There are about twenty to thirty sunken ships in the port of Freeport, Monrovia. Bombed out carcasses left over from the war, casualties of neglect and abuse. And the most apparent of them all sits right outside my office window.
On any given night, you can stand on the dock and listen to the wind and the hum of various container ships' hydraulics moving each large metal box up and down. Watching the glow of the fluorescent lights from the ship, I often wonder what the sailors are doing on the ship and what life is like lived sailing constantly. Perhaps they are wondering about this white hospital ship docked on the opposite side of the port as well.
Two weeks ago, a beautiful vessel sailed into port. Upon first glance, nothing unusual, but then we noticed the flag of
North Korea painted on its side. All the South Koreans grew very excited. Totally ignorant of politics, I walked up to the ship and yelled 'hello' in Korean, waving and smiling (perhaps acting like a giddy American). Later on, I would find out so much more about South and North Korean politics from my South Korean friends on the ship, their rivalries and history. Growing up in South Korean, students were forbidden to utter the words North Korea. The color red is associated with communism, and any display of red, a child's favorite color being red or the donning of red clothes was strictly forbidden. As the most tangible sign of their rivalry, at the 38th parallel, there is a
barrier between South and North Korea that is 3 miles deep and 155 miles long. It the most heavily armed border in the world.
The South Koreans on the ship invited the North Korean sailors to our home on the Africa Mercy, but the NK sailors politely declined. They asked for medicines, which Ji-Hee (SK) jumped through several hoops to get. As a matter of protocol, the recipient must sign for the medicines. The sailors received them, but then later returned them. I suspect it is that they found out we are a Christian organization or saw us as Americans (which makes us enemies), or both. In any case, I hope they will not develop malaria. They were importing sugar from Brazil when the sailors were bitten.
Later on, we stood on the dock and watched them unload huge bags of sugar from the boat. I could tell my South Korean friends were fascinated by them yet dismayed. It was the first time they had ever met North Koreans in their life and most likely, the first time the North Koreans had ever laid eyes on South Koreans. They speak the same language, eat the same foods, and have the same apperance. I only wished we had prepared some nice kim chee and bibimbap. I think we could've found some world peace right there.
Yet here we were standing so close to the NK boat's stern that we could reach out and touch it, yet the people inside them were miles away. They will not and cannot make contact or connection with us. We represent the outside world - its freedoms, its ideals, its politics -- and that is something they simply cannot have any part in.
