Eight of the nineteen charter members of the National Association of University Women's first international branch at Tubman University. Jeanette Jacobson, Jennifer Dioh, Iona Thomas-Connor, Sister Philomena, Myth Carbajosa, Annie Macalaland, Sola Dawodu, and Patricia Jones.

We started out in all white for the ceremony, leaving with green rosettes pinned on our left shoulders by members of the delegation. Tailors in Harper must have been extremely busy in the weeks leading up to the event. The fashion show was on. Beautiful dresses, traffic stopping shoes,

Cinderella?

and multicolored nails declared unique personal statements.

Mary Kay is in the house.

The reception immediately following the ceremony featured Harper City’s Mayor Regina Sampson offering the traditional Grebo (the indigenous people of Maryland County) welcome of koala nuts, coconut squares, and raw cassava cubes served with ground hot, hot red pepper;

Mayor Regina Sampson offers the traditional Grebo welcome of koala nuts, coconut squares, and raw cassava cubes with ground red hot pepper.

a rendition of Liberia’s national anthem in the Grebo language by Mr. Wurth, teacher of Grebo at Tubman University (the only institution in Liberia where Grebo is taught);

Mr. Wurth sings the Liberian national anthem in his native tongue, Grebo. Tubman University is the only institution in Liberia that teaches Grebo.

and the exchanging of proclamations.

Mayor Regina Sampson receives a proclamation from the Mayor of Pine Bluffs.

The day ended with a gospel concert headlined by Minister Kanvee Gaines Adams, one of the top gospel recording artists in Liberia.

Kanvee Gaines Adams shares the trials and triumphs of her life through song, with the packed auditorium in Harper's City Hall.

Supporting performers included the Ebenezer Baptist Church’s youth choir. It was a rocking praise worship session.

Members of the Ebenezer Baptist Church youth choir dance their way off the stage.

Sunday, February 19, 2012. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord was the unmistakable theme at Mount Scott United Methodist Church. With a continued celebration of the NAUW delegation, choir master Andrew Forbie began the spiritual journey guided by the Rev. Dr. Anthony Dioh, Senior Pastor, and Tubman University’s Vice President of Student Affairs.

Rev. Dioh, Senior Pastor of Mount Scott United Methodist Church and his wife Jennifer (in peach) stand on church steps as the NAUW delegates and new inductees gather for pictures.

A potluck luncheon punctuated by the clicking of camera shutters and exchanging of email addresses brought the day to an early closure. These women needed to be well rested for that 4a.m. departure to Monrovia. The trip down was not an easy one and NAUW President Delores Owens became so ill, she had to be taken to the clinic in Fishtown.

Delores Owens, President, NAUW, Melody Dawodu future inductee I'm sure, with her Mom Sola Dawodu and Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Russell, President, Tubman University.

Any historic events in your world recently?

Jeanette, Patricia, Corrine, Lillian, Iona, Marie and Dr. Carbajosa watch as our sky balloon takes flight. We keep watching, wondering who else is enjoying our light show..

It was Brigitte’s birthday, the second Aquarian celebration in as many weeks. A native of Austria, and a psychologist, she is in the final year of her 3-year contract with the Catholic Diocese of Cape Palmas conducting trauma healing workshops. She has a company car, the rest of us don’t, so it was decided that the party would be on campus. If we had gone into town to her place she would have had to play taxi shuttling us back home.

Our new big generator requires new wiring to work properly, so we are without electricity in the midst of Brigitte's birthday party. Local cell phones are all equipped with a flashlight. So our cellphone flashlights and candles illuminate the room.

The vegetable rice, coleslaw, fried chicken, coconut tarts, and fresh pineapple were delicious, but the sky balloons were the highlight of the evening. Gifted to her by housemate Corrine, a UN employee from Germany, in her first year in Harper, the sky balloons are made of something like crepe paper, said to be biodegradable, and comes with a one-inch cube of candle wax without a wick.

Brigitte, Patricia, Corrine, and Dr. Carbajosa are launching the first sky balloon.

Packaged as flat circles, the goal is to open up the balloon without damaging any of the seams. Think of opening a Hefty trash bag – when you start out all sides are stuck together, eventually however, with careful coaxing, a huge cavity is created when fully opened. The wax cube is then attached by the wire loop at the open end of the balloon. As we light the candle wax, which in itself is a challenge to do while attempting to shield the flame of the candle, stuck in the bottle candleholder, from the wind. The intake of air to keep the candle burning forces the sides to open up.

Indeed it is serious work, requiring deep concentration, to get the candle wax lit, especially when you are using a candle and the wind is blowing - just ask Brigitte, Lillian , Patricia, or Jeanette.

When the balloon is filled to capacity with air, it literally pulls away from our hands and heads for the open skies – hence the name sky balloons. We successfully launched two. As each went up we clapped, took pictures, called families we knew who had children telling them to watch, and just giggled like kids who had accomplished the impossible.

Up, up, and away our beautiful, beautiful sky balloon goes!

A memorable night filled with excitement and amazement. A memorable night that kept each of us present in the moment. A memorable night and an incredible gift to each of us.

UFO? No UFO? Just a sky balloon.

Have you had one of those moments lately? What was the catalyst?

Several families of chickens roam the open areas near Tubman hall residences. I hear a few of these free-range chickens are going to be dinner very soon.

Still looking outward there is a huge plum (mango) tree to your right. The broad branches create a ready-made garage, shading the many motor bikes parked around its trunk, from the sun. The bus stops right in front of the building. To your left is the engineering building, its construction stalled until the government of Liberia releases more funds, or a partner is identified.

Dr. Elizabeth Carbajosa, VP,Academic Affairs with Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Russell, President, Tubman University at the meeting for all staff and faculty.

The university benefits from many partnerships. For example the Academic Complex as well as the co-ed dorm in progress are gifts from the Government of Morocco. The Visions in Action NGO supports the teacher education program simultaneously with the training of members of the Ivorian refugee camps to work with their young children.

The Tubman University bus brings employees and students onto the campus in the mornings, then to and from town at lunch time, and back into town in the evenings after work. Its a motorbike taxi is you miss the bus. Here Lillian is the first passenger on the bus heading back to campus after lunch. Yes, everybody takes lunch at the same time each day as the electricity goes off between 12 noon and 2p.

As we are sitting in the gallery listening to her presentation the coming and going of motorbikes are distracting. Doc, as she is affectionately called, asks that the doors be closed. The whirring of ceiling fans, the shifting of bodies in white plastic patio chairs, an occasional cough, and Doc’s voice are all you hear for a while.

These goats, TU 1 and TU 2, were gifted to the university when it was opened.

Then, from outside the walls, on the other side of the room across from the double doors, comes the bleating of goats. Laughter erupts as we all, including Doc, acknowledge the presence of TU1 and TU2 – goats gifted to the university when it opened, now belonging to the College of Agriculture and about to be transported to the farm. There is no denying it; we are in a live environment. That’s our accepted reality.

Ant hills are all over the campus. They represent over 10 years of work by the ants and house several thousand along with one queen who lives in the center.

What’s your reality today? Have you accepted it?

For the first time in my life I live, work and socialize with the same group of people. They have to stand in for my friends and family, so I invite them to celebrate with me over dinner. It’s a traditional Liberian meal.

Dishes at my dinner - fried green plantain chips, potato greens with bony fish, mashed pumpkin, and fried fish.

With so many of the food items bringing forth childhood memories of comfort foods I initially wanted to prepare them the way Jamaicans do. Quickly that plan was dropped as several items basic to the Jamaican cuisine like tomatoes and scallions were unavailable. The next thought was “when in Rome EAT as the Romans EAT”. I not only needed to find out the dishes in a typical Liberian meal I also needed to find someone to prepare them.

Palm butter, from the oil palm nut, is the thickened sauce from the pulp and oil of the palm nut with fish, chicken or bush meat.

As Bob Marley, my birthday twin, would say “To the rescue, here I come!” Marie Simmons, my neighbor a few doors down and a Liberian came to my rescue. She guided me through the planning and securing of people to make different items. I began with dessert. The scarcity of eggs makes cakes and baking in general rare. Miss Sophie does not need eggs for the paw-paw (papaya) pie and somehow she “found” eggs to make the cassava cake.

Cassava cake and paw-paw (papaya) pie - succulent desserts.

Palm butter is a soupy dish made from the oil palm nuts grown all over Maryland County. The explanation I got is that the nuts are boiled for the fruit to soften and fall off the kernels and for the oil to be expressed. After several strainings to remove the kernels and skin, the pulp and oil are boiled into a thick sauce.

Kurl and her Mom, Myth are from the Philippines.

Usually bush meat (the meat of animals like monkeys or other game) and chicken are cooked in it. I asked for fish. The palm butter is served with jollof rice (seasoned rice or cook-up rice in other places) and potato greens. Mashed pumpkin and fried green plantain chips rounded out the meal.

Marie Simmons is my neighbor and from Liberian. She guided me in the planning of the dinner.

Food was setup on our back porch but folks settled in wherever they felt comfortable. As always the crowd evaporates and a few people are left. That’s when we learned that Lillian had twin sons when she was 23, a daughter when she was 35, and another daughter at 43 years of age; that Marie’s sons treated their young sister who was almost 14 years their junior like a doll; and that Brigitte is a fellow Aquarian with a birthday on the 13th.

Brigitte, Iona, and Lillian hangout in my place for the "after party" conversations.

It was a super special birthday celebration. It brought the sunshine way past midnight. And no, we didn’t sing Stevie’s version of the Happy Birthday song.

Dinner is served.

Any special celebrations on your horizon?

Pleebo is the largest city/district in Maryland County.

In response to a greeting of “How are you today?” I always get “I’m trying!” If I ask how much something costs, I’ll hear “a small-small something” then two or three go-arounds later the starting price is revealed. Another two or three go-arounds we’ll get to the “last price.” It’s a dance, a very artful dance, which I’m learning quickly so that I don’t end up paying too much more than a Liberian would be paying. Emmanuel’s “small-small something” was very affordable: US$20.00 or LRD$1,400.00.

Sis Davis beauty salon, Pleebo. What services do you need?

Although Harper is the capital of Maryland County, it is not the largest city. Pleebo, with a population of 56,600 has 20,500 more residents than Harper. The political and administrative structure here is complicated. I am still working at figuring it out. Administratively, the County is led by a Superintendent appointed by the President of the country.

Welcome to Pleebo, Maryland County, Republic of Liberia.

There are seven administrative districts, four electoral districts, and 47 townships all led by commissioners also appointed by the President. There are four cities, including Harper, with an elected mayor. Then there are the Chiefs within the traditional leadership structure. There are Paramount Chiefs, General Town Chiefs, and Town Chiefs for the 15 chiefdoms and 26 clans. Harper is an administrative district, an electoral district, and has its own elected mayor.

Children collect wood to make charcoal. They walk miles each way every week.

Plying the Harper to Pleebo road were women on their way to the market to sell fresh fruit and produce. They will stop at the tea shop if someone there wants to buy something they are selling. Many of the Tubman employees do that rather than try to find transportation to get into town. There were also several small groupings of youth transporting wood, on their heads, that would be burned to make charcoal for selling. Like the women, the youth sometimes walk miles each way.

Cavalla Rubber Corporation, exporter of raw latex, is the largest employer in Pleebo.

Cavalla Rubber Corporation (CRC) is the major employer in the area. According to the Maryland County’s 2008 Community Development Agenda, the CRC has about 1,700 employees and more than sixty percent of them are tappers. Rubber is the major revenue producer in the county followed by agriculture (oil palm and rice) and fishing.

There are acres and acres of rubber trees with the buckets for collecting sap.

We passed through Barriken Town where I was again reminded that some basic conditions for sanitation are not being provided by the county/district/city/township, and are proudly advertised when they are available. Villages rely on wells for water because there is no running water. No sewage systems are provided. Outdoor toilets are provided in strategic locations because many business do not have indoor plumbing. In fact, at the Lone Star office in Pleebo several of us waited for quite a while to purchase our phone cards because the cashier had to leave the building to use the bathroom. Yes, it was public knowledge!

Progress in Barriken Town is broadcasted to all passersby.

Along the way I was also reminded that many villagers build their homes using palm fronds and banana/plantain leaves for roofing. I am squeamish when parts of this “live” environment, like a lizard, some gnats, or insects that I cannot name visit. Each night the perimeter of every window and door is sprayed profusely to keep all visitors away. At those times I am definitely not thinking that a few miles down the road the very materials used for the construction of the home are elements of the natural habitat for those lizards, gnats and insects.

Residents of the village will live in their homes while it is being built.

I’m slowly moving away from making comparisons to what life in other places could be and just doing what I need to do to make it work here. For example, this morning Lillian, Iona and I just started walking to church until two motorbikes came along to take us the rest of the way.

Motorbike taxi or walk - the options to get to church.

Each day living gets easier as I let go and simply enjoy what is being offered to me. That’s my epiphany today. What’s yours?

For one entire day and most of the next I could see the email message with the paper clip indicating there was an attachment. The low intensity of the internet connection made opening impossible. Relying on the five hour time difference I made promises of getting it back to her by the close of the business day in Philadelphia, that would 10:00 p.m. in Harper. The day ended and nothing was sent.

I am so excited that my Philadelphia apartment is now being enjoyed by a wonderful friend. Of course the colors are all gone, converted to a sophisticated off-white.

Finally, Ben Carbajosa, owner of Café Benelli and Harper’s response to Kinko’s, generously took the files home and sent it about midnight, when most of the internet users were in bed. Things are great now, I thought. However, there was still the matter of paying my cousin Phil for painting and making some repairs to the apartment.

Cafe Benelli is Harper's answer to Kinko's and Subway. Here both nutritional as well as photocopying and printing needs are addressed.

Right. You guessed it. There are no ATMs in Harper. So the plan of making an ATM withdrawal and then sending the payment via Western Union was merely wishful thinking. The manager of the Ecobank said one was installed but removed after a few weeks because the usage was low. I’m thinking the trial period needed to have been extended. He said there was one in the next town over, Pleebo. It is about a one hour drive, if you have transportation.

The "ATM-less" Ecobank and the Western Union offices share the same building in downtown Harper.

The only way there was getting a ride with someone who has a car and is heading in that direction; begging one of the deans to release a driver for the trip; or going on a motorbike. It was just not happening. Heading back to my apartment at an emotional low, my sandals broke. Could things get any worse?

Thankfully when I opened up email and Facebook there was a “Hello, dear daughter” message from my Mom; a funny message from my sister Charmaine; an “I’m enjoying your blog posts” note from my sister Marcia; and a “what can I send you?” query from my sister Cecile. You know I asked for shoes.

Dumboy is the two dish meal of fish soup and foo-foo or white rice. The fish soup is made from the large and very meaty Cavallo fish, named after the Cavallo River where it is found, that forms the border between Liberia and Cote d' Ivoire. Foo-foo is made from cooked cassava that is pounded in a mortar until it gets glutenous. The foo-foo is topped with hot peppers, okras, and toasted sesame seeds, called bene seeds. As you eat, spoon some of the rice or the foo-foo into the soup.

Love from my family and a wonderful meal of fish soup and foo-foo (made from the pounded cassava) reminded me not to sweat the small stuff.

My family keeps me grounded. Where/what are your anchors?

The farming community of Philadelphia, about a ten minute ride from the university, is on the way to Pleebo, the only other major city in Maryland County.

From the entrance gates you can go left toward Pleebo, a one-hour ride through the farming community of Philadelphia, or right for the 15 minute ride into the town of Harper.

The United Nations Mission in Liberia purifies water from one of the rivers and then trucks the water to its local headquarters and the residences of its troops. The processing plant is next door to the Tubman campus.

If you are not a Liberian going into town to the market is an opportunity to have all prices immediately raised by 200-300%. Very few places offer prepared food for sale. I’ve heard talk about a place called The Front Porch where you can get grilled fish and rice (everything comes with large servings of white rice), and listen to music on a Friday night. So far my only restaurant experience is at the Pakistani Kitchen that daily offers an all you can eat buffet for US$2.00. It caters for the Pakistani battalion of UNMIL but “guests” are welcomed.

Harper's museum was decimated during the wars. The building has been renovated and is being used as the headquarters for the United Nations Mission in Liberia.

From the shells of the buildings I can tell that Harper, as the capital of Maryland, was a very prosperous city. Dr. Davis-Russell, president of the university, and many of my colleagues are the third and fourth generations of Harper residents. There are prominent families like the Tubmans and the Andersons who owned large parcels of land and several homes with enviable locations overlooking the Cape Palmas area on the Atlantic Ocean. I’m looking forward to learning and sharing more about them.

William V. S. Tubman served as President of Liberia from 1944 - 1971 when he died in a London hospital. His family owned several homes in Harper. In varying stages of disrepair, all the properties are inhabited by people not necessarily related to, or in a financial arrangement with the Tubman family. Here Iona Thomas-Conner, chair, Health Sciences program, introduces me to one of the residents. The rear of the building overlooks Cape Palmas on the Atlantic Ocean.

When the urge to stay close to home is very strong, or when it promises to rain (the rainy season seems to be coming earlier this year, they say) the place to be is the tea shop. Do not think of Starbucks. There is coffee, one flavor, instant. There are sandwiches, usually fried egg on bread or sardines with onions (prepared on the coal pot behind the teashop), and a wide variety of cookies. Everyone hangs out there. You might even get to watch a Nigerian movie on someone’s DVD player. When the three wooden green benches across the one long side and two short sides of the rectangular counter are all filled late comers just stand around and join the conversation until someone relinquishes a seat.

The Tea Shop is the hangout spot. It is directly across the street from the campus and in addition to sandwiches, tea, coffee, Ovaltine, cookies and bread you can also purchase phone cards (remember there are no landlines nor pay-as-you-go cell phone service here) and gasoline in gallon or quart jars.

My favorite thing to order is fante bread with hot Ovaltine. There are two communities of many generations of the Fante peoples from Ghana and the Fulani peoples from Guinea. These peoples along with the Kru, who are believed to have migrated from Ghana eons ago, are the ones who fish. Each group makes a bread very similar in shape to a hotdog bun but more doughy and, to the discerning palate, has some variations in texture.  Snack, stimulating conversation, and possible entertainment for LD$100.00, less than US$2.00. Awesome!

Cape Palmas, Harper, seen from the former residence of President William V. S. Tubman.

So I did some exploration and “lounged” at the teashop this weekend, without breaking the bank. What did you do? What was the dent in your cash reserves?

Administrative building, William V. S. Tubman University, Harper, Maryland County, Republic of Liberia.

When I step away from the issues of rolling electricity (the residences have electricity at night and the academic complex has it during the day), the inconsistencies of internet access (sometimes the signal will only allow me to get to my inbox but not open an email message), and running water that is in sync with the electricity (for the pump to work) I’ve decided it could be a good life.

The fresh fish and seafood are caught by descendants of the Fante (from Ghana), Fulani (from Guinea) and Kru (indigenous Liberians believed to have migrated from Ghana). They all live in villages right on the Atlantic Ocean.

Freshly caught fish and clams directly off the fishing canoes come into the market every evening about 3p.m. and for about LD$ 20.00 (less than US$0.50) I can get about one dozen clams. Fish is not weighed, so, instead of pounds of fish they string several together and sell by the strings. A string of four or five medium sized fish is sold for LD$200.00 (about US$3.00).

Fresh fish is fried dry or used in the greens. The leaves from the sweet potato or cassava are pulverized using a mortar and pestle then combined with the fish for a stew or delicious soup - with lots of pepper.

A super bonus is having a person who comes daily to wash, clean, and cook. This treat will cost me US$60.00 each month. Minimum wage is LD$15 per hour for an eight hour day, five days per week. As my colleague from San Francisco explains the local people see us (faculty and staff) as being “rich” therefore selfish with our money if we do not hire someone to take care of us (they call themselves nurses), especially with about 70% unemployment in this region. So as meager as US$60.00 per month seems, we are paying our “nurses” on par with what the government pays its principals.

Victoria, mom of 18-month old Jerome, takes care of me and my home. I'll ask for her recipe for potato greens and share in an upcoming blog.

The campus is beautiful, sprawling on more than 294 acres. A full load of 18 credits with fees, room and board is about US$250.00 per semester. While that figure might seem like free for a student in the USA, paying each semester’s bill creates a lot of angst for students and their families here in Liberia.

My new living space comes with a bed, table, two stools, a chair, a full kitchen and bathroom. All furniture here is hand-made and made to order. I have ordered a five shelf book case for US$75.00 and a dresser with drawers and mirror for US$150.00. My colleagues say I'm paying too much.

Feeling generous? Care to sponsor a TU student? Let me know and the Financial Aid office will gladly make a match.

Abraham, our driver, fixing flat tire so we can continue our journey to Harper.

Thankfully, there was only one incident – a flat tire – which Abraham, our driver, easily fixed. I should note that no one seems to drive him/herself. For example we are in a “chartered” car that comes with a driver.  Within the fleet management division of the university there are several drivers on staff. The president and vice-presidents each have an assigned driver. The deans share both cars and drivers.

A glimpse at some of the vehicles sharing the Monrovia to Harper Highway with us.

Abraham is from Harper so knows the roads intimately. The 21 hour drive was an exercise in snaking from one side of the road to the other avoiding potholes and oncoming traffic. My colleagues Jerome, Tim, and Lillian were constantly reminding me how much the roads have improved. They also told scary stories about vehicles being stuck in inches and inches of mud for days, during the rainy season. And of course they stressed the importance of only the four of us travelling in a charted taxi instead of being in the bush taxis with six or seven other passengers.

Tappita Hospital, one example of the partnerships between the governments of China and Liberia.

We started out at 6:00 a.m. Friday morning to beat the rush hour traffic. There is only one way to get from Monrovia to Harper by road, and it takes you through the interior. On a map, the shortest distance would be due south along the coastline, but there five large rivers traversing the country, all emptying into the Atlantic Ocean, none of are bridged for vehicular traffic. So we start out going north to Ganta, then south to Tappita, and then southeast through Swedru and Plebo, before arriving in Harper.

There is a major emphasis on public health, specifically sanitation, across the country. There are lots of billboards about putting trash in the appropriate receptacles, washing hands, and proper disposal of bodily wastes.

The mid-morning and evening meal stops are in Ganta and Swedru. Two hours are spent in Tappita to patch the inner tube of the tire that went flat and the check the spare tire – just in case something happens again. There are one or two bathroom breaks along the way, and yes, wearing a skirt was the most sensible thing to have done, because it was an adventure with nature.

From Ganta we headed south to Tappita then southeast to Zwedru before getting to Harper.

It was 2:30 a.m. on Saturday morning when we pulled up to the faculty and staff residences on the campus. There is rolling electricity across the campus. It was scheduled to go off in the residences at 3:30 a.m. and come back on at 6 a.m. I quickly made my bed with sheets bought in Monrovia, took a cold shower and retired for the night.

Faculty and Staff residences, Tubman University.

The next day was spent getting things for my studio apartment: a fan, buckets to store water for those times when there is not running water, mats for the floor, and a mirror for the wall. Everyone is so helpful and welcoming, providing more tips for settling in comfortably and becoming a member of the Tubman University family. The wife of one of the deans donated a mosquito net as mine has not yet arrived.

The mural on the market in downtown Harper is one of several around the city that were created by residents and youth.

Breakfast of fresh pineapple, papaya, and bananas was shared with my new colleagues. Finally, the day ended with a party hosted by Dr. Lucky, Dean, College of Health Sciences.

Dr. Lucky's party.

I’ve arrived in Harper. Finally.

Welcome to Harper City.

How about you? Anything you’ve been moving toward? Where are you on that journey?

My heart sank when I heard her story. I hoped my situation would nor mirror her mother’s as several Liberians in Philadelphia said they used Mr. Sam Devine and he was good. I didn’t think of asking if things showed up within the time frame he stated. I was so focused on being sure that what showed up in Liberia was everything that I sent.

The Liberian Ministry of Education is housed in an eight story building that was privately owned before the civil war. There is no signage on the front of the building. The first two floors are closed off and a school of cosmetology operates on the third floor. The Bureau of Early Childhood Education is on the eight floor in what used to be an apartment. It is believed that President Johnson Sirleaf had lived there when she was the Minister of Finance.

His brother picked up my barrel and several boxes on December 17, 2011 saying a shipment leaves for Monrovia every month and it takes 30 days. So, without getting any written guarantee from Mr. Devine, a mid-February date settled in my head. Today he informed me by text message that my things are expected to arrive mid-March. Mid-March? The positive spin is that date represents only a 30-day delay.

Like my friend Iris Berkel, Mr. Devine is based in Atlanta. His team picks up, by truck, items from customers in more than 20 states. When all the items arrive in Atlanta, AND when he has a full container, then and ONLY then a shipment is sent off.

The street level of the Ministry of Education has a very large plaza. There are booksellers, food vendors, and Kinko's Liberia style. I'm not sure whose electricity is being tapped, but these entrepreneurs have flat screen monitors and printer-copiers set up for anyone with a flash drive in need of their services. Black and white pages are LD$0.35 and color is LD$0.45 per page.

The best analogy I can think of is having a huge trunk sitting open in your living room and your friends and family from all over are sending you packages of various sizes. As the packages arrive you stack them in the trunk. When the trunk is finally full, you’ll close it and send it off. The first package to arrive may have been sitting there for quite some time. Such is the Mom and Pop version of the international shipping business.

Another set-back occurred today. Dr. Carbajosa, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Reverend Townsend, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, and I were scheduled on the United Nations Mission to Liberia (UNMIL) flight to Harper. We got to the airport early and sat in the check-in area with military personnel from Turkey, Pakistan, the USA, and India.

You can get the popular fiction and non-fiction books about Liberia and by Liberian authors including the constitution from the booksellers on the plaza at the Ministry of Education.

The flight to Ganta was called and several passengers lined up, were checked in, and boarded. The only other flight from the small James Spriggs Payne airport was called: Greenville, Swedru, and Harper. The representative at the desk announced she would be calling for passengers in groups: military, other UN personnel, affiliates of UN agencies, and all others. As partners with the United Nations International Development Organization (UNIDO) we would be in the third group.

The United Nations Mission In Liberia terminal at the James Spriggs Payne airport.

Before completing the second group she announced that because of the weight of supplies already loaded no more passengers were being accepted. Only 25 passengers had boarded. Harper is still being illusive. Back to the office and across the street to the Royal Hotel’s restaurant for late breakfast. Sitting on the deck were two members of the Tubman University faculty who had just returned from visiting with family in the USA and were heading back to Harper for the January 23rd start of classes.

L-R: Dr. Carbajosa, VP for Academic Affairs; Jerome Griffin, Dean, School of Education; Darryl Brown, programmer; Lillian Nealy, Director, Early Childhood Education Programs; Yukhido Amnon, Coodinator, Bureau of Early Childhood Education, Ministry of Education; Barbara Kamara, Senior Associate, Early Childhood Education Leadership Institute, University of the District of Columbia.

My cloudy day’s silver lining was participating in the planning meeting for the early childhood education demonstration classroom and resource center on the campus of Tubman University with Dr. Jerome Griffin, Dean, School of Education; Lillian Nealy, Director, Early Childhood Programs at Tubman University; Yukhiko Amnon, Bureau of Early Childhood Programs, Liberia’s Ministry of Education; and Barbara Kamara, Senior Associate, University of the District of Columbia’s Early Childhood Leadership Institute.  The Ministry of Education is also planning to develop an early childhood resource center. Susie, Helen, Erika I will share more about this initiative later.

If your day took a downward swing, what brought your pendulum back to equilibrium?