazed me how much energy the campers seemed to have each morning - genuine energy, not energy feigned to give the appearance of excitement. From there campers would spend the morning and afternoon in three different activities: Bible study, recreation (low ropes course), and missions.

Each day in Bible studies the campers learned about a different freedom: freedom from the need to prove themselves, freedom from shame, using their freedom to free others, and freedom to become who God has created them to be. Out on the ropes course, the students had to work together to accomplish a number of challenging tasks. They had to trust one another, work as a team, and think creatively about solutions to seemingly impossible problems. I was amazed by how well everyone did on the ropes course and believe that there were definitely some life lessons learned out there! For our mission projects, the students were building incinerators of red brick and mortar (a mix of dirt, cement, and water) where trash from the campus can be burned (it is currently thrown in the bushes or piled on the ground and slowly burned in an open fire). Although the incinerators (3 total) were not completed during the week, significant progress was made and the students at Ricks will work to finish these projects over the next few weeks. These new structures will certainly help us to be free from trash!

Each night we all played together at a party - "rec party" on night one (fun running around outside), a dance on night two, learning the Grand March (a traditional Liberian dance) on night three, and a variety show (Ricks' Idol) on night 4. The campers really had a blast at these, and it was fun for me to be able to dance with some of my students and have them see me outside of the role of "strict Ms. Wegman" for a few days!

We also celebrated in worship every night, singing songs, praying new prayers, hearing scripture, and learning from sermons preached by a different person each night. I even had the opportunity to preach one night - a first for me, but an experience I definitely enjoyed. Worship was truly moving. There were moments when I would begin to feel frustrated because worship did not look exactly like I thought it should - it was noisy and somewhat chaotic, not quiet and reverent as I often think of worship. But the noise and the energy and the soul that went into each night made worship a truly meaningful and essential part of Passport. I hope the campers were able to experience God in a new way each night through a new and different kind of worship - I know I did.

Finally on Friday we wrapped up with a short Bible study and a celebration of all that happened throughout the week. We sang some favorite songs from camp (YMCA was amazingly popular!!) and gave final challenges to the campers. We closed by taking lots of pictures in front of the school and saying our goodbyes.

Passport Liberia 2010 seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye, similar to my overall time here in Liberia. But it was a truly great week spent discovering the freedom each of us have in Christ. Check out my page on Picasa for pictures (and more on the way ASAP!)!!

Passport Liberia 2010

2010-01-12T10:05:00.000-05:00

This will be just a short post to give you all a quick update.... the reason my post must be so short is that we are currently in the midst of Passport Liberia 2010!!

Many of you might know about Passport from the States, but if you haven't ever heard of it, it's a Christian youth/kids camp... you can check in out at passportcamps.org

This week we are having camp here at Ricks. Right now we have almost 100 youth and 12 staff - 6 American and 6 Liberian. Camp started on Sunday and will continue until Friday afternoon. I'll update with more details as soon as I can - but I wanted to let you all know about this very exciting time at Ricks!

New Year, New Adventures, New Friends

2010-01-03T06:36:00.000-05:00

We are only 3 days in to the New Year, and already it is off to a great start filled with wonderful and new adventures! I admit that our New Years Eve was not much - I actually forgot it was a special day for the most part. Highlights included looking at my phone by sheer luck (I was already in bed) when it read 00:00 (it's in military time) on 01/01/2010. There was no countdown, but I think I did hear someone ringing the dining hall bell in the distance, and I did have cell-phone confirmation that it was in fact the year 2010, so that has to count for something!

The days in 2010, however, have been a bit more exciting. We made some new friends last Sunday (friends of a friend of Ann Elizabeth), and they invited us to hang out in Monrovia for a few days. They are all here working on construction of the new US Embassy in town, and they are all, strangely, from Birmingham (where Ann Elizabeth lives). We went over to their compound in town on Friday and spent the evening grilling out and watching/attempting to watch some college bowl games on TV.

Saturday morning we woke up early and headed out to Bong County (in the heart of Liberia) to see a waterfall. It was a 4 hour drive, about 3 hours of which were on pothole covered paved roads and about 1 hour was on a bumpy dirt road. It was a long nauseating drive, but seeing more of the country including a beautiful waterfall was well worth it. The waterfall was beautiful and was surrounded by enormous trees - not quite the size of Redwoods but darn close. When we arrived there was another group already there, and we all awkwardly stared at each other from afar until we finally started talking... turns out they were mostly Peace Corp volunteers from all around Liberia. There were about 10 people in their group, and we sat on rocks in the midst of the waterfall, enjoying the sun and good conversation with one another. They were all in their bathing suits and finally I decided I couldn't resist - did a quick change behind a rock and swam at the base of the waterfall. It was quite cold, but in the heat of the sun it felt amazing. We finished the day off with some packed PB&J sandwiches, chips, cookies and brownies. Then we headed back for Monrovia, a long drive that would have been much worse had it not been for good conversation with new friends. That evening we just hung out at our friends' compound, ate pizza, watched TV, and continued to talk for hours.

One thing that has amazed me, throughout my time here but especially in the last few days, is how readily and completely people have befriended us and taken us in. From the moment we arrived at Ricks, the entire community became our surrogate family. Now these new friends - people we met only a week ago - have been amazingly hospitable and welcoming. We have spent two nights with them, been fed, been given hot showers and air conditioning and all those little amenities that seem small but also feel like home. Each person we have met - from strangers at a waterfall to mutual friends to people we meet along the path at Ricks - has been nothing but warm and kind and loving. I feel as if we live in a place where you never meet a stranger - southern hospitality to the max. This is something I will miss terribly when we leave.

So far the new year - both 2010 year and my 25th year - have brought nothing but goodness and fun and adventure. I am grateful already.

How Do You Say That in Liberian?

2009-12-26T10:02:00.000-05:00

When I began telling everyone I would be moving to Liberia, there were two main questions people would ask: where is Liberia and what language do Liberians speak. After showing Liberia on my hand-map of Africa, I would assure people that English is the official language of Liberia, and therefore language would not be a problem. I knew there would be a fairly thick accent, but I also figured that English is English - no problem.

When I arrived in Liberia, however, I was confronted with the reality that Liberian English often sounded like a foreign language. I could sit through an entire conversation without having a clue what was being said if people were speaking to one another in unrestrained Liberian English. Although I would still not say that I am fluent in Liberian English, I think I have come a long way.

There are some expressions my Liberian friends use that I have come to love, and I thought I would share some of these with you. It's not nearly as fun when you can't hear it spoken, but at least this will give you a glimpse!

"Small" or "Small Small". Used in place of "a little bit" or "some." For example, "let me drink small water" or "give me small small rice".

"Take Exercise". When I am running, people might say, "ah, you're taking small exercise" (see - another use of small!) or someone might tell me, "I'm going to take exercise"

"O". This little letter is added to many, many things. "Good morning-o" or "Don't bring your family shame-o" (a phrase Olu says often during testing, telling the students not to cheat more or less!). You can add "O" to almost anything, and it sounds more fun and definitely more Liberian ;)

"Fine." Used about as much as "good" is used in the US. When I ask people "how is your day?" the usual response is "fine". When having a conversation with someone, if I say something they agree with, they might say "fine!" to let me know they agree.

"Ms. Wegman, please let me go cough/spit/urinate." This question is asked of me almost daily by my students. They do not like to cough in class and often tell me they need to go spit (and I almost always say no...). It is not common to ask to go to the restroom or bathroom... they just say what they need to do - urinate.

"My stomach is running." I think this one is pretty self explainatory... it's code for diarrhea.

"Thank God". When I say hello or ask someone how they're doing, aside from saying "fine" they also often say "thank God" in response.

"Plenty." Still means "a lot", it's just used more often and in different ways than I'm used to. If I give a lot of problems on a quiz and my students think there are too many, I might hear, "Ms. Wegman, the problems, they were plenty."

"Plastic." Plastic grocery bags are just called plastic... so when we had left over food after a dinner out with the basketball girls, they were given a plastic bag with their leftovers... there's a long funny story with this, but I often heard said, "she stole my plastic!"

"High/Low Blood." High or low blood pressure. "She had to go to the hospital because she has high blood."

"Big Belly." Pregnant. The other day I heard "Plenty cow have big belly" meaning several cows were pregnant.

Alright, I think that's a good sampling for now... I wish you all in the States who haven't heard Liberian English could come hang out and hear it... but I'll give you my best imitation when I get home if you don't make it over here :)

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T05:49:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Hopefully you all are busy spending the day with loved ones and celebrating the joy of Christmas, but just in case you happen to check my blog, I wanted you all to know I am thankful for each of you on this day!

I miss you all and certainly miss spending the day with family. We are, however, enjoying our own Liberian Christmas. We are staying at a hotel for a few days, enjoying some air conditioning, hot showers, delicious food, a pool, the beach, a fitness center, a spa, TV, big plush beds, etc. It is definitely a different kind of Christmas, but a happy one all the same. Although this might not be the best way to glimpse a true Liberian Christmas (Olu refers to our stay at the hotel as "going abroad"), we are having a great time and enjoying some luxuries for a few days :)

Merry Christmas to all... make sure you deck the halls with boughs of...

Holly

Time, Time, Time

2009-12-24T10:01:00.000-05:00

**Sorry I've been away - internet has been down! Back in action now!**

Is everyone else in disbelief like I am that Christmas is less than one week away? And the year 2010 - two thousand and TEN - is upon us. It's so hard to believe. Equally difficult to comprehend is the fact that Ricks students and staff have officially finished 3 out of 6 marking periods. Wow, time is flying.
Although we have technically finished half of our marking periods, we are not quite at the half way point of our time here. Second semester is actually about 4 weeks longer. Combine that with a month off for Christmas break and a couple weeks here in June after we're done teaching, and we've got about 6 more months in Liberia. I have moments when I feel like the next 6 months will be long, and moments when I feel like I will blink and then find myself on a plane headed home. I know I will have moments when I feel both of these things, but I also know this will all be over before I know it.

The other day a friend asked me if I was counting down the time until I leave or if I was feeling like it was all passing by too quickly; honestly, the answer is both. There are things I miss about home, from the superficial (air conditioning, favorite foods) to the more meaningful (people, friends' weddings, holidays with family, etc.). And there are so many things around me that remind me of the "countdown until home": the number of vitamins I have left, the academic calendar, the money in the bank... all these things make it hard for me not to be aware of the "countdown."

At the same time there are many things I love here and know I will miss dearly. I feel like we are finally coming to a place where we are not visitors, not outsiders, but becoming more a part of a community, specifically the Ricks community. We are spending more time laughing with people, understanding one another more clearly, hearing more and more stories, and sharing more of our own stories. The other day we were talking with one of our friends and he started to refer to us as "the guests" (how all American groups that pass through Ricks are referred to), but then he stopped himself. He said, "No, I have learned you are not guests; you are Liberian American white teachers." I love this - and this is indeed what I am.

As I bid farewell to the first semester and look toward the next 6 months, I am grateful for all this experience in Liberia has already brought me and look forward to all that this journey holds for me in the future - both the things I expect and the things that will completely surprise me.

And Just Like That, Some Things Come to an End

2009-12-12T10:05:00.000-05:00

Hello friends and fellow Liberia-enthusiasts :) I hope you all are well! Sorry my posts have been a bit scarce lately. As mentioned, this period in school has been a short but busy one!

You know, time is a funny thing; in some ways I feel like we have only just arrived, and in some ways I feel like we have been here forever! I know our time is starting to add up, however, when we start to experience endings along with new beginnings. This past Friday marked one major ending - the ending of teaching for the first semester. We still have to proctor exams next week, but I am done with instruction for the year 2009. Wow. Second semester is a little longer than first semester, but it's in moments like these that I feel like I am going to blink and then find myself on a plane bound for the US. It is unbelievable.

This past week has also marked the presence of the first large group from the States on campus since our arrival. The group from Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, TX (in addition to a couple folks from Texas Baptist Men) arrived last week and left yesterday (Friday). During their time at Ricks, they did so much wonderful work: they painted the outside of the school building (a big job!), worked on improving the campus water system, distributed backpacks to almost every student in the school, gave out shoes to some of the younger kids who desperately needed them, taught nightly Bible studies, visited a local orphanage, and helped train elementary teachers in using a new Bible curriculum and resources.

In addition to all the work this group did for and with the school, they also ministered to Ann Elizabeth and I through their friendship, fellowship, and food! They invited us over to their house each night to enjoy a home-cooked dinner prepared by the team cook; we enjoyed cheesey potatoes, chicken macaroni, butter chicken, rolls from scratch, cherry pie/cobbler, brownies/cookies, and so much more absolutely delicious food. I know it seems superficial, but sharing food - especially familiar food that reminds you of "home" - really can be a powerful ministry. We enjoyed sitting with them each night, eating our meal and hearing their stories from the day. It was fun to feel like we had become the experts on life in Liberia and at Ricks specifically. We were sad to see them leave - another ending - yesterday. There will be more groups coming throughout the year, and we look forward to sharing in their experiences in this amazing place we have come to call home.

Liberian History: Part 1

2009-12-06T09:19:00.000-05:00

I think I have promised about 5 times that my next blog entry would be about Liberian history, and so far I have been a liar in this respect. I have been intimidated by my promised Liberian history blog entry because I am fairly certain I will get some details wrong. However, I get the feeling that even after living here in Liberia for a year I would still not be able to write a flawless historical record. So, without further ado, here is a little bit about Liberian history. I'll start with the early years and slowly work my way forward in time.

The history of the Republic of Liberia begins, in large part, in the United States. That's right - to discuss Liberian history, we have to start in America.

Time: Early 1820s. America is still in a pre-Civil War era, and slavery is still an active industry. By this time, however, some slaves have earned their freedom through a number of different means. How the freed black slaves will fit into the larger picture of American Society is not clear... but the American Colonization Society (ACS) is formed with an idea: let's send the freed slaves home! The intentions behind this idea are not entirely clear. Perhaps it was a suggestion that only had the best interests of the freed slaves in mind - sending them back to Africa could be seen as the benevolent thing to do. Or, perhaps it was a suggestion that was intended to get the freed slaves out of the picture so that those people who were still enslaved did not see them and get any ideas about deserving their own freedom. Whatever the motive, the ACS was founded with the task of establishing a colony back in Africa where all the freed slaves could be sent "home."

So, a ship set sail carrying a little over 80 freed slaves and 3 white ACS members. They first landed in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, a colony established by Britain for the similar purpose of having a place to re-settle freed slaves. The ACS did not want to settle there - they wanted their own colony. They continued south and eventually landed on Providence Island (in present day Monrovia).

There were, however, a few problems with the ACS's brilliant plan. First, although the freed slaves did indeed come from Africa, none of them were actually from this region. Many were from the Congo area (further east and south). In other words, this is like picking me up here in Liberia, telling me you're sending me home, and flying me to New Hampshire when, really, I should be going to Florida. Second this boat of eager settlers was not arriving in an unoccupied land. There were many people already living in the land we now call Liberia, and they were not looking to give their land away to this boat full of 80 strangers.

It wasn't until after months of "negotiations" between the ACS and the indigenous people (the ACS basically held a gun to the local chief's head and forced him to accept some meager compensation in exchange for a large amount of resource-rich land) and eventually a battle between the settlers and the indigenous people (which the settlers won with a cannon blast) that the ACS had a piece of land to call their own. But getting a piece of land was not the only struggle they faced; people were dying at alarming rates due to diseases like Malaria, Yellow Fever, TB, and Cholera. In fact, the first 3 ACS members died before they could even leave the ship; it was actually a second round of ACS representatives sent over with additional freed slaves that handled the "negotiations" with the indigenous people living in the land.

The presence and efforts of the ACS, however, did not last long. About 20 years later, in 1847, the Republic of Liberia was founded without the banner of the USA or the ACS flying over it. Liberia was Africa's first truly free, independent republic. And that's how Liberia began... more to come later!

School's Out!

2009-11-30T09:31:00.000-05:00

When I was in school, these were words I loved to hear - school. is. out. Freedom! Lately, however, I find myself liking these words less and less. Let me explain.

The Liberian school year is broken up into 6 marking periods. Typically, a period consists of 5 weeks of instruction and then one week of testing (kind of like high school exam week we would have at the end of the semester). This is how the first two periods went. Third period, however, is quite different. Because of when the school year started and when Christmas break falls, Period 3 ends of getting the short end of the stick; to be precise, we only have 3 weeks of teaching before our week of testing in the third period. That means 15 days. Fifteen days to give 4 homework assignments, 3 quizzes, and prepare for a cumulative exam. And most of my classes only meet 3 days each week anyway... so yes, that means 9 days to do all this.

You can imagine my frustration when, preparing to sprint-teach my way through nine days in each class, I found out school was canceled. Last Tuesday Montserrado County had run-offs for the senatorial election, so school was canceled county wide. Down to 8 days in some classes. Then last week we found out that today, Monday the 30th would be a day off as well - President Tubman's birthday. That's right - I'm down to 7 days in some of my classes... for the whole period! It's nuts!!

Let's be honest - I still love a day off. Sleeping in, doing some leisurely reading, updating my blog... all good things. But I'm also discovering that a day off of school can be a little frustrating from the teacher perspective, especially when it is unplanned! But for now we're just going with the flow and trying to do as much as we can in the days we have left.

I would ask that your thoughts and prayers be with the students - it is a busy semester for them indeed! Pray that my math students would have increasingly more confidence and motivation as the year goes on. Math is a clear least favorite subject for many students, and I can tell that many of them have given up on the idea that they could ever succeed in math... pray that they won't give up. Pray for my students in Bible class as we move into talking more directly about sex and the choices they have. Pray that they will know that they DO have choices when it comes to sex, and pray that they will trust themselves enough to make good choices with their futures in mind. Pray for Ricks in general, that the school would continue to grow and improve each day as they work to bring hope to Liberia by giving each student unique and wonderful opportunities. I love the school motto; it reads, "Not for self, but for others." Pray that I will be able to live this out in my life each day.

Birthdays Aren't The Only Things That Can Be Belated

2009-11-27T12:35:00.000-05:00

So Happy (belated) Thanksgiving to you all! I had wonderful intentions for a cliche Thanksgiving blog in which I wrote in length about all the things I am thankful for and included a few sentimental notes about all of you. However, lack of internet yesterday precluded any such blog from ever being written. And now that it's the day after Thanksgiving, I couldn't possibly say thank you to anyone... ;)

In all seriousness, I admit that Thanksgiving day was a bit lack-luster for me. Like anyone else living outside of the States experienced, Thanksgiving was just another day. I went to school, taught classes, gave quizzes, graded, tried to use the internet, ate some bread and nuts for dinner, and had an all-around ordinary day. I have been battling a cold for the last week-ish, so I spent most of the day just trying to get some rest and feel better. I did get to call home and talk to everyone who went to my house for Thanksgiving, so that was fun. Otherwise it was an average day.

But what is Thanksgiving really supposed to be about? I admit that I have never conducted a thorough study of the first Thanksgiving and don't claim any historical fact to what I am about to say. But my understanding of Thanksgiving is that it was a day when two groups of people, formerly enemies, set aside their differences - at least for one day - to come together and celebrate that which they both needed and received... food from the harvest. I imagine, like many Thanksgivings all across America, there were akward moments at the dinner table. I imagine there were some people who didn't get as much corn as they wanted, or whose favorite kind of pie was gone by the time they got through the serving line. Perhaps some people wished they could be present for the meal but were kept away for one reason or another.

I certainly missed Thanksgiving, and missed being with my friends and family (and delicious food) on this special Thursday. But maybe it's a good reason for me to think about what really makes Thanksgiving day a day of thanks. If it is about setting aside differences and finding common ground with people, perhaps I'm celebrating Thanksgiving each day I am here in Liberia. If it is about being grateful for what you have been given even in the absence of things you wish you had, this is a lesson I am being taught daily. If Thanksgiving is an occasion to look for the goodness in others and celebrate possible alliances, shouldn't we all be celebrating every day?

I miss turkey, and mashed potatoes, and stuffing, and green beans, and warm rolls and pie... but maybe this year will help to make Thanksgiving each year to come a bit more meaningful and help me to remember the true spirit of Thanksgiving every day in between.

Applying Myself

2009-11-18T10:31:00.000-05:00

Pausing from updates about my Liberian adventure for a moment, I wanted to update you all on another part of my life that has been on my mind quite a bit lately... what happens after Liberia. Many people hesitate to ask me the "what comes after Liberia?" question for fear that I have no idea and will be stressed out by this question. But fear not, I have an answer!! This plan has actually been in the works since before I found out I was even coming to Liberia.

Here's the plan: I'm going back to school... "because I want to know what the 19th grade is like." I knew when I entered the Master's program at Wake Forest that getting my PhD would be the next step; it was just a matter of figuring out where I wanted to go and what exactly I wanted to do. I'm happy to say that I did get this "all figured out" during graduate school, so my decision to take a year off and come to Liberia instead of continuing on to school immediately was a hard decision to make. I know I did the right thing, and know that Liberia is where I am supposed to be right now. But, I also feel confident that being back in school is where I need to be next year.

Sadly, going back to school is not as easy as just deciding to go. It seems you actually have to apply to go back and then hope someone actually accepts you... go figure ;) Right now I am in the midst of the application process... I am applying to nine schools and have completed 5 applications. Over the half way point! At times I really enjoy the application process - it's fun to think about all the different places I could end up next year and the various things I could be doing. At other times, however, the process drives me crazy, as it does everyone who goes through it. Between application fees (ouch!), internet outages, and endless writing and re-writing of personal statements, it can be a bit stressful. Thankfully I have my mom back home helping me mail all of my "hard copy" materials (thanks mom!). But thankfully the light at the end of the tunnel is growing closer and closer... then it's time to let the waiting begin!

At this point you may be asking, "OK, so what do you want to do?" I am applying to community psychology and applied research programs. Basically, community psychology goes beyond the individual level to examine more contextual factors - cultural, economic, political, environmental, etc. - and to attempt to address social problems and promote positive development through working with individuals, organizations, communities, governments, etc. So in my future career, I could take an issue such as poverty, conduct research to answer questions about poverty (what puts people in poverty, what keeps people in poverty, how can people get out of poverty, what effect does living in poverty have on individuals) and then apply the knowledge I gain from research to actually help people and try to alleviate poverty and its detrimental effects. I could work in a government, social service, or even public policy setting. I know, it's pretty exciting!!

As far as the schools I am applying to go, here's the rundown: University of Virginia, Georgetown, University of Michigan, New York University, Michigan State University, University of Illinois at Chicago, Vanderbilt, NC State, and Penn State. I have some favorites in there, but I would be happy to go to any of those schools! So, although I certainly have a plan of sorts for next year, I have no idea where in the world I'll end up. Applications due dates range from Dec. 1 to Jan. 15, and then I should start hearing back sometime late February or March. I love where I am right now, but am also excited to see what the future holds. I will keep you all posted as I begin to hear back from schools and make some big decisions!

Chill Bumps

2009-11-13T10:33:00.000-05:00

Also known as goose bumps. They happen when you get cold. And I had them today, for the first time in a long time :)

Today has been a busy day already, and it's only 3:30! The morning started out with my final two periods of teaching before we go into second period testing next week, so I was trying to cram about 2-3 days worth of material into 40 minutes. Whew! As soon as class ended, I headed to the van and we left to go into Monrovia for a town hall meeting at the US Embassy.

Before beginning our trip, Ann Elizabeth and I both registered our stay with the US State Department, so we occasionally get emails with information about events, etc., in Liberia. A few weeks ago, we received an email about this town hall meeting - open to all American citizens, used as a forum to get information and ask questions. We decided it would be good to go, at least to see the Embassy (we had not been there before). So this morning we were able to see the US Ambassador to Liberia for the first time. I really enjoyed hearing Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield, her passion for US-Liberian relations, and her firm conviction that Americans will never again have to be evacuated from Liberia (all non-essential Americans were evacuated during the civil war in the late 1990s). US personnel in Liberia are working hard to support the Liberian government, help them in being a democratic state, and reducing the problems of the past (corruption, etc.) that sent the country into violence time after time. After the Ambassador spoke, we heard from the Head of Consular Services, Mr. Steven Harper. His role, at least as portrayed in the meeting, is to help with relations between the Embassy and Americans in Liberia. He was also very friendly and welcoming. Although we didn't meet too many people at the meeting, it was fun to go to the Embassy, hear from the Ambassador, and feel like we were part of yet another community here in Liberia.

After the meeting, we decided we needed to take advantage of our time in town. We had someone from Ricks drop us off before the meeting started, and he's not picking us up until later this afternoon, so we decided to walk down the road to a hotel we had dinner at once and treat ourselves to a delicious lunch. As I type this, I feel totally full (and happy!) after having a cheeseburger, french fries, a cup of coffee (yes, another one!), and a chocolate dessert of some kind. Mmmm-mm!

Now Ann Elizabeth and I are both sitting on big comfy couches in the hotel in the air conditioning. The chill bumps happened while we were at the Embassy this afternoon, but it's nice and cool in here too :) It has been fun to just take a day to relax and enjoy ourselves. This is also the first time we have gone anywhere without someone from Ricks with us, which somehow makes the whole experience feel more "normal" and like something that could happen any day at home. It was been another wonderful day; another chance to experience more of Liberia and appreciate another amazing and unique day.

The Best Part of Waking Up...

2009-11-10T12:46:00.000-05:00

Is Starbucks in my cup!!

This morning, for the first time in about 2.5 months, Ann Elizabeth and I each enjoyed a delicious cup of coffee. We both became fairly addicted to coffee within the last couple years (me because of graduate school, Ann Elizabeth because of early teaching mornings), but had not had the opportunity to have any since we arrived in Liberia. Yes, there is a coffee maker in our house, but I've heard rumor that using it is apt to trip the power for multiple locations on campus, so we'd rather not use it than take that risk! In any case, it's good to have a reason to kick the habit... although I'm sure I will pick it up again when I'm back in the States :)

This week has marked the first arrival of another group from the US at Ricks since our arrival; 4 men from El Dorado, Kansas. They arrived at Ricks late Wednesday night, left early Thursday morning to travel to another county, returned early Sunday morning (just in time to go to 2 church services after a sleepless night on the road!), and will be here until Wednesday afternoon. They certainly have a busy schedule while they are here, but we were able to have lunch with them on Sunday afternoon. While we were eating, they presented us each with a gift - Starbucks instant coffee mix (enough for 3 cups!!), jellybeans, and some hand sanitizer/lotion from Bath & Body Works. These small gifts made a big impact, and it was nice to have a little taste of home (literally!).

After buying some sugar and milk at the store yesterday, we woke up this morning, boiled some water, and each made a cup of coffee. We didn't have school today (county-wide holiday for the Montserrado county senator elections), so we were able to have a leisurely morning, sipping coffee and just sitting in bed. It was lovely. It's the little things that help us feel connected to home and brighten our days!

I can't believe I just wrote an entire blog post about a cup of coffee.

Hitting the Trail

2009-11-07T09:08:00.000-05:00

I like to consider myself a runner. Although more avid runners might disagree with that title, I tend to think that I have run for enough years and with a decent amount of consistency to label myself a "runner." Hey, I even subscribed to Runner's World for 2 years... that's automatic entry into "runners' club" right? I ran competitively for 3 years in high school and have run for fun ever since, sometimes signing up for races, but mostly just getting out and getting moving because I love it, it makes me feel good and stress-free, and it's a darn good workout. There have certainly been lulls in the 10 or so years since I started running, sometimes due to injury, sometimes due to the craziness of my schedule, and sometimes because I just didn't have anywhere to run. But in every place I have lived, I have run: Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and even the Netherlands. Running is a definite stress relief for me; I feel more like myself when I am running regularly.

When I moved to Liberia, I didn't know if I would be able to run. I wasn't sure if I would have a place to go or if it would be too weird - do people just run for fun and exercise in Liberia? For about the first month I was here, I lived in a no-running phase of life. I started to feel quite out of shape and was frustrated when I was winded after climbing a flight of stairs. But then basketball season started, and I had a chance to begin running again... but this time in the dark at 5am, and only for about 10 minutes total. Although it felt good to have some running in my life, it just wasn't enough to get me that "runner's high" I was missing. I wanted to run, but there were some things stopping me. First, the heat. When you're sweating most of the day every day, it's hard to convince yourself to go for a run and raise your body temperature even more. Well, the heat is really my main excuse... I came up with others too, but in the end I was just hot and tired.

In the last month and a half or so, however, I decided that I needed to be like Nike and just do it. I've now been on about 4 decent runs (20 minutes or more) in my time here. It's always hard to motivate myself to go, but each time I do it I am so glad I did. First, it makes me feel better. I feel normal and happy when I am out running, and I feel a pleasant tiredness in my body when I am done. It also keeps me in shape... I ran three suicides (sprints on the basketball court) with the team on Friday, and I thought I might fall over by the end, a wake up call that I need to keep myself in better shape! Running is fun, and rather than feeling weird and estranged when I do it, it actually makes me feel somehow connected with the people around campus.

But I think my favorite thing about running is the little interactions I have with people while I am out. People's reactions are mixed when they see me. Some look at me like I'm a little crazy. Some encourage me. Some smile and wave. Some ask, "are you taking exercise?" and say "fine!" when I tell them I am. Some just say "thank you." Almost everyone waves. Some come and run along side me. One day I ran past a soccer game in progress and one player just left the field and started jogging with me for about 5 minutes. Today I had two little running buddies. One, Blamah, lives in the village back behind Ricks and is one of the boys who regularly hangs out by the dining hall, hoping to have the chance to help out in exchange for a little food. Blamah ran with me for about 10 minutes total - I was in my nice, hot pink Aasics... he was wearing one sock and no shoes. He kept up, and talked to me the whole way... I kept telling him how strong he was, and he would say, "oh yes." My other friend Leah (I think Leah's about 10 years old) came and ran with me for about 5 minutes too... Leah was wearing plastic flip-flops. We ran all the way back to my house and then we walked together about halfway back to where they had joined me on my run when it started to rain. We parted ways and said we would all run together again soon.

If staying in shape and feeling good aren't reasons enough to keep running, I hope that having the chance to run alongside kids like Blamah and Leah will be. I wish each of you could come and run with me - it really is a special experience.

The Super Cup is Coming to Ricks!

2009-11-07T08:34:00.000-05:00

That's right... our girls' basketball team won the Super Cup Championship yesterday!! But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself...

Ever since our win last Tuesday, we have been practicing as much as possible. The Super Cup was all the girls could talk about. Last year they lost by about 10 points to Don Bosco Technical High School (a local Catholic school) in the Super Cup finals, and we knew that is who we would be facing again; there was a lot of anticipation, excitement, and nervous energy leading up to the big re-match.

Thursday we had one final practice and then invited the girls to come up to the school that evening to make some posters for the game the next day and have a chat via Skype with their coach from last year (and my friend from Passport) James, who is now in college in the U.S. It was a fun night of hanging out with the girls and re-living the excitement I used to feel with my teammates as we anticipated a big softball game or cross country meet. We also spent a good bit of time helping the girls set up email addresses and Facebook accounts. It is fun to see them learning how to use the computer and getting used to all the fun social tools of the internet! After making lots of signs and hats (little paper hats the fans wear during the game), we said goodnight and awaited game time the next day.

After an inauguration ceremony at the school on Friday morning for the newly elected student council president, the girls all got dressed in their uniforms and loaded up in the vans (this time only about 18 people in a 12 passenger van... haha). We arrived at the Sports Complex and waited for Don Bosco's arrival and the starting whistle. While we waited the school was able to provide snacks and drinks for the girls this time - juice and... mayonaise sandwiches. No lie. Bread with just mayonaise. As a mayo-lover, this was fine for me, but I had to laugh as I ate my mayonaise sandwich at how many of my friends would find it totally gross. Hey, the bread was very good and fresh (more like a hoagie roll) and the mayo gave it just a little bit of flavor :)

Around 2:30 the game finally began. I have to admit, the girls were not looking their best at the beginning... it felt like our offense was off and Don Bosco kept getting around our defenders to take an early lead. But our girls never gave up... they kept playing hard all the way to the end. At the end of the first half, we were down by 2 baskets - not a big deficit at all. By the last 3 minutes of our second 15 minute half, we had finally tied the game and then taken the lead - now we were the ones up by two baskets! Unfortunately, Don Bosco rallied and came back to tie up the score. When time expired, we were tied, 36-36.

Overtime. We had 5 minutes... and what an exciting five minutes! Don Bosco scored, then we scored, then they got some foul shots, then we scored... until finally we took the lead. We were up 41-39 with about a minute left... Don Bosco almost made another basket, but then our defense took over, recovered the ball, and we scored again. When the buzzer sounded, we were the winners, 43 - 39!!! All of our fans rushed the court and everyone was jumping up and down and yelling and hugging and singing and taking pictures. Members of the press were running over to try to get pictures and interviews. The girls were so happy!! We even sang the school ode with more gusto than I've ever heard it sung during our morning routine!

Don Bosco was a tough team, but our girls played hard and had a lot of heart. It feels good to have helped lead them to Super Cup victory, although the win is definitely all theirs! It was certainly an exciting day in the history of lady dragon basketball... winning a super cup championship in only their third season of play.

I'll conclude with the cheer we do just before the beginning of each game; "Dragons! Dragons! 1, 2, 3, 4... fire!"

Dragons Roast the Competition

2009-10-30T11:04:00.000-04:00

The Ricks Institute Girls' Basketball Team, the fighting lady dragons, had their first basketball game this past Tuesday. Each year, the season begins with a tournament called the Super Cup. The Super Cup is both a playoff/final game from the previous season (only players registered in the league during the previous year can play) and a pre-season/kickoff game for the upcoming season. Whatever its official purpose, one thing is for sure: the Super Cup is a big deal to the girls. Last year they came in second, and this year they are determined to win it all.

Tuesday's game was one we have been anticipating for a while. Because the court we play on is outdoors, the tournament has to wait until the rainy season is fading out before it can begin. So, after much anticipation, we found out last week that our first game would be on Tuesday. We were pumped!

Tuesday we loaded up in the vans - about 20 people in a 12 passenger van - and headed into Monrovia to go to the Sports Center for the game. The arena reminded me of an outdoor tennis stadium - court in the middle and seating all around. After a short wait for the other team to arrive, we began our warm-up. The girls were finally looking like a team, decked out in their maroon and gold jerseys running drills together on the court. We ended the warm-up with our new team song: "Everywhere we go... People want to know... Who we are... So we tell them... We are the dragons! The mighty might dragons!"

The game against Len Miller soon began. The other team was big, and definitely had the height advantage. But our girls were tough competition. The game stayed close the whole time - at one point we were up by 8, and at some points we were tied or down by a few. After two exciting fifteen minute halves, the game ended... AND WE WON! The final score was 35 - 29, advancing our team to the finals! The girls were so excited, and everyone from Ricks who was at the game ran down to the court to congratulate us. We will play next Friday, November 6th for the Super Cup Championship... c'mon DRAGONS!

PS - Pictures of the game soon to come!

A Moment in the Sun

2009-10-30T05:32:00.000-04:00

Hello faithful blog readers! Sorry it has been a while since my last update. Between a busy week and patchy internet access, I haven't had the chance to update. No worries, my friends, I've got two for you today :)

The first update takes us back to last weekend. All week Ann Elizabeth and I had been planning a trip into Monrovia with two of our friends from the Ricks staff. We were finally going to do some site seeing, learn about Liberian history, have lunch in town, and make a day of it. We were really excited about this as it had been a while since our last trip into town for anything other than groceries. So you can imagine our disappointment when we found out late Friday afternoon that our friends would be unable to go. The reasons were legitimate, and we understood, but were disappointed nonetheless.

After an uneventful Saturday, we stopped by the Menjays' home to talk to Ottolee for a few minutes. Somewhere in the conversation, Ottolee mentioned that she would be going into town the next day to go to a hotel pool and enjoy the sunshine and buffet all day, and asked if we would like to go. Um, yes please!!

The next day, we headed into town as planned. Although it was rainy all the way out to the hotel, we pressed on, girly pop music blaring, anticipating a day of fun, whether or not the sun decided to show its face. It seemed to stop raining almost the minute we arrived at the hotel. We enjoyed an all you can eat buffet (and I really feel like I ate ALL that I could!) and then decided it was time for a swim! Ann Elizabeth, myself, and Mia (2 years old) hit the pool and had a blast. It was so relaxing (and cool!) to just be in the water, floating around and having fun. We even had a chance to walk down to the beach... our first moment stepping out into the Atlantic from "the other side." The beach was beautiful... the sand seemed to be a little "thicker", with a little bit of a clay-like quality. It was different from the white sand of Florida I am accustomed to, but it was great all the same. After more swimming, more eating, and even some delicious ice cream, we called it a day.

One part of the day that amazed me was the weather. It literally rained the whole drive out to the hotel, and the sky was a dark, ominous gray all around us the entire day. Yet we never felt a drop of rain, and the sunshine stayed out for us the whole time. It felt like a little gift to us. We needed a little break and a day to relax, and that is exactly what we got on Sunday. I can't exactly put it all into words, but it was the perfect Sunday - a true day of rest and restoration.

Amidst the Chaos, Peace

2009-10-23T12:15:00.001-04:00

I am always glad when Friday arrives, but this week I am happier than usual to say "TGIF!" This week was surprisingly long, with moments of frustration and general uneasiness beyond what I've experienced so far. It's hard to put into words the frustrations of the week... some frustrations deal with circumstances beyond our control, some are due to normal work-place tensions you would find anywhere in the world, and some probably stem from our continual adjustment to a different way of life. Whatever the cause, I felt myself dealing with more frustration this week than I have felt in a very long time.

Thursday, however, was a better day for no apparent reason. My students were less talkative (perhaps because they were taking their first quiz of the semester...), the morning seemed to pass by quickly, and we had a break from basketball practice due to rain. That evening, we were invited to attend a women's Bible study on campus. Somewhat randomly, I had actually taught this Bible study last week, and really enjoyed the meeting. On this particular Thursday night, however, I was feeling so tired, and thought about not going. But after mustering up the will-power, Ann Elizabeth and I made it to the meeting. I am so glad I went.

Amidst a week of frustrations, I found a peace among this group of women. There were only six of us there (as opposed to around 12 last week), but it felt comforting to be spending the evening with these women. We open by singing some songs of praise - just voices and a sasa (a small shaker-type instrument) - sang from the heart, upbeat, and celebrating God's presence. Next Monen, the first-grade teacher here, taught the Bible study. The gist of her lesson was that God uses ALL people, that God can and will use anyone. The key, however, is that each person must make himself/herself available to God. No matter who you are or what circumstances you face each day, God is wants to use you for good if you want to be used.

This message provided me comfort and a challenge. I find comfort knowing God will use me. Even in moments where I feel like I'm turning into this mean, crazy teacher, God is using me. But the message was also a challenge to continue to make myself available to God. It is not enough for me to be here at Ricks; I must make myself available each day. Whether I'm frustrated beyond what I feel able to control or I am content beyond words, I must continue to make myself available, knowing God is using me and will continue to use me. This message was not one I realized I needed to hear, but it seemed to be exactly what I needed last night. I am trying to see each day as a new start and a new opportunity to make myself available to be used by God to work for good here in Liberia. The work I get to do here each day is a privilege, and although it can be easy to forget this fact, I am determined to remain grateful and available each day.

Another Somewhat Belated Update!

2009-10-19T13:24:00.000-04:00

This weekend we finally had our first cooking lesson!! Miss Jennie, our neighbor, friend, and life-skills teacher at school, gave us our inaugural lesson. Saturday morning Miss Jennie went to the market and bought all the supplies we would need to make potato greens, one of our favorite Liberian dishes: potato greens (obviously), vegetable oil, fish, shrimp, chicken, onions, peppers, salt, and another spice we can't figure out a name for. That afternoon she came over and we began the learning process.

First, clean the fish: clean out the innards, scrape off the scales and the fins with a knife, remove the head, then cut the rest into 3 sections (yes, bones and skin are still intact!). Next, prepare the chicken... aka, rinse and put aside. Third, clean the shrimp. Then, fry all of the above in the oil. Let's just say that a large amount of oil in a relatively shallow frying pan over an open-flame gas stove that sits directly above our large gas tank made for a few tense moments for Ann Elizabeth and I. At one point, we looked at each other and said, "If there's a fire, we just run." When you don't have a fire extinguisher, the thought of an oil/gas fire is a little daunting! However, Miss Jennie is a pro and successfully fried the meats without incinerating the house... whew!

Next it was time for the potato greens. Cut them up and stick them in a big pot with some oil, peppers, and onions. Cook for a while, add water and the meats, and boil until it looks ready. Serve over rice and, voila, potato greens! It was nice to have the smell of food cooking in our house... we cook, but it's all rice and beans, noodles and tomato sauce, or cans of ravioli, so the smells of cooking don't normally hit us like they did on Saturday, and it was lovely! We enjoyed sitting down to a meal with Miss Jennie and her grandson Ben (4 years old).

Hopefully we will have more forays into the world of Liberian cooking in the near future, including some trips to the market with our teachers so we can learn where to buy the good stuff!

Head for the Hills - Bomi Hills!

2009-10-19T03:35:00.000-04:00

First, sorry it has been a few days since my last post - the internet has been a little finicky - but no worries, I'm back with lots to share!

The sports teams here play some games within a league, and then some games are just arranged by individual schools. We were recently invited to travel to another school to play, so Friday we ventured out on our first trip out of Montserrado County and into another part of Liberia - Bomi County! The process leading up to the trip had been quite interesting - up until the beginning of last week we were told that the school we were playing did not have a female basketball team, so we would not be going. Wednesday, however, we found out that the school was going to put together a team, so we were set to go (in the end it turns out the school was not able to put together a team, but we got to go with our girls anyway!).

Friday morning we loaded up into Ricks' vehicles - two 15 passenger vans and Old Blue (the school's bus) and headed to Bomi. The drive only took a little over an hour - Bomi is the next county north from Montserrado - but it was a beautiful drive. We saw all kinds of trees, including rubber trees, one of Liberia's many natural resources, and we even saw... hills! Bomi county is apparently known for its hills (the road we took is actually called Bomi Hills Highway), but it helped me to feel a taste of fall to see hills surrounded by low-hanging clouds (in my mind I associate mountains and hills with fall in NC)!

After we arrived at the school and were welcomed by the principal, we knew we had some down time before the games started. So Ann Elizabeth and myself and about 6 other teachers/staff loaded up in a van and headed over to Blue Lake, the major landmark of Bomi County. Bomi used to be a major location for iron ore mining, until one day the miners struck... water! Now, tucked behind a mountain is the Blue Lake, a beautiful lake that currently supplies a bottled water company on the lake. The lake was a beautiful sight, and most of the teachers had also never seen it before. It was so fun to experience the excitement of nature's beauty with a group that was so appreciative. The teachers just kept exclaiming "Blue lake!" and "God is good!" as we drove around. We eventually went down to the water - very clear - and walked around, taking it all in, and taking a few pictures as well. Ann Elizabeth and I wished we had our bathing suits and the whole day to play, but we enjoyed just wading in a bit anyway!

After the lake, we hurried back to the school where the girls' kickball game was about to begin. It was a good game, but sadly Ricks lost to Dewey. From there we headed up to the basketball court where the boys were getting ready to play... then the rain hit!! All day the clouds had been looming, providing some great shade. When the bottom finally dropped out, however, it rained and rained and never stopped. After hovering in a hallway for about an hour, the school brought us in to feed us lunch - potato greens (one of our favorite Liberian meals!).

After waiting out the worst of the rain, we moved to the soccer field. Yes, after about 2 hours of driving rain, we were about to watch a soccer game. Suffice it to say that it was undoubtedly the wettest, muddiest game of soccer I have ever witnessed. Every player was drenched to the core, they all slipped and slid around the field and the ball often stopped mid-roll in a puddle. It was definitely an amusing game to watch. It rained throughout the game, and as I stood with my individually-sized umbrella, I had a few new friends... at one point there were 9 people including myself under my single umbrella - me and a whole lot of little boys! It's amazing how a bond can form with strangers without a word being spoken. Sadly, Ricks lost 2-1 after a last minute score by Dewey.

After the soccer game ended the sports tournament was done. We finished a little early due to weather, so at the students' request, we took them all up to see Blue Lake. This time we spent more time up at the water bottling factory. Who would have thought that I would come to Liberia to see how water is bottled?! It's an interesting process that would be long and boring to describe, but it was a wonderful experience to share with the teachers and students.

After leaving Blue Lake we headed back to Ricks. The formerly short drive was now long and slow... Old Blue was having some issues, so we had to drive about 25 mph all the way back to school. Normally, this would not have been a big deal... but at that point it had been about 12 hours since I went to the bathroom (I still haven't gotten over my modesty enough to learn to pop a squat!) so it was a little torturous! Probably more information than you needed... haha. Finally, we made it back home to Ricks, exhausted but grateful for the adventurous day. It was fun to travel Liberia with our friends and experience something new together. After being up in the hills for the day, I decided that I need the hills/mountains in my life. They are good for the soul!

As One Week Ends, The Next is Almost Over

2009-10-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

It has absolutely amazed me how the time has flown by since our arrival here in Liberia. Tomorrow (Thursday) will mark 8 weeks since we left home - EIGHT weeks!! Last week we had our testing week, and I meant to write a blog describing it to you all. Somehow the week flew by and I never got around to it, and then now it's Wednesday afternoon of the following week?! Whoa. Anyway, better late than never.

The school year here is separated into six marking periods, each of which lasts approximately 5 weeks. After those 5 weeks of instruction we enter into one week of testing. Just like I remember "exam week" in high school, this is a serious week dedicated only to taking tests. Junior and senior high students come to school on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for tests, and elementary students come Tuesday and Thursday. Each day there are one of two tests the students are given 80 minutes each to take. So, overall, it is a very short week! Especially as a teacher - my only obligations are to monitor a class during testing, collect my completed tests, grade them, and turn in my final grades. As you can imagine, last week felt like a bit of a vacation in the midst of the semester - a welcome one if I do say so :)

At the end of period 1 I calculated my grades for the first time. When I arrived here, I believed that every one of my students would pass... I would pull them up out of their misery in math, make it a fun, exciting class they loved and succeeded in. Let's just say things have not gone exactly according to my plans. In my 7th grade classes, I have about 10 students (out of 30) failing in each. In my 8th grade classes, I only have 3 failing in one class (!!!!) and about 8 in the other. It's hard for me to see this happen. I want so much to be able to go to each student and say, "OK, what do we have to do to get you to pass?" But I physically can not do that when I have almost 30 students failing, and 150 others I'm still looking after. I tell them on an almost daily basis to come ask me for help if they don't understand, but they only rarely come for help. It is a source of frustration for me.

In the meantime, we are back in the full swing of things this week. After realizing how amazingly quickly one period can pass by, I feel myself pressed to try to really focus my time during each period. There is so much material I want to cover in each of my classes, but I feel like there will never be enough time. In reality, I know that much of what I want to get done will not happen, so I am trying to focus on the important things. I am trying to go back to the foundations of math - times tables, addition/subtraction and multiplication/division, and make sure my students are confident in each of these. I am trying to teach my Bible students better writing skills.

As we cruise through period 2 here, I ask that you remember my students. Pray that they have the drive to succeed, that they have the humility and the courage to ask for help when they need it, and that I have the patience demanded to help each person I can. Although I realize that expecting each student to pass first period may have been a bit naive, I am hopefuly that maybe, just maybe, by the end of the year we can accomplish that goal in each of my classes.

Your Support

2009-10-12T08:44:00.000-04:00

First, I want to say, "thank you, thank you, thank you" for taking the time to read my blog. I can not tell you how comforting it is to know that so many of you are sharing in my journey with me. It's overwhelming to think about experiencing all this and then coming home and trying to somehow summarize it all. Your willingness to follow me here and read my stories makes me feel like you all are here with me in some way. I know some of you check in daily, some of you take an hour a week and catch up on all you missed, and some skim for the good stuff. Whatever you do, I am grateful for your time and your support.

I have been amazed throughout my journey leading to and in Liberia by how many people have supported me. People I have never met write me encouraging, kind notes. Friends I haven't talked to nearly as much as I should in recent years suddenly appear in a Facebook post or as a follower of this blog. It's truly humbling.

As many of you know, Ann Elizabeth and I have been raising funds for this experience since the beginning of the summer. I was, again, overwhelmed by the generosity of my friends and family. I raised almost all the support I need, although I still need to raise a bit more to cover my basic living costs (food and phone mainly) for the rest of the time I am here. I can't imagine needing more than $1,000 for that. However, I would love to raise additional funds to be able to contribute something to Ricks when it is time for me to leave. Ann Elizabeth and I have been thinking for a while about what we might be able to leave at Ricks, and we are still not sure. Some possibilities include providing scholarships for students in junior and senior high or contributing to one of many building projects in the works here. Whatever the case, we want to give something to the Ricks community when we go because we have already been given so very much.

That's one way you can help. If you would like to make a financial contribution, I can accept donations throughout my time here (or even after I get home). If you would like to donate, you can do so in a couple ways. First, you can send a check to my parents' house in FL. The checks should be made payable to "Cooperative Baptist Fellowship" and you need to put a note in the memo line that reads, "Holly Wegman Project #87602". Checks can then be mailed to:
Holly Wegman
25385 Dan Brown Hill Road
Brooksville, FL 34602
My parents will take care of getting the funds to me (through CBF) from there!

The other way you can donate is online. Passport (the youth camp I work for each summer that we will be having here in January!) has offered use of their online donation. Simply go to the following website and be sure to write in my name under "designation":
https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/MakeDonation.aspx?ORGID2=611267261

Any and all funds collected will go towards my basic necessities here and/or directly to the school. Let me know if you have any questions. And please know how very grateful I am for all the ways you all already support me - I can not say thank you enough!

A Letter of Inspiration

2009-10-10T13:46:00.000-04:00

I just received an email from Mr. Varney Sherman, Academic Supervisor here at Ricks. Mr. Sherman works tirelessly to try to improve Ricks, the performance of each teacher, and the life of each student here. I was inspired by his email, and thought I would share it with you all. I think it gives you a good idea of what it's like to teach here at Ricks and the heart of the mission of the school.

"Many thanks for your hard work that brought us to a successful conclusion of the first marking period. Administration genuinely appreciates your efforts and hope that you will continue to do your best as we strive to distinguish ourselves from others by what we do here at Ricks...

Talking about distinction or the way we are different from others, please see attached a little story that I stumbled over on the internet that tells about some of the challenges involved when people venture to do things different from the status quo.

The story is about a farmer who decided to plant a different crop (bamboo) instead of the traditional one (corn and wheat). The bamboo tree is a very delicate plant to grow. No matter how rich the soil and fervent your care, it doesn't grow the first, second, third and sometimes even in the fourth year. But when it finally comes out it grows exponentially in height in a very short time; sometimes sixty meters in just ninety days.

The reason for the delay in growth of this plant is simple; it needs to develop the necessary root system to support its tremendous height. In the story, the farmer has to wait for three consecutive years before the bamboo could sprout. But during the period of the three years, he never gave up on his crop; he cred, supported, and protected it. He was indeed patient.

My friends if you read this story with an open mind you will find out that it is much akin to our situation and commitment here at Ricks. We have decided to do many things differently in order to meet teaching and learning needs of students and so must exercise patience for the desired result. Like the farmer in the story you are about to read, first and foremost love and care and support your students in a way that will help them develop the firm foundation needed to support their educational growth. To do this, we must be patient, accommodating and invariably do the right things. We will eventually see results in our kids if some of us are not already seeing results.

Please remember this as we commence the second marking period: with a very firm foundation your students will do amazing things, they are able to grow to the highest peak of their god given potential; but it takes time, patience, perseverance, trust and hard work to build this foundation. Know that your students are kids and you are adults and kids depend on adults for their success. This is a huge responsibility but I know that we can make a difference in the lives of our students because we are special and different from others in the way we cater to them.

Thank you again for the hard work."

If you would like to read the story Mr. Sherman included, send me an email (holly.wegman@gmail.com) and I can send it your way.

Schmoozing with Politicians

2009-10-08T11:35:00.000-04:00

Also known as going out to dinner with the 5 seniors who ran for student body president!

Last night Olu and Ottolee Menjay, Ann Elizabeth, me, and the 5 seniors who ran for president all loaded up in one of Ricks 12-passenger vans (they have 2, one donated by Brookstone School in Columbus, GA and one donated by First Baptist Church in Columbus, GA) and headed to Monrovia for dinner. The van ride on the way into town was unusually quiet for a van full of seniors! We eventually got into a conversation with one of the students (he grew up in the states but moved here when he was 15), but overall the van was strangely quiet.

When we first arrived at dinner, there were a few awkward moments where everyone seemed to be waiting for someone else to make the first move. We eventually sat down and began to look over the menus. At that point Olu asked the students, "Do you know how to read the menu or do you need help?" Several of them admitted to needing help reading the menu. And just like that I became aware of knowledge I didn't realize I had: that going to a restaurant requires certain social rules be followed, and that reading a menu is much easier if you've read a menu before. I clumsily began to try to explain risotto and various pastas to one of the students. Seeing how unnecessarily arduous the task might be, Olu eventually just asked, "What do you want to eat?" Before long, the students decided: two orders of boneless chicken (chicken without bones is not something often seen here!), one order of fried chicken wings, one order of chicken fried rice, and one pizza (clearly the menu had a variety of offerings!). Ann Elizabeth and I both went with our new favorite meal to get out: a big ol' cheeseburger and healthy portion of french fries! I ate every bit of it. After dinner we had a real treat... I scream, you scream, we all scream for... ICE CREAM! I am undeniably an ice cream addict, and this was my first taste of it in over a month and a half... needless to say, I ate every bit of that as well :)

Throughout dinner, the conversation gradually became more comfortable. Before we knew it, the students were excitedly debating with one another just like they had in front of the whole school in the presidential debate. Although they were still challenging one another and genuinely debating, there was also a feeling of solidarity among the students. Although opponents, they are all clearly still friends, and ready and willing to work together. The president elect Mohamed Dukuly said that his government will be one of inclusion and unification, and invited the other candidates to apply for positions within his government. There was more talk of a Ricks FM radio station, of how money made at the Saturday night movie would be spent, and who would be involved in the government.

In the van on the way home the students talked about their desire for a legitimate debate team (we are hoping we can find the movie "The Great Debaters" to show on one Saturday night here). They talked about their dream of college, medical school, and law school... but how both med school and law school are nearly impossible to get in to unless you know someone, have an inside connection, or have some money that can casually exchange hands. We laughed about the upcoming Inauguration Ball for the newly elected president, laughed about some Liberian expressions I didn't know (e.g., "sour belly" = upset stomach), and laughed for sheer happiness of being out and spending time together. It was a fun night, getting to know some students a little better. Of all the places I could be in the world, I was especially glad to be here in good company and enjoying some needed laughter last night!

Hold My Hand... I Want You to Hold My Hand

2009-10-06T11:57:00.001-04:00

I hope that this blog title inspired a few lines of Hootie and the Blowfish to play in your mind... that was certainly my intent!

Hand holding is something I've observed and experienced a lot here at Ricks. First, I'll start with some observations. Hand holding here is not limited to little girls holding hands as they walk the halls at school. Here, hand holding is done by students of all ages; girls with girls and boys with boys. Of course, there is also the girl-boy not-so-platonic hand holding that happens, although technically PDA of any kind if not allowed here at Ricks! Aside from the typical boyfriend-girlfriend hand holding you would find among any junior high students, I have been surprised by the amount of older students who hold hands on a regular basis with members of the same sex. Older boys hold hands with boys, and older girls hold hands with girls in much the same way I'm used to seeing little girls do. It's as if the hand holding says, "c'mon, I have something to show you!" or "Hey friend, let's go!" There is nothing self-conscious about it; it seems to be a natural expression of friendship and camaraderie.

Perhaps all this hand holding is so striking to me because of my own experiences surrounding hand holding. Those who know me best know it is not something I have done much of in my life. It is certainly something I have wished for, and I still look forward to the day I find that hand I'll be holding when I say "I do" (etc., cheesy and cliche, yet true). So hand holding is something special to me, something that shows love in a very visible way. Yet, I find that, even without that special hand to hold, I am not short of hands in mine here. Each time I walk down the hall I am surrounded by children grabbing for my hands or my arms. I always felt special holing the hand of one small child at home; here I feel I could be an octopus and still run out of hands (assuming an octopus had 8 hands to go along with its tentacles...). I have been amazed my the number of little hands that can simultaneously be held in mine. I think 4 or 5 hands at the same time might be my record so far.

And I love it. I love holding two little hands as we walk all the way back to my house, even when doing so means we are all sweating just a little bit more. I love that with my hands I can greet the kids around me, those I know and those I don't. I love that I don't even think about what little hand it reaching for me; I just instinctively take the little hands in mine and continue walking. I love that holding so many hands feels natural, normal, instinctive. I love the way Steven (age 4) always plays with the skin between my thumb and my forefinger when he holds my hand. I love the way the little girls look at my fingernails as if they are foreign objects. I love the shock expressed by one child when she looked at my palm and exclaimed, "it's red! you're red!" In short, I love holding hands.

Ann Elizabeth took the picture I've posted here, and I think it's a great summary of my daily hand-holding experiences. Multiple little hands, never enough of mine, but, somehow, we make it work. This is something I know for sure I will miss when my time here is over.

There's a Snake in My House! And Other Random Tales of Hilarity...

2009-10-05T14:36:00.002-04:00

Yes, that’s right. One night this weekend I walked into our kitchen late at night. The light doesn’t always work, but luckily it did on this night, and as the light flickered on I began to slowly scan the kitchen for unwelcome visitors (as a good arachnophobic does upon entering each room when living in an open-air house). No spiders on the wall – whew. Wait, something moving on the floor. Wait… wait… Oh, Lord, that’s a snake! A little one, similar to this guy (see above) I took a picture of on our porch one day. But all the same, a snake in our house. “Oh Lord! Oh Lord! There’s a snake, Ann Elizabeth there’s a snake in our kitchen” I began to yell to AE. Just then we heard a voice outside, “What’s that? What’s there?” It was Mr. Kalubah (I might be totally wrong on the spelling of his name…), one of the security guards at the Menjays’ house. He happened to be walking by when I had my freak out, and stopped to see what was wrong. Ann Elizabeth wasn’t sure what he was talking about, so I just yelled from the kitchen, “let him in, whoever it is!” We needed help, pronto. A few moments and some solid “thwacks!” of his umbrella later, this little snake was being carried out of our house on the end of the umbrella like a body on the end of a bayonet. I think it would have been appropriate to have Taps softly playing in the background.

Remember that time when it was raining, and Ann Elizabeth and I were walking to the dining hall, then all of the sudden we saw about 8 boys, probably around 8 or 10 years old, in nothing but their birthday suits dancing and playing in the rain? Yeah, that happened on Sunday evening. In the midst of a downpour, these little boys were frolicking around butt naked on the basketball court, looking like this was the best thing they could imagine doing at that moment. Ann Elizabeth and I just kept looking at each other and saying, “Really? This is happening.” As soon as the dinner bell began to ring, the boys scattered, although not seeming to feel too anxious about the oncoming student body, or our presence there before them. They grabbed their clothes, and then stayed around the dining hall. As dinner was ending, they snuck around asking the students to dump their leftover food in plastic bags so they would have something to eat for the night. They seemed to enjoy this daring game as much as they enjoyed being naked in the rain… but of course this time success meant dinner and failure meant going without.

Remember that time, right after we saw the naked boys, when we saw about 8 senior high boys from the school playing musical chairs up on the patio of the dining hall? They started out with 1 chair, and eventually found a total of 3. A few boys would stand there singing, and when they stopped, the boys would fight and push until only 3 butts were in each of the 3 chairs. It was definitely musical chairs, but without recorded music (all a-capella), and with senior high boys.

Sometimes we just have to laugh at everything happening around us, and I hope you get a laugh out of some of these too!

I Heard it at Ricks: Part 2

2009-10-03T15:25:00.001-04:00

Friday was another day of sports and fun here at Ricks. After announcing the winner of the student body president elections (winner = Mohammed Dukuly, standard bearer for the Students With An Active Purpose Organization), the school erupted in excitement for those who supported Mohammed, and in sadness for those whose candidates did not win. Yet the afternoon continued with more fun out on the sports field. The afternoon began with a football (soccer) game of staff vs. students. While standing out on the field watching the game, I had a few conversations I thought I would share.

Morris (pictured left, top): Morris is in my 7th grade class. I'm always excited when I have the opportunity to talk to one of my students outside the classroom. Seeing Morris's camera, and having mine out as well, I knew we had an instant conversation starter. Morris told me that he is sponsored by a man who lives in NYC. This photographer sponsors Morris and 5 or 6 others, providing them cameras and teaching them to use them. I believe Morris said he will be coming in December when the students are on break to work with Morris more in developing his photography skills. What a great experience - I'm grateful to this person in NYC for helping cultivate the artistic talents of some of the boys here at Ricks!

Fabunde (pictured left, bottom): Fabunde is in the 10th grade class here, so he is not one of my students. However, we had previously met when he talked to me about one of his friends who came with Mercer earlier this year who was interested in knowing more about the opportunity to teach here for a year. I saw Fabunde out at the game, and we got to talking again. We talked for at least an hour, about everything from the sights to be seen in different US States to a medical condition that keeps Fabunde from participating in sports (he enjoys playing table tennis instead). We talked about Christmas, and how it's celebrated in each of our countries. In Liberia, Fabunde told me that many people have a big meal with their families (that part sounds familiar), but the evening is often spent going out with friends to entertainment clubs (places where you can watch sporting events, TV shows, etc... I think, I've not been to one yet). Fabunde was very inquisitive and asked me several questions about life in the US. At one point, he asked me what kind of difficulties I faced in high school. I thought for a minute, and very sincerely told him that I had self-esteem issues, that I didn't think I was pretty, that I was shy and had trouble talking to people, especially boys. He laughed a little. He clarified and told me that in Liberia, common difficulties are figuring out whether you'll be able to go to school; if you can get in to school, you face the difficulty of how you will get to school each day (take a taxi? walk many miles?). He told me how some students come to school hungry and can't afford to buy any food at the school (lunch is only provided for boarding students), and how some students might go a day without a meal. He told me that he has a medical condition that keeps him from playing sports unless he can take a medicine which is too expensive to afford (about $25 for a month's supply).

I felt immediately foolish and absurdly American. What could I say? My biggest struggles were not feeling pretty, wishing for boyfriends and best friends, and being overly quiet. How can I even begin to compare that with the struggles Fabunde described for Liberian students? I simply can not. It really just leaves me speechless. In response I told Fabunde that we were lucky that all children are required to go to school in America, and that we even have busses that will get students to the school each day. "That is why everyone wants to go to America," he replied.

I have always been a believer in Maslow's hierarchy of needs, whether scientifically justifiable or not. Basically, the theory is that the most basic needs (food, shelter, safety) must be met before other needs (intimacy, self-actualization) can be pursued. Yes, Fabunde and I did also talk about friendships and relationships, but these seemed like less of a major issue for him than for most 16 year old boys I know. Is it because my most basic needs have always been met without question that I am able to grapple with these issues that seem trite and firvolous in comparison to obtaining an education or food for the day?

I feel like this entry is a bit rambling; sort of stream-of-consciousness disorganization. But I'm OK with that for now, because that is how these thoughts feel in my head. I think these are issues I will have to continue to think about throughout my time here. Why is it that my needs were so unquestionably met? Why can't we just "fix" all the brokenness in the world so children go to school and bellies are never empty when they go to bed? So many questions and so few answers. But I think they're good questions. Hard. But good, and worth struggling to try to answer.

Why Wait for 2012?

2009-10-01T12:44:00.000-04:00

The excitement of the presidential election is in the air now!! Well, at least it is at the Ricks Institute...

That's right - this week is the week of student body president elections here at Ricks. But the elections here are not at all like they are in the US. There are no enormous poster boards or hot pink fliers claiming free coke machines, later school start times, and better food in the cafeteria. There is a real system here; it's a process, and the students are enthusiastically committed to it.

First, students don't just decide to run. The student must first be a member of a political party on campus. From what I gather, new political parties are constantly forming at the school. In the current election, there are 5 political parties: the Students Unification Movement (SUM), Ricks Institute Student Alliance Movement (RISAM), Students with Active Purpose Movement (SWAPO), Ricks Unification Party (RUP), and Students for Democratic Change (SDC). Each of these group names bears a striking resemblance to the names of the political parties in Liberia.

Each political party then elects a student to be their party representative in the presidential election. But before that student's name can be added to the ballot, they must first collect signatures on a petition (either 100 or 200, I can't remember) to run for president. Once the signatures are collected, then that person is officially a candidate on the ballot! The candidate is then given $25 (US) for campaign expenses. They must carefully document each penny of how the campaign money is spent. One of the candidates, for example, spent his money on popcorn and cokes to hand out to the students at Saturday movie night. I was pretty happy with that choice! Some of the students spend their money on t-shirts or posters for their campaign, and many buy paint, pens, paper, etc., to help them do their campaigning.

After all this initital campaigning, the candidates must face off in a debate before the whole school. Each candidate gets 6 minutes to talk, after which their competitors (or their running mates) are given the chance to ask questions (up to 3 total) and then the audience (student body) is given a chance to ask up to 4 questions. The candidates can respond however they want.

The speeches were impressive. Each student formally greeted their audience, introduced their political party including their major beliefs and reasons for formation. Some reasons I heard included: "here to bring justice, peace, and equality"; focus on student leadership; "leading the wind of change in transforming the school"; "elevate standards to complement diversity"; and "grassroots political movement committed to change". Students then discussed their qualifications for being the student body president as well as the changes they hoped to bring to Ricks Institute if they were elected. Dreams included promoting agriculture and sanitation, working toward 2 building projects in the boys' and girls' dorms, providing more student leadership in tutoring and academic assistance, building relationships with schools in Monrovia and in the States, providing a student lounge/game area, creating a web page for students, and even creating a Ricks FM student led radio station. Yet none of these dreams seemed to be empty campaign promises - they all seemed like goals the students would be working toward with or without the title of student body president.

If the speeches weren't impressive enough, the questions asked by the other candidates and student body were equally intelligent, thoughtful, and insightful. Students brought up the candidates records on campus ("how can you lead if you can't keep yourself out of trouble?"), their political histories ("why did you leave one political party and form your own only when you weren't selected as the presidential candidate for that party?"), or their plans for the future ("how will you realistically accomplish such big dreams?").

My favorite question might have come from a boy in the third grade class: "Can you sing the second stanza of the school song and the chorus?" At first his question was dismissed; but Olu fought for the question to be answered. The candidate put on the spot indicated that he didn't have time to answer that question... But we later learned from Olu that the question was actually not as silly as it sounds. It seems that some members of the Liberian government do not know the whole national anthem, and it can be embarrassing to have a representative of the country fumble the country's anthem. So, it would be important for a student body president to know the school's ode (especially when parts of it are sang each morning).

Like any political debate, the 2.5 hours was filled with LOUD cheering, jeering, and overall excitement about the political process. Obviously I was excited to be present and be a part of all of this. For those who don't know, I study youth civic involvement in some of my psychological research, so this is SO in line with my interests! I could go on for much longer, as I'm sure you can tell... but I'll wrap up by saying I am excitedly looking forward to the elections tomorrow and the celebrations of the victorious party that are sure to follow! I can't wait to see how the new president carries out his/her responsibilities throughout the next year!

Check out pictures of all the excitement: http://picasaweb.google.com/holly.wegman/ThingsHappeningAtRicksInstitute#

It's The Little Things...

2009-09-27T14:42:00.000-04:00

As I was preparing to move to Liberia, I wondered what kinds of things - the little things of daily life - would be different here. Now that I am here, some things seem surprisingly normal, while others are out of the ordinary for me. So I thought I would put together a random list for you of the little things of life that are different for me here than they were at home. Random, yes, but hopefully also interesting and enjoyable.

Sleeping habits. I used to go to bed no earlier than midnight, wake up when I had to, and sleep until at least 10 when left undisturbed in the morning. Now, I'm usually in bed by 9 or 10, awake by 5 or 6:30, and can't seem to sleep past 8 or 9 on the weekends.

Bathing habits. Too much information, I know. But I used to shower every 24 hours without fail (I called it my hair's 24 hour shelf-life). Now it's every other day. And by shower I mean "pour water from a bucket". Which actually is not hard and makes the old shower method seem really wasteful!

Eating. I have always been a creature of habit, eating the same things many days in a row, so that part hasn't changed too much. It's what I eat each day that is different. Breakfast = pop tarts (not toasted, of course). Lunch = peanut butter and jelly wrap (I'll take a picture sometime soon, but it's awesome) and some pringles. Dinner = rice and beans or noodles with tomato sauce or a can of soup or a can of ravioli. Snacks = fruit snacks, granola bars, peanuts. We have the occasional Liberian meal too, but those are the staples!

Clothes. Most days I wear a long dress with a fitted t-shirt underneath and my Chacos (sandals). Some days I wear a long skirt with a polo or one of two pairs of capris I brought with a polo or one of about 5 semi-nice shirts I brought. There's one dress I save for special occasions, and I did bring one pair of jeans. But it's definitely not my typical attire!

No makeup. Which is really not a dramatic change, as that was the norm for me about 2 years ago. But I suppose I had grown used to wearing makeup over the last couple years. The fact that my face is oily and sweaty about 23.5 hours a day has brought some acne back like it's 1999 again, but it's all good. Perhaps it will help me to relate more to my junior high students :)

Exercise habits. Although I've started to get in some workouts with the basketball team, it is strange to go from being a certified fitness instructor to being a mostly inactive person. I feel my myself getting less strong and out of shape, but I am hoping that basketball will help me to get back in a routine of some kind. Something about always being hot and sweaty just reduces my motivation to do things that will make me more hot and sweaty. But like I said, we'll see if this changes :)

Alright, I think that's a good smattering of things for today! I'll try to take some more pictures soon and give you an idea of "a day in the life of...". Hope you all had a wonderful weekend - thanks for all your encouragement and for taking the time to share in everything I am experiencing here - it means so much to me!

Baller for Life

2009-09-23T13:55:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but Ann Elizabeth and I are coaching the girls' basketball team at Ricks this year! Those who know me well will undoubtedly furrow an eyebrow or let out a little chuckle upon hearing such a statement. The only "ballin" I've done was a year or two in the ferociously competitive church league and a smattering of intramurals throughout college and grad school. All combined, I've probably made about 5 baskets, and no doubt took the moment to jump up and down and raise a fist in triumph when I did so!

And yet, in addition to becoming Ms. Wegman, I appear to have also become "Coach Wegman." We started conditioning on Monday morning; Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we will be working out at 5... wait for it... AM. I'm not really sure when I entered the twilight zone and became a person who goes to bed before 9 PM to get up at 4:45 AM, but it seems that is my life now! The conditioning is definitely the part of coaching where I can take the lead. After being a fitness instructor for the last year, I feel prepared teaching good form in running, push-ups, and sit-ups, and I feel right at home yelling "almost there" and "keep pushing" during our workouts. Despite the absurdly early hour, I really am enjoying the conditioning. And I can do most of the workout with the girls, so I'm finally getting my exercise fix!

Today was our first official afternoon practice. We were supposed to start Monday, but have been rained out each day. The court is outside, and apparently becomes treacherously slippery when wet. But we finally started some real basketball today! Ann Elizabeth heads up the actual basketball parts of practice, as she is a much more legit "baller" than I am or will ever be. We did some passing drills and some shooting - just sticking to the basics!

This is the third year of the team's existence. The first year most had never played before. Last year they came in second place in their league. This year we're hoping to go all the way!! We have our first tournament coming up sometime in the second week of October... the Super Cup. It's a big deal for the girls, so we're attempting to practice every day (Monday - Friday) between now and the big game. Basically, it's a small tournament with a few other schools, but it means a lot to the team, and is sort of like a pre-season warm-up.
Obviously, we're not just in it for the "W" in the game. We're hoping to really develop some meaningful relationships with these girls. A few are in the 9th grade, but most are senior high (10th - 12th), so they're at an age when we can really develop some solid relationships. We're having a party for them on Friday, just watching the movie "Love and Basketball" together and getting some snacks. But the girls were SO, SO excited when we told them about it today - they literally ran around the court whooping and hollering. It was pretty awesome. We are excited to get to know them (even though it means MORE names to learn! haha), and to share many fun experiences over the next year.

Oh, and one of the girls always comes to play in a black shirt she wrote on with white puffy paint; it reads, "Baller for Life." Clearly, it inspired me :)

Hang On, Let Me Get My Mean Face Out...

2009-09-21T12:08:00.000-04:00

Today I had to do what I imagine no teacher ever really wants to do... send 5 students to the principal's office. While grading my Bible assignment yesterday, I noticed that I had 3 "sets" of answers. Now, Bible homework is not hard. I ask the students to write one paragraph (at least 4 complete sentences) about a given topic. The present item asked them to write about how they respond to the knowledge that they are fearfully and wonderfully made. How does it change you life to know that God made you special, and loves you just the way you are? Suspicisouly, there were three sets of copies (i.e., 6 students, but only 3 different answers among them). The dead give-away was when two "different peoples'" assignments were done in the exact same handwriting and handed in together. Not good.

Ricks has a very strict honor code, and cheating is grounds for immediate expulsion. I knew my students did not deserve to be expelled, but I knew they must face consequences. I also knew that Olu know when to grant grace to the students. Had this been an exam, they would have been expelled; but for homework... well, expulsion would have been a bit severe. So my students marched straight from class this morning (yes, first period on Monday... ouch!) to the principal's office. Their parents will be called, they will all receive a zero on the assignment, and there will be some other to be determined punishment.

As I'm sure most teachers feel at this point, I am more disappointed than anything. It's an easy assignment, and probably takes just as long to copy someone else's as to do your own. I'm certainly glad the students won't be expelled, and I'm fairly certain no one else in the class will try to copy (especially after a word from Olu with all the "caught" students standing beside him). I had one student raise his hand after they were sent to the principal and ask me, "Can't you just forgive them?" After my heart broke just a little, I told him of course I could, and that as people I did forgive them; however, as my students, there must be consequences for their wrong-doings. I just hope to continue to build relationships with my students, especially the 5 who were punished, despite and maybe even because of these events.

A Liberian Funeral

2009-09-19T13:13:00.000-04:00

This morning Ann Elizabeth and I had the opportunity to attend the funeral of Joan, the tenth grade student from Ricks who passed away on Monday. First, a little bit about Joan (pronounced Jo-Ann). I previously mentioned that Joan was a student here last year. Although that is true, I did not realize that she did come to school this year as well. She apparently came last week and was asked to leave last Wednesday to seek medical treatment. Monday she passed away. Joan was 21 years old, and in the tenth grade. Joan started school in 2000 (she would have been almost 12 years old). The war prevented her from attending school prior to that, but she was determined to get an education. Her life had not been easy - her mother passed away, and her father and brother both lived in the States... Ricks was a refuge of sorts, a real family to embrace Joan, who lived on campus last year and for her few days at school this year.

About 65 students and teachers/administrators met this morning to attend Joan's funeral. In one of the books I read, "The House at Sugar Beach," a traditional Liberian funeral is described in a somewhat humorous tone, pointing out how long and filled with wailing these events can often be. So, I was prepared for a long morning, and lots of crying.

As we gathered this morning, I was surprised by what good spirits everyone seemed to be in. People were laughing and joking, and aside from the students' formal dress, there was nothing that indicated we were about to attend the funeral of their fellow student. We arrived at the site of the service - begun at the family home than later at the church next door. As we walked up, I knew we were in the right place. I could hear the crying and screams of agony before I could see the people. We soon found out that this was the site of the viewing - Joan's casket was set up in the house, and we were all invited in to see Joan. I walked in for a minute, looked from a distance, and quietly walked out. I already felt a little guilty for going to the funeral of someone I didn't know for the "cultural experience," but I also did want to see the student I won't ever have the chance to know. The Ricks choir sang a song in front of the house, continuing on through the screams of agony and sadness from Joan's family members. At the point some of the students were getting weepy, but most still seemed somber yet OK.

Then it was time to move to the church. We sat in the big concrete sanctuary on small wooden benches that would have looked more in place on the sidelines of a football field than at a funeral. After we were seated, the men of Ricks, serving as pall-bearers, brought in Joan's casket. It was covered in a pretty pink and white spread speckled with orange flowers. As soon as Joan arrived, the wailing began. Various family members screamed out Joan's name, followed by a series of messages to Joan I can't pretend to have understood. I have never heard so many people weeping so loudly in one place. The students lost it at various points... some during a song, some during the time when friends and family were invited to speak, some when Joan's casket was once again opened for viewing at the end of the service. As we all walked out past Joan, two girls fainted - one Joan's sister who had been loudly mourning since our arrival, and one girl I had not heard from much previously in the service. It's a scene that really can't be described, only experienced... but the summary is that it was loudly and dramatically mournful.

From the church, the men of Ricks moved Joan's casket to the Rick's bus, serving as a temporary hearse. After driving down a few wrong roads, we ended up at Joan's burial site "out in the bush." There was much less noise at the burial site. Family and friends got out of their cars, sang a traditional song, Olu and Rev. Teeba (also from Ricks) said prayers and benedictions, and Joan was laid to rest. Flowers were thrown on her casket as the dirt was laid on top, and everyone left to go their separate ways. In the car on the way back we joked, shared some candy, and bought some coconuts for a drink.

That's the description... now for the reflection. As a person who is not known for being overly emotional and is pretty good at holding back tears so as to not be seen crying in public, today's show of emotion was a different experience for me. I confess, I almost laughed the first time I heard a scream of agony - to me it sounded like someone was presently being killed! It's hard for me to imagine expressing sadness in that way. But as I took in everything happening around me, I tried to see it from the "Liberian perspective." It seems as if all the sadness, all the grief over losing this person - a sister, friend, and student - was saved up for this morning's service. The high spirits of the students before and after the service - and even at the burial - stood in contrast to their audible cries during the service. It seems to me that each person saves up their mourning, saves up their feeling of loss and the knowledge that Joan will be deeply missed, until the moment they are before HER. Until the moment when her body is before them, then they wail so Joan can hear. They wail so Joan will know she is, indeed, missed. To me, the funeral service lacked something most other services - especially those for young people - usually have; a long discussion of the things Joan has done, and the things she would have done if only life was not taken from her. Instead there was only a brief summary of the facts of her life (when she was born, who her parents were, and where she went to school). I think it was assumed that people knew Joan - why would they have to talk about who she was when everyone already knew? The service was filled with people saying their goodbyes to Joan, praying for Joan, and wailing in sadness that she is no longer with us.

In retrospect, perhaps this isn't all that different from my own way of expressing emotion. I too on occasion will bottle up a feeling, and only release it when I feel that the timing is right. Perhaps that is what the funeral was for... save up your sadness and put all your energy into letting it go when the time is right - to say goodbye to Joan one last time while she is still there.

PS - New pictures uploaded! http://picasaweb.google.com/holly.wegman

A Different Pace of Life

2009-09-18T12:36:00.000-04:00

My life is different here in Liberia. Yes, I suddenly find myself teaching junior high schoolers, I think toilets that flush are mildly humorous, and I consider a rolled up peanut butter and jelly wrap a perfectly normal (and totally delicious) lunch. But overall, these things are not the main difference. For me, one of the biggest differences - one of the biggest adjustments I've had to make - is the pace of life.

I am chronically over-committed. There are too many fun or worthwhile or just plain interesting things to do in life, and I find it exceedingly difficult to pass up any opportunity (although I have been improving in this area over the past 2 years, I still need some work!). Although at times I love this about myself, this quality has also left me constantly busy. Each day is scheduled, and the unscheduled days are good times for me to find something to do. Of course I'll have the occasional day spent losing brain cells in front of a TV, usually on a school break of some kind. But for the most part, my life has been constantly going, running from place to place, and filling every open hour I could with something to do.

That does not describe my life here in Liberia. Sure, I am staying busy, and there is some scheduling in my life. I am at school each day from 7:30 AM to somewhere between 11 AM and 3 PM. I have lesson plans to make each night, usually some grading and other record-keeping to do. But when I'm done with that, I'm done with the things on my "to-do list." There's this strange phenomenon I'm discovering where there's a time for work, and then a time when work is done. This never happened to me in college or graduate school, and it's taking some getting used to.

Liberians also have a different sense of time than Americans. The school day always starts on time. Aside from that, many things are said to start on a particular day at a particular time (as I dutifully write down in my plan book), but end up happening later, or perhaps even another day. There have been a few times where I have prepped for a meeting or gone to the school for something to happen, only to find that the precise time stated is not, in fact, set in stone. For example, yesterday I was told to meet with my advisory group (about 15 students I serve as adviser for). After pressing for a time and place, I was told 1:00 in the chapel. I showed up, waited, no one ever came. The students seemed to be just hanging out around the school, not going to meetings. I asked another teacher what was happening, and she advised me to find one student I knew from my life (I don't know them all), and have that person help me find the others. Needless to say, I only ended up talking to about 5 of my advisees, and I just told them where and when to meet me next week. My plan to take their pictures and play some name games had to be abandoned. Yes, there are moments when this is frustrating. But I'm trying to embrace this different pace of life. I'm trying, instead, to view it as freeing. I'm trying to see it as an opportunity to practice patience, to practice spontaneity, and to learn from being still.

One thing I am learning... despite some obsessive-compulsive tendencies I have, here's the bottom line: you can't be OCD in Africa!

I Heard it at Ricks...

2009-09-15T12:19:00.003-04:00

The view from my front porch this morning... you can't see it as well as I hoped, but that's blue sky and sunshine out there!! The first morning I've woke to such a sight, and it was beautiful.

I've had a few conversations lately that made me smile, so I thought I would share some with you so you can get to know a few of the people I cross paths with daily here at Ricks.

Mr. Carpenter. Mr. Carpenter has a degree in biology and teaches junior and senior high science. On our way to town the other day, he caught a ride with us to go visit his brother in Monrovia. AE was with Ottolee in the front seat, and Mr. Carpenter and I were in the back. We talked about how school was going, the students, etc. We talked about his family, and his love of teaching. But we also talked about sports - how sports are different here or there (US). He was amazed that not many people in America care about soccer (aka football according to everyone else in the world!), and said that the US team is really good! We talked about Michael Jackson, and how the Liberian people love him (did you know he wrote a song called "Liberian Girl"?) and watched the events of his passing unfold. We talked about 9-11 and how, amidst their own civil war, the Liberian people watched the events unfold that day and wondered what would become of America, a country they love despite feeling that America let them down by not intervening sooner in their civic strife. Mr. Carpenter asked me if I ever think about what happens when we die. Of course... don't we all? It was a very real, interesting conversation, and I was glad to have the long ride to town to get to know one of my colleagues just a little better.

Mr. Sompon. Mr. Sompon is the agricultural studies teacher here. He has a small science lab in the lower level of the school, but he has to walk through my 8th grade class to get there... so I see him almost daily. Yesterday he stopped as he was walking through and asked to see me after class if I had a minute. Even though I'm a teacher, I still felt like I must somehow be in trouble. In fact, Mr. Sompon wanted to show me his lab. It's a few tall metal science tables, some books, and some posters. They are so eager to improve the lab facilities, but getting equipment is tough, and getting chemicals for experiments is close to impossible. Mr. Sompon asked me many questions: how's it going, how are the students, how are relationships with the staff? We commiserated over the difficulty of learning hundreds of names (he has 7th - 12th!!), discussed how friendships take time to build, and he told me a little more about the farm on campus. In the end, he asked if I could help him learn how to use the computer (Ricks recently had several computers donated, and the teachers are eager to learn how to use them. After several similar requests, AE and I decided we need to have a class for the teachers.) I was happy Mr. Sompon took the time to have a conversation, and it made my day.

Theo Weah. Theo works at the cell tower on campus, and is technically a Cellcom employee. Background: Cellcom is a major cell phone company in Liberia, and put a tower on Ricks' property and in exchange the tower runs a generator which provides "current", aka, electricity, to the campus. The tower is constantly monitored/guarded by Theo and others. We walk past the tower every day on our way to campus, so Theo's is a familiar face. I stopped to talk to him for a while today and learned his daughter is in the fourth grade. He's grateful to be at Ricks and be forming relationships with the people here. His daughter does well, but he is not sure how he will pay for her schooling once she reaches junior high. Although Ricks is able to offer free primary education, they have to charge for 7th-12th grade or they can't afford to function. Many scholarships are available, but the cost is still too much for some. He hopes that she will get a scholarship or that some of the guests who come to Ricks will be able to help sponsor his daughter. This was said with sincerity - not in a "OK, so give me money" way. He wants his daughter to succeed and does what he can to encourage her good grades and keep her out of "trouble" (not get pregnant young). It's moments like this I wish I was rich and could say, "don't you worry - she'll go to school!".

A more somber conversation. This morning Olu announced that a former student passed away yesterday. I believe her name was Joan. She was 21. Last year she was in the 9th grade when she caught the chicken pox. She dealt with a series of health problems and eventually had to leave school. She was in and out of medical care since, and was starting to feel better. Olu said she even cooked a meal on Sunday. Monday she was readmitted to the hospital and passed away from uknown causes. It was a somber moment in our morning chapel, and Olu took the chance to remind students to make the most of life. Essentially, carpe diem! Seize the day!

What conversations have touched your heart?

A Silver Anniversary

2009-09-14T11:58:00.002-04:00

This weekend was a fun, relaxing, and happy one. You have already heard about my Friday night... Saturday was wholly uneventful - we simply slept, ate, and read a LOT (currently reading "Until I Find You" by John Irving, courtesy of the Ricks Library). And that was really all we did!

Sunday however was more eventful! We went back to New Georgia Baptist church with the Menjays for the service commemorating the 25th anniversary of the church. What an event it was! After the bumpy 45 min drive, we arrived around 11am (although the service started at 10:30). We sang hymns, heard the choir perform, heard individual musicians, gave an offering, gave money toward replacing the church roof (it has asbestos, as many buildings do, and must by law be replaced... President Sirleaf herself sent a $1000 check to help!), read scripture, did responsive readings, heard a sermon, heard the history of the church, heard recognition of special guests... in the end, the service ended around 3:00!! That's 4 hours for us, 4.5 hours for the more prompt church-goers. Despite my butt being completely numb after 4 hours on a wooden pew, it really didn't feel like the service lasted for 4 hours. The energy of each person in the service, the earnestness with which they worshipped, and the feeling of community that surrounded us all made the service meaningful and inspiring. Oh, and I had a precious 2 year old (little Mia Mejnay) on my lap the whole time, mostly sleeping... something about the peace of a sleeping child in your arms makes the time pass quickly.

After the service, we were invited back to the home of Mrs. Francis Johnson, a deacon and long-time member of the church. Mrs. Johnson is also the chair of the anti-corruption commission (ACC - not a football reference!) here in Liberia - a pretty significant government position. Government corruption has been pretty rampant in the Liberian government for the past 30 years or more, so the commission has a sizeable task in their hands. She was also the chair of elections in the previous presidential election (when Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected), and has held several other important positions. It was an honor to be invited to her home (via our "Menjay connection," of course), and I couldn't help but notice the Liberian seal on the wall, and a picture displayed of her with Jimmy Carter. Her home was lovely, a rather modest two story home by American standards, a very nice home by Liberian standards. We had a buffet style meal of various rice dishes, chicken, fish, potato-salad looking something or other, and some pineapple upside down cake. Yummm. It made my sweet tooth so happy. Also - her toilet flushed. It seemed somehow absurd to see a toilet flush for the first time in over 3 weeks. I laughed quietly in the bathroom as I watched it happen.

Sunday night was filled with a scramble to finish lesson plans and get ready for the week ahead! I hadn't planned for church to be such an all-day event, but it was well worth the time, and was a day I will remember fondly.

Friday of Fun

2009-09-11T19:12:00.002-04:00

Two blog postings in one day... I know, it's crazy. But today has been a really fun and unique day, so I just had to share :) This morning was school as usual - but as soon as recess began, so did the fun-tivities for the day!

First was the sports tournament: old boarding students vs. new boarding students. The schedule for the day was set to include girls kickball, boys and girls football (soccer), and boys and girls basketball. However, it is still rainy season, and it certainly was rainy today! There was a break long enough for one complete game - girls kickball. Now this is not your typical American schoolyard variety kickball. This is competitive kickball. The rules are totally different. All the players are on the infield of the diamond created by the base paths, but the bases are all very far apart, so it's a pretty big field. The pitchers still pitches from the mound, balls and strikes are called, and the ball is actually a soccer ball. There are many rules, and I don't pretend to have figured them all out! But let me tell you - it was intense! And none of the girls wore tennis shoes... I don't know if this is a rule or a practical constraint. But the girls are out there kicking a soccer ball barefoot! They were all much better than I anticipated (after sitting through a "how to play kickball" session just before the game), and the new girls were the winners!

Just as the boys soccer game was getting started, the sky opened up... although not before I got to do the ceremonious kick-off to start the game :) I admit to feeling like a wimp when I wondered if it would hurt in my Chocos...

After a tasty lunch in the cafeteria (rice with some kind of red bean and meat of some kind in a red spicy sauce) and a relaxing few hours at home, it was time to head to the "Back to School Jam." I didn't know what to expect really, but I'd heard this even was some combination of a dance and talent show. Basically, all the boarding students come to the auditorium, and then the show begins. Acts - both teachers and students - are called up on stage to perform. The performances range from singing to dancing to rapping to lip-syncing while dancing, to just walking around strutting (a girl would just walk around like she was too cool for school, posing and walking... awesome).

While this is happening on stage, the audience is not just sitting there! Often they were dancing by their seats or running to the middle of the auditorium for a quick dance break. Many would run up on stage with their friends and dance with them. But there's also a tradition for the students to throw money at the performers... to literally ball up a Liberian $5 bill ($70 Liberian = $1 US) and chuck it at the person on stage... or even to tuck it in their pack pocket of their pants! The money often just falls to the ground, so several of the teachers would walk behind the performers picking up the bills (we think they go to student activities funds). Yes, it was bizarre at first. But the students love it, and even give money to the older French teacher who we learned tonight is clearly young at heart!

In all this, Ann Elizabeth and I both ended up on stage about 3 times each. No really. The first time we taught everyone the cupid shuffle, a dance we both do often at camp. The second time I was asked to be a "strutting girl" with another girl on staff while one of the teachers "sang" (aka, lip-synced and danced) a song. Finally, there was an all-teacher dance song where we busted a move on stage. No really. I danced in front of the whole school, on a stage, 3 times. The staff member I "strutted" with even told me I had good African rhythm. I'm pretty sure she was humoring me :)

Anyway, it was quite the eventful Friday, in a very good way. Check out some new pics, including some from tonight, on Picasa: http://picasaweb.google.com/holly.wegman

Also, in case you're interested, Ann Elizabeth has a blog too! You can see it at amcinvale.blogspot.com She'll tell you how to get to her pictures from there too!

Bible Class

2009-09-11T11:30:00.002-04:00

I apologize for the boring blog title... but that's what this entry is about - my Bible classes! I mentioned this in an earlier post, and know that I've had at least one person in suspense, so mission accomplished.

When we applied for the position to teach at Ricks, we had no idea what we would be asked to teach. So when we received our assignments, I was given junior high math (which sort of made sense as I'd been teaching statistics at Wake), and Bible. I imagine I was assigned to teach Bible because I told them I majored in religion in college? But for the longest time, I knew nothing beyond, "you're teaching 9th grade Bible." I often wondered what it would mean to teach Bible. Maybe Bible stories, learning characters, etc.? Maybe history of the Bible? Applications from the Bible for daily living? I was somewhat nervous about this Bible assignment because, 1) I had no idea what I would be doing, 2) I did major in religion, but I'm no Bible scholar, and 3) there are some things that people might want me to teach in "Bible class" that I wouldn't be comfortable teaching.

Finally, after being in Liberia a few days, I met with Rev. Teeba, the head of the religion department. Our meeting only lasted about 5 minutes, and I walked away with two books that were to serve as my curriculum guide for the year: "Choose Life" and "Valuing Sexuality." Despite the implications in the US of the first book's title, it is not actually a book about abortion.

Choose life is about HIV/AIDS. That is what I am teaching first semester! Although I was initially skeptical about spending my year in Bible class talking about sex with 9th graders (just think on that for a moment... haha), I became more excited as I looked further into the content of the books. I won't bore you with a rundown of my lesson plans for the year, but here's the basic gist: Start out talking about "being yourself" and being confident in who you are; building relationships of all kinds and having people in your life you can talk to and communicate with; learning about HIV/AIDS, how it's spread, and ways the students can reduce their risk of contracting HIV.

This is certainly NOT what I expected to be doing in Bible class... but I am very excited nonetheless. Although AIDS is not as common in Liberia as it is in some other Sub-Saharan African nations, it is unarguably a growing issue. From what I gather, it seems that some people don't really think AIDS is real, or think it's something that "other people" get, not people like them. On my first day of class, I had all my students fill out index cards with some information about themselves on it. In Bible class, I asked them to tell me whether they personally knew someone who had HIV/AIDS. I'm not sure why, but many students laughed when I told them this question. I think it's evidence of the stigma surrounding AIDS here. However, about half my students said they did know someone with AIDS.

I am also, strangely enough, looking forward to talking more specifically about valuing sexuality next term. The culture surrounding sex here can not be described adequately in a few lines of a blog; suffice it to say that the students - particularly the girls - need to know that they don't have to have sex to get ahead. They need to know that they should not have to have sex to get a job, or just because someone wants to have sex with them. The boys need to know that sex isn't something they have a right to get whenever they want it. I'd love to say that my sweet ninth graders will hear this as a preventative message, but that would be naive. Many girls become sexually active at a very early age here - often just after puberty, and not always by their own choice.

In sum, 9th grade Bible class with Ms. Wegman is very different from the students' previous Bible classes (this is the first year they're doing the HIV/AIDS curriculum). I also have a different teaching style than the students are used to. Although they expect me to write on the board the things I want them to be able to repeat back to me, I rarely pick up a peice of chalk. I want them to discuss. I want them to express their opinions in class. And above all I want them to continue to think about these issues on their own outside of the classroom. I don't plan on telling them any answers, or specific guidelines about what's right or wrong. And no, I won't answer the question, "how far is too far?". Because it doesn't matter what I say. And it doesn't really matter if I tell them what I personally think the Bible says. It matters what they really believe. It matters how they process this, how they relate to it, and how they think it effects their own lives. So I hope this semester of Bible will be challenging for them, as they think about the intersection in their lives of their faith and some very real and very tough issues they must face each day.

A Little of This, A Little of That

2009-09-09T14:20:00.003-04:00

Hello faithful blog readers :) Usually, I sit down to write with many things in mind I want to tell you about. Today, I don't have a particular story I'm bursting to share, so this entry will be filled with some (hopefully) fun randomness, things people have asked me or might want to know, etc. So, enjoy!

Students: I'm finally starting to learn some names. Some. My student count is up to, I think, 181. The students are in 7th - 9th grades and range in age from 11 to 21, although I'd say about 75% of each class is close to the average age in the US for that grade. The fact that, up to 2004, the students really didn't know Liberia without civil war meant that for many school was a luxury. Several of the warring factions were known for recruiting young boys to be soldiers, so for many school was not even a thought. Because so many children did not have the opportunity to attend school for many years, the educational system in Liberia has a lot of catching up to do. The Ricks Institute is doing everything it can to help close this gap and bring hope and the chance for success and opportunity to each student's life.

The Supermarket: Where we go when we need food. Which seems obvious, but this is not where most Liberians shop. Most Liberians buy almost everything they need at outdoor markets. The market has many small booths and people walking around carrying their goods, either balanced on their heads or in a wheelbarrow. There are a few reasons we haven't shopped the market too much yet. First, we need to learn what items are really supposed to cost, otherwise we're likely to be overcharged. Second, we don't really know how to cook much Liberian food yet, so we wouldn't know what to buy or what to do with it (see below). So we shop in the supermarket, which makes me feel super touristy and American (not how I want to feel). But the supermarket is expensive like whoa. For example, we paid $5.50 for a pack of 10 fruit snacks, or about $8 for a medium sized jar of peanut butter. Crazy, but we're paying for the shipping!

Learning Liberian Food: We're slowly trying to learn to eat and make Liberian food. So far we've eaten potato greens w/ rice, "beans" (small red beans, beef, red spicy sauce) w/ rice, grilled fish (the WHOLE fish, head, skin and all), plantains (YUM), cassava with cassava gravy (cassava is actually a potato-like, starchy root), and some (semi) boiled peanuts. We've had several people offer to help us learn to cook. We think we have a date for next weekend with Ruth, the school nurse, to take us to market, show us what to get, and show us how to cook! So exciting!

The President: Apparently she stopped in at Ricks yesterday. We heard she might, but didn't know for sure, or when it might happen. She came by around 4:00 and visited the boys' dorm and had a conversation with Olu for about 5 minutes. We had no idea she was on campus... Ah, well. We're hoping one of these days to meet her, but we will see!

That should suffice for random tidbits of the day. Let me know if there are other random things you want to know. I really do love blogging, and would be happy to talk about whatever! More pictures soon to come (including one of the fish we ate!).

The Perspective I've Been Waiting For

2009-09-06T10:13:00.006-04:00

I write today from a perspective I've been wondering about for so long: the weekend after my first week of classes. Preparing for my time in Liberia, there were so many details to think about: what clothes do I pack; how many over the counter meds might we need; what shots do I need to get. Perhaps most pressing was this question: what does it take to teach junior high in Liberia, what will I be teaching, and can I really do this? Really? This question seemed to be the one I couldn't just answer and check off a list, figure out and pack in my suitcase. So I've been wondering for months how I would be feeling after my first week of classes.

It's still difficult to summarize an answer to this question, but right now, I'd say I'm feeling pretty good. It was a trying week, for sure. There have been a number of challenges, some expected and some a total surprise: lots of students in class (between 26 and 32 in each), short classes (40 min), teachers changing classes instead of students (with no time between classes), having to review things I assumed the students would know (odd vs. even numbers, adding subtracting, multiplying, dividing large numbers), the language barrier (we all speak English, but with very different accents), learning about 170 names (some of which I clearly pronounce wrong despite repeatedly asking, "is that how I say your name?"), and struggling to keep students' attention (stop talking!). I imagine many of these are struggles that any first-time teacher would experience. Although the list is long, it is not an impossible list - not at all.

There are moments I feel discouraged, moments where I wonder how I'm going to teach as much this year as I hope to. But I keep reminding myself that, 1) I've only been with my students 1 week - I have 31 more with them! and 2) if I teach them something, even if we don't accomplish everything I think we can, that is still something. I guess that comes back to the theme of this blog. I can't re-teach everything the students haven't learned in math and teach them every single thing they are supposed to learn in 7th/8th grade, but I can teach them something. And that's why I'm here - to do the something that I can. To show them that they are brilliant and can succeed in school if they use the resources presented to them and commit themselves to learning. Ricks is a place of opportunity, and I just want my students to see that and grab hold of all the possibilities around them.

Bible class is a different story. My 9th graders... love them. Bible is much more discussion based, and not at all what you'd expect. I'll leave some suspense to exactly what I get to do in Bible... I feel it deserves its own separate posting :)

After our week of school ended, we have been mostly relaxing, preparing lesson plans, and I've been working on my personal statement and other related application stuff for PhD programs for 2010 (more about that later as well!).

A few other highlights from the week: we learned how to do laundry with a bucket/line, we were brought some delicious corn-bread-esque bread from the cafeteria (they're starting to bring us some food each day so we can try lots of Liberian dishes!), and we went up to the school Saturday night for movie night (Night at the Museum)! Again, so many things I'd love to elaborate on, but all in time my friends :) I'm sure I'll start losing y'all if I keep rambling like this. I hope you are all well - drop me a note and update me on your lives sometime!

PS - A few more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/holly.wegman/LifeInLiberiaPart102

It's Back to School Time!

2009-09-01T16:34:00.004-04:00

Today was our first day of teaching, and it has been quite the eventful day! I'll try to hit the highlights!

First day. School starts at 7:30AM with the raising of the Liberian flag, recitation of the pledge of allegiance (almost identical to US's pledge), and singing of the Liberian national anthem and the school song. From there, the students move in to the auditorium for some hymns and morning devotion, along with any other announcements. Today's assembly was extra long... usually 1st period starts at 8:15, but we didn't get out of assembly until about 9:20.

Pause. At one part of the assembly, all the teachers and staff members were called up to the front of the hall to introduce ourselves. About 3/4 of the way through, I was certain I was going to pass out. My vision gradually faded to white and my ears slowly plugged so I could only hear muffled noise. Somehow, with intense concentration and the backing of your prayers, I found my way back to my seat. This scene was followed by a series of me thinking I could just feel better, finally asking the nurse for help, being taken out to have blood pressure taken, and finally given some oral rehydration salts. I'll spare you the rest of the yucky details. I'm still not really sure what happened... maybe just dehydrated? In any case, I'm feeling mostly better (back to 80% I'd say!), and trying to eat and drink more. Suffice it to say, it's not how I planned to start the day, and was frustrated with my body. I'm having to learn that I am not, in fact, Liberian. Just because my fellow teachers don't constantly drink water (or can drink unfiltered water) and can eat without wondering if the food will make them sick doesn't mean I can... I know, this is obvious. But I'm stubborn and don't like it, but today was a good lesson - I can't do what I'm here to do if I'm not at my strongest. Wrist = slapped, lesson = learned (at least for the moment).

Luckily, the assembly was long enough this morning for me to feel well enough to go back to class and not have to miss anything!! Classes were smaller than anticipated - only about 24 in each (instead of the expected 35!) - although we're told more will show up tomorrow. However, the periods felt SO much shorter than I ever imagined! Each period is 40 minutes, then the bell rings and the teacher changes classes, with no break between... so you're either late to one class or ending one early. Between introductions, getting some basic info from the students, assigning books, and sometimes beginning to review my syllabus, there wasn't time for much else! I think once I go through the schedule a couple times, know for sure where all my rooms are, and learn the students' names, I'll feel much better! Not a bad day at all though - the students are great (junior high students are the coolest), and really, nothing went terribly wong!!

After school and a quick moment to recuperate, Ann Elizabeth and I headed into Monrovia with Ottolee Menjay to run some errands (we needed groceries!). While out, we stopped at this cute little stand attached to the back of a hotel on the coast. Ottolee bought us each a coke (I drank soda! haha), and then we ordered a griled fish. Which, in true Liberia style, is literally a whole fish, head and all, served with pita-like bread (pretty common here), plantains, and cucumbers. Also in true Liberian style, it was spicy yet delicious. This whole stop felt like a bigger event in my mind than it sounds here... but I think I really just enjoyed sitting outside at a table under a Coca-Cola umbrella, hanging out and eating fish.

OK, nothing else too noteworthy today. But I'm glad to be through day 1, and looking forward to day 2 of classes! Please continue to pray for connections with the students, both in the classroom and outside, for learning names, and that I would stay strong and healthy. Happy September everyone!

PS - Hilariously, we were front page Liberian news this morning... check it out at http://liberianobserver.com/node/1206

Sunday Fun-day

2009-08-30T15:23:00.002-04:00

Today has been a lovely little day. This morning we went to New Georgia Baptist Church - Olu's home church - in a small village of Monrovia. Historically, my drives to church have not been too eventful, but that was certainly not the case this morning! After turning off the main highway to Monrovia, we drove through some smaller markets, and made our way into a little community off the beaten path... and by off the beaten path, I mean you have to go down the path that beats you around a little bit! The roads in Monrovia are hit or miss - either they've been redone since the war and are therefore smooth sailing, or they haven't been and they have pot holes that could swallow a VW bug! The road leading to the church was a little winding dirt road that took us through a community of homes. Because it's rainy season - and it has RAINED for almost 3 days straight! - there were some pretty awesome puddles along the way. Basically, it felt like we were on a roller coaster... up and down, side to side, splashing here, almost getting stuck there... it really was quite the adventure!!

We did eventually make it to the church, where our attention during the service was pretty split between the actual service and Olu and his wife Otolee's children, Mia (2 yrs) and Q (2 months). They are absolutely adorable, and were undeniably distracting (but in a good way of course). The service we thing began at 10:30, but we arrive a little past 11... it was filled with songs, including one of my favorite hymns, "Take My Life," announcements, choir selections, preaching, and readings. Overall, a great introduction to Liberia church. I don't imagine we will go there every Sunday, as there is a service on campus, and we hope to try out many other places while we're here!

After church, we were invited back to the Menjay's house on campus for lunch. It was delicious! White rice with a mix of potato greens (somewhat like collard greens), fish, and chicken in a stew of sorts. It had an amazing flavor, but I won't lie, it was spicy too! My lips were burning, but I loved it. There were also some fried plantains to go with it - helped put the fire in my mouth our for sure :) So, so good.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in rambling conversation with Olu, hearing about anything from the visit some students had with president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf back in May to his vision for the future of Ricks. Olu is legit - he knows what he's doing, has a clear vision of where he wants Ricks to go, and does everything he can to get it there. I'm so lucky to get to know the Menjays throughout this year.

I am learning so much each day, and just trying to soak it all in right now. I heard it said today that Liberia is like a virus - it gets under your skin and you can never quite get rid of it. Although comparing Liberia to a virus seems a bit rough, it's a good comparison (in the sense that there's something about this place that will always stay with you). Ricks is so much the same. Anybody considering a trip to West Africa, let me know... maybe you can come catch the Ricks bug with me!

Preparing and Playing!

2009-08-28T16:05:00.003-04:00

The last few days have been pretty low-key here. Mostly just spending our day in our house working on our school plans or up at the school building getting Ann Elizabeth's room set up for her second graders. (The junior high teachers don't have individual rooms, but instead the students stay in one place and the teachers rotate for each subject, so I don't have a classroom to set up).

We met the other day with our academic supervisor and got some more details about our school yet. I am teaching two sections each of 3 classes: 7th grade math, 8th grade math, and 9th grade Bible. I have about 35 students in each class for a grand schedule of a little over 200 students. TWO HUNDRED. That's a lot of names to learn!! Classes start next Tuesday, September 1st, so needless to say I am a little nervous about the task before me. For those who have been asking about specific ways you can pray for me (and Ann Elizabeth), this would certainly be one! Please pray that I will have confidence from day 1 as I teach, that I would have a clear assessment of the needs of each student, and most importantly, that I would be able to teach them in a way that will help them enjoy each subject and be successful in school. A great deal of trust has been given to us, and I just want to honor that trust.

On a lighter note, we've had the chance to get to know a few more people a little better over the last few days. Marcus, a 9th grade student who we talk with almost daily, showed us his farm on campus, and ended up telling us his story of coming to Ricks. Suffice it to say, it is an extremely powerful story and one I will not soon forget. And also one that makes me both happy and intimidated to have him in my Bible class!!

We also have a group of kids - children of one of the teachers on campus - who visit us daily when we're up at the school. Usually they just watch us working, but today we had some FUN time together. We made sure to bring our cameras (they love looking at pictures on our computers), and had a blast taking and letting them take pictures. They also taught us several clapping games, most that involved saying the alphabet. We must have played for over an hour. My hands were stinging and almost numb by the end! They're great kids, with such lively spirits, beautiful smiles, and hilarious for sure. I've posted some more pictures (http://picasaweb.google.com/holly.wegman/LifeInLiberiaPart102), including some of our play session, so be sure to check those out (I posted one of my favorites here for you)!

So much else I want to write about, but I keep telling myself, "I've got 10 months, I don't have to say it all now!".

Monrovia

2009-08-25T17:00:00.002-04:00

Ann Elizabeth and I feel a bit more established after some accomplishments today... we got internet for our house and cell phones! In order to get these, we had to go into Monrovia for the afternoon. Olu Menjay, principle of Ricks, took us into town (Monrovia is about 30 miles or so away from Ricks) and not only took us to the places we needed to go to accomplish our to-do list, but gave us a tour of some parts of the city.

Let me start by saying that Liberia is truly a beautiful country, physically but also in its history and the spirit of the people. If we had come to Liberia 30 years ago, the place would have looked very different. Monrovia sits right on the Atlantic Ocean, the city cresting to a hill with a view all around, Providence Island resting near the port entry to the city. Throughout Monrovia and surrounding areas we can see evidence of beautiful buildings, technological advances, and modern improvements that made Monrovia a fairly modern West African nation. The heartbreaking part of all of this, however, is that these traces of progress are now shells of buildings, hollowed out first class hotels, power lines that remain idle, light posts that cast nothing but shadows, and water systems rendered useless. War lasting for decades has the capacity to devastate a nation, but even moreso the city that was often at the center of conflict.

Monrovia today is a fascinating city. It's very much at the beginning of a long road to recovery... but there is evidence of progress being made. Goverment buildings are being slowly rebuilt, and the focus of all rebuilding projects is rehabilitation - build from the foundation that's already been laid instead of demolishing and starting from scratch. Monrovia is a lively city, to say the least. The streets are crowded with people, much like in the Duala market, selling anything and everything they can to try to provide for themselves and their families.

The reality of what poverty looked like here has begun... although really just begun... to hit me today. The people do seem to have hope, they do seem to have a drive and a will to make it, and a belief that they can... that's my perception at least. Perhaps that's because the people I'm seeing are the ones who are out on the street, trying to sell what they can, make what they can, cook what they can... use whatever skills they have to earn a living. But at the same time, life is clearly difficult. There are no luxuries and no easy ways to earn an honest living.

I look forward to continuing to learn more about Liberia and her people.

Despite my ramblings, it's abundantly clear to me that I will never say here all that is swirling in my head... I'll do my best to write the things that seem most important, and most interesting for you to read. That said, if there's anything I'm not talking about that you want to know, please post a comment letting me know and I'll be happy to address anything!

Embassy, Convocation, and (more) Spiders, Oh My!

2009-08-24T08:00:00.003-04:00

Let me start off my saying that I will probably update this more often than you all might want to read, so feel free to check in every now and then and skim where you see fit!

Today marks our third full day here at Ricks, and I feel like so much has already happened... it's hard to imagine what an entire year will bring for us! Saturday night we went to a farewell party for a friend of Olu's who works as a director of US Relations in Liberia at one of the US Embassy compounds in Monrovia. Most employees of the embassy live in one of these compounds or just outside one near the embassy in the city. The compound was very nice - the homes even had air conditioning (not central, just wall units... but still!). The party was filled with mostly Americans, a few Liberians, and a few from elsewhere (Lebanon, for example), but it was very interesting to suddenly find myself in a room full of Americans, talking about Liberian history and living in multiple places in Africa as if it were the norm. Overall it was a somewhat surreal experience, almost like a pause on our time at Ricks. It was nice to make some connections though and meet some people we might cross paths with again during our time here.

We got back to Ricks fairly late - around midnight - and slept until about 1pm the next day! I suppose we were still tired from our long days of travel! Sunday was a special day here at Ricks as they celebrated the closing convocation. Note: this is NOT a graduation!! This is a point that was emphasized so many times it was almost hilarious. Here's why. The ministry of education here requires all 12th graders to take a test in order to graduate. We have been told by many that the test is not a good measure of whether a person should graduate, nor a valid assessment of what they have learned in their time at school. The problem is that the ministry of education requires the students to pass this test before they can receive their diplomas and graduate, but the ministry is often quite slow in sendint the test scores back to the school. So a place like Ricks that has a set calendar and parents who plan to come for this graduation, some even from other countries, finds it very difficult to wait for these test results. So yesterday there was a closing convocation here at Ricks where all the traditional elements of a graduation took place... the only element missing was the actual diplomas. Instead, graduates were presented a gift - an empty diploma cover. This kind of peaceful protest shows that, although the government has come a long was here since the war ended about 4 years ago, there is still a long way to go.

Aside from the underlying protest of the event, it was a beautiful ceremony. Ann Elizabeth and I were asked to sit on the front row of seats up on the stage - a position of honor we were not expecting and that certainly felt undeserved. We were formally introduced to the people gathered there - several hundred at least. They definitely outdid us in their outfits for the event, however. Most of the people - especially the women - wore beautiful traditional African clothing, many with elaborate head wraps. Looking out over the audience it was beautiful to see all the color and vibrance represented throughout the crowd. All in all the ceremony lasted about 2.5 hours and featured a student speaker, a guest speaker (the woman who works for the Embassy whose farewell party we attended the night before), several songs by the choir, recognition of the 20 graduates, presentation of awards and scholarships, and several short(er) speached by parents and other guests at the ceremony. It was a special day, and we were grateful to be a part of it!

Last night we finally had the chance to unpack our room and find some kind of organization. We've hung some pictures on the wall and done little things to make our little house feel more like our little home. We're getting more comfortable there, getting used to flusing the toilet with a bucket, and have become fairly efficient bug killers. We (and by we, I mean mostly Ann Elizabeth) killed humungous spider #2 last night in only about 5 minutes... go us! haha. Baby steps my friends, baby steps!

At this point, we have a pause of sorts today as it is a national holiday... flag day! I don't know much about it, and we won't really see the celebrations, but it means we can't really get to our teacher work and meetings and such until tomorrow!

Last but certainly not least, I have some pictures to share! Facebook is being stubborn, so I think I will mostly be using Picasa for all my picture-sharing needs. Check out the first round of pictures (if you don't see them yet, they'll be up very soon... working on it at this moment!): http://picasaweb.google.com/holly.wegman/LifeInLiberiaPart1#

Hope all is well with each of you - thanks again for being a part of this adventure!

First Update from Liberia!

2009-08-22T12:59:00.003-04:00

Hello friends and blog readers! I am very happy to say "Hello from Liberia!" We arrived safely here last night around 8pm, made it through customs without too much excitement, and were met at the airport by Olu, our principal, and his wife, Otolee. The airport was quite the bustling place, with people eager to help with our bags or give us a ride into the city... the airport was just a small one-story building, so I think it all felt busier than in may have in a bigger building!

From the airport we were taken to dinner at to dinner at a restaurant connected to a hotel where many UN officials stay. Ann Elizabeth and I both had "chicken Liberian style", which was a half chicken cooked in a red somewhat spicy sauce with lots of onions and peppers. I felt brave for trying the spicy dish, and actually didn't find it too spicy! It was delicious though, and definitely gave us a good impression of Liberian cuisine... although we're told it's not totally representative :)

From there we came back to the school... about 30 miles outside of Monrovia... and were taken to our new home. It's a small "guest house" used for groups who visit campus. It has 2 bedrooms with 2 beds each, but Ann Elizabeth and I decided we would much rather share a room! haha. So, we made up our beds, and before long were sound asleep. Our house is an interesting place to sleep.... no air conditioning, so the windown are all open (although we do have screens, which is a definite plus!), but it means you can hear all the sounds from outside. From people talking to roosters crowing, we could hear it all...

This morning we had some new adventures to tackle. First, HUGE spider. Those who know me well know I am completely arachnophobic, so you can imagine my delight at this little adventure. After about 20 minutes of fervent prayer, ridiculous scheming, and wimpy swats with a fly swatter, we finally defeated the beast. Don't worry, I have a picture I'll upload ASAP! (note that was spider 1 of 3 we have killed so far today, and it is only 5:00 pm - we are 4 hours ahead of eastern time)

Next was our task to wash our hair... the water isn't working in our house at the moment (water runs off solar power, and it's rainy season, so there isn't enough sun to supply the pressure). So we had a big bucket and we just did the pour method. No big deal, but just a different part of our routine!

Olu then came by to take us for a tour of campus. Ricks, and Liberia in general, is truly beautiful. It's a very lush green environment, surrounded by palm trees and a jungle-esque landscape. The school is on over a thousand acres of property owned by Ricks, but buildings are only on a very small portion of that land. We were able to see the school buildings, the library, and even a small farm on campus (cows, goats, pigs, bunnies, ducks, and chickens). We have begun to meet the many people of Ricks - some of the over 100 employees, and some of the students. Everyone we met has been extremely friendly and welcoming, and have made us feel so welcome to be here. I think it is going to be a wonderful place to spend the year :)

After our tour, we were taken to the supermarket in the Duall market. What a busy place! It's hard to describe for you all a picture of the market... the streets are absolutely bustling with people selling everything you could want to buy - clothes, rice, produce, bread, fish, shoes, tubs, blankets, fabric... pretty much anything you can think of! We didn't shop the street vendors this time and instead went into a little indoor market, filled with many more American food items than I expected! We bought enough food to hopefully last us a week or so (noodles, tomato sauce, rice, beans, bread, PB, Jelly... basically a college diet! haha). I did feel like an American tourist shopping in the store filled with all the American foods, but I think for now that is OK... hopefully we'll learn how to shop the market in the next few weeks!

After coming back, we took an amazing nap and are now up at the school building using the internet!

Now that I have given you entirely too much detail about our first 24 hours or so, I will wrap this up by saying that we are genuinely excited to be here... it still feels surreal that we are actually here in this place we have been thinking about for so very long. What an amazing year it is going to be...

Looking toward Liberia

2009-08-08T22:40:00.002-04:00

I've been spending this weekend at the beach with my family, and as I look out over the water, I can't help but wonder what awaits me across another big body of water. Yes, I do realize Texas is what lies across the gulf... but work with me, I was trying to have big life thoughts.

It's hard to believe that in less than 2 weeks I will be in Liberia. I recently finished reading "A Long Way Gone", and Ishmael Beah (the author) tells many stories of all his walking through Sierra Leone, how many days journey lie between one village and the next, etc. So it seems to me that I should have some sort of arduous journey to get to Ricks. Yes, we do have about 25 hours of travel to get to Monrovia, but it's all on planes with in-flight movies and meals. It just seems somehow absurd that we can leave here one day and then the next find ourselves in Liberia. Africa. Just like that. It sounds silly, but think about it... it's pretty amazing.

I'm steadily working my way through Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's (Liberia's president) autobiography right now, and am learning so much about Liberia, its people, and its history by doing so. I've been intending to write a Liberian history blog entry for a while now, and finally feel like I have some of the tools with which I can do that at this point. But honestly, I'm pretty tired at the moment (hard work lying on the beach all day!), so that will have to be my next entry :)

Let the (more) regular blogging begin!

2009-07-29T15:11:00.002-04:00

Hello blog-reading friends!

I have finally reached the point in the summer where I can turn my attention toward preparing for my journey to Liberia and taking care of all the details and tasks that come with that, including updating this blog a bit more frequently!

I am finally back home in Florida, and have spent the last day and a half doing absolutely nothing except sleep and sit in front of the TV using fewer brain waves than sleep requires :) So now it's time to get some things done, although I still plan on having a few days of excess sleep thrown in the mix!

The Liberia preparation is going well at this point, I would say. I am up to about $2250 on the fund raising front, which is AWESOME - almost enough for our $2400 plane ticket which we will be booking sometime this week (aaahhhh!!!). I sent off for my Visa last week (I can't tell you how nerve-wracking it is to have to stick my Passport in the mail...), have already had all my shots except one, have my Malaria meds on hand, and am constantly making lists and sending emails trying to make sure everything is taken care of before we make the trek across the Atlantic.

Over the next few weeks, I'll try to share with you some of the fascinating history of Liberia and the Ricks Institute so you know a little bit about where I will be going. A few books I am currently working on that I would highly recommend for you as well:

"The House at Sugar Beach" by Helene Cooper (story of a NY Times journalist growing up in Liberia, and what her life and family were like before and after the war)

"This Child Will be Great" by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (autobiography of Liberia's president, who is the first female elected head of an African Nation and whom I heard speak at Furman back in April

"A Long Way Gone" by Ishmael Beah (story of a boy soldier... OK, so this one is about Sierra Leone, but that's next to Liberia, and I have a feeling I will meet some Sierra Leonians during my journey... and it's a fabulous book)

Those should keep you occupied until my next post :) I'm still working on getting through all of them myself!

[Re]mixing it Up!

2009-07-04T19:45:00.002-04:00

Despite my best intentions to update this blog regularly from the beginning, it seems I have already missed a few weeks. So, apologies to any who were expecting a post :)

However, I do feel justified in my absence as I have been busy with Passport Camp in Macon, GA. I am the director here at our Mercer camp and have been loving working with an incredible and talented staff putting on our first three weeks of camp. This weekend marks the half-way point in the summer - 3 weeks down and 3 more to go! As you probably know, I tend to talk a lot about camp when given the opportunity, so I'll just say that camp has been great, and I'd love to tell you all about it sometime :)

The subject of this particular blog, however, is my journey leading up to and in and after my time at the Ricks Institute in Liberia. As it turns out, I already have a few updates about my time there to pass along!

Last week I had my first conversation with Olu Menjay, principle of the Ricks Institute. He is actually just outside of Atlanta right now with his wife who just gave birth to their second child! We were able to talk for a few minutes, mostly about some random details... but it was great to finally have a conversation with someone I will be working with throughout the next year.

I've also been able to have a conversation with a professor here at Mercer who just returned from a service learning trip to the Ricks Institute. It's interesting to me that every time I talk to someone about Ricks I am surprised by something I learn and it changes my idea of what life at Ricks will be like in a slightly different way each time. This most recent conversation was interesting because it was from the perspective of someone who took a group of students who were also entirely new to the situation (most had also never been to an African nation before).

I feel as if I should write here for you some of the expectations I have or some of the ideas I have in my head about what my life might be over the next year... but to be honest I am not sure I can, and also not sure I want to. It's impossible to prepare for a major life change without having some kind of expectation... but while mine are changing so rapidly and continually developing, I'm wary of writing them down. I like the change, and I'm sure the change will continue... so bring it on.

Anyway, I guess I'll wrap up for now... I'll try to write something more eloquent and informative soon. In the meantime, I'd love to hear if there's anything you want me to talk about that I'm not saying at this point! Hope all is well, and happy Fourth of July to you all!!

I'll Take Another Transition, Please

2009-05-26T14:48:00.001-04:00

In order to not be the absent blogger, I thought I'd post a quick update.

I'm in the midst of a whirlwind of moving around, training, and transitioning at the moment, so I may be a little sparse over the next couple days.

Yesterday I left Winston-Salem for the foreseeable future. I could probably attempt to write pages about how weird it is to just wake up one morning and drive away from the place you've called home for the past two years.... but really it would all end up as a bunch of ramble intended to make the following point: it's really weird.

Now I'm home in Florida for one day. Tomorrow I head to Birmingham for training with Student.Go (the organization sending me to Liberia) and then a couple days of "down time" where I'll likely be working in Passport's national office and doing what I can to get ready for camp.

Then it's off to Macon, GA to commence Passport 2009!

Catch me if you can.... :)

You Have to Start Somewhere

2009-05-22T10:39:00.003-04:00

When it comes to writing, I am often very well-intentioned. I plan to write papers early. I plan to journal daily. I plan to write letters to friends in far-away places. But the reality is that these plans often fail to come to fruition. This blog has been planned in my mind for months. Despite my repeatedly renewed intentions to get it up and running, I obviously haven't before this moment.

The problem is that I don't like to leave things unfinished. I like to start something, do a complete and thorough job, and then be done with it. But it seems that's not how it works in the world of blogging. You write something one day, maybe leave something out, come back the next day, and pick it right back up. It's so unresolved!

However, I've come to realize that I must start somewhere, even if it is at the point of admitting the inevitable insufficiency and incompleteness of anything I write here. I will not be able to write the perfect first blog that will forever endear all readers to my writing. I will not be able to write a post that includes everything I want to say (or even most of what I want to say). But I can write a first post.

Through all my rambling, I think this actually gets to the heart of what the title of this blog (and the intended theme of the blog) is all about. I don't know much of anything about Edward Everett Hale, but I love this quote accredited to him:
"I am only one.
But still I am one.
I can not do everything,
But still I can do something;
And because I can not do everything,
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."

Even if I can't write a perfect blog, I can still write a blog. And more importantly, even if I can not educate all the children in Liberia, I can educate a child in Liberia. Even if I can not feed all the hungry children in the world, I can feed one child. Even if I can not show love to everyone, I can show love to someone.

And that's why, in August, I'm heading to Liberia. So keep checking in... next time I'll share a little more about why I'm going to Liberia, and what the "something" is that I hope might happen there.