Liberia First Impressions

Collard Greens was my favorite Liberian dish

The first-time I landed in Liberia; I was faced with a lot of familiarity. It reminded me of some regions in Tanzania that are a little less developed than some of our capital cities. The buildings revealed the remnants of the 14-year civil war that ravaged the country. Much of the infrastructure was old with worn-out paint. However, there were a few new big buildings that stuck out on my way from the airport to the hotel, showcasing some of the progress that has been underway to rebuild the country, but still there is a long way to go in terms of development.

Interestingly there is dual currency in the system. Liberian’s use both Liberian dollars and US dollars. This makes the living costs in Liberia quite high despite the fact that it is one of the poorest countries in the world. I was very surprised that a plate of food at the hotel was about $20 US dollars. Very expensive and comparable to the cost of meals at restaurants in Boston. Similarly, services such as hair braiding and salon manicures were at a similar pricing point to USA pricing. This indicated to me that to lively comfortably most people would have to be earning a high salary comparable to rates here in the USA.

The people, however, were vibrant and sociable. English being the main language of communication made it easier to easily bond with people and establish rapporteur. During the day there were many young people roaming the streets. Groups of men congregated together having heated debates about politics. This was part of the culture cultivated due to the many years of civil unrest and people now exercising their freedom of speech. However, the high number of young people roaming the streets in broad daylight was an indicator of the lack of jobs in the country. The private sector in the country is very weak and the government employs about 80% of the working group, meaning that most of the accumulated revenue to the government is siphoned back to paying government salaries.