Hip, Hip, Hooray!

It seems that at the beginning of the rains, we often get snake sightings. This year has been no different, with a small black cobra sitting on the school steps, a green mamba at the clinic sidewalk, and several garden snakes here and there. One snake in particular caused a commotion as it decided to visit a palaver hut that was full of children. Heidi Hollander (our niece who is helping for the month of June) accidentally kicked the snake as it stealthily sneaked along the brick walkway. It was an exhilarating moment for Heidi! But Mama Rebecca was all over the situation.

Here is an epic of this magnificent feat of courageous valor.

ODE TO MAMA REBECCA

Here is a story of a woman so brave;
Her courage and daring are remembered this day.        

She risked her life to save those all around;

Thought not of self as she went into the fray.

A calm, normal morn it began with all unawares
that evil and treachery were nigh underfoot.                                                                                

A simple misstep and a snake in the air,
and so the conflict Rebecca undertook.

Bea jumped on a bench, Makatee screamed.
There was shouting, yelling, arms all a’frattle;                                                  

But with calmness, speed, agility, and poise,
Rebecca scooped up her broom and stepped in to do battle.

She danced and twirled and beguiled that snake.
Her speed was incredible; her aim straight and true.                         

A hit, a nudge, a sweep of the broom;
The snake struggled no more, the battle was through.

We hail thee, Rebecca; our hero for good.
With no thought for self, you saved us from tears!

You will be remembered as A Great Snake Killer!
And so it is to you that we give a rousing Three Cheers!

Hip, Hip, Hooray for Mama Rebecca!

By the way, Dave and I have very different recollections on the length of that snake!  Dave might need new contacts.  Hope you all have a "Rebecca" on your side today!  

Just when you thought is was safe to go out at night...

I have put up with a lot of disgusting things here. Like sneaky snakes and monster spiders and cruel ants and R.O.U.S. (Rodents of Unusual Size). But this latest creature is just too much! A large boa constrictor has been sighted on our property! Up in the area I fondly refer to as "JungleLand", a guard spotted a large boa slithering under the fence. It was about fifteen feet long (or maybe it was twelve feet long. The guard was a little rattled. I do not care! Fifteen feet, twelve feet...anything longer than, say, two inches, is too long for me!)

 

Am I the only one who saw the "Harry Potter" movies? Big snakes are problems! And what about the classic movie "Anaconda"...or "Clash of the Titans"? Actually, I am not sure if there was a big snake in "Clash of the Titans", but it looked like a possiblity because of the trailers I saw.  Anyways, regular sized snakes are scary. And big snakes are really scary.

 

Of course, Dave's response was totally different than mine. When we were told of the boa, I screamed, I jumped up on the sofa, I might have fainted...it's all a blur. Dave grabbed the camera and headed to "JungleLand". He did not find it, but he has assured me it will be back. Fabulous.

 

Now, as I move around the compound, especially in the evening, every little thing spooks me. I am a mess. Jumpy, jumpy, jumpy. Dave thinks it is funny, but I am not amused. Neither is my sofa.

 

We will keep you posted about the boa. If Dave gets a picture of it slowly squeezing me 'til I lose consciousness, he will post it. If I get a picture of it trying to swallow Dave, I will post it.

 

And the adventure continues...

Grow Dirt: $800; Competent Truck Driver: Priceless!

It seem such a simple thing: just deliver ten loads of "grow dirt" to the village. We needed some good top soil in order to begin some serious vegetable gardens. The village is situated on a sand hill, and that stuff will hardly grow anything! We have NEVER had so many crop failures as since we came to Liberia! As farmers, it has been a bit demoralizing. And quite humbling! We needed some good soil.

So a dump truck was hired to bring in the dirt.

At 4:30 pm, after the ninth load, the driver got in a hurry. He left his dump box up as he started to leave the village to get load number ten. And he snagged the electrical lines overhead. As cables do not stretch, this small little error resulted in six electrical poles being pulled over, and one pole snapped off at the base. And of course, no power for the village! The truck driver hopped out of his cab and walked up to Dave. "Bad luck, bad luck," he kept saying. That was not really what was going through Dave's mind right then!

For the next five hours, Dave pulled electrical poles up straight with the Land Cruiser and propped them with boards. In the dark night, he climbed ladders, untangled cables, and spliced wires. He managed to restore power to the dining hall/kitchen at 9:30pm. The frozen fish in the freezer spurred him on!

Two days later, he was able to restore power to the cottages. The mamas thanked him that their ceiling fans worked again. Dave is officially the village hero!

---Babs

Children + Water = Fun

This past week has been busy (again)! We had two holidays, back to back, so we had to plan special activities to keep fifty six children occupied. Oh, boy!

Wednesday was Decoration Day. It is sort of like the U.S. Memorial Day, as Liberians honor their dead relatives. The day is a family day, with extended family members gathering at burial plots for weeding and painting the tombs and remembering.

We used the day to walk to the beach. It seems that every time we go, we have a few children who have not been at the village very long, and they have never before seen the ocean up close. For some children, seeing the ocean for the first time is kind of scary! But it does not take too long and they are enjoying the outing like all the others. Sticking toes in the cool water, chasing sand crabs (somehow, Caleb always manages to catch one!), building sand castles, and scouring the beach for the "perfect" shell are great ways to enjoy a holiday from school.

The ocean was beautiful. Some local fishermen in dugout canoes bobbed on the water just beyond the breaking waves. Birds dove into the surf looking to score lunch. We met a village employee carrying two nice fish. He HAD scored lunch and he was on his way home to cook it!

The walk back to the village was on a dirt path through an area that is overgrown and jungle-like. The kids saw a herd of goats, some guard dogs, and many kinds of birds. It was a fun day for a beach walk.

Thursday was J.J. Robert's Birthday. Good ol' J.J. was a past president of Liberia. To celebrate his day, we had Pool Day. The blow-up pools were set up and filled via several garden hoses. Good natured water fights occurred; "holding one's breath underwater" contests were held in some pools; some serious "swimming" was attempted; the biggest splash-makers were noted; more water fights ensued. A small football was tossed from pool to pool, and little George (age two years) spent his time trying to empty a pool, one cupful of water at a time. Yes, children + water = much fun!

Wishing you a splashing good day!

---Dave & Babs

Not Your Ordinary Construction Site

A new school building is being built at the village. There are many things that one doesn't normally see at a bulding site here. Like the homemade ladders, and the septic tank that was dug and formed six weeks ago, but never has had a lid built yet (it is empty, but it is also an eight foot drop for the unsuspecting person walking at night!).

And then there is the monkey. He is a pet of one of the construction workers so he is on a leash. The kindergarten teacher asked to have the monkey moved to another place on the site, as her class (easily distracted anyways!) had a difficult time ignoring the chattering creature next to their windows. I am not a big fan of the primates, and this guy is not a big fan of white women, so we both try to pretend the other one does not exist. So far, it is working.

But the most interesting item so far on this building site was the bomb. It was discovered as the guys were digging a trench between the new and the existing school buildings. Someone's shovel hit something hard. Looking closer, it was an 81 mm. mortar shell. They tossed it out of the trench, onto the sand. Dave gingerly carried it away from people and buildings and he called the U.N. authorities.

Someone immediately came out to make a report. ("Found: one bomb.") We were told to make sure that it was in a secured place so our neighbors could not take it away. Apparently, this is a real problem with unexploded ordinances. People are unaware of the danger, and take them home.

The next day, several trucks and an ambulance pulled through the gate. The U.N. personnel were Pakastini explosive experts. (I think there might be a joke here...) Soldiers with rifles stepped into place around the perimeter of the area. The shell was moved into the jungle behind the construction site. There was some discussion; sandbags were brought in; wire was laid out into the jungle; there was more discussion; we were all told to move back; a loud whistle blew; and finally a large explosion. It was rather impressive. The blast threw rocks, dirt, and leaves onto the roof of the new school building. We silly Americans applauded the Pakastanis, who smiled back at us silly Americans. The crater in the jungle was about eight feet in diameter and trees surrounding the hole were scarred.

And now all the boys here at the village have a new goal: to become Pakastini explosive experts! What's not to like about a job like that? Bombs, playing with matches, loud explosions! A truly great occupation.

Wishing you a nice, quiet day.

---Babs

Life in the Fast Lane

The other morning, as we drove to church, it occurred to me that driving in Liberia is never a dull activity. Today, we saw a man on a motorcycle, driving with one hand, while holding a large fish in the other hand. I wonder if his mother had warned him about arriving at his sister's house for lunch without a hostess gift. We saw a man (old enough to know better!) on roller blades, holding onto the back of a motorcycle, whipping through Monrovia's streets. We saw a van that had rolled and was quite crunched. It had been full of cement building blocks.

Two boys, about age ten, were walking with a large table balanced on their heads. Maybe the Communion Table for a church somewhere? A man was pulling his reluctant goat down the street. I think the goat must have known this might be the last barbeque he would attend. Ladies dressed in beautiful African dresses, trying to hail taxis; little boys in clean white shirts and neat black trousers; girls with their hair intricately plaited and decorated with many bright barrettes and ribbons; dapper gentlemen wearing suits and ties. Many people were on their way to church.

As he drove, Dave had to keep a close eye on the road. Taxis stop in the middle of the lane to pick-up customers. Trucks pull onto the road without stopping or looking ("Right of Weight" seems to be the rule here). People crossing busy streets stand on the yellow line in the middle of the road, waiting for a break in traffic to dash across the remaining lanes. Cars pass on double yellow lines; taxis pass vehicles by driving on the shoulder of the road; brake lights often do not work, so there is no warning notice that a car is stopping in front of you. Joggers run on the road, and men pushing wheelbarrows full of lumber expect cars to go around them. Driving is not for the faint-hearted!

In the past month several new road signs have appeared. "Slippery When Wet" for a bridge, "Caution/School", "Curve Ahead", and so on. Earlier this week, I encountered a STOP sign where one had previously never been. I slowed and stopped. Two taxis whipped around me, honking their horns and one man shook his fist at me. Having the right of way, two motorcycles turned in front of me as I patiently waited, and they both honked and glared! All I did was stop at the STOP sign, as required by law. I was confused. But Dave told me that STOP signs are really just suggestions and that by actually stopping, I had spoiled the system. How was I to know?

Tomorrow, while you wait at the stop light, be thankful that every car is in a proper lane, and that all cars actually stopped for the red light. Be thankful that there are not twenty five people threading their way around the cars, selling newspapers, gum, potato chips, washcloths (yes, washcloths!), and loaves of bread. Driving in the U.S. might be a little more boring than driving here, but it is definitely more sane.

Have a good week.

---Babs

Getting Ready for Christmas

Arks & Animals for the cottages

Here at the village, we are making plans for the 25th. The tree is up and the dining hall is decorated. The Advent Wreath is being lit every Sunday evening as we countdown to Christmas. Wooden nativity scenes are centered on the coffee tables in each cottage. The school children have been making gifts for the mamas, and a new dress for each girl is being sewn. Books and crayons are wrapped and labeled. Wreaths have been constructed for doors.

This year, each cottage will receive "cottage" gifts. These gifts are for use by all the people living in the house. Card games have been made and laminated. Matching games, rhyming word games, and math card games will be wrapped for each family and placed under the tree. Also, a wood carver friend has sculpted wooden arks complete with Mr. and Mrs. Noah and sets of animals. Each cottage will receive a Noah's ark set for Christmas.

Preparations for the annual Christmas Pageant are in full swing. We have plans to perform the pageant in the neighboring villages on Friday the 23rd. So far, practices have had the normal occurrences...an angel threw up; a Roman soldier and a shepherd got into a fist fight; one wise man has terrible stage fright and he cannot remember his five word line; one of the innkeepers just giggles. Yep, pretty normal.

Our Mary lovingly holds the baby Jesus each practice. She tenderly wraps the cloth around the baby. It is the sweetest thing to watch! And after each the practice, the baby Jesus is still the center of attention, as the children gather around and they all want to touch the baby doll.

This is our Christmas wish for you this season: May you still be in awe of the One in the manger, and may you wish to touch Him. He wishes to touch you.

Merry Christmas!

Dave and Babs