November 25th – A Very Special Day
Good day. November 25th. That’s a very special day.
Today is 25 years ago that Suriname became independent from the Netherlands. That is the day that I left Suriname 50 years ago with the Dutch army. You can see all about it on the Suriname link on the website.
Breakfast Conversations
This morning was also very special since breakfast is included with where I’m staying and it’s generally a great place to meet people that are doing all kinds of stuff.
This morning I met a person named Todd. He is a missionary-type person working for the Lutheran Church, based in the US. He keeps an eye on different places in Africa and travels for a week or two at a time to keep things moving.
The focus these days is continued leadership—training new pastors. They have a seminary in Nigeria and are trying to do something similar in Liberia. Of course, it’s all sponsored from the US, and there is a lot of that going on in this country. It was very enjoyable to have that conversation.
Ivory Coast Visa Pickup
While all that was happening, I received a text from the Ivory Coast consulate or embassy saying that I could pick up my visa.
That was a day earlier than I was hoping for, which was a good thing. So I had to go get that figured out. Of course, I needed to put on long pants—otherwise they would frown upon letting me into the embassy.
This time it was smooth sailing, since it was just a matter of picking it up. I mentioned to the lady there, just as a point of interest, that I had been in Ivory Coast back in 1973.
More importantly, if the visa process had taken less time, I would have spent more time in Ivory Coast. As it is now, I don’t really have enough time—or choose not to—to go by way of the coast, which is probably better road-wise anyway. I can’t keep dragging things out because I need to get where I want to go by a certain point.
A Graduation in the Streets
After that, I walked around the neighborhood near the embassy and ran into a university graduation. People were wearing gowns and hats, the whole song and dance.
There was supposed to be a parade, which I didn’t see, but there was music being made. It was a fun thing to stumble into, though it caused quite a traffic mess because so many people came to attend.
Swimming and Meeting Tim
Afterwards, I took another swim at the hotel and then ran into a person named Tim, another American, like the Lutheran missionary.
Tim actually lives in Liberia, specifically in a town called River Cess. It takes him a very long time to get there—one time it took him three days to travel to or from it.
He’s basically volunteering his time, enjoying life in River Cess, and trying to help people figure out how to run businesses and make a living. He explained that many men start families but then leave for larger towns to find work because there isn’t enough going on locally.
He also mentioned that the town is expected to get electricity in the next one or two months, which will make a huge difference since they currently rely on generators.
Visas, Bureaucracy, and Reality
Tim is only allowed to stay one year at a time and then has to renew his visa. Since he’s a volunteer, it’s not a working visa, and he’s been given a hard time about that—though it sounds like things have eased up somewhat.
I can assure you that the African way, in certain places, can be very complicated.
He also had to register a car, and the registration number turned out to be wrong. They used a number meant for a motorbike but charged him the full $300 registration fee. Normally, a motorbike only costs about $30 a year. Someone clearly registered it incorrectly and pocketed the money.
This kind of thing is an African problem I’ve encountered many times myself, and it will happen more often. The most important thing is to try not to spend money where you shouldn’t have to, though that often requires a lot of persistence. Sometimes, you just pay the price and move on.
Closing Thoughts
Anyway, another beautiful day. Thanks for being along.
