Volunteer
I get around on foot a lot here. There is really no reason not to, this place isn’t especially huge. And the portion of it that I deal with, the hospital compound, the university up the road, is all reachable by foot. Sometimes the trail is obscured by lakes of water pooled at the foot […]
I showered with Fred tonight. At least I think that is his name. He didn’t tell me otherwise as I urged him to stay on his side of the stained tub. He complied and clung to the whitish tile, close to the window, and didn’t say much that I could hear. Normally I shower with […]
You’d think I’d have pulled it together by now. But I’m still in transition mode because everything is still pretty much in flux. A perfect example is today’s food intake: a piece of beef jerky, half a little baggy of plantain chips, and some water. At least that was the case for the first part […]
Sundays are rough. The other volunteers warned me. And whether it was rough because I was anticipating the antithesis of smooth or because, well, Sundays are rough – is a moot point. The problem began with me waking up earlier than I would have liked. I had to pee. and if I were at home […]
Still new to Liberia, I find myself trying to find a pattern to the people, the behavior. I continue to fight against what I knew to be true in South Africa because it is worlds away and does not apply here. Everything here is a product of the war. Or at least that’s what humanitarian […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
donor pendulum
The delicate balance between need and dependency is a pendulum that easily swings too far in one direction. Helping people pull themselves from the ravages of war, starvation, and poverty does not lend itself to platitudes about God helping those who help themselves. Babies die. Men are broken. Women weep…and in those moments they cannot […]
Continue reading about donor pendulum