Getting Settled

Hey Gang,

At the internet café again, hopefully with images very soon. It has been an active week. We live about 20 minutes to the south and east of Monrovia, along the coast. Each day I’ve had to be driven (or “be carried” as they say here) into the city. One trip into Monrovia is an entire day affair, and only about three things can be accomplished before the body and soul needs a break from the haggling, jostling, begging, waiting, returning, shouting and sweating that occurs there.
We must go however, because the city has what we need to accomplish our first major task here: to get settled.

Getting settled means, among other things, and roughly in chronological order: killing very large cockroaches and spiders, unpacking, learning to use the toilets and showers (no running water), purchasing basic food supplies, buying a drill, a safe, and hardware, attempting to get online, installing some security alarms, hanging bed netting, hauling water from the well to the barrels in the house (every day) selecting phones, changing phone servers, returning phones for replacement parts, ordering iron bars for doors, shopping for a car, attempting to get online, purchasing furniture, cleaning fire ants out of furniture, haggling for best prices on cars, catching a lizard in our bedroom, going to Western Union downtown to get wired money for car, being turned away because money is in Renita’s name, driving back with family to get money for car, purchasing car, backing car into tree, learning the hard way what the wrong voltage can do to a laptop, catching a lizard in Hannah’s bedroom, getting title to car, registering car, getting car insurance, hunting down the vole in Hannah's room (a vole is like a large mouse with long nose), reporting to US Embassy, getting letters of employment from MPCHS, and registering with Liberian Immigration.

Now, lest you think we find settling in overwhelming or too great a burden, I assure you it is not. We remain in good humor. Our life at home is more peaceful with every passing day. We live close to the beach, and our neighbors seem to like us. Our evenings are quiet and there is play and laughter throughout the day, every day. Look for images of life in Liberia very soon.

Don't Touch that Mouse Button

Hey folks, just a quik update: my laptop is toast and we are still trying to get up and running. We can do posts, but still no reliable way to get pics on the blog yet. We are working out the high tech gremlins.

Things are well. We have a 4wd vehicle and phones. Will post more very soon. We miss you, but are doing very well. Can do without the foo-foo though.

The Reeds in Liberia

Ok Peoples, we have arrived. Got here Sunday night, with seven out of eight pieces of checked luggage. We are adjusting, and every day is a little better. Rains every day, have yet to see the sun. Learned to cook on a coal pot. We'll buy a car soon. Phones just arrived today. We'll call somebody and get you the numbers. Within a few days I hope to get you a full report. Its already been quite the adventure.

Teaser: saved an orphan girl named Naomi from drowning in a very high Atlantic surf Tuesday, almost went down myself. Noah had visions of his father being swept away.

Renita looking great beside an unruly Atlantic.

A Day in Brussels

We spent our Saturday sleeping in, then exploring a marvelous and fascinating city. It would be great to come back.

Sunday we continue our journey, leaving at noon Brussels time and arriving in Liberia nine hours later at 7:15pm, Liberia time which os also 7:15 GMT. That would be 3:15 DST.

Hopefully, we'll find the net soon, but not sure when. Look for updates. See you in Africa.

Brussels-- just a couple miles from our hotel.

The exploring begins.

City Hall.

Everywhere there was this great architecture.

Everywhere.

This was in a courtyard. City Hall I believe.

More of Brussels.

It was all great.

Dad shoots daughter on Brussels train.

Bob shoots wife and son.

Noah shoots his dad.

Eating-- what else in Belgium-- waffles.

JFK to Brussels-- A Better Second Leg

The delay doomed our itinerary. After a seven hour flight, we missed our connecting flight to Monrovia by about 40 minutes. Actually, we could've boarded the Liberia flight, but our 700 lbs of luggage would be on its own until Sunday-- unacceptable. The possiblity for losing our luggage in transit or at the Monrovia Roberts Field Airport, and the spectre of hassling forever with American Airlines and SN Brussels on poor phone connections was too great.

We told SN Brussels to fly away without us and we stayed with our luggage. The second leg in our journey had suffered a compound fracture.

Fortunately, we happen to know this Physician.

After an attempt to do a slight-of-hand which Renita caught and set straight, American Airlines took responsibility for the coffee maker glitch and offered to put us up in a nice Brussels hotel with new tickets to the next flight to Monrovia, Liberia-- two days hence. Suddenly, I was smelling a blessing. Instead of arriving in Liberia with no luggage, exhausted after being on two planes for twenty solid hours, we would be taking two evenings and a full day to rest, recover, refresh, in Belgium-- free. So, we'll take a couple days in this grand city before we leave for Liberia on Sunday morning. What a nice surprise gift from this Physician Guy. He told us, "What's the rush? You're in a great city. Enjoy! I insist!"

Saturday, we explore Brussels.

Hmmm... a three hour delay, and our lay over in Brussels is three hours. I think we are in for a pleasant weekend in Belgium.

Noah snaps a shot at a tired Hannah from over his seat behind her. At this point, we've been in this plane eight hours with three to go, and only four of those hours were in the air.