I would like to preface this blog by just first saying that I AM OK!!!!!!
In case you haven’t been following the world news President Lansana Conte (of Guinea) died last week, leaving the country, where I am, in a state of morning and searching for hope. Well to make a long story short a Captain in the Army decided that this would be his perfect chance to rule the country. A Coup D’ Etate soon followed!!! Yes, I survived my first coup! I would highly encourage all to take a few minutes and BBC News Guinea and find out what you can about it. In a nut shell, Conte died just before X-mas and within 24 hours Captain Camara decided that the Guinean Constitution was no longer going to be followed and he was President. He called a nation wide curfew from 8pm to 6am so no one could plan any other takeovers at night and limited movement around the country. Yep, little Corinna survived a Coup, on Christmas none the less. HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!
I was not affected too much by any of this other than my Christmas plans were changed and I got tackled. So, since our training is done outside of the capital city, we were originally going to go to Conakry for X-mas to take a shower, check some e-mails and enjoy some air-conditioning. Well since there was a Coup D’Etate on Christmas day needless to say, that didn’t happen. We ended up spending the night at the Peace Corps compound here in Foricariah for Christmas Eve so that no one would have to wake up alone on Christmas morning. We crammed about 15 people in one room to sleep, and no one complained only because there was air conditioning. And let me tell you, here that is getter than gold! We each decided to make a dish which turned out to be too crazy so we ended up with a Christmas dinner that consisted of mashed potato’s, spaghetti, garlic bread (which I helped make), chicken (which three people had to slotter themselves, and I was not a part of that), Indian food, soup, cookies, and I’m sure some other things that I’m forgetting. And all of that was prepared for 30 + people on only 4 burners and no oven. Only in Guinea! There was also a gift exchange and a lot of Christmas carols.
Then after Christmas I was hanging out with my host family in the front
“yard” (dirt area) having a dance party with my little siblings, when curfew rolled around. Well once again let me say I’M OK! But to enforce curfew around here the military goes around shooting their guns in the air so the first gun shoot goes off and my host family bolts for the inside. Well nothing happened for a while so we all went back outside to continue our dance party, and then the second shoot goes off and my host brother tackles me and about 5 or 6 “petites” (little African children) jump on top of me. That is when I was thinking, I think its time to go to bed. So I did. Don’t worry, I’M FINE!!!! The curfew is lifted and there are no more gun shoots!!
Well on a much lighter note, I am adjusting to the Guinean lifestyle just fine. I have learned to love my bucket bath and the idea of peeing in a hole no longer grosses me out! Not going to lie, it does take some getting used to, but its really not that bad. I KNOW, RIGHT, who would have ever thought I would say that?! I have even learned to get by with out electricity. Who would have thought? Well where I am right now, we have electricity about every other night but since the new President Camara came to office electricity has been coming on more frequently.
Next week I find out where my site is. Site is where I will spend my next two years living and working, for all of you who haven’t brushed up on your Peace Corps lingo. That is very exciting for me! I can’t wait to see where I will be placed.
Let’s see, what else is there to talk about. There is so much, I don’t even know where to start. Well it’s hotter than the surface of the sun here. I think each day since I’ve been here, I’ve sweated out at least a gallon of sweat, and this is the cold season. Can’t wait for summer! Don’t get me wrong, I would much rather be here sweating than freezing in the States.
My French is moving swiftly however, the family I’m with and I have a hard time communicating, which is very frustrating. See the funny thing here is French is only used in school, so only the educated people know French and all the kids know French. So my host family speaks Souesou as their first language and French as their second. So unless I’m talking to my host father or one of my siblings that’s in school I have a hard time getting what I want understood. This week too, all of my siblings are gone on vacation visiting family.
So funny story, my siblings love to count. Weird, I know. So I’m sitting outside with some siblings one Sunday counting to 100 in French (my siblings and I), English (me), and Souesou (my siblings) when out of no where my host Grandma who must be about 100 (or at least she looks it) walks out and in perfect English counts from 1 to 100. Keep in mind; this is the woman that I have never had a conversation with because she doesn’t speak French. My jaw dropped, she finished counting and walked back inside and to this day, we still haven’t had a conversation….
I was given my bike two weeks ago, which is now my main source of transportation. I haven’t ridden a bike since I was a kid minus the one time that my college roomy and I took our bike out and rode around campus one day. I am now expected to bike ride everywhere and in some cases volunteers will bike anywhere from 2 – 30 KM to see their closest Peace Corps neighbor. I hope I have a close neighbor! But on Saturdays after classes let out often people ride down to the river to cool off from the African sun. It is an absolutely breathtaking river that we go to but I don’t go swimming in it. Don’t worry Mom. Me and African water do not mingle, we barley make eye contact unless necessary.
Training has been moving along swiftly. I can’t believe I’ve been in guinea for a month already. It seems like a million years and yet only five minutes. The way stage (training) is set up, you never have a free moment so we have been very busy in and out of classes. We have some great Guinean staff working with us, helping with language, culture, diversity, health (which is actually taught by our Romanian Doctor, random), and business. But we are also having volunteers that have been in Guinea for a year here helping with trainings too. They are great with us. Leading us around like a pack of lost puppies.
Oh also, I got my first marriage proposal. Don’t worry, I said NO. There will be no Guinean wedding for me! Besides, he only wanted my American citizenship. Lame!
Despite the Coup D’etate, bucket bath, peeing in a hole, heat, humidity, fishy dinners, dust, bugs, and no predictable electricity I am really loving it here. The people are great, with a little direction this country of 10 million could be prospering from their mineral rich soil.
BOOK YOUR PLANE TICKETS NOW!!!
With love,
Corinna
P.S. I’m really fine here! I have never felt unsafe and besides Sierra Leon isn’t far incase we need to flee the country. But really I’m fine!
SEND ME LETTERS, PLEASE!!!!!!!!
In case you haven’t been following the world news President Lansana Conte (of Guinea) died last week, leaving the country, where I am, in a state of morning and searching for hope. Well to make a long story short a Captain in the Army decided that this would be his perfect chance to rule the country. A Coup D’ Etate soon followed!!! Yes, I survived my first coup! I would highly encourage all to take a few minutes and BBC News Guinea and find out what you can about it. In a nut shell, Conte died just before X-mas and within 24 hours Captain Camara decided that the Guinean Constitution was no longer going to be followed and he was President. He called a nation wide curfew from 8pm to 6am so no one could plan any other takeovers at night and limited movement around the country. Yep, little Corinna survived a Coup, on Christmas none the less. HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!
I was not affected too much by any of this other than my Christmas plans were changed and I got tackled. So, since our training is done outside of the capital city, we were originally going to go to Conakry for X-mas to take a shower, check some e-mails and enjoy some air-conditioning. Well since there was a Coup D’Etate on Christmas day needless to say, that didn’t happen. We ended up spending the night at the Peace Corps compound here in Foricariah for Christmas Eve so that no one would have to wake up alone on Christmas morning. We crammed about 15 people in one room to sleep, and no one complained only because there was air conditioning. And let me tell you, here that is getter than gold! We each decided to make a dish which turned out to be too crazy so we ended up with a Christmas dinner that consisted of mashed potato’s, spaghetti, garlic bread (which I helped make), chicken (which three people had to slotter themselves, and I was not a part of that), Indian food, soup, cookies, and I’m sure some other things that I’m forgetting. And all of that was prepared for 30 + people on only 4 burners and no oven. Only in Guinea! There was also a gift exchange and a lot of Christmas carols.Then after Christmas I was hanging out with my host family in the front
“yard” (dirt area) having a dance party with my little siblings, when curfew rolled around. Well once again let me say I’M OK! But to enforce curfew around here the military goes around shooting their guns in the air so the first gun shoot goes off and my host family bolts for the inside. Well nothing happened for a while so we all went back outside to continue our dance party, and then the second shoot goes off and my host brother tackles me and about 5 or 6 “petites” (little African children) jump on top of me. That is when I was thinking, I think its time to go to bed. So I did. Don’t worry, I’M FINE!!!! The curfew is lifted and there are no more gun shoots!!Well on a much lighter note, I am adjusting to the Guinean lifestyle just fine. I have learned to love my bucket bath and the idea of peeing in a hole no longer grosses me out! Not going to lie, it does take some getting used to, but its really not that bad. I KNOW, RIGHT, who would have ever thought I would say that?! I have even learned to get by with out electricity. Who would have thought? Well where I am right now, we have electricity about every other night but since the new President Camara came to office electricity has been coming on more frequently.
Next week I find out where my site is. Site is where I will spend my next two years living and working, for all of you who haven’t brushed up on your Peace Corps lingo. That is very exciting for me! I can’t wait to see where I will be placed.
Let’s see, what else is there to talk about. There is so much, I don’t even know where to start. Well it’s hotter than the surface of the sun here. I think each day since I’ve been here, I’ve sweated out at least a gallon of sweat, and this is the cold season. Can’t wait for summer! Don’t get me wrong, I would much rather be here sweating than freezing in the States.
My French is moving swiftly however, the family I’m with and I have a hard time communicating, which is very frustrating. See the funny thing here is French is only used in school, so only the educated people know French and all the kids know French. So my host family speaks Souesou as their first language and French as their second. So unless I’m talking to my host father or one of my siblings that’s in school I have a hard time getting what I want understood. This week too, all of my siblings are gone on vacation visiting family.
So funny story, my siblings love to count. Weird, I know. So I’m sitting outside with some siblings one Sunday counting to 100 in French (my siblings and I), English (me), and Souesou (my siblings) when out of no where my host Grandma who must be about 100 (or at least she looks it) walks out and in perfect English counts from 1 to 100. Keep in mind; this is the woman that I have never had a conversation with because she doesn’t speak French. My jaw dropped, she finished counting and walked back inside and to this day, we still haven’t had a conversation….
I was given my bike two weeks ago, which is now my main source of transportation. I haven’t ridden a bike since I was a kid minus the one time that my college roomy and I took our bike out and rode around campus one day. I am now expected to bike ride everywhere and in some cases volunteers will bike anywhere from 2 – 30 KM to see their closest Peace Corps neighbor. I hope I have a close neighbor! But on Saturdays after classes let out often people ride down to the river to cool off from the African sun. It is an absolutely breathtaking river that we go to but I don’t go swimming in it. Don’t worry Mom. Me and African water do not mingle, we barley make eye contact unless necessary.
Training has been moving along swiftly. I can’t believe I’ve been in guinea for a month already. It seems like a million years and yet only five minutes. The way stage (training) is set up, you never have a free moment so we have been very busy in and out of classes. We have some great Guinean staff working with us, helping with language, culture, diversity, health (which is actually taught by our Romanian Doctor, random), and business. But we are also having volunteers that have been in Guinea for a year here helping with trainings too. They are great with us. Leading us around like a pack of lost puppies.
Oh also, I got my first marriage proposal. Don’t worry, I said NO. There will be no Guinean wedding for me! Besides, he only wanted my American citizenship. Lame!
Despite the Coup D’etate, bucket bath, peeing in a hole, heat, humidity, fishy dinners, dust, bugs, and no predictable electricity I am really loving it here. The people are great, with a little direction this country of 10 million could be prospering from their mineral rich soil.
BOOK YOUR PLANE TICKETS NOW!!!
With love,
Corinna
P.S. I’m really fine here! I have never felt unsafe and besides Sierra Leon isn’t far incase we need to flee the country. But really I’m fine!
SEND ME LETTERS, PLEASE!!!!!!!!
