I’ve started reading a book called “Sweet Liberia: Lessons from the Coal Pot”: Susan Peters’ autobiographical account of moving from the US to Liberia where she lived with her family during the Liberian civil wars of the 1980s.
She writes about her challenges, triumphs, learning moments, and stories from the time she spent immersed in Liberian culture.
I didn’t know anything about the Liberian Civil War before moving to the mission last fall. This book caught my attention because I’ve seen the damage done by the war and have become close friends with many people that lived through it. (The country was at war for nearly 25 years at the end of the last century. More that 750,000 people were killed or injured; thousands more were displaced.)
I’ve also found that I relate to the process the author went through as she adapted to life in a place fundamentally different that the US. Her experiences closely mirror much of what I went through in the time I lived there. Though I was not there nearly as long as she, I relate closely to her descriptions of life in Liberia.
I commend the book to anyone that’s interested in learning more about what life is like in Liberia. Ms. Peters does a tremendous job describing Liberian life and provides tremendous insight into the culture. In addition—because her experience resonates so thoroughly with my own—the book will provide insight into some of the struggles I went through while living there.
I’d also like to share a few of my favorite quotes from Part One of the book. These quotes put words to my emotions better than I can:
“Explaining my reasons for moving in the first place, let alone describing the happiness I felt in Liberia was difficult.”
I relate to this because so many people questioned why I wanted to delay college and go to West Africa for 6 months—a place I knew almost nothing about and where I knew no one.
To be sure…not everything in Liberia was perfect—but that’s true everywhere. I learned how much I love being immersed in a new culture where the day-to-day is different and life calls for entirely new ways of interacting with the world.
Of course, I had the benefit of living in a compound which provided a sense of peace and helped me learned to enjoy living in a communal setting (most of the time). The community’s strong faith life was evident throughout my time there and was a big reason I was so happy there. Really and truly happy.
Again, Ms. Peters:
[In letters to friends and family] “I shared trials and tribulations, but also constantly reassured them that I was happy, fulfilled, and doing work I loved”
Unlike the author’s time in Liberia, I can’t say I suffered any true trials or tribulations, but I certainly made a lot of adjustments to my definition of normal and adapted to the occasional discomforts of life.
Did I love my bed made from a wooden palate, sardines in half my meals, constant bug bites, or the lack of running water in the dry season? Not really. Did I enjoy constant, mild tension of living in community, limited electricity, or having rice served with “spicy gravy” every day? Having grown up living a comfortable American lifestyle—certainly not.
However, I was not in Liberia long before I began to reconsider the true blessings of my life and to recognize the blessings built into my West African home: a safe place to sleep each night, 3 meals a day, access to medical care, electricity, Internet access, clean water, a loving community, Christian mentors, a growing faith in God’s plan, and the revelation that discomfort is a byproduct of fighting for change in the world .
So, when times seemed tough, I remembered that my basic needs were all covered (plus a whole lot more) and that there were people outside the walls of the compound where I was living that could not say the same.
I quickly realized that the things that were uncomfortable or unusual were inconsequential compared to the joy I was getting from my day-to-day life. I realized the value of laughing around the kitchen table, experiencing a new culture, trying new things, making new and lifelong friends, and creating countless memories.
In no time, that wooden-palate bed stopped bothering me at the end of the day because I was tired from a full day of work, I didn’t mind drawing water up from a well, showering from a bucket was a welcome relief from the heat, and the rice and spicy soup tasted great.
What a typical lunch might look like:
Watching a football game all together:
About common African clothing, Ms. Peters writes:
“Lappa—the two yard piece of African cloth commonly worn either as a skirt, or as a baby sling to tie an infant on you back”
Lappa fabric is everywhere in Liberia; most commonly it’s used for skirts women and for carrying babies, but I found that it’s also is used for a variety of other things. Women wrap their heads in lappa when they need to help balance heavy things but it’s also used for decorations and to wear to church. I came to love lappa fabric because it’s so comfortable to wear and because of the many colorful, diverse designs.
A common sight driving down the road, she is wearing a lappa:
The author’s experience communicating in Liberia was a lot like my own:
“I knew there was going to be a language barrier but didn’t know how challenging it would be to communicate”
As I prepared to leave for Liberia, I was often asked about the language. I always answered English. Having lived there, that’s not the answer I’d give in the future. I don’t know if there’s an official name for what’s spoken there; most people just call it Liberian English. It’s definitely English, but broken English for sure. It’s been influenced by the 16 tribal languages, but I got pretty good at understanding it pretty quickly. When speaking among themselves, Liberians speak colloquoi…which is basically Liberian English slang.
Here’s a link to an article that explains Liberian English: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2014/11/07/359345125/from-big-jues-to-tay-tay-water-a-quick-guide-to-liberian-english)
I learned a few words and phrases of the colloquoi but not enough to speak it well. So, if you ever visit Liberia it’ll take awhile to get adjusted and in half the conversations you’ll surely have to ask, “…can you say that again?”
But learning the language is just one of the fun and exciting parts of living in Liberia. I loved every minute of it. I wished I could have stayed there longer, and I look forward to going back to visit in the future.
Stayed tuned, I’m sure I’ll have more to share soon.
Claire's Liberian Adventure 