Coping

December 13, 2013

Coping with cultural differences is the biggest challenge faced when living in a very different culture. Liberia is a special case with difficulties frustrating even the most veteran foreigner.  

An ex-Peace Corps Volunteer who served many years ago in Cameroon and now works for an organization funded by the U.S.,  stopped by yesterday to share Peace Corps stories and bring a gift of cheese. He had just met with the President of Cuttington wondering why the university had thrown out of class over 70 U.S. paid scholarship agricultural students for non-payment of tuition when in fact the tuition money is ready to be sent as soon as the university submits a proper invoice.

He also wonders about non-use of the $30,000 generator given to the university to supply the agricultural school and nearby buildings with power when university generators fail.  The president states he didn’t want the students to riot because the agricultural school got preferential treatment. The new generator sits securely locked beneath my house waiting to be stolen and put to good use somewhere else.

My big challenge  is coping with the total lack of concern about another person’s time. For example, a girl comes up to me at the end of class wondering if I would look at the rough draft of her term paper. I say I will be at my office in a minute as soon as I put my things away. I wait 30 minutes for Magdelene. I ask her later where she was. She says she was hungry and went to get something to eat. Another student again says he will come to my office after class, another no show. “What happened,  Zienu?” I ask. No response. “I am on my way right now” is another phrase which means, “ I intend to come, but really can’t. However, I do plan to come eventually”. Just drives me crazy.

Appointment times in some countries mean, the meeting will happen, just later than scheduled. Here you have no idea about anything, especially if it’s officially written. Even the school calendar lists the date for 2014 Easter break as March 31, which happens to the date for Easter 2013 (2014 Easter is April 20th). Ah, the wonder of cut and paste.

What makes Liberia especially difficult for me is the pretense of being a smaller version of the United States, but underneath that façade is pure Liberia. You are constantly being shown one thing of what you think you know, but then you get “sucker punched” with something else.   Other Africans have the same coping problems as I have. At least that fact gives me some solace.