Monday, November 25, 2013

“Somebody listen please: it used to be so hard bein’ me.”

Sitting on our porch, in our house, or on the school campus, Pleebo is never quiet.  Instead, you can always hear something going on, whether that is a rooster crowing, a child crying, or the neighbors blasting the local radio station.  Music here in Liberia is a mixed bag – every day, you will hear something different.

A few local favorites my readers will recognize include Lil’ Wayne, Chris Brown, Rihanna (“Diamonds” is played much too often here), Akon, and Brandy.  Additionally, we hear plenty of local music…most of which we cannot understand.  Songs with titles like “My Pot Can’t Boil,” “Enter My Center,” “Chop My Money,” and “Shake Your Bum” are everyday occurrences for us.  Don’t get me wrong, we can sing them with the best of them, but a little variety is nice every now and then.

To combat this infiltration, Sarah and I are making full use of the vast music selection we each brought with us.  We’ve been making the rounds, too.  Lately, I’ve been discovering a lot of random stuff I put on my iPod this summer; iTunes’ Genius option is, well, genius!  Sarah has rediscovered a lot of the bands she put on her iPod, as well, and I’m grateful for her introducing me to some great stuff.

One of our best decisions, musically, however, came from my iTunes library.  Many, many years ago, I was a big fan of Ashlee Simpson.  Yes, I went through that dark phase, but so did every other girl my age in the United States, I’m sure.  For some reason, I thought it imperative to rip her album “Autobiography” onto my computer…and Sarah and I have now listened to it altogether too many times. 

Our next goal is to introduce it to our Liberian neighbors; I’m expecting mixed reviews, but that’s alright.  The speakers I brought with me are loud enough to compete with Robertson’s radio, and that is all that matters.  We can sing along to “Autobiography” for the next two years, and who knows, maybe we’ll get them hooked :)


Oh, and if you’re wondering, the title of this post is from the artist herself.  Ashlee Simpson, thank you for your support during the past three months.  You’ve never doubted us, you’ve been your angsty self just when we’ve needed it, and I can’t wait to see how you’ll be a part of our lives for the next two years.  Oh, and Mom, thanks for buying that CD ten years ago – it’s by far the best purchase you’ve ever made. 

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