Markets, Hotel Ducor, The tailor, and African food

This Saturday we went to the market. We were supposed to leave at 2 pm, but it was 3 by the time we actually got away. African time is a bit more laid back, which is probably good for me since I’m often late! However, I had to work at 7 pm, so I didn’t have a whole lot of time to play around with.
We were accompanied by some African friends who showed us how to navigate the market. They led us to a few different fabric stores, which was our main interest. I picked up a nice piece of material that I want to make into a skirt. Three lapas for US$10. That is a lot of material, and would make a whole dress and more. I’ll have to figure out something else to make with it besides a skirt because you can’t get any less than 3 lapas. We also stopped by a shoe store. I couldn’t believe how cheap the shoes were. Really nice stylish shoes like Gucci for US$8 a pair! It is sad that even with how cheap things are, most people can’t afford much at all.
We got caught in a downpour in the market and had to hide out under some ledges for a while with hundreds of other people. When it rains, it pours! It’s fun though, and it never really gets cold enough to get chilled from the rain. You just get really muddy from the orange mud that gets all over everything!
On our way home from the market we stopped at the hotel Ducor, which was built in the 1950’s, and used to be an amazing structure. However it was ransacked during the war in the 90’s. We only had a short time there on Saturday because I had to be back for work at 7pm, so we snapped a few pictures and decided to go back another day.
I went back to the Hotel Ducor today! It overlooks the ocean and the city. It is a beautiful vantage point to see Monrovia. We climbed to the top of the 8-story building and really enjoyed the view. The marble tiles, sweeping staircases, roof top dining room, magnificent entryway and beautiful grounds are evidence that it once was phenomenal. Presidents and dignitaries probably stayed there. It is sad to see such a beautiful structure in such shambles. It is like a symbol of this country to me. It is in ruins, but you can see the beauty and strength that remains. These people are beautiful and strong, and are fighting for a better future. I pray they will have that better future with the help of God!
We went to the market again this morning. I got some more material that I will have made into a dress. It’s an African pattern of browns, greens, blues and yellows. I'm excited about having a dress to wear to the African churches.
I had some Ghanian food at lunch today. It was a fairly spicy palm oil soup with meat in it, and you ate it with a sticky substance called fufu made out of cassava and plantain. It was pretty good, but it would take me a while to get used to it and really like it. The African food we have on the ship is fabulous! We had an African food night tonight with fried plantains, chicken, some sort of spicy peanut sauce and rice. I absolutely loved it! I need to learn how to make it, and maybe I actually will because I'm friends with one of the cooks who is a Ghanian man.
I worked night shifts on the weekend, and they were really slow. The patients were all sleeping the whole night from 10pm until 7am! I’ve never had such quiet night shifts before! It was good because the patients got some really good sleep. I’ve still been practicing my French a lot with patients from other countries. It’s fun. I have French class again tonight, and I’m eager to learn to actually speak it and be able to communicate!
Yesterday we went to the tailor. It was a little hut on the side of the road with a tin roof with probably a dozen people inside using pedal operated sewing machines and irons with hot embers inside them to keep warm. It was very old fashioned in a sense, but amazing how quickly and efficiently they made beautiful and stylish clothing. I am having two skirts made and when I go back to pick them up, I’ll order my dress. I figure I’ll get quite a few months of wear out of the clothing, and I’m sure I’ll wear the skirts at home again, so I’m pretty excited about these new African articles of clothing. Of course they tailor them to fit you exactly! So cool!
On our way back to the ship we picked up a bunch of kids to come and visit the ship. They were so excited! Their mothers got out the big basins and soap and bathed them right there on the street. While we were waiting a big herd of bulls passed by with their big mean looking horns. It would be fascinating to sit on the roadside for a couple hours one day and watch things and people go by. I’m sure I’d have plenty of stories. Life is different here. It’s not easy, but it’s beautiful.