How I moved to Liberia

The easiest way to move to Liberia, is simply to get a job.

And I did!! After over 120 job applications, being a final candidate on multiple occasions, after six months telling myself to be patient without being patient, I did get a job. In Liberia. (FYI this is common story in my field. We find employment. It just takes forever and we occasionally experience self-loathing.)

I work with an international nonprofit specializing in good governance and post-conflict reconstruction. I'm a project manager on a nine-month grant extension. Much of my job entails pieces of previous work; partners, evaluation, proposal/grant writing, being the timely one. I've wanted to work with this group for years. They were literally number two on my list. I could honestly not be luckier. And frankly, I'm really happy not to be in South Sudan or Somalia.

The appeal of Liberia was that my family lived here. Or rather they did. My mom and brothers returned to the States six weeks before I moved here. My dad left seven days before I arrived. This didn't really bother me until I arrived, which is when it truly sank in how tantalizingly close this opportunity came to fruition. However, I'm hugely proud of their new chapter in life and will wait a few more years for us to share cities again.

This new chapter also entails bringing a partner. I've never brought a partner before! Six years together, I'm finally living abroad with my partner. He was warned prior to our union he might live in some uncomfortable places, and warned again prior to departure. He hasn't had a meltdown yet. I'm crossing my fingers.

After 2.5 years in the States, I wondered how I'd feel after going abroad again. I truly did adapt into my roles and home in Virginia. It felt natural and effortless even. I wondered if perhaps I had lost "it;" that misunderstood yet unmistakable part of myself that lives a normal life in abnormal places. It was a strange feeling. But I don't think I did. Almost as soon as I arrived, it all felt familiar. The place is different, but the struggles, the background, they are all the same. It felt like returning home. It's a lifestyle I know and feel comfortable navigating. It's a place I'll call home for now, and I'll learn to love the skies I'm under.