Last Week of School!

Last week was our final week of instruction before exams. My students came back from the break excited about a fun week. Monday was our review day. The students were overwhelmed with all of the information they needed to study for their exams, but grateful to get it out of the way so that we could have fun the rest of the week. Tuesday was movie/game day. We watched Madagascar and played some group games outside. Wednesday was Beach Day!! The class had been looking forward to this day all semester. We spent the entire day at Golden Beach, playing soccer, playing in the waves, and eating pizza! Thursday was another movie/game day. We watched the movie Bolt and played some relay games in the classroom that helped the students study for their exams. Friday was out class party! The students brought in food and drinks, and we all celebrated together. We spent the afternoon out on the basketball court, just playing with each other. Last week was the perfect way to end such an awesome year. Check out all the pictures from Golden Beach and the Last Week of School on my picasa page.

On Sunday we went to church at New Georgia Baptist Church, where we have attended several times this year. The pastor and deacons prayed over Holly and I, our work at Ricks, and our travel home. It was a very special moment.

After church Olu took us to a friends house on the St. Paul River. When we arrived, we saw several people that we have met throughout our time in Liberia. We were told that the gathering of people was a surprise party for Holly and I. We spent the entire day and most of the evening sitting on the dock, eating delicious food, and talking with friends. It was so relaxing and peaceful out on the dock. I sat in a hammock for most of the time and it was amazing! By the end of the night Mia was sound asleep in my arms. It was a long day, and we were exhausted by the time we got home.

Now we are in the middle of exam week, and making final preparations to go home on Friday. The fact that we are leaving has still not completely set in. Tomorrow will be my last day with my students, as they complete their final exams. On Friday morning their will be a closing program in honor of me and Holly before we leave for the airport. I know that will be a hard day for both of us. Saying goodbye to this place and these people will be very hard. I am trying to rejoice in the last 10 months, and leave Ricks knowing that I will be back some day soon.

What is done and yet to come, Amen!

There is a song by Dave Barnes called Amen, that I think describes so many of the feelings and emotions that I have had throughout my experience here in Liberia. I have never been great with words, but this song inspired me to write this blog.

In the last 9 months I have experienced love. A love that I have never felt before.. I have fallen in love with a country, a school, and a community in a way that I never thought was possible. This love will forever be a part of me, and this place and these people will always have a piece of my heart.

In the last 9 months I have experienced pain. A pain that comes when you watch someone that you have come to love suffer from the effects of poverty and corruption. A pain that forces you to react and respond. A pain that brings tears and hope.

In the last 9 months there have been days, and days, and days that feel the same. Sometimes these days are discouraging, and sometimes they are so refreshing. These days happen a lot more than I ever thought they would.

In the last 9 months I have experienced fear. A fear that brings frustration and worry. Will my students learn? Do they understand? Am I really making a difference?

In the last 9 months I have experienced pure joy! These are the best days and the best moments. There are times when I can do nothing but smile. The moments when the giggles of children become contagious, and the laughter of friends turns a bad day around. The people here bring me joy!

In the last 9 months I have built friendships. These friendships are genuine and sincere, not bound with conditions or obligations. I have made life-long friendships with people who have literally changed my life. People who love and care about me, and don’t expect me to be someone that I am not. People that I love and that I want to continue to learn more and more about every single day.

In the last 9 months I have experienced peace. Peace in a country where 200,000 people lost their lives during 14 years of civil war. Peace in a country where the majority population was displaced and people are re-building their lives. Peace when all I can hear at night is the sound of rain and crickets. Peace when children run and play, and when students talk about their dreams for the future.

In the last 9 months there have been nights of lights and music till we sleep. There is music that comes from the lips of families singing together before they go to sleep. Music comes from the students’ dorms, and from the radios of security as the walk the campus grounds. The best is when you see a person walking alone, singing so loud, so into the song, not caring about who hears them.

In the last 9 months I have been strong, but I still break. Like when a 9th grade student dies from complications with chicken pox, or a 2nd grader gets pregnant and kicked out of the house, or there is an accident and a child gets burned by boiling water, hot oil, or a coal iron. Sometimes we break, but still have the strength to keep going.

In the last 9 months I have experienced hope. Hope that our students will be motivated, inspired, and empowered. Hope that individuals and churches will continue to support the work being done at Ricks Institute. Hope that this country will continue to develop and prosper.

In the last 9 months I have experienced doubt. I have doubted my ability to teach my students the things that they need to know to succeed in life. I have doubted my strength and have doubted my hope. With doubting comes questioning. Sometimes the questions have answers and sometimes they don’t.

In the last 9 months there have been memories made that I will never live without. There will be endless stories to share, and pictures to show. There are people, places and experiences that I will never ever forget.

In the last 9 months there have been tears. Tears that I have shed out of frustration, out of sadness, and out of happiness. I have watched tears flow down the cheeks of friends and children. Tears come and go, for good and bad reasons.

In the last 9 months there has been grace. The grace of God has been so evident since the day we stepped off the airplane. Grace that is seen in the smiles of laughing children. Grace that is seen in a sunset on the beach. Grace that is seen walking through the market. Grace that covers us all.

In the last 9 months there have been prayers that I never thought I’d make. Prayers that came out in so many ways because I didn’t know how to pray them. Prayers in strange places and at strange moments. Prayers that were prayed alone and with others. Prayers that I know God heard, and that I know will be answered in Gods own timing.

Amen. What is done and yet to come, Amen.

Things are quickly coming to an end

Five weeks from today Holly and I will be boarding our plane, headed for home. Our departure date of June 11 gets closer and closer with each passing day. It is hard to believe that our time here is coming to an end.

Yesterday marked the end of our basketball season. We played Don Bosco in the semi-finals of the high school tournament. Our girls were defeated by a large margin. The team we played was the team we beat in the super cup championship last semester. They came fired up, ready to beat us yesterday. The lady Dragons put up a good fight, but Don Bosco played better and they were more determined to win. Although the season is over, the girls have asked us to continue coaching them through the end of the school year. This showed Holly and I that they are committed to the team and want to continue working to get ready for next year. Coaching this team has been a highlight for me this year, and it will be one of the things I miss the most when we leave in June.

The end of the school year is also quickly approaching. Next Friday, May 14, is a national holiday. School will remain closed for the following two weeks for the WAEC Exams. Ricks will be the hosting site for this standardized test. We will host 6^th, 9^th, and 12^th graders from all around the Monrovia area. School will resume on May 31^st for one week before final exams. I only have 9 days left to teach my students before their exams. Where has the year gone? My students and I have worked hard to get all of their quizzes and assignments done before the WAEC break, so that we can just review for the exams and have fun when they return to campus.

I have started making a list of things that I want to do during the two week break. This is a nice opportunity for Holly and I to get to do some last minute things before heading home. A good portion of that will be spent with people that have become a huge part of my life over the last 9 months. Leaving our friends will be the hardest part about returning home. Part of the break will hopefully be spent seeing places that we have yet to see. I have fallen in love with this country, and there is so much beauty to be seen and enjoyed. There are also several things that I want to buy before leaving. These things will be a reminder of the last nine months and the life changing experience that I have had, but they will never be enough to fill the part of me that I will leave here. Hopefully the two weeks will be enough time for us to do all of these things.

I feel like time is something that I so often take for granted, and forget how valuable it is until it is gone. In August I had no idea that May would arrive this quickly. So much has happened, but yet there is so much that I want to see happen. I have been reminded by friends and family of the seeds that I have helped plant here, some of which I have seen grow and others that I may never see grow. The things that I have done and accomplished here are the ones that are easy to talk about. I am excited to get to share about the ways I have seen students and teachers grow during the last nine months. I can’t wait to talk about all of the progress that has been made at Ricks Institute. But then there is this “thing” that I will never be able to fully explain. There is a life change that is hard to share with others, knowing that they cannot even begin to understand. There is a part of me that will always be in Liberia. Something about me has changed and I don’t know that I will ever be able to put that into words. I do know that I will forever be different than I was nine months ago.

Let it RAIN!

Liberia has two seasons- rainy season and dry season. Rainy season is normally June thru October and dry season is typically November thru May. Holly and I arrived in August, smack dab in the middle of rainy season. Over the last 8 ½ months I have come to like and dislike several things about both seasons.

The rain brings bugs, and I mean lots of bugs. Now I have never really been “scared” of bugs, but the bugs here are different than any bug I have seen at home. The spiders are the size of my hand. Large cockroaches fly right in front of your face. There are beetles bigger than golf balls. There are multiple winged bugs that are attracted to the lights around and in our house that range in size. The moths might as well be birds. The praying mantis’s can find comfort on just about any wall or screen. And the ants… they just never ever go away, no matter how much bug spray we use. Normally I would probably be fascinated with these bugs, but during rainy season they think that my home is their home, and that is when I draw the line.

Rainy season also brings cooler weather, and by cool I mean in the low 80’s or on a good day the upper 70’s. This makes for a comfortable nights sleep underneath my sheet. There is also nothing like going to sleep to an African thunderstorm (yes, I am still convinced that the thunderstorms are different here).

Rainy season also endures at least 4 months of abundant, clean water. For some children it even means an easy bath! After experiencing 6 months of dry season, I have a greater appreciation for the rain. It means full wells and water towers, enough water at the pumps for everyone in the community to use and have access to. It also means CLEAN water to drink, bathe, wash, and cook with. Water really is life!

Rain= Mosquitoes., which means MALARIA. Malaria is a harsh reality on the continent of Africa. It is a disease that for some can lead to death. Although malaria is very inexpensive to treat, most families living in poverty do not have access to good medicine or the money to afford it. Fortunately, most of the students at Ricks have access to healthy treatment, but that does not reduce the number of cases. During the course of this school year, 90% of my students have been out with malaria. For some with mild cases, they are back in school after 3 days. Those with more severe cases can be out for weeks at a time. Malaria affects everyone in Liberia, but with money and resources it can be prevented and treated.

Although the rain does not prevent children in Liberia from playing, it does put a damper on outdoor fun and learning. For the first few months of school I kept praying for a day with no rain, so that I could take my class outside. I wanted to be able to escape the dark, concrete classroom and do something active. That day didn’t come until early October, but when it did I welcomed it with open arms.

Holly and I have experienced an entire dry season in Liberia. We made it! The things that I like about dry season are basketball practices and games, beach days, outdoor events, playing with kids, and simply being dry. We survived the African heat and the obnoxious amount of sweat, but bring on the rain. After much time without running water, only one pump on campus with water, and lots of sunburn, we are thankful to be welcoming back rainy season.

A day of LAUGHTER!

Thursday was one of the best days I have had in the last 8 months! I took six of my students to beach for the afternoon. Every period I try to take some of my students in town as a reward for their hard work, grades, attendance, and behavior. This time I decided we would go to Golden Beach and get pizza. Holly took 6 students in her advisory group also. The students were all so excited!

After the elementary tests on Thursday morning, we loaded the van and headed into Monrovia. When we got to the restaurant, we got tables on the sand so that we could see the ocean. After my students ordered their drinks, we headed down to the water. What started as just putting our feet in, turned into getting soaked. We laughed as we jumped over the waves that came crashing into the shore. A few of my students were eager to go in to about knee level and others were scared that the undertow was going to carry them out to sea. It is very common for the children (and adults) here to be scared of the ocean, and some of that fear is because most of them cannot swim. I was determined to help ease their fears, but also keep them safe. Two of my girls held my hands the entire time. The undertow was strong and sometimes we fell when the waves went back out. The girls squeezed my hands so tight and we laughed as we tried to stand back up. Needless to say, by the time our food came out we were soaking wet.

We sat down and enjoyed soft drinks, pizza, and french fries. This was the first time that my students have ever tried pizza. Some of them really liked it, and others not so much. The french fries were a hit! They were gone in about 5 minutes. It was so fun to just watch them eat. Although I used my hands, they all attempted to use their forks and knives, which I thought was so cute. Most of them gave up after the first try, but one of my little girls was determined. She leaned over to me and said, "Look Ms. McInvale! I am an American woman." Our whole table started laughing. She told me and the others that we were Liberians because we were using our hands. It was so much fun to just hang out with them outside of school. These are my favorite times with my students.

After we stuffed ourselves full, they were so eager to go back out and play in the ocean. This time Holly and the older students came too. We walked down by the rocks and took pictures. My students slowly started taking off layers of clothes. Some were down to their underwear. There are still times that I forget how common that is here. I was surprised to watch the older students sit down in the water in their uniforms. They were smart enough to bring a change of clothes, unlike the little ones. Oh well!

I felt like a little girl on Thursday. I didn't care about getting my clothes wet and dirty. We held hands and ran on the sand without a care in the world. It was so peaceful. No one wanted to leave. It was such a great day!

Check out my pictures!

Easter 2010: An Affirmation of Faith

On Easter Sunday we attended Monrovia Christian Fellowship with some of our friends. This church was different then any other church we have been to in Liberia. It was a much larger- close to about 400 people. The service only lasted for a little over 2 hours and included most of the basic elements that I am used to. There was no African music., but instead we sang and heard many contemporary praise and worship songs that are popular in the US. There was even powerpoint! For the first time, Holly and I were not the only white people in church. There were about 20 Americans and Europeans who attended the Easter service. My first impression of this church was similar to what I call a “mega church” in the US. I walked through the doors expecting a new and different experience. In some ways it was and in some ways it was not.

There was a part of me that really missed the little African church that I have become used to in the last eight months. There was also a part of me that liked the little things that reminded me of home. I loved being able to sing songs that I knew and follow along with unfamiliar songs on the screen. I really enjoyed having my own chair and not being super crowded on a wooden bench. I was grateful to have space so that I was not sweating the entire service. I was thankful that they only took up one offering and it only lasted about 5 minutes. It was both weird and amazing to sit in a Liberian church, led by Liberians, and forget that I was in Liberia.

My absolute favorite part of this church and this particular service was the choir and praise team. There are no words to describe African voices singing in unison. Although the songs were American, the voices were definitely Liberian. They sing so loud and so beautifully. Music has always been my favorite element of worship, and experiencing church in Liberia has given that a whole new meaning. I had almost forgotten that it was Easter Sunday, and then the choir sang “My Redeemer Lives.”

I have definitely had my share of “God moments” in the last eight months, but this one was unique. As I sat in my chair, with goose bumps down my spine, I had no doubt that Christ was present in that sanctuary, at Ricks Institute, and in the country of Liberia.

I don’t expect anyone to understand this, but I have felt closer to God in the last eight months than I have in my entire life, and this Easter confirmed that. There is something so special about this place that I am not sure I will ever be able to explain. To be surrounded by people who have experienced poverty to the extreme, absolute destruction caused by war, and real hunger, can sometimes be overwhelming. But to be in a room, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ with them, was life changing. I will always remember Easter Sunday in 2010 as a day that affirmed my faith.

The Ricks Olympics!

For the first time since the war, Ricks Institute hosted 16 schools from across the country to participate in the Ricks Olympics on March 26th and 27th! This two day event consisted of male football (soccer), female kickball, and male and female basketball. The theme for the event was to bring youth together through sports. The students were all encouraged to accept the results of the games and just have fun. They were told that the Olympics is not about winning and losing, but about coming together to support youth development. By doing this, they were all winners! The Ricks campus was packed with over 1,000 students ready to compete. The dorms and guest houses were full, and the excitement was unescapable.

There were two major sponsors that made this event possible. Lonestar Cell contributed close to $15,000 to the repairs of the basketball court and snack shop. They also provided scoreboards and prepared the fields for both football and kickball. Coca Cola set up stations around campus, selling cold soft drinks and water. All of the proceeds went to Ricks Institute. These two companies really played a huge role in the Olympics.

School was cancelled on Friday, and the games began around 10:30 am. The Dragons defeated their opponents in every sport on Friday. The Dragon pride was contagious. Friday night was the Kick-off for the Miss Ricks Beauty Pageant. The auditorium was packed with students excited to see the contestants show off their stuff. After a long day, we were exhausted, but ready for another full day on Saturday.

Unfortunately, Saturday was not as victorious for the Ricks Dragons. The football and kickball teams lost in the semi-finals, but both teams played hard and did well. Our girls lost their first basketball game in the finals of the tournament. We lost to N.E. Gibson, a team that was much taller, bigger, and stronger than ours. Three of our starters had just played in the kickball game minutes before, and needless to say, they were exhausted. The heat was draining and the energy level was low. Our girls played hard at the beginning of the game and were only down by 5 at the half. The second half just kind of went down hill, and our girls just gave up. There were a lot of factors that contributed to our loss, but we were disapointed in the way the girls played. I think the loss was good for our team. The girls needed a motivator to show them that they need to work hard at practice. They all left the game upset by the loss, but I am hoping that they have the determination and drive to improve. N.E. Gibson was a good team and they deserved to win the trophy, but I know that our girls can beat them. I hope that we will have a chance to play them again in the high school tournament.

The highlight of the Olympics was the finals of boys basketball. The Dragons male basketball team has been working very hard for the last month. They were determined to win the Olympics. All of their hard work paid off, and they won the final game by a large margin. The court was packed with spectators, and when the final whistle blew, the Ricks students celebrated with the team. It was a happy moment for the team and for the rest of the school. It was a great way to end such a great weekend. Go Dragons!

Our first field trip!

On Monday, March 23, my class went on a field trip to the Coka Cola Factory in Monrovia. It was our first field trip as a class and we had a wonderful time.

We were greeted by one of the managers, Gabriel Johnson, who is also a Ricks graduate. Mr. Johnson had our day organized and was very welcoming to our group. He began by giving us an overview of the factory and how it operates. The students were allowed to ask questions during his presentation. Then several of the employees gave us a tour of the factory. The students were mesmerized by all of the machinery and equipment that was used to bottle the soft drinks. They asked well thought out questions and retained most of the information they were given. I was shocked by how attentive the students were during the tour and surprised by how much they learned. At the end of the tour we got to meet Rocketfeller Findley, the Regional General Manager of Coca Cola and a Ricks graduate. He was very engaging and the students loved getting to talk to him. The highlight of the day was the free soft drinks!! Bottled Coca Cola products usually sell for about 35 Liberian dollars. This is more than most students can afford, so a free soda was a huge deal. The students were not expecting to get a drink at the end of the day, so it was a big surprise when Mr. Findley offered one to everyone. They were all very appreciative.

I rode in the van with the girls on the way back to Ricks. We sang and danced to popular songs on the radio the entire way back. I had intended to stop and get ice cream for everyone, but all of the shops were either closed or out of ice cream. So, instead of ice cream we stopped at the family bakery. Everyone got pancake bread, which is the same thing as a cupcake without the icing. The students seemed to enjoy it and it was a good end to a fun day!

The best part about taking this field trip was watching the students present what they learned to the rest of the student body. Seven of my students wrote down what they learned on an index card and shared it in chapel on Wednesday morning. This was their first time to stand up in front of the school and speak in a microphone. They did a fantastic job and got a huge round of applause at the end. They were all very proud of themselves and I was a very proud teacher!

A Thought to Ponder

“Let no one be discouraged by the belief there is nothing one man or one woman can do against the enormous array of the world’s ills- against misery and ignorance, injustice and violence… Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation…

It is from the numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

-Robert Kennedy

The End of Poverty

“The question should not be whether the rich can afford to help the poor, but whether we can afford not to.” – Jeffrey Sachs

I just finished a book called The End of Poverty, written by Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and Special Advisor to the United Nations on the Millennium Development Goals. After reading this book, I understand why Time said he is one of the world’s hundred most influential people.

There were parts of this book that made me frustrated with the way the US has been responding to global poverty. “A survey done in 2001 by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland reported that Americans, on average, believed that foreign aid accounts for 20% of the federal budget, roughly twenty-four times the actual figure.” Can you see my frustration? Four hundred of the highest income Americans had a combined income in 2000 that exceeded the combined incomes of Botswana, Nigeria, Senegal, and Uganda. This was the total income of 161 million people in those four countries, who average $350 per year, compared to 400 hundred superrich Americans. The United States spent about $2.5 billion for two weeks of support in the war in Iraq. That is the same amount spent for an entire year of economic development assistance in Africa. Does this make anyone else frustrated? I guess I just feel like we have our priorities all mixed up, especially when the United States alone can end world hunger. Through the Millennium Development Project, the rich world has committed .07 percent of gross national product, which is 7 cents of every $10 in income. We are talking about less than 1 % of total income. This is definitely a good start, assuming that we follow through on our commitment. I could write for pages and pages about this, but I will spare you my opinions for the time being.

There were also parts of this book that were very inspiring and gave me hope for the end of extreme poverty in our world. This book was so rich with facts, information, challenges, research, and achievable goals that I had to read it twice to process all of it. Jeffrey Sachs emphasizes the importance of the United Nations Millennium Development Project, with a series of goals set forth to half global poverty by 2015 and end extreme poverty by 2025. If you have not heard of the Millennium Development Goals, I would strongly encourage you to research them and find ways to be involved.

On Thursday I had the opportunity to meet and talk with the US Ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, at the US Embassy in Monrovia. We discussed the work being done at Ricks Institute and the partnerships that have been formed with churches, schools, and non-profits in the US. The ambassador was very honest with us and told us about the many things that the US is doing to help Liberia re-build. Her words basically summarized an important quote in Jeffrey Sachs book. She said that the US can’t afford to not help Liberia. The Ambassador stressed the importance of the relationship between the US and Liberia, and our responsibility to help Liberia get back on her feet after 14 years of civil war. She said that the US is currently giving money for agriculture development, infrastructure, health, education, and government support for the upcoming presidential elections. She also mentioned the Millennium Development project and Liberia’s efforts to hopefully meet the Millennium Challenge in 2-3 years.

Meeting with the Ambassador was an incredible experience, and I left with an overwhelming mix of emotions. I felt so empowered to continue to give my time, energy, and resources to the ongoing work that is being done in Liberia and at Ricks Institute. I left feeling very optimistic and hopeful about the future of Liberia and the involvement of the US in this war-torn country. Living in Liberia has given me a whole new perspective on poverty, but more importantly, it has made me more aware of what can be done to end it.

Basketball, Basketball, and more Basketball!

Coaching the girl’s basketball team is still one of the highlights of my ministry at Ricks. I have absolutely fallen in love with all 17 girls and truly value the time that we spend together.

We are still practicing every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (even on holidays!) at 2:00pm. The girls have made so much progress since the beginning of the year and because of that we are able to do and accomplish a lot more at practice. The warm up drills consist of lay-ups, jump shots, and free throws. Sometimes we also add in some dribbling and ball handling skills. Then we normally work on specific skills that need improvement and introduce or review game plays. Practice normally ends with a scrimmage where the team implements the new things they have learned. Practice generally ends around 3:30pm and then the team eats lunch together in the dinning hall. The girls have a break from 4:00 to 5:00, which normally turns into a team social hour in front of the school building. Conditioning begins at 5:00pm. The girls are marked late if they are not running at 5:00. Conditioning usually consists of running (about a mile and a half) and some basic strength exercises (push ups, sit ups, lunges, stairs, etc.). By the end of conditioning the girls are wiped out. Some of them come and collapse on the steps of the school building and just lay down for about 5 minutes before moving. Practice days definitely make for a long afternoon, but the hard work is paying off.

We had a game at the Monrovia Sports Commission on Thursday, against the Cathedral High School. The team went into the game confident and determined to win. All the girls played very well and the routine drills at practice prepared the team for victory. The starting five went in and lit up the scoreboard. After half time our second and third string went in for the rest of the game. They held the lead and brought home another victory for Ricks. The final score was 28-8, which makes the Lady Dragons 5-0 this year.

Last weekend Ricks hosted a school from Nimba County. They arrived very late Friday night, prepared to take on the Dragons in a series of sporting events on Saturday. The day began with co-ed sand volleyball. After an exciting match, the crowed moved over to the court for girls and boys basketball games. We played two 20 minute halves with a running clock against a newly formed team of 6. All of the girls got to play and it was exciting to watch some of them score for the first time. Although it was not much of a game, everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. The Lady Dragons pulled out a 58-10 win! Following our game, the boys also won. After lunch there was a kickball and soccer (football) game. The kickball team lost by 1 point, but later the soccer team brought home another Ricks victory!

It was an exciting week, filled with lots of fun competition. It feels good to win and to see the girls so excited and confident in themselves. We are just praying they don’t get over confident and lose sight of what has gotten them this far. It was a great week of basketball and I am looking forward to more in the next few weeks as we prepare for the high school tournament. Go Dragons!

Hard Days Come and Go

Tuesday morning I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I did not want to get up, but forced myself out of bed to get to school on time. Chapel is supposed to end by 8:15am, when first period is supposed to start. On Tuesday we did not get out of chapel until 9:00am. I was frustrated as I entered my classroom with the realization that I was not going to get to do everything that I had planned for the day. As if my normal school days are not short enough, I suddenly went from 3 hours of teaching time to 2 hours of teaching time.

I came to school at 7:30, wishing I was still in bed. I went through the rest of the school day wishing that I was still in bed. Needless to say, I was not the happy teacher that I am on a typical day. I felt like I yelled all day long. My students were probably wondering why their teacher was so mean. I was wondering the same thing. I had no idea why I was in such a mad mood, but I couldn’t just make it go away. My kids seemed louder than normal. They complained more than normal. They were constantly out of their seats. They were fighting and yelling. I knew that my attitude was rubbing off on them. All I wanted was for the day to be over.

During recess I prayed that God would give me enough patience to make it through the rest of the day. I cried with frustration because I couldn’t understand what was going on with me. There was no reason for the bad mood that I was in. After recess we played sight word bingo (not part of my plans for the day). This is only the 2^nd time I have played this with my students. They absolutely love it. I thought that if we did something fun, it would somehow make the students happier and put me in a better mood.

At the end of the third round one of my boys yelled “BINGO!” The class knows that when someone says “bingo” that I have to walk over and check their card to make sure they are telling the truth. After I confirmed that this little boy had won, he broke out in dance and song. The entire class began to laugh and before I knew it I was laughing so hard that I was crying. Ten minutes later the bell rang to end the school day. My day had just gotten a little bit better.

After school I went home and took a long nap. I didn’t even eat lunch. I just got straight in bed and was asleep within seconds. I know that is exactly what I needed. When I woke up I felt like it was a brand new day.

I have not had many days like this since I have been here, but they happen. Some things don’t change no matter where in the world you are. Hard days come and they go, but the good days are the ones that keep me going. The good days are the ones that I remember!

A fun, exciting, and busy week!

I apologize for my lack of blog posting lately. After returning from 3 weeks in the US, I have been very busy with testing, grading, lesson plans, and basketball practice. I finally feel like I am back in the flow of things and have the time to focus some of my time on my blog.

Last week was the first week of our 5th marking period. It was so refreshing to be back in the classroom with my students after being away for a while. We kicked off the week reviewing the material that the substitute covered while I was gone. I am constantly amazed with the progress my students are making. Their writing has improved so much from the beginning of the year. This semester we have worked on paragraph development, and they have even written a couple of short stories. It is exciting to watch their creativity come out in their writing and to see them so proud of their accomplishments. Math continues to be their biggest struggle, but progress is still being made. We began subtraction with larger numbers this semester and it has been a huge challenge. When I returned from the US there were still only about 5 students who had mastered this concept. We spent all week talking about what it means to borrow, and after much practice, something clicked on Friday. It was like watching a light bulb come on in a room that has been dark for a long time. The students were so excited to finally understand something that had been so complicated the week before. They were all eagerly raising their hands to come up to the board to solve a problem in front of the class. It was one of those moment when I said to myself, "This is why I am a here."

Testing week is often referred to as "dead week." Olu makes it very clear to all the students and teachers that no extracurricular activities are to take place during testing week. It is a full week devoted to studying for the tests being given. This meant no basketball practice. Monday was my first day back at practice with the girls, and I was greeted with lots of hugs and "we missed you." It was like a homecoming! We practiced on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon and did conditioning in the evening. Holly changed our conditioning time while I was gone from 5am to 5pm. What a great idea!! This does make for really long days, but it is so much better than waking up at 4:45 to go run. This change has also led to a better turn out, daylight, and more energy. It was definitely a nice surprise to come back to! We have our next basketball game on Thursday at the Sports Commission in Monrovia. We still have lots to work on before the game, but the girls are excited and hopefully it will be another victory for the dragons!

This weekend Holly and I are staying in town with our friends in Sinkor. They work for Harbort International, the company building the new US Embassy. We were invited to their work party last night that was here at their compound. The night was filled with good food (samosas, a whole hog, mini pizzas, hummus, texas caviar, chicken wings, etc.), live music (a local cover band), and lots of dancing. When I woke up this morning I was sore from 5 hours of dancing. It was a blast! It was an experience when I couldn't help but look around at the diversity of the group and feel inspired. There were people from Ireland, Nigeria, Algeria, the US, Liberia, and the Philippines all dancing, eating, hugging, and socializing with each other. I wish these experiences were not so few and far between. We had an amazing time, and had no trouble falling asleep at 2:30 am.

My first culture shock experience...

Coming to Liberia was my first time out of the US; therefore, I had never experienced real culture shock before. Holly and I made preparations and took all of the advice we could get before coming to Liberia in August. We were warned that “reverse culture shock” would probably be more challenging for us to cope with when we returned to the US. Little did I know that I was going to experience it long before I was supposed to.

About four weeks ago Holly and I had the opportunity to go to Ghana with Ottolee for a week. Although the main reason for our trip was to see a doctor, we were both very excited about getting to spend time in another part of Africa. We arrived Monday evening and spent all day Tuesday at the hospital. Yes, you read that correctly… we were at this hospital just about all day long. This was just the starting point of our frustration. When the day was over it was confirmed that Holly had malaria and I needed to fly back to the US for further medical diagnosis. To put it mildly, it was a day from hell.

Despite some of our frustrations with the hotel staff, it was nice staying in rooms with air conditioning and internet access. The internet access came in handy because Holly and I did not have a working phone in Ghana. I spent the majority of the next few days talking with family on the computer and trying to work out travel arrangements. Unfortunately, booking flights and making travel plans from Africa is not very easy. This was a very tedious process, which fortunately worked out fine. Holly was not feeling very well for the rest of the week, but still journeyed out into the city with us. We both agreed that the week would have been much more fun if it were not for our medical situations. We did however get to go shopping, eat at some neat restaurants, and we even saw a movie at the movie theater in the mall. Yes, there was a MALL and a MOVIE THEATER. Part of our experience in Ghana felt like being back in the US. There were paved roads, traffic lights, tall business buildings, electricity, etc. Ghana is developing country with improving infrastructure, but the poverty is still very noticeable. I like to think that my time in Ghana helped minimize the culture shock some, which may or may not be true.

When we left for Ghana I was trying to be very optimistic. I told myself that everything was going to check out fine with the doctor and I was not going to have to go home. I had prepared myself for good news. The news from the doctor was not bad, but definitely added shake to my optimism. The doctor recommended that I return to the US for further diagnosis. Needless to say, my family was in full agreement. So, I boarded a plane from Ghana that took me to New York City and then on to Orlando.

The culture shock began the moment I got into the car. With air conditioning blowing in my face, country music on the radio, and my dad and brother in the seats next to me, I began to notice the things that I have been missing for the last 6 months. We were driving down a three lane paved road, with traffic lights and signs. There were buildings lining the street with electricity. When I got home that evening I watched TV on a large screen, drank clean water, and went to sleep in a large comfortable bed with air conditioning blowing down on me. In the blink of an eye things were different. I was surrounded by all of these familiar luxuries, but all I could think about was coming back to Liberia.

Yes, there were parts about being home that I really enjoyed… a hot shower, familiar food, hugging friends and family. The problem was, I was not supposed to be home. All of those things will be celebrated in June, when it is time. Although, I still anticipate the culture shock then too. It will be all of the feelings and emotions that I felt a few weeks ago, only I wont have the comfort of turning around and getting on a plane back to Liberia. Not time to think about that yet… we still have 3 more amazing months!!

A Day Touring Monrovia!

On Friday evening, after all the campers had returned home, Olu took the staff out for dinner at Golden Beach. We all headed straight for the beach to play in the ocean and take pictures together. We laughed and reminisced about the wonderful week we had and the memories that were made. For dinner we consumed about seven pizzas, and sat too full to move. This was the first time Alice has had pizza! We all stared, laughed, and took pictures as she tried her first bite. Yes, she liked it!

Holly, Sheik and I took the guys on a site seeing tour on Saturday. We spent the morning walking around the Hotel Africa and the conference center. Hotel Africa was a five star hotel, built in the late 70’s, and was destroyed during the war. We walked in the shell of the building, across rubble, and up broken stairs. We found the elevator shaft, and the remnants of the lobby staircase and fountain. The walls were covered in graffiti, electrical wires hung from the ceilings, and broken tiles covered the floor. Behind the hotel we saw the swimming pool that is in the shape of Africa. There were a bunch of local boys climbing palm trees and eating the coconuts out by the pool. They ended up showing us parts of the hotel and telling us what they knew about the history. Under all the rubble, we could tell that Hotel Africa was a beautiful building before the war.

After a nice lunch we went to the highest point in Monrovia, the Ducor International Hotel. This was also a very nice hotel that was destroyed during the coup in the early 90’s. The view from here was incredible. We could see West Point, Providence Island, the bridge, and most of central Monrovia. It was beautiful! We met a man named Moses, who has been working at the hotel since 1976. He walked us around and described what the hotel used to look like. Unlike Hotel Africa, a lot of the rubble had been cleared away. The UN has people stationed at the hotel because the UNMIL radio broadcast is on the top of the building. My favorite part of the day was meeting Moses, and hearing just a little bit of his story. He even showed us an old brochure from the hotel that he had laminated. It looked like a place that attracted tourist from all over. Moses told us that the government is planning to rebuild Ducor, and that he is excited about being around to see it happen.

We had a lot of fun today, but there were also moments where I saw, smelled, and felt the effects of war. I am constantly amazed at what this country has been through, and what they are doing to rebuild Liberia.

PASSPORTLiberia 2010

We officially kicked off PASSPORTLiberia on Friday, January 8^th with a busy day of training with the Liberian staff. Friday evening Holly and I went to the airport and picked up the four guys who arrived from the US. Josh Brooks, Mike Young, Josh Speight, and Walt Windley, along with all of the luggage, got into Monrovia around 7:00pm. We had dinner at the Royal Hotel and then headed back to campus to sort through camp supplies and make plans for the next day. Saturday was a long, intense day of training with the entire staff. From the moment we all sat down for breakfast there was an amazing staff dynamic. We laugh, sing, play, dance, and work together in a very unique and special way. Sunday morning was spent rehearsing celebrations and worship in the chapel, and setting up bible study rooms. After lunch camp officially started with registration!!

Students were to arrive between 2:00 and 5:00, but in Liberia that means most of them came between 5:00 and 7:00 (or later that night or the next morning). We had the sound system set up on the front steps of the school building and the staff danced and sang as the campers arrived. We assigned each student a bible study group and a dorm room. We put them in a dorm room with people from their bible study group, and encouraged them to spend time getting to know people they wouldn’t normally hang out with at school. The staff agreed this was a great way to help them build and form community.

Campers all gathered in the chapel on Sunday evening for Opening Celebration, a time that is led by the staff to introduce the theme and activities for the week, go over the rules, and get the students excited about camp! We ended the night with Vespers, the first worship service of the week. Josh Brooks led the music and did a fabulous job. Music is a big part of the Liberian culture, and the songs are really engaging and allow the students to express themselves. There are no words to describe the singing that is taking place in Washington Chapel this week. The students sing so loud and have this freedom in their voices that is unexplainable. The voices echo all around campus every time we sing together. Josh Speight gave the sermon about how we are free to be free, and did a fantastic job. We closed the night by singing Amazing Grace. There is no doubt that the presence of God was felt in this moment.

Each day the campers are participating in bible study, missions, and recreation. They stay in their bible study groups for each of these activities. Our mission project is building three incinerators around campus. We have groups building at both the girls and boys dorms, and at the school building. The goal is that the Ricks community will use the incinerators to burn trash. Right now the trash is just thrown in the bushes or put in a pile on the grass. So far the foundation is completed and groups are building up to form the door. It has been exciting to watch the students do something they have never done before. Very few of them have had experience laying bricks. They are learning something new and giving something back to their community.

For recreation the students are learning how to build trust and teamwork. Bible study groups are doing part of a low ropes course each day. It has been a learning experience for the campers to work through frustration and cooperate with their peers. They are beginning to understand that good communication is necessary to complete the tasks before them.

We are at the end of Day 3 and getting ready for worship. Holly is preaching tonight on freeing others from false fences. For the party tonight we will learn the Grand March, which is a traditional Liberian dance done at celebrations. We are all very excited!!