Sunday evening was epic to say the least. After church Allen invited me over for lunch to meet his family. He then took me to 2011 County Meet finals at SKD stadium. Since getting in was so difficult last time Allen had the brilliant idea of going early to avoid the rush. We took our seats around 3 in just enough time to catch the last part of kickball finals. In Liberia the women play kickball and men football. After kickball the 3rd place match began. By this time the stands were filling up and the atmosphere was building. Around 5 the President of Liberia made her grand entrance to stadium by declaring free attendance. It was immediate chaos but I have to admit she knows how to gain popularity with the common Liberian. My comfortable, roomy concrete step soon turned into a crammed, shoulder to shoulder, knee to knee, ordeal. Around 6 the players entered the field that was filled with applause and cheering. Every time an exciting event would take place everyone would stand, giving the people standing in the entryways a few more inches to creep forward to catch a better look. This would ultimately let more people into the already crowded event. Before the game the President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, walked onto the field and shook hands with each of the players in the finals. The first half neither team scored which left much tension in the air between the fans. I was cheering for Nimba County who happened to be the defending champions. For some reason everyone around me was cheering for Margibi County and they were not afraid to let me know it. About 5 minutes into halftime the power failed and the stadium soon lit up with cell phone lights. Everyone stayed fairly calm until the power returned 15 minuets later. The last half was also scoreless and Allen and I decided we had enough excitement for the night so we left. As we reached the jeep we soon realized we were not going anywhere because we were parked in. A very helpful man who wanted to make some money made some phone calls and searched around for 20 minuets to find the owner of the vehicle who parked us in. Allen compensated him with 15 LD.
On the way home I pictured myself at Lucas Oil Stadium while attending the Super Bowl. I had paid about 100 USD for my ticket and was comfortably enjoying the pre-game warm-ups. I had always wanted to attend a Super Bowl but never wanted to spend that much money. This would be a dream come true. Barrak Obama then makes a surprise appearance and invited everyone into the stadium to enjoy the game for free. Colts and Patriot fans pack the stadium as the gates are swung wide open. President Obama walks onto the field before the game to personally greet all the players. At halftime the power goes out and the whole stadium goes pitch black. I can’t help but wonder how Americans would react to a situation like this?
I have a confession to make. Monday I told a bold faced, cold lie. While conducting my consumer surveys around Central Monrovia I found myself surrounded by 15 Liberian young adults. We were having a very pleasant conversation about agriculture and Liberians diet. One young man unexpectedly asked if I was from America. My response was “yes” and it was immediately followed with a slew of intimidating questions. “What do you think about President Obama?” Did you vote for Obama?” How great is president Obama”? I paused for a moment as I looked at the eager faces and didn’t think twice about lying. I told them all how great of a president we had and how proud I was to have him leading our country in the right direction. Of course I voted for him! This was followed by a small celebration as everyone was pleased to hear my response. This was obviously a straight up lie. I regret to inform you of my shortcomings and will try and do better next time.
Most of this week I have been walking around Central Monrovia with my trusty clipboard and pen taking surveys of average Liberians. I get a lot of funny looks around here just like I do in the States so I guess some things never change. Most conversations start off rough but once I smile and offer a Liberian handshake they warm up pretty quick. I explain to them I am a volunteer for Province Baptist Church who works in agriculture and need to know what Liberians like to eat so I know what to grow. It always takes a couple seconds for things to click but in most cases they are willing to lend me their time. While taking this survey I leaned that rice and palm butter is their favorite fruit or vegetable. Liberians are not health brainwashed like Americans and are happy with whatever is put in front of them as long as it includes rice.
Overall week 2 has been full of adventures and learning.
-Brad
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