ulitave

As usual, I'm in over my head. Does anyone know of a good internet resource on PTSD? Target population: former child soldiers.

Last night, worldgroove and I ate at Be First, an Indian-Pakistani-Bangladeshi joint over in Sinkor. The food was wonderful, if rather unexpected. We had expected to go there. We expected the good food. We just had no way of knowing what we would eat. Liberia is 80% illiterate now, which makes drink and food ordering chancy. I ordered Chana Masala and garlic naan. When I asked what chana meant, the waiter told me lentils. Chana does not mean lentils. Chana means chickpeas. But the chickpeas were wonderful, and the chipati was wonderful.

Today, shopping. We picked up a zillion things for the house, plus a radio, a fan, and some kwee (Western) food. We got mobbed by homeless former child soldiers. I bought a bootleg DVD that doesn't work (very odd here- most of the bootlegs work fine), a pair of Birkenstocks for $20 out of a wheelbarrrel, and enough liquid provisions (rum) to last the rest of the month. And we made the most amazing discovery - a functioning public library in Monrovia. More on that later.

Tomorrow, worldgroover and a fellow IFESH-er will work on my dreads. We might have the fancy breakfast at the hotel, since I've quit trying to eat at the convent. Apparently, the good cooks have quit. We'll chat and visit friends, as every business in Liberia is shut down on Sundays. Maybe I'll pop popcorn.

This is the quickest and cheapest way to get around Monrovia. Probably not the safest. I've seen plenty of accidents, but few injuries.

Tonight, I'm kicking back at the Cape Hotel in Mamba Point. It's quite nice, even with a loud going-away party at the next table. (The local US Marine Commander is retiring. The other local military commanders - Monrovia Police, UN, US Navy - are sending him off.) I'm not really a guest. I'm buying whatever's cheap on the restaurant menu, so I can access their high-er-speed wireless and listen to the waves against the shore. The food is surprisingly inexpensive for a luxury hotel, and they seem to have no problem letting me sit here for hours.

This part of Monrovia is filled with expats - the wealthy people are here and at the Mamba Point hotel. The less affluent can stay at St. Teresa's Convent, which is less luxury hotel on the beach, and more "3 hots and a cot". Today, I opened a local bank account and waited around at immigration. Tomorrow, I get a Liberian cell phone. (finally!) I may also meet the Editor of the New Democrat, a local paper. I bought some sandals (essential here), shopped on Camp Johnson Road, and priced out a few other items. The streets are still filled with rubble. When I asked what happened, I was told that combatants used mortars and grenades. I ate a "fried egg", which is a popular egg sandwich here. I saw a dog throw up, I stepped over raw sewage. I rode a pin-pin - if I can, I'll post the video.

One of my dorm mates (all private rooms in the men's dorm) likes to play angry, thundering sermons day and night. The thick concrete walls keep most of the noise out, but I still hear God's Judgement, like a small mosquito looking for the tenderest spot.

The flights (Austin-Chicago-Brussels-Monrovia) were mostly uneventful, even if we were 2 1/2 hours late out of Chicago. Brussels Airport is a bit of a maze, but the coffee is excellent. I arrived at Roberts Airport with all of my luggage, limbs, and wits. The first thing you see upon landing are the enormous UN vehicles - troop transports, planes, and a gigantic helicopter. Visa and customs processing were as painless as could be expected, although I did have to pay a small bribe entry fee.

Maryella and I spent my first night in Liberia with friends. Last night, we (and the friends) lapped up the luxury at RLJ Kendeja, a luxury resort on a private beach. Kendeja is owned by Bob Johnson, founder of BET. (Oh the irony!) Apparently, the spa offers cocoa wraps for the ladies. I've seen the effects. Cocoa wraps get the ulitave seal of approval.Hotel Manager William Tubman, grandson of William Tubman, became quite incensed when he heard about my entry fee. Will knows people, so I might see that money again.

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I am very thankful for my family, my friends, and the nice American Airlines lady who let me check my bag, without charging extra, even though it was 2.5 lbs overweight. Thanks to Heidi and Jon for taking care of Django while I'm away. Thanks to Mary for the sweet potato pie. Thanks to naimhe35 for driving me to the airport, and to Chapin for driving me to the hotel. Thanks to steveland and Britney for taking over my classes next week. Thanks to Austin Java Coffee for keeping me awake right now.

Arrived in Austin late yesterday. Hatton picked me up and we started talking PBS (Positive Behavior Support, a classroom management model that focuses on consistency and positive reinforcement). Hatton is the wunderkind of PBS. She devised her system started in DC, and now it's in Austin and Central Texas, the Dominican Republic, and the Netherlands. PBS cuts classroom disruptions dramatically - often up to 90% or so. I've been talking to her about the project for years, but I needed to approach it differently. Hatton talked me through the program over breakfast, and then she shared the forms and whatnot.

I had plans to get my dreads re-done and chat with another old friend, but neither happened. My carry-on bag disintegrated on the trip to Austin, so we had to go and get a new one. Must say, I adore this bag. I'll probably replace all of my luggage with this line. Then my parents wanted to take me shopping. I did need a few things, but they really just wanted to make sure I was safe. That was nice, even if most of our time was spent in Wal-Mart.

Feels odd working today, but this is a job. I do wish I'd had more (some! any!) downtime between gigs, but that would have put my departure off by 2-3 additional weeks. I'm getting a small presentation ready for the IFESH quarterly meeting, which starts today. I gathered digital resources for the team while I was in the states - podcasts, .pdfs, etc. Now I'm making a directory. Exciting, huh?

I'm trying to think of something profound to say. Something about being the first in my family (that I know of) to return home. And motorcycle taxis. And surfing. And new students and faculty to meet, and a thesis to finish, and coming together after tragedy. It's in there somewhere.

Next stop Chicago, then Brussels, then Monrovia. I should get there tomorrow afternoon.

How can I express the sublime fantasticness of my weekend? Gabrielle Forman lecture. Gender Studies gathering at the Pub. Madly wonderful MFA dance party later. Consoled a friend over recent breakup. Found best Waffle House in America (Huntsville, AL). Flying rock punched a hole in my gas tank near Padukah, KY, left me stranded. Picked up by my cousin James. Caught up on family stuff. Hung out at James' biker clubhouse in St. Louis. Flew to Memphis. Flew to Mobile. Stranded again (car-related drama) in Mobile. Fixed the car. Left the drama. Drove to Tuscaloosa.

I smell like gasoline, cigarettes, coffee, and Pringles. Everything hurts. Shower. Bed. Goodnight.

Man in blue polo shirt (on phone): Let's say you and I were black. [looks at ulitave nervously]

ulitave: [looks back with expression that says don't get crazy now.]

Man in blue polo shirt (still on phone): So say we're black and we hear stuff like 'we're gonna blow up Africa.' Wouldn't we be offended?

ulitave: [looks back with new expression that says have your crazy time elsewhere. Any suggestion that you will not have your crazy time elsewhere should be directed to My Black Ass]

Man in blue polo shirt: [leaves]

I'm in final preparations for the trip. That sounds so normal. It is normal. People do this all the time (I'm thinking of you, congogirl .) I have another friend in Nairobi, and a writing buddy in Dakar. (In fact, I may go to Dakar for a writer's conference. More on that as it develops.) They've done it - packed everything, gotten multiple vaccinations, passports, visas, and dealt with all the minor things. Mail. Phone. Vehicle registration. Moving doesn't freak me out so much. Even the schedule, tight and rather sudden, can manage. My new title makes me cringe.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Laying around sick is always a great time to catch up on television. Especially when all of your books are boxed and stored. (Great timing H1N1 or regular flu, whichever you are.) There's a gold rush on for viewers like me, people who watched pledged eternal loyalty to BSG. Hence the new offerings: Flash Forward, V, and Stargate Universe (all on Hulu).

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Final verdict - I'll give SGU and V more time. SGU has some promise, and V has only shown one episode. Flash Forward...nope.

Healthcare: 1.
Asshats: 0.

This is a long way from done, and a long way from single-payer. But it's a start.

I need an acronym for C.H.E.N.E.Y.

Any ideas?

I shouldn't make fun. And yet.

First of all, thank you Siobhan! 

IFESH requires us to do everything we can to stay healthy and safe. Honestly, it's been a long time since my First-Aid merit badge. (Yes, I was a Boy Scout.) The main local challenges are car accidents, water-bourne pathogens, and an assortment of tropical diseases (Yellow Fever, malaria, leprosy, and a few others.) Animal bites are also possible, but fairly rare. Suakoko has a local hospital, but it may lack necessary supplies. We have access to a major medical facility, but it's at least 3 hours away by car. There are no ambulances. We may also encounter trouble away from Suakoko, where there are no medical facilities at all. I do have medical evac insurance for anything life-threatening.

I already have a small Red Cross emergency kit that rides on my motorcycle. I also have a supply of latex gloves and surgical masks. The vaccinations, mosquito net, and repellents will diminish (but never eliminate) the chance of any mosquito-bourne pathogen. I have my regular medicines, plus OTC vitamins, painkillers, etc. Do I need anything else?

(thanks to sistrmoon and congogirl for making me think through these issues.)

Thank you Siobhan!......I hope good days follow, after all you've been through lately.

I've written or spoken to lots of folks about the trip. The short and skinny is that I will be teaching at Cuttington University, in Suacoco, Liberia. I leave Alabama around the end of the semester (exact date TBA), take a 28-hour flight, and start working as soon as I arrive. I'll help them rebuild the English department by developing new classes in composition, ESL, pedagogy, and literature.

( What I'm doing, and how you can help )

Okay, off to an early bed. The latest vaccine is whupping my butt.

Mark this day in your calendars - I don't know when or if this will happen again. But anything is possible.

I have a ghost.

It hops around my studio, late at night. I can hear the ghost hopping on the roof right now. It doesn't walk per se, just steps here and there randomly.

This might also be a mouse, rat, squirrel, chipmunk, or any of the wee timorous beasties that live out here. I hope it's not an owl. Two owls live here, a brown and white one who does most of the hunting, and an all-white one whom I've only seen twice. Owls are some bad motherfuckers. If I have an owl up there, I'll leave and it can write here. Or bite the head off a Tootsie Pop. This is an owl's, owl's, owl's world, but I wouldn't mean nothing without a squirrel trying to get a nut. (Name those tunes!)

There goes my ghost again. How can an animal hop from one side of the roof to the other? I need Ghostbusters, or the local equivalent.