first impressions

i won't be able to share photos yet as i haven't got any, but here are my first impressions of liberia after driving to the airline office the other day to find out about my luggage....

Streets: streets were at times a river—of cars, of people walking beside and between the cars, of water from rainy season pouring down the sides. There were yawning potholes waiting to swallow tires, to jar the body. Streets broken by rain, broken by war, broken by time. UN tanks still sit in certain areas.
Buildings: All along the buildings was a rainbow of umbrellas, some to shield those walking in the rain, some to shield those sitting at carts alongside the streets. The buildings themselves looked a bit hodgepodge as you drive past. Some seem to be standing only because the building next to it holds it up. Many are pierced by bullets, many are crumbled completely from the war. The buildings are ‘sad’ just as those filling them are. Their paint is peeling or burned away or covered with rust or mold. Those with windows have bars across. Many have windows without glass. Barbed wire runs along the tops of buildings and fences to bar intruders. Colorful lines of clothes hang about the homes.
People: a sea of faces. Many smiling. Many with such sad eyes. Their dress ranged from African with bright color and traditional cut/style of the clothing to “western” clothes. Many walked carrying large loads of things bundled on their heads (I surely couldn’t manage this one). Many pushed wheelbarrows full of items throughout the streets. Many carried goods to sell to the cars passing by. Many just wanted a handout.
Traffic: driving (or really even crossing the streets as a pedestrian) seemed to be a constant risk of life. I think I may have seen two traffic lights in all of the area we drove through. The rest seemed to be just who got into the intersection the first or who honked the loudest. Parking was a nightmare…it truly required those standing on the streets to help, for a price of course.

It is life. It is beautiful. It is heartbreaking.