Jola House Update - Place Your Orders!

Small Patchwork Bag $20 US

So many folks showed interest in the Jola House Dream Believe Hope patchwork tote bag series - I have worked with Elfreyda and the women of Jola House to take more orders this week! Jola House will be sending our orders via a friend/courier next week.

If you are unfamiliar with Jola House here is their website: Jola House . Or you can look at some of my previous posts regarding Jola House. They are still hard at work and Elfreyda is working hard to assist the women and grow their business of locally designed and handmade items!

Below are a few more items available. You will see the large patchwork tote that was real popular on Facebook, and some other items I thought folks might like.

Go ahead and email at michael.robert.pedersen@gmail.com or facebook inbox me.

Thanks for your interest and support!

Original Large Tote $35 US (Modeled by Mamie)

Simple Hobo/Sack style Bag $15 US (variety of patterns)

To carry your Yoga Mat! $25 US
 (Modeled by Mamie's son Ossie)

Ipad Cozy with zipper and Flap $30 US

So that's all for now but if you see something on their website that you have to have, let me know and I will do my best!

Coconut Water at Coconut Plantation

Mamie Update: Reading, Writing, and Math

Mamie, of course, is excelling in class at a rapid rate. She is reading, writing, speaking, hearing, "conversating" on a level that I presumed would take a year - I am so impressed.

She is so excited and I am so happy for her. She brought her books to the house and we have been reviewing her lessons daily. Her pride and self worth have increased and truly I am humbled by her remarkable sense of self value. She relates reading and writing to her value and worth and will not stop until she has accomplished her goals. She has been busy while I was away: opening a bank account, signing her own name - planning for the future in hopes of moving her family out of the city into a safer, calmer town.

In class they have started math lessons - LOL. ...oh goodness she is eager, intentional, and focused. So very proud of her. Mamie and her classmates are instructed to use pencils so they can correct their errors - Mamie has a dozen pencils we gave her all with "used-up" erasers. LOL So I went to the expat market and bought her some chunky erasers...she was pleased as punch!

I was looking through Mamie's workbooks and found the above, "capable," written in a blank area. It brought me to tears - because it was truth, written in Mamie's handwriting - Capable indeed.

Mamie's math book and a pencil without an eraser due to overuse!

The RAIN!

Oh my goodness...Everything Everyone has said about Liberian Rain is true! The "Rainy Season" is insane!

So beautiful! And really I could post photos (but the internet has been prohibitive) and well it is RAIN! Constant RAIN!

And truly - May to November: HA! It is amazing there is anything left after the rain comes - CRAZY. Of course being indoors under tin roofing only adds to the sound - the sound from the pitter patter of light rain to the constant white noise beating of the roof when the torrents descend for hours on end.

So beautiful I can't express - and tenacious at the same time - constant CONSTANT: you think the rain is over, you even see that distant star they call the sun, and there is a mist on your face  - it is still RAINING!

The more I think I about it the more it sorta spooks me - what this land would be like if not populated and "industrialized." Even with 1.1 million folks in the "metro" area - the rain still takes away the soil and the land - it is constant - and it still washes everything away leaving debris in sand along the new rivers and streams it creates. I just wonder if this peninsula would even be here if not for the concrete and asphalt covering. OUt in the jungle you hear reports and see photos of the dirt roads turning into red mud rivers - I mean FEET OF MUD -- unbelievable and so magical and natural at the same time.

Ironically, I expected an increase in bugs - but the rain even deters BUGS - mosquitoes don't have a chance since it is constantly raining! Ants and other critters are kept at bay, and lucky me I have not seen a spider since my return. But for some reason flies FLIES are abundant and here in the house we all keep a fly swatter attached to our hip like police man carries a gun.

Though these snails appear and they are just so beautiful! And so large (and local food item).

Of course the dissonance between expats and locals becomes obvious when discussing rain. Expats will drone on and on about the grey days, and the bad roads, and being stuck in their homes, and how they need to "get out" or they are going to go crazy. The constant whining from people about the rain makes my head hurt - I tend to turn it off, I empathize for sure FOR SURE - but truly most of the time expats just need something to whine about. The best really is everything still works - for those of us in the city - so there are no major dilemmas - planes still land and take off and food is still available.

In fact even more food is available because it is a big season for produce pumpkin (squash) and cucumbers, and tomatoes, and eggplant are all in season! Even litche is in season - so much goodness!

Pumpkin (squash), Paw Paws (Papaya),
and Butter Pear (Avocado)

All these items came from the Jungle!
The cucumbers are huge and tasty, love it!

And of course the Liberians have lived through the rain for the past um ....HUNDREDS of YEARS - and at least 183rd since they have been a democracy and guess what it still rains - in fact these folks have been in war with themselves for 20 years including rainy seasons! So far be it from to judge those who whine on...

Even more so are the few foreign journalists who stop by Liberia snap a few photos and talk to some expats and then create opinionated articles about how the government is not doing enough - I am sure, proper roads benefit everyone...

Here is a post from the economist - and as much as I enjoy the economist I was discouraged by this post - truly I tell you spirits are higher here than this post portends...

economist blog post

And yes eggs may be 50 cents out in the countryside - but why is anyone delivering eggs (I believe the estimate is 80% of eggs are imported from India) along muddy roads for 14 hours anyway? There is plenty of food out in the jungle - in fact it is called the BREAD BASKET of Liberia. And yes , petrol is $9US, if I was a business owner I would raise prices and take advantage of all the expats traveling out there as well - let alone how many hours did it take the petrol truck to get to the jungle?

And yes, there are issues, rising flood waters, water born illnesses - yes, but again, the rain was here first.

So glad I got to witness the rainy season in full effect this year - luscious, tenacious, spirited  all the signs of life and that the earth and Africa are still ALIVE!

The Slow Down

All my life (even to this day) my Father will tell me to slow down. In fact, as he drove me to the airport to I asked him, "Dad, do you think I will ever slow down?"

His response was no response. That's my Dad.

Well, I do try to be conscious of things when in Liberia. Of the many things on my mind, I do think about how things can't be easily replaced, whether it be due to cost or availability. This includes medication, money, food, furniture, clothes, crystal stemware, and of course electronics.

I tend to keep my iphone in the house and my laptop well it is my only window to the outside world besides my little nokia mobile phone...

Funny how when in the States, I tend to sling my laptop around, hold it with two fingers, use it as a breakfast tray as I head to the balcony, oh I have dropped my laptop several times - shoved it in the overhead compartment - HA! Because I can easily replace it!

Oh but here in Liberia oh yes it takes a good ten minutes to get to the porch in the morning.
1. Unlock all the doors
2. Bug Check
3. Wipe away the water
4. Bug Check
5. Lock Door
6. Collect Coffee and Napkin
7. Unlock Door
8. Carry out coffee
9. Lock door
10. Collect laptop
11. Unlock Door
12. ahhhh Breakfast

Now back in Chicago that would have been a two step process with me balancing coffee, oatmeal, iphone, pad, pen, maybe a magazine and oh it is a usually a mess on the floor....!

So it's all about slowing down,...and I love it...I love slowing down - it feels so good!

There are other slowing down processes of course, there is the night time ritual slow down, doors locked, keys stowed, exterior lights on, windows locked, shades drawn, bird covered, bugs sprayed, interior doors locked, bugs sprayed, ac on, go-bag ready, shoes at door, electronics stowed, and of course ear plugs...yea that's a good twenty minutes for sure and then night time prayers and then sleep!

Slowing down my brain - LOVE IT!

Upstairs Downstairs - The Morning

If you have ever had the luxury of experiencing house staff, or if you ever worked as a house staffer, or if you ever worked in the hotel, restaurant or catering industries or even if you worked in live theatre...you know there is "Upstairs" and "Downstairs."

There is "Front of the House" and "Back of the House."

Well my mornings are a peek A PEEK into the wonderful world of "Downstairs/Back of the House" here in the Compound at Coconut Plantation.

Such a world A WORLD. Sitting here on the porch, drinking my coffee, the luxury of the breeze, the sun AND the rain, the ocean smell, the chirping birds...all very quiet the city itself is just waking up...

But so much has to happen for the city to come alive and while all the professional folks, and house owners, and expats are just waking and showering and kvetching and checking on emails - there is a flurry on the mew - a flurry of energy and movement - that one doesn't get to see if you are in the shower - a flurry that becomes still once the city awakes together and steps out the front door.

It is almost comical - almost romantic - it definitely is lovely - this flurry and it is a flurry - like snowflakes that fall and wend and just may end up over there on the fence post or here on your nose - so to the workers that prepare for our days they are scattered about - there is no one in charge - they are each set to be in charge of themselves and their duties. There are drivers who show up in street clothes and change into their uniforms in the garages or behind a tree and then realize they left their phone somewhere so they scamper about from truck to hiding place to motorbike dropping things along the way talking to other workers - until they hear their phone ring again.

There are the compound workers arriving for work, preparing before they take their places on stage - funny how they scurry in a flurry - arriving in their street clothes fresh and crisp, gardeners, carpenters, electricians, mechanics, security - looking like "man on the street" even in the rain crisp jeans and clean sneakers - white WHITE in the rain - wearing ponchos and slickers they hurry in a flurry - to place their tools, check on the generators - then head to their spots to change - I have come to realize/learn/notice that each of the men have their own "spot" where they keep/store/hide their belongings.

And then like Superman from the phone booth they return to the stage, they appear in front of the house in their uniform, crisp security uniform, ragged jumpsuits for the gardeners, old jeans and t-shirts for the carpenters - the Muslim men especially - I notice a significant difference between their personal and work clothes - Andrew takes off his hat - he won't wear a baseball cap at work.

And then they take their places - their strides MUCH slower - the flurry is almost over, the sun is brighter and the strides are slower - heads are now down and each one takes their place - whether behind a wheel barrow or the slacker carpenter who sits on a stoop - everyone is in place...

Drivers are done washing trucks, dressed, in idling vehicles waiting for their "Boss Men."

And then it happens - SHOW TIME! Front doors open! And Boss Men appear and the day begins as only some know it...

Three Months of Change

Just here a couple of days and yet - I see so many changes- and feel so many changes. In my mind, maybe it is rainy versus dry season - or maybe it is just time...but so few months and yet the dissonance is real.

Had I arrived for the first time in Liberia this week - I would think oooh how cool and wet and lush it is  here on the West African coast, alas I know better - the HOT, sweltering, sun baking days of the dry season will come again.

Had I arrived for the first time this week, I would think oh my goodness, why are all the buildings left unpainted, alas I know better- the relentless rains have washed away the paint of the walls, the buildings, especially here on the ocean side - not only are our homes and compound walls scrubbed away leaving a variety of patinas, from dingy sand cement, to colorful molds of bright greens and deep rich browns and blacks but metal doors and window grates are tinged with rust from the ocean mist.

Even the plants have changed - there are lush responses to the rainy season - grass is bushy and thick - matted and dense creating carpets of bright BRIGHT green even on this gray morning, the grass lights up the compound yard reflecting off the few white surfaces that remain - creating a green glow that is warm and inviting - stunning: it even lights up the dirt! 

Of course there are the plants that could not survive the rainy season - or the ocean mists. Small plants and bushes that could not handle the constant down pours or the salty winds and they stand like lean, twiggy, youthful soldiers in the mud - they have not given up = but they are naked, and leafless, embarrassed even - but I know - I have faith that they will return - brighter and stronger. I have no fear that they might have right now - alone and thin. I look forward to their new leaves - exciting really!

And then there are all the folks - the neighbors - they seem more focused as they hurry to their jobs, the expats, they seem a little wearier then I remember the verve of a sunny dry season has been replaced with a slow sullen energy that is visible in everyone's face and stride.

Then there is Mamie - she has lost some weight, markedly so and upon asking her about it I have come to learn - she has a boyfriend - and she wants to take care of herself for her boyfriend! 

Andrew has actually gained weight - and so then I noticed many of the working men in the compound have gained weight - in fact so much so I did not recognize them. Seems the rainy season is beneficial for the working man - less time in the field allows for more rest and less days of sweltering heat lend to more eating - so a new cycle I have learned - and yet not so much different from us in America when we "fatten-up" over winter - and try to "shed" pounds in the spring - here, here it is the natural process!

Thanks goodness I left for the rainy season - maybe if I only live "in summertime" I won't have to worry about "shedding" pounds - I may have found a new regimen!

There are some concerning changes involving my friends - some Liberians are markedly thinner - in fact one of our security men, a young man, who works nights so he can get an economics/accounting degree during the day - is markedly thinner - he was when I left quite big and strong and agile and fun and his face was youthful...unfortunately, through rainy season he contracted every disease available in Liberia - malaria and typhoid and malaria again - and other names I did not even understand. Through all this he has still been attending class and brought his grade sheet to show us: All B's except for a C in Geography. 

I will do my best to fatten him up, and even his older colleague who appears dry-season-thin, I worry about them both as rainy season ends.

I am sure there are more changes about -  but it all seems so overwhelming - there are new buildings about and old ones missing - little squatter neighborhoods just a pile of bricks and new stands on Randall Street. All in just three short months. 

The good the bad the unexpected the expected - the good news about all this change: Liberia is Alive. 

BACK in Liberia!

So a few things...

Landing at Robertsfield Airport really got me all excited - the trip seemed quick - maybe due to Brussels Airlines upgraded planes with ipads and all - so I watched a few too many movies!

But as soon as that door opened - wooosh Liberian air! YES! Ocean and Humidity and Heat and Jungle and Moisture and Cement and all of it! Loved it! I jumped JUMPED from my seat I was so excited!

Down the stairs I was a little too giddy and almost knocked over a fellow carrying who knows what back from China...but anyway I saluted the Liberian workers awaiting to tend to the newly arrived plane, as they waited misty air they smiled and waved back as if we were old friends - and I thought we are WE ARE old friends. As I got to the "terminal" I wondered would I ever get out of here LOL - gosh how long will the line be  today....

But alas - my new status as a "Liberian Resident" allowed me to "speedy" entrance - thank goodness because the line was LONG - as a Delta flight (God Speed to anyone who flies Delta to Liberia) landed before us - but here I was with my fellow Liberians on the "Resident" queue! YES! How exciting! And speedy was the service! The immigration terminal now has a CEILING! I was thrilled - the other folks in the queue were surely confused by my excitement....

Alas I entered the baggage area - LMAO - oh how to explain the baggage claim area - well it is hard to fathom - there is a carousel and it is maybe 20 yards long MAYBE and it is probably the FASTEST moving thing in all IN ALL of Liberia - I have never seen a carousel that moves so quick -

Remember those little yellow ducks at the local carnival and you had to catch one - well that is easier to accomplish!

I grabbed my luggage and BULLDOZED my way through the crowd - oh yea - completely bulldozed down my fellow residents since expats were still waiting on line! HA!!!!

Outside was my friend and the driver and WOOOSH! Away to town we went!

All the smells and the lush greenery so different compared to when I was last here...ooh the water and the swamp! YES! The smell so rich SO RICH - I think I now understand why dogs stick their heads out of car windows - HA!

All has been well here at the house. Mamie has been busy with school and is eager to learn more. Her reading and writing skills are already impressive! She has been jumping ahead and trying to teach herself math - she is quite the over achiever.

It was great to see Andrew and the garden is looking well - washed away....but he has planted many a new bush, so come this spring our yard will look much fuller!

And all things seem good -

Heading to the supermarket I thought it might rain - so I put on my rain boots - and as I left the house the house and walked the compound everyone was worried that I was heading to the jungle - explaining that I was only going to the supermarket everyone laughed (as they were not prepared for rain). Upon my return from the market in the POURING rain - I saw all my neighbors and compound staff soaking wet - and nodding to me - good thing you wore your boots! HA! INDEED! INDEED!

The local market is full of local produce - cherry tomatoes, eggplant, GIANT avocados, onions, and even local lettuce! Good welcome home!

Making a Difference! AAW-PEACE

Here is the link

The Link to Donate $5!

Heading Back!

Whilst Summer comes to an end here in the States, I look forward to my return to Liberia...

Hoping that the rainy season is waning back home in Liberia, I look forward to the smiles and the energy of Monrovia. I look forward to the humidity and bustling of the city streets. I am so excited to return to a city filled with life and hope and energy and BATS!

I miss visiting the bats - and I miss my Bird.

Looking forward to catching up with friends, the folks at the orphanage, and all the neighbors. So excited to find out what is waiting for me in the garden. Can't wait to see how Mamie has progressed with her reading.

Something magical, for all those who have been to Liberia, we know something that others don't know - we know about the magic, the history, the mystery.....

God bless the good people of Liberia, God Bless us everyone.