Travel Guide for Liberia
Introduction
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17.
Passport
Visa
Travel vaccinations
Flight
Luggage
Clothes
Toiletries/ Personal items
Medical/ Health items
Other items to Pack
Team Fee
Food
Accommodations, communication, and money
Etiquette
Spiritual life
Transportation
Weather in Liberia
Liberian English
This guide is not a check list, but rather a collection of
suggestions to help you have an enjoyable experience.
Introduction
Don’t Come
By: Peggy Halvorsen, 2012
If you don't like skipping meals, don't come.
If long bumpy drives in a landcruiser bother you, don't come.
If you are sensitive to body odor, don't come.
If you like structured schedules that rarely change, don't come.
If you think this would be a fun way to see Africa, don't come.
If you can't sleep unless it is quiet, don't come.
If eating chicken and rice regularly is boring to you, don't come.
If you don't like bugs, dirt and sweat, don't come.
If you don't like your personal "bubble" intruded on, don't come.
If you can't hike 45 min minutes, carry 50 lb short distances, and balance on logs to cross over water,
don't come.
Although these statements may sound humorous, they are serious. This is not a sightseeing tour of
Africa. We are about the work of the ministry and it is hard work. So, count the cost before you come. It's
a lousy way to spend a lot of money on a spoiled vacation.
This poem was written out of frustration when I realized I had poorly prepared a team of
visitors to Liberia. I hadn’t communicated to them adequately that Liberia is a very challenging
country. In terms of rating mission trip difficulty on a scale from 1 to 10, Liberia would be a 10.
Some people love a challenge, some people think they want a challenge. Please know which
one you are.
Plan ahead:
1.
Passport:
Application at the post office Cost: $110
Can get passport photo at Walgreens for $7
Can take up to 4-6 weeks
2. Visa:
http://www.liberianembassyus.org/index.php?page=consular
search: embassy of Liberia (choose the Washington D. C. office
REQUIREMENTS FOR U.S. CITIZENS TO OBTAIN VISA TO ENTER LIBERIA
Tourist Visa
Requirements for Visa (from embassy website)
a. Valid Passport. with at least 6 months left before expiration
b. Two (2) passport size photographs. (FULL Face view on White background)
c. Flight itinerary
d. Application for visa must be completed in duplicate.e. Self addressed prepaid
USPS/FEDEX/UPS envelope for return of passport (see mail restrictions)Mail or dropoff passport and all other documents listed above. Failure to include all items could lead
to delays in processing of your visa.
b. In accordance with International Health Regulations, all persons entering Liberia are also
required to have a Valid Certificate of Immunization (YELLOW BOOK)
Notes:
1.There is a waiting period of seven(7) working days for Visa processing.
2. Applicants are advised to apply within two weeks of their travel date.
3. Airlines by regulation, will not allow you to board without a valid visa.
4. There is an additional fee of $75.00 for Same Day and $50.00 for Next Day service
Step 1 (just to repeat what you need to send to apply for visa)
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Signed passport
2 passport photos (not the one from your passport, you have to get another one)
Copy of your flight itinerary
Yellow fever form (plan to always keep that form in your passport)
Extra requirements for minors
Fee: SINGLE: 1-3 Months US$ 131.00
MULTIPLE: 1 Year US$ 200.00
MULTIPLE: 2 Years US$ 300.00
MULTIPLE: 3 Years US$ 400.00
Step 2 Print out the Application form or fill it out online and then print it out.
1. Page one is basic personal information. You don’t have to be very specific about the
employer info, that is more for business visas.
2. Page two: Select the type of visa you want
a. Purpose of trip: Choose tourism
b. Duration of trip: number of days in country
c. Ultimate destination: Monrovia
Arrival Date: on flight itinerary
d. Contact information of two references
Name: Flomo, Peter K
Address: Soul Clinic Community, Paynesville Liberia
Phone: 011 231 886 522341
Name: Quinah, David
Address: Barclay Mission Area, Wood Camp, Paynesville
Phone: 011 231 886 486090
3. Travel vaccinations:
Make an appointment with a travel nurse at least 6 weeks before travel
Must receive yellow fever
Recommended to also get Hep B, Typhoid, Diphtheria and Malaria (usually daily oral) its highly
recommended to get a polio booster, as polio has popped up in Liberia recently
The anti-malarial pills are highly recommended. You may also receive an antidiarrheal
prescription
*These vaccinations can be expensive depending on your insurance. Please figure out
the costs and add it to your total expenses for the mission outreach.
Travel:
4. Flight:
cost can vary greatly from $1500 to $2500 depending on the time of year.
Direct flight takes 14 hours, with multiple stops and layovers it can be 20 to 24 hrs.
You can bring a travel pillow for long flight
Before you get off the plane at Roberts International airport, you will fill out an
immigration form. This form will include your personal information as well as contract
information while you are in Liberia. Make a small notecard to keep in your passport with
phone numbers and addresses of your contacts and accommodation information.
Copy of immigration form.
Most of the information is your personal info
and ticket/flight info. You will also need to fill in
your address & phone number in Liberia.
Please use the following info:
Peter Flomo: #011-231-652-2341 and addressSoul Clinic, Monrovia, Liberia
New Life Community Guest House address:
Pipeline Rd, Lower Johnsonville, Monrovia
5. Luggage
Can vary by airline, but typically you can take:
2-50 lb checked pieces of luggage. Each
checked bag after first 2, costs about $200+
1-carry-on luggage size: 9x13x22
(standard size carry on luggage)
1-purse, brief case, or backpack (that
must fit by your feet on the plane)
And a jacket
Teamwork Africa has many supplies to bring for ongoing projects in Liberia. Please donate one or both
of your 50 lb checked bags for supplies.
Packing:
6. Clothes
Women: skirts or dresses knee length is recommended. Loose capris may be worn on non-outreach
days. Tee shirts, but no tank tops.
Men: dress pants and polo shirts are recommended for outreach days. Long shorts and tee shirts may be
worn for non-outreach days.
Carefully choose two pairs of comfortable sandals or flip flops. There is a lot of walking.
Note on clothes: We often donate our clothes and toiletries at the end of the trip. It is certainly not
required, but something you may want to consider.
Laundry is available at the guest house.
It is not recommended to bring fancy jewelry. Simple accessories are best. Leaving your fancy jewelry at
home .
7. Toiletries/ personal items:
Toothbrush/toothpaste
sunscreen
Soap/washcloth
bug repellent
antibactieria wipes/gel
Other personal hygiene items
small umbrella
flashlight (electricity does go out often)
sunglasses
small personal battery operated fan
small packages of tissue to double as toilet paper as needed
Money belt: Money and important documents are best kept with you at all times.
8. Medicine/ health items to bring:
These items are not required, they are suggestions of items others have found helpful.
Antidiarrheal medication (you may get a prescription) for severe stomach issues
Over the counter upset stomach medicine like Tums or Pepto for minor stomach issues
Probiotics, can get at health food store (optional)
Colloidal silver, also at health food store (optional)
1st aid supplies ( there is a 1st Aid kit at the guest house)
Tylenol PM or Benadryl (to help sleep on flight)
antihistamine pills
Malaria meds.
Vitamins
9. Other items to pack:
camera
Laptop (optional) We usually have internet
extra memory sticks for computer and camera
$ for cell phone scratch card
carry $1 bills for the airport tips
Your life in Liberia
10. Team Fee
Your team fee covers all of your expensive from leaving at the airport to arriving back home. This
includes, but is not limited to, travel, food, water, guest home, fuel for generator/truck, and ministry
focus. Most team fees are $1000 for 8-10 days. If you are planning to stay more than 10 days, you may
be asked to increase your team fee. If you are interested in the overall team budget, please feel free to
ask for it.
11. Food:
Breakfast is provided at the Guest House.
Breakfast foods can include: malt o meal, hard boiled eggs, home made bread or rolls, scrambled
eggs, sardines, mayo and ketsup wrapped in a tortilla (affectionately called “enchalala”) and fruit. Hot
water is available for tea or instant coffee.
Lunch and dinner are flexible depending on the schedule.
These meals are often spaghetti, rice and soup (a sauce to go over the rice) made of chicken, fish or goat
and vegetables such as potato greens, cabbage, collard greens, bitter ball or beans. Also fried chicken,
cabbage salad, or fried sweet potatoes or plaintain.
Tea is often served in the evening before bed.
Bring snacks with you when we leave for the day, there is no way of knowing for sure how long it will be
before we return. Our cook usually comes with us on trips to the interior. She is very good at making
sure we have food to eat.
Meals are usually in the morning and evening. We don’t always stop for lunch. Bring extra snacks to
carry with you during the day.
Depending on the season there is always delicious fruit to eat: pineapple, mangos, citrus fruit, and
bananas.
Snack ideas to pack: Peanut butter, trail mix/nuts, dried fruit, jerky, tuna, hard candy, high protein
snacks, beef jerky, turkey jerky, protein bars not covered in chocolate,
Plan to bring a few snacks with you to eat throughout the day.
Eating in front of other is viewed as extremely rude. If you are having a snack, share with those around
you.
Water
Bottled water is purchased in Monrovia. It is highly recommended to drink only beverages that are
bottled or filtered. We usually carried one large bottle of water per person per day. You are encouraged
to bring a water bottle with a filter in it or a filter straw.
12. Etiquette
Liberians are very warm and friendly people. They are quite emotional and laugh a lot. When they
disagree, they can get very loud. This often can lead Americans to think that a big conflict is occurring,
this may not at all be the case. Try not to make assumptions , it is better to ask for clarification rather
than make incorrect conclusions.
DO NOT GIVE YOUR PHONE NUMBER TO ANYONE.
If you do, you are inviting middle of the night requests for money. This is not to imply that Liberians are
beggars, but it seems that by giving out your number, you are inviting such phone calls. If you can not
avoid someone requesting to contact you, give them your email or facebook contact. You can also say
they can ask Pastor Peter to contact you on their behalf. This will limit requests.
Do not give away anything without permission.
This is not to limit your desire to give gifts, but to protect you from unintended consequences. If you
give one person a pair of shoes, you may have 5 more people asking for some. Just ask for advice and
the team leaders will help you find an appropriate way to give gifts.
Sometimes our Liberian friends ask for things, please get input from the leaders before you agree to
giving anything. You may not know that the same person asks for a suitcase every time a team comes.
Our Liberian teammates know the rules and expectations, but there are always new friends joining our
group and they may not know. Politely tell them that you will ask the team leader if it’s OK before you
give things away.
Do not make promises you can’t keep. Try not to make promises at all! You can say, If God provides” or
“As God leads” .
Time in Liberia is flexible. The answer to the question of “When does church start?” is “When the pastor
gets there.” No one pays much attention to clocks. Schedules are suggestions for the day’s events. What
isn’t done today can always be done tomorrow. Flexibility is crucial to enjoying Liberia.
13. Accommodations, communication and money
We stay at the New Life Community Guest house in Monrovia, the teacher house at Kpeletyama, and
the missionary house in Duita. The interior is more “rustic” than the guest house.
Communication
You may want to buy a Liberian cell phone, approx. $40 and the phone cards for $5. Phone rates
from Liberia to the US are very reasonable, usually much better than the other way around
(from US to Liberia). You may be able to borrow one before you go or borrow from a friend
while you are there. US cell phones do not work in Liberia.
Unlocked phone that can take international sim cards will work in Liberia with the purchase of a
sim card. About $10.
Money
Credit cards do not work in Liberia and neither do traveler’s checks. Bring American money in
small bills for everyday expenses ($20 and less) Bring plenty of small bills, you will get all your
change in Liberian money.
If you plan on shopping, make sure you have a Liberian negotiate the price, or you will end up
paying “white women’s” prices which are significantly more than Liberian prices.
14. Spiritual life
Our Liberian partners are Christians. They often start and end their day with personal prayer. If you are
staying in a room together, you may be invited into that prayer. We often pray when we depart in a
vehicle for safe travels because of the real and many perils. We pray prayers of thanks when we arrive
safely. We often pray and sing in the truck as well.
We like to begin our day with team devotions, although that doesn’t always happen. And end our days
with debriefing about the day’s events. There are often many sad things that happen while we are there
and the best thing to do is pray together.
15. Transportation:
We divide the cost of gas between the number of people going. You should know how much gas will
cost before the trip. The amount varies depending on how much traveling will take place. The vehicle we
use usually has air conditioning.
Time change is 6 hrs. ahead (5 hrs. during daylight savings time)
Plan to pack a knapsack or backpack to carry supplies each day. Purses aren’t very useful. Fanny packs
can be useful.
When you are running around in Liberia, always have a bag of supplies with you...especially a small roll
of toilet paper!
The “roads” in Liberia are terrible. This is not an understatement. You may be mislead at your arrival
because one of the nicest roads in the country is from the airport to Monrovia. However, the rest of the
country is a different story. Even the roads in the city vary in condition. There has been a lot of road
construction in recent years, so things are improving. Usually, the main roads are full of huge potholes,
driving on both sides of the road to avoid them is acceptable. The jungle roads off the main roads are
dirt paths. It can take many hours to reach a village destination.
16. Weather in Liberia
Rainy season: April to October
Dry season: October to April
Temp. around 90 degrees year round, very humid, tropical climate
August can be cool at night, you might even want to pack a light sweater/jacket.
17. Liberian English
Here are some tips for understanding Liberian English:
1. The best thing to understand is that Liberians do not pronounce the end of most of their words. So, if
an American says, "Give me some of that apple," from a Liberian it would sound like, "Gi me su u da
appu."
2. Also, a very important difference in communicating that isn't verbal but still necessary to understand
is that Liberians raise their eyebrows to say, "Yes." They only give a slight nod when the, "Yes," is very
emphatic.
3. Obviously, the Liberian accent is unique. This is something that is best understood by listening to
anyone from West Africa speak for awhile. If you are adopting a Liberian child, it would be helpful to
familiarize yourself with the accent. Get a music CD, watch movies with characters from West Africa, or
find someone in your community with a similar accent. The book Blue Clay People is written by William
Powers, who worked in Liberia for two years, and it has a lot of Liberian conversations in it. After
listening to the accent from a lot of people speaking, it gets much easier to understand. If you're not
able to travel, don't worry. It will just take some more effort on your part to get exposure to the way
Liberian English sounds. You can listen to Liberian live radio at http://www.liberianonline.com/liberiaradio.html
4. There are some common pronunciation differences, like Liberians do not make the "th" sound.
Instead, it sounds like "d" or "t". For example, "this" sounds like "dis" and "three" sounds like "tree."
They pronounce our short O sound like "aw" so "God" sounds like "Gaw."
5. They have different rules for grammar, so the placement of their words in a sentence is often
different or the verb form can be different or partly missing. Like "I am finished" in Liberian is "I fini." Or
we may say, "Will you take me to school?" and a Liberian would say, "You carry me to skoow?" Or we
say, "How are you?" and a Liberian says, "How you feeling?" Also, Liberians tend to use the present
tense of verbs regardless of the time an action took place. This is one of the differences in language that
will stay with your Liberian children longest.
6. Liberians will often repeat a word for emphasis. "He ha plenty, plenty toys" to refer to someone
having an overwhelming amount of toys or "He funny, funny in de he (head)" to refer to someone who
seems mentally unsound.7. Americans and Liberians use different words for a lot of common things.
Here are a few:
American/Liberian
How are you?/How you feelin? or How you
to take somewhere/carry
comu on?
move or move over/dress
I'm okay/TryinI'm hanging in there/Tryin small
soccer/football
or I dry ri (I'm dry rice)
done/fini (finish/finished)
throw/chunk (As in "chunk it here")
your family/yaw peepo (your people)
shirt/blouse (for women) shirt (for boys)
pajamas/nega (nightgown)
pants/trousers
bath/bathe
flip flops/slippers
trash can/bucket
tennis shoes/sneakers
braid/plat (plait)
okay/aw rie (all right)
spank/beat
a lot/plenty
plead/beg
cookie or cracker/biscuit
rogue/thief
hot dog/sausage
shame/embarrass
little bit/small or small, small
What do you think?/How you loo a da? (How do
Dad/Pa
you look at that?)
Mom/Ma
There are also the bathroom terms that are helpful to know when you are asking if they need to use
the facilities. :) They say "pee pee" and "poo poo."