Just Call Me Dennis

"Ma nee Dany"

Translation from Liberian English: “My name is Dany.” I’m not going by Danielle here because I consider everyone associated with Peace Corps Liberia to be my extended family, and I only allow my close friends and family to call me Dany. But somehow, “Da-nee” is tricky for the pekins (little kids) to say. So I frequently hear “Dennis” being yelled from across the house or yard. Yup, Dennis. I find it hilarious and find myself laughing and employing humor on a regular basis here to get through situations we’ll just call interesting. The phrase T.I.A. (This is Africa!) is one that often crosses my mind. I’m here, this is real, and having a positive outlook will make this entire experience that much more enjoyable. I’ve only been here just about 3 weeks and already this place has wholly and completely captured my heart.

Back to the topic of names…my African name is Lela (emphasis on the “a”), which means “satisfy” in Kpelle (pronounced “pe-leh”. My family, the Seyboes, named me that because they are very satisfied I am in their home. I live with my Pa, Eddie, my Ma, Patricia, my sis, Marthalyn (9), and my baby sis, Felisha (Fefe, 1 yr. 2 months) in a very nice home in the Bassa Quarter. The neighborhoods here are divided by ethnic communities. The Seyboes also have a son, Eddie, Jr., who is 19 and lives in NJ. Eddie, Sr. is the Assistant to the Mayor of Kakata and is also a pastor at a large church in the city. Patricia is a beautician and is going to platt (braid) my hair sometime soon! My family here has really made me feel like this is my second home. I actually just started watching a Filipino soap opera with my Ma & Marthalyn, which is reminiscent of the late nights I’d spend with Mama Zemmel watching las telenovelas mexicanas.  I HAVE BEEN SUCKED IN TO THE SOAP! My ma and I also have really great conversations, from exchanging funny stories to learning recipes to deep discussions about the recent evolution of culturally-appropriate gender roles and expectations. My host parents are also incredibly appreciative of me (and other PC Trainees) being here to help rebuild the educational system. The Seyboe family strongly regards education, and they also help some extended family members with school, along with housing, clothing, food, etc. They are truly generous people, and don’t worry, Mommy, I’m in good hands.  :-D  Plus, Patricia and the Ma of my friend Gabrielle are trying to set us up with other (older) PC Volunteers! See, the mothers here are only thinking about our best interests!

There are a few neighbor-women that are frequently over at the house and cook over here too. Their children all hang out here too, and they’ve made me feel incredibly welcome here. They help me with Liberian English and chores and make light of when I do things strangely. I’ve actually been making rock earrings for the women and girls to show them my appreciation, which they love. I have already cranked out 10 pairs, and the requests keep coming in!

As far as chores, they don’t let me really do any unless I impose myself to help. I’ve washed dishes, swept, and pumped water (I have yet to carry it on my head, but it WILL happen!). I haven’t done laundry yet, since I really over-packed, but I will in a few weeks. Due to the climate, it takes a long time for clothes to dry (rain + humidity). We also have to bucket bathe 1-2 times a day here. Liberians typically bathe 2-4 times/day though. The rainy season is in mid-swing so we’re frequently rinsing off mud from our feet and legs. When the dry season begins in November we’ll be rinsing the red dust from off of our skin.

Although walking everywhere means we’re almost always dirty, it allows us to interact with the community. It’s culturally impolite to not wave and greet people as you pass by them. It’s amazing how powerful a simple smile can be. I smile a lot here, so much so that my cheekbones are sore sometimes. I’m going to have a lot of wrinkles when I become an old woman!

Now on to language…some of them have names that are uncommon in the States and would seem easy to pronounce but Liberian English is tricky. Blessing, Praise, Willamena, and Comfort are some examples, but, take Comfort for example: here, it’s pronounced “confor” and you barely even pronounce the “r”. This takes me to Liberian English. Man, where do I start? This will probably be further explained in another blog post, but while Liberians use Standard English spelling, they don’t speak that way. Basically, everything is kind of run together and there are some colloquial phrases. And some words that we use back home have different meanings here. I.e., a plum is what we call a mango, embarrassed is how they describe physical discomfort, and “Yu wan tu eat ma eyeboi” means that someone is trying to cheat you with overcharging for an item or a service. Pronunciation is different too. For instance, we say “Li-beer-i-a” and they say “Li-bee-ria”.

And Liberians are a very proud people. They are also incredibly strong. The country was in a functioning state before the 14 years of 2 civil wars. Many people fled and were refugees in other West African nations, others lost their homes and family members in the war, etc. It makes me incredibly angry and sad to think about the war. It’s important to know about the history and the political atmosphere that led up to the era of destruction, but we can’t let it bring us down. I’ve learned that from the Liberian people. They are incredibly hopeful and have great pride in their nation, something I think more Americans should have. We have NO idea how good we have it. I don’t want to sound preachy, but we really have it good back home. These people lack so much yet they still will share their food with you, wash the mud off your feet, and greet you with a smile and a wave as you stroll by. Life is too short to complain; we have to make the most of what we’ve got and be proactive if we want any change to occur.

Liberians are also religious. Christians (~70%), Muslims (~20%), and those whom practice indigenous religions/other (~10%) are all living and working together to improve the many fragmented infrastructures and systems in the country. My family is very religious and while initially I was a little uncomfortable with it, I’m learning to embrace it. They derive their hope and drive to enjoy life from their faith. I went to church my first Sunday with the family, just to see what it was like, and boy, was that interesting! I was a bit uncomfortable, but they respect my views and appreciated that I at least went to experience the service.

Besides learning about Liberian culture and religion, I’ve been sharing my culture with them. Lately I’ve been showing photos of my family, friends, STL, etc. with my host family and have been coloring with the neighborhood kids. I also taught them how to play slap-jack, and they almost always spy (cheat)! I talk about Mexican food and culture a lot with my host ma too and teach the kids (appropriate) American slang. Sometimes I feel tired trying to keep up with it all but…

Exercising here has helped in keeping me energized. For the first time since probably 4^th grade, I don’t really feel stressed. I try to run throughout my neighborhood in Kakata every other day and on the off-days, I do some sit-ups and push-ups in my room. I have also started journaling every day, which surprisingly was easy to get into despite the fact that I’ve never kept a journal before. I write about things I eat (another blog post) and about the Peace Corps (PC) experience in general.

PC is an organization of the federal government, meaning they LOVE abbreviations. I’m in Pre-Service Training (PST) right now and after we’re sworn in, we’ll be PC Volunteers (PCVs). Before that can happen, I have to pass my Language Proficiency Interview (LPI) with my Language & Cross-Cultural Facilitator (LCF) this Friday. The Country Director (CD) met with the Pres. of Liberia today (super cool!), and there are 35 of us in LR-3 (Liberia Response group-3, post war). LR-1 is about to COS (Close of Service), and LR-2 has 1 more year. So far there are under 80 PCVs & PCTs in-country and we’ll get 11 more Response (emergency) PCVs in August. The group is really like a family. I have trouble opening up to new people, but I’m learning to trust people and build good relationships here.

Our home base is Doe Palace, the compound where we have PST each day from 8 am - 5 pm, but the schedule sometimes changes a bit from day to day. We have current (electricity) here but the generator goes in and out so we mostly just use lights and don’t use the A/C--we use fans instead. The dress code is business casual, but it’s more casual than business due to the climate. However, we are expected to dress modestly and professionally, because here in Liberia dressing in tattered, dirty clothing is known as “Peace Corps style” from before the war. So we’re trying to change that image!

In terms of what we’re learning in PST, we have multiple training sessions each day, with topics including: safety & security, Emergency Action Plan, risk assessment-mitigation-and incident reporting, avoiding unwanted attention, sexual assault prevention and reporting, cultural norms and taboos, Liberian English, and many educational trainings, from blending pedagogies to specific techniques and strategies that are tailored to the limited resources and many obstacles in the Liberian education system. My group is fortunate enough to be part of a pilot program in which Peace Corps issues each of us a Kindle Touch, preloaded with training documents, free books, national curriculum, and standardized test examples, along with other things. So we save paper and the Peace Corps saves money (because it actually costs more to make the thousands of copies).

Overall, I am incredibly happy here. As downright-incredibly-unhappy as I was at the beginning of this year (for various reasons), I have made a 180 degree shift. I feel at ease here and am not stressed. I am getting over my OCD tendencies (who knew Africa would be the cure?!) and am learning to appreciate the little things. While I miss many American institutions and efficiency, I don’t miss too many physical things that are American…except Cheetos. (Although, the stale knock-off brand here ain’t that bad.) I do miss interacting regularly with friends and family, but I do have a phone here so if you would like to get my # so we can chat, just shoot me an email message at djz1247@truman.edu! Also, I welcome little email/Facebook/text blips of current events updates or just updates on your lives! And please feel free to make suggestions for my future blog posts. I know I need to work on length but shoot me ideas for future topics. To whoever reads this, I hope you are doing well and I hope to hear from you soon! :-D