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My white skin and red beard scared small children as my wife and I hiked 5 days through the rainforest in central Liberia in the mid seventies.  We walked to areas where white people had not been to.  As we hiked further into the bush less people spoke English and we didn’t know the tribal language.  In each village we stayed over in we were given the best sleeping arrangements the village could offer and more food than we could ever eat.  We were never asked to pay because we were guests and the tradition is to give guests the best there is to offer.  This was the norm in the many villages visited in my work, great generosity from people who had very little.  

As a Peace Corps Volunteer I also saw the hundreds of small obstacles that kept Liberians from living like me, an American.

Working to improve lives in the third world is hard, frustrating work.  To be a Peace Corps Volunteer and given the opportunity to make a small difference in lives of these kind hearted people was an important part of my life.

posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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