separate pieces

I got a bulletin about Liberia from the US State Department today, and they warned against driving outside of Monrovia at night. I don't remember where we were going or who was in the car, but I suddenly remembered a night when I was in a car in Liberia, 2.5 years ago, driving somewhere (yes! This is a specific and detailed memory! ha.). We were driving in the dark, near but generally away from Monrovia, and I remember looking out at the passing scrub land and thinking about the fact that travel warnings always say not to drive around at night, but thinking that I never wanted to stop and turn around and go back to the city. I wanted to keep driving further into the country, into the continent, forever.

...

On the train, a young blond man who was definitely high (I am getting very good at recognizing symptoms; farewell, my very-protected upbringing) asked the guy behind him, "Bro, can you spare any change?" When he didn't answer, he asked across the aisle, "Bro, you have any change?"

The man across the aisle asked, "You going to buy drugs with it?"

"Marijuana." he said.

Hey, at least he's honest. He didn't get anything, though.

...

I caught a few minutes of Jeopardy last night, and what keeps running through my head is this:

"Answer: Lonely, very lonely."

Bzzzzzt.

"What is: How does it feel to be far from your family when there is a crisis?"

...

A year ago, I was just getting back from Ethiopia. I've been here for a year, now, without a break. I'm plotting, though.