Serving With Others

One of the more interesting things about this assignments is the diversity of the people who are here.  The Liberians are dedicated, intelligent and they pick up the system very quickly.  The expats though, are a really heterogeneous group of people who are united in a desire to help people at the edge of what most will tolerate.  After that, not so much unites them.  We have physicians who run clinics in other developing world countries, administrators who have worked in a series of positions and organization scatted across Africa or in South and Central America, nurses who have served in a wide variety of developing world countries for shorter or longer periods, people who hitch hiked across Europe for 6 months and many, many more.  Relaxing over a beer at a restaurant (that popped up across the street after the opening of the ETU), talk goes on about adventures covering 6 continents.  The discussions of what we have eaten or things we have done are not the sort of thing you would hear at a bar in Johnson County Kansas.  Of course, strong people often come with strong personalities and that can make things interesting as well.  Thus the 90/10 rule.  The bulk of the people working here are on 6 month or duration contracts and they have all given up their jobs to come here and fight Ebola.  They are a great group of wonderful people and we are grateful for their service.  Even if they are a bit challenging at times.