Chapter Seven: On a Jet Plane(Final Thoughts)

My time in Liberia has come to an end. The beginning of my trip to Liberia was rough, I am not going to lie. The first few days I was counting down the days until my departure. As time went by I began to see the beauty in my mother's land. The country is extremely rich in resources yet majority of Liberians are living in poverty. Most people have moved to the city for a better life which has caused a lot of congestion. Then there is not enough jobs in Monrovia to support the population. Hopefully jobs will open in the interior. I have come to realize that the Liberians I have been in contact with over the years are different from the Liberians who are living in Liberia. I think the two decades of civil war and unrest has changed Liberians. It has also created a divide between the Liberians who were able to leave and the Liberians who stayed behind.
There were a lot of pleasant memories I have had in Liberia, most took place by the ocean. Anyone who is thinking about traveling to West Africa should make a pit stop to Robertsport.
It is suppose to be an ideal location for surfers. I not much of a surfer but it is still one of my favorite places in the world. If you are looking for a good time head to Embassy. In my humble opinion is the best night club in Monrovia. If you are looking for an escape from the Liberian life head to RLK Kendeja Resort & Villas.
A really nice resort that is a little far from the city but not too far from the airport. I am not really sure where to get good Liberian food since most of the food I ate was made at my home or a family member's house. I think most restaurants offer Liberian food. The best shawarmas are made at Royal Hotel, my mouth is watering thinking about it. One must make a trip to Rozi, a cute restaurant that is run by my cousin( not that I am bias or anything). The decor mixes Western architercture with Liberian. It has a homey feel to it.
I can see myself coming back to Liberia which is a good thing since I did not want to come in the first place. I was concerned by the lack of running water and no electricity( such a snob I know). I soon found out that most places have access to city water and that most people rely on generators for light so its not too bad. There was a time when the main pump for the city water erupted which meant all of Monrovia had no water for three days. It was not as bad as it could have been. Using a bucket to take a shower or to flush the toilet becomes not too painful after a few times. Most people put in the generators on at night because it is too expensive to run all the time. This means you can spend your entire day sweating buckets. My suggestion go to the beach its cooler there. One thing I love about Liberia is the people. I have always known Liberians were hilarious but staying in Liberia I felt like I had a quote wall everyday. Below you will find three of my favorite quotes from my stay in Liberia.



Dad: Sunday I hear you killed Satan today.( in response to the fact Sunday killed a snake in the yard earlier)
Sunday: Yes, I went to church

Man 1: My man don't dirty the walls
Man 2: There is a possibility that the walls will get dirty

Naked Drunk Plumber: God, if there is club beer in heaven take me now. If there is none wait small.

I had a traveling nightmare the day when I was flying out of Monrovia. Our flight was canceled due to technical difficulties but they took four hours to tell us anything. Then the next day they kept us out of the loop. Instead of telling us our flight was leaving at midnight they told us to check in at 5pm. So they kept us in a holding cell(okay the terminal) for about six hours without giving us food or water or letting us know what was going on. The passengers started getting restless and refused to board the plane. We were under the impression that we were going to fly with the new aircraft(the one the brought the parts) but we went with the old plane. I boarded the airplane because we were one day late and the pilot said he could fly the aircraft. I said my prayers and went to Brussels. The next day we had an afternoon flight to DC. We were on the aircraft for two hours when we were told the flight was canceled due to technical difficulties( one of the computers were not working). The good thing the airline set us up with Crown Plaza hotel. The bad thing was that we were now two days late. Unfortunately non American and EU citizens were not allowed to leave the airport. So the next day we finally left for DC, I was sick like a Dog and ready to be home. When we arrived in DC I had just missed the 12:00 flight to Newark. The next flight was not until 10pm( no freaking way). Luckily the man saw the pity in my eyes and suggested I try to catch the Continental flight at 5pm. I was able to get the flight. By the time I arrived home I refused to leave the house for days over fears that I would wake up still on an airplane.