Chicken Dinner

Its Tuesday. Monday seems a lifetime ago. Time sometimes seems to stand still. This past weekend we all made a trip up to Gbarnga in Bong County. James claims it is a 3 hour drive. I believe it is closer to 4. It was a three hour drive when the road had a regular surface, and not pockmarked with potholes and ditches. By the time we were out of the city on Friday night, it was already dark, which always makes driving even more of a challenge, as its harder to see the potholes coming. There was 8 of us, so we had to take two vehicals, we had the girls in the Jeep and the boys in the car. It was great to have leg room, and not having someone sitting on my lap like last time. On our way through Red Light, a very muddy, congested market area we met up with two large UN tanks. Of course my camera batteries died, so they were gone before I could take a picture. Its not often you get stuck in traffic next to a tank. We made it into Gbarnga at 10:30pm, had some rice and soup for dinner, and headed for bed. Heather and I lucked out with a room all to ourselves. I slept great, no kicking, no teeth grinding. The next morning we had pancakes for breakfast at the Catholic compound where we stayed, and Heather and I learned the art of sucking oranges. Yes, that is right, sucking oranges. Its the freshest orange juice you will ever have. You start with an orange, with the outer rind peeled off, but still with the white pithy part on, then you bite off the bottom, or is it the top.....we had a very long debate which end was which. Then you squeeze the life out of the poor little orange, and suck all the juice out. Its a very satisfying experience. Heather claims this is how she will eat oranged from now on.
After breaky, we got ready, and Josh, James, Heather and I headed for the village of Pilliloweh (no idea how to spell that). First we bought some candy to give to the kids there and some water, then we were off. first we drive on a back road to the village of Dematah where we parked, then we walked into the village. Its a nice 30 minute stroll through the trees and grass. On the way we learned that a man had been bitten by a snake that morning and died. I suddenly became a bit more aware of my feet and the surrounding grass along the path. When we arrived at the village, we learn that the snake was caught in his trap, and assuming it was dead, the man picked it up and it bit him on the arm. By the time he returned back to his village, it was too late, and the venom had done its work. People are not taught how to properly treat snake bites or other problems, but instead, turn to “country medicine”.
Our time in the village was spent mostly eating. They fed us bananas, and fresh roasted corn, sugar cane and something called country bread. It is new rice that is roasted and pounted into a powder. I walked around, took photos, talked to people. James twin sister killed us a chicken and made us rice and soup. They don’t use cutting boards. Try to imagine cutting up a chicken with no cutting board. I had never thought about it before, but it requires different techniques. James worked some magic, and managed to get them to cook him a second chicken. It was his uncles rooster, a pretty white one that found himself in the pot. Earlier, the rooster has been walking into the house where we were sitting, and Josh told it that if it kept coming in the house, he would be dinner. His prediction became true.
A boy in the village found a baby rat....so Honey, James niece was walking around with it on her head. I asked her what she was going to do with it....she said, play with it. Not alot to do in the village. Definately a different way of life. On a happy note, I believe Heathers fear of chickens is lessening.
Sunday morning we went to a local baptist church. The sermon was in English and Kpelle, the local dialect. It was on how to be a good baptist. Not being a baptist, I admit to drifting in and out...I know, what a thing to admit to.
After church, we had lunch back at the compound and headed for home. I got to drive as Kathleen was sick. We made it home in one piece I am happy to say, and didn’t get stopped by any immigration. Thank you God.

Enter Dry Season

We have definately entered dry season. Today, Heather, Kathleen and myself headed downtown for a meeting at Group of 77 in preparation for a new Family Literacy Kathleen is hoping to start and to run some other errands. It was my hottest day here yet I think. We got stuck in traffic, and without airconditioning, well lets just say, there was a lot of sweating going on. Also, we ran into some people Kathleen knows, so had a small chat on the highway. At one point we were driving in a third lane, on the two lane highway. I said to Kathleen, isn’t this cheating, and she said, nope, completely allowed. Well, if it got us there faster, I wasn’t complaining. I was very pleased to get home, and out of the hot sun. This afternoon I taught my two literacy students. Did a spelling test, some new spelling words, and learned a little bit about adjectives. I’ll admit, grammar was never my strong point, and so I am learning, just a step ahead of them:)
It was a sad weekend this weekend. We were very happy on Saturday Morning, when we saw that our goat Taffy had given birth to two baby goats. Very cute, tiny black fuzzy babies. Sadly, they were small and weak, we believe born too early, and one died Saturday night and the other Sunday night. Sunday night, I went in the goat pen with Kathleen, she was in there trying to feel for a heartbeat. When we found none, we took the little body to be buried, and put her in small cardboard box. Taffy, as soon as her baby was gone started to bleat. It was very sad. It really reminded me of the fragility of life. We cannot control who lives and who dies, when it comes down to it, only God holds that power. He creates us, gives us life and breath, and knows the numbers of our days. For some, that might be disconcerting, but I find comfort in that, it’s one less thing for me to worry about, God has it all figured.

Appliances

Wow, I can’t believe that it has been two weeks. I guess it has been a little quiet around here. This week was an exciting one, as my friend Heather from home came to join me here. She left home Monday, and arrived on Wednesday. The kids painted a wonderful “Welcome to Liberia Feather Hyffie” sign. I told them how people have a hard time pronouncing her last name, Fyffe (said like the instrument fife) and to tease her I call her Fiffy or other silly names, so the kids thought that was great. Its funny, how sometimes I can say things to them, and they don’t listen at all, then other times I say something, and I never hear the end of it. Last night, we were reading our devotions in Job, and at then end, there is questions for everyone, from William up. I’ll be honest, my mind sometimes wanders during devotions. I know, horrible of me isn’t it. Anyhow, the kids are very smart, and usually get their questions right. It got to me, and the question was something in regards to wisdom, and who doesn’t speak it, or something, and the hint was the answer started with two D’s. Out of desperation, because I really didn’t know the answer, I guessed “the Deaf and Dumb”. WRONG. The answer, which of course everyone else knew was “Death and Destruction”. Of course, dumb (or mute) people couldn’t speak wisdom. Anyhow. For the rest of the evening, the children made fun of me. Deaf and Dumb. Okay, sometimes I am not exactly on the ball.
So Heather made it safe and sound, minus one suitcase we are still waiting on. We got to go to the beach yesterday and enjoy the sand and sun. It was nice to have her with me, as many times it is just me and the children.
Yesterday, I decided, today is the day I will start to wash my own laundry. Now some of you may be agast, that at 28, I am not doing my own laundry, but the thing is, here, it gets done by hand, in big tubs, and then wrung out and hung dried. We have a washer woman that comes three times a week. So, she washes our clothes, bless her. I thought, with Heather coming, that would put it up to 8 people she is washing for, so I thought, it might be nice for her to have a bit of a break, so Heather and I from now on will wash our own clothing. I bought some soap, and Oneisimus gave me a few pointers. I think it took me about an hour or hour and a half. It is hard work, in the sun, scrubbing, and rinsing, and wringing. I definately can appreciate Martha a lot more now. Later, Kathleen asked me to take the area rug out and beat it. So, there I am with a big old stick, wacking the heck out of the area rug, to get the dirt out. Heather got the joy of burning garbage. Here, there is no garbage disposal service. We give all our veggy scraps to the chickens, the meat and bone scraps to the dogs and cats, the burnables, we burn, and the metal tins get thrown over the fence. I know, you are all thinking, how horrible, to throw your garbage over the fence, but apparently there are boys that come along and collect the scrap metal and melt it down to make things, like pots or spoons. I felt a bit like I was living in the 1800’s washing my clothes, and beating the carpet, which by the way, is a great way to get rid of any frustration you may have pent up inside.
I makes you appreciate things like, washing machines and vacuums, and garbage trucks. Daily tasks here, they take up much of peoples time. Women here work hard, to feed their families, and to cook and clean and wash clothes. I see them sometimes, at the mouth of a river or lagoon, pounding their clothes on the rocks. Try to imagine carrying your clothes on your head to the nearest body of fresh water to wash clothes, or even to bathe. It would certainly change the dynamics of our communities.
Well that is it for today. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving last weekend, celebrating everything God has so richly blessed us with. Perhaps you can say a little thankyou next time you do laundry for your washing machine:)
BEC

Containers and Trucks

Ah, a fresh new month. Full of possibility and opportunity. Our lives have temporarily become occupied by sorting boxes and boxes and more boxes, full of clothing, medical supplies and books. We were so happy with all the wonderful things sent in the container. Saturday I woke up, and remembered, today is the day we unload the container. I was so thankful that I was feeling better, after being sick with strep throat all week. I heard a few pitter patters on the roof, and sent a prayer up that it would be sunny for the unloading. By 10 am all the work crew and offical observers were here, and ready to get to work. The sun was shinining, by far the hottest day we have had since I have come. Kathleen even got a sunburn. Because I still wasn’t completely recovered Kathleen didn’t want me moving anything heavy, so I was in the kitchen cooking, split pea soup and rice for 30. Every thing went really smoothly. ELWA hospital came, and took a whole lot of medical supplies and 8 hospital beds. An Orphanage, Suzy Gunther came and took some boxes that were for them. Everything else is in our garage, front porch and living room. It is a bit overwhelming. So, that was Saturday, in a nutshell. Sunday, we sorted all the boxes of books, seperated from office supplies, teaching supplies and clothing (after church of course).
Monday. I woke up to the alarm at 6:35am. Joy got up, and I fell back asleep. Till glorious 8:20 am. Oops. I am trying to make up for last week. So, I got up, had breaky, (oatmeal) then asked Kathleen if it was okay for me to study, unless she needed me. She said she was okay, so I headed to Anatomy and Physiology land in my room. Now today, we were supposed to take the empty container to the property, which is about 10 miles down the road, and off the road about a mile, on sandy, muddy, not even developed into a road yet ground. James has been worried about it for weeks, knowing the day would come when we would have to move the container there. The worry being that the container and semi will get bogged down and stuck there. So while I was studying, it started just pouring rain, and I thought to myself, it is like someone up there has a bucket, that they are just pouring over Liberia. Then I thought wishfully, maybe there is a small area over the property where it isn’t raining. Anyhow, back to muscles in the body when the house sort of shook. I thought, probably thunder. A while later there was some flashes of lightening and rumbling of thunder, so I thought, it must of been it. Well, not too long after, Joy comes running in the room. “Aunty Bec, you have to come quick, mom says you have to bring your camera, and there has been a head on collision, and some man has his legs broken and you have to take pictures.” Aunty Bec replies “Calm down Joy” and thinks where is my camera, and I don’t really want to take a picture of some horrible accident scene. Well, I found the camera and walked out, still just pouring rain. There are about six people on our porch. I look out, I can’t take my camera in the rain, so start looking for an umbrella. No umbrella. Finally Morris, the childrens tutor comes and I take the umbrella from him.
The first thing I notice, our front gate is now just a wide open gaping space. I walk out in my barefeet, as the water is up past my ankles with all the rain. Two Dump trucks have had a head on collision. One is sprawled across the road, the other, has smashed through our cement fence, taking out the gate and quite a strech of fence. I was thankful when I made it out, the man with the leg broken was already gone to hospital. The drivers apparently both fled the scene. Doesn’t look too good. Yep, so I walked out there took photos of everything. The we had lunch, after lunch some friends came by, so we were out on the porch looking at the damage, when a yellow taxi swerves off the road and lands in the ditch, right between the fence and the truck on the road (its engine fell out, so the truck is still on half the highway) Apparently no one in the taxi was injured and its brakes had failed. Seems to be a lot of that going around. Unbelievable, two crashes in one day. Needless to say, the container is not being moved to the property today. Oh, and it has stopped raining.
No wonder Monday has such a bad reputation, what a way to start the week. Untill next time. BEC