We felt very comfortable in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The fact that the countries are English-speaking also made it easier for us. However, we are having a hard time with the climate. The air is stagnant, it is humid and hot. Day and night. We arrived in the tropical rainforest and gained experience on a few hikes. The paths are rather dark, the vegetation is dense and the animal life takes place far away at heights. Still exciting.

We had the pleasure of meeting some very nice people and having a number of interesting conversations. For example with the Vice-Embassador of Germany in Sierra Leone or the Scottish-Sierra-Leone operator of our campsite south of Freetown. Or with our American friend's uncle and his other guests in Bo or a Lebanese restaurant owner in Monrovia.

Both countries are poor, and existing assets are probably in the hands of a few people. The GDP shows this clearly, even if we personally feel that the orientation towards growth is no longer up to date and criteria such as education, health care, jobs and satisfaction are neglected. Nevertheless, here are the numbers from 2021: Liberia 3.5; Sierra Leone 4.2; Gambia 2.0; Senegal 27.6; Nigeria 441.4; Germany 4,225.9.

Both countries experienced long periods of civil war in the 1990s. In conversations with adults, the wars are still highly relevant and a personal point of reference. There were an estimated 150,000 to 250,000 dead and countless child soldiers in each case. These children are now in their mid-30s/40s and – at least as we know from Sierra Leone – are often employed by the military and police or receive a motorcycle subsidized by the state for taxi services. Drugs and trauma go hand in hand and are a current problem.

In both countries, any recovery from the wars has been wiped out by Ebola. The countries were finally declared Ebola-free in 2016 and already 2020 Corona came in.

Public servants are poorly paid and often not paid at all for long periods of time, which encourages corruption. The money has to come from somewhere to buy food for the family the next day. We have so far avoided paying bribes, but we see that locals regularly pay at check points. And somehow we develop a certain understanding of the situation.

However, the two countries differ fundamentally in one thing: Liberia was created as a result of the repatriation of freed American slaves. The American influence is omnipresent in everyday life; the actual currency is the US dollar. Liberia is expensive even for us. However, one wonders where all the NGO's money goes...

In both countries, the people were extremely friendly to us despite poverty. In Liberia, the mood and volume can sometimes be downright exuberant. However, here – as in other countries – we see many people sitting around all day. Existing work is distributed among many people (guides, security, car washes, parking attendants, etc.), and there is then a distribution chain for the income.

When we observe children watching us and absorbing everything we do and use like a sponge, it becomes clear again and again what unused potential, what resources lie dormant here, not nurtured and not used. No games are played here, no creative and cognitive skills are encouraged in children, no fine motoric skills are trained – even the smallest children carry water, laundry, wood...

However, we always ask ourselves whether education alone will advance African societies.

People fight every day for food and survival. What is tomorrow or was yesterday apparently doesn't matter. Age, distances and length of time are not important; arrangements regarding the start of a hike or the cost of a campsite are non-binding. We have to constantly renegotiate.

Perhaps this is one of the fundamental cultural differences. This is all about today and because today is imponderable, a high degree of non-binding also applies to everything else.

Oh, by the way: We spent Christmas very nicely south of Freetown and slept through the New Year on Tiwai Island in the rainforest.