GMJ Hotel Monrovia

... for adoption. We also got a better understanding from Mr. Kotee about how adoptons are processed in Liberia. Maybe this doesn't sound like much of a day...but please know everything in Liberia takes much more effort than you can imagne. Getting somwhere, checking email, having a meeting, etc...makes the days very long and arduous. There is no air conditioning, no toilets that flush ...

... the boxes we had shippped to Liberia along with the donations we brought and bought the day before. For several hours we counted and sorted and we knew we were tired when we could not multiply 12 x 12 - which we now know is 144! We feel so privileged to take so many supplies to over 360 children along with a treat for each caretaker. Tomorrow we meet with members of the governmental minitries and an attorney. We also have to register our passports with the US embassy.

... in Africa and get report cards, pictures and letters. We will work out the details when we get back to the states. I would love your help with this! Together with our friends Rosie, Kotte Jr and Sr, Peter Davis, Johnny Bar, and Dr. Braima we can make a difference in their childrens' lives, their future.

... they switch generators and the power goes down momentarily. After the Liberian team left we went to eat in the restaurant and met a lady with USAID. She joined us for dinner and while we ate the President walked by our table. The Lebanese own the hotel and the food is great. Dawn commented about the noise the tree frogs made and the service is very laid back here.

... with the water and sanitation programs. I leave a week from today, so next Thursday, to go to the town of Foya where I will be jumping into the beginnings of a water filter program in the surrounding villages. I'll be in Foya until the end of August. For September and October I will be staying in Bopalu working in the surrounding villages helping to finish up a water filter program there. What my day to day work will be, I don't know. Constructing, installing ...

... a DJ playing my favorite (beyonce's "irreplaceable" and "check on it" - man its been so long since i've been out dancing!).  people were commenting on how they almost forgot that they were in liberia.  indeed, monrovia has been full of surprises.  i never would've expected to be partying on the beach, or having sushi or indian food ...

... a flip flop in a plastic bag, put on some closed toed shoes, peered into the kitchen (i felt like i was on some stealth mission) and tip-toed in... i bravely went to whack it but my fear got the best of me and i missed by about a foot. i think i realized i wasn't going to get it and would just freak myself out in the process. came back to my computer but realized i couldn't just let it sit there for the ...

... i later learned (yes its a little weird b/c i'm writing this a few days later but since its relevant i'll just write it here)... that USAID is helping to establish the Liberian civilian police force (which I guess is lacking after years of war). on the way back from the USAID mission to the apartment (which are just down the street from each other), we passed a group of kids hanging out under a light. (i'm sure this light was there a long ...

Please note: The views expressed in this travelogue are p**sonal views and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views of USAID or the U.S. gov**nment. so, Lib**ia. i knew nothing about this country when i was asked to come h**e on a work trip (including wh**e it was - i had to look on a map). i borrowed a few documentaries from our library, and was moved by the horrible history the country suff**ed. first established by freed ...

... entitled to feel some comfort shock. With that said, this experience has been a powerful lesson in relativity. Comfort is relative, and even as I write home about the hardships that I'm bravely enduring for two weeks here, it's obvious that most Liberians are living with much less. I've visited several God's Kids orphanages in the past few days. While some have a septic tank and one or more water ...