When I first arrived in Liberia there were many things I noticed that I never had seen anywhere else, especially in America. These are five of those things.
1. Gas in mayonnaise jars
There are true gas stations here which in almost every aspect resemble gas stations most of us are used to, but the majority of people don’t buy fuel from there. Most motorbike or car owners fill up with gas or diesel from stands on the side of the road. While the fuel sold there is cheaper than at the gas station, it is also not as clean and is most often mixed with water so the seller can make more off of less. And the way one gallon is measured is recycled glass mayo jars.
2. You can buy a lot off the street
Everywhere you go there are stands everywhere selling everything. From water, soft drinks, snacks, bread, clothes, motorbike parts, plastic bags, produce, and so many more things I could never name them all. This is quite different than America because to get some water or a pack of crackers you have to go into a store. Here if you are stuck in traffic people will walk up to your car and try to sell you something. It is both convenient if you are thirsty but can be annoying if you don’t want anything.
3. The amount of motorbikes
In America, at least from the places I have been it would not be all that uncommon to go a day without seeing a motorcycle, while other days you might see 10. Here there are motorcycles–called motorbikes, I can’t confess to knowing if there is a difference–everywhere. And I don’t simply mean you see them a lot they probably outnumber cars.
4. Dual Currency
Liberia is a dual currency country. It uses the U.S. Dollar along with the Liberian Dollar. It can be quite confusing at some points trying to convert one to another or paying for different things in different currencies. The conversion is 1 U.S. Dollar is equivalent to about 155 Liberian Dollars. Because they don’t use coins sometimes if you pay for something in USD you might receive some USD along with some LD.
5. Carrying everything on your head
While it does sound stereotypical, it is true. Everywhere you go, including here on the mission people carry things on their head. I do too. It is way more effective, while at first–at least I–thought it looked silly. It makes whatever your carrying seem lighter and if you are good (I’m not that good yet) it can free up both of your hands.
These are just a few of the things that come to mind when I think of some big differences I see everyday.
Claire's Liberian Adventure 