Mosquito Nets and Bucket Baths

After sleeping under a mosquito net and taking a bucket bath with cold water, I had no problem remembering where I was. And the cold bucket bath was an intense wake-up call.

So today was the first day of orientation. When I started in Moldova as a regular PCV, I had an intensive 10-week training. But Peace Corps Response works differently; it selects candidates that already have the training and experience for the specific job. So, in theory, a Peace Corps Response volunteer doesn’t need training. We’re just getting orientation, which gives us the basics of living in Liberia.

While all the information was relevant and important, I particularly liked how we were greeted in the morning. Our orientation leaders greeted us with a traditional Liberian greeting. They held two bowls in front of them, one containing cola nuts and the other ground hot pepper, and they offered a welcome. Then each of us took a nut and dipped it in the pepper to eat. There was also clean water on the table as drinks, which were well needed due to the spiciness of the pepper. The nut symbolized life and the water symbolized clean hearts.

The rest of the day was filled with lots of important information about living in Liberia. And I found myself constantly asking question prefaced with “In Moldova, we did…”, and then wondering how it worked here comparatively. And as I heard myself somehow bring up Moldova time and time again, I remembered often I had something to say about Moldova when I was back in the States. I’m wondering how long before that wears off…or how long before those around me are sick of hearing about Moldova.

We finished orientation around 5:15 and returned to the Lutheran guesthouse. Some of decided to check out the beach, which was just a block away from the compound. Afterwards, we went to dinner next door, where everyone traded stories about their travels.