Animal Life in Liberia

I asked my Liberian friend if they have cats and dogs, and what other kinds of animals we might see. She replied: "We do have cats and dogs but not as indoor house pets, but outdoors. The dogs are are used as watchdogs. You will see some strays roaming back streets and in the neighborhoods. You won't see monkeys in Monrovia, the capital city; although some expatriates seem to like them as pets. Monkeys are usually in the bush. However, there is a Monrovia zoo where you will see monkeys.  If you are lucky, you might see monkeys jumping from tree to tree as you travel out of Monrovia to other areas."

She said the most common kind of monkey is the Spider Monkey (note they have something called a "prehensile" tail so they can swing by the tail. I knew my anthropology graduate education would come in handy some day.)

Pennsylvania Excursion

I am traveling to see family and to make plans for the NAMLE conference.http://namle.net/conference/

I am also testing putting up a blog post from my cell phone. Boy am I slow at texting! 

For those who are interested, the conference hotel is the Sheraton Society Hill http://www.sheratonsocietyhillhotel.com/

Liberian Geography 101

I admit it. Before working on this potential companion relationship I did not know exactly where Liberia was on a map of Africa. I also could not name all the countries around it (though I did know it was close to Sierra Leone because a sales rep I worked with had been a Peace Corps worker there many years ago.) So, here is Liberian geography 101.

First, a map...

Now, for a quick overview. Our delegation will be going to Monrovia. The airport is on the outskirts of the city, in the direction of Harbel.

At some point we will be going up to Cuttington University, located in Bong County about 3 hours north of Monrovia (Cuttington U). We also may be going as far as Robertsport. The coastal area is likely to be the focus of our travel, and most nights we will be back in Monrovia at the homes of our hosts.

Size: Liberia is just over 111,000 square kilometers, so it is a little smaller than Ohio (116,000 sq km).

And the weather? April is the last month of the dry season. Temperatures range from mid 70s to mid 90s, and humidity is 85% or higher. There may be afternoon showers, much like Florida or other tropical areas but the heavy, constant rain doesn't start until May. Being close to the Equator, Liberia has dense rainforests inland with few paved roads...another reason why we'll be sticking along the coast.

To see a satellite view of West Africa, visit Google Maps.

View Larger Map

A Closer Look at Liberia's President

In 2005 Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected president of Liberia. Not only is she the first female head of state in Africa, but is the first elected president after the Liberian civil war. On January 16, 2006 she was sworn into office and began to tackle the enormous challenge of rebuilding the infrastructure while interacting with the international community—including pressures from the international finance community.

Learn more about this amazing head of state by watching the World Focus video reports, where she is interviewed by Lynn Sherr. President Johnson Sirleaf met with President Obama in 2010 (White House video)(transcript) and also announced her plans to run again, in the October 2011 elections.

A Pilgrimage to Liberia

"In each of us dwells a wanderer, a gypsy, a pilgrim. The purpose here is to call forth that spirit. What matters most on your journey is how deeply you see, how attentively you hear, how richly the encounters are felt in your heart and soul." 

This is from the book The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred. Different words from this quote touch me in different ways as I plan for my upcoming visit to Liberia. Five of us will prepare, travel together, listen, learn, experience, and return. I don't know how this relationship-building trip will change me, but I expect to be changed just as pilgrims have been changed by encounters with the holy over the ages.