Feeling at home in my hood. My name is Jennifer and I live near the coastal belt of Liberia called Nimba. There are lots of places that are associated with the coastal belt here. They include: the beaches, ocean, plateau and waterfall. My house is 50 kilometers away from the main city (Monrovia). I actually feel at home due to the series of activities that goes on around here.

My parents are on a one-month break in Monrovia, telling people the good news about our hood and our neighbors. We have a lot of social interactions here. My school is not very far from my residence. I go to school twice a week and sometimes we are told to carry out research on the coastal descendants of Liberia and how living near the coast has impacted their lives.

Living near the coast is amazing and fascinating as it gives you the chance to explore and to have interactions with different living things. During the middle of the week, after I am done with my chores, we as coast dwellers gather together and divide ourselves into groups to conduct a study on the Atlantic ocean and the different kinds of animals that live in the ocean. In my country Liberia, those that live around the coastal belt are said to be explorers.

There is an incident that took place on 15 June 2015, where a huge number of students from different universities and from diverse backgrounds came along the coast to conduct research on the Kpatawe waterfall in Liberia. During this research, the natural things astonished students. They even asked me: “How could this be?”

Life in Liberia is good and amazing around the coast. I am so glad that my parents settled near the coast. As a young explorer I would rather live near the coast for the rest of my live, than live in the main city, as it is very noisy. Our Governor is doing everything possible to keep the hood as lively as it is and to stay clean, green, safe and good.