New Friends

Dear Mom,

I am making lots of new friends in Liberia that I want to tell you about them. Every time you work in an Embassy, you have to do a security briefing to get to know the rules for that country. Mine was was done by a really hot Marine, named Kip. (Seriously—Kip??). He had the body of the Rock (our favorite!!) and the face of Brad Pitt. He was wearing khaki cargo pants and a fitted Columbia button up safari shirt. He had on khaki desert storm boots and was wearing a badge and gun. He would totally fulfill one of my husband requirements: if we were in a dark alley and someone tried to jump us, my husband has to be capable of protecting me. Anyway, GI Kippy (is kip short for anything? Kiptyn? Go by your middle name, buddy) was really intense and basically instilled terror into my soul. I learned that the Liberian embassy is the most evacuated mission in the world—so comforting. What's the best advice I got from GI Kippy considering the the country that I am in, you ask? “Don’t eat meat off the street”. Thanks buddy, but I wasn’t planning on it. While every place is a little different there are certain travel “rules” that apply to most places. Eating street meat is one of them.


My next friend is one you only meet once in a life time...or so you hope. The two "nicer" hotels that are also closer to the Embassy did not have any vacancies when I arrived. So the only choice I had was the Atlantic Beach Guest House. Don't let the name fool you, it is probably the sketchiest hotel I’ve stayed in a capital city on a work trip. I first met my new friend in the shower of my new home. He greeted me in all his albino gecko glory and so I lovingly call him Albie. It's better to be on familiar terms if we are going to be cohabitants. I was going to try and capture him under a bowl because I didn’t want to kill him and that way I would know where he was but alas he was way too fast. There was one low point where he scurried past me and as I was trying to get away I accidentally closed the bathroom door trapping me inside with him. I was so flustered it took me a few minutes to open the door and after that I refused to go back into the bathroom. When I had to go the bathroom later, I seriously considered Baby Mama styling it in the kitchen sink. But decided I couldn’t relieve myself in the kitchen sink for two weeks so I bucked up and made a run for it. I didn’t see Albie but I have never peeped so fast in my life. That night I was convinced Albie would find a way into my bed and I would wake up with him scurrying across my face.

I really like my new friends and considering that we are on lock down (work/hotel and nothing else) since bin Laden's was killed I know I'll be spending lots of time with both of them. Hope everything at home is well.

Your Loving Daughter,

Chelsea