Getting Comfortable

You tryin’ to eat my eyeball?

Nah, we’re just kidding, no one we know is into cannibalism. In Liberia, saying “eat my eyeball” (ee mah I bahl) translates to “are you trying to rip me off?”

After almost five weeks living in Liberia, all the routines that we had to relearn are becoming second nature. We know how to comission our tailor to make us more clothes. We know how to exchange money with money-changers. We know how to wash clothes with only buckets and a nearby water pump.

Other adjustments include learning to throw away garbage. At home we have a small pile in our yard that gets burned regularly. When you’re not at home, you either store your trash in your bags to add to your personal pile, or you toss it in your surroundings.

Much of our time has been spent with our host family. Our oldest sister Ruth, nicknamed “God’s Gift” as the first born (Gah Give), brought us to the market to buy the ingredients for peanut butter soup. Peanut butter soup is a peanut butter based stew with meat and fish, served with rice.

Other activities have been introducing Spikeball, learning how to add attachments for women’s hair, and going on walks or “walkaboughs” with our siblings.

Another cultural diference, and perhaps the most bamboozling, is their checkers’ rules. Liberian checkers is wild. Highlighted differences are that kinged pieces can move the length of the board, you can capture pieces backwards, and when you can capture the opponent’s piece, you have to. It’s safe to say we have not come close to winning yet.

Our last update has to do with our new jobs. Bobby has been venturing to various health clinics and visiting rural communities with minimal health care to understand the scope of his job. Highlights have included learning proper breast milk (titty water) feeding techniques, and learning how rural community residents with minimal education become their communities’ small doctors. Small doctors are community health assistants, and a large part of Bobby’s job is working with them.

Therese had a big week because she met her counterparts—the three science teachers she will be working with. Throughout last week, Therese helped to demonstrate many of the chemistry, physics, and biology lab practicals that we will be introducing to the high school courses. The teachers have been eager to work with her, and excited to get more hands-on experience. Most Liberian high schools and even universities have no labs and no actual lab experience for students to do. Almost everything is theory based.

This week instead of a short note from each of us, we wanted to compile a small list of the most surprising things we are missing from home.

1. Bellpeppers and salad (guess who wrote this)

2. Water parks (now guess who wrote this)

3. Grocery stores

4. Food variation

5. Walking from one place to another without greeting everyone

Thanks again for following our adventures. If you have suggestions, questions, or just want to say hi, please hit reply to this email.

Bye-o

Bobby and Therese

The content of this website and blog is Therese Joffre’s and Bobby Housel’s alone and does not reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Liberian Government.