Wow, it’s been a long time since I wrote anything. Sorry about that. Things have been crazy here. In June, we had 9 days of pretty violent strikes. People were angry with the government, and students protested b/c they didn’t get to take their exams. The government/military ended up killing about 21 students in one day of protests…they are calling it Black Monday. Not a pretty situation. Never seen anything like it. Things have seemed to calm down…who knows what the future holds for this country.

My 9 day vacation was OK…but I’ve really gotten used to having an 8-5 job and didn’t do well with the having nothing to do. I was safely tucked away in the Peace Corps compound, so there should be no worries about my safety…if anything happens here, we’ll be the first ones out.

I’ve been traveling with work the last few weeks…and staying fairly busy, which is nice but also stressful. I’m continually enjoying my job and learning tons every day. My boss is a great mentor, and we have a good working relationship. I continually have frustrations with the Guinean ministry people that we work with. I am learning that due to the fact that I am a girl, young and not married, I get absolutely NO respect…and it’s really frustrating. This experience will definitely help me in the future. I will begin studying for the GRE and applying to grad schools over the next few months. It’s amazing how quickly the time is passing here.

So, life is good…I’m healthy. I have a cat (Safiatou) who brightens up my life and runs like a crazy woman around my little apartment. I have good friends who I enjoy hanging out with. I am dating a wonderful guy who makes me super happy and treats me like a princess. Really, more blessings than I can count.

I’m taking a week in August to go to Côte d’Ivoire for a friend (Delphine’s) wedding…really excited about that. Other than that, work and all. Would love to hear from people…don’t forget that I have email every day and I have a phone that works great!!! Yes, I am in Africa, but I don’t live in the middle of nowhere anymore.

Miss you all!!!

Peace and love!

I don’t really know how to put it into words, but life is just tiring here. It’s the not the same kind of exhausting that you get in the states with people that have too many activities and too little time. I think it’s just the fact that nothing is ever easy here. Just when you think fate has cut you a break, you end up right back at square one.

Suffice to say, I’m learning a lot in this new position. I’m learning about how much it sucks to be a young, single, white woman living and working in West Africa. When I lived in the village, I was accepted and I become accustomed to working with people and accomplishing projects within the social and political structure that existed there. The authorities knew how I worked and where the line was. Things aren’t so easy here.

The first thing I learned is that when it comes to Guinea, HKI is basically doing the ministry’s work for them. HKI is supposed to be a support and a resource…much like I was supposed to be as a volunteer in the village. We assist the programs of the ministry of health in whatever way, but they should be the ones coming up with projects and doing the bulk of the work. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen here…and I really think that does a disservice to this country. I wonder what would happen if all the NGOs working in Guinea just picked up and left…what would happen to this place?!

Two weeks ago, I had a ministry official who oversees the nutrition program storm out of my office because he said I was trying to take his job. We were working on this big distribution of visual aids to all the health centers, and his schedule was continually changing, making it nearly impossible to plan a time for him to distribute them. So, trying to be helpful and being somewhat fed up with the fact that I had tried making about 10 different schedules for him, suggested that maybe I should just go ahead and do his distribution. He blew up and said I was trying to take his job. Later in the day after things had calmed down a bit, he came into my office on two separate occasions to make sure I understood that I was in the wrong and he was right. Words cannot express how much restraint it took for me to keep my mouth shut. One of my colleagues in the office told me that the best way to deal with him was “to be a woman.” By this he meant that I just had to let him think he was always right and that I think he’s wonderful, etc. Now, whenever I see the guy, he’s all smiles and compliments, expecting me to suck up to him or something. Smiling and playing the part just takes so much energy…

In the same week, I had a meeting with another ministry official; this guy oversees the blindness programs. I have met with him on a couple other occasions and have found him easy to work with, motivated and reliable. We scheduled meetings and he would arrive on time, ready to work…not something you run across everyday here. Our meeting went well, we had some rice and sauce, and while I was waiting for the driver to come and pick me up, he asks me what I like to do at night or on the weekends. He suggested several times that we should get together sometime so that he could show me the sights of Conakry (thanks, but no thanks!). This is a 45 year-old man with 4 kids and a wife…and a man that I have to work closely with over the next year.

So, these are the men I have to put up with. But it’s not actually much easier with the women. I went to Boké this past week to check on an iodized salt project that HKI is hoping to support…it’s the same project that my friend Carrie (former PCV) started during her service and that I’ve mentioned several times before over the last two years. I traveled with a woman from the ministry’s program that oversees iodine deficiency. She was nice enough, but when it came down to it, I’m not sure she knew how to react around a white person. I am not a horribly uppity person who expects things a certain way (we call this a “patron” in French), but I think she expected me to be. I don’t really know how to explain it…she just couldn’t relax around me.

There you have it…my working environment. I love the people I work with in my office…it’s all the other people I don’t enjoy so much. Pretty much, every day is a learning experience in surviving and coping. We’ll see what the next month holds for me…

Gas prices have come up 33% again…not really a good thing. I know that people in America are complaining about prices, but y’all have no idea what kind of impact this has here. Really don’t know how the people can continue to support this…

Gotta get back to work. I head to Sierra Leone next week for a week…should be fun!

Peace!

Wow, it has truly been ages since I updated my journal…so sorry for the delay. As I sit here in my office overlooking the ocean and listen to the lull of the waves, I think how good life is. I am settling into my life in Conakry. It’s definitely a change from life in the village, but I’m beginning to adjust. There are days when I wish I was back in the village…days when the electricity never comes on, when I run out of water in the middle of a shower, when it’s so hot that I would love nothing more than a quick dip in the river. But there are perks, as well. One of these is having weekends to myself…I don’t have to worry about feeling guilty about not being in the village…I actually have free time on the weekends…it’s amazing.

So, for those of you not familiar with the situation, I’m staying in Guinea for a third year…working as a PCV with Helen Keller International. I’m living in Conakry, the dysfunctional capital of Guinea. I have an apartment with running water (50% of the time, if I’m lucky), electricity (50% of the time, if I’m lucky), a fridge (contingent upon the electricity), a TV (also contingent upon the electricity), a washing machine (contingent upon water AND electricity), two completely non-functioning A/C units, and an oven (that shocks me when I plug it in). One of my PCV friends recently visited my apartment and said that it reminded them of living in the projects. Not sure they’ve ever lived in the projects, but its how it made them feel. My two windows overlook a shanty town…very depressing. And it’s 10 times noisier than my life in the village. There is another PCV living in the apartment next door to me, and rumor has it that another American girl will be moving in soon. I’ve made friends with a very nice Ivorian woman (meaning she’s from Ivory Coast) who lives in the building. She feeds me really good Ivorian food, so that’s working out well.

My job is starting off well, but slowly. My official title is Technical Assistant. I am primarily overseeing the eye care projects, but I currently don’t have tons to do. I am also providing technical assistance in other areas. I’m also working on teaching English to our staff. I’m supposed to be traveling around the country training health center nurses on using these big picture books about women’s health and nutrition, but I’m finding that it close to impossible to make any kind of set schedule. People change their programs all the time. It’s very frustrating. HKI also works in Sierra Leone, so I will be traveling there as well. I’m figuring that I will be traveling about 40-50% of the time.

It’s strange also being in Conakry because I primarily hang out with other ex-pats…I don’t really have much contact with Guineans, except for the people I work with. I’m finding that the attitudes of the Guineans in the city are very different from the attitudes of those in the village. They seem less interested in getting to know me or being my friend…it’s interesting. There is a small ex-pat community in Conakry, and I’m slowly working my way into it.

Well, guess that’s really all for now. I have a new address and I also have a phone number, which seems to work pretty regularly…

Hannah Reddick

Helen Keller International

BP 6050

Conakry, Guinea

West Africa

Cell phone: 011-224-64-24-36-13

Please keep in touch! I have email every day (as long as I’m not traveling). Miss you all!!

Peace and love,

Hannah

It has been a very long time since I took the time to update this live journal. Sorry about that. I think I have to go back two months to October to remember all that has been going on. At the end of October, I spent a few days hiking through the cliffs of Guinea. I went to a beautiful spot called Doucki (don’t let the name fool you) with a few of my friends. The one hike we took lasted 8 hours…we hiked a total of 16 km, and we descended then ascended 450 meters. You will have to check out the photos to really appreciate what an incredible hike this was. My favorite part was when we had to start going back up the cliff…we climbed up “ladders” butted up against the cliff with waterfalls flowing on either side of us. Amazing!

After this little side trip (the last of my vacation days), I had a week in the village before I headed to our close of service (or COS) conference. It was the Ramadan holiday on the 5th. I think I ate 3 different meals of meat…it was a good day. For those of you who might not be knowledgeable about such things, Ramadan is the 30 days of fasting that all Muslims observe. They are not allowed to eat or drink from sun up to sun down. At the end of the thirty days (which is determined by seeing the new moon, so sometimes one group of people will say they saw the moon, while others didn’t…so the actually fete is flexible), they have a big party. In Guinea, I realized this year that is basically a mix between Christmas and Halloween. Everyone (especially the kids) get new clothes and shoes…usually the only new stuff they get all year. Then, the kids walk around to different houses saying “E sali ma fo!” which basically means “Give me candy or money.” They will either get 100 fg bills…I personally bought a bag of lollipops and handed them out. They usually kill a goat and eat lots of meat…they also share the meat with their neighbors. Everyone gets dressed up in their best clothes and walks around.

I think the best part for me is that it’s the end of the fasting. People just aren’t pleasant to be around when they’re not eating all day. And I no longer had to feel guilty when I ate in the middle of the day. The dates of Ramadan change every year since it is dependent on the moon. This year was actually pretty difficult for people because they were in the middle of harvesting their fields and didn’t have a lot of money yet to pay for all the necessary fete things. I can’t even imagine what it will be like next year…Ramadan will be the middle of October before they’ve even begun harvesting.

So, after Ramadan, I headed down to Conakry for COS Conference. This is basically a 3-day Peace Corps conference where they talk to us about leaving our village, completing all the necessary PC paperwork, and readjusting to life in the states. They took us to a beautiful island off the coast of Conakry and let us relax and enjoy being back together with our original training group. It was a great 3 days. We spent quite a bit of time talking about resumes and interviewing and all that important stuff, which was helpful for me. I’m glad that I have some idea what I want to do when I come home…several of my friends have absolutely no clue.

Returned to the village with some lovely stomach friends (still trying to figure them out) and just hung out for a few weeks. If you all remember, this time last year, I trained a group of middle-school students to be peer educators. I decided to re-do the training for the students, and we also added a few new members (we had lost 2 people…one of them was my thief, and the other got married). The training went well…I know it might sound strange, but I get a rush out of talking about HIV with kids. I just feel like it is such a receptive group who are still young enough to make healthy decisions for their futures. In observance of World AIDS day (December 1st), the peer educators sold red ribbons at their school and in the community. They also organized a soirée (Guinean dance party) where they presented skits (same ones they did last year) and we showed a short AIDS film. All in all, it went well. I’m not so sure this project is actually “sustainable,” meaning I’m not sure they will continue to do activities in the community. But I’m hoping that they will at least adopt healthy habits for themselves. Who knows what effect anything I’ve done here will actually have…maybe I’ll never know.

The last weekend in November was the wedding of my village sister, Aissatou. She is one of my closest friends in Guinea, and a girl who has so much potential to go far in this country. She is 20 years old and in high school (not that uncommon)…her husband is an engineer, roughly 37 years old. That’s Guinea for ya. The wedding was quite the event…it took up an entire weekend. The first night (Friday evening) was the religious ceremony. Sakon’s (the groom) mother and sisters brought the bride’s dowry…a suitcase full of clothes, perfume, underwear, etc. Then the bride’s family inspects what has been brought and decides whether or not to approve of the marriage. But it’s not the bride’s father who does this…it’s the uncle of the bride and his family. The bride then sits on a mat and people come and throw money at her…meaning the family approved. There are many cultural explanations that I’m leaving out…many of which I don’t fully understand myself. The next evening was the sabar, which is basically a dance party. I don’t think I have ever seen so many people in my village. We hired an “orchestra” (lots of drums and guitars) to play at the sabar. It was just lots of dancing. One of the most annoying things about Guinean weddings for me is these older women who come with megaphones and come around demanding money. It’s just expected that you give them money for their services, though I’m not really sure what they do. I was completely cultural insensitive and refused to give them money. That made them pretty mad. Another Guinean thing is to dedicate a song to someone, then that person has to get up and dance in front of everyone while people surround them, putting money in their hands. I always get confused when this happens because I never know who I’m supposed to give all this money to. Usually, it goes to the band, but that always annoys me because they’re getting paid…I think the bride’s family who is feeding all these people should get paid. Oh well…

Sunday afternoon, the bride and her girlfriends (including myself) spent the day in the salon in Boké getting her hair all done up, then we proceeded to the city hall for the civil service. Aissatou actually wore a white wedding dress, and Sakon had on a bow tie. We crammed into this tiny room (hot as hell), while some official read through the marriage amendment of the constitution that was written in 1963. The two points I remember clearly were: 1) a husband is the chef (head) of the household and has complete control over it and 2) a husband decides where the family is going to live. I just sat there stunned…can’t ever imagine those things being said in an American wedding. The one positive point is that a woman has a right to her own bank account and to earn her own money…her husband cannot interfere. Who knows if that actually happens or not. So, after city hall, we headed back to Hamdallaye. Within an hour of being back in the village, several of the women’s groups who were there started a war over some chairs (one of these women’s groups being the one that I’m in), and the party ended. As far as I’ve been able to understand from the different accounts I’ve received, the women from Hamdallaye didn’t want to give their chairs to the women who had come from Boké. There was some insulting that went on, rumors that a child was hit, then all hell broke loose. It was quite disappointing. My women’s group had bought special outfits (complete with shoes and a purse) for the occasion…I spent $25 on the outfit and wore it for 3 hours…I was pretty peeved. And I just felt bad that Aissatou’s wedding was ruined because of chairs. But it turned out to be quite the social event of Hamdallaye. Aissatou is now in Conakry living with her husband. My biggest fear is that she will get pregnant soon and any hopes of her continuing her studies will be down the drain. She is supposed to come visit at Christmas, and I plan on staying with her in Conakry before I leave in March.

This past week was the volunteer-organized Girls’ Conference. I co-organized the previous conference with my friend Michelle, but I opted out of any kind of responsibility for this year’s conference. The end of my service is near, and I just didn’t want the added stress. An education volunteer in the Boké area offered to organize this year’s conference. Since the beginning, I have been concerned about how well it would go…she’s just not the most organized person you’ve ever met. And that’s not a bad thing…it means you probably shouldn’t be in charge of things. As feared, things didn’t go too well this year. For the girls, I don’t think they were able to tell that there were problems…Guineans are used to pagaille (chaos). But for the volunteers, it was just one headache after the other. The volunteer in charge didn’t step up and run things, so we had 24 volunteers trying to figure out what needed to be done and how it should be done. So, I guess the fact that the girls learned a lot is the essential point. The girl I brought seemed to have a good time. We had a session on excision and afterwards, she told me that she was fachée (mad) that they had taken away her clitoris and that she was going to talk to all the women in her concession about what she had learned. That’s what the conference is all about!

As I post this update, I am in Conakry waiting for the arrival of my parents. WOOHOO! They will be here for about 12 days. We will be spending most of that time in my village. They have the luxury of staying in the missionaries’ guesthouse, so that won’t really be “roughing it.” I think they’re pretty freaked out, but I’m not worried…we’re going to have a lovely visit. The village is very excited about meeting them. Having a sister come visit was a big deal, but your parents…oh my! Parents here are extremely important. I think they might even be organizing a little Guinean drumming party for them…we’ll see.

Well, I hope that you all have a lovely Christmas and New Year’s! Enjoy the time with your families and remember to thank God for the abundant blessings that he daily showers on our lives! Make a snowman or two for me. Joyeux Noël!

Well, how do I put into words all that has happened the last few weeks? I definitely feel like Guinea is testing my patience and seeing how much I can possibly endure. Things seemed to be going so well following the successful malnutrition training. I went to Mamou for a Peace Corps meeting on revising our public health goals and objectives…a very boring meeting. I returned to site a week later with my friend Julia, who was going to help me with my girls’ summer camp that I was starting that week. It was going to be a week of health lessons on reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, and the importance on staying in school. We entered my hut to find the back door standing open, a big hole in the mud wall next to the door and my back window damaged. There was some of my stuff scattered on the floor. The place looked like a tornado had hit it.

The shock of what had happened didn’t hit me until I started looking for things that had been taken. The first thing I noticed was an envelope of money…750.000 Guinean francs (roughly $200). This money was to be used to buy scales for the participants of the malnutrition training. At this point, I broke down…I am so thankful that Julia was there. Then, I looked more closely at what the thief had stolen. It is a random (and actually comical) list of items: a bath towel, a fleece blanket, 2 drinking glasses, a bag of dice (which was sitting on a shelf next to my digital camera and a bag of batteries that he didn’t take…go figure!), a pair of speakers, mini-cassette recorder (with a tape that I had started to my mom), a pumice stone (beats me!), soap in a soap dish, shaving cream, and a container of cream cheese frosting (this one really made me mad…what am I supposed to put on my Funfetti cake!?!). I have only been back to my house once since the break-in, and I’m afraid that there might be more missing that I didn’t notice.

So, our Peace Corps representative in the area came to the village the next day with the authorities and gendarmes (military police). They went through my house and check out the damage. I had to write up an official report, and I actually had to name people who I suspected. At this point, I was pretty confident of who the culprit was. There was the punk kid who had stolen some money from me (he actually just lied and said he gave me back my change when he had not). I asked his younger brother (who gets water for me and who until this point I trusted) if he was in the village, and he lied and told me that Mohamed had left the same day I did. Peace Corps tells the village leaders that they have to take action…that they will not get their volunteer back until they recover all my stuff. Basically, this means that I’m stuck in Boke with nothing to do for about a week…it’s enough to make a girl go crazy.

Well, about this same time, I have this weird bump thing on my ankle that keeps getting bigger. It looks like a bite, but I don’t remember getting bit or ever scratching it. By Tuesday, my ankle is swollen, and I have these mysterious red lumps developing on my upper thigh. I called our doctor and he thought I just had an infected cut. Luckily, there was a Peace Corps car going to the capital, and I decided to head down…just in case. My boss also offered to give me some work to do until I could return to my village and said it would be fine to go to Conakry.

By the time I got to see the doctor, the welts on my upper thigh had spread and were painful, and I realized that the pain in my hip was actually an inflamed lymph node. Apparently, the little bump (to this day, we don’t know what actually caused it…a bite or just a scratch) is on a vein and caused a pretty major infection. I got on antibiotics and was confined to bed rest. Things improved pretty rapidly. The sore is pretty nasty, but it’s healing…and I’ve been told that I might get to go back to my village on Tuesday.

Meanwhile…in Hamdallaye…my village is searching for the thief. Our Safety and Security coordinator goes to the village to see what progress has been made…and to make it clear that Peace Corps is serious about solving the problem. Well, it turns out that I was right…Mohamed was the culprit. He also convinced another boy to help him…the boy just happens to be the son and grandson of the two principal imams of the village…ironic. He was caught with a few of the items on him…my speaker and dice. He says that the recorder is in Conakry with his uncle and that he somehow managed to spend all the money. On what, I have no idea. He is currently in prison waiting for a judge to make a decision. I’ve been told that his parents will have to pay me back.

So, while the mystery is solved, the problems really begin when I return to my village this week. The family of the thief is my closest neighbors; his brother is one of the young boys in the village I trust to do work for me. I’m just not sure how to interact with them…or how the rest of the village will respond. Peace Corps made it clear to the village that the problem is not between them and me but between them and Peace Corps. This is important here in Guinea…if he hadn’t said this, I would have had (and may still have) people coming and asking me to “pardon” (ie: forgive) Mohamed and not let him get in trouble. This is going to be challenging.

Hopefully, things will go well when I return. I only have 5 more months (actually, a little less) left in my village, and I have to admit that my motivation to do anything productive for them in that time is at about 0. We have our close of service (COS) conference next month. They take us to an island for 3 days and talk about leaving, life after PC, and all that jazz. It will basically be a big party and time to see all the people I came to country with. I will let you all know as soon as I know what day I will back in the states…can’t wait!! I could use your prayers…not sure what to do until March! Love to all!

Well, the roller coaster ride that is life in Guinea continues to thrill me. Since I last updated this, things have been up and down. To be completely honest, there was about a week where I was completely convinced that I Was going to give up and come home. My readjustment after the cruise was more difficult than I ever imagined. I ended up spending 3 nights in my regional capital because every time I tried to leave, I would burst into tears or have a sort of panic attack. It was not a fun time. The rest of August continued in similar fashion, though I did manage to have a great birthday. I had decided to start running as a way to help my mental health…I decided that if I was going to make it through the next 6 months, then I needed to start exercising. About 2 weeks into my new routine (getting up at 7 am to run…if anyone knows me very well, they will know that this is not typically Hannah behavior), someone stole my running shoes from my doorstep while I was in my house. I was so angry with my village…tried everything to get the shoes back, but to this day, they have not been seen. The same day this happened, my closest friend in country (a missionary) told me about the month old baby they had adopted that died in their arms of meningitis. Basically, things kept going from bad to worse. I spent a few days in Conakry getting work done and regrouping. I still wasn’t really convinced that I wanted to stay, but I had a big project coming up and couldn’t leave it.

So, the week of the 12th, I organized a malnutrition training for 16 people. I found two experts who came from Conakry to facilitate the training, so I was basically responsible for making sure that everything ran smoothly. I wrote a proposal and received $1000 to pay for it…quite a bit of money, especially when translated into Guinean francs. We invited 11 villagers from the surrounding area to participate, as well as the health center and health post staff. We even had 4 women participate, which was great (women here don’t usually have opportunities like that). The training consisted of learning how to weigh and measure children (which we then did in my village), how to talk to women about better nutritional practices, how to prepare healthy sauces and porridges for children, and how to treat cases of mild malnutrition. Words cannot even express how well the whole thing went. The participants didn’t show up until about 11 on Monday morning, but I wasn’t even stressed out…that’s just how things go in Guinea (it was exciting for me to see how much I’ve adjusted to life here). They were long days, but I was so excited to have something to do other than sitting in my hut reading a book. The last day, we invited the women from the village to come help with the preparation of nutrient dense meals. We were able to identify two cases of malnutrition in the village, and I will work with those mothers when I get back. I’m optimistic that the community workers will go back and share the information with the women in their area. All in all, it was amazing…and I could probably say that it was the best project I’ve done so far.

I have another big project coming up this week. I am having a mini-summer camp for young girls in my village. We are going to talk about health stuff and the importance of staying in school. I am having my village mom translate it into local language for me, and I even have prizes to give to the girls who come to all 5 days. And one of my PC friends is coming to teach them yoga…I’m trying to incorporate some kind of sport or activity with each day. One of PC friends is also coming to help out for a few days. I think it should be fun.

So, that’s pretty much all that’s new. I have 5 months left…crazy! My current plans are to be home around the beginning of March, but nothing is set in stone quite yet. My parents will be here for almost 2 weeks in December, which will be a lot of fun. Be sure and keep in touch…there are so many of you who I’ve lost complete touch with.

LOVE TO ALL!

I returned yesterday from my week cruise in Italy and Greece with my friend Kristin from Hope. Words cannot express what an incredible week this was. By far, one of the best vacations that I have ever taken. I am having an extremely hard time being back in Guinea. I can honestly say that I don't want to be here right now. I arrived last night to rain and more rain. Hopefully, I will get back to my village and things will get better...at least that's what I'm hoping. The one thing that helps is the fact that I will be home in 6 months...but I am trying not to let that fact keep me from making the most of the limited time that I have left.

Let me give you a few of the highlights from the trip...

Day 1--Arrive in Venice. Kristin and I met at the airport, dropped our bags off at the port, and did a bit of exploring in Venice. We were both exhausted, so we made our way back to the boat. I found when I got there that my mp3 player was taken from my bag at some point...very disappointing, but it taught me to not become too attached to things. Our boat left that evening for Bari, Italy.

Day 2--Bari, Italy. We decided to spend this day on a local beach. We were kindly greeted by a beautiful Italian lifeguard who offered to show us around Bari that evening...unfortunately, our boat was leaving at 6pm. We would loved to have stayed. We witnessed a robbery as well...this guy grabbed a woman's person from the beach, hopped on his friend's moto and rode off. This all happened within feet of us...we were so shocked we didn't realize what was happening until it was over. We made the most of Italian gellato (this is a common theme for the rest of the trip) and then headed back to the boat. As was the case with every evening on our boat, we ate dinner, went to the show, and then went dancing. Our drink of choice for the week was Cosmopolitans...very fun!

Day 3--Katakolon, Greece. On a whim, we decided to rent motos and ride around. We visited a few beaches, got lost once, and ate at a delicious Greek restaurant on the water. Probably one of my favorite days. This night, we went out dancing with our new Venezulean friend, Timoteo. He and his friend Josue go to school in the states and were seated at our table for the week. We also had a older couple from FL seated with us...it was a fun group of people.

Day 4--Santorini and Mykonos, Greece. Two of the most beautiful places I have ever been (hopefully the pictures will be up soon). In Santorini, we rode donkeys up to the city, shopped, ate and then rode back down. On the way down, we passed probably 1000 gay American men on their way up. It was quite possibly one of the funniest things I've seen...all these attractive men walking past us, and not a single one of them straight. Mykonos is the 2nd largest party island in the world...sadly, we had to leave at 10 pm and didn't get to experience it to the fullest...maybe next time.

Day 5--Rodos, Greece. Once again, we got off the boat, found a beach, and a really good local restaurant. If you have not noticed, we didn't really stray far from this plan, and it served us very well. And once again, we wished we could have stayed much longer.

Day 6--Day at sea. Slept in and recovered from all the fun times. Tried to get scary, stalking Italian guy to leave me alone. Let me explain...one of the nights that we were dancing, I happened to make eye contact and say Ciao to a random guy on the boat. Didn't think anything of it, but then he came up trying to talk to me...trying, because his English was awful. One night, Timoteo tried to help me out by making it obvious that I wasn't interested, but that didn't work. A couple of nights later, he wanted to dance with me and Kristin and I had to shove him off the dance floor to get him to leave us alone. The last day on the boat, he came up to me and gave me bracelet (FREAKY!) and his email address (quickly threw that away). It was quite possibly one of the strangest things that has happened to me.

Day 7--Dubronvik, Croatia. There really wasn't too much to see here. We stayed for about an hour, then went back to the boat. I had gone to bed at 3am, so I slept and watched a movie in bed...it was heavenly!

Day 8--Back to Venice. :o( This was the saddest day by far. I just did not want to get off the boat. We checked into our hotel and slept for a bit (going to bed at 4 and getting up at 7 does not make for a happy Hannah). Then, we went and had dinner. While eating dinner, we watched as the cruise ship once again made it's way out to sea.

And now, I'm back in Conakry. I do have lots of projects coming up and things to keep me occupied until March. I just hope this gets easier.

I hope you are all enjoying your summers...they are quickly drawing to a close!!

CIAO!

Day 7--

I have just returned from a week and a half trip to Mali (for those of you geographically challenged individuals, that is a country that is next to Guinea). I went with my friend Michelle (fellow PCV) who just finished her service and is traveling around a bit before heading back to the states. We decided to overland it to Bamako, which took forever. We went to the taxi place in Conakry at 8 am Friday (24 June)...we sat there until 3 pm waiting for the taxi to fill up. There is really not much to do at the taxi stand. We didn’t make it all the way to where we wanted to go, so we ended up spending the night in the car on the side of the road. The trip was definitely off to a rough start.

We finally made it to Bamako and decided to head up country (at this point, I had decided to buy a plane ticket back to Guinea...I didn’t want to spend more time in the car...that was the best decision I have ever made). Oh, I forgot one small detail. Michelle and I went to get visas in Conakry having been told that they should cost somewhere around $4 only to find out that the price has recently been increased to $100...slight difference. Well, we had heard from several volunteers about this pass you could get in Kankan (another town in Guinea near the border with Mali) that was much cheaper and did the trick. We were skeptical, but we decided to take our chances instead of spending the $100. We didn’t have problems getting into the country, but I did get some grief today when I tried to leave (thankfully I was with a PC guy, so it wasn’t a huge deal). But most of our trip, I was fretting about not having a visa...I think Michelle was going to shoot me just to shut me up.

So...after arriving in Bamako, we headed up country. There is a place called Dogon Country that everyone raves about. It is this region where the people live in the side of cliffs. We finally got there on Wednesday. This means that we had basically spent 4 of our 5 days on the trip so far in a car or waiting for a car to leave. This was not enjoyable. I can just say that overall we had the worst luck when it came to transportation. We would get somewhere just as a car was pulling out, meaning we had to wait hours for another car to fill up. On this trip, I traveled in everything from a tour bus (no A/C...not fun) to the back of a pick up trip with benches (that was for 2 ½ hours...once again, not fun) to a motorcycle.

Back to Dogon country...well, we had randomly run into a Dutch anthropologist who worked in this area for 25 years. He offered us use of his house in a village and told us we would be warmly welcomed. We decided to go to the village he suggested. We were hoping that it would be a really cool experience seeing a real Dogon village and not being treating like tourists. Well, we did enjoy the village, but it wasn’t all we hoped it would be. The accommodations and food were just so-so, and we couldn’t find any tour guides that spoke enough French to explain things to us. I did enjoy a few days in a quiet village to just chill, but you couldn’t go anywhere in the village without an escort, so it got annoying after awhile. The countryside is beautiful and drinking millet beer out of a calabash (aka a wooden bowl) was enjoyable.

After almost 3 days in Dogon country, we headed to Mopti. Once again, we encountered transportation headaches. We sat for 5 hours waiting for a taxi to leave. When it finally did, we broke down 3 times. On one of these breakdowns, I started talking with a little baby trying to get her to laugh. I look up and see a Malian man pointing his phone at me with three of his buddies huddled behind him...turns out he was taking my picture with his camera phone (they actually have camera phones in Mali...shocking, I know). Michelle and I got pretty mad...you just don’t take a picture of someone. He lied and said he didn’t take one...whatever! That was a pretty rough day.

We bummed around Mopti for a day...really not too much to see there. Then, we headed to Djenné where you can see a huge mosque made of mud...it is actually the largest mud structure in the world. It was pretty impressive, but it looks much bigger in the pictures. The next day (4th of July) we headed back to Bamako. This required riding in a small bus for 10 hours, arriving in the city at dusk, and getting lost trying to find our way to where we were staying.

We actually had pretty cool living arrangements upon our return to Bamako. Michelle had some random connections with a family, so we stayed with them. It was a pretty patrony family (meaning they have more money than the average Malian), but they were extremely welcoming and were fun to hang out with. We spent a day doing some souvenir shopping in Bamako (they have some amazing things...I got some cool masks and jewelry and other very African looking things...I know I’m being vague but I don’t know how to describe them), then I headed out this morning and Michelle headed to Senegal to continue her COS trip.

My flight back to Guinea was probably one of the highlights of my trip. I was on a 40-seater plane with only 3 people. The flight crew was South African and didn’t speak any French, so I translated for them. At one point in the flight, the flight attendant asked if I wanted to visit the cockpit...she told me the pilots were interested in chatting with me. So, I sat up in the cockpit for about 30 minutes telling them about my life as a volunteer and asking about their lives as pilots. Quite an experience.

So, to sum up my travels in Mali...I would definitely say that it was an adventure. It was not a vacation and not relaxing, but I had some interesting experiences that I will not quickly forget. Sadly, we did not make it up to Timbuktu and the much talked about camel rides, but it just means I have to make it back to Mali at some point...shouldn’t be too hard.

I am happily returning to my village tomorrow morning. It has now been 6 weeks that I’ve been gone. I have never been more ready to get back. My visit home was wonderful, and I enjoyed Mali, but for the time being my place is in Hamdallaye. I have a big nutrition project I’m working on, and I’m hoping to do a girls’ summer camp some time this summer (they don’t start back to school until October). I have a cruise lined up in August...which will be a wonderful vacation.

Guinea definitely needs your prayers right now. The price of rice is rising dramatically and they are threatening to increase gas once more. The Guinean franc has basically no value, and the people are beginning to suffer...I am really not sure how much more this country can take.

It is crazy to think that I only have about 7 months left here...there is so much still left to do. Please pray that I will accomplish all that I hope and that I will use the time that remains to the fullest.

Take care and I hope that everyone is having a wonderful summer!

i come home to visit in less than a month!! I CANNOT WAIT!! See you all then!

It has been awhile since I update this...it is so crazy to think of all that has happened in the last few months. And it's amazing how fast the time is passing here. In January, I hit my one year in country, and the end of this month will mark my one year at site. I really can’t believe that I have less than a year left. I just got done helping out at the training of the new health volunteers…it was weird being the “expert” volunteer and knowing so much more about Guinea than they do. I was also shocked to see how much I have learned and changed in a year. I feel like my time is running out, and I am more motivated to get going with my projects.

So, February was my busiest month so far. From the 9th to the 14th, we had our annual Girls’ Conference. Basically, what this is is 4 days where we talk about the importance of staying in school, the dangers of excision (female genital mutilation), HIV/AIDS, women’s rights, and the environment. Each volunteer brought 2 middle school/high school girls from his/her village to take part in the conference…we had 30 girls total. We did a day where the girls went and interviewed professional women in Boke, and then they gave presentations about the women. In my opinion, the conference was a success and probably the most satisfying activity of my service thus far. Many of these girls had never been out of their villages or their regions. Many had never been encouraged to be something other than a wife and mother. The two girls from my village were anxious to get back to Hamdallaye and share what they had learned. It was quite a rewarding experience.

After the conference, I organized a girls’ football game and AIDS day in my village. I trained a group of young people to give skits in local language. I bought jerseys for the girls’ team (they started training back in December and many of the girls actually got pretty good) and invited lots of people to attend. It was quite a challenge getting my peer educators (the young people I trained) together, and there were a lot more headaches in the project than I could have ever imagined. One of the girls in the group dropped out…actually, she just stopped showing up. One of the boys insisted that I pay them to be part of the group…not exactly the point. People got mad at me and yelled at me in local language, so I had no idea why they were mad. It was just all around bad. But the important thing is that the soccer game and the AIDS part went off without a hitch. In the afternoon, the girls played against another nearby girls’ team…sadly, we lost, but it was due to our not-so-good (ie: REALLY bad) goalie who couldn’t handle the penalty shots. In the evening, we showed an HIV/AIDS movie at the local video club…it was in French, but we had about 50 people from the village come to watch. After the movie, we had a discussion to find out what they had learned and answer their questions about AIDS. That was awesome! Then, my peer educators gave their skits…once again, a success!!! It was such an exciting thing to see…I got goose bumps just seeing these young people willing to get up in front of their peers and parents and talk about sex. Sadly, the equipment that was going to animate our dance party until 4 am (usual dance party time in Guinea) broke and the party ended around 1am. Despite all the problems, I enjoyed this project and feel like it was a success. If nothing else, I have 8 young people who have all the information necessary to protect themselves against HIV.

We had another vaccination campaign…working with 3 other people, we vaccinated 676 kids in one day! I was definitely tired at the end of that day. I also gave a diarrhea presentation at the primary school…that was a lot of fun and I want to start doing more of that. My village was also chosen to launch a program to give scholarships to 5th and 6th grade girls…the program was put in place by the US embassy. The American ambassador came to my village…it was a REALLY big deal (see the pictures). From what I’ve heard, Bush gave lots of money to African countries to help with girls’ education…I don’t believe that Bush had anything to do with it, so if you’ve heard differently, please let me know.

Early March, I participated in the Boys’ Conference…I took a boy from my village to Mamou (middle of Guinea…10 hours and 4 taxis from my village). This conference was similar to girls’, but we put a lot more emphasis on the relationships between men and women. The most memorable session for me was when I got to show the boys how to use a computer. How many times in my life am I going to sit with a group of boys who have never seen a computer in their life? You should have seen their faces…another goose bumps moment.

Guess that brings us up to date. More and more, I am settling into my life here and loving it. I just got three new close neighbors (ie: volunteers)…two of them are health volunteers, so I’m excited to do projects with them. One of them is in a village that speaks Landuma, so it will be fun to go out to work with him. Plus, he’s just a cool person and we get along…I haven’t really clicked with my other neighbors, so it’s nice to have people I enjoy. I feel very out of the loop on many of your lives, so if you have a chance, please drop me a line! I would love to hear from you…and don’t worry about me not having enough time.

Every time I write one of these updates, I feel like there is so much more that I want to say and try to explain about life here, but I can’t seem to find the words. Life here is so complex and rich…the people are at the same time wonderful and frustrating. Every day, I go through a mix of emotions, ranging from love and happiness to complete frustration and discouragement. I always love to answer questions, so feel free to ask!

Bisous!

A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to you all! I have sadly said goodbye to my sister and must now return to real life in Guinea. We had an absolutely wonderful visit together. We spent the first few days at one of Conakry’s nicer hotels…I think I enjoyed the hotel more than Malia because it was definitely high class for me…really good food and all the channel surfing (in French) that I could want. Christmas Eve we had Mexican food and margaritas…compliments of a Lebanese man with tight pants. Christmas day we went to a large African fair taking place downtown…nice introduction to Guinean markets for Malia. We spent one day on an island off the coast of Conakry. But we had the freakiest weather. The morning we were supposed to go, it poured for 4 hours…with lightening and thunder and all. This might not seem that strange, except that Guinea is currently in its dry season and it does NOT rain in December. I am still wondering if the rainstorm had anything to do with the tsunami, but I’m definitely not a meteorologist. We still had a nice time on the island, though it was cloudy. The worst part of the day was that we had this super sketchy guy offer to give us a ride to the port. It wasn’t a taxi…it was just a guy on his way to work. Then, he offered to pick us up at the end of the day…I couldn’t say no because the port is not near a major road and I hadn’t arranged for a taxi to pick us up, so we would have been stuck there. Well, when we got back, he was there waiting for us. It took us almost 2 hours to get back to the Peace Corps house because traffic was horrible. He drove like a maniac and the whole time was trying to hit on Malia and me. It was not a great time. At one point, he was driving down the wrong side of the road…Malia was not pleased with my choice of transport. It was definitely an experience.

So, after all that, we headed up to my village where things are much less hectic and low-key. The villagers were very excited to meet Malia. In true Guinean fashion, the women grabbed their breast when asking if we were from the same mother (talking with your breasts is very common here). The missionaries have a guesthouse with running water and toilets and all, so we stayed there for the duration of Malia’s visit. The major downside was that it has no windows that close…just security bars and screens, so we could hear EVERYTHING going on in the house. We didn’t get the best sleep, but two of us just couldn’t have lived in my hut for a week and a half. We took a few days to relax, then we got to work. We spent 5 days painting a world map on the wall of the elementary school…this is not a small task…it is 14 feet by 7 feet (check out my pictures…it really is cool). We had some challenges getting the border drawn. I somehow forgot that we would need a ladder, so the village men that were “helping” us decided to construct “scaffolding” to help us reach the top. This consisted of two barrels with cement blocks on top, then a board across. Thankfully, we were able to borrow a ladder from the missionaries, but I ended up standing on the barrel while Malia took the ladder. It was hilarious to see all the people who would just come and stand for hours watching us paint. Malia got a kick out of the fact that they would just come and watch paint dry. I had MULTIPLE people from surrounding areas demand that I come and paint a map at their schools…yeah, there’s no way I could do that without Malia. In the end, the principal of the school and the entire village were very pleased. I still have to write in all the countries’ names, outline the countries in black, and touch up all the places we dripped paint, but that shouldn’t be as hard. I’m hoping to also do a map of Africa and one of Guinea at the school, but those will be much less challenging.

Prior to Malia’s visit, I had some activities going on that I haven’t written about yet. My most exciting news is that the water pump and its filter have been completely repaired. We received funding from a women’s association in Conakry and were able to get all the work done in a week. It was somewhat of a headache dealing with Guineans and money, but I am very happy to have clean, drinkable water in my village. They have already started collecting money for its upkeep and maintenance, but sadly, I haven’t actually seen too many people getting water from it. I am hoping to talk it up more when I get back to my village and see its usage increase. We’ll keep our fingers crossed. Around the same time, I also had an anti-excision group come to my village to give a presentation on the dangers of female genital mutilation. In Guinea, FGM consists of the removal of the clitoris. Compared to other countries (like Ivory Coast) where they sow up the lips of a woman’s vagina, this is rather minor. But there are still major complications that can result from this…problems during delivery because there is scar tissue that doesn’t expand as well as the original tissue, it can cause sterility, and it increases the vulnerability of women to contracting HIV. The women who attended the session were receptive and all claimed that they would no longer perform excisions in my village, but I’m doubtful. I talked to my girlfriend Lesa afterwards and asked if she would still excise her daughter Lucia who is 2. She said she didn’t know. She understood the risks, but I think there is just so much cultural baggage attached to it that she couldn’t imagine not doing it. One fear for women is that men won’t want to marry their daughters if they aren’t excised.

As if these two activities were not enough to keep me busy, I also started training a group of 9 middle-school aged students (5 boys, 4 girls) about HIV/AIDS. It has gone really well…I am so excited by some of their questions and just seeing the light bulbs go on when they get it. We are hoping to eventually give presentations in the village…I’ll keep you posted on this. I am in the process of planning a big day of activities, which will include a girls’ soccer match. The new Hamdallaye girls’ soccer team has officially been formed. They don’t play that well, but it’s fun to watch them get out there and give it their best. They practice at least 3 times a week. I am working on getting funding for all of this.

On top of all that, I am still responsible for planning our annual Girls’ Conference and I’m assistant coordinator of our Peer Support Network. I figured out that I will not be in my village for more than 2 weeks from November to March. It’s sad, but I enjoy the other stuff I’m involved with and feel they’re worthwhile activities. It really helps me to make the most of my time in the village. I love being there and will be very happy when April comes and I can just be completely there for a month! Then, I come home at the end of May…that’s crazy soon!!!!

Oh, I almost forgot…this Thursday will be my one-year anniversary in country! YEAH!! That means I only have a little over a year left in country. I can’t believe how fast it is passing. And I still feel like I have so much I want to do. We have a new group arriving this week to start their training…I will be helping out with that in March. I have a hard time thinking of myself as this expert volunteer who will share my experiences with all the newbies. I also found out through a freaky connection that one of the girls in the new group of health volunteers is a Christian! She met Kyle (the guy I dated) at a wedding. It is a crazy small world.

This has ended up being a long update, but I hope you enjoy! Please check out my pictures…they really help bring to life some of the activities I've described here. Peace and love!

Just wanted to let everyone know that I now have email in Boke (that's the town only 12 km from my village!) This means that I don't have to spend lots of money and travel 2 hours round trip (really not that far) to check email! A very happy day for me indeed!

Things are going REALLY well in my village. I was so excited to get back after being gone for about a week. I have started training a group of 9 middle school students on how HIV/AIDS and how to present the information to others...we started the training yesterday and it went well...I got such a thrill working with them. The long awaited filter repair has started taking place and should be complete by Saturday. We will have the officially opening, and I have prepared a little message on how to prevent diarrhea...just to stress the importance of drinking the filtered water. It's crazy how my projects are finally starting to take off.

8 days til Malia arrives!!

Merry Christmas to all!!

Happy belated Thanksgiving (and in my family Thanksmas) to all! November was a crazy month with not enough time spent at my site. I had another run in with amoebas and a horrible head cold…not fun times. I got to celebrate my first Fete de Ramadan (which ends the month of fasting…praise God that is over!), but unfortunately I was sick. The fete turned out to not be that big of a deal…everyone got dressed up in the evenings and went around visiting each other. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Boké. Our country staff purchased a turkey for each house out of their own pockets…very nice of them. It’s amazing the feast a group of volunteers with limited resources can prepare…I had everything I could wish to have…dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, even pumpkin pie!

After Thanksgiving, I attended an HIV/AIDS training with my friend Assiatou. Peace Corps organizes the training to allow us the opportunity to educate one member of our community who might like to do HIV/AIDS work with in the future. I think my friend learned a lot, and I’m looking forward to getting back to Hamdallaye and working with her. She already has some ideas of how she wants to talk with younger teens about the dangers of HIV/AIDS and how to protect themselves. After the training, I visited another volunteer’s site and helped her with a moringa presentation. We told the women about its nutritional qualities and showed them how easy it was to prepare. They thought the sauce was delicious and excited to introduce moringa into their villages. I am still working with my groups of women to try and get them to sell the leaves…things just progress so slowly here. I am still in the process of organizing the day of activities for the beginning of January…but I haven’t gotten funding for it yet, which could be a problem. My most exciting news of the month is that I received the funding I requested to repair the water filter in my village. Lord willing, my village will have safe, drinkable water by the end of the month! YEAH! I’ll keep you posted on the progress.

I have unfortunately had some of the worst transportation headaches this month. My favorite adventure was when it took FIVE hours to get of Mamou to go 45 minutes away! The taxi guy lied to us when he said how many people he had, and then he tried to cram more people in. The car normally (in America it would only hold 6 people) holds 10 people…3 in the front, 4 in the middle and 3 in the back (station wagon-esque)…but this guy had 4 in the front, 5 in the middle, and would have put a 4th person in the back with us if we hadn’t thrown a fit. Just when it looked like we were finally going to leave, he had to take the car and have it worked on, which took another hour. It was the most ridiculous thing I have experienced in country. I have never been so angry with Guineans. Oh, and the worst part…there was a police officer in the car who agreed that what the guy was doing was illegal…but he wasn’t “on duty” so he couldn’t do anything about it. We’re pretty sure the taxi man just bribed him. And I just don’t get why the Guineans weren’t angrier that they paid for a place and didn’t get one. Guineans really hate to cause a scene or get upset about anything, even if they’re getting completely abused…it is very frustrating.

In my personal life, things with the guy I wrote about last month didn’t exactly work out. I think it is for the best, and we both came to realize that. He will still be back here to work next fall, so I look forward to hanging out with him if I’m in Conakry, but there is really no hope of a relationship in the future. I’m very thankful that it wasn’t a super difficult or painful breakup.

Lately, I’ve been really questioning the effectiveness of international aid work. I really love what I am doing in Peace Corps, but sometimes I wonder if it’s really making a difference or really what this country needs. One of my friends believes that if we just left Guinea alone for several years it was just self-destruct. It’s hard to remain positive and hopeful when there is so much corruption and people are so unwilling to change their behavior. It is amazing how accustomed I have become to the way things don’t work here…not sure I can put it into words, but there is a kind of functional chaos that exists, and the scary thing is that begins to make sense after being here almost a year. I know that I must stay focused on the little successes of my work here, but it is difficult to not become overwhelmed by the larger mess I see around me daily.

I am looking forward to getting back to site…I have a ton of Christmas decorations to put up! It’s so weird to think about it being the holiday season at home…it all seems so foreign to me. I have lots of activities planned for the next few months, so I know the time is just going to fly. I can’t believe I have almost been here a year! Yikes!

My sister arrives in 3 weeks…WOOHOO! If anyone is ever interested in visiting me…you are more than welcome! Love you all and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Greetings from Dakar, Senegal! For those of you who don’t know, Senegal is another West African country just north of Guinea. The city of Dakar is VERY Western…completely different from Conakry. Some of you might be wondering why I am here…well…how do I put it…I have a lump that I found last July…my doctor wasn’t worried about it and said it was only a concern if it got larger…well, I noticed recently that it did in fact get larger. So, after consulting a doctor in Guinea, PC felt it was best to send me to Dakar for treatment. To make a long story short, my doctor from home does not feel it has grown enough to cause concern, but she wants me to come back to Dakar in 4 months to have it checked out. I have been here since last Tuesday…it’s SO different than my life in Guinea. All the volunteers have cell phones and spend their text messaging each other. I have only heard of one area of the country where volunteers don’t have electricity and phones in their villages. Transportation is somewhat easier…at least they don’t have to worry about piling 7 people into a 5-person car. They have everything they could want in Dakar…they even deliver food here! When I first got off the plane, I was in shock…there were overpasses and electricity and stoplights. And the city is just so overwhelming…I haven’t been able to find the energy to get out much. I did spend some time sightseeing…I went to Gorrée Island, which is where they once held slaves to be shipped to the Americas…it was powerful.

Prior to coming here, I got to participate in a Women’s Retreat with missionaries in Guinea in a beautiful (and cold) part of the country. One of the missionaries whom I have become good friends with offered to pay my way because she knew the weekend was way too expensive for me to manage. Words cannot express what an incredible weekend of rejuvenation and relaxation that was. A group of women from OR came over to run the retreat, and they did an incredible job (and what a cool idea…running a retreat for missionaries in the field…I’m going to keep it in mind for the future). The theme was Our Lord is Near, and I learned so much about trusting God to provide for me in all circumstances…a very important lesson considering the trial that I was facing. Really, we serve such an awesome Lord, and it amazes me everyday to see the blessings He showers in my life!

The weekend before that (we’re working our way back in the events of the past few weeks) I spent several days doing some serious bike riding with my friend Carrie. She is the one who started the iodized salt project (to recap…she worked with a group of women out in a remote village who make salt…she gave them the materials to iodize salt, then it was sold in the market in Boké…it didn’t run smoothly, but it has great potential and she just wants me to oversee it). We went out to the village to visit the women and introduce them to me. I was vraiment en brousse (meaning I was way out there)…it was a cool weekend. Total, I biked about 140 km in 4 days…60 km of that in one day. One of the advantages to this project is that by forming these women into groups, they have more power against the buyers who come for the salt…they have more power to demand a fair price. I will probably bike out to the village again in May when the women start producing the salt. There is a pretty good chance that this project will fail, but I will do what I can to make it succeed.

I am looking forward to getting back to my site…I’m sure they are wondering where in the world I am. I am currently working on organizing a day of events talking about women and AIDS. Our plan is to have a girls’ soccer game, interspersed with messages about HIV/AIDS, especially its impact on women. Then, in the evening, we are showing a film on AIDS and will have a little dance party. I plan on training several of the young people in the village to give the talks. It could go really well, or it could be a major flop…we’ll just have to see. Speaking of young girls, I just wanted to take this chance to remind ya’ll once again of an opportunity to support PC Guinea’s annual Girls’ Conference. I am one of the organizers this year, and it is going to awesome. You can go to www.friendsofguinea.org and click on the Girls’ Conference link to make a donation. Thanks guys!

Well, I think now would be a good time to expand a little on the guy that I met in Conakry back in July. I didn’t provide too much detail at the time because I didn’t really know where it would go (and in many ways, still don’t), but I guess I’ll let y’all know a bit about him. First off, his name is Kyle Von Rueden. He is from Wisconsin where he is currently finishing his bachelors in secondary education (with Biology and French focus). He was here (in Guinea) this summer for almost 2 months doing short-term mission work with Pioneer Bible Translators. We met in a hospital…funny place to meet, I know. I was having some leg pains, and he was having some stomach issues (not uncommon to life in Guinea). We chatted in the lobby…I just remember thinking he was cute and a Christian, so why not have a conversation. I didn’t really think about it again ‘til I ran into him at the Marine’s House on Friday night (they invite American ex-pats over to their place for movies and hotdogs and swimming every Friday night). We had a lot of fun playing pool and foosball and just chatting. After that, we saw each other pretty much every night for the next week. He left with the intention of continuing to get to know each other, and that's what we've been doing for the past 3 months. He is an awesome man of God, and he has been a great encouragement in my life. He is hoping to come back to Guinea fall 2005 to work with the branch of Intervaristy Fellowship in Conakry. As of right now, we won’t see each other again ‘til May (when I come home to visit for a few weeks), so we’re making do with whatever phone conversations we can get and really long letters…but of course, you never know what could happen and maybe he could make it back to Guinea sooner. Inch allah! It’s all very crazy, but I just keep trusting that God has a plan for this.

Well, I think that’s all from my side of the ocean. Thank you to all of you who have lifted me up in prayer the last few days…those prayers mean the world to me. Don’t forget to write!! And if anyone was wanting to send anything my way, my sister Malia will be coming over at Christmas, so it might be best send it with her! Love y’all! PEACE!

Hello all! I hope that life is treating all of you well. It has been a little while since I updated this, so I figured it was time to fill y’all in on the oh-so-exciting aspects of my life. Really, the month of September dragged on forever, and I struggled once again with feeling unproductive and useless.

The worst part of September was my return from Conakry. Upon my return, I found that someone had unsuccessfully tried to break into my house. They had bent down my tin fence and cut the screen and ruined the locks of my screen door…but they thankfully we’re not able to get through the wooden door. I was pretty upset upon finding this…I had previously felt safe and felt like I was well-integrated into my village. I have a suspicion as to the culprit, but I can’t be sure…thankfully, he has moved to Conakry. The authorities in the village responded very postively and were quick to make the village understand that if it happens again, things will get ugly. The first few nights alone in the hut, I was pretty spooked, but I’m doing fine now.

I was able to accomplish one small task this month. I have been meeting with a local Dutch missionary, Truus, who has spent the last 7 years doing nutrition work in the area. She has developed a powder that women can make a very nutritious porridge from. She has a woman in Boke who makes the powder and sells it. So, I talked to a woman in my village, Lesa, to see if she would be interested in learning to make the powder and selling it. She was, so we met the woman in Boke and spent the afternoon learning how to make the powder. A couple of days after that, we gave a presentation to the women of the village on how to make the powder into porridge…it’s really easy. I personally went to almost every house in the village with a little spiel written in Landuma to invite the women with children under 2 to come. We had 30 women and 1 young man (the boy who gets water for me and has a 6 month old girl…he is like a sponge, completely eager to learn whatever he can to raise his daughter well!). The women are slowly starting to buy the powder, though some complain that it is too expensive. We also talked some about the importance of feeding your children well so that they can develop properly, but I’m not so sure the message sunk in.

I have also recently convinced my health center director, Keita, to stop smoking, which prompted him to encourage Daouda (the father of the family I hang out with) to give up smoking for 10 days. If he can make it, Keita will give him 10,000 francs…a pretty large sum. I have lots of conversations about how bad it is for their health and how it is a waste of money.

While September was painfully slow, October is already flying by. I spent several days this month helping out with the national vaccination campaign against polio…it was actually an Africa-wide campaign, some of you may have heard about it on the news. I spent two days vaccinating in multiple villages…very long and tiring, but also loved seeing some more of my area that I was previously not familiar with. During that time, I was often spit on, scrathed or had children run screaming from me…quite an experience. :o) I really enjoyed feeling productive and busy those few days…a definite change from the month before.

I also assisted in a launching of a new project in the area. PSI (an international NGO) launched the selling on impregnated mosquito nets in the market in Boke. They had a big celebration and invited all the local notables and health center directors. I have been encouraging the people in my village to purchase the nets, which cost 10,000 francs. They are slightly expensive, but they are good quality and durable. I try to reason with the villagers…they spend 1000 francs each time one of them has malaria, so prevention can prove to be cheaper in the long run. Doauda might even use his non-smoking money to buy one. It’s just so hard to explain to them the economics of prevention versus treatment. Hopefully through my persistent conversations, some people will finally understand.

Oh, I learned two interesting cultural tidbits that I thought I would pass on: One night, I was sitting with my family and happened to whistle…you would think I had just done the worst thing possible. Apparantely, they believe that whistling at night calls the devils…good to know for the future. Also, I was sitting around the fire helping Adama fix dinner (I am actually getting pretty good at pounding and preparing sauces…it’s really fun to spend the time with the women), and the smoke kept following me. I told Adama how in the states we say that smoke follows beauty. She said that in their culture, they say that smoke follows the person who didn’t go to the bathroom far enough away from the house. I got a kick out of that one…our two interpretations could not be more opposite!

Sadly, my close friend and fellow PCV, Carrie, will be finishing her time in Guinea in November…I am really not sure what I am going to do without her. She has happily passed on her salt project to me. We have a trip planned for later this month to visit the villages were they make the salt, so the women know that I am the new point person…we are actually going to do a bit of biking ( I have actually been biking more lately). It should be fun.

Well, I will be in Conakry at the end of this month (October) so feel free to send emails!!! Gotta run…my time is running out. I’ll write more later!!!! PEACE AND LOVE!

Hello all. Well, it has been awhile since I last updated this journal, but I am beginning to fear that no one other than my mother is reading this. I am going to send out a mass email reminding people that I still exist, so maybe that will increase readership (if that's a word).

Sadly, I don't have very much news to share with y'all. As I think I mentioned, I was in Conakry the end of July for our IST (In-Service Training) and a training for Peace Corps' Peer Support Network. Basically, I am now trained to listen to fellow volunteers' concerns and help them out if I can. It was a good training, and I really enjoy the other people I'm working with in the group. The IST was also helpful. We talked a lot about getting funding sources, possible project ideas, and it was just great to see all the people I had spent 3 months training with. Everyone's PC experience is so unique and interesting. I loved hearing everyone's stories. I also had the rather surprising opportunity to meet a guy who was here doing mission work just for the summer. He's from WI and hopes to be back here in the future to work. I guess all I can say for now is that he's pretty incredible, and I feel blessed that God brought him into my life.

Things at site are continuing to go well. I have started working on the project to fix the filter on the pump (I explained it in the last update). I have a committee of 4 villagers helping me. We got together the list of materials needed and their prices. It was very interested trying to explain to them the necessary 25% community contribution. This doesn't necessary mean that the village gives money or buys materials; it just means putting a money value to things they can contribute...for example, feeding the workers who will come to work on the pump. It was a frustrating process, but I think they learned something in helping me figure it all out. I just need to write the proposal and turn it in. I also worked with Keita to write a request to the UN asking for a high frequency radio for the health center. Keita actually wrote the letter, but I will type it up and get it delivered to the responsible person.

My pictorial cookbook idea has pretty much been killed. I talked with a Dutch missionary who has been in Boke doing nutritional work for the past 8 years...it was actually her cookbook that I took the idea from. She told me that her cookbook had failed miserably. She had distributed them, and no one had used them. As my boss likes to say, this was a wonderful “best practices” learning moment. It's pointless for me to invest my time in something that has already failed. Instead, she encouraged me to do food demonstrations with the women. She has developed two porridges that are nutritious for weaning children. My most recent plan is to prepare these porridges in my village a couple mornings a week. Then, I will have one of the women sell the powder to make the porridges and eventually teach her how to make the powder herself. It sounds complicated, but it's really not. I'm really praying that this will go well, because I'm anxious to do nutrition work. Keita wants to start doing some HIV/AIDS work, which I'm all for. I have a special HIV/AIDS training at the end of the month. I get to invite a villager to come with me, so I chose Assiatou, my friend, to come with me…she is a middle school student (10th grade) and I would love to do projects with her among the young people. My theme for my bulletin board this month is diarrhea and how to prevent it...going along with the installation of the filter. The moringa is doing well in one of the villages, but not so much in the others. I think some of the seeds weren't too good, so I'm hoping to get some more for the women.

I am still loving life in the village. I have recently purchased some Guinean clothing, and the villagers go crazy...they think I look absolutely fabulous. I honestly feel a little self-conscious, but it's fun to see the villagers get so excited about my clothing. I am still eating a lot with the Compo family. I actually help prepare from time to time, though yesterday I banged my head with the pestle while I was pounding some palm nuts. Very embarrassing. I just come to the realization everyday that these women are incredible, and I will never be able to do the things they do. Oh, I have definitely become Guinean...I have even taken to bathing (topless...yikes!) in the creek with the women. We have so much fun, and they don't seem at all shocked that I am there with them. Bathing in the creek is probably one of the highlights of my life here.

My field work has decreased, but I am still taking time to weed my back yard and take care of my gardens, which are really growing nicely. The most exciting part is that I have 42 tomato plants growing...I just hope they produce nice tomatoes. I look forward to sharing them with my village friends. I don't really have a green thumb, but I am truly enjoying the small gardening I have been doing.

Somehow, I manage to stay busy, though I really have no idea what I'm doing. I have made a very nice routine for myself and thoroughly enjoy the slower pace of life here...not sure I'm ever going to want to come home to the rat race of America.

I covet your prayers for the future of Guinea. The last few months have proven very difficult for my friends. The gas price just went up from 1500 to 2500 a liter, which means the prices of most goods also increased. Rice continues to increase at an astronomical rate...it is now up to 80,000 from 30,000 when I arrived in January. The worst part is that we have not had the rains needed to have a plentiful harvest of rice, which people are counting on to help them out. People somehow get by, but barely. It's so hard trying to do behavior change work here when the people are so focused on just getting by. It's nothing to get freaked out about...Guineans are very against war, especially after seeing what it has done to their neighbors (all of which have recently suffered horrible civil wars). Please just pray for them.

If anyone is feeling the spirit of giving, I have just the cause for you!!! As I have mentioned previously, we have an annual Girls' Conference that is run and funded by Peace Corps Volunteers. It is a major tool for powering the future women leaders of Guinea. We are in need of $5000 to help finance the 3 conferences that take place across Guinea. As a coordinator for the conference, I felt it my duty to put out the word. If you would like to donate, you can go to www.friendsofguinea.org for more information! I hope that y'all will seriously considering giving.

Continue to pray for me and my relationship with God, my work that I'm doing here, and my friendships in the village. I pray that God will work through me in powerful ways. And I pray that I will continue to be strengthened. I love my sermon tapes from home...oh, how I miss the singing at Rochester! My heart longs to just sing with the masses! But God is blessing me with so much peace and contentment right now...I really couldn't ask for more. He is truly an AWESOME God!

I’m not even sure where to begin! Life is GREAT! I am really loving what I’m doing right now, and things are finally actually starting to happen. First of all, my Moringa sensibilization went SOO well!!! It was incredible. My friend Carrie and her friend Adama came to the village in the afternoon with all the stuff to prepare the sauce. There were about 10 women who helped and watched the preparations. Unbeknownst to me, they had also scheduled an HIV/AIDS sensibilization for that same day, so we did it first while the food was cooking. Then, we ate…it was delicious!! Everyone kept saying how good it was. After eating, we talked about the three food groups (we don’t use the food pyramid b/c it’s too complicated for here) and about the awesome nutritional properties of Moringa. Once again without my knowledge, my health center chef apparently invited some women from 2 other nearby villages to attend the sensibilization as well, so we had 3 villages represented. Each group of women received 70 seeds to plant. One group (in the village of Misera) were so excited that they went home and planted the seeds the very next day!! The other two villages (even my own) took a little longer, but they are close enough that I can go regularly and check up on the progress. I also had several individual people request seeds for themselves. It was so nice to see the village excited about something. Please keep this in your prayers. If the project succeeds, it would be an amazing source of nutrition and micronutrients (ie: iron, Vitamin A, iodine, etc) that is completely lacking in their diets.

I have another cute story to share about Youssouf (the soap boy). I had bought a bar of soap to use for the Moringa sensibilization and sent the rest home with Mamousou to give to him. The next day when I went to the house, he had put the soap in an empty container to guard it and wouldn’t let anyone touch it…SO cute! He brought it out, all smiles, to show it to me. Ah, life is good!

I also had another project idea come up this month. We have no drinkable (or potable, in health terms) water in my village. We have a pump, which is usually a clean source, but there is too much iron in the ground to drink it. So, a guy in the village bought a filter for the pump a few years back. Well, the village didn’t keep it up and now it’s no longer functional. The thing that totally annoys me about this is that the people ruined the filter, then they complain about how much medicine costs at the health center! They have to come and get medicine b/c they have diarrhea all the time b/c they have no clean water b/c THEY RUINED THE FILTER! But of course, they don’t exactly follow this line of logic. Anyway, the guy who bought the filter, Camara, is a taxi man and talked to me about one day on the way to Boke. We met with another guy from Boke who specializes in pumps, and he said it would cost about $150 to fix it. I am hoping I can get funding for this, but part of me is pretty hesitant…what if the villagers just destroy it again? It’s a hard call. I’ll keep y’all updated.

Everyone 6 months the health center staff do an evaluation of their work…how many births, how many people vaccinated, how much medicine was sold, etc. The head guy for the area comes and discusses all the stuff with the health centers. So, I got to attend my first “monitorage” this month…oh my goodness! It was the longest two days of my life. Here are the two major observations: Guineans seem to learn a lot from the French…they say a lot without really getting to a point (ie: they talk until you wanna scream…GET TO THE POINT!) and you can’t disagree with your boss. The director was making suggestions of things we should do to improve the center, which were completely outlandish. I knew this and so did Keita, but he wouldn’t disagree. I asked him about it later and he said, “You don’t argue with your boss. If he says to do something, you shake your head, even though you know you can’t do it. Then, you don’t do it.” In two days, I spent 22 hours at the center…way too much time and a whole lot of nothing! I mean it was good to hear about things that need to improve there, but we could have done it in a lot less time.

That’s all I have time for now! I will write more later! I love you and miss you! I am in Conakry until the 28th, so feel free to email me!!! PEACE!

Well, the last month was pretty eventful…as far as life goes here. My trip to Conakry went really well. It was nice to just have time to chill and be out of my village for a little while…especially to eat pizza and French fries! I was in Conakry working on a new Sousou language book that a few of us volunteers are taking on. I’m not currently working hard on learning Sousou…Landuma is my first priority, but I would like to eventually learn some because it is the primary language in the area…once I leave my village, Landuma doesn’t get my very far. I was also in Conakry for a meeting to start organizing our annual Girls’ Conference. This is a four day event that is totally volunteer-run and allows us to invite girls from our villages to participate. The days include sessions on health, education, self-confidence, etc. We bring professional women in to serve as role models for the girls and do lots of team building activities. They’ve been doing this for seven years, and it has been a huge success. So, I am one of the coordinators for my area. The date is tentatively set for next February, but we needed to start getting organized…it will be a lot of work, but I’m really excited to be involved. The time in Conakry was also good because it gave me a chance to really think about the projects that I want to do in my village. Now that I’m starting to get a feel for things in my village and seeing what the needs are, I want to get the ball rolling on some of my ideas. I talked with my boss, Catherine, and she was very encouraging of some of my ideas.

So, here they are: I currently have a set of cassette tapes that have the book Savoir pour Sauver (To Know is to Save) translated into Landuma onto them. Carrie (my closest PCV) passed them onto me. They are being listened to in other parts of the prefecture with great success. I am currently trying to get some money to buy a boom box for my health center, so that we can listen to the tapes. When I get the stereo, I plan on having bi-weekly sessions in the center for people to come and listen to them. I plan on coordinating pictures with the content and having discussions afterwards accompanied by demonstrations of how to apply what they heard to their lives. For example, when we talk about diarrhea, I would demonstrate how to make a re-hydration solution or when talking about AIDS, how to use a condom. We’ll see how it goes and if I get the money I’m looking for to buy the radio. I am also planning to start working on a pictorial cookbook of malnutrition recipes. I have a whole collection of recipes to give women when their children are malnourished, but the women can’t read, so it does them little good. My boss really liked this one and hopes to expand it for other volunteers in the country. I am still trying to get the bulletin board together…my latest idea is to just use wood as the background…then, I could tape the info up or use nails and binder clips. I keep trying to commission a carpenter, but he’s been busy. Things move slowly here.

This upcoming week, I am doing my first real health demonstration in my village. There is a tree called Moringa that grows really well, and the leaves are super nutritious. It’s not indigenous to the area, but other volunteers have had great success with it. I have lots of seeds, and my friend Carrie has already planted some of them and has the leaves. So, this upcoming Friday (the 9th), she is coming to my village with her friend to prepare rice and sauce with the leaves for women in my village. I am going to present the nutritional benefits of moringa with my friend Mamousou (she will translate for me), let the women eat the sauce, and then give the seeds to a group of women who will take care of planting and growing them. I am a little nervous that it’s going to fail, and they won’t do anything with the seeds, but I have talked with several of the women who seem excited and motivated about it. It’s definitely been in my prayers, and I would love yours.

This past month I also helped Carrie with a few of her projects. She has been working with some village women to iodize the salt that they produce near the ocean. Most of us in the first world might not even realize this, but in most third world countries, they lack the means to iodize salt, and it can have serious health implications. A lack of iodine in the diet can cause problems during pregnancy, stunt the mental development of children, and causes goiters (those growths on the neck that look really freaky…in my opinion). Well, despite all the problems she’s faced during the project, iodized salt is being sold in the market in Boke. So, I worked a lot this month talking with women in my village about the importance of buying it and eating it (since Boke is their primary market)…there are now several women eating iodized salt in my village! Carrie also received money to do a HIV/AIDS radio broadcast on Radio Rurale…a local radio station in Sousou that transmits to even the remotest villages. It is one of the major means of transmitting information in the area. So, I worked with her and a few other Guineans in writing the 15-minute program. I really find that I enjoy during HIV work…it is so tangible and so important for people…and the message is easy to get out. The broadcast has a little dialogue session helping to dispel some common myths about the virus, a true/false section, and lots of statistics. It’s going to air twice a week for five weeks. I enjoyed the Guineans we worked with, and I hope to do some broadcasts with them again while I’m here…possibly on nutrition, malaria, or other important health topics. Unfortunately, we’ve had a typical Guinean setback…we haven’t been able to record the program because the head of Radio Rurale is not broadcasting at the moment…the head of it stole all the solar panels and equipment needed to broadcast…he’s in jail, but they apparently haven’t retrieved the equipment. Oh well…it’ll happen eventually.

I also am becoming quite the field worker…I even have my own Guinean version of a hoe! I completely weeded my backyard this past week…it took a good four hours, but it’s now ready for me to plant some flowers and some veggies. And I also spent a day working in one of the villagers’ fields. We spent six hours tearing up the ground to plant rice and peanuts. Their version of a field is this: they take a plot of land (this one was on the side of a mountain), burn the living daylights out of it, cut down the burnt trees, and plant! While we were working, I had to be careful not to step on all the little tree trunks sticking up from the ground. It really is not the most environmentally conscious means of agriculture, but I can’t blame them…they have no other options. What saddens me is that it really destroys the beauty of the countryside. Everyone in the village was impressed that I could work in the field, but they were concerned about my hands…I had pretty bad sores. But I tried to convince them I would never build up calluses if I didn’t start working.

I also had my first little victory as a health volunteer…and as I’m learning, it’s all about the micro. The macro level of things here is so messed up that if I continually focus on that, I get completely discouraged. So, I just have to keep positive about the little stuff. Anyway…I was eating dinner the other night with my family (it’s Mamousou’s family, and they really have become my own…I go over there a few times a week to eat…her daughter Assiatou and I have become good friends…ironically, when I first arrived here they chose the family name of Compo for me…and that’s their family name!) Mamousou has 7 kids: Adama (22), Assiatou (20), Salou (17), Fatou (14), Aboubacar (12), Mamadou (6), Youssouf (3). Youssouf is absolutely adorable and insists on calling me “n taara” which means big sister in Sousou. Well, every time I eat he wants to eat with me, but I insist that he washes his hands WITH soap. SO…one night this week as I started to eat, he said to Assiatou, “I have to go wash my hands with soap because n taara says I can’t eat till I wash my hands with soap.” I just wanted to give him a huge hug!!! I was so excited that someone actually got it…even if he is 3! That same night he wanted me to put him to bed, so I went a laid down with him…he fell asleep wearing my head lamp on his head…such a cutie! So, if the only person I reach is this little boy over the next two years, then I will consider my time here a success.

My Landuma learning is coming along…slowly. I did have a huge milestone…I was told that I have a big rear end (not really new news) by this really old lady in my village. The next day when I saw her, I told her that she had a big rear and that hers was bigger than mine! HA! She thought it was hilarious! It really is the little things that I’ve learned to love about life here.

Rainy season has not really gotten into full swing yet…sadly. But the few storms we have are very nice and cool things off nicely. The Guineans are starting to get a little worried, though because they need the rain for their crops…especially the rice and corn.

As to me personally, I’m doing really well. There are still some days when I just don’t think I’ll find enough things to do to fill up all the hours, but they are becoming fewer and fewer. I love the letters that I receive…they are such an encouragement. It is amazing to think about the shower of prayers I daily receive. My health is pretty good…I was having some rough spots with my stomach before going to Conakry, but the doctors didn’t find anything, and it seems to have cleared up. I still enjoy my relationships with the missionaries, though there are some frustrating moments. Our goals are sometimes different, and I don’t necessarily always agree with them theologically, but I am definitely blessed to have them nearby. They are having a team of young people from Holland (the country) coming to work at the end of the month…that’ll be fun. Hopefully, it won’t rain too much, and they’ll get lots of work done on the new middle school.

Well, I think that’s all I have for now. I will be down in Conakry for a week and half at the end of the month. We have our In-Service Training (it’s kind of like a continuation of the training we did at the beginning), and then I was chosen to be a Peer Support Counselor…not really sure what that means. But they’re bringing in a guy from DC to train us. I’ll be there from the 18th till the 28th, so I expect emails! I was very disappointed with the emails (or lack thereof) that I received when I was in Conakry before. I look forward to hearing from y’all! I love y’all and miss everyone dearly!!! Peace!

Well, I have been here for a few days, and I must say there is not a whole lot to do. And I would rather be in my village most of the time. Though, don't get me wrong, I am thoroughly enjoying TV, A/C, and internet. But the internet has proven to be somewhat disappointing...no one is emailing me except a small handful of wonderful people!!! What's the deal?!?!? Has everyone else fallen off the face of the planet?

So, for all you curious minds who actually might read this journal, I am in Conakry for work. I am helping a few other volunteers put together a new Susu book...one of the local languages. Our current book really needs to be revised, so we took on the project. I will also be attending a meeting to start organizing our annual Girls' Conference. Every year in March, the volunteers organize a week long conference for 1-2 girls from volunteers' villages. We talk about health, education, social issues. We bring in speakers or run sessions ourselves. They have been doing them for a few years now and they are amazing. It won't be till next March, but we are starting to plan now. I'm really excited to be involved.

Things are still going slowly in my village, but I'm enjoying the slow pace. The past few weeks, I have been helping my friend Carrie with an HIV/AIDS project that she started. She got funding to do a radio broadcast in local language. So, we wrote a 15-minute program that includes a little dialogue with lots of info, statistics and a true false section. It is going to play twice a week for 5 weeks. I'm really excited about it b/c it will hopefully reach a TON of people and the repetition will be helpful. I don't know what it is, but I LOVE doing HIV/AIDS work. I guess it is because it so tangible...work that's so easy to talk about and so important for people here. I did another project during training where we talked to high school students about why girls are more susceptible to AIDS than boys...and I was so pumped about it. So, I guess we'll just wait and see what God does with this, but I'm very excited. I haven't gotten to use the wooden penis for demonstrations yet, but I'm sure I will soon!

Well, I think that's all I have for now. I will be in Conakry until Tuesday, so anyone is more than welcome to email me (if anyone is even reading this!). Just a little hint too...August 20th is only 2 months away and packages take about that long to get here! Hint, hint! I'm shameless...I know! Love you all and hope to hear from you!

Well, I am writing this ahead of time in hopes that I can put all my thoughts down clearly and will be able to paint you an accurate portrait of my life here. There is so much about life in Guinea that always seems to elude me when I try to put it into words. I think I can only clearly portray 10% of what is going on around me. So, bear with me…these are my best attempts to bring Guinea to you.

I have been in my village for 1 ½ month now and I feel that I am settling in nicely. I am truly enjoying living on my own and having my own place, though it took some adjusting at first. Decorating my thatch roofed, mud hut has been fun, and I have done quite a bit of work on it…put up a ceiling (the thatch kept falling and when the first rains came, I was happy to have it; though when I say ceiling, this is cord strung across at ceiling level with bamboo mats laying on it…it’s not beautiful, but it works), painted my doors and windows a bring yellow, hung curtains of the green and yellow tie-died variety, had shelves built (2 in my “salon” for my kitchen stuff and 2 bookcases in the “bedroom” for my books and clothes and stuff…it’s so nice to be out of my suitcases), and most recently, had screen doors and windows put in (the screen is great…air ventilation with a little more privacy…people can’t just walk up to my hut and see my whole world). I put several candles on my larger bookcase, and they actually give me quite a bit of light at night…it’s almost like having electricity. :o) So, I really do feel like I have made it into a home…now all it needs are visitors!

In terms of “work,” not much has happened in the last month. The most productive thing I have done is encouraged people I’m around to wash their hands with soap…especially before eating, since they eat with their hands (eat with your right, wipe with your left). It’s some thing small, but it’s a start. I also spent a little time talking with a mother about what to fix for her malnourished 2-year-old who weighed 9 kilos (roughly 20 pounds). Nutrition is a big topic I hope to work on in the future. I was thinking of making a pictorial cookbook with recipes for feeding malnourished children, since most women and mothers are illiterate. That should be a good rainy season project. I also worked with one of my friends making a re-hydration drink when her son had diarrhea. Hygiene and nutrition are probably the 2 biggest problems I see in my village. Recently, I came up with the idea of putting up a bulletin board with information for the literate clientele who come into the health center. I’m still working this one out and would love any suggestions you have for making a bulletin board in a 3rtd world country. So, things are starting slow, but I do have some ideas, and I look forward to trying them out.

I participated in 2 cultural events this month…well, 2 major events because everyday living is a cultural event…a wedding and a baptism. This wedding was better than the first one I went to because I actually knew the couple. The groom is actually one of the few Christians converts in the village. The wedding was Saturday night, but the women starting cooking in the afternoon, so I went over to help. Man, this was quite a production. There were 2 HUGE pots of rice, and 4 for sauce. I helped cut up large amounts of eggplant and potatoes. And I helped with the raw chicken…yuck! Once most of the preparing was done, we danced to the drums…I even got in the middle and danced. Then, everyone went home to get ready for the evening’s ceremony. It was supposed to start around 8…we sat there until about 9:30 (does anyone see a trend?). And even when it “started,” it was very unorganized and rather chaotic…that would be the best way to describe the evening…”chaos.” I guess during this time, the bride’s family was looking over what the groom had brought as the bride price. Once that was done, there were some more drums and dancing, and then we all moved down to the groom’s place (up until this point we’d been at the bride’s home). There, they had loud speakers, and MC, and obnoxious music. Here came the interesting part…they carried the bride, then the groom around the circle in this hammock contraption…I really can’t describe it well, but pictures will come soon. For some reason at this point, I did not want to be in Guinea anymore…I desperately wanted some kind of order and was sick of being pushed and shoved. And for some reason, when I go to anything with a loudspeaker, they insist on calling my name and making a big deal about me being there…it’s almost like I’m a celebrity. It’s sometimes flattering, most of the time it’s just annoying…the night of the wedding was one of those times. My friends Ans laughed at me because she had never seen me in such a bad mood. The next morning was the “official” ceremony, but I couldn’t go because it was the baptism of Keita’s newborn son. In Muslim tradition, they wait 7 days after birth to name an infant and then have what they call a baptism (though I never saw any water) and announce the name of the baby. Unfortunately, the missionaries agreed to let Keita use their video camera for the ceremony…I was the only one who could use it (the missionaries could stay), so I got stuck filming for about 2 ½ hours. They don’t quite get the idea of exciting video clips…they just wanted me to film people sitting. They would actually put people in a circle and me film them…doing NOTHING! The most exciting thing I got to tape was the slitting of the sacrificial goat’s neck…yummy. I’d never seen an animal killed up close before…I guess it’s a really painful way to die, but it gets all the blood out, so they can eat the meat. I continued my mother’s tradition by giving gifts to the two other children as well as something for the infant.

In terms of language, it’s coming along slowly, but OK, I guess. Landuma is probing to be a rather difficult language. Most of the time (I would say 90%) I’m guessing at what they are saying to me based on their body language and the context. It’s amazing how much we can communicate without using words. I am hoping to continue working on Susu, but I want to get some more Landuma down first.

So, I do actually have a pretty regular routine. I get up between 7-8 and sweep my hut and wipe things down (there is SO much dust in this country). Then, I fix breakfast…oatmeal with cinnamon. I clean up my dishes and get started with my day. Some days I have language lessons, other mornings I go to Boke, or I study Landuma. Around noon, I fix lunch and that usually takes until about 1:30 with preparing and cleaning up. I have a nice nap and read some, then try to get out in the village around 4 and stay there until it gets dark (around 7:30). So, I have been reading like a manioc…if anyone has books they think I might enjoy, please send them my way! I just got done reading “Mere Discipleship”…INCREDIBLE!!! I think everyone should read it…thanks for the suggestion, Mrs. Fleer.

I think I am becoming more and more Guinean everyday…it is actually rather frightening…I CRAVE rice. I have to eat rice every day; otherwise, I’m not happy. People always ask me what my favorite sauce is…I don’t care…I’ll eat anything over rice. I have found 2 families in the village I usually eat with in the evenings…I have even gotten pretty good at eating with my hand, thought some of the sauces are too soupy. Right now is mango season, so I’m also eating TONS of mangoes, especially cooked…very yummy! I still can’t out eat the Guineans when it comes to rice…as much as I love it, I can’t imagine being content eating it 3 times a day for my entire life! Now that’s a real love for rice.

Well, the rainy season is finally getting off to a slow s tart…we have had 2 big storms this week and a whole of mugginess…when it’s not raining, it’s just hot and muggy. But when it does rain, it’s like a breath of heaven. I actually wore long sleeves during the last storm. It really cools things downs…makes for great sleeping. I am a little nervous for the never-ending rain the say comes in July and August, but I will deal with it when the time comes. The rains unfortunately bring with them lots of bugs. I have seen a few “army” ants…they are black and about the size of a quarter…for those of you who have read “The Poisonwood Bible,” they are the ants that take over the village. Apparently, they will only get worse. That tends to be a regular them among the experienced PCVs when talking to us newbies…”Oh, you think that’s bad, just with ‘til this!” It leaves one living in a perpetual state of fear wondering, “Is this really going to get worse?”

One other interesting event of the month was a football (ie: soccer) match I attended. Our team of players made it to the finals for the region. I had seen them play on 2 other occasions, and they were actually pretty good (those of you who know me well know my affinity for soccer players…it’s no different here ;o). So, the day of the finally, I ended up paying for a taxi to take me and some of my friends because it was going to be a 2 hour walk, and I just wasn’t feeling up to it. At the match, I was, as always happens, placed in a seat of importance, announced over the loudspeaker and treated like royalty…a somewhat difficult part of my life when I’m trying to be humble volunteer. The site of the match was the middle of nowhere, and the field was awful…it was pure sand and even had some tall grass growing in it. Whenever the players clumped around the ball, it was often lost in a cloud of dust. Well, sadly the other team proved to be stronger…we lost 3-0. I blame it on their goalie…he was twice as big as ours…he was a giant! Supposedly, our players weren’t happy with the ref because he didn’t call the game fairly. When I left the field after the game, I found that our players had started a small war against the other team, though whey they were responsible for the ref’s calls I’ll never know. Not wanting to get in the middle of it, I hung back with my friends, and then went to find the taxi. We started driving out of the village and all of a sudden, we were in the middle of the war. Our car was surrounded by the other team who were all carrying large sticks. Then, I hear rocks hitting the ground around our car…obviously being thrown by our team. Our taxi driver quickly got us out of there. I knew a couple of the players involved, and they never really gave good reasons for their actions. 4 guys ended up with large cuts, and 1 guy spent a night in jail. I must admit, for a few moments, I was scared.

I have a few more interesting tidbits of life here in Guinea for you:

* You can never leave you shoes upside down…no once can give you a good reason why…it’s just bad luck. If a Guinean sees it, he or she won’t say anything…he or she will just turn it over.

* Taxis…ahh…taxis! Imagine your normal 4-door sedan (the smaller models). Now, imagine it with doors that don’t shut (or don’t open), holes in the floorboard being switched on by pushing the rear defog button (the horn uses the windshield wiper switch…I guess I’ll find out how they turn the wipers on once it starts raining) and crammed with people…crammed being, of course, 9 people…4 in the front and 5 or 6 in the back. This is my typically mode of transportation. My favorite part is that the drivers turn the car off at the slightest hint of a hill. Whenever they open hood and I see what the car does NOT have, I am amazed I ever arrive at my destination…they can actually store things under the hood because there is plenty of space. These cars are wonders of the world. And you haven’t even considered what they can carry on their roofs. I am in awe. Until recently, my drive to Boke meant that I arrived red…completely covered in red dirt…I am really spoiled.

* This country has way TOO many children…family planning should be my #1 health goal. Really, there are mobs of them everywhere. I have to say, though, I love them, even the annoying ones…they are probably my favorite part of Guinea.

* Everyone LOVES to dance…I have a sneaking suspicion they come out of the womb dancing!

* The kids can make toys out of anything…they roll tires around, they use my old pop cans for little cars. I have learned to give them things I would normally throw away. And the adults too…I give women in the village old Ziploc bags or empty oatmeal tins…they’ll figure out some use for it.

* Family…probably the most important part of life for a Guinean. It can be very frustrating when people talk about their “brothers” and sisters” because this also includes half-siblings and cousins. You always have to clarify if it is “meme pere, meme mere” (same father and mother). My friends have about 50 or more “siblings”. This led to an interesting cultural observation…in the villages (basically anywhere but Conakry, the capital) you will never see a homeless person. People are poor, but everyone has a place to sleep and food to eat…not matter how minimal. Everyone is taken care of. Keita was shocked when I told him about homelessness in America…he just couldn’t even grasp people sleeping on the streets. It hit me hard the poverty of love and family we have created in the US, which is in many ways more depressing than the poverty I see here on a daily basis.

* The economic situation is pretty bad here right now. The price of rice…the common staple of Guinean diets…is at astronomical highs. Consider this: the guards who work for the missionaries make around 125,000 francs each month…and they are probably the most wealthy men in the village. A bag of rice at this point costs around 40,000…and that can MAYBE feed a small family (though I’m not sure they exist) for a month. A kilo of rice is 1,200 francs. It’s out of control. I make about 225,000 francs a month, so I am wealthier than even my health center chef…and that is about $100. It makes it a little hard to work on nutrition when buying food for a huge family takes more money than most people have.

Wow, this ended up being WAY too long! I promise I’ll keep them shorter in the future. I hope you have enjoyed it, despite its length. Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I integrate into the village, learn the language, and start projects. I especially seem to have a hard time being alone in the evenings…it’s probably the loneliest time for me. But I am confident that God has me here for a reason, even if I might not see it. Thanks to everyone who continue to write…what an awesome outpouring of love! I love and miss y’all dearly!

Hello all ! Well, I have now been at my site for 3 weeks. I officially moved in on April 13th after a week of bugging people to finish my latrine and my fence. My hut is very nice…I will hopefully have pictures for y’all at some point. I am in the process of turning it into a home…It’s pretty exciting it being the first place I’ve ever lived in by myself. But of course, I’m not alone. I always have the lizards, cockroaches, ants and crickets. I have hung curtains, bought paint for my wooden doors and windows, and am having shelves and bookcases made for my stuff. It’s not a huge hut, but it’s perfect for me. My favorite part are the 2 mango trees outside my hut…I hung a hammock under on of the them…I think it might be the best place on earth!

So, my life here has really started. The best word to describe it would be slow. I definitely have a lot of time to read, write letters, and just plain relax. Basically, I am supposed to spend the first 3 months getting to know my village and learning the local language. This means that I have a lot of time to do nothing. I am using some of the language materials the missionaries loaned me and work on that, and I also found a tutor in the village. She is a fairly educated woman who speaks perfect French…very rare to find in the village. She is also extremely motivated and active in the village…she is vice president of two organizations and is teaching a literacy class to adults in the village. I thinks she will prove to be a great person to work with on future projects. I have also tried to spend time in the health center getting to know the 2 guys who work there, Keita and Jean. This past week, I went with Keita (the head of the health center) to one of our 7 districts to do vaccinations. While he vaccinated, I weighed the babies…51 in all. The children screamed when I hung them in the scale and the mothers laughed…it was quite a site. It’s important to weigh them to determine if they are malnourished. And it’s not something the health center staff often do, even though they are supposed to. The most disappointing part for me was that they charged the women for the vaccinations…they are supposed to be free. I haven’t confronted my chef (French for head) about it jet, and I don’t know where the money goes, but it makes me really sad. The corruption here is mind blowing. To get to most of our districts, we have to go on motorcycle, which is a feat, especially considering the quality of the roads, or better described as paths, that we go on. It was nice to get out and see some of the area around my village…it truly is a beautiful country!

My first weekend at site, I was invited to go to a wedding in a nearby village. I didn’t know the guy, but he works with the health staff, so Keita thought it would be good for me to go. It was a nice way to introduce myself to the village. We had to stay overnight b/c the village was so far away, but this doesn’t bother the Guineans b/c they can party all night, which they do. But Keita made sure that I had a place to sleep. The party didn’t really get started til about 11, even though we arrived at 7:30. The traditional Landuma (the people of my village) wedding has the bride come in this hammock contraption carried by four men who proceed to dance around the circle for about 30 minutes while drums play and women dance. It’s pretty cool. Then they have disco type music and everyone dances til about 6 am. Throughout the wedding, little girls from the village kept bringing me beaded bracelets that they exchange…I think I got 8 in total. It was a really good experience and made me truly appreciate being here. Last night, I went to another wedding. I went early to help the women prepare the food, and I find that I love spending time with them, even when I have no idea what they are saying. They are so happy and love life…and they LOVE to dance. There are 2 more dances this week…Thursday and Saturday…so it’s going to be a busy time.

Well, I am truly spoiled with my site…the missionaries have been SO amazing. One woman in particular has been great…Ans. She’s a 30 something Dutch woman who is learning Landuma and working in the village. She lets me use her refrigerator and keeps water in her freezer for me. I love being able to worship in English on Sundays, but it’s nothing like home! I haven’t really gotten to know many of them other than Ans, but they are really wonderful people. What a blessing!

So, things are going really well! The first week was REALLY hard! I have to be honest…I cried a lot. It was really strange to be so alone. But I’m figuring out ways to deal. I have found a teenage girl in the village who has become my friend. I will occasionally spend the afternoons preparing rice with her…it’s a fun activity and makes me feel part of a family. I really do miss my host family in Dubreka, and I will hopefully get to visit them soon. I also have learned to love the BBC…I can be a great companion and they have some great pieces…but it’s not as good as NPR. Books have also become a WONDERFUL companion. I am currently working through “Mere Discipleship” by Lee Camp…I highly recommend it (Thanks Mrs. Fleer and Luke for the recommendation)!!!

I do have pictures online, but I haven’t had a chance to organize them. There are a few on my page at photos.yahoo.com/hcreddick. But my brother has them all on his page at photos.yahoo.com/jcr74. Check them out and I will hopefully put captions on them in the near future!

I think that’s all I have for now. I got another package from Elaine…thanks a ton! And from the Tate’s…you guys are awesome. Dove chocolates are always great or anything you want to send me…I’m really not picky. I hope life is treating you well and that God is blessing you richly!! PEACE!!

Well, I have been in Boke since Sunday. My hut has yet to be finished, so I unfortunately cannot move in yet. I keep trying to meet with the man in charge of getting the work done (b/c apparently only this ONE man can tell the workers to work...that's Guinean hierarchy for ya), but he seems to keep disappearing. If nothing changes within the next few days, I will probably call my boss and have her do something. I am enjoying the few days to relax and do whatever I want. Life here is much more enjoyable when you don't have to go to class everyday from 8-5. Yesterday, I went to the market, got fresh veggies and fruits for my lunch, wrote letters, and did my laundry (first time I've done it ALL by myself)...I felt very accomplished (and tired) at the end of the day. I got to talk to some of my family, which was incredible...so nice to hear their voices. My mom seemed somewhat alarmed by my wooden penis ;o). I think that's all for now. I'm anxious to get to site, so please keep that in your prayers!! Love ya'll!

Well, this is my last update for a little while. I will hopefully be able to check my email every 3-4 weeks, so letters still continue to be the best way of communicating with me. I can probably get the mail from Kamsar every week or every other week. I spent this morning buying things that I want for site...glasses, silverware, towels, shortwave radio, pots and pans, etc. I feel semi-prepared and spent a lot of my money, but I am ready to get to site. I will head to Boke tomorrow and spend a couple nights there before heading to site. I will make sure my house is finished before I head out there...I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It's been weird living in Conakry the last few days b/c it's so different than the life I've lived the last 3 months. I actually think I prefer village life...though the French pastry shop and good meals and pools are enjoyable, but it's so shocking to leave those things and see REAL Guinea. That's all the philosphy on life I have for now. Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I begin this new chapter of my adventure...THANK YOU for all the prayers that have already been lifted up on my behalf. I love you all and miss you more than words can express! PLEASE keep in touch...letters are like pieces of heaven (and are cheap since you get to use the USPS :o) Won gesege!!

Just thought I'd let y'all know that things are going really well. I went to the bank this morning and took out a LOT of money...I am actually a millionaire (in Guinean francs, of course...2000 Guinean Francs equals one dollar...you do the math). Then this afternoon, the ambassador invited us over to use his pool...wow does he have the setup. It was really nice and relaxing...he even had beer and pop for us. I think I'm going to take it easy this evening and get a good night's rest. I will be here til Sunday, so tomorrow will be my last day checking email!!! Wo rafan n ma!!! (I love you in Susu)

Well, I am finally an official Peace Corps Volunteer!!!! Today was our swearing-in ceremony in Dubreka...it was quite the event. The majority of us Americans got completely decked out in traditional African...I wore a beautiful outfit that I will hopefully have pictures of for you at some point. Our Country Director (CD from now on) was there, of course, along with some Guinean officials and a minister on the President's cabinet. The ambassador came also to swear us in with the official oath. It was supposed to begin at 10:30, but in typical Guinean fashion, the officals didn't arrive until almost noon. The big part of the day for me was that I gave a short speech thanking our host families and trainers...the kicker, it was in SUSU (ie: a local language)!! Everyone says I did well, and the crowd seemed to love it...it was quite a rush. I wrote the speech in French and a trainer translated it, so I really have no idea what I was saying. We ate lunch with our host families...surprisingly, it was rice. We then headed to Conakry where we are hanging out for the next few days...so PLEASE send emails! Unfortuantely, the computers here don't let us IM. :o( I am actually getting to stay in a local hotel b/c there is not enough room in the house for the 40 volunteers in my group...quite the deal. Our CD had a cocktail party for us this evening as a celebration, and the ambassador invited us to his house to swim in his pool tomorrow.

It was really sad to leave my host family, but it was time. I'm ready for independence. Nothing super exciting has really happened over the last few weeks so I'm not really sure what to share with y'all. I have lots of thoughts and observations on Guinean life, but they are so numerious that I don't even know where to start. I guess I will at least give you a clearer idea of what I'm actually doing here. I am a Public Heath volunteer. We have 5 interventions that the Guinean Ministry of Health and the Peace Corps have selected as major health issues in Guinea: malaria, reproductive health (ie: STDs, AIDS, family planning), vaccinations, diarrheal diseases and nutrition. I will be working with a health center and other people in my village trying to educate the people in my village and surrounding areas about these topics. One of the funniest parts of my jobs...I talk about sex A LOT! I actually was even given a wooden penis to show how to use a condom...the people in my group that the virgin giving a condom demonstration was hilarious. But it really is a serious problem and something that needs to talked about. I am hoping to do a lot of one-on-one conversations about these topics, but also I have an elementary school in my village where I hope to do some kind of sex ed or other sensibilisations (basically little lessons to teach people things). So, that's my job. I'll let you know more as it comes along. And really the best way to find out more is to write me letters!! Ask me specific questions...just ask Lara, I'm really good at answering with LOTS of detail! :o) Getting mail makes my week!!! Suggestion on packages...avoid really BIG packages. Send smaller things in manilla padded envelopes...that get here pretty well and aren't too expensive. Mom...stick some candy in with the tapes...you're wasting space! :o) And the more you send, the more likely I am to receive packages. And I make another plug for MUSIC!!! My 20 tapes are driving me nuts. I hope to hear from y'all soon!!! I love you and miss you tons! But I love it here.