A Long Time Gone

Four months seems so long ago and then sometimes it feels like yesterday. So much has happened since we have been here. The back to school jam, UN Day, student body president elections, trip to Bomi County, the Super Cup, senator elections, Ricks Inauguration, Thanksgiving, and exams have all come and gone. Individuals and groups have come to visit Ricks and some have done short-term mission projects around campus and in the community. I have met more people in the last four months than I can count. So much has happened!!

Four months ago the food was too spicy and I thought I was going to have to live on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Now when I eat the “special food” that is prepared for guests that come to Ricks, I miss the peppers. Some would say, “You know you are a Liberian when you prefer your food with peppers.”

Four months ago I couldn’t tell you which of the 15 counties Monrovia was in. Now when Sheik Kamara gives Holly and I a pop quiz on our way into town, there are very few questions that we do not know the answer to. We are definitely not experts, but we have learned so much. For example… If you turned left out of campus you would drive on a nice paved road for several miles. You would pass VOA Junction and Iron Gate. VOA (Voice of America) is a radio station that is broadcasted from this community. Iron Gate was a major checkpoint during the war. This road (Bomi Hills Highway) is he only road that leads to Sierra Leone. The checkpoint is now run by the national police. You will then go under an overpass that is often referred to as the Hotel Africa Junction. The road leads to Hotel Africa, which was one of the few five star hotels before the war. All that is left is the shell of the building. Once you go under the overpass, you will cross is the St. Paul Bridge, which goes over the St. Paul River. That will put you on Bushrod Island. You are now off the paved road. Now it is uneven clay/dirt roads that make for a bumpy drive. You will drive through the St. Paul Community before you reach Duala. The Duala Market is one of the largest markets in Monsarado County. Holly and I do most of our shopping in Duala. Caldwell junction is one of the first major intersections that you will come to in Duala. If you turn left on Caldwell it will take you to New Georgia where we attend church sometimes. The end of Bushrod Island is called Vai Town. Once you go through Vai Town you will come to another bridge. This is called the Gabriel Tucker Bridge (also referred to as the New Bridge) and crosses over Providence Island. Then you are officially in Monrovia! This drive takes about 1 hour because of the road condition and traffic.

Four months ago I had no idea that I was going to love Liberia as much as I do now. I was a little nervous and thought that homesickness would come and go a lot more than it has. Yes, there are still times when I miss little things about home, but in so many ways this place has become home. We are now referred to as the “white Liberians” instead of guests. Four months is a long time gone, but I have a feeling the next six will be over before we know it.