Somewhere in Sinkor.

Christmas and Boxing Day in Liberia

My favorite bar in Monrovia, Agenda, is a 20 second walk from my compound. The bar has a patio with cushiony chairs that look out on the ocean. At night you can’t see the ocean, but you can hear the waves crashing. You can walk to the shore, “but I need to make sure that you don’t smoke marijuana,” the bar’s owner, a very cool Liberian woman, told me. I looked at her, slightly confused, unsure what provoked the comment. “It’s the law,” she explained. I nodded.

The bar has a lively balance of Liberians and expats. They play Shakira and Ivoirian music and Backstreet Boys. A dance floor plays host to lots of different types of dancing. This offers first-class people watching from the patio.

I went to Agenda on Christmas Eve with a Lebanese friend. Around midnight, the owner, who is friends with my Lebanese friend, came out with popcorn and a bottle of champagne. She wished us a merry Christmas. Neither of us was Christian, but we kept this to ourselves and happily accepted the champagne.

I was in Monrovia for Christmas last year. On Christmas morning I walked to the supermarket to pick up some food for the day. The supermarket was closed. In fact everything was closed. I ended up going out to brunch with someone, but aside from that I had no other food for the day. The morning after Christmas I woke up starving. I again walked to the supermarket, only to discover that everything was closed for Boxing Day.

This year, I was determined not to repeat last year’s mistake. I was going to stock up on food the day before Christmas. Of course I forgot. Christmas morning I finished up a bag of tri-colored pasta for breakfast, and then started scheming.

I’m usually fine with eating alone at restaurants, but eating alone on Christmas seemed particularly pathetic. I went through my phone book, started calling some friends, and in 30 minutes I had made myself lunch and dinner plans for both Christmas and Boxing Day.

My first real day of work is tomorrow! Very excited.