Here’s a small update on what’s been going on here in Liberia:
Unfortunately, most of the photo's wont load. We'll try our best over the next couple of days to get them up. I posted some photos to Facebook so you can see them there. We try but the speeds are just dismally slow!! Sorry!
Bunnies
There's a lady that raises rabbits in town. They're pretty great.
Yekepa
Jon and I took a trip up to Yekepa at the tip of Nimba County right on the border to Guinea and Ivory Coast. We had always wanted to hike up mount Nimba when we were in Guinea and so took the chance to go up on the Liberian side. Yekepa is an old mining town in the mountains. It has a strange Suburbia feeling about it. Nearly everything in the town was built or provided by the mining company. All the housing was built as row houses for mine workers. Instead of artfully named quarters of town, people tell you where they live by giving you a number and a letter. “I’m in C block 4”. The Mountain itself shares tri-border point with Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Liberia and has one of the highest iron ore concentrations in the world. There is so much iron in the mountain that trees can’t even grow on it. The place has a haunting, apocalyptic feeling due to years of mining operations followed by years of looting, vandalism, and civil war. The mountain looks like some strange stepped ancient ruins that runs down to a huge water-filled quarry. All around stand old rusting mining equipment and trucks as if work had suddenly and dramatically been halted mysteriously. Here and there are the burnt-out skeletons of the former mining infrastructure and establishment.
Needless to say we had a great time visiting the area and taking a break from the normal rhythm of life.
Rural Women’s Association Fund Raiser
On May 1st I attended a fund-raiser for the Tappita District Rural Women’s Associations. Groups from all over the district came together to raise funds for projects they were spearheading in their various towns and villages. Some were building women’s health clinics; others schools, warehouses, and marketplaces. I went with a friend of mine to a town about 45 minutes away called Grey. We arrived very early….meaning ‘on time’ in the US and had plenty of time to chat, eat, and chase her 3 year old around. When the program finally began there were many music and dance performances before the fundraising rally officially opened. Many important officials were invited including the CEO (roughly equivalent to a County-level Super Intendant), and the chief elder. I was asked to open the raffle and expressed how impressed I was with the women’s initiatives and explained how their work has been influencing the younger generation in the Tappita Girls Social Club. After that, each invitee was invited up to say some words and to officially give their donation. After many such speeches and plenty more dancing, we finally headed home around 5pm. I haven’t heard what the final tally was of the funds that they were able to raise but I am sure that they are all well on their way to achieving their various objectives.
The CEO’s visit
On May 6th the County Education Officer came for a visit to the school. The visit had been planned for the beginning of the school year but had been pushed back many times. Unfortunately because of the changes, there was less of a turnout then the school had hoped for. Even with the small attendance, the event was very entertaining. All 4 high schools in Tappita gave musical performances and the cultural troupe gave dance presentations to welcome the CEO Mr. Wolf. I will try to post some videos of these performances if the internet gods allow. During the CEO’s address he answered many of the teacher’s pressing questions and gave the school district some gifts and supplies from UNICEF.
Mock WAEC
The reason that Jon and I were able to take our small vacation this week is that presently, our 12th grade students are taking National Exams (the WAEC). These national exams are very important for these students to graduate or to move on in their studies. Generally the week before the exams, there is a trail run test given by each individual school with varying levels of success and resemblance to the actual WAEC test. Last week was rather trying because, for some reason, the school administration was looking to Jon and I for direction in the administration of the test. We were asked to take a leadership role in administering tests to 200 students at once for three days from 8am to 5pm and all of the small and large crises that arose in between. And then, on top of correcting our own exams and calculating the year-end averages for the 12th graders, we were expected to administer all the make up exams. After all that we felt that we deserved a little break so we took off to go to (see below….)
Robertsport.
Robertsport is one of the most beautiful spots in all of Liberia. It is also a hot spot for beach lovers and Surfers from all over the world. We went down to visit our friend Raj at his site and to soak in a little sun. We found a great place to camp right on the beach for $5 a night, took our first surfing lesson, swam, ate incredible seafood, and slept all afternoon in perfectly placed hammocks. A few other Peace Corps friends were enjoying the beach as well. During the weekend, the whole place was packed with NGO and UNMIL Land Rovers but during the week, there was no one around and we had the beach almost completely to ourselves! It was a beautiful place and we are hoping to make our way back there again very soon.
Well that’s really about it. Time has been flying by. We are coming up on the end of the school year and we are beginning to turn our attention to our other projects in the community as well as the Peace Corps trainings in Sierra Leone and Liberia. We are yet to hear what our schedule will be like for the rest of our service but one thing that we do know is that we will be really busy!
Take Care and I hope that you enjoy the long overdue pictures!
