6 months down

It’s been awhile, huh? It sure feels like it. Thankfully, I am back to 100% on the health front, and I have officially passed the 6 month marker here in Guinea. I spent the last few weeks away from site – visiting Eric in Dabola, Reid in Pita, and then going to In-Service Training (IST) in Mamou. We had all been waiting for IST – dreaming of the day when our group would reunite at the end of the first three rough months at site. Adjustment has been difficult for all (and it’s not even over yet), but everyone seems happy, stable, and starting work at site. We did, however, lose another G-11er, Jen Carlin, who decided that Guinea just wasn’t for her after giving it a respectable 6 month try. Good luck, Jen, as you return back to the States!

I was lucky enough to spend the last couple weeks with Reid. We had an amazing time together, eating well, laughing too much, and enjoying the beauty of Guinea together. Pita is an amazing town – much smaller than Siguiri, but with running water and electricity and ice cream. Reid’s home is outside of town on a hill overlooking the breathtaking scenery of the Fouta Djallon region. We spent many evenings watching the sunset from his porch and we took a short day hike down to the waterfall outside of town.* I cant wait to go back in September to hike some more and see more of the area. The Fouta is so marvelous – the mountains, the greenery, the flowers, the strawberries, the cool air. Ahhhh, the cool air. I wore long pants with long sleeves a couple of days in Mamou and Pita. I had been wondering why I had brought jeans to Africa, but now I know – once or twice a year I may wear them while visiting Reid!

To be honest, my trip to the Fouta made me question why I was so adamant about living in Hell….I mean…. umm…. Haute. The Fouta volunteers have everything – the scenery, the climate, the electricity. (Not that they need electricity as badly as we do. I just want to run a fan!) But hopefully I will fall in love with Siguiri again once I get home. I am hoping to reconnect with some of the magic when I get back to site so I don’t stay too jealous of Reid and the other Fouta volunteers. So, tomorrow, I am off to Siguiri for a 6 week stint of work (broken up by one trip to Kankan for the G-12 site visit party). Back to work. Real work. Let’s see what I can get going. Wish me luck, and I will be in touch again soon.

Ps – internet in Siguiri is closed. Yes, the manager was embezzling, so the owner shut it down. Silly Guinea. I will be back near email by mid-August though, when I return to Kk.


*Pictures will be up soon. By “soon,” I mean “Guinea soon,” so maybe in a month or two.)

Protein Shock

A couple of nights ago, after having a beer, Mandy and I wandered around in search of the hamburger bomb. Hidden behind the main road, enveloped in African darkness, the “restaurant” (and I use that term loosely) has all types of protein – meat, fish, chicken, etc. But the star of the menu is definitely the “hamburger,” aka – the “hamburger bomb” Served over a refreshing salad, a hamburger bomb is a hard-boiled egg, wrapped in ground meat, and fried. It was actually delicious and my protein-deprived body was happy for the evening. For all of those thinking of visiting Siguiri in the next couple of years, I promise to take you to this marvelous hidden “hamburger” joint.

Now you really can’t wait to come to Africa, can you??

“maybe-it’s-malaria” update

Well, hello again to everyone! It’s been awhile, huh? Last you heard, I had malaria and was suffering a slow and painful death in Siguiri. Well, I should let you know that I am still alive and getting better, slowly but surely. We are not sure yet if it was malaria or if it was some malaria imposter, but I will let you know once the test results come back in a couple weeks. The “maybe-it’s-malaria” left me without energy for the longest time, and I slept more than I have ever slept in my life. The best part of “maybe-it’s-malaria” – if you can say that there is a good part – is that each afternoon, I would get the chills for a couple of hours. Now, in Siguiri, feeling cold is impossible, unless, of course, you get yourself “maybe-it’s-malaria.” Can we all yell a “hip-hip-horray” for maybe-malaria!

Note for all: being sick in the developing world sucks. Not because you get strange tropical diseases with unpronounceable names, not because there is a lack of good medicine, not because your mom is all the way in Colorado, but rather because you don’t have TV. I would have killed for a TV, DVD player and a stack of movies. But alas, even if I had those things, I wouldn’t be able to use them with my lack-of-electricity status. So, all of you with TVs – give them a kiss for me tonight. And be thankful you can rely on them for their amazing “escape reality when reality sucks” properties.

Anyway, continuing on… the fun part began when the malaria medicine kicked in and I thought I was getting better. I suppose my immune system had taken a beating from the “maybe-it’s-malaria”, and after arriving in Kankan for a security training, I got a staph infection. Not just any old staph. This one left me immobilized, as my right foot swelled up beyond belief and I was unable to stand or walk. Sounds like fun, eh? People had to go and get me rice or get me water. I was unable to do anything myself. Mike Fitzgerald, the Regional Security guy saw Reid the day after he left me in Kankan, and when asked about my foot, he said to Reid, “Man, that was fucked up!” I spoke with my PCMO each day last week, and we got me on antibiotics, and the swelling slowly reduced. What a health week, huh?! My body is officially at war with Guinea.

I am better now, still low on energy and still nursing an open icky wound, but better. I seem to have developed a common cold to add to the list of ailments, but I know I can handle this one. My goal is to allow myself time to rest up these next couple weeks before I head down to Pita to see Reid and then continue on to IST in Mamou. Wish me a “bonne sante” and send me positive health vibes from across the ocean, k? Thanks everyone! I will update in a couple weeks!