August 26 Halleluiah!

I was finally able to access the internet on the school compound! Granted, the WiFi doesn’t reach all the way back to the residences. I’ll take what I can get for the time being.

The internet came in handy for the second day of school. I was able to use google.translate.com to communicate with my Swedish student. We wrote back and forth to one another to explain directions, ask questions, and talk about the Swedish book he was reading. Thank goodness for technology!

After school, Miatta come for her first day of cleaning. Man, she is a hard worker! Together, we used a bleach solution to wipe down the insides and outsides of all the furniture – a necessary task since many of the dressers smelled moldy. Then, Miatta took out the trash, swept, and mopped the floors. The whole place smells wonderful and looks better than when I moved in! Our next cleaning date is Tuesday.

Unsure of how long my internet connection would last, I downloaded updates, checked my email, got updates about the weekend events in Monrovia via the Expat Listserv, and even Skyped with my brother Christen, who recently moved up north to attend Yale Law School.

Even though we only had two days of school, all of the faculty that live on campus were ready for a night on the town. We all squeezed in the school SUV and headed to à la Laguna, a restaurant/bar near the Chinese Embassy. At first, we were all ooh’ing and ah’ing about the beauty of the place. Our table was on a dock out on the water. The light breeze was doing a great job of keeping the mosquitoes away, and the stars overhead twinkled brightly. Two hours later, we were all grumbling and ready to leave, angered over the long wait time for our food. To a certain extent, we all have grown accustomed to “Liberian Standard Time,” the lackadaisical and non-prompt time it takes for anyone in Liberia to do anything. But, when our food arrived at 10:30 pm, no one was particularly forgiving of this aspect of the culture. My chicken was delicious, but I’ve learned my lesson. Go to à la Laguna before you are hungry because it will take forever to get your meal!

August 25 First Day of School

I’ve officially made it through Day 1 of school. All in all, I’d say it was a successful day, but it can’t really serveas an indicator of things to come because only 7 of my 17 kids were in attendance. Supposedly, the rest will trickle in during next week and the beginning of September as they return from summer vacations abroad.

Today, the kids that were there represented Canada, Zambia, Lebanon, Brazil, and Sweden. I asked each, in honor of Flag Day, to design a flag to represent himself or herself. One of the 2^nd graders particularly impressed me as he described his flag to the class. He explained that the green represented the color of grass and growth; the red was for the blood shed for Africa, the orange was for the minerals of Zambia, and the black stood for the black men. He also drew an eagle to show leadership. Wow! How eloquent and reflective for a 7 year old!

The Swedish boy hardly knows a lick of English. I asked his mother to write a few phrases down for me, which was extremely helpful. I spent the whole reading time asking him, “Vad är det?” (What is this?) He’d tell me the word in Swedish, and I’d tell him the word in English. We labeled the objects in the classroom with both languages and practiced.

The challenge, I foresee, in teaching these kids is that, though they are only in one of two grades, they are all at different levels. Looks like I have my work cut out for me.

After school, Adisa and I traveled to the Cape Hotel for a change of pace. We needed a meal and an internet connection from somewhere other than the Royal Hotel. The Cape is another expat hotel, but it’s in Mamba Point. It’s located on the beach and surrounded by palm trees. I wonder if guests there get the wrong impression of Monrovia, thinking it’s a beautiful vacation spot instead of what it really is. How surprised are they when they walk not 5 minutes away and see chickens, dogs, and naked babies wondering the filthy streets?

Dinner was excellent. For the first time since I’ve arrived, I found a place that cooks excellent American food. I had a pork chop, rice, and vegetables. For dessert, I had a layered chocolate cake that tasted very much like tiramisu. Finally, I felt full and satiated!

August 24, 2011 Flag Day

Today is a national holiday, Flag Day, and it is observed by everyone. The stores have shut down and none of the staff is on campus. Even I have decided to take a break from the classroom and try to relax before the madness begins.

The Liberian flag very similar with red and white stripes. On the left hand side, in the blue rectangle, there is single white star.

My classroom is ready; it looks aesthetically pleasing and welcoming. I have printouts of the school schedule, my welcome letter, and my classroom policies ready to send home to the parents. However, I have never been so unprepared for work in my life. I don’t have a lesson plan ready to go, nor have I mapped out a rough idea of what the school year will look like. I’ve resigned myself to the idea that I will be improvising for a while…until I get a feel for how a classroom with two grade levels works.

On top of everything the copier not working and my handy sidekick, Theresa, is unreachable via phone. Hers was stolen while she was in a shared taxi riding home from work on Monday.

I used my free time today to finish another book. Since I’ve arrived in Liberia, I’ve read more adult books than I’ve read in the past three years combined! Usually, my nose is always in some children’s novel, but lately I’ve finished: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Larsson), The Girl Who Played With Fire (Larsson), The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Larsson), The Help (Stockett), and The Sorceress (Smith). I’ve begun reading Every Man in This Village is a Liar (Stack) and have downloaded The Game of Thrones (Martin) and Elizabeth Street (Fabiano) on the Kindle for Mac.

Thank goodness for books. Without television or consistent internet access, I need something to entertain me!

August 23, 2011 Rock the Vote

Today is a “holiday” because there is a referendum vote. The ballot will feature four issues:

1. The option to change the maximum age of Supreme Court judges from 65 to 75

2. The option to change the minimum time for someone to live in Liberia before he/she can run for president from 10 years to 5 years

3. The option to change the presidential elections from October to November

4. The option to change the voting process to reflect the majority (right now the government spends lots of money hosting run-off elections even when someone has already emerged with the majority of the votes)

Even though school starts in two days, the majority of the staff is not here. For some, I think it’s one of those excuses not to come to work. For others, who take their voting privileges seriously, it’s a civic duty to travel to the polls.

James, who has been at school even on Saturdays and Sundays, is not here. When his daughter was sick with malaria, he still came in to work and brought her too because there was no one at home to care for her. He drives two hours to work and two hours back home. I’m assuming he’s voting and not just taking a free day. I admire James’ work ethic.

My assistant, Theresa, spent the whole day working with me and helping the first grade teacher, who’s just now able to get into her classroom to work. Theresa has opened up to me and told me how the previous teacher treated her. The woman referred to her as “thing” instead of calling her by name! I can’t imagine that level of disrespect being tolerated in a school. Theresa has 25 years of teaching experience. She’s taught her own kindergarten classes and has her teaching degree. The only reason she does not head a classroom here is that AISM requires its teachers to have a valid US teaching license. Theresa has told me that she’d like to open her own small school, but that it’s very difficult for Liberians to get business loans.

Tonight, I baked some sweet potatoes. They’re not at all like the yams at home. First, they are white inside like a regular potato. Second, though they are sweet, they are not as moist inside.

August 22, 2011 Ladies’ Luncheon and Escargot

The faculty met from 10:00am – 1:00pm to finalize the Welcome Ceremony and discuss grading, homework policy, etc. There were some mildly tense moments, I must admit. As teachers, we have strong opinions about what should and shouldn’t be in the school’s “policy.” Thankfully, we all made it out alive.

Afterwards, James took our pictures so that he could process the paperwork for our new bank accounts. Then, Amos opened his office to us so we could pick up any office supplies he already had in stock. Unfortunately, most of what I put on my “wish list” was not available in the storeroom.

Linda, Adisa, and I bummed a ride from Amos, who was heading into town on a school errand. We ate at Dona Maria’s, which has large sandwiches for $5 and a fast internet speed. I actually had the chicken fettuccine and would recommend it.

While having out “ladies’ luncheon,” Linda told us about how she met Aminu and married after only months of dating.

Adisa’s phone rang to remind her that it was Mefloquine Monday, an affectionate nickname to remind her that it was time to take her weekly meds. Linda relayed her misadventures with Mefloquine, an anti-malarial medicine that sometimes induces night terrors and hallucinations. For Linda, the last straw was when she left her front door wide open after letting the leprechauns in her house go free. Needless to say, I began to feel more confident about my decision to take Doxycycline.

When lunch was over, the girls weren’t ready to quit each other’s company, so we decided to venture into the market close to school to buys some fruits and veggies. Before heading to the market, we actually explored some of the empty rooms in the compound. Walking through the high grasses behind the rooms caused Linda and I to pick up some briars. Adisa said some of the Liberians call them homework because they take forever to dig out of your clothes. Linda decided to change, so Adisa and I decided to sit outside and wait.

I sat near the AISM sign within our parking lot. That was a bad move!

As I got up and began to walk around, Adisa began slapping my butt. She was trying to rid me of the red fire ants that had begun to crawl over me! Thankfully, I only sustained a few ant bites on my right foot. I think I owe Adisa a bottle of wine because I can’t begin to fathom the pain I’d have felt if those buggers had gotten into my pants!

Linda returned and we walked the 50-100 meters to the market. Accurately explaining the market place really requires pictures. I don’t know if I can adequately relay the sights and sounds of that place.

First, I must say that the markets are located behind the street vendors I had been seeing on the sides of the streets. There was no indication that these stalls went back so far! Street vendors sell things from roughly hewn tables or wheel barrows (I saw one guy selling large snails from his wheelbarrow!) and make stands out of tin roofing material turned on it’s side and covered with cloth for its roof.

Second, the market is – well – imagine the dirtiest flea market you’ve ever been to and multiply it by 100. The roof is tin and held together with string and held down with rocks. The tables are blackened by the same filth that’s on the floor. The dirt here isn’t hard-packed. Rather, it’s fine and gritty and impossible to keep out of your shoes.

The tables varied from spices, peppers, fufu, vegetables, and fruits. It was when I caught sight of a massive amount of flies that I realized there were also tables with meat – pigs feet, chicken feet, livers, fish, etc. The smell was awful. I tried to hide the fact that I was gagging, and had to put a considerable distance between me and the meat tables until the urge to faint finally subsided.

Third, the people in the market are interesting to watch. Some are like vultures, sniffing out this white girl as financial prey. I always have to look to Adisa and Linda to see if the prices I’m quoted are reasonable. There are children playing in the mire and muck on the floors. I’ve noticed that many of the toddlers are taken care of by children on slightly older. Older women have no problems falling asleep on top of their tables, while younger women might be seen slaving away using mortars and pestles to grind what looks like butter or cheese. There aren’t many men here, but one kind guy did let me take his picture as he used a meat grinder to process some cassava leaves. (I had to promise to print a picture and bring it to him.)

After I made my way home with my meager purchases of bananas, oranges and sweet potatoes, I set about the task of scrubbing my flipflops. There’s so much trash mixed in with the dirt that I can’t stand the idea of carrying that in and around my apartment. So, part of my nightly routine is scrubbing my feet and my shoes with soap and water. I bought a special brush for the purpose.

Later that night, the electricity went out. Ed was out with Adisa and Albert getting some ice cream, so no one was here to turn on the generator. So, to date, I’ve had times in Africa without water or electricity. No, I’m not in the US of A any more.

August 21, 2011 Movie Night

Linda’s husband traveled via public transportation all night from Sierra Leone to be with his wife, arriving around 9 yesterday evening. Aminu is a tall, buff man with tattoos, large earrings, and lots of bling on his fingers and around his neck. He’ll be living on the compound, too. Already he’s been extremely helpful moving furniture and working in Linda’s classroom. He seems a bit shy but polite. Before he walks away from a conversation, he always says, “Excuse me”

I can’t help but wonder how having a married couple on campus will affect the balance. Albert’s happy, though, at the prospect of another man, who is not his boss, living on campus.

Albert volunteered to drive me to the 8:30 Mass at Our Lady of Lebanon, but I had to back out at the last minute. I pulled a muscle in my neck and shoulder that kept me up all night. The pain was sharp and uncomfortable, and I was relieved when I remembered that I had brought some Heat Wraps with me from the states. (I had pulled the same muscles just days before my flight to Africa.) Thankfully, those provided enough relief for me to get some sleep.

Albert went to Mass without me anyway, which surprised me because he’s not Catholic. He reported that it was a great service with African drums and all. The homily was actually the reading of a letter from the Archbishop, encouraging people to go vote in the upcoming referendum.

I hope Albert will continue to take me to Church. I miss it and feel at a disadvantage since I used to have Mass every Monday at my old school.

I feel like everyone was getting a bit antsy today. Maybe it’s the fact that no one had a raucous weekend or the fact that we know that the start of school is right around the corner, but everyone was looking for something to do. So, we arranged a movie night.

All of us (Linda, Aminu, Adisa, Albert, Ed, and myself) watched Avatar in Ed’s room and munched on popcorn. He’s got about 500 movies stored on an external hard drive, and the school has a projector. So, we were able to watch the movie on his living room wall – like a mini-movie theater. Ed talked quite a bit during the movie, always noting that it was the females of the Navi that had all the power. Albert kept asking when the characters were going to get some; Adisa, who hadn’t seen the movie before, kept muttering “Oh no” as suspenseful scenes unfolded.