The purpose of the trip was to host a conference on financial management (ND212′s day job) for 25 guests who came from Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea. Not only did all the invited guests show up, but they bombarded us (ND212 had a partner for this operation) with questions. One day, the group loved our mini-Excel course so much that when we suggested they break from lunch, we literally were met with groans and refusals to leave. Who knew we would find such good students in the African bush?
But the trip was remarkable for reasons beyond the success of the conference. Just before leaving the States in late November, ND212 read a book called The House at Sugar Beachby Helene Cooper, a NYTimes reporter. The book was a compelling memoir of growing up wealthy in Liberia but subsequently fleeing to the U.S. in the 80′s when rebels overtook the country. One quote in this book stood out amongst all others and shaped ND212′s expectations for the trip: “Liberia wasn’t a place where you lived, it was a place where you died.”
But the Liberia I encountered was a far cry from what that quote promised. We had a great time in Liberia. We spent time with young local Liberians & various non-profit/NGO workers singing karaoke together as if we were old friends. We ate at some fine restaurants – Musu’s (Liberian), Great Wall (Chinese), Mamba Point (Lebanese) – and drank the local Club beer. We tried to go the Club factory on Bushrod Island to get t-shirts but the guy in charge of t-shirts was out – so no success on that front. We had a 5-hour brunch at the Pakistani military base and met some very nice people. We had barbecue at a UNAID person’s house (the only fresh salad we had the entire time). We met some cool missionaries in Ganta where we stayed to host the financial management conference. We even met the President of Liberia! A strong-willed woman named Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. And the list goes on…
The Liberia in Helene Cooper’s book was not the Liberia I encountered; however, it is still a country only just recovering from years of civil war. Tremendous poverty and crime abound so maintaining constant vigilance and “not asking for trouble” are must-do’s.
Attached below are a few pictures from the trip for those who know Liberia and for those who don’t. Enjoy.
Working hard in Liberia after years of civil war...
A reminder of how conflict diamonds can destroy a country.
Women at an HIV/AIDS prevention seminar.
Liberian Karaoke!
Hoping for a brighter future.
omg, i love the last fotos of the kids! welcome home. what a trip! and thanks for those publicity links–yes, i did see them when they were on NB’s site. VERY helpful!
[...] I’ve already written about Liberia previously on this blog here. You can see some cool pictures from that trip posted as well. Ellen Sirleaf is certainly an [...]