Brinys In Training

Warning: It’s a long one. Settle in for a bit.

“Brinys! Good to see you back in the bush!” Yes, I’m glad you’re excited while I’m still recollecting how this happened, again. The break down:

Wednesday: I inherit the task of creating a better way to track respondents down (because that’s easy).

Friday: I, in a lapse of judgment say: I want to see Gbarpolu, “Phil’s going, go with him.”

Sunday: I find myself packing for Gbarpolu. Face wipes. Check. Head lamp. Check. Bug spray. Check. You know the rest. Hey, at least we’re not going to pass through Sabas town with bad tires.

Monday: Phil and I make it to Gbarpolu, head in to a cook shop and order some food. This time, there’s no questions about what it is. Phil just leans in and says “bush meat.” It’s dark and I can’t see it anyway. I still can’t decide if that’s better than seeing what I’m eating. The Bounty Hunters in the bush are in their last two weeks of tracking and this time I need to focus on the inner workings of how they find who they find. I have to return to Monrovia with a slew of ideas for tracking in the city. Bush tracking and city tracking…I don’t think I need to point out that they are two completely different animals, but let’s go find some ex-coms. Who’s excited? Brinys: the bounty hunter in training.

Tuesday: divide up the county and decide who will venture where. Gordon, Albert and Phil in one direction. Brittany, Agon and Weefah in the other. “Be back by dark” Okkie dokkie, Phil. 30 minutes of tracking discussion with my two bounty hunters and Weefah motions that this “road” to the left is what we need. For the next 30 minutes there’s no chatting. Only maneuver suggestions. If we go in this divet to the left the car won’t tip. Agon hop out and direct us over this “bridge.” If we balance on the tree trunk there we can make it through this turn. Welcome to Sando Village. Population: 20, sweet. Let’s cut to the chase. The guy we were looking for, wasn’t there, but we got some decent leads. Back in the jeep we go. Right on schedule.

10 minutes in, we’re stuck. We assess the situation and retrieve the shovel, axe and machete from the jeep. At least it’s not raining. We convince a man walking by to tell the men in Sando village to come and help us. In the mean time we shove planks of wood under the tires. Reverse. YES! Forward again. Awe come on, stuck again (we’re definitely walking). Is that rain? Figures. How did I get stuck in the bush again? Where’s a UN jeep with Nigerian Police when you need it? Phil thinks I’m dead for sure. Queue arrival of six villagers with picks and machetes in hand. Who knew I’d be happy to see that. “Brittany get in the jeep.” Don’t have to tell me twice. 20 minutes of hacking away at the road and throwing wood and rocks into gaps means we’re ready to give it another go. “It is not advisable to keep Brittany stuck in the bush.” You know, I couldn’t agree more. How about you get us out of here. We barrel through the turn while villagers and Agon jump out of the way. We pay the villagers for their handy skills (that’s a 53109! Receipt code…) 15 min later, another tricky situation and were back on the main road. We were not back by dark. Lesson learned: Brinys and bounty hunters in a jeep without Phil=Brinys stuck. Do not repeat, again.

Wednesday: Track guy with Phil and Agon. If you take this road to the left, you can drive until Teekay town and then it’s a two hour walk. “ We drive pretty far into the jungle, chat it up with some villagers and decide that the guy we need is in a farther village. We’ll tackle that tomorrow.

Thursday: After sleeping in a town with essentially no food, no lights and the most bugs I’ve seen yet --Brittany and Weefah on motorbike. 4 hours through the bush. I get the dorky looking helmet. Phil and Agon, 6 hours, start walking. See you tonight. After all this Phil and I head back to Monrovia, dirty, hungry and tired. As soon as I get into town someone corrects my mistake (I got my phone stolen). It’s 9pm, I don’t have a phone or apartment keys and I haven’t eaten since 8am. Nice to see you too, Monrovia.