Baby Bush Dog

In mid-October, Angie and I once again became pet owners.  Our friend, Bill, gifted us this tiny and adorable “bush dog.”  Bill had purchased the animal from someone who had found a whole den of these little guys.  Each one sold for $3.00.

My grip is not as tight as it looks.

When the little animal came to us, he almost immediately fell asleep in my lap.  This may or may not come as a surprise.  After all, babies sleep a lot, and the bush dog was less than a week old.  However, we’ve seen a few small animals come and go from our front porch.  Usually, it is some local kid who somehow has ended up with a little animal and then brings it to us to see.  Usually the animals are so exhausted from rough handling and constant prodding, that they almost immediately fall asleep in our animal-sensitive western hands.  I think the little bush dog was no exception.

Angie finally gives in to the cuteness.

Angie was not especially keen on adopting the little guy, but I was pretty excited, at least initially.  He was cute, cuddly, and exotic – a winning combo.  Soon, though, it became obvious that it would require a lot of work to keep him.  Baby Boy (as I called him) was still an infant and needed milk.  Luckily, Bill found a rare baby bottle (we’ve only seen them in the capital) that we could use.  (Hopefully no human baby is now feeling deprived.)  We didn’t have anything formulated for small bush mammals, but we did have some powdered milk that we use for cooking.  It wasn’t perfect, but the little guy suckled quite vigorously.  Then he’d fall asleep.  One hour later, he’d wake up crying for more milk.  The cycle repeated like clockwork during the day.  Luckily, he was a good baby and slept through the night.  We were getting a taste of what parenting might be like.  Right?

Sleeping

Slowly, it became obvious to me that we would not be able to keep our little bush dog.  (Angie had realized this from the get-go.)  Firstly, we didn’t have the right food for it.  Even though it seemed to be thriving on the powdered milk “formula,” it wasn’t metabolizing the lactose.  Instead, it was pooping out something that looked and smelled surprisingly like Easy Cheese.  Secondly, it needed constant feeding.  We are at school for eight hours every day, so it would be quite hungry when we got home.  Thirdly, Baby Boy would eventually grow up.  According to Bill, it could reach a length of four feet.  Where would it live in our house?  Would it be aggressive?  We were faced with the same conundrum of exotic pet owners (though much earlier) who buy a tiger or chimp and then panic when it gets too big to handle.  The reality sank in for me that we couldn’t keep the bush dog.  Bill helped us find a new home for Baby Boy.

Searching for a teet.

Before we gave the mysterious “bush dog” away, I did some internet research to find out what he really was.  A Google search of “West African mammals” quickly yielded the common name for our little pet.  The African Civet, as it was identified, is in the same family as ferrets.  Youtube has some videos of the babies and the adults.  Historically, the civet has been raised for its smelly musk that can be ‘milked” from glands near its testicles, for use in perfumes.  So your grandad’s manly musk smell was originally attributed to this fella’s pheromones.  Another reason to not have one running loose in the house.

Liberia is full of interesting creatures.  Some are creepy and some are cuddly.  We routinely deal with the creepy (spiders, lizards, roaches, etc.), so the cuddly ones are a welcome change, even if we can only hold them close for a day or two.

Here are pictures of other “potential pets” we’ve encountered.

Bedroom-dwelling lizards

Biting ants

Babies human and rodent

Huge snails harvested for eating

A pangolin, locally known as the “Ants Bear”

The complement to our bush dog, the bush cat.

Justin, a local chimp

Also fascinated by white people

Spiders: Fast & Creepy

You’ll never get past my beetle.

Quizzing & Debate

Recently, Angie and I started helping out with some of the schools’ academic teams.  Angie had been asked to help with the school’s debate team, and I had sought to help with the quizzing team.  In a series of recent competitions, our teams got the opportunity to prove their mettle.

The school debate team received their topic and position about a week before their competition, hosted by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.  Our school’s position was to defend “the Liberian education system is not improving.”  The opposing team, a private school in our city, was to defend “the Liberian education system IS improving.”   The topic, though seemingly simplistic, is worlds better than topics from past competitions, where students debated whether AIDS is real or not and whether rape is good or bad.  Angie and the team practiced a few times in the week of the match.  They developed their key points and rehearsed their timing within the twenty-minute presentation time stated in the rules.  As they practiced, Angie watched and analyzed the players in order to choose the best four-person team for the match.

Meanwhile, the quizzing team began preparing for their competition at the same day and place as the debate competition.  “Quizzing” is known in other regions as “quiz bowl” or “academic challenge,” or, in my hometown, “knowledge bowl.”  Because of my own personal history with quizzing, I would simply call it “the glory days.”  Basically, a team of four competes against one or more teams answering academic trivia questions.  The team who buzzes in first with the correct answers gets the most points.  The team with the most points advances.  It’s a good chance for students to be proud of their academic successes in a positive environment.  I am happy to be able to help with the team.

The quizzing team was licking its wounds from their first competition of the year, held in September.  In that competition – an eight-team tournament – it was revealed that one of the teams in the semi-finals round (a Parochial school) had obtained the questions before the match and cheated their way into the finals.  Our schools’ team also won its first two matches and made it to the finals.  The match was delayed, however, as outrage swept the campus.  An investigation into the cheating was carried out by the organizers and by our school’s administration.  Angie and I fully expected the offending team to be disqualified.  However, when it was proven that the Parochial school team had cheated, they were still allowed into the finals, so long as the questions for the final match be redrawn.  When I asked our team’s quizzing coach why they were allowed to continue in the tournament, he responded, “for peace sake.”  This phrase refers to the spirit that sees people putting up with all kinds of injustices.  Instead of causing an uproar or inciting the violence that potentially lies just below the surface, it is better to just swallow the bitter pill.  When the match was resumed, my team played the Parochial school in the final round and lost.

Quizzing is a real spectator sport.

Our team is on the right.

5 or 10 points per question.

When the day of the most recent competition arrived, both the quizzing and debate teams had spent ample time and energy in preparation.  The match was scheduled to begin at 10:00am on a Friday.  Our teams showed up at 10:45am.  The debate started at 1:00pm.  During the wait, an ear-splitting sound system blasted dance music, making it impossible to sit in the small conference room.  Standing outside under the African sun was the alternative.  Because of the late start, the judges of the match shortened the presentation time for each time by two-thirds.  The debate team’s well-rehearsed timings were well-rehearsed no more.  Fortunately, our school’s team had a strong defense on their position.  The team chosen by Angie was controversial.  One of the school’s most fluent speakers, a young man who had captained all previous debate teams, was excluded from the team.  This caused quite a stir.  Angie left him out because he had not performed well in practice, and indeed, is not a strong debater.  The student’s large vocabulary and characteristically long orations have been misinterpreted by most people as strong debating skill.   Angie saw through the facade and left him off the team for this match.  Some feelings were hurt but the team performed well.  The debate was lively with good cross-volleys.  Our team, half-way through the match, made a point about the corruption of teachers in the schools.  The opposing teams’ ingenious response was to ask for sources – they wanted three names of corrupt teachers.  The gauntlet had been thrown. and our team could not respond.  It would not have meant academic suicide to name names.  So they kept mum about the specifics.  In the end, the evidence for our team’s position was just too strong for the opponents.  Our school was victorious.  The energy and support from the attendees was fantastic.  Our supporters jubilated with the same fervor as fans at any football match.

Angie and the Debate Team

After the debate match, which lasted for less than twenty-five minutes, we waited for the quizzing competition to start.  The buzzer system was brought in and tested.  Four switches controlled each of the electric bells and light bulbs on the center console.  The system was tested.  The organizers organized.  My eardrums throbbed.  The teams and fans waited.   And waited.  At 3:30pm, with an apology alluding to the Liberian spirit of tolerance (see bitter pill), the quizzing competition began.

A hard-fought match saw both teams answering their share of questions.  Despite the noble effort of our team, we would not receive satisfaction, yet again.  Due to incompetence, at best, or corruption, at worst, our team was refused the points that would have made them victorious.  The following hotly-contested question led to our downfall: “Find the area of a rectable with a width of 3 cm and length of 4 cm.”  The answer, of course, is 12 cm square (Length x Width = Area).  This answer was given loudly and clearly by our team.  It was deemed incorrect by the judges, citing an answer of 6 cm square.  At the end of the match, per the rules, we filed a written grievance to overturn the ruling and throw out the question in favor of alternatives.  Despite overwhelming evidence to the error of the question, the ruling was kept and our team was officially declared “the victim” and the opposing team “the victor.”  I joked to a fellow teacher that Jimmy Carter would need to be present for these events to proceed freely and fairly.

A very impassioned outrage once again flooded the room and the area surrounding the small building.  It was fueled not only by the days injustice but by the injustice of the previous competition as well.  Liberians may tolerate a lot, but they will certainly let you hear about it.  I tried to calm the team and their fans.  Their disappointment and frustration was obvious.  Twice had they played well and twice had they lost painfully.

We will continue to prepare for our next matches.  The debate team will look for its second win while the quizzing team will continue to chase its first.  We are optimistic, though, that our team’s hard work will pay off with an honest win.

Ben and the Quizzing Team