Pics like id forget?

No i didnt forget this timeor last time the cyber cafe closed for prayer and the transfer never finished.
So long story short, i had other pics but didnt put them on my key cause I needed work documents and my key was full so that got set aside. When I go to Conakry Ill be sure to be better equipped. Anyway these are from the fete at the end of Ramadan.
Miss you.

Aww, its been forever.

Blog
November 2008.

I can’t really put into comprehensible words how I feel about the presidential election. All I can say is that I am very happy with the results.

I stayed up half the night anxiously awaiting the results. I’m four hours ahead so by the time the polls closed it was way past my bed time. So I didn’t get to sleep until shortly after McCain gave his speech. Like around 4 or 5 am here.

I honestly don’t know where I’ve been the past couple of weeks. October was ok.. Kat came to visit from kankan for a couple of days and it was really nice to have a visitor. Something or someone attacked my cat. I left Moussa, my cat, out during the day (which isn’t out of the ordinary, she likes to play with lizards and such) for a couple of hours and when I came back I found one of her eyes swollen and bloody. I was really sad but mostly angry at myself for leaving her outside like that. I took her to the vet (yes there are vets here) and well she is slowly recovering.

Work is still very frustrating. I told my counterpart that I wanted to visit all the villages by bike, he thought this was funny. I was not joking. I have made it to so far to 5 out of the 8. Yes of course I’m going to be tired, bikes do that. It’s just frustrating he won’t even allow me to try. (it’s cause I’m female.)

So the other day I decided to give EVERYONE that made me furiously angry another chance. Like the kids in my neighborhood that come everyday to stare at me and my cat and knock at my door nonstop. Yeah, everyone. So the kids come everyday and ask me for stuff so often that now my name is Kadiatou Okkran (which is my guinea name + the word for give me in Pular.) Cute, right? I kindly tried to explain to them that my name was not “Kadiatou Give me” and that they should learn my name before asking me for something. I spent about twenty mintues, to no avail and left to go get some water.

The other day I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, they weren’t the best but the kids really liked them. I made them about the size of a dime and this one girl ate half and saved the other half for her brother. Now I don’t know if she was just being really nice or the cookies really sucked and she couldn’t finish it. (I think she was being nice because later they came back and asked for more cookies.)

I went and played with them this game kinda like jump rope and double dutch. (maybe I should show them that.) And they were less annoying. Afterward I went to the pump and they actually helped me carry my bidons full of water back to my house. [these bidons hold 25 liters of water.] they never did that before. So sometimes they are ok.

The vaccinator I work with who completely ripped me off, when I asked him to help me get furniture made as hard as it was not to yell at him, I have decided to forgive him. (yeah 3 months later) It takes times for wounds to heal. Besides I really can’t stay mad anymore and it’s partly my fault for not asking around beforehand. However I must admit I was in the habit of telling him how much of a jerk he was (IN PULAR) and that he was not a nice person and a bunch of crazy things because I was upset. He thought I was joking but it did make me feel better to tell him how much of a jerk he was.

The Pular. It’s better. I need to get out of the habit of responding in French but the comprehension is better. I don’t have a tutor. So I’ve been working out of a workbook and just practicing with the family or at work. I asked my host brother if he could teach me insults and bad words in Pular but he refused. O moyya!

I had wanted to teach English but I don’t thinki have the patience or the desire anymore. It’s really time consuming and it’s difficult to make sounds your mouth isn’t used to making. So maybe not for me.

Oh and my birthday was unlike any other. I really thought it’d be great but no, no it was less than great. I spent half the day in tears because NOTHING went as planned and partially because I was also homesick. I know nothing ever goes according to plan here but I was hoping the birthday fairy would help me out.

I haven’t learned any new dishes or anything. I’ve been inda just laying low in the village. Trying to spend more time exploring the village and less time annoyed at retarded people.

I’ve been cooking less and eating with a family every day, just dinner. I usually make lunch for me and the cat. The oatmeal cookies was the first time baking in a month.

So lastly I’ll talk about this village I went to today. It was about 8km, that’s a little over 6 miles. And I met with the President of the community, teachers, as well as other respected members of the community. I went to the school and did a short presentation and just asked questions about their community. There’s no health center, no mosque, no pump and no marche. The doctor at my health center goes once a month to do vaccinations and to do consultations. Can you imagine getting sick and walking six miles to go to the health center? Yikes! When I asked them what their needs were, they expressed interest in a health post. I’d have to agree with them. And a pump at the school. They asked so nicely that I would have liked to give them money right then and there out of my pockets, if I had it. Out of all the villages I have visited so far this one seemed to be the poorest. By the way, on my way out there I saw a huge monkey, how neat is that? And I was trying to keep an eye out for snakes.

update

So after the holiday we had a huge party and were able to eat meat again. So I finished the month and had fasted for two weeks which was hard but much glad its over and people feel like doing suff and working again. Its kinda like everyone shut down for a month.

I met some really cool people during the vacation but they have gone back to Conakry, sad face. Oh well next summer. I found some waterfalls in my village. Amazing waterfalls that are about a 25 walk from my house and even closer than my own market. I didn’t bring my camera so of course no photos but the most interesting part is that this is the Gambie river that passes through my village. Pretty ipressive; so they gave the name of this point Gambie. I also scales a mountain, it was an hour trek but it was really nice and there were filed of fields of crops. Also there was a beautiful view of the village from up there, and yet again I didn’t have my camera.

Things are going good with work. I don’t want to say too much because its very aggravating talking about it and Im feeling happy now. Im starting to like little kids a little more which is pretty good. I liked them before but not when they come to my house to stare at me and now I guess im used to it.

My host family is doing ok. They are very awesome, I think sometimes I can be annoying cause I say the same ten Pular sentences every day with nothing better to talk about. Cest comme ca, Ka I cant fing the question mark.

K. Hope all is well I don’t have much time In town so catch up sooner than later. Miss ya, luv ya.

Inculded pics from the fete after Ramadan and some of me in my village.

adjusting to Ramadan

So today is day four of fasting. Vraiment. For the entire day not eating a thing until after seven thirty or something like that, and eating throughout the night until five the next day. What the hell am I’m trying to do to myself. Well I’m fasting for two reasons. The first reason is because of curiosity to see if I have the willpower to do it. I had already decided before coming to Guinea and after learning of Muslim culture, I would attempt to try fasting during Ramadan. I must admit the first days were hard, because I felt light headed in the evenings and really tired. I kinda don’t want to do anything in the evenings, except countdown till seven thirty. The second reason as to why I’m fasting is more superficial than anything else. I need to cut back on my snaking in order to lose some weight and what a perfect opportunity because no one is going to offer me food if I tell them I’m fasting. I eat so much because everyone tries to feed me and then I go to visit my host mom and she’ll just cry or have a fit if I don’t eat.

I have been taking the opportunity to learn more about the culture this month and it’s been challenging. I had went to the mosque with my friend Binta and it was ok. It’s just that being in there was really awkward for me. You know, I felt really out of place but at the same time I felt really happy and less like a stranger for being invited to go to the mosque. Granted, I have no clue what is going on and what is being said, I still felt more connected to the people here.

My other cultural experience; I learned the purification process. One of my friends had the Coran in French and Arabic so I asked them if I could read a little. But before I could read I had to bathe pretty much. I read a little bit the first fifteen pages or so. It would have been ok if it was in English. But because it was in French I was having a hard time looking up every fifth word to translate what was going on. I spent about an hour reading, or at least until I started to feel sick and laid down. I started reading the first book, the horse, I think it was and the prayer that they use. I’ve always wondered what in the world they were saying in Arabic and now I know and it’s not too different from what I know.

And finally adjusting to the fasting. So the first day I did it, I didn’t wake up in the morning to eat, I just waited till nighttime which was really ridiculous of me cause I hadn’t ate or drank for twenty-four hours. When I came into Labe I stayed with a family who helped me adjust to the fasting. By means of waking me up at four in the morning to eat bread and tea and drink some water. Which I think makes the big difference and then ate night we end the fasting with bouille which is like a porridge type dish and then of course eat rice and sauce. Last night I had fried fish and French fries which was pretty good and went to sleep full. So I’m adjusting ok, mornings are ok, afternoons are eh, but come evenings I feel like I’m counting down the seconds.

I am happy that I am doing this because it takes a great deal of willpower and self control which I most certainly don’t have an abundance of. I’m not suggesting I spend the whole month fasting. I counted another three and a half weeks of this will probably drive me a little off the walls. However, generally people are very responsive and happy that I have taken such an interest in the culture to participate and learn more about their customs. So all in all I have found this experience highly rewarding and even though I’m only on day four, I can tell that continuing will only bring about more opportunities to learn more about my village, my host family and my friends here. But my personal goal is to at least do a week and I’m more than half way there.

Photos from Soccer Final

Photos

A Best Worse Day in Guinea

Blog for September 6, 2008

My Best Worst Day in Africa.
And the month of Ramadan begins with everyone asking whether or not I’m fasting. I’m really glad to be at site sometimes but other times I have to question really, why do I put up with some of the nonsense.
So I have been working to complete a project that the volunteer before me had started which is to do renovations on an old elementary school to turn it into a health post. Which essentially is a very good idea because the village is in the middle of nowhere and is a pain in the butt for me to get to so it’d be very beneficial to put a health center there. So the community came to me because they wanted to continue this project. I think I wrote about this meeting before, there was so many people there and I explained to them yes ok I would like to help and told them what I needed; I needed an updated budget, a description of what renovations they wanted to make, and an action plan. There’s no possible way this could have misconstrued because I only spoke for about 3 minutes and after every sentence my counterpart as well as a village official translated into the local language. All I got was an updated budget, (which was outrageously nothing like the original.) So they gave me the updated budget and told me to print it and give them copies, I sat down and looked at it and asked them why they needed twice as many materials now, I asked for an action plan (which there I finally received), and I asked them whether they had a workforce or not. This was all at the end of July. I spent August typing up the proposal and such.
I’m sitting with my friend Ben (he is Guinean), where he actually actually works with proposals as his work and I went to him to discuss this. He asks me a bunch of questions and explained what I had already knew before hand didn’t make any sense. When I say that at first it was 600 bricks and now it’s 6000 bricks. I did ask this question and they explained they wanted to build a closure for the center. That’s fine because you have plenty of wild animals running around.
Two or three weeks later I’m still looking for the committee who so badly wants this health center. And they ask me whether I have turned in the proposal and I can’t. Its outrageous and doesn’t seem well thought out and I explain this and they just nod and say oh ok. (The big problem is that those who CAN help me either live in Labe or another big city and do not live in the village so I don’t see them everyday.)
So here is why I’m upset, I needed to have an agreement written in French including the summary of the project. I asked them to do this all well. Didn’t happen. So I started to do it, I had my host brother re-write it because my written French is child-like. He did it, but he lost it. I actually did see him do it, so I know he’s not lying. And so I started over and just honestly, didn’t want to s I asked Ben if he could help. He wrote it for me and reviewed the proposal I had written. He asked to see the building, so I met with him in my village to show him and his brother who is a mason. OK so we met and tried to come up with options as well as reasons why the community would suggest so much in materials if they weren’t constructing a new health center. As they were asking me whether they wanted to take off half the building, raise the roof, and add separating walls in such. Honestly I have no freakin clue what the health center should be like. My biggest point is that this health center is not for me, I’m not getting anything out of this health nor will I be seeing a doctor there. And frankly I don’t wanna go to a health center here, I’m terrified I will go there with a headache and they’ll cut off my left pinky toe. Vraiment!
So I started to cry because I don’t wanna spend thee rest of the two years planning this project that was already planned. There shouldn’t be any additional questions. But why is there now?
So after being upset I got back on my bike and started to go home and guess who I found, the president of the district. So I finally got to ask him all those interesting questions I had no answers to and his response was, “I don’t know.” I asked him who knew and he said the mason. (Most likely the mason is going to e someone outside of the community.) So I asked him if someone could given a written explanation of the renovations they’d like to do. He laughed at me. (seriously, he laughed!) He grabbed a stick and started to draw it out on the sand. He said he didn’t know what he wanted, just that he wanted a health post. I asked him why the materials had increased, he said that’s what they’d like when the financement comes. OK? No, not ok. So I explained to him wha the problem was and told him that the mason should not decide what to put in your community. Just like when you get furniture made, you get it to your liking, not someone you don’t know.
So after he finished drawing in the sand, and I finished (not yelling) calmly explaining how ridiculous it is that there is no plan as to what they what to do with the building, I went back home.
I stopped at the health center in the district’s center to talk to my counterpart. I explained to him that there is but only so much I can do by myself. If I’m helping to get financing for something, it needs to be reasonable and SOMEONE should know what they want done over there. That someone is not me. I think he’s gonna find someone to meet with me on Monday so we’ll see how that goes.
I hadn’t eaten since dinner last night with my family, which was around 8, so more than anything I was hungry when I got back. I drank some water and laid down and listened to some music to help relax.
So next I had tutoring, so I went to this girl’s house, Binta, and I helped her a little with English. We went over salutations, body parts and family members. It rained so heavy I had to stay until I think it was 8 or 9. We ate bouile (I think I spelled that right) and rice with peanut sauce. Yummy. Then I was invited to go to the mosque. I thought about it and said ok yeah why not. So we went through the cleaning process and I washed my hands and feet and such. After I put on shawl and we walked over. That was my first time in the mosque, I always walk by it but I never been in it and there nothing’s in it just prayer mats. LOL. So we did the evening prayer and it was ok, I felt kinda weird cause I didn’t understand any of it, only Allah and Thank you and such but everything else, I have no idea.
Afterward I went home to make something for my cat to eat. I thought about how upset I was earlier that morning. Coming from the health post on my bike I wanted to cry but I waited till I got home. It’s just funny now that I’m reading this. I can’t believe that something like that made me upset but it’s all the time here people are trying to get as much as they can. I understand that it is difficult, that’s why I’m here trying to help but it makes my job harder than it needs to be if you’re not being honest about your wants and your needs.

So more funny stories. Today I went into the city and I only could get a taxi to the entrance f town the rest I walked. So I was walking along, walking along minding my own business. These group of little kids are walking perpendicular toward me. I didn’t even look at them I just kept walking minding my own business. One kid says “Porto” (Porto is the word for American or more specifically white person.) but he says it as if he’s going to break out in song. I didn’t stop walking, I just turned my head and gave him the dirtiest look I could muster and he started crying. (ok, maybe I shouldn’t be laughing at my ability to make small children cry but he shouldn’t have said that.)

OH ok, a funny cultural thing I don’t think I’ve mentioned it before which is surprising. I was talking to my mother the other day and was talking about how my cat likes to rip apart toilet paper. And then about how I have to get my toilet paper in Conakry (the capitol) because people don’t use toilet paper here. And it’s true; people don’t use toilet paper here. They look at me funny when I walk to use the bathroom with a roll of paper in my hands. So what does one do? One uses the water method. Well, what’s the water method? You take your little tea kettle full of water and you take your LEFT HAND ONLY, and clean up after yourself with the water. (I DON’T DO THIS.) Tried it but it’s a funny feeling afterwards. I carry paper where ever I go and when I travel. Even when I leave my house in my village, I’ll roll up a couple of sheets hidden in my skirt. Eh, it’s a preference thing, some volunteers convert. I’m not one of them.

I wish I had other funny stories I know I do but I’m trying to think of them.

My other project that I seem to be alone on as well is this HIV/AIDS presentation at the night club in my village after the month of Ramadan when the night club reopens. So probably the first or second Saturday of October. I’ll let you know how that goes. I’m trying to do this with my host brother, he said he wanted to but er, it’s a pain in the butt scheduling crap. You tell someone oh yeah I’ll be right back, wait for me, I won’t be long. Four or five hours will pass until this person returns. I kid you not! I wanted to go to the boutique the other night to charge my phone. I was at my host family’s house and the usually turn on the generator at like 9 I think. So around 9 I wanted to leave. And of course I was told to wait for Koto Boubacar which I don’t mind cause I don’t like walking alone at night. I waited, 30 minutes passed, I asked what he was doing and where he was. They told me that he was in his room and that he was coming. A little after eleven he comes back and goes to the prayer mat and prays. (How can I still be mad at this point?) After he does this, then and only then the family can eat. So I had to wait for that too and luckily, people eat pretty quickly around here. It’s hard to stay mad at Boubacar, he just wanted to pray.

Oh my goodness I need a vacation pronto! Well I have to wish my mom a happy birthday don’t I? In case I can’t call or something but most likely I’ll call.