Disadvantage and voicemail

I have a job in New York that magically “required” me to travel to Liberia this past week. I saw and heard things that suprised me, things that didn’t suprise me, things that made me angry, and things that made me happy. This will be the first of a few blog entries on my trip.

Travel and Liberians
Driving to the airport yesterday, I was reminded of how hard it must be for Liberians who work for expats or wealthy Liberians. They go back and forth from the airport, welcoming people and saying goodbyes. I think about how much they must want opportunity to travel. Perhaps many don’t want to travel, and rather want better opportunities at home, but it still makes me deeply uncomfortable to pop in and out likes it’s no big deal. This won’t stop me from visiting or living in Liberia again, but I think it’s important to stay conscious of how our actions are seen, and how they might make the average Liberian feel even more disadvantaged.

Small things have changed since last year

• Cell phones have voicemail.
• Old Road is being paved, many of the roads in town are improved, and Tubman Boulevard is excellent.
• The post office is no longer an open-air structure. It now has glass windows and doors.
• Liberia is doing an increasingly better job at selling itself. I had a delicious Lofa Bar from the airport gift shop, and was able to buy Liberian coffee. The glossy Libera Travel & Life magazine highlights tourist attractions, shops, and restaurants. (Though the magazine seems to be predominantly written by and about Americo-Liberians.)
• The cost of taking shared taxis to and from town has gone up slightly.
• The cost of fuel has gone up a lot.
• The price of a bag of rice has gone up a lot.