The Wall

 10-31-2013

I am sure every teacher has experienced “The Wall”. It is when you think things are going smoothly and you come to the realization your students are lost. You may or may not know when that wall comes, but it always looms ready to come crashing down.

Genetics has a guaranteed wall. It is when you put all the laws and principles developed by Gregor Mendel years ago into genetic probabilities. It is like riding a bike. You either get it or you painfully fall on your butt.

As a teacher you try to pick them up and ask to try again. 

I hope more see the light, because Midterms are coming soon.

It’s Relative

 10-31-2013

Today is what I call the first perfect day. Well at least the morning is.

Last night a “cold” front came through triggering some violent thunderstorms. This morning I could walk the ¼ mile to my 7:00 am class without being sweating upon arrival. There is even a cool breeze.

The major topic of students waiting for the class to begin is how cold they are. When I talk about a furnace, they think I am crazy. When I talk about walking on ice and worse driving cars on ice, they know I am crazy.

Of course, they all want to see snow and get a lighter complexion. Just try to explain to equatorial Africans that people where I live are beginning to think about hotter places and getting darker.

The Dr.Nicks of Natural Science

10-27-2013

With Dr. Robert Nico, Dean of Natural Science.
We love joking about both going by the name of  Dr. Nick.
He also acts as a trainer for new Peace Corps Volunteers. 

Matriculation Ceremony

 10-27-2013

 

Today marks the matriculation of freshman into Cuttington University. Matriculation means to enter, register, or enroll and who better to matriculate than entering students, dressed in white, and who better to be there than seniors, dressed in black cap and gown.  The ceremony, prayers, and speeches are what you would expect from university administrators. However, one part is especially moving and that is the passing of the flame to the candles of freshman symbolizing the removal of darkness from their eyes.

The students pledge to be drug-free, seek dialog with the administration rather than resorting to violence, refrain from bringing firearms to campus, do everything to make the campus safe, wholesome, and clean, and honor, respect and obey those in authority. The response is “I will, God being my helper”.

Other issues in which students are asked to refrain are paying for or providing sex for grades, reasonable requests I thought. But on second thought, they are admissions that such activities happen.

Messages of you simply need the will and desire to succeed and it happens, as the President of the University relates his own history of how he alone got to where he is now. Students need to forego instant gratification, fancy clothes, frequent sex, and alcohol. Of course, the American Dream of hard work being rewarded is also referred as an example.

Afterwards there is the hugging and pictures being taken of each other, followed by a special cafeteria meal of fried chicken, oily rice, cabbage salad and dressing, and a piece of cake. Can’t ask for more than that.

Entry processional

Next come seniors

Followed by freshman

Passing of "Light to Remove Darkness from your Eyes"

Students scramble to get chairs.
Someone forgot to count number students and number of required chairs
It took four truck loads of extra chairs

Camera Shy

 10-23-2013

One of my burning questions is “why do people not want to take pictures?” I have been told several times to stop taking pictures and almost accosted by a woman in the marketplace who insisted I delete a picture while she watched my delete. She is not even in the picture. It seems many Peace Corps have ideas, none of which satisfy me.

While watching a soccer match with the Dean of Natural Science who is from Sierra Leone and a teacher from Liberia, I ask them why? Both do not want to answer my question, instead asking me “Don’t I know why?” I explain to them how difficult it is to try and understand another culture, especially one as different as Africa. After several minutes of trying to get them to understand that I want to understand and that if taking pictures causes problems I can stop, but tell me why.

Their explanation is that Africans don’t like whites taking their picture or pictures of where they are because they think the whites use the pictures to point out their conditions. They are not animals and they feel that they are being used as such.

Upon thinking about this, I admit that is exactly how these photographs are used. The differences between whites and Africans are just too great to be taken casually. No one down and out wants to have their position become the amusement or even the education of another. It is just too personal.

The Debate

10-23-2013

This weekend is matriculation time. I always thought that matriculation is at graduation time in June for graduates. Not so here at Cuttington, for matriculation ceremonies are both for incoming Freshman and for those Seniors graduating next June. To mark this double matriculation a number of sporting events, a bonfire, and a debate occur. Last night I went to the student debate. My College of Natural Science is first to debate on the subject “The Youth of Liberia are prepared to run the State”. They had the con position against the Business College who had the pro position.

The posted time for the debate is 6:00 pm at the cafeteria. I go there with one of the debate judges.

No one there, but chairs and stage look ready. I ask a student about the debate time, he says about 6:30 when the power is restored. Sounds reasonable to me.  At 6:30 I am there with another two debate judges. Still no one there but there is power. So I ask one of debate contestants when the debate might start, he says about 8:00 after the students have finished their evening snack. About 7:30 people start to take seats. At about 8:00 power is suddenly lost. We sit in the dark lit by hundreds of cell phones. At 8:30 power returns and the place is packed. The debate teams enter to cheers from their supporters and after about 30 minutes of introductions and a lengthy explanation of the rules of which almost no one can hear over the din, the debate begins.

I always thought debates are supposed to be about facts, each side countering the others contentions.

The debates here are a combination of gospel revival, political rally, and sporting event. Emotional rhetoric is at a fever pitch and supporting evidence non-existent. The judges seeming enthralled by the dynamism of the event and the yelling of the crowd that note taking just wastes paper. One thing is for sure, the debate is entertaining, if totally lacking in any substance.

As one expects, the position of the pro position that youth are prepared to run the state is widely accepted by the students with the main supporting argument that those in the room, the exceptional students of Cuttington, are prepared because they are here. The con position just says the youth lack experience to run the state.

My question is “Is anyone prepared to run the state?” anywhere. We only have to look at our own inability to agree on anything. At least in Liberia, politics and the future politicians do lack pizazz.

As a footnote, the College of Natural Science won the debate. My students all made it to my 7:00 am Genetics class, tired but feeling confident that they are ready to run the state.

Ready to Teach

10/22/2013

Wearing a traditional "lappa" and ready to face the students in the morning.

An Activity

 10-20-2013

Be happy in your work

One thing you learn in the Peace Corps is the importance of activities. Without activities to fill your time, living in an alien land with nothing or anyone familiar to occupy your time and mind of the familiar, you soon could go crazy. So you play a game with yourself and call it “Activities”.

Soon any little thing becomes an engrossing activity. The activities can vary from sweeping up lizard poop, to plunge the bath tub, to washing, to sweating, or staring out into empty space.

My favorite is to mop the floor with a tincture of Clorox. The pungent smell makes the floor seem clean and germ-free.  Dressing up makes the occasion that much more special. 

Almost everyday someone is at my door asking to earn money by doing some household chore. I guess it would be a good thing to do, but then what would I do?

Shopping in Gbargna

 10-19-2013

I have been to numerous marketplaces before where some people might be uncomfortable with the crowding, noise and smells, let alone the sanitary conditions. The Gbargna market makes the others the others seem like shopping at “Target”. While Target may have wide aisles, signs indicating departments, fixed prices, quiet, and above all very clean, it lacks all the things that make the Gbargna market exciting.

The one thing Target shoppers might appreciate is that all the food is natural, low in calories, and very organic.

Passing street scene at main intersection

  

The wide aisles

The fresh produce

Brief video of market before I was stopped

Don’t take my picture

 10-19-2013

Outside of little children, Liberians don’t want their picture taken. Several times I have been admonished for taking pictures of Liberians. If I am seen taking candid pictures of others, they tell me it is not to be done. In the market, a woman demanded that I erase a picture of her while she looked over my shoulder to make sure it was deleted.

I need to find out more.

Developing Every Society to Natural, DES-N

10-18-2013

As I mentioned a short time ago, I am working with a group of students who are their own noticed groups of orphaned and poor children who hung around the university cafeteria hoping for a piece of bread. Others children in the area are sent out by their parents to sell fruit when they should be in school.

The group has now registered with the university as an official organization; they call the organization “Developing Every Society to Natural” (DES-N). They plan to set up shelters in neighboring villages to help feed these children and to help them to get back in school.

To put together a grant proposal, they took the following pictures of some of the children and also interviewed them to get a better understanding of their situation. Thought you might enjoy seeing the types of people they are working to help.

One grant we are in the process of establishing is called "Peace Corps Partnership Proposal". This is where people can make a tax-deductible donation through the  Peace Corps for this specific project.  

Installation of Student Union Officers

 10-12-2013

One of my Genetics class students, Jusu D., came up to me weeks ago and asked me to come to his “coronation” as President of the Student Union. He gave me the time and date as Saturday, October 12, at noon. It sounded like an important event for him, so I said I would attend.

There were beautiful posters appearing on campus advertising the Installation and Inauguration Ball.The time on the poster said 10am. I saw Jusu the night before to confirm the time at 10am. I must admit I am not always understood and the venue was very noisy. He seemed to confirm the time. All dressed for a special occasion, I went to the Assembly Hall at 10am. No one was there.

At noon, the hall was packed. Entertainment, conducting actual student union meetings dissolving the old congress and installing the new with what seemed like a million speeches, each speaker seemingly required to recognize almost everyone over and over again. After two hours, Jusu was sworn in and gave his speech. I left in what was to middle of the program for a meeting which didn’t happen because the people knew I was at the installation and there was no way I could make a meeting with them at the agreed upon time.

After watching the dancers at the installation, I thought it might be worth a try to “Dance like a Liberian”. Fortunately during dinner at the cafeteria a young man was showing his moves, I showed mine, and we agreed to meet that night at the Inauguration Ball where he would give me lessons.

The Inauguration Ball was scheduled to start at 8pm. I learned later the Ball did not end until dawn.

I got there a little early, my “instructor” was there, as well as, girls dressed up for a ball sitting around, usually drinking. Time continued to pass and the students continued to get “pissy”, Liberian for drunk, and things were getting ugly, my instructor being one of the ugliest. I stuck around away from the crowd until about 11:00, waiting for the Ball to start. I was curious, but old age got the best of me and I decided sleep was more important than learning to dance ”Liberian” on stage with a drunk instructor.  People who went near the Inauguration Ball site the next morning said it looked like a disaster area.

This “activity” highlights some of the issues one experiences in Liberia.

First, a written time means nothing. Even a signed written note about a Biology Department meeting scheduled for Friday never happened.  I being the only one waiting outside the meeting room door.

Second, Liberians can’t dance. Believe me polka night at the senior center has more action. Their preference is to sit and get drunk while listening to music that can best be described as terrible to the ear, without words, and seemingly on an endless repetitive tape. You hear it constantly.

Well, I made my appearance.

I learned to what extent teachers go through to connect with their students.

Don't always believe what a sign says

Blog reader in Papua New Guinea

 10-10-2013

How nice to receive an email from a blog reader in Papua New Guinea where he now is a college instructor. The gentleman was a teacher for one semester here at Cuttington University and lived in the second unit of my duplex unit. We was a missionary to Liberia and Romania. He plans to visit Cuttington in November before visiting Romania, finally going to the US for the holidays. I look forward to meting him.

Bread

10-8-2013

The staff of life and the source of corruption

I have a feeling if I leave any lasting impression in Liberia it will be because of bread. Just talking about bread here puts people into a kind of ecstasy.

I finally got all the ingredients, used my imagination as to proportions, and made two loaf’s of chewy, hard-crusted white bread in my no temperature gauge electric oven. The baking Gods must have been looking down on me that day. Since the fact that it was more than edible, is a miracle.

Pieces of those two loafs have been tasted by numerous individuals. The stage is set. Because like jam in Samoa, bread is better than money.

A Good Cause

10-6-2013

While sitting on my porch a few days ago and student came down the road. I waved and said hello. He then came up to see me and told me about a group he was forming to help the needy. Maybe I had some extra clothes to donate.

He went on to describe a project a group of his fellow students were doing to build a little bridge across a path which I am familiar with, getting wet myself try to cross the little stream. It seems these students were doing this on their own, just to help out. It sounded like volunteerism to me, something very rare in the third world. Their goal was to build an orphanage for the many homeless children in the area, a lofty goal indeed.

What got them going was seeing all the hungry and orphaned children who hang around outside the cafeteria hoping for some rice or a piece of bread. These children tend to be scared off by university guards. The students began to think about how fortunate they were and how could they help those less fortunate.

I said I might be of some help to them writing proposals and attended their ad hoc meeting this afternoon. I was greatly impressed.

They were starting off with officers, meeting minutes, and each member of the group donates a “tax” to be used to help others. I made a few suggestions which I think they appreciated. I guess I was hooked. I am now their “advisor”.

Now they are off the get some life-stories from some of the kids, maybe even some photos. They want to recruit more students, non-students, men and women, put up posters, get on campus radio. They need to become “official” by registering as an organization with the university. They have a number of good ideas and their hardest task is to stay focused on their main goal of helping orphans and needy children. Should be interesting.

Some of the young men in the group

Happy man walking across bridge

Mystery Leaves

10-3-2013

What can these leaves be?

A university messenger came to my door and asked if I lived in this unit, 14A. He then gave me a zip lock bag of dried green leaves. I asked what "kind of leaves are they?" He didn't know. "Who sent them? He didn't know. "Who gave them to you?" "Campus Security", he said. He left. 

Now I have these leaves and curiosity is beginning to overwhelm me. I chewed a few. Nada. Not even a savory taste. No tingle of the lips. No ill effects I can ascertain.  

Wonder what they can be?

Dog Eats Baby

Samoa is never far from my mind and occasionally I check the Samoan newspaper to see what is happening. This article caught my eye because it gives you an idea of Samoan life and the ever present attitude and problem with dogs.

Mr. Si'ita points to where he found baby.

 Atapana Sumeo Si’itia is still in shock. As a matter of fact, the 21-year-old resident of Vaitele-fou says the imagine will remain with him forever.

Si’ita said, “My brother saw one of our dogs come running into our gate with food in its mouth. He thought it was a normal piece of meat, but when he called us to come and take a closer look, I realized it was a baby with no arms.”

He said, “The baby boy was already dead.” He said the smell and his physical appearance indicated the baby had just been born.

Across from Mr. Si’ita’s home are two pieces of unoccupied land. He suspects the mother may have dumped his body there.

“It happened about half past six or seven o’clock on Sunday evening”, he said. “It was scary. I never seen anything like that in my whole life.”

Mr. Si’ita’s family called the police.

“They came and started their investigation immediately”

Asked if knew where the dog came from, he said; “There was no sign which way the dog came with the baby.” “As you know Vaitele-fou is a very big area. It’s hard to know everyone in this area.”

The police issued a press release about the matter saying they are investigating.

The remains of the baby boy are at Tupua Tamasese Meole hospital morgue.

Meanwhile, Mr. Si’ita said they have had to put the dog down Wednesday. 

UN in Liberia

9-30-13

 

Common UN Vehicle in Liberia

While walking on the main road towards some stores, a United Nations vehicle stops me and the driver asks me if I want a ride. He says he is going into town which I am not planning to do, but since the shopping is better there and it is five miles away, I say “sure”.  The driver is a UN career person living in Liberia for the past ten years. He is a Cambodian lawyer by training. He is from the nearby UN barracks and airstrip which has a contingent of Bangladeshi soldiers.

He tells me about how the UN tries to integrate with the community and how it often gets blamed for local issues. He also talks about the same issues facing Peace Corps which are rich foreigners amongst very poor people. His biggest problem is with aggressive Liberian women cohabiting with UN personnel who then have a family, husband, or boyfriend suddenly appear asking for retribution,.. money.

The current crisis he is involved with is a strike by the motorcycle taxi drivers who are demanding respect and services from the government. It seems they went on a rampage about a week ago in town, ending up clubbing one bystander to death and severely injuring another. UN police are in town to reinforce the locals in maintaining quiet.

The UN Peace Keeping efforts often seem to be the political whipping boy about its usefulness and effectiveness. What I have seen is Liberia would come apart without them.

Modern Communications

 10-1-2013

 

For as poor as Liberia is, it has up-to-date cell phone service and slow, but readily available internet service. What this means is that even though I am thousands of miles away, I am instantly accessible. 

It makes it nice to be on my cell phone and clearly talk to Mary about her new car, or my daughter, Kim, as she learns about the businesses I left her to manage, my grandson, Sam, whom I surprise in State College, PA, or my son, Nicholas, as he drives to a football game in Iowa City. Text messaging each other with little tidbits helps to make us feel even closer.

Sometimes I have to ask myself, “Am I really in a tropical African country or just across the street?” It doesn’t take me long to come to my senses. It is hot and humid here. This is not Minnesota.