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Episode 3, Part 1: Life in and after Liberia

Above: Variations on the Liberian “devil”

Above: Top Left Wood carving in the shape of Liberian from a leper colony; Middle Left, watercolor painting of “The Zoe’s House” by an artist from Josh and Katy’s location in Lofa county, Liberia; Bottom Left, Iron Ore, and quartz rocks; Right: Various lappa, country cloth, and vai shirts.

In this episode, I talk with Josh and Katy Bishoff, Anchorage, Alaska residents, who are recent Peace Corps volunteers to Liberia.
Our conversation begins, fun and lighthearted with Josh and Katy showing me quartz and iron ore from Liberia. That takes up the first 3:30 and has a  funny moment around 2:25. We begin discussing the first major topic of  “The Zoe” and the Liberian concept of the “devil”. We discuss Liberian holidays, traditional medicine, and a variety of concepts and elements of Liberian culture, how Western society is affecting them, and the various effects of Liberian culture on Peace Corps volunteers. We also discuss Peace Corp’s
primary goal of cultural exchange not always being adhered to by volunteers. Topics of risk mitigation, Mob justice, Traveling dangers and “The Rubberband Man”  story, which you don’t want to miss. From there we move to Liberian history, Stress management in a poverty-ridden environment where traumatic events, malnutrition, and sickness are the norm; Village-talk on Donald Trump, the Liberian perspectives on America vs Korea and more.

Published by THV

Lance Howard is a creative content provider, musician, author, and speaker. I am here to share how we can improve our total success of mind, body, and spirit, through intentional focus on identity and purpose. We can remedy our lives to experience true self-assurance, happiness, and peace of mind. We can discover and express our unique power to overcome all adversity and reach our full potential. The Healing Voice is an invitation to discover the truth of who you are and rise stronger than ever. While I’ve done many things in my life and been awarded certain accolades that are deemed valuable, I am not interested in directing your attention to those things, labels, and forms of status that might give credence to the ego rather than who I truly am. Our culture conditions us to think a person can ONLY tell us anything worth hearing because of the plaques they hang on their wall, awards they’ve been given, or the authority their position gives them. The “content of [our] character”, combined with the genuine story and journey of our lives, life-lessons, and especially our struggles, is what really determines our value for and in the lives of others. There are very “uneducated” people who have more than enough wisdom, in a given situation, because of the collective sum of their experiences, character, and purpose. These are things you can not learn in school, or from a book, but only the wise can glean from life itself. These are elements no one can control or plan but can discern, observe, and learn from. We’ve all experienced the feeling of not knowing what to do next. How do we determine the correct path for our lives? In spite of all of our experiences, let-downs, heartbreaks, and failures, we are still here confronted with the hardship of knowing what to do with our selves. The Healing Voice is a place to share what it means to be totally-successful by cultivating a true sense of identity and purpose, which is the foundation of true connection and belonging. Mission: I live to discover, understand, and express the power of goodwill, wisdom, and inspiration in order to help others reach their full potential. Motto: Live on Purpose, with Identity- Lead, Inspire, Heal.

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