Linnea Ashley on October 30th, 2009

When we took the left the paved road ended abruptly. The throng of vendors and people milling about thinned and the green of long grass and leafy trees took over. The range rover spit out the occasional gust of black exhaust and kicked up red dust obscuring the view from the rear as we bumped […]

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Linnea Ashley on October 30th, 2009

The mef dreams have been intense. Mef dreams is a term we coined in south Africa for the vivid dreams people would have while taking their malaria meds. I never experienced them there – only heartburn that left my chest ablaze. But here, my dreams seem to have taken over my nights. I wake up […]

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Linnea Ashley on October 29th, 2009

Today began with such promise. We (bushdiva (BD) and I) had an actual schedule…three different events that linked in some way to our new life here. First it was supposed to be KK introducing us to the county health department and then explaining the budget she is reviewing for the ministry of health; then K […]

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Linnea Ashley on October 29th, 2009

I’m out of practice. I’m out of the practice of living in a developing country. And Liberia feels so different from south Africa. Actually I’m unsure if it is really that different or if I’ve just forgotten or been spoiled. Life simply requires more from you here. From washing clothes to shopping in town…there is […]

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Linnea Ashley on October 29th, 2009

I hauled my first water…and my second. Apparently the stuff flowing from the taps isn’t potable so instead, we (or in this case, I) join the ranks of my community members and pump a metal handle furiously for five minutes until the water finally emerges slow and shy and crystal clear –though still not clean […]

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Linnea Ashley on October 26th, 2009

Cold water is what stays on my mind. Never mind the almost five hour delay in brussles where all 14 volunteers finally managed to find each other (we aren’t that difficult to spot), or  the fact that a man being deported wailed and moaned indecipherably at the back of the plane before mysteriously quieting after […]

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