Rounding out the education

Our general introduction to groups we meet with here is, "We are students from.... and we are all studying conflict analysis, etc." We also have predominantly been working in local communities, but this weekend and yesterday we got a glimpse into other aspects. On Saturday, a select few- all women, I may add- woke up at 6:00 am to head to Kakata to the Morris-American Rubber Company- sounds exhilarating I know. But actually, while the guys slept, we were being educated on the whole process of rubber making, a very lucrative business here and one that consumes much of the land. We learned about the roots, the planting techniques and the trees themselves, as well as the process of "tapping"- the extraction of the latex to then form into rubber. The trees generally take 7 years to grow to tapping status and last 45 years. The workers are responsible for tapping 550 trees a day, then carrying the wet latex to the factory to be converted, as well as being responsible for the upkeep of the land surrounding the trees. This farm differed from Firestone, in that they rely more on people power- creating jobs- while also considering the environment. They avoid chemicals and machinery to clear space and insure the trees are not harmed- while as they call it "buying good will" with the local community. The company itself is actually the largest Liberian owned rubber company in the country and exports mostly tire grade rubber. We even went as far as to see the machinery used to dry the, press and compact the rubber- WARNING: IT STINKS. I literally almost passed out from trying to breathe soley from my mouth- for sake of trying to save my nose- while also not trying to offend. Luckily, the machines were so loud I don't think our tour guide noticed the change in my voice from doing so.

After the "business" aspect of this field trip- it was still only 11 o'clock, but we proceed for lunch to the owner's home. It was on the property and very nice. I walked in and felt if this was in the U.S. I would still feel out of place. But the funny thing was even though the home was large, comfortable and well equipped- the owner was humble enough to cook the food himself for us- which was delectable. The best Liberian food I have had yet, not to mention he also offered us any beverages we wanted- so in an effort to bond with the men I had a beer at the bar and talked politics...thankfully, back up came soon, because I did not realize the level I had entered talking with three Liberian men who were here during the war and backed Charles Taylor. But overall, differences aside, it was a very entertaining morning.

Then on Monday, after our debrief with Don Bosco about the past week's training and activities, we went to the U.S. Embassy. We met with McCulley, a political/economic advisor, as well as specifically responsible for building capacity of the local police unit. This led us to discussions about budget flaws, and how there is not enough to hire the police staff necessary, because currently there is only 4,200 officers for the whole country! We also discussed the U.S. involvement in this capacity, and identified that per capita Liberia has the 2nd largest US AID program in Africa, behind Sudan. We were then joined by the ambassador herself, Ms. Greenfield, who expanded on the financial role of the U.S. indicating that, that is the largest role we play because during the times of war the U.S. was not present and Bush made it seem as if we had something to owe them. I inquired about the plan for waning the country off of the U.S. financial support, but no specific answer was given. These discussions then lead into the political scene of the country with the upcoming election and it was here that U.S. foreign policy was scripted at its finest. After asking if the progress Liberia has experienced, would be reversed should Sirleaf not be re-elected, McCulley responded immediately with the perspective that the U.S. does not do "that"- whatever "that" means. I felt as if he interpreted the questions as one of U.S. secret agenda, to which he responded democracy, democracy, democracy. The whole session to be frank, felt superficial and as if it was merely a courtesy instead of a discussion for the purposes of education and learning. We were even thanked for our observations on the country, after our visits to different regions- which was ironic, considering we were not asked for them once. I basically left dissatisfied and furthermore, turned off by government work. Not so much because the work they do is insignificant, but because the people I would be forced to interact with on a daily basis, leave much to be desired.

This week, we are again commuting, but now to an area within Montserrado county- called Virginia. We are working on a mediation case between two youth groups and keep finding different sides to the story and other parties involved. Today, was our first day meeting them, basically just trying to set the scene and gage initially viewpoints, but as for how the coming days shape up, that will be a surprise to us all. I'll be sure to keep ya'll posted!