17th and 18th September

The Task
Today was going to be an easy day! The job was to set off from Kenema at 9am and cross the border into Liberia at Bo waterside right in the south east corner of Sierra Leone and travel on to Monrovia.
How it happened
Well we all got up as planned for an 8am breakfast I was alittle later than the rest, it could have been really late if it wasn’t for the girly screams from the shower room – it was Duncan washing with cold water! The breakfast was lovely we had omelette and cooked ham with bread, then to the road.
The Journey
We first called at Canon Tucker’s(the Bishop of Bo elect) to make our final greeting and off we went. The journey started out ok but we had been warned of bad roads ahead. How right the warnings were, fortunately we had Mr Jalloh driving and he was a real star leading the trusty 17 year old vehicle through the jungle to Zimmi where we had our first immigration check. All was fine and we decided to stop there and have lunch, by now it was 12.30pm. Our biggest concern now was Mr Jallohs health, he said he was feeling feverish, not good for a man who is fasting during Ramadan. He wanted to continue and the roads got worse from Zimmi as we through the Gola reserve, it felt at times that we had to drive through rivers and lakes, but Mr Jalloh loves it so through we went!
The Crossing
Finally we made it to Liberia, things weren’t as easy as expected as we were checked over and over at the border first by the Sierra Leone police and then the Liberian army. They were very kind to us and got us through as quick as possible. It still took two hours though! Sadly we there left Mr Jalloh to head back to Freetown and at 4.30pm we set off for Monrovia. The Bishops vehicle collected us it was fantastic, we had air conditioning!!!!!!
Liberia
I have to be honest now I managed a bit of shut eye as we travelled the two hours. I was told that there are fantastic rivers here but the most notable change was the pure quantity of UN vehicles, here to assist in the peacekeeping after the war that ended a few years ago. I awoke as we arrived in Monrovia which was bumper to bumper down the main road and we finally arrived at the United Methodist centre, our accommodation for the night. We were greeted by the Bishop and some diocesan delegates and we ate together, a meal they had provided for us. It was then off to bed another big day over.

Thursday 18th September

This morning we awoke with a busy day of meet and greet ahead of us. After a quality sleep we all felt refreshed for the long day ahead. Not only that, but the sight of spicy sausages and pie on the breakfast table gave us all (especially Duncan) added enthusiasm for the journey ahead.
Once the breakfast had been demolished (all except for several scones (on a plate of twelve!) and the pie, as it appeared that our entertainers had confused us with.....some Americans!) we set off in the air-conditioned vehicle for BW Harris Episcopal School. On our way we stopped off to see the Bishop at his office in Trinity Cathedral. His office resembled that of an American Dean’s (and by the end of the day the huge American influence across Moyamba had been completely ratified in our minds.) The highlight of our visit to the Bishop’s office undoubtedly came from Duncan. The Bishop asked him “Duncan, have you seen James(a Liberian professor) this morning?” and struggling to understand Dunc then replied....”Yes! I slept very well Thank you!” haha. The Cathedral itself was phenomenal. A giant concrete block exterior, with a grand interior. The building seats 300+, a giant raised organ and, of course, the signal that it is indeed a cathedral...the Bishop’s regal throne. Next on to the school. Our only other experience of a school in Western Africa was that of the school in Moyamba, Sierra Leone, and the stark contrast was evident immediately. Firstly, the children had begun their academic term. The playground was teaming with enthusiastic kids playing games, Parks even managed to show some skill with the football, and to his delight a cheer rang out from the mouth of 1 of the 300 odd kids playing! We spent a time meeting the Headmistress and various teachers who were keen to know what we were doing there, before seeing what the school had to offer. In contrast to the school in Moyamba, BW Harris is incredibly well developed. They have desks, classes of no more than 30 pupils, a slightly redundant science lab, a toilet block, a gym and even a computer lab. The computer lab kept Dunc busy for a good half an hour. To round off Duncan’s morning of comedy as Loz and Dunc left the school, Duncan some-how managed to bang his head on the extremely low metal door frame, so low it was, that if he hadn’t been reading his note pad he would have probably broken his nose! Next we set sail for St Thomas school. This school was much more basic, yet a great experience. The children sang to us and we then explained to them who we were and most importantly what football team we supported! Via a system of hand raising it was soon confirmed that Manchester United were not only the most popular team in Western Africa, but also the best team in the history of the world! Liverpool and even Park’s Middlesborough did gain some sympathy votes however. The kids were very excited to see us, and when we pulled out the camera’s to take some shots.....there was much rejoicing! My heart was warmed by one small child who said his idol was Man U’s Darren Fletcher which for me proved that there is love in the world.
After this we went on to St Augustine’s where we exchanged the usual formal introductions before taking a tour of the school and chapel. Park’s and Loz were both asked for their email addresses, yet poor Duncan wasn’t loved at all. After this we spent time getting Dunc a new visa, as we decided it was best not to leave him in Liberia forever. Dunc got his photo taken, and while we waited we were treated to some quality viewing of Nigerian Deal or No Deal hosted by the legendary John Fashnou....what entertainment! Further entertainment was provided by Duncan mug shots which resembled a criminal line up at Liverpool Police Head-quarters...”Do NOT trust this man...” We then headed off to get a photocopy of his passport, which to our surprise was provided by a lad with a diesel motor and a photocopier standing on the side of a street. He started the motor and Dunc’s criminal mugshot was multiplied. After this visa adventure Loz, Dunc and Fatta took the rest of the afternoon off whilst Ian and Mark set off to see some more schools. The former hit the supermarket and returned with stocks of Crisps, Cookies, Beer, Gin and Water which sufficiently filled the requirements of Mark’s short shopping list. The highlight of the supermarket stop was the walk home when Loz enjoyed his “proud to be British moment” as he carried a crate of beer through central Monrovia. Another classic day was made complete with dinner and epic Uno...Loz triumphed with the cards once again confirming his Uno dominance.....