SAGA PART 1 - IN THE NICK OF TIME

Well, here I am.

I finally made it to Cotonou, after a grueling 29 HOURS of travel.

Like I mentioned earlier, the sequence was planned to be this way:

Tuesday: Monrovia-Accra (2 hours)
Wednesday: Accra-Abidjan (1 hour), 10 hours of boredom and Abidjan-Cotonou (2 hours).

What really happened:

Leaving Monrovia:

On my last day in Monrovia, I took the time to take photograph my loyal Youpi in Monrovia:

We did make it to Accra on Tuesday night, although we really could have missed our flight. While my colleague thought we were scheduled to leave on the 29th, I thought we were meant to leave on the wednesday. So between the 2 of us, we were really going to miss our flight out of Monrovia. Thank god, the assistant caught it and we made it to the airport on time.

Now this got confusing, because we thought our flight was a 12. In fact, it was a 10:30. We made it there by pure luck as we took a leap of faith and went through the queue, thinking that at worse, we would get kicked out and put on the 12PM airplane. Turns out, it was our flight that was early. We really got lucky.

Arriving in Accra:

Arrived in Accra, a bad surprise was awaiting us: although my colleague J. had made sure to make reservations for us, the hotel gave our rooms away, leaving us homeless in Accra. Thankfully, we found rooms elsewhere to settle for the night.

The Beaver

Thank you , Easter Butterfly in Sweden, for posting on my guestmap!

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

Bye Bye Liberia!

I left Monrovia 2 days ago on the wings of SLOK air.

2 hours of waiting in the stifling heat (there is NO a/c in the airport) and an other stampede later, I was sitting on a plane to Accra.

Next Destination: BENIN! (Or so I thought....)

B.O.R.E.D.

Sunday night and nothing to do. A normal situation for me, really, but tonight I feel unable to pretend it's all right, unable to keep looking like everything is handy-dandy.

Tonight would have been a good night to go out and grab some beers and hang out with friends, discover some weird new food, or just walk randomly in the streets of Montreal.

But the truth is, I'm in Monrovia, and I'm past my curfew. The truth is, my only source of entertainment and social interaction is my coworker, with whom I have now been 24/7 for the last 3 weeks. I need a breather. I need to see new people.

I've checked, read, and commented on all my favorite blogs. I've answered all my emails. I watched 2 movies on my computer. Now, I'm blogging about my boredom.

I need to see my friends. I need to hang loose. I need to have fun.

I haven't laughed full-heartedly for a week. This isn't me. I guess I must be depressed.

Oh well. I guess tonight, my life sucks !

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

About Liberia and Sierra Leone

I'd been meaning to do this in a while. A little bit more about the Country I am currently visiting. Thanks to WIKIPEDIA for a very exhaustive article.

The Republic of Liberia is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire. It has recently been afflicted by two civil wars, the Liberian Civil War (1989–1996), and the Second Liberian Civil War (1999–2003), that have displaced hundreds of thousands of its citizens and destroyed the Liberian economy.

Settlers from America

The history of Liberia as a political entity begins with the arrival of the black American settlers — the Americo-Liberians, as they came to be known — who established a colony of “free men of color” on its shore in 1822 under the auspices of the American Colonization Society. The historical roots from which a majority of present-day Liberians derive their identity, however, are found in the varied traditions of the several ethnicities of indigenous Africans whom the settlers confronted in their struggle to gain a foothold in Africa and, later, extend their control into the interior.

On July 26, 1847, the American settlers declared the independence of the Republic of Liberia. The settlers regarded the continent from which their forefathers had been taken as slaves as a "Promised Land", but they did not become reintegrated into an African society. Once in Africa, they referred to themselves as "Americans" and were recognized as such by local Africans and by British colonial authorities in neighboring Sierra Leone. The symbols of their state — its flag, motto, and seal — and the form of government that they chose reflected their American background and diaspora experience.

President Edwin Barclay of Liberia (right), 1943

The religious practices, social customs and cultural standards of the Americo-Liberians had their roots in the antebellum American South. These ideals strongly coloured the attitudes of the settlers toward the indigenous African people. The new nation, as they perceived it, was coextensive with the settler community and with those Africans who were assimilated into it. Because of mutual mistrust and hostility between the "Americans" along the coast and the "Natives" of the interior, a recurrent theme in the country's subsequent history, therefore, was the usually successful attempt of the Americo-Liberian minority to dominate people whom they considered uncivilized and inferior. They named the land "Liberia," which in European languages, and in Latin in particular, means "Land of the Free".

Stephen Allen Benson, President of Liberia 1856-1864

The founding of Liberia was privately sponsored by American religious and philanthropic groups, but the colony enjoyed the support and unofficial cooperation of the United States government. Liberia’s government, modeled after that of the United States, was democratic in structure, if not always in substance. After 1877 the True Whig Party monopolized political power in the country, and competition for office was usually contained within the party, whose nomination virtually ensured election. Two problems confronting successive administrations were pressure from neighboring colonial powers, Britain and France, and the threat of financial insolvency, both of which challenged the country’s sovereignty. Liberia retained its independence during the Scramble for Africa, but lost its claim to extensive territories that were annexed by Britain and France. Economic development was retarded by the decline of markets for Liberian goods in the late nineteenth century and by indebtedness on a series of loans, payments on which drained the economy.

William R. Tolbert, Jr.. (left), President of Liberia, 1973

Significant mid-20th-century events

Two events were of particular importance in releasing Liberia from its self-imposed isolation. The first was the grant in 1926 of a large concession to the American-owned Firestone Plantation Company; that move became a first step in the modernization of the Liberian economy. The second occurred during World War II, when the United States began providing technical and economic assistance that enabled Liberia to make economic progress and introduce social change.

1980 coup under Doe

On 12 April 1980, a successful military coup was staged by a group of noncommissioned officers of tribal origins led by Master Sergeant Samuel Kanyon Doe, and they executed the President of nine years William R. Tolbert, Jr. in his mansion. Constituting themselves the People’s Redemption Council, Doe and his associates seized control of the government and brought an end to Liberia’s "first republic".

President Tolbert with American president Carter in Monrovia, 1978

Doe made strong ties with the United States in the early 1980s, receiving more than $500 million for pushing out the Soviet Union from the country, and allowing exclusive rights for the US to use Liberia's ports and land (including allowing the CIA to use Liberian territory to spy on Libya).

Doe continued his authoritarian policies, banning newspapers, outlawing opposition parties and holding staged elections.

1989 and 1999 civil wars

In late 1989, a civil war began, and in September 1990 Doe was ousted and killed by the forces of faction leader Yormie Johnson and members of the Gio tribe. As a condition for the end of the conflict, interim president Amos Sawyer resigned in 1994, handing power to the Council of State. Prominent warlord Charles Taylor was elected as President in 1997. Taylor's brutal regime targeted several leading opposition and political activists. In 1998, the government sought to assassinate child rights activist Kimmie Weeks for a report he had published on its involvement in the training of child soldiers, which forced him into exile. Taylor's autocratic and dysfunctional government led to a new rebellion in 1999. More than 200,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the civil wars. The conflict intensified in mid-2003, when the fighting moved closer to Monrovia. As the power of the government shrank and with increasing international and American pressure for him to resign, President Charles Taylor accepted an asylum offer by Nigeria, but vowed: "God willing, I will be back."

Lettre a un jeune soldat / Letter to a young soldier

Child soldier, Liberia (1997) -
WCC (Francais)
WCC (English)
«Les enfants sont notre avenir. Accepter que des enfants soldats participent à des conflits armés, c’est accepter la destruction de notre avenir, un enfant après l’autre.»

Kofi Annan, Session extraordinaire de l’ONU consacrée aux enfants, mai 2002

Ton corps est un temple, garde le. Ne laisse pas l'ombre du mal t'approcher.

Un fusil est une arme. C'est un objet mature pour une main mature. Si ton index ne trouve pas la gachette, laisse le.

Your body is a temple, keep it. Do not let the shadow of evil near you.
A gun is a weapon. It is a mature object meant for a mature hand. If you index cannot find the trigger, leave it.

Pense a ta mere si tu vois une femme.
Pense a ton pere si tu vois un homme.
Si tu vois des enfants, pense a tes freres et soeurs.

If you see a woman, think of your mother.
If you see a man, think of your father.
Think of your brothers and sisters when you see children.

Ton ame est un tresor. Toi seul en est le gardien. Toi seul peut la garder.
Ton esprit est un lieu de songes et de beaute. Interdit-toi la violence.

You soul is a treasure. You only are its warden. Only you can keep it.
Your spirit is a place of dreams and beauty. Forbid yourself from violence.

Tes yeux sont des mysteres insondables. Ils portent en eux tout ce que tu es. Ils sont tout ce que tu as de beau et d'unique.

Your eyes are neverending mysteries. They carry all that you are. They are all that you have that is unique and beautiful.y

Ta vie est un chemin ouvert. Prend la a bras le corps, ne la laisse pas s'echapper.

Your life is an open road. Take it by both hands, do not let it slip away.

Ton sourire est ton innocence. Partage le.

Your smile is your innocence. Share it.

Tout ce que tu apprends, garde le en memoire. Un jour, tu le transmettras.

Remember all that you learn. One day, you will share it too.

The Beaver

More pics !!!

Mamba Point, originally uploaded by The Travelling Beaver.

I've uploaded more pictures of Liberia:

- beaches
- rural areas
- historical monuments
- and a special something for conspiracy buffs or Dan Brown fans!!!

Click on the pic!

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

Pictures!!!!!!

I've posted pictures of Liberia... Follow the link !

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

Séjour en Transylvanie / Journey in Transilvania

I feel that I may have a hit a low. I am sincerely wondering whether I should continue or not, though I wonder deep down in my heart if I may be feeling this way because I am (once again) in a restricted environment. While Sierra Leone felt like there was a certain amount of freedom, Liberia is the most restricted country I have ever been to.

Je suis dans un creux de vague. Je me demande si je dois rester dans ce travail, mais je me demande aussi si mon manque d’enthousiasme n’est pas lie au fait que je suis (encore une fois) en poste dans un pays difficile. Alors qu’au Sierra Leone j’avais un peu de liberté, je dirai que le Liberia est le pays le plus restrictif que j’ai jamais visite.

When I arrived in Liberia, the security officer was waiting for us. He gave us a cell phone each, and we hopped in the pick up truck for the drive to Monrovia. During the 45-minute drive, I read the security handbook and observed the biblical landscape that was flowing around me. Liberia is so green, so lush, that it strikes the imagination. The Garden of Eden comes to mind.

A mon arrivée au Liberia, l’officier de sécurité nous attendait à l’aéroport. Il nous a donne un cellulaire chacune, et on est monte dans le camion. Pendant le trajet de 45 minutes, j’ai lu le carnet de sécurité et regarde le paysage biblique alentour. Le Liberia est tellement verdoyant, la végétation est si luxuriante, que ça en frappe l’imagination. Ca me fait penser au jardin d’Eden.

I was very tired, and passed out on my bed at 4PM, only to wake up at 1AM, starving and very awake. My room is does not have a balcony, my hotel does not have a bar or a terrace. It is forbidden to smoke everywhere. So I stepped out into the hotel yard, and had the claustrophobic impression of being in a box: there was a tarp roof over my head, and the gate was closed, bolted, and a security guard was sleeping against it. At that particular moment, it dawned on me that I was in the most restrictive country I had ever visited.

J’étais très fatiguée, et je me suis couchée à 4h de l’après-midi, pour me réveiller à 1h du matin, affamée et les yeux grands ouverts. Ma chambre n’a pas de balcon. Mes fenêtres donnent sur un mur. Mon hôtel n’a ni bar, ni terrasse. Il est interdit de fumer partout. Alors je suis allée dans la cour de l’hôtel et j’y ai eu la sensation claustrophobe d’être dans une boite : le toit de la cour au-dessus de ma tête, les murs alentour, même le portail ferme, barricade, et le gardien couche devant…. A ce moment en particulier, j’ai réalise que j’étais probablement dans l’environnement le plus restrictif que j’avais jamais visite.

These last days have been difficult. I gave up meat, and there nothing to eat here. I feel no desire to watch TV or to read, no energy to write. There is nothing to do, no one to befriend, no trust to have. Taking a walk after dark is prohibited by the agency’s policy.

Les derniers jours ont été difficiles. J’étais devenue une vraie végétarienne au SL. Ici, les choix culinaires sont très limites. Je n’ai aucune envie de regarder la TV, de lire, ou d’écrire. Il n’y a rien a faire, personne a rencontrer, personne a faire confiance. Il nous est même interdit de marcher dehors après le coucher du soleil.

I feel like I’m in a bad movie. I can’t wait to relax.

J’ai l’impression d’être dans un mauvais film. J’ai hâte de relaxer.

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

Ramblings

I write little these days. Sure, I'm busy. Sure, I'm tired. But I'm also lazy.

I seem to have a hard time writing these days. It seems more difficult to word my experiences, less appealing to write. I am getting blasée.

I guess that despite my frequent change of scenery, my daily life is getting boring. Whatever the place, I wake up, go to work, eat, sleep. I finally gave up meat for good (I've been off the stuff for 2 weeks now), and try to keep doing my daily yoga practice. It's a great exercise. It also helps me relax and sleep better.

I miss a bit Pakistan. There, I had a sort of youth, a return to teenage-hood, a sort of dream. We worked hard and played hard. It worked out well. My experience in Sierra Leone has been very different.

In Sierra Leone, I was in an enchanting scenery, in a very poor developing country, and I was almost alone. It's actually ok for a while to be quiet, to learn to be more contemplative, more reflective. Freetown is a fascinating city. Downtown reminds me of Dakar, more precisely Sandaga, the crowded market.

The city is surrounded by the ocean, and is composed of several mountainous peninsulas. To go from one point to the other, impossible to straight, you have to take a series of detours by a bridge between 2 hills, by a hillside road, or along a beach.

I do not feel empty. Rather, I feel full of wonder at the world and at its beauty. I feel privileged to travel so much, to see so many places and faces. But sometimes, I feel nostalgic of my home, though I know many of the things I dream of are idealized and that my life in Montreal would be the one I had before I left, and I would feel empty again. I lack balance in my life. I wish I could be home more between travels, and more often. Maybe eventually, I’ll be able to pull something like that off.

I am, however, not unhappy. I have been, for the purpose of these 3 little audits, paired with a teammate whom I will refer to as J. J is a devoted christian who enjoys life very much and has a great sense of humor. Together, we laugh a lot. She is also very open-minded, and we have had interesting conversations about religion. I also have been to church in Sierra Leone, an interesting cultural experience, which I did not repeat for fear of the stifling heat.

I have now arrived in Liberia, where I hope to find the heart to write for real.

ON ON!

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

Small Miracles

I just arrived in Monrovia, Liberia. It appears Internet is not only existant, but easily available.

I guess perceptions are deeply tied to the past.

Will shortly update y'all. Cheers !

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

AWOL

Guys, I'm flying to Monrovia (Liberia) where Internet communications are deemed inexistant, limited, or inexistant.

I probably will not update until March 29th, unless I miraculously gain access to Internet.

Cheers! Expect plenty of stories and pictures in April !

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

Places I've been

It dawned on me that for new readers, this blog is not an easy one to follow... So here's a little guidance...

I started blogging in September 2004 when I was in Senegal where I was an intern at a local lawfirm. In the process, I made friends with whom I still keep in touch : 007, Adeline.

I eventually went back to Montreal in April 2005, where I got my attorney license and tried to find a job (and failed.) I was nevertheless very happy to be back with my significant other and to hang out with my friends, among other JP, Mymy and Krishna. During that time, I also made my first blog friends such as Salt Water, Xolo, Victoria, Amias, Tina, Kate and Lewis (these two stopped blogging, unfortunately). This is when I truely got addicted to blogging.

At long last, in September 2005, I was hired by an international agency for a position that requires intensive travel. Since then, I have been on the road and went to, (in that order):
- Guinea
- Paris
- South Africa
- Lesotho
- Montreal
- Pakistan (where I met my friends Chris and Michelle)
- Ghana
- Sierra Leone
- Liberia
- Benin
- Paris
- Haiti (current location)

My next destinations until the end of 2006 are:
- Montreal
- Kenya
- Indonesia
- Burundi
- Baltimore
- Montreal (where I will finish the year.)

What's next? I don't know... stay tuned !!!

The Beaver


Thanks, DCver in Portugal and John Fiorenza for posting on my guest map! My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !