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.)