"Dry" Rainy Season and the Market

I am in Monrovia, Liberia! These two weeks have gone by quickly and smoothly and the Africa Mercy ship has become home. I quickly made my presence known (as I always do) and on my second day here I assisted with a tour for a group of Auburn University students. Liberia is different from Lesotho in so many ways: Living on a ship in port, I am near the beach and the mountains are very far away. The land is more tropical here in West Africa and palm and banana trees grow everywhere. But the difference that I am most aware of is the rain. It rains all the time! We are in the middle of the rainy season so from the time you wake up until you go to bed it is raining - all day, all night. Days have gone by where I haven't seen the sun and the crazy part is this has been a "dry" rainy season. People are praying that the rain picks up because there may not be enough water to last through the dry season. This has made all of our prayers difficult as we pray for Liberia to prosper, which includes rain for the crops, but also pray for sunshine so we can enjoy adventures off ship. To welcome me on board, the Human Resources Dept. went to dinner at the Golden Beach Restaurant. Since it is located on the water, we braved the elements while waiting for our meals to take some pictures.

My first trip to the beach! I took refuge from the wind in this little hut on the sand.

The wind and waves reminded me of Florida's shores before a hurricane.

Today, I made a trip to one of the markets with some of my new friends. As always it was an adventure that I will try to describe to those of you who have never been shopping like this: First, let me mention that I am not Liberian, Basotho, or South African. I am not Nigerian, Ethiopian, or Kenyan. I am not from any African country but that will forever be one of the big discussion points when I go to a market. I have the interesting opportunity of looking like the locals (or a member of any of the above named countries) so my experience is always a little different from that of my white friends. I am shouted at to bring my friends to a certain booth, have to play security when vendors get to eager, and am often used as the interpreter (which is the most fun since I rarely know what is being said). Today, we were shopping for fabric to make skirts. Not only did we have to choose from 20 vendors all selling the same colors and designs, but we also had to bargain with the vendors for the best price. I learned that 3 laapas (the amount of fabric used to make an average outfit) is worth $5, but without fail we were originally told the price was $10.

Even with the rain I look forward to seeing and exploring all that I can while in Liberia. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!