MizouBisou

The first time I lived through an epidemic as alarming as the Ebola was 4 years ago, after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. I saw first hand what living in a state of health emergency is with the cholera outbreak. Yet one month ago if anyone had told me that Ebola would make me leave Liberia earlier than expected I would not believe it. Now, it is real - I am leaving. Not because I am personally afraid of getting infected, although I highly recommend that people act carefully, I am leaving because everyone around me is worried that the international community will soon back out and travel restrictions will be placed on the country. This means that all four of us will be stuck here. As of now 11 African countries have agreed to help tackle the epidemic but experts around the world are calling for immediate intervention from the international community. 

I am not only worried about what will come next but I am very concerned about the possibility of international relief organizations pulling their staff out of the country thus abandoning the infected people in Guinee, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone to their ineffective health system. I feel very sad for the families who lost their loved ones because they did not understand what was going on. Early symptoms of the Ebola virus include sudden onset of fever, weakness, muscle pain, headaches and a sore throat. These symptoms can appear two to 21 days after infection. 

This morning when my friends told me that because of Ebola we would be going to Ghana very soon I thought they were joking. I have been thinking of visiting Ghana before heading  back to the US so I did not take them seriously until I heard it from my supervisor. Many radio advertisements in Liberia say "Ebola is real and it kills" but how health authorities handled it is a totally different story. Unfortunately not many people know that early intervention can save lives. According to a CNN article "There is no cure or vaccine to treat Ebola, but the aid agency MSF has shown it doesn't have to be a death sentence if treated early. Ebola typically kills 90% of patients but the death rate in this outbreak has dropped to roughly 60%." Again how many people in the country have access to such critical information? During my trip to Kpatawee in Gbarnga, a community located approximately 4 hours away from Monrovia, I saw villages that were totally cut off from the rest of the nation. So how can these people possibly know how to identify the Ebola symptoms or better how do they seek help early enough when the closest health facility is within hours of walk? Nevertheless, when I read that a man from Guinea had been treated from ebola, I regain hope that with extensive outreach and sensitization people will be more aware of this deadly virus. Airline companies are feeling the pressure and are taking extreme measures to ensure that the virus does not spread to more countries. Arik Air cancelled all flights leaving from Liberia. Luckily Mount Holyoke booked us on a non-stop flight to Europe with another carrier. From there we will be heading back to the US.

Yes, sadly (because I enjoyed being in this country so much) I am going back home. My heart will not be at peace knowing that people with whom I have shared a journey will stay exposed to the virus.

I can't stop asking this question: how can the Ebola virus be stopped from reaching other continents with so much global movements? 

If I had to use one word to relate my experience in Liberia over the past two weeks, I would say generosity. My interactions with the people here never cease to humble me and to renew my faith in humanity. I have learnt a lot about myself and identified the things that truly matter to me. As simple as this can be, I realized that I mostly enjoy working on everything that involves human interaction. My favorite so far have been interviewing and listening to the stories of ambitious young women, developing new concepts and ideas to bring people together, and planning events with staff (the most enjoyable part of what I do).

During my second week, my fellow interns and I attended a small hand-over ceremony to present an EKG machine on behalf of Madam Gbowee at the Saint Joseph Hospital in Monrovia. It was a private ceremony without all the usual official protocol, and what I saw at this hospital stayed with me the whole week. I am not foreign to extreme poverty or the lack of access to basic needs such as health care, potable water, and adequate food for malnourished children. These were not the first things that struck me. During our tour of the hospital we visited the maternity section. I saw a woman in labor laying on the floor in the hallway waiting for a new bed to be available so she could be cared for. Not too far from her was another woman who had just given birth but she was on a bed. I heard her say to the gentleman next to her: “take my towel and give it to her”. While, she did not look like she had much herself, she understood that the other sister was worst off and could use all the help she could get.  

The EKG machine came as a blessing to the hospital. The hospital’s only cardiologist told us that they had to work for almost 5 months without one. During a visit in Liberia of some women of the Nobel Women’s Initiative, one of the women saw how essential it was that she and her family donated the machine to the hospital. Their generosity went beyond the simple act of providing the equipment. The machine was customized to cater to the hospital’s needs. The laptop has a 16 hours battery life and the results can be printed from a long distance. I don’t know much about the medical world but I am sure that is something quite impressive. I also noted that they had more women doctors in leadership position than men. I thought that was definitely a positive thing.

Later in the week one of my friends met a Chinese restaurant owner who offered to treat us to some authentic Chinese cuisine. On Friday night, under a pouring rain, she picked us up for a charming diner. We were in a private room with a table full of food ranging from sliced fruits and nuts to duck meat and spicy noodles. Unfortunately by the time they brought the food to us our phones were already dead, so we have no picture of our delicious diner. Later the owner joined us and talked about her life and experience in Liberia. She is a single mother raising an eight year-old girl who seems to be the center of her world. She wants to take her to so many places to see the world like she did not have the chance to see it. When we asked her why she treated us to like she did, her answer could not be more genuine. She said: “If I was living in China you all could have been my own daughters. I would like my daughter to be safe and people to treat her well when she is abroad too… You are young and you may not have the chance to come back to this country so I want you to have good memories of your time here. This is what I would want that for my daughter”. She almost got me in tears as she reminded of my own mother – she would have done and said the same. I have also seen acts of kindness coming from my peers. My friend Wenna, our “official” photographer, took some beautiful pictures of a few children in a disadvantaged neighborhood. She later paid to get them printed to send them to these children so they can have them as a souvenir. What a wonderful way to remind children of their beautiful smiles? Love, has various meanings in Liberia but unlike some places that I have been to, people here are not afraid to show it anywhere and at any time. Like the little girl who ran from her playground towards us on the sidewalk then hold our hands to say “hi”.  

The past 2 weeks have been very busy in the office because we have so many events coming up. However I can’t complain because I enjoyed every task I have been given. When we have meetings with Madam. Gbowee it is always a pleasant moment - she is such a cool lady! She even invited us to her home during the weekend and offered to treat us to a weekend out of town. Oh yes my summer is awesome! The excitement does not only come from doing cool stuff like planning special events or making plans with my flat mates. It also comes from learning about daily life in Liberia, sexuality as it is perceived in the country, faith, and the political arena like most people don’t see or hear about in the media. I met a few more people last week among which a lady from Peru who works at the Palm Spring Hotel. When she asked me where I was from I told her but she couldn’t figure it out so I told her it’s next to the Dominican Republic. Happy, she asked if we speak Spanish too. I said we don’t but I do. We continued in Spanish and then she said “it so good to finally find someone who is able to speak your language when you are so far from home”. She offered to take my friends and I to other parts of the country on her day off. More trips to come – I am so happy!