PHOTOS!!!!!!!!

Ambassadors, The Governator, and Home Sweet Home (en Afrique!)

Well I made it one full month already, living on my own in an African village. Who would have thought? Let’s go over some of the highlights of the last four weeks of my life. The inevitable happened. I became a volunteer and then the Peace Corps car pulled away. That was by far the hardest part thus far, standing amongst my village watching the white land cruiser with Peace Corps printed on the side pull away. Leaving me to fend for myself, alone, IN GUINEA!! Tears in eyes, I waved goodbye to everyone and everything that had become familiar in this foreign world I now live in. Then about a million little kids came up and started jumping all over me which quickly made me forget that “What did I get myself into…?” moment.

Despite the MASSIVE language barrier, I have started to make friends. Thank God I had so many years of French under my belt. Who knew that back in high school when it came time to choose a foreign language and everyone told me “You should take Spanish, you’ll never use French” I was right, French is now my ONLY real means of communication. Don’t get me wrong, I am struggling to learn Pular like the best of them but I am now being taught by my village friends which are in about 8^th – 10^th grade. Let me explain. My village doesn’t have a high school. I know right?! So IF the kids want to continue their high school experience they have to go to a larger city to go to school. This leaves an enormous age gap, so everyone around my age is uneducated or in the city. So I hang out with 10^th graders. It’s all good.

OH, I threw up on my village. Everything is fine. I was walking around with some of my friends on market day (which means everyone and their brother is out and about) and all of a sudden, out of nowhere I just start heaving all over my friends as well as some stander-biers. I have no idea what happened. I’m sure it was just a combination of the heat, dehydration, and the smells of the market (imagine an open air fish market in 115 degree heat….. not good!) My friends were more freaked out than I was, which is surprising. They rushed me back home, went out and bought me water and threw me in bed. I’m fine now and that was the only incident, I’m drinking tons of water and taking it slowly during the day. It’s cool! I promise!!

I got my hair braided. I look like Coolio serca 1992 but everyone thinks it looks great. I think it looks like I’m a 14 year old girl on vacation in the Caribbean. But its cooler on the head.

So crazy thing happened about two weeks ago. I’m just sitting on my balcony reading a book when a car pulls into my yard. I don’t really think anything of it and go back to reading my book. Some guy starts walking up my steps, I close my book and great him in Pular. He tells me that the Ambassador is here. I thought I misunderstood what he said so I kind of gave him an odd look and he said come here. So I follow this guy into the living room of the house below me and low and behold there is the Ambassador of Mali just chillin on the couch. I do my standard meet and greet and sit down and talk to the ambassador. I’ve never talked to an ambassador before and I wasn’t really sure what to say. I still to this day don’t know why he was at my house visiting my “family” but he was really nice and congratulated me for the work I’m doing here. Then he invited me to go with him to Timbo ( a village about 30 K away) for a mosque opening. I was going to go anyways with some friends, but a free ride in a land cruiser WITH AIR CONDITIONING! Shot, I took the free ride, thinking I would just meet up with everyone once we got there. Boy was I wrong. I had never been to a mosque opening before so I really didn’t know what to expect. Well it was a sea of people! The Ambassador and I get escorted to the mosque where I am told to stand outside while they go in and pray. So I wait and then when he comes out we get escorted to a house. I really do mean escorted. Like, the military surrounded us, parted the sea of people and walked us everywhere.

So at this house, I still have no idea what is going on but more and more people keep coming. Everyone introduces themselves to me as Ambassadors or other foreign dignitaries while I just sit there in my bright yellow African dress feeling way out of place. Everyone is making a huge fuss over me, asking if I need anything, if they can get me anything, if I want anything just let them know. Somehow I was the star of the afternoon. Then a man walked in, and judging by the size of his entourage he must have been every every important, and he sits right next to me. I’m talking to him and then he asks if I’m married. A question I get a lot around here and I didn’t want to lie so I told him no, I’m not married. Well I thought he said “We’ll find you a Canadian.” I kind of looked at him like he was crazy and responded “I’m American, not Canadian.” Mind you, this is all in French. I figured out after he returned my crazy look that he told me he would find me a candidate (not a Canadian) for marriage. Once I realized what was going on I told him he would have to consult my mother about any kind of marriage, he laughed awkwardly, I laughed awkwardly and then he dropped it. Oh language, how you fool me everyday.

Then it was time for the speeches. So all of the foreign dignitaries and myself are escorted back across the street to the mosque. Well seeing as I’m a girl I wasn’t allowed to follow my Ambassador friend. So the (female) Ambassador from Niger and I sat outside chatting. She didn’t speak pular also so during the speeches we just chatted about life in Guinea. Then it was prayer time. Well, little white catholic girl from Ohio here didn’t know that you had to cover your head so about five guys came running up to me screaming in pular and pointing to me. Thank Allah that the ambassador I was sitting with had an extra scarf in her purse that she let me use during prayer. I thanked her profusely for saving my catholic butt at a mosque. It finally ended and then a swarm of paparazzi come running up to me. I’m in shock! Everyone, and yes I do mean everyone wants photos with me and to interview me for their paper. I politely decline all interview because lord only knows what I would end up saying in French. I stand around and take some photos and then am escorted back to the house where I meet up with the Ambassador of Mali. It was a real Angelina Jolie moment. It was crazy! I never expected anything like that to happen. I couldn’t believe how I was treated like a celebrity when I’m just a volunteer. Oh and the worst part was, I forgot my camera. So I have no photos of my day with the Ambassadors… bummer!

I’m still, two weeks later, having complete strangers come up to me asking if I’m the girl from the Timbo mosque opening. Welcome to my life. It’s always crazy!!!

Let’s see, what else is new and exciting in my life. Never did I ever think that I would miss the voice of Arnold Shwartzinager. I’ve been going to the video place (kind of like a movie theater, but not really) in my village and they show BADLY DUBBED war/action films every night. I go only because it is a bit of normality but after about a week of badly dubbed Arnold you really learn to miss his voice. Especially when it’s replaced by a high pitched, fast talking French man.

I rode in a bush taxi with 10 other people. OK, so imagine a small car only being help together by a few Madonna stickers and the will of god, and shove 4 people in the front (don’t forget the stick shift) and 7 (YES, SEVEN) people in the back, including me! Then, to make things even better there were 3 people sitting in the trunk. Why you may ask, well that’s simple, they were holding on to the goat and three chickens. DUHH! Oh there were also four or five people on the roof. Thank god it was a short ride to Mamou!

Otherwise, yesterday a guy came to change the light bulb in my room and then magically the electricity now works in my house. I guess the family I live with got more solar panels so now I can use my laptop!!!!!!! I’m not sure if you guys can sence the awesomeness of the situation from back in the states but this means I can type up my blogs at my convience and WATCH MOVIES!!!!!!! So if you are hurting for care package ideas and you’ve got a few extra inches of space in your flat rate USPS box slip in a new movie.

Brining up the point of care packages I would like to send a special shout out to Grams and Gramps (the crackers were AWESOME!), Aunt Peggy (I’ve been doing cross words all week), Molly and Ginger (that box was the bomb) and lastly the rents (a million times, thank you). Otherwise, if you would like to send me a note that would be great (the address is on the sidebar) and packages are always welcome. Any kind of pre-packaged single serving food is good. I have recently taken a massive liking to many things that I never ate in the states (i.e. spaghetti-O’s and hummus) so don’t fret about sending me something I “don’t like” because now I’ll eat just about anything.

Lastly, congrats to Marquita and her new hubby as well as Lori and Jon Champion on their past and upcoming weddings respectively.

Photos of Swearing in

Danielle, believe it or not another Wright State grad, in GUINEA none the less.

The group of us who now call the "Fouta" home sweet home. These next two years should be interesting... ;)

"Southern Guinea" Represent! (The few of us who live in the southern part of Guinea)

The swear in oath that we took to become a volunteer.

Yes, good times!

Our group. Aren't we so colorful

My day in Conakry shopping

Let me explain my excitement. First, I haven’t seen a real (4 walls and a ceiling) grocery store since I have left Ohio, and today I got to go to my first Lebanese store in Conakry. Lebanese stores are kind of a God send to American in a third world country. They had the most random stuff I’ve ever seen but it was AWESOME.

This morning we got up early and went and withdrew our money from the bank. Who knew, I moved to Guinea and became a millionaire!! Yep, I withdrew millions of (Guinean) dollars. I’m rich!!! Ok so converted into American dollars it’s under $1,200 for three months and moving in but here… good lord that’s a lot.

After our bank experience some one years (PCV’s that have been in country for a year) take us to the leb stores. I walk inside those double wide doors and the ark angels from the heavens are singing the songs of joy! They had Dove shampoo, deodorant, CHEESE, soy sauce, pickles, snickers, Franks Red Hot sauce, air freshener, cereal, hummus, you name it. It was like a little America, with a Lebanese accent. Really, it was like walking into any American dollar store but here it was a gift from god. For the first time in Guinea, I almost forgot where I was but then I had to walk back outside into the hussle and bussle and heat and I remembered where I was.

Oh today, I also got ICE CREAM!!!!!!!!!! I know all of you are back home freezing your butts off, but here its hot! It’s really really really hot. And today was the first thing of ice cream I have had in a long time. But when I ordered it I thought it was cookies and cream and when I asked, the guy responded in some thing I could not understand. So I just nodded and said ok. Sat down and expected one thing and got a mouth full of something else. It was pistachio, odd I know right. But it was delicious none the less!

I just want to give a quick shout-out to all of the other partents out there who i know are reading these blogs. All of your kids are great, we really have turned into our own little family network here.

PHOTOS!! Long awaited, i know

Most of our group on "fairwell Foricairah" day

The bathroom my family used

The kitchen where my rice and sauce was prepared everyday

This is the place where I ate lunch, every single day while in Foricariah. Egg sandwiches

The signs in Guinea

My little next door neighbor boy... so cute!!!

Doing laundry, well not me of course...

watching the presidentail inaugeration from a video club we rented out. and by club i mean shack

I MADE IT THROUGH STAGE

For all of you know are not up on your PC lingo (Peace Corps language) stage is the first 2 months in country that entails all sorts of craziness. For instance, you move in with a family, you go to class in 100 degree heat outside, you struggle through all kinds of crazy language problems (i.e. you can’t speak Sous-sous and your family doesn’t speak French), you eat crazy food and you are busy 24-7. Well its OVER!!!!

This morning I woke up, finished packing and gave my gifts to my family. Oh man were they a HUGE hit. I had gotten a calendar of the US National Parks, a few beanie babies, a few matchbox cars, a few base ball caps from my dad’s work, and a photo album. They acted like it was Christmas day, they were so excited! *DAD- your AMP hats were a HUAGE hit. They haven’t taken them off. Once the excitement of the gifts had worn off a bit, it was photo time. You have not seen anything until you see Guinean children have a change to have their photos taken. It is like feeding time at the zoo! Kids come out of the wood work that I have never even seen to get their photos taken.

Today was the official end of STAGE! We had our going away ceremony today where we said goodbye to our families, dressed in African outfits and tried to sing in French. OK so my African outfit… well it turned out to be a crazy mess. Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but it is crazy. OK so imagine me, in a dress, which looks like you crewed 4 yellow skittles, 2 orange skittles and 1 red skittle in your mouth and spit it into a napkin, and then make an entire fabric out of it. Yes I was the loudest one dressed in the room. My outfit demanded attention, but really when don’t I? But the Guineans loved it, so I am “bien integre” (well integrated in French)

After the ceremony, we loaded the bus and cars with all of our stuff. Imagine this, 29 volunteers with a minimum of 4 bags each loading all of that stuff to survive in Africa for two years in/on 2 cars and the bus. CRAMPED! Then we drove to the capital, never to see Foricariah again. Which I am absolutely not upset about. Don’t get me wronge, I’m just ready to be on my own here.

Getting to the end of Stage

Well I made it!! In two days I will be sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I survived two of the craziest months of my life. There have been many ups and downs while here in Guinea and we are just getting started.

Let’s start with site visit. The three days that I was at site was literally the hardest thing I have done thus far in country. After leaving the safe comfort of friends who have now become my family in Mamou my homologue (counterpart if you wish) and I got into a taxi. But this was not any normal American taxi. Oh no, this was a Guinean taxi. Let me explain. It was a Neon, ok picture an old beet up Neon and now cram (and yes I do mean cram) 8 people in it. YEP, four in the front and four in the back. And these are grown adults we are talking about. SQUISHED!!! So once we all get in we start the 33 K to my village. 33K that doesn’t sound very far, now does it. It should only take about 20 minutes. Well it doesn’t. Our little car breaks down not once, not even twice but 3 times, lord only knows why. But we eventually make it to my village in one piece. After a brief tour of my town with my homologue she asks if I would like to nap. “Well yes I would!” I responded in French. So she took me to my new apartment! It is a really cute one bedroom, small living room and then a Guinean master bath (basically the squat whole is in my room, walled off of course). My village is really small but cute none the less. It is about 2 miles long on the main road (only paved road) up country into Haught Guinea. I live on one end in my apartment while my work is on the other end of town. And since I’m on the only road into upper Guinea I am petrified to ride my bike. So I will be getting a lot of walking done. Which is good, I guess.

OK so the best part about my village is my apartment. I am going to spend the next two years turning it into my Little America and I can’t wait! I live on the second floor of someone else’s house but there are two families that live in my compound. One family is older and then there is a teacher and his wife and kids in the other house. They are all great people and I am very excited to get to know all of them. As of now I’m not exactly sure what I will be doing over my next two years but I have three months to find that out and I will share more about that once I get to know it better.

Otherwise as a business volunteer, the Peace Corps thinks it is a great idea to have us try to create a business and sell something. So we broke up into our little teams and had to brain storm this brilliant idea on how to make a profit in Guinea, one of the worlds poorest countries. Sounds easy, piece of cake. My partner and I thought to ourselves, what do we have that Guineans want? AKON! If you haven’t heard of him, don’t be ashamed, I hadn’t either until I got to Africa. (He is a singer, that I think was born somewhere in Africa that now lives in the states). So we scrounged up some music and burned them onto CD’s and called it a day, fully thinking that this would be the cats meow. Well on project day we hooked up our ipod to our speakers and put our sign up right in the center of town and sat waiting for the flocks of teenagers to come and buy up our American made CD’s. Well the crowds did come, but we forgot to take into account that people don’t have a way to play our CD’s here in Guinea. So we only sold three but we had another Guinean dance party with the locals all day! Oh silly Americans with their fancy technology.

So here are some things I’ve noticed myself changing
1.I am always dirty.
2.My nails are always cut short. In the states, my nails were always kept long, but here they must be cut for sanitation purposes.
3.I carry a knife. Believe it or not a Swiss army knife is now always in my pocket. They are just so handy! You can use it for just about anything. Who knew?
4.I haven’t brushed my hair in about 3 days. I wash it then go to bed, wake up and pull it into a pony tail. Crazy!
5.I don’t ware makeup. That’s right, haven’t touched the stuff since I left Philly.
6.Haven’t seen my reflection in about 2 weeks. But I really don’t care, and I do find myself avoiding reflective sunglasses because I really don’t want to see myself. If something was up, someone would tell me. I hope!
7.All of my cloths are getting kind of baggy!!!!
8.AND I’M BLONDE

My laptop battery is about to die so I’m going to make this quick. Thank you to everyone that has sent letters and packages. You really don’t know how much it means to receive those things. I will be facing the hardest three months starting a week from today and getting even a little card means the world. I know how busy all of your lives are and even reading my blog means a lot to me but if you can find yourself the time to just jot down a little bit of news or a funny story that happened to you I will truly appreciate it. Hearing stories of back home means a lot!