Hello to all of you again =)



First, thankyou to everyone that has written me and shared kind words, it means a lot out here in the Buduburam Liberian Refugee Camp. I just completed my first of 5 workshops on Public Health, Nutrition, First Aide, Disease Prevention, and Sanitation/Personal Hygiene. It was really cool. All of the leaders in the community that run various programs were present, listening to me and better yet, believing me...so that was really cool. Many of you know my detestment towards public speaking so having this workshop and then receiving really positive feedback from people afterwards felt like a great accomplishment for me and I just wanted to share that =)

I wanted to write you all and share a little bit of what life here is like because frankly, I just need to vent and this gives me an opportunity to give you all a hint of refugee life. To begin, I live in a house that we now call "the fishbowl". Imagine the movie "The Birds" and try to picture the scene where the entire house is surrounded by flocking birds pecking at the window. This is my house. We are constantly being watched and stared at by kids and often adults as well. We love the kids and don't mind them peeking so much, but having adults stare at you is a bit strange if you ask me. But, I had to get over that really quickly. Another thing I had to get over really quickly besides having no electricity but lots of mice, no running water but plenty of bugs would be the fact that everywhere, and I mean everywhere I go, people, mostly kids, are yelling "white woman white woman"...but in actuality it sounds more like "why woman why woman". So I just smile and wave. Every person I pass by wants to know my name, be my special friend, shake my hand and propose that I help them. It is really everwhelming. It is always an adventure leaving the house. What would normally take about 10 minutes to walk to actually takes about 45 minutes here. So I have to plan accordingly.

Another crazy part of life here at the refugee camp is the "school" I teach at. The school is run in a local church. All grade levels are in the same room divided by a hanging mat. It is so loud full of students screaming and teachers yelling etc. Pure madness at its best. My class has 20 desks on a dirt floor and 3 students per desk. Yes, I have a total of 62 students, screaming students. There is no format for the teachers to follow, no chalk earasers, hardly any chalk and no light so that the students can see the "board" properly. I am hesitant to mention this, but I will anyways. It is encouraged by the parents and the teachers to whip the students if they get out of line. And they are always getting out of line. This is one of the most difficult aspects for me. How does one respond to request like that? I simply just shared my personal beliefs and firmly said, no thankyou. Again, I am a little hesitant to share that information (and that is only a pindrop) but I figure, why cover up the truth. This is how it is here.

It's not all bad craziness though. The kids are sweethearts and they are so curious about the 15 white people living in a refugee camp of 40,000 liberians. They are eager to learn. I love hearing the drumming and watching people sing and playing double dutch rope with the girls and laughing with people. All of that is fun. But when the laughing has settled down, I am still here in a refugee struggling just to stay for a short period of time. Some of these people have been here for 14 years. I couldn't imagine. Again, it makes me appreciate all that I have for I am truly blessed just like all of you.

So hey, thankyou for letting me vent and share a little bit of the hards times that I have been up against. It was not meant to burden anyone's mood. One thing I would like to point out is that I am very healthy out here despite the conditions. Everyone out here is sick, including all of the other volunteers. But, as a health educator, I know the importance of prevention. So I have taken all the steps I could possibly come up with to prevent myself and Pam from getting sick and together, her and I have been able to stay strong and healthy. I can honestly say that I am so thankful to have been able to share this experience with someone else, because it would be quite the challenge on my own. So, I leave you on that note and would love to hear from all of you.



peace

melissa