This one, she lazy!

This blog entry is written by my friend Bev... who witnessed a pretty funny situation with me on the field...


While waiting for the chopper to bring it’s load-Joni and I were waiting near the field under the mango trees. Little did we realize the adventure that was about to unfold…this is how the dialog and events unfolded on the sunny hot day in the Belleh forest…

Joni: “Man I wish I could get higher up somewhere to take a photo of the chopper coming in ... I need to get above the blowing dust of the chopper.”
Bev: “Well there are lots of trees here why don’t we climb up one?” Bev proceeds to climb a mango tree next to the field where the chopper has been landing –with the help of a Liberian who pushes her butt up and shoots her up to the first branch…she then gets out on a limb, breaks some branches off for a clear line of site, in order for Joni to get the PERFECT photo. Side note-(Bev is not scared of heights and really has always enjoyed climbing trees-it’s like a second home up there…)
Joni: “Sure I guess we can try that”

Bev climbs down, and Joni proceeds to get ready to climb up. Our Liberian friend who helped me up begins to help Joni up…
Finally Joni gets up the tree and is straddling the smaller branch, with her camera around her neck looking very National geographic as we await for the chopper…and wait… and wait…I can tell that Joni is getting nervous (she is not a fan of heights if she is not safety harnessed in) and her feet start to go numb from straddling the limb. She is not a happy camper-really who would be? 20 min later-we hear the chopper coming. Here, finally, is the opportunity that every photographer waits for that ‘perfect” shot in the bowels of the belleh forest jungle-a chopper carrying water and sanitation supplies for people in dire need. Now all we need is the chopper to land in the right spot…

I (Bev) leave Joni in the tree to do my duty of getting the net from the chopper, undoing the net, and getting the supplies off the net so the net can be folded and taken back on the chopper. As the chopper was hovering in-I soon realized the horrifying thought “he is not landing anywhere NEAR the tree!!! Joni is not going to get ANY shot whatsoever! Oh man am I in TROUBLE!” “nevermind go get the net!” As I went to the chopper I was already dreading going back to the tree to get Joni…

Well…she got down and was not happy-after a good hard punch in the shoulder (ouch) and a few “I am so vexed with you!” To which I replied A LOT “I am sorry I didn’t know the chopper wouldn’t land in the same spot! I am sorry. ouch!”
To add insult to injury Joni had a large scrape on her arm…to make it even WORSE –as we were sitting down after the tree episode the chief came by and looked at me and stated “ you see that woman there she is strong and fit- she works hard” I replied “thank you chief” then he approached Joni…”This one here (poking and pushing in the back with his finger) she lazy…” Let’s just say that between me almost falling off my chair in laughter-I got punched again in the shoulder and Joni was NOT happy! Fun times in the jungle…I have to admit this was top five funny moments for me in the field…