Travelling and Ideas of Packages.

So yes I'm really headed back to go old home in a few hours, back to the village. I'll probably be around next week or second week of June.

I forgot to include travel plans guys of course I'm doing some travelling.
So this summer June Im going to Mamou for a girl's conference for a few days, In July I'll be in Conakry for a few days for the Fourth of July and a meeting. In late July I'll be in Mamou for a training. In September I'm taking a vacance and going to Mali, Bamako for little over a week. October I might go to Conakry to celebrate my bday but we'll see as it gets closer, I may not have the time or money to do something so crazy.


Ideas if you want to send me package:

I miss really good chocolate like reeses or just hersheys or kitkats

I miss things to bake with

Something like beef jerky or food like that, that keeps for a while

I would really love colorful sharpies

I would like clothes (more specifically i'd like cotton short sleeved tops that are very light and not too expensive and plain very simple in any color but not white because white is extremely hard for me to clean)

ceareal (cinnamon toast cruch, honey nut cheerios, kix or something that I like eating out of the box)

update on music and/or movies anything from 2008 would be nice

Letters!!!

Stickers

Pictures of course

Drink mixes like kool aid and crystal light

granola bars


K, thats all i can think of right now. I'm headed back to my village. If I gotta chance to talk to you it was really awesome to catch up, sorry to everyone I missed. My connection sucks so it's hard to be online all the time. I miss everyone and hope that all is well. Let me know what your doing for the summer. They tell me to expect rain. best wishes and hope to hear from you soon. Miss you. Take care.

Life after IST

I'm headed back to my site today and there are so many mixed feelings right now about what the next few months hold before I return to Conakry in July for the fourth. It's been six months since leaving home and it's going to be much longer than anticipated till I see the US and every day I feel like I miss home more and more and not only that but every day the craziest things just don't even phase me. Like walking into a room and the lights going out. It's normal to lose power. Yeah, and its normal to have a couple mice that it's nothing even wrong with it anymore. It's just expected now. I can't imagine what my first reactions will be when I go back home and can crap indoors with the maginifecent inddor plumbing.

Well I need to say this that I'm a little upset that my closest neighbor had decided to go home. As much as I working to do things more independently. It sucks to not have another volunteer as close as 15 km. I hope with the new group in July and later this year I'll get some neighbors but right now I'm alone in my Prefecture as it stands.

Things I really miss about home is the food and convience of everything. When I went to Conakry it passed so well. I ate Chinese food and ice cream and watched movies and actually watched tv shows. First time in six months I watched cartoon network. (nothing good was on) but it was amazing. You should have seen this house, it wasn't much but when you compare to a hut it is absolutely everything and then some. And amazingly enough there was liquor as well which is a shocker sometimes to see in a predominately Muslim country. So I was very sad to leave Conakry for those reasons but also happy because i dont like the big city.

Dalaba Voyage

So IST is over and was very fun and also very difficult. well anyway we went to Dalaba located in the lovely Fouta region which is the most awesome in Guinea!!! So take a look!

I know it's blurry but this is inside of whats left of a house built by the French when they were in guinea.

Here's too amazing volunteers, Andrew and Adam.
Awww Agfo is so cute, they are a bunch of tree huggers.
Awww, it's me Brienne and Astrid.
G15!!! (minus Jess)
Amy, liz and Amber checkin out the souvenirs

Aww a night out with the ladies. Ciara, jess, me and brienne. That was soo much fun and yes they played lots of American music.
We were hiding behind trees, i didnt do such a good job.
It's me, Astrid and Katie
ME!

I apparently thought I was amazing when I was posing for this one.

A way to end a beautiful day.

This trip was so much fun and would reccommend coming here if anyone is interseted.

I miss home

Hey everyone, how is everything? So it’s In Service Training time and I’m here learning lots with my counterpart. As well as brainstorming ideas to take back with me to my village. Right now I feel so positive and so ready to put these ideas and methods into play and hopefully spark some creative thinking or change.

Things have been going well; I’m three months into my service and looking forward to this summer. I have lots planned already and looking for more projects so I’m really excited. I hope things go as planned, I know they probably won’t go exactly as planned but I hope to get as close as possible. The rainy season is coming and I think I’m prepared but I’m not sure because it’ll be my first brush with the rainy season. I hear it’s hard to do anything late July through early September. That doesn’t scare me too much. I just hope I am able to get back and forth to the market for food when I need to.

People keep asking me if I can receive packages, yes I can get packages and letters and would love to hear from you. It gets kinda lonesome here because I’m so far away and live by myself. If anyone wants to send me a package, you’re more than welcomed.
My address:
Kimberly
Corps de la Paix American
B.P. 1927
Conakry, Guinea
West Africa

About my site, I love my site and I’m really happy with where I am. I think my village likes me and respond to me well. They haven’t ostracized me yet. But I’m still struggling to speak the local language it’s ridiculously hard and I have yet to find a reliable tutor. I thought I found one but he started to hit on me so I have to find another one who isn’t a jerk. But other than that, I’m here and I like my new home. My cat is doing ok too by the way.

May 1st Post

Blog 5/1

What the hell am I doing in Africa?
I cant believe I’m already 3 months into service, it feels like I just moved in yesterday. So let me tell you about April. I spent most of April learning some Pular. I’m still not fluent nor will I ever be but I hope to learn enough to have conversations and do my work. I learned that my counterpart does not speak Pular. Lol. I didn’t that riding my bike isn’t so bad and I’ve done a couple intense bike rides. April I think was the month I learned how to prepare chicken and de-pluck and gut a chicken. I also prepared my first sensibilization, I didn’t get to present it but it was very well prepared. Lol. Oh something not so shocking I have started to try eating food. I know I already do that. But like I’ve started eating foods I’ve claimed to not like such as tomatoes, onions, bananas, guacamole, avocadoes and the list goes on. Its hard to be as picky as I am in Africa, so I’ve started to say what the hell, it could be worse. I could have nothing. Right? Mangeons. Then ergh I’m going to get this, being able to say no. Being American people continually ask me from things and it’s so annoying. Like I have money coming out of my butt. If that was the case you’d like I’d have a nicer house? Or maybe be able to pay someone to do my laundry and crap. No I don’t, cause I’m not made of money. Before I leave Africa I’m gonna learn how to say no and not feel bad about it.

PIcture time

Ok I know these are extremely late and I've been to the Dame of Maliville twice by now but here it is. It's very beautiful, and once you gte to the top of the mountain you can see Senegal.


So here you are looking at the Guinea- Senegal border. And below that there is Erick and the President of PC Guinea Steve on top of Mount Loura.

Here is the Dame of Maliville, It looks like a women, a pretty women and its very high up. And below is on the way up the mountain my Regional Coordinator and Erick.

So thats me try to line up with the profile of the Dame of Mali. Sorry this photo is not so good but you can kind of see her outline in the background as simliar to my own.
Oh this is great, it's me Jackie and Boiro on Mt. Lourna, awww that was after the first month at site. Those were the days. lol.
And here is me, Jackie and Eric.

That concludes my Maliville photos for now., I have more pictures of more things.

Old Blog from Site

Blog April 16, 2008

There are definitely those days where everything just gets on my nerves and others where I can just laugh it off. I really enjoy my village and the people here but it’s tiring and overwhelming sometimes. So I have started teaching several people English and it is going well, for the most part. We are still doing basic concepts but it seems to be going ok because I’ve been doing one-on-one and I think it’s a bit easier so I can answer specific questions and such.

I do feel safe in my village. I feel comfortable to go to my neighbor’s if I ever needed help or anything at all. But the reality is that I am a young American woman living in Africa. And I find it difficult to trust people or even be around people for fear of being taken advantage of, being robbed or getting hurt. The other week I felt very harassed and just a little annoyed and scared because they would not stop calling and would come by house often. I told one of my friends that I work with and I think he talked to him for me.

So the other day I was chillin at my house just writing in my diary with my front door closed. A group of little kids came up to my window and stuck their head in and asked me to open my door. This went on for about an hour. I left the room and then they continually knocked at the door and asked for things and such. It was very annoying and it left me to hide in my room until they went away. Its ok that they come by but sometimes I want to be left alone to do work and I need that window open to see cause I have no electricity and its such a waste to burn my candles during the day because I can’t get a little privacy.

Other than that I have made some progress with my French and I’ve started eating with more families. I like making my own food but sometimes rice is Ok and when I make it, its always so plain. And my Guinean mom is awesome and cooks awesome rice. Every time I go to her house I eat so much.