Hi everyone. Okay so this is Tim, and Federico asked me to assist him with a blog update while he’s finishing training and has sparse internet access (though he obviously had a chance for a brief post last Wednesday). He was able to photocopy his journal about a month ago and mail it to me from Kamsar to Portland. And so over the last few days since it arrived, I’ve been able to type up this little synopsis. Of course it’s all a tad out of date at this point, but still gives a good picture of how he’s been getting along.His journal is fairly lengthy but I was still able to type up most of it, though some entries I skipped and some entries I summarized. Also, to be considerate about discussing people in Guinea, I substituted first letters for their names. And to be clear, everything I noted or summarized is Italicized, so that everything un-Italicized is pretty close to what he wrote down. I’ll use ellipses (like this … ) to indicate if part of an entry or a day has been cut, skipped, whatever. Here goes, enjoy!…There were entries for some days prior to 7-14-08, but he was able to keep his blog fairly up to date until then. So I’ll begin with the first entry after he arrived at his training village:7-14-08Je suis arrive a Forecariah. The last couple days of training in Conakry went well. I went to the beach, played some games with local children and had a good time.
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Forecariah is a beautiful village in the southern Basse Cote region of Guinea. Upon my arrival here I met my host family at the adoption ceremony. My host sister and my host father’s second wife came to greet me. They were accompanied by three of my younger host brothers. Although initially it was a bit awkward we all soon figured out that I am pretty good at French and we managed to communicate fairly well.
Generally my family and I just hung out and tried to have a conversation, it went pretty well. At dinner they sat me down in the living room while they all ate in the outdoor patio. Also, I always had a chair, and my host brother O. would move it for me whenever we switched rooms.
Just now I got served a second dinner and I’ve never been less happy to see food. The plate of spaghetti swimming in palm oil with fried whole fish was clearly an expensive fancy meal. But I am not hungry, I don’t like fish and I don’t like that much oil.
It’s going to be an interesting adjustment. I also had a conversation with 3 other guys about religion and that was a BAD idea. Explaining agnosticism in French to Muslims is apparently not my strong suit.
This entry is very scattered, hopefully I can elaborate on it when I’m in a better mood.
7-15-08I have never been so proud of myself for being able to take a bath. That was actually kinda fun.
7-15-08…
I was nervous about going home because my stomach was still iffy and I was SURE they were going to feed me. I was able to avoid eating by pretending I’d just eaten, but I knew that was just a temporary solution.
My host brother O. and I went with a PCT friends to the lycec and played basketball with a large group of Guineans. This is when my mood began to change because even though I played badly, everyone was super nice and complemented me.
After this we came home and my host sister gave me some fried manioc, which was delicious. Granted, I was starving but it was soooo good to eat something non-fishy for once in this house. I also had some rice and sauce, only this time it was peanut-piment-goat sauce and it was tasty - except I’m still sick and I didn’t eat much.
O. and I walked to the Cchez Vicky bar to meet the PCVs and PCTs there and it was fun. I realize how much I like my host family and I think I will get used to life here. It’s a beautiful country. If I could just begin to feel better.
7-17-08Fed mostly discussed how training was going as far as language and technical classes and the conflicting personalities of the instructors. They also received some health lessons and things to be careful of when living in Guinea. For the language class they took a trip to the market where he bought an umbrella and laundry soap and tried a sandwich. After training he met his brother O. and they went to the bridge in town and watched kids fishing and little boats that were hauling “sable” or cement and mud, nearly sinking.7-18-08Today was an intense language day at training, 6 hours of language with a 2 hour tech session. It was the longest day ever and it was so great to end for the day and go home.
It was my selfish time alone. I went straight to my room to read and came out for dinner, then briefly explained to my family that I’d been doing French all day and needed a break before going back to my room.
I went to Chez Vicky where I tried the fries and found out from D. that I will most likely be near Boke in Basse Cote and perhaps near some PCT friends.
I came home to salad dinner (avocado, cucumber, onion, tomato, and oil and vinegar which was tasty. Also, I bought peanut butter in the market today so I am set meal-wise for a while. J
7-19-08So this morning I got my bike, a Trek 3700 mountain bike. I showed off my bike maintenance skills to the group then raided the unwanted bikes for parts (tire-pump holder, rack). Afterwards I went for a ride with some of the others.
When I got home I had myself some “Chad Time” where I read a bit. Then I did laundry - which is to say my host sister tried to tach me how to do laundry and then laughed at me and took over. My clothes did not know what they had coming. She is a washing maniac.
After a bit more reading I went out with J. to play basketball and again I made an ass of myself. I did manage to get a basket though. O. said he’s going to teach me tomorrow.
We had a PCT/PCV party at the PC house here tonight. It was fun, people drank, danced and just had a good time.
Generally I’m settling in more and enjoying myself here. I’m starting to miss life in PDX, but I’m also happy with the life I’m building here in Guinea. Anyway, Ontina, o’oo.
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7-23-08I’ve gotten more comfortable with my family and spend more time just chilling with them without doing anything. My French is coming along as well, and they’re beginning to figure out what I like and don’t like to eat. I had a good conversation with my host dad that was basically the shrimp scene from Forrest Gump with manioc in its place. I’ve been feeling better stomach-wise for the past couple of days but don’t know if it will last.
7-24-08…
I had a food breakthrough with my family today. I refused to have breakfast because I was sick and I also turned down late lunch. Then for dinner they brought me bacon with beef and fries. It was the first non-fish dish I got, and I was surprised that my Muslim family cooked bacon for me. They made sure I finished it, probably because they wouldn’t eat the leftovers.
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7-26-08Alright, so now that I’ve slept a bit, time for some epic journal writing, in keeping with the epic days I’ve had.
So during yesterday’s training we had our last French session with M., and next week we continue with D., the actual classes did not get re-arranged. I’m tempted to ask to be moved to the advanced level, but M is teaching it, so I’m looking forward to seeing D.’s style before requesting the move.
After training I went home to a house full of strangers who were discussing the price of flour (my Dad’s the head of the baker’s union here). I hung out in the back with my brothers until it was time for the PCV house party to celebrate H.’s and J.’s birthdays. I went with I. and J. and had a pretty good time. The punch was terrible this time (the gin was not as good as last time, it‘s so weird to have so much variety in quality from bottle to bottle).
S. eventually (midnight) came to pick us up and take us to the big dance party at the nightclub to celebrate the end of the brevet, the test people take to get into high school. He did his usual round-the-village leading us to the party while telling us exactly where to walk.
The nightclub started off kinda awkward with people staring at us, but after a few songs we began to loosen up and get into it. For the most part, the music was good, but all very similar - quasi Latin or rap-like beat played on African sounding percussive and string instruments, very repetitive. There was some African reggeaton in native languages, and at one point they played “Dale Don Dale” by Don Omar and I. and I sang along with it in Spanish. Also, during a Bollywood song we did our best Bollywood dance impersonation.
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We walked home around 2am, and took the long way through neighborhoods and bushes to avoid the military police. Apparently being out after midnight can get you in jail if you don’t have ID and are under a certain age. I escorted S. across the street so he wouldn’t get in trouble.
Today I woke up late and got out with other PCTs to “play sports”. I took my Frisbee and headed off to the stadium with I. and J. We played Frisbee for a while, then enough people showed up for us to play soccer. Once the game got going (I was playing defense) it started pouring down rain but we kept playing, it was lots of fun even though my team lost. While we were playing I saw some kids playing with my Frisbee, then later it was gone. Damn.
Afterwards, I. and J. and I played cards with my family, went to Vicky’s, and watched “Prey” on my iPod. Also, the three of us and L. went fabric shopping. I got enough fabric to get a regular button down made, as well s a full pants and shirt outfit. I’m not sure I got the message of what I want across to I.’s mom, a tailor. I had been in a bad mood after my Frisbee got stolen, but shopping lifted my spirits, also I’m excited to have custom made stuff.
Finally I had a mouse in my room last night. I heard it moving around after I went to bed and I managed to spot it before it ran away from my headlamp beam. At first I was a little freaked out because I thought it was a bush rat, but it was cute and small, so I didn’t mind so much. I threw out the food he/she was munching on so I’m not sure if it will return. If it does, I might name it. I think I’ll name it Cheeto. Anyway goodnight.
7-27-08Today I got up late, had breakfast, 2 hours later I got lunch, then 3 hours later I got dinner. I like that my family lets me sleep in, but I wish they wouldn’t expect me to eat 3 meals even when I start my day late.
The rest of today consisted of reading while D. braided I.’s hair, then going to a movie with some of my family, and I. and J. Movies in Guinea are CRAZY fun. They are either in English (Van Dame movies mostly) or are Bollywood with English subtitles. Thus nobody really understands what is being said. During the dance scenes little kids get up and dance along, and during action scenes Everybody cheers and claps when the good guy kicks some ass. Everyone dresses up to go to the movies, eat rice and sauce, hard-boiled eggs, peanuts, etc and chatter throughout the movie. Best of all it only costs 600 GNF to get in, about the price of 2 lollipops, or ¼ a bottle of water, or 1/8 the price of a beer.
I think I might be over the hump as far as being comfortable here in Forcariah. I still don’t love the food but it has been getting better. I really like my family and am getting to know my neighbors better. I feel much more optimistic about my 2 years here.
7-28-08I just had my dinner/lunch, and again I had an emotional reaction, like when my first fish pasta, and like with the bacon. This time it was because they had cooked my rice with tomato paste and onions, like Mexican rice. I had a conversation with my host-dad the other day about how food is different in the US and Mexico and I mentioned Mexican rice. I’m not sure how, but they got the proportion dead-on because it was really tasty. I mostly avoided the sauce on top of it because it was fishy and manioc, but the gesture alone was really touching.
On a related note, my host brother O. (about 11 years old) burned himself on a motorcycle and his leg has a 2-inch wide circular burn that has been getting kinda quasi-borderline infected looking. I finally couldn’t take it anymore, an whipped out the antiseptic ointment and helped him clean the wound. If it gets any worse, I will bandage it for him too.
7-28-08So the rest of today was good, I got my outfit from Mme. C., I.’s mom. It’s a bit bigger than I would like, but I think that’s how it is supposed to be to be authentic.
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This is the first entry I’ve written in the living room by candlelight while my family watches. As I’ve said before, I feel more comfortable with them, but it is still odd to be the center of attention in this household. I hope I will continue to blend in more with them and seem like less of an invited guest. It’s hard though because the things that would be important to me for acceptance - doing chores, cooking, sitting on the floor with them - are things that men of my age wouldn’t do anyway. By giving me my own chair and doing everything for me they are accepting me as part of their family and I need to get used to that. Oh, I think they’re bringing food again, this whole being force-fed might be the hardest part, especially not having control over what and when I eat. I never feel comfortable turning down food when I think they’ve gone out of their way to prepare or serve it to me. Anyway, hopefully it’s off to bed now, I am not at all hungry. Good night.
7-30-08Today was an OK day as far as training goes, but really training has been reduced to same-old-same-old. Soon we will shift gears in preparation for our site visit, where we will meet our site people like the chief of the village, school principal, etc., as well as see our houses. After this we will prepare for practice school, the last 3 weeks of training where we will teach real Guinean students.
At this point Fed went on to describe that his host brother’s burn had gotten worse. He cleaned it again and used some ointment and bandaged it. He suggested some medication to his host dad, who agreed to buy it in Conakry the next day. He was worried about getting too involved, especially if something went wrong with the meds or if they became dependent. He went on to say…I doubt any of those things will happen and my family is really…I don’t know, touched that I helped. I can tell they’re super grateful and don’t know quite how to say it. My brother O. said something about how we were really family, and I told him I agreed. He said he’d come visit me in the States and I told him he would always be welcome at my house. I just hope the infection doesn’t spread into the leg muscle.
Also, I found out why there has been a crying woman in my house. My dad’s sister-in-law’s mother (?) passed away and so the parents will be gone all day tomorrow. I expressed my condolences to my host dad. The upside is that he’ll be in Conakry tomorrow to buy the medication. Anyway, I’m going to play cards with the fam and go to bed. A toutte a l’heure.
8-1-08Ok, so the most exciting part of today was finding out my site for the next two years. I will be in Bintimodia in the northern Basse Cote, about 50 km west of Boke and about 20 km or less east of Kamsar. I’m a bit off the main road, but I’m going to be super close to lots of resources. Kamsar is a mining village that serves as an oasis for western ex-pats and mining officials. I’ve heard they have a large Leb store (Lebanese-owned American food store: Kraft mac and cheese, etc), a clean pool, internet, ice cream, and a US post box to send and receive mail as if you were in the States.
While I’m excited to have so much near me, I hope I will not neglect my village in exchange for American creature-comforts. I plan on spending as much time as possible in my village truly living as a Peace Corps Volunteer should. However, it is nice to know that a slice of pizza is only 20 km away (totally bikeable, no problem).
I still don’t know much about my actual village, but I think it is relatively small and predominantly full of mining families, I’m really looking forward to my site visit. That will give me a better idea as to how my daily life will actually be.
Training and family-wise not much has changed. O.’s leg is still infected, but I cleaned it again yesterday. The infected area seemed bigger but the flesh looked better. His dad bought something in Conakry, but it wasn’t what I suggested and I’m not even sure it’s an anti-biotic. I didn’t get a very good look at it though. I hope whatever it is works.
Anyway I’m off to some waterfalls tomorrow to go swimming, so I should get to bed.
8-2-08Today’s trip to the waterfalls was incredible. All 25 of us went, and along the way we stoped at a Leb store supermarket/gas station. They had everything from Nutella to ice cream, cereal, good liquor, candy, etc. It was all ridiculously over priced (154,000 for Nutella, 200,000 for gin, 8,000 for a candy bar, etc). I splurged on a cold plastic bottle of heat sealed 1.5% milk. It was imported from Belgium an was good for a year from the production date. It was only two months old but it tasted a little sour. It was still nice to have milk after a month without it.
The waterfalls themselves were beautiful. They were just outside of Dubreka, and it was so much fun to go swimming and climbing around with the currents and falls. There was a section where the current was really strong and fast where we kept attempting to cross, but kept getting swept away by the current. There were also sections where we could sit and watch the falls, or even sit under the falls, it was tons of fun.
8-3-08Today, I slept in and read which was nice, then I got up to wash and hang out with my family. I ended up watching D. and A. cook lunch, which was cool, if a little smoky. The cooking hut is separate from the house and is an open-air roofed area with a thatch hut-style roof. They use wood and light fires using broken bits of plastic buckets as starting fuel. They light the plastic on fire and the molten burning plastic sticks to the wood and starts the fire. They set pots on top of rocks to suspend them above the fires. I saw D. make the red oil fish sauce by pounding some fried eggplant with some tomatoes and parsley then fry whole fish chunks then mix it all together with onions and lots of spices, mostly fish bouillon by Knors, and salt. It sounds tasty but it really isn’t, especially when the fish is old, smelly and spiny. I later got this for lunch and mostly ate plain rice.
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8-4-08So today I had a pretty good day, training was pretty good - language was a bit boring because nobody tries anymore and I’m a bit more advanced than the rest of my class at this point. I hope to move to the advanced class next week when we readjust. My atoms lesson went really well, I changed my lesson plan a bit as I was starting and completely improvised most of the lesson. I’m glad my French is good enough that I can talk nonstop about atoms for 30 minutes in a coherent manner with almost no preparation.
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After training I went home and read a bit then had a quick dinner before going out to the Peace Corps house to watch a movie on T.’s computer while the electricity was going. I think it was called “Eastern Promise” - for a mob film, it was pretty good. Most of the volunteers went.
I was excited to find fried plantains among the fish heads and bodies in my pasta tonight. I usually eat around the fish because it is very spiny (pin-bones) and kinda old, but the plantains were delicious. I look forward to cooking for myself, I think I will probably become almost vegetarian on my own partly due to the cost of meat, and partly due to the conditions under which it is stored. Beef hangs outside on hooks in the market sun and gets randomly hacked off when you ask for it. Guineans do not understand how to butcher animals - beef tends to be full of the bone fragments that the butcher’s machete broke off. Pork is nearly impossible to find in the predominantly Muslim country, but I think it is usually even dirtier. Chicken seems the cleanest animal to eat here because it is always fresh - in fact it is hard to buy it when it is not still breathing. Killing, plucking, and cleaning are all part of the cooking process.
Anyway, so I’m writing this entry while watching TV with my family and some neighboring extended family. When the electricity is running the TV is usually on. I think there is only one channel - which seems to be an assortment of shows from badly acted “sitcoms” filmed in Conakry or nearby villages, news shows where people argue back and forth in a mixture of local languages and French, and some public information shows, like the one playing now about some poisonous caterpillar. Earlier during the sitcom, my family laughed with me and teased a little because they saw that I understood the Soussou greetings on the TV. When they saw me look up from my writing there was a laughing good natured exchange of “Tang mu fehe” and “I nu wali” with some “Tana yo mu” mixed in. Ah, good times.
8-7-2008I’m starting to get a little lax/lazy about updating this journal. I should keep an eye on this habit, it’s no good. However I should probably be planning the 40 minute lesson acids and bases that I need to teach tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll get some of that done before sleeping.
I’m a little amped up right now from a battle I just had with a lizard which had snuck it’s way into my mosquito net. At first glance I thought it was on top of the net, then I realized it was clinging to the net, from the inside. Now, I like to think of my bed and mosquito net as a sanctuary - a safe zone from all the nature that surrounds me. I tuck the net under my mattress when I sleep to keep the creepy crawlies out. I did not expect them to get in during the day only to get stuck inside with me. I will not make that mistake again (I hope).
Now I’d like to say this lizard was a huge vicious monster that needed immediate killing but in reality it was relatively small (3-4 inches) and not that threatening (except it was sleek and slimy looking - which could mean it was toxic).
Anyway after a long failed attempt to trap and release it, I decided the easiest though most barbaric method to get ride of it was to sneak the tip of my scissors just under its belly and thrust and cut it in two. Its tail end twitched for a while after this even after I used a shoe to crush the skull. There was a lot of blood and I felt terrible about not just using my hand to grab it and toss it out the window. I just really didn’t want it to fall and get lost among my bed-sheets. It was in my freaking sanctuary. Hmm, I hope I get less squeamish about creep crawly things before I encounter something really serious like a snake or a large rat (my mouse, Cheeto, has not returned, I wonder if the cat got to him).
Anyway, I should lesson plan. Ugh, I hate how the humidity is f’ing with all my pens and paper, everything looks like the pen is out of ink.
8-8-2008So after my last entry my mouse returned at night, knocking something over around 3am and scaring the crap out of me, I think the mefloquine is starting to get to me in the form of paranoia because my heart kept racing well after I realized it was just Cheeto. Also, the shadow my pen cast while writing the firs tfew lines scared me because I thought it was a spider. Crazyville, here I come. Anyway as far as Cheeto is concerned I think I’ve blocked his entrance to my room with some steel wool I bought in the market today. I just hope he has a way out so he doesn’t die in his hole and stink up my room in a few weeks.
Anyway so training today was relatively uneventful, the most exciting part was the 40 minute lesson on acids and bases I gave. I lesson planned during the period before and ran out of prepared activities 20 minutes in - however I pulled off the full 40 minutes with some more improv - M.’s main comment was “Be careful with NaOH” and “Have students erase the board for you.” Incroyable, mais vrai.
After training I read a bit (I’m onto “Three Cups of Tea” now, having finished “Nightmares and Dreamscapes”, “Blood Hunt”, and “Kafta on the Shore”). I then chatted with J. about VAC and JET - Volunteer Action Committee is the PCV-based branch of admin, with representatives from each region deciding how to spend money, etc. Je t'ented is a peer-PCV support network. It is pretty much guaranteed that J. will do one for G-16 Basse Cote and I’ll do the other. Initially we both wanted to do VAC because there is more traveling and power involved in it, but today we both offered to give it to the other in order to do JET. We decided to just wait and see what happens in the future.
Afterwards we watched “Titanic” with my host brother, and his friend who lives across the street from me, whose name I forget. It was interesting to watch this movie with them in a setting where there was constant conversation because I got to see the cultural differences and lack of understanding about life outside of Guinea that my brother - who I think represents the typical Guinean man - shows. When the boat was going under and women and children were being placed in lifeboats he laughed and was incredulous that men would try first to save women and children (who rank at the bottom of the Guinean social ladder a very rigid and central social ladder). He also kept mocking the fact that Jack would try to save rose over love and couldn’t understand why the musicians kept playing despite the mess around them. He insisted they didn’t understand what was going on. His friend, however, was with me on all these points and generally corrected or argued with him which was nice because it meant I didn’t have to. His friend is surprisingly well educated and knows a lot about Western culture. I may try to get to know him a bit better while I’m here, he’s definitely someone I can chat with and have conversations about interesting non-US rap or sports-related things.
Oh and on a side note, this morning I was told that someone had shot Barack Obama, only to find out later that someone had been holed up in a hotel with guns and claimed to be trying to assassinate him. It’s crazy how the news changes so quickly via word of mouth. However, I have my radio set up with the BBC. So I get to be in the know whenever I have time to listen to it. Anyway, time for bed.
8-9-2008Part of this day’s excerpt was cut off on the photocopy but this is more or less as Fed wrote it:So I should probably update before going out to the boite to go [sic]. Today was calm, I read in my room until noon, bathed for the first time in a few days and washed my hair for the first time in a long while. I still am using the same tiny bottle of shampoo I got at the hotel in Philadelphia a month ago.
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Eventually my brother S. and I walked up at a house with a bunch of kids where S.’s girlfriend lives. I played with these twin kids age 6 or so and held a baby who peed on my leg. She disappeared and was back 10 minutes later bathed, smelling of soap and wearing a pretty dress. She and her brothers were adorable, one boy followed me when I left and cried when his mom came to get him. I could really sense the difference between Soussou people and Pules as far as physical and emotional distance. My Pule family - attentive as they are - are never that touchy feely with me.
Anyway, as I said before I’m off to meet some volunteers to go dancing. I managed the small victory of convincing my family to let me go alone and meet me at the club later. It’s a big step in terms of them letting me be out at night alone. Oh, damn, it just started raining.
Oh - one more thing - J. noticed that my host brother O.’s beat-boxing imitated the sound of a broken speaker unable to handle the bass beats of a song. I laughed so hard when I realized he was right. Also, that fact says a lot about Guinea. Eh Allah.
8-10-08So I had a pretty laid back day today. Slept in, listened to BBC, read a bit, and hung out with I. and J. after playing cards with my family. I’m a bit worried about my sister who is sick with what seems to me like semi-serious Malaria. There’s not much I can do for her, so for the time being I’m just letting her be. I think she is healthy enough that she’ll be fine in the long run.
Reading “Three Cups of Tea’ is odd because the development of education in the third world is at the same time so different from what I’m doing - while technically being in the same field of humanitarianism. Also, I’m in the middle of a less interesting section on the late 90s and a war in the area. Parts of the book inspire me to work hard at bettering Bintimodia, especially in educating girls.
I’m looking forward to the site visit, there is so much I want to know about my village - and it will all be at least partially unveiled by this time next week, maybe sooner. I also need to get a new phone because mine seems to have shorted out. I hope to get enough extra money to not worry about taking money out of the safe in Conakry. Hmm, I should try to get some sleep.
8-14-08Greetings from the Boke house. Once again I’ve been a bit lax about writing in here, however I’m also about ¼ of the way through the notebook after just over a month - meaning at this rate I’ll need about 6 moleskines - I suspect this won’t be the case.
Anyway the past few days have been training - more of the same old except that I found out my host brother O. is moving back to Conakry while I’m in Boke, so he will most likely be gone by the time I return.
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Anyway so the drive to Boke from Forecariah was nice - we traveled in a PC car which was fairly comfortable. We were blazing on the road and made it up to Boke in about 4 or 4.5 hours or so. Upon our arrival we had some rice with sauce that Y., the regional coordinator had made for us. There was chicken, cabbage, carrots, green beans, and potatoes in a red oil sauce - it was so nice to have some vegetables again - especially carrots.
And that’s it - that’s as far as he wrote before mailing the journal. Hopefully he’ll catch us up on the rest soon.
