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Over the Christmas Holiday, I had the chance to take the trip of a lifetime. After 20 years of hearing about the great homeland, I would finally experience it myself. As excited as I was, there was also a slight feeling of nervousness. Would Liberia be everything I had hoped? How will I adjust? WIFI??? When our eleven-hour flight finally landed, as cliché as it sounds, I genuinely felt like I had made it home. Once we arrived, we hit the ground running. This is where I experienced my first culture shock. Nobody told me that there were no lanes on the road, or that I would only see one stop light my whole trip (huge shoutout to A.B because I could never drive in Liberia). The most rewarding part of my trip, and one of the saddest, was the day we traveled to Bong Mines. Bong Mines was a place that I know had a huge role to play in my life, having heard the stories from my father and the BECAA community. The Bong Mines that I saw was not the one I had heard stories of. While driving through the old community, my dad was describing the layout, where his house was, where the community pool was, etc. But all I saw were trees and the remnants of the things my dad was describing. This was incredibly powerful to be in THE place that shaped who I am. After waiting 20 years, I can whole heartedly say that it was the trip of a lifetime. From seeing the chief traffic officer, to the best rice I have ever tasted at Terracotta, this is an experience that I will never forget, and I cannot wait to go back home.
My Time At The Resource Center
While in LIB I had the chance to visit the resource center and to tour the school and speak to some of the kids. It was beautiful to see so many kids that were excited to be in school and wanting to learn. It was nice to see the direct effect of all the work that is being done stateside. Having talked to some of the students, they all had something in common, “What sport do you play?” I asked them, and every single response was, “football”. I am very happy to report that over 20 pairs of football boots and tennis shoes were donated for the students at the school. Through deep conversation I learned that most of the students want to become doctors, lawyers, and engineers, which makes the work of the resource center so important. It was rewarding to see the work that we are doing directly have an impact on those we strive to help.
