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A Civil Nightmare

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Submitted By fargelehaslober
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Oldlady, echoed my mother’s voice from the back porch of our whitewashed 5 bedroom home in ELWA, Paynesville, have you washed the dishes? I was in the front yard playing hopscotch with some of my friends and we were having a mighty great time; the last thing on my mind was completing chores. After all, today I overheard our Principal Mr. Allen telling Mrs. Yadamah, my fourth grade teacher that LBS (Liberia Broadcasting System) reported this morning that rebels were coming to take over the government from President Samuel K. Doe and we would have to be in our homes for at least two weeks until they were done. For me, this meant that I would not have the chance to play for two whole weeks especially on my Christmas and New Year break so I was trying to play all I could before being forced to remain indoor for two long weeks. What is wrong with these people? I thought to myself. Don’t they know that we are on our Christmas break and want to have fun with our friends and family? Later did I know that this was not just a two week play restriction, but a 15 year Civil Nightmare that would change my life and the lives of every single Liberian.

Liberia, sweet land of liberty; oh how I love my country. I still remember when we would sit on our back porch in the night and watch the stars when the moon was bright while listening to our grandmother tell us spider stories. Those memories are treasured in my heart forever. There was 24 hours electricity and running water; something that has become a luxury since the war erupted. On some Sundays, we would get in our father’s green Pajero Jeep and drive to Sophie Ice Cream Shop in Sinkor, Monrovia or right next door to Bonjal in Rehab for the best ice cream ever made. We’ll have cotton candy, popcorn, soft drink, and anything we wanted; it was family time. When I remember those times and think about what was taken away from us and our children, I get so angry and sad at the same time. Why did we have to do this? Why plunge our country into a blood bath for no genuine reason? Why take so many innocent lives, destroy properties, and leave a lasting scar on each other? No answers, none whatsoever. What hurts me the most is that we will never have a normal Liberia. Whenever I think of the “normal days” as they were referred to after the war, I think about that trip to Joqweken, River Gee County when we went to visit my grandmothers; Eyee, my father’s mother and Dahr, my mother’s mother. I

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