Lunch at Ophelia's

One of our Liberian friends that works on the wards invited us out to lunch this last week at her house. She works as a translator for the ship making the standard US$5 a day. We jumped at the chance, although did not at all know what to expect. I told her I would make a cake and bring a drink. She said it was unnecessary, but I insisted that it was customary in Canada to bring something.


Nigel turned to me the day before we left and remarked that he had absolutely no idea what on earth the experience was going to be like. Given her salary and the level that most Liberian live at, we might be going to a mud hut for all we knew. But we were both excited and up for something new.


On the day, we waited by the gate to the port expecting her to roll up in a beat up yellow Liberian taxi. Instead, up rolled a "pimped out" SUV complete with blacked out windows and what appeared to be a senator's licence plate. (all this was noted by Ali, a nurse also coming with us).

We drove the winding and potholed roads until we finally came to a small suburb that felt a bit out of the city. The houses were built with cement blocks, a step up from some of the ramshackle stuctures I have seen.

Then we turned into a driveway and drove towards a guarded gate. That is when I knew we would be dining a bit more upscale. If you have a cement wall, barbed wire, and a guard, you have something to protect.


Sure enough we rolled into a nice yard and emerged from the vehicle in front of a nice looking house for Liberian standards. It turns out she lives with her brother who is the senior Senators for the Sinoe region in Liberia. Despite this there is no running water (as is the norm in Liberia) and electricity comes from a private generator on the property.


We had a very nice lunch complete with fufu (a West African staple of ground cassava and plantain, with sauce, soup or meat poured on top). The food spread was fantastic and we spent the afternoon talking about Liberian and world politics with her brother while he took mobile calls every 2 minutes. The life of a senator, he explained, is one of constant calls for help from desperate people. You can't help them all, but you must help many. As a senator it is essential you remain someone who can change a situation and aid someone in a crisis.