Meanderings from Liberia

Ya Hello,

It’s your favorite white man and China woman writing to you from our training center in Kakata.

While walking through the streets of Kakata and Ganta, we are often called out to as “white man, China man, white woman, or China woman,” especially by young children who don’t know our names. Although we might see this as rude in America, the people calling out to us are usually just trying to say hello or see how we’re doing, and use this like they might any other greeting.

We’ve spent the last 2 weeks finishing up our training here in Kakata, and are now awaiting our much anticipated swearing in ceremony, so there’s not a ton to report on. Instead, we have something new for you.

This week we have both written short mini essays about some of the things we’ve been thinking about over the last 3 months. Usually our letters are quick updates with lots of pictures, so we thought it’d be fun to mix it up a bit. We’ll include a quick pic at the bottom for those missing our smiling faces :)

Therese’s Piece - “Purpose Unlocked”

A lot has changed since I’ve moved to Liberia. Of course, all the obvious things like my job, the food, the culture, and the people. But I am realizing that my acute purpose in life has changed too.

This past year has been the craziest of my life. Between finishing school, organizing activities at Hope, writing, researching, and traveling all around, I was full of purpose—to finish my last year doing everything possible that I cared about.

Now that I am without most of those things, it has focused my attention on what I care about most during my Peace Corps service. It took 5,224 miles for me to slow down and readjust my priorities. The obvious purpose is to learn from everything and everyone that I encounter while volunteering. I inserted myself into one of the most unique atmospheres that I could so that I could expand my worldview and grow as a person.

My second purpose was unknown until late. During training, I taught science experiments for high school students in chemistry, physics, and biology at a summer school. At the end of the school, the students chose experiments to present on and demonstrate.

I cannot express the joy and satisfaction that radiated through me while watching these students teach me about science. Just two weeks before, most of them had never seen any lab equipment or understood things like titrations, atmospheric pressure, or how to conduct protein tests. I believe my second purpose will be to make that same impact I saw in those 30 students on hundreds of other students and teachers in Liberia. Ultimately, I want to equip these students and educators with the knowledge that STEM isn’t so hard and is instead engaging and fun.

I’ve taught in some capacity for many years, but I’ve never felt the kind of happiness I did while watching my students’ presentations. I am beyond excited to continue teaching and working with Liberian schools to spread the joy of science.

During school, I couldn’t focus just on one or two things, but was juggling, maybe ten. However, my life has just slowed down, and the picture has become clear. This is what I am meant to do here in Liberia. And I’m looking forward to discovering a few more purposes while I’m here.

 Bobby’s Piece - “On Memories and Adapting“

Do you ever find yourself daydreaming about memories while on long walks or in quiet moments throughout the day? Since I’ve arrived in Liberia, I’ve had more space than ever to let my mind wander. Don’t get me wrong, life has been wild since moving to West Africa, but I’ve left behind a lot of my previous life’s distractions.

I hardly use my phone, I don’t check email, I rarely use social media, and I’ve shelved my long to-do list. Although my Peace Corps work and training keep me busy, I find my mind freer of clutter than it ever was in America.

A former Peace Corps volunteer told me that Peace Corps made him more capable of flexing his “Type B” muscles. He said he learned how to operate with lots of ambiguity and without “life’s guide rails” that are so present in many Americans’ lives. I’m beginning to understand what he meant.

My life and work here will not operate on the same kind of Type A workflows I’m used to. In America we use a million different tools to organize our days down to the minute. This Type B way of living and lack of ultra organization and clutter has gifted me more time to reminisce on memories and daydream.

With newfound space to wonder and think, I’ve been wondering what the best ways are for me to evaluate how I’m living my life. Although I think it foolish to rely on only one index to evaluate a life well lived, one thing I keep coming back to, is the idea that how you remember your memories can be a good proxy for how well you’re fulfilling your life.

When I daydream about my past, I’m most often greeted with happiness. I remember all the adventures, friendships, learning, and achievements I’m so proud of. I’ve even begun to remember the negative memories as lessons instead of setbacks. I also find myself remembering moments more fondly than I originally experienced them. I can’t quite unpack why this is, but I don’t think it’s a phenomenon unique to me. I think that sometimes we’re so immersed in the moment that it’s hard to step outside of it and fully appreciate it. Sometimes it’s impossible to understand what moments will truly be life changing until we give ourselves the space to reflect on them.

As Therese reminded me, the quote below from her favorite childhood TV show sums it up nicely:

Since arriving in Liberia, I’ve been shocked by how rapidly Therese and I have adapted. The most wild and unique things that we experience daily have become “normal.” They no longer shock me and send my mind spinning in 100 different directions. I think it’s a testament to how adaptable us humans are, especially when our wellbeing depends on it.

When we first arrived in Liberia, I would often find myself totally removed from a moment. Something wild and unexpected would happen and I’d be taken aback. It would send me into deep thought and contemplation. As my mind and body have acclimated to my new life, this happens less and less. I’m more present in every moment, and it’s not until later in the day when I’m gifted with a long walk or quiet moment to think that I reflect on the experience.

All this thinking about adaptability, memories, and living a fulfilling life, has made me hopeful that when I recall these Peace Corps memories for the rest of my life, I might remember them even more beautifully that I’m experiencing them right now.

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Big thank you and much love for taking the time to read all of our meanderings. Always feel free to respond to these emails and share your thoughts, or just say hi.

Miss you all,

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.