Destination: Old Road

Let’s run through my first 2 days of work. Monday, after 2 days of hibernation, my director picks me up at 8am outside the Stop & Shop, yes that’s where I live, and begins to instruct me on how to get to work from now on. The office, of course is way on the other side of town (where they all live, naturally) and the commute can be quite difficult. “Do you drive stick?” No. “oh we’ll you’ll learn.” Great. Yea, let’s tack on “learning how to drive stick in a run down SUV on the fantastic streets of Liberia” to my list of things to do right now. That has not taken place yet..

So as we’re driving she points out where I will need to go to catch taxis and what I need to say/the hand signals I need to make to get where I need to go. Hand signals are very important. Where the office is located requires that I make the “one” hand signal, yes as in point your figure up. As a side note: I live so far from the office that sticking my finger up on this side of town means nothing. I need to catch a taxi into the neighborhood (Sinkor) first (25 min), get out somewhere in Sinkor and then stick my finger up for an Old Road taxi. Get out somewhere on Old Road and walk it (40 min total, maybe). Then, you pretty much do the same thing on the way back.

Clear? Not so much right? Who’s stoked for the next morning? Me.

Tuesday: 8am Ok game time--wave down a taxi. Yes! “Goin’ to Sinkor.” There’s some mumbling mixed with a “yea, yea” as I hop in and this man drives off while I’m still not quite in. So far, doing good. Second side note: shared taxis are what I need because they are cheap, since the driver crams as many people as possible in one tiny car. I’ll give you a minute to imagine that smell. Liberians aren’t keen on the big D.O. for the B.O.

I recognize how much each person seems to hand the driver, so I don’t get the “expat” price and by the time I recognize that we’re within Sinkor I lean forward from the middle seat: “So I need Old Road, where do I go?” The entire car answers me. “You know the hand signal? In town that don’t work, but you get out…oh! See that man? He do hand signal. The next ten minutes are all about 5 people waving their “one” signal in my face. “Don’t turn your finger at all, that’s the signal for AF.” Awesome, I turn my finger out of momentary laziness and I end up at the random air field in Monrovia. Let’s not do that. Where do I get out? “Oh, we tell you.” Taxi pulls over. “Go, go that’s an Old Road Taxi. Give her the change man!”

I jog to the next rose scented sardine can on wheels and tell them, I need Keyhole. Which is the specific area I need on Old Road. How I remembered this, I don’t know. The guy in the front says “don’t worry I go to same place, you don’t remember me?” (Are you kidding me home boy? No, no I don’t). Despite my hesitation he does get out right where I need to be. You’re are awesome, man! (My bad, you’re in the workshop we’re running). 5 min walk later and we’re there. Success. Let’s not do that again. Dang, I have to get home, which was not at all the same. “200 to get in town.” Ummmm hahaha no, I’ll give you 60, 200, no. What do I look like to you? Oh, yea- an expat.

P.S. survival questions continued. You like camping? Bugs? I can handle both. “Good because we might send you into the jungle with the boys at the end of the week.” More on that later.