As of Monday I've been in Liberia one week.

Also as of Monday, the war crimes trial of Charles Taylor (the former president) begins at the Special Court for Sierra Leone in the Hague. It's big news here, of course, though he's being charged with specific actions related to the conflict in Sierra Leone.

Closer to home, rainy season remains delayed according to the view in the street (I don't have any climatological data handy). We did have a big violent storm here last night. Lightning right on top of us and something struck close enough to fry the control board on the generator, so Michael (the manager here at Episcopal Guest House) had to wire around the board to direct start the genny, then monitor the radiator fluid and oil level closely.

As you can tell since I'm posting, we have power. Michael also told me that the generator cost US$6,000, and the one they're looking to replace it with is $10k. That's a lot of money in Liberia, further evidence of how shockingly expensive any imported goods are here, while statistically and in the way people in Monrovia seem to live, the Liberian population remains one of the most impoverished in the world.

Will post some pictures soon, (the fact that there is steadily-available Internet access at all is still pleasant enough that I won't complain about the speed).

Happy June.
-N.