One year in Liberia

Day-15!

Yes, the whole family (almost) is counting the days. We are all looking forward to seeing our Switzerland and all its treasures : Family, friends, mountains… and for some others : cows, horses, big Swiss ships, etc.

A marathon?

This first year in Liberia was for us almost like a marathon.

To leave; Our culture, our families, friends, our house, our own language.

To land and recreate; A home, a routine, friends.

To learn; A new culture, a new language, a new way of shopping, a new way of driving, a new job, a new school.

To adapt; on a team, in a hot and humid climate, with different tools of less quality, with colleagues that are not trained to help us and for the boys to an English speaking teacher.

To welcome; Our own children in their emotional storm, a little Liberian boy lost without parents, a dad who cannot pay school fees for his son.

To give; A bag of rice, a drink, a smile.

To receive; A smile, gratefulness, papaya, mango, help to go to the market.

To enjoy; A beautiful beach, fresh pineapples, to discover a new country, a new way of living, good local food, to play in the rain, to have 5 new chicks, to fish his first fish.

To laugh; At the policemen that tells you the same story Sundays after Sundays, saying his first sentence in Liberian English, when you thought that you understood correctly but… no way !

To become complacent; When you cope with shopping in town, with a difficult extraction or a bug of the CT scanner.

To find a good balance; That will allow us to love. Love our live in Liberia, our neighbors and to give without being exhausted.

To rest and to step back.

We are looking forward to spending time away, to allowing us to loosen our feelings, sharing time with friends and families, walking along the lake, on playgrounds, in a zoo.

Switzerland

It’s a joy to plan our 16th June party. Feel free to show up if you want to discover more of our adventure in Liberia.

More info on our website: www.famillepiaget.ch/fete

Thanks so much for you support during this big first step for us !

Melvina, Nicolas, Théotime, Siméon and Gabriel