Yesterday, I saw a stranger naked.
It happened the day before, too. And the day before that. And just about every day since I landed.
There's a strange mix of overexposure and modesty when it comes to the nude form in Liberia.
Liberians believe the universe will curse you if you see your mother naked. (And here I thought it was just super uncomfortable.)
But when you take away plumbing, privacy and electricity, you get a lot of families scrubbing themselves in alleys and on stoops. At night, your trusty headlights illuminate the nude and the soapy.
(Note: the bather, who can see in the dark, is more annoyed that you've blinded her than by the fact that you've found her bathing alfresco.)
Then there's the club scene.
I haven't even made it to the larger, randier nightclubs but wherever you go, there is a parade of women in what can only be described as underpants. For this and other reasons, many places are off-limits to UN staff. (It doesn't matter, though. The ladies will find you.)
You can imagine the look on my face, then, when the passport office told me to cover my arms, that I was indecent.
It's my fault, though: I forget this is 1840 and men lose themselves at the sight of my stupid, pointy elbow.
Liberians believe the universe will curse you if you see your mother naked. (And here I thought it was just super uncomfortable.)
But when you take away plumbing, privacy and electricity, you get a lot of families scrubbing themselves in alleys and on stoops. At night, your trusty headlights illuminate the nude and the soapy.
(Note: the bather, who can see in the dark, is more annoyed that you've blinded her than by the fact that you've found her bathing alfresco.)
Then there's the club scene.
I haven't even made it to the larger, randier nightclubs but wherever you go, there is a parade of women in what can only be described as underpants. For this and other reasons, many places are off-limits to UN staff. (It doesn't matter, though. The ladies will find you.)
You can imagine the look on my face, then, when the passport office told me to cover my arms, that I was indecent.
It's my fault, though: I forget this is 1840 and men lose themselves at the sight of my stupid, pointy elbow.
5 comments:
mmm elbow
It's, like, the least awesome place on Earth.
Amazing.
Dead. Sexy. Elbow.
Elbows are where allure goes to die.
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