It's The Little Things...

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

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...

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

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

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...

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

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.