Well I guess it’s been a while since I updated my blog and a lot has happened so where to begin…
Politics
Always popular topics so why not begin with the ever complicated Guinean political system. When I arrived it was a dictatorial democracy. President Conte had taken power in a coop that had followed his predecessor’s death. He was largely considered brutal and considered by all to be one of the most corrupt men in the word. Elections were occasionally held so; despite accusations of widespread election fraud you could have still considered it a democracy. In December of last year Mr. Conte died of old age among other things effectively ending his two decade rain. Another military coop and Guinea has a new President. Although there has been a lot of reporting of military abuses and road blocks have made most travel near the capital a trial in patience. For the most part the government appears to be less corrupt. At least they are tying, sort of. Improvement projects are being implemented and some of the mining companies that fed the last presidents bank account are being shut down so all and all people are hopeful.
The U.S. election did not go unnoticed here. Rather than people shouting “Whitey”, at me now I here “Obama!” Obama’s face can be seen on Backpacks, shoes, notebooks, belt buckles, name tags, and stickers. Even the most uneducated villager knows that the new American president is black and the difference in their confidence is Amazing. School kids say they want to be president when they grow up and adults that once told me black people aren’t as smart as white people are changing their tone.
Projects
I have spent a lot of time with the ladies in my village at the gardens. In the dry season the village wells go dry so all gardening takes place in the low lands. These are areas that are flooded in the rainy season and used as rice fields and in the dry season are converted into gardens where the wells never go dry. I have made valiant attempts to introduce new vegetables into a very limited diet, unfortunately the limited diet corresponds with limited taste buds and my attempts have been less then successful.
Right now I am coordinating two youth conferences that will take place in Kankan in August and September. Volunteers from all around my region will bring kids from their village to our regional capital of Kankan to discuss health, environmental, and educational issues that affect their lives. If this project is successful it will be my first so keep your fingers crossed.
Weather
Another dry season is coming to an end which means it is hot and the mangos are out. It should start raining in the next couple of weeks. I love watching the dessert turn into a savanna. There are more bugs but the weather is worth it. I love falling asleep to a thunder storm. I am so much more in tune with the weather here. I can predict a thunderstorm two days away just by the movement of the clouds and the smell in the air. The weather is so important to every aspect of life. Without a weather man or calendar every villager knows how many more weeks it is until a heat wave will break or can tell you with confidence in will not rain even if thunder claps over head.
Moose moose
Early one morning I could hear my cat crying in the distance. When I found her she was trying desperately to make her way home on three legs. She collapsed the moment she saw me and looked at me with very sad eyes. Her leg was hurt badly. There was so much blood I couldn’t get a good look at it. Her lower leg was obviously broken but it was her thigh that seemed to bother her the most. I don’t know what she did and without a vet I didn’t know what I could do for her. I tried to make her as comfortable as possible but by that night the infection was so bad I could smell it across the room and she was going into shock. She stayed with me for a day. She went outside to lay in the sun, or so I thought. My village brother told me to just let her do what she wants that she knows what is best so I didn’t stop her from going outside. Ten minutes after she walked out I went to go check on her and she was gone. Most people told me she went off to die because that’s what animals do. A few people told me the kids ate her because that’s what kids do. My village brother told me she would come back when she was healed. I left the village the next day, I hated waiting around to see if she would come back and in three days she did. My brother called me from the village and told me they had found her so I rushed right home. She was better. Still on three legs, still bleeding, still in pain, but she was better and without infection. I don’t know how many lives she lost with that one but I imagine it was a couple.
Two weeks later she had babies. Big brother was right after all.
Home
Thanks to the generosity of my wonderful parents I was able to take a vacation home and it was great. I don’t know how to properly thank everyone that made an effort to make those three weeks so memorable. I felt so loved going home and don’t think I will ever forget that feeling. I wish I could have seen more of everybody but there will be more time latter. I was able to participate in my dear friends Sara and Brian’s wedding. After missing so much being able to be there for their day meant so much to me. I felt oh so honored that they wanted to include me and share their time with me. I wish them both the best of luck and all the happiness in the world.
I also ate, a lot. Returning to country 25 lbs heavier I feel rejuvenated and ready to tackle anything that come my way. So again to all those that made it possible and especially to mom and dad, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!
Well that’s it, a very quick view of six months of my life. I’m sure I left a lot out but I’m sure I will be annoying everyone with little “well when I was in Africa” stories for years. I’m sure eventually you will hear them all. With all my love, until next time,
Binta
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
12/01/2008
Well the seasons are changing once again only instead of getting colder it will be getting hotter. The rains stopped last month so the dry season has arrived. The leaves are falling and the grasses are dying. Because of the extreme dryness and heat in March and April wild bushfires is a huge problem when you are living in a hut made of grass and mud. The fires are set early so they can be kept under control. While you are all going through fall we have bushfire season. The fires are set in the village early in the season while most of the grass is still alive and therefore are wet for fires to spread out of control. The fields are all burned down as the crops are harvested and the rest of the area gets burned as people have time to do it. While this does prevent the more dangerous wild bush fires in the heart of the dry season these can also get out of control and the constant slash and burn method is hard on both the soil and the animals that live in the bush. The mice run into the houses trying to get away from the fires, and just when I thought I was rid of the little guys. A few weeks ago I was walking home from the fields with Hawa my village mom. Not long after we left we came upon a wall of fire moving quickly across the grass land. The winds were strong and helping it along. There was no one in site keeping an eye on it so we have no idea who started it and Hawa was mad. The fire was threatening to go into her fields and they had not yet harvested that part of the land. She ran back to alert her son to come and keep the fire from spreading to there field. She and I waited about five minutes for the fire to pass by and leave the path we were on clear again. We had not gotten much further when I saw another wall of fire coming our way. The land we were standing on had just been burnt so there was no real danger that it would catch again and cause us real trouble. Nonetheless it was strange standing on freshly burnt and still smoking land, watching a wave of fire bear down on me. The fire reached us and crossed our path very quickly. It made me angry when I first saw them setting these fires at the end of the rainy season but now I can understand what they are so afraid of. The grass wasn’t even totally dead yet and I can not believe how fast the fire moved. I can’t imagine how deadly that same fire would have been in March.
Well the seasons are changing once again only instead of getting colder it will be getting hotter. The rains stopped last month so the dry season has arrived. The leaves are falling and the grasses are dying. Because of the extreme dryness and heat in March and April wild bushfires is a huge problem when you are living in a hut made of grass and mud. The fires are set early so they can be kept under control. While you are all going through fall we have bushfire season. The fires are set in the village early in the season while most of the grass is still alive and therefore are wet for fires to spread out of control. The fields are all burned down as the crops are harvested and the rest of the area gets burned as people have time to do it. While this does prevent the more dangerous wild bush fires in the heart of the dry season these can also get out of control and the constant slash and burn method is hard on both the soil and the animals that live in the bush. The mice run into the houses trying to get away from the fires, and just when I thought I was rid of the little guys. A few weeks ago I was walking home from the fields with Hawa my village mom. Not long after we left we came upon a wall of fire moving quickly across the grass land. The winds were strong and helping it along. There was no one in site keeping an eye on it so we have no idea who started it and Hawa was mad. The fire was threatening to go into her fields and they had not yet harvested that part of the land. She ran back to alert her son to come and keep the fire from spreading to there field. She and I waited about five minutes for the fire to pass by and leave the path we were on clear again. We had not gotten much further when I saw another wall of fire coming our way. The land we were standing on had just been burnt so there was no real danger that it would catch again and cause us real trouble. Nonetheless it was strange standing on freshly burnt and still smoking land, watching a wave of fire bear down on me. The fire reached us and crossed our path very quickly. It made me angry when I first saw them setting these fires at the end of the rainy season but now I can understand what they are so afraid of. The grass wasn’t even totally dead yet and I can not believe how fast the fire moved. I can’t imagine how deadly that same fire would have been in March.
Monday, October 13, 2008
October
10/13/2008
Good Bye to Old Friends and Hello to New Ones
Everyone in my training group went to Conakry to celebrate the fourth of July. We drank, we ate, and we were merry. It was great. Best of all I got Chinese food. I LOVE the Chinese restaurant. They have tofu that is good by even American standards and I made the trip more for that then anything else. There is also ice cream, air conditioning, and movies but I mostly just wanted Chinese food. As we were all getting ready to head back up country, I found out that my site mate wouldn’t be going back with us. She would stay behind to visit the Staff doctor. Good, I thought, she had been having problems for a long time. A week later I found out she wouldn’t be returning at all. Washington had decided to medically separator her as well as another dear haut friend. I was devastated. I had gone through a lot with Katie. She is the biggest reason I made it through my first few months at site. She was there for me during some of the most difficult times I have gone through and I will miss her and Melissa greatly. We love you guys. On the bright side July also brought a whole new group of volunteers, G16. The program is expanding and it will be nice to get to know this new group of volunteers. They finished there training at the end of September and are now all in there new villages. It has been a lot of fun meeting all of them. It is also interesting to realize for the first time how far we have all come. All the fears and uncertainties they have are now gone for us. We can navigate around Guinea like pros and are relied on as such by others. That confused look the new volunteers have whenever someone speaks to them in Monikaka is now gone form my face and I wasn’t aware until now that it left. I guess everyone was right when they told me it would get better. It just happened too slowly to notice. There are so many problems in guinea it just takes a while to see all the beauty this country holds and all the wonderful intricacies about a culture so incredibly different from our own. Good luck to G16 don’t give up, it does get better. Much better.Ramadan Well as some of you may know last month was Ramadan. I spent all of it in the village and I can’t believe how hard they worked, from sun up to sun down. They neither eat nor drank yet they went to the field every day. We picked corn, and nuts. The corn was a bit tricky at first. As it turns out corn is a favorite dwelling of the small black ants called Menominee. The fist ear I plucked, they all came pouring out onto my hand. I gave a little scream (just a little one) and said Menominee. My village mom Hola laughed and pulled it off the rest of the way. Same thing happened with the second ear. I called for Hola again, and she told me to go sit down. I told her no and after a short argument as to whether or not I would work that day I continued. I would eventually learn the trick to harvesting a field of corn by hand. Break it off fast, and away from you. Too slowly and the ants are quickly moving up your arm, pulled towards you too fast, and you spray yourself with the little guys like water from a hose. After ten ears of corn I had it down. We walked around the field, each with a rice sack in hand, picking corn. When the sack was full the nearest worker would help lift the sac onto your back and you would carry it to the big pile under the big tree. It was very hard and tiring work in the sun and they did it with out a drop of water or a bit of food. The next day we would shuck the corn and take it to where it would sit to dry. This day would not be so physically demanding, at times even entertaining. In the evening toads would find there way into the pile of corn and as most Guineans are afraid of toads my brother Moosa and I had fun picking them up and teasing Hola with them. The myth about toads is that they are sorcerers that control the snakes. Hence the uncontrollable fear. Most toads, like snakes, are killed on site. The next day we would go pick nuts. Same thing, Walk around with a rice sack and pull the nuts up. Not as many bug problems but without the shade from the corn stalks it was a bit hotter. You also spent the day hunched over. But I prefer picking nuts to corn. The days went like this; alternating between picking and cleaning corn and nuts. I had to drink water I don’t know how they did it. In truth Ramadan is a dangerous time. Heat stroke and kidney stones are a huge problem. Whenever someone asked me why I don’t fast I tell them I can go with out food but not water. Gjee ackinee!!! (Water is good) Ramadan ended October 2nd and all are much happier for it to be a full year away.
Banking Africa style
I thought you would get a kick out of my bank experience today. It is always a pain in the ass but today was just funny. Long story short I needed to close my account in Conakry and only use my account in Kankan. I had 655,500 I told him I would take 600,000 with me and transfer the rest into my Kankan account. This process took only an hour and a half, record time for me at the bank. The funny part was when it came time to give me the 600,000. The guy next to me, there is no line, had a large stack of money the teller looked at him and told him to give me 600,000. We both looked at each other and laughed. He gave me the money and I thanked him. Amy said it happens to her all the time. I have to say I have little faith in the banking system here.
06/04/2008 Let’s Talk About Bugs
I now have a new appreciation for a swarm. Although the rains have cooled things down they have also brought me an over abundance of new little friends. For about thirty minutes after every rain there are termites. Flying white devils that bite if I am not vigilant about shutting my door as soon as the rain stops, there are thousands in my hut attracted to the light of the candles. I have no choice but to jump in my net and hold
It closed tight. As they all have a suicide wish they head straight for the candles until so many have flown into them that they all go out. I am left to just listen for the sound of there wings to stop flapping before I can emerge from my cocoon to survey the damage. Of course closing the door before striking a match less I relive the horror once more. The termites are nothing compared to the ants although the ants have always been there in abundance and I must admit I have spent many hours playing with these little guys. You should all see the battle royal that ensues when a large cockroach is strategically placed between two ant hills. First, of course, you see the small scout ants. They discover the prize and shortly there after discover that a rival colony is also hot on the trail. Within minutes VERY large ants with pincher's emerge from both hills and engage in direct conflict until the food is in the sole possession of one of the colonies. Army ants are always a lot of fun to play with, but very intense and very aggressive. Of course that is the fun. They will attack a stick that falls in their path. I wonder what they are so pissed about. Play at your own risk. I have never felt a bite like one of these guys and the pain lasts for hours. When you are playing and get bit it’s your own fault but the sneak attack is the worst. Which brings me to my next swarm story, two nights ago there were so many of these ants in my hut I could actually hear them moving across the flour. Much like the termites they are attracted to light but these guys wouldn’t leave on their own. I mustered my courage; I had two house guests at the time of invasion and had to get them out, jumped out in front of them and guided them out with two flash lights and a candle. I left the candle outside and waited for most of them to leave the hut. I went back in and shut the door and stomped away. A survey of the damage the next morning showed a biblical bug battle scene. My floor was covered in corpses. Other less interesting swarms;
Caterpillars- look but don’t touch they sting
Cockroaches- still hand sized
Frogs- they eat other bugs but attracted snakes they had to go
Crickets- as it turns out they don’t like storms
Mice- Moose caught her first one yesterday- soon to be under control
Good Bye to Old Friends and Hello to New Ones
Everyone in my training group went to Conakry to celebrate the fourth of July. We drank, we ate, and we were merry. It was great. Best of all I got Chinese food. I LOVE the Chinese restaurant. They have tofu that is good by even American standards and I made the trip more for that then anything else. There is also ice cream, air conditioning, and movies but I mostly just wanted Chinese food. As we were all getting ready to head back up country, I found out that my site mate wouldn’t be going back with us. She would stay behind to visit the Staff doctor. Good, I thought, she had been having problems for a long time. A week later I found out she wouldn’t be returning at all. Washington had decided to medically separator her as well as another dear haut friend. I was devastated. I had gone through a lot with Katie. She is the biggest reason I made it through my first few months at site. She was there for me during some of the most difficult times I have gone through and I will miss her and Melissa greatly. We love you guys. On the bright side July also brought a whole new group of volunteers, G16. The program is expanding and it will be nice to get to know this new group of volunteers. They finished there training at the end of September and are now all in there new villages. It has been a lot of fun meeting all of them. It is also interesting to realize for the first time how far we have all come. All the fears and uncertainties they have are now gone for us. We can navigate around Guinea like pros and are relied on as such by others. That confused look the new volunteers have whenever someone speaks to them in Monikaka is now gone form my face and I wasn’t aware until now that it left. I guess everyone was right when they told me it would get better. It just happened too slowly to notice. There are so many problems in guinea it just takes a while to see all the beauty this country holds and all the wonderful intricacies about a culture so incredibly different from our own. Good luck to G16 don’t give up, it does get better. Much better.Ramadan Well as some of you may know last month was Ramadan. I spent all of it in the village and I can’t believe how hard they worked, from sun up to sun down. They neither eat nor drank yet they went to the field every day. We picked corn, and nuts. The corn was a bit tricky at first. As it turns out corn is a favorite dwelling of the small black ants called Menominee. The fist ear I plucked, they all came pouring out onto my hand. I gave a little scream (just a little one) and said Menominee. My village mom Hola laughed and pulled it off the rest of the way. Same thing happened with the second ear. I called for Hola again, and she told me to go sit down. I told her no and after a short argument as to whether or not I would work that day I continued. I would eventually learn the trick to harvesting a field of corn by hand. Break it off fast, and away from you. Too slowly and the ants are quickly moving up your arm, pulled towards you too fast, and you spray yourself with the little guys like water from a hose. After ten ears of corn I had it down. We walked around the field, each with a rice sack in hand, picking corn. When the sack was full the nearest worker would help lift the sac onto your back and you would carry it to the big pile under the big tree. It was very hard and tiring work in the sun and they did it with out a drop of water or a bit of food. The next day we would shuck the corn and take it to where it would sit to dry. This day would not be so physically demanding, at times even entertaining. In the evening toads would find there way into the pile of corn and as most Guineans are afraid of toads my brother Moosa and I had fun picking them up and teasing Hola with them. The myth about toads is that they are sorcerers that control the snakes. Hence the uncontrollable fear. Most toads, like snakes, are killed on site. The next day we would go pick nuts. Same thing, Walk around with a rice sack and pull the nuts up. Not as many bug problems but without the shade from the corn stalks it was a bit hotter. You also spent the day hunched over. But I prefer picking nuts to corn. The days went like this; alternating between picking and cleaning corn and nuts. I had to drink water I don’t know how they did it. In truth Ramadan is a dangerous time. Heat stroke and kidney stones are a huge problem. Whenever someone asked me why I don’t fast I tell them I can go with out food but not water. Gjee ackinee!!! (Water is good) Ramadan ended October 2nd and all are much happier for it to be a full year away.
Banking Africa style
I thought you would get a kick out of my bank experience today. It is always a pain in the ass but today was just funny. Long story short I needed to close my account in Conakry and only use my account in Kankan. I had 655,500 I told him I would take 600,000 with me and transfer the rest into my Kankan account. This process took only an hour and a half, record time for me at the bank. The funny part was when it came time to give me the 600,000. The guy next to me, there is no line, had a large stack of money the teller looked at him and told him to give me 600,000. We both looked at each other and laughed. He gave me the money and I thanked him. Amy said it happens to her all the time. I have to say I have little faith in the banking system here.
06/04/2008 Let’s Talk About Bugs
I now have a new appreciation for a swarm. Although the rains have cooled things down they have also brought me an over abundance of new little friends. For about thirty minutes after every rain there are termites. Flying white devils that bite if I am not vigilant about shutting my door as soon as the rain stops, there are thousands in my hut attracted to the light of the candles. I have no choice but to jump in my net and hold
It closed tight. As they all have a suicide wish they head straight for the candles until so many have flown into them that they all go out. I am left to just listen for the sound of there wings to stop flapping before I can emerge from my cocoon to survey the damage. Of course closing the door before striking a match less I relive the horror once more. The termites are nothing compared to the ants although the ants have always been there in abundance and I must admit I have spent many hours playing with these little guys. You should all see the battle royal that ensues when a large cockroach is strategically placed between two ant hills. First, of course, you see the small scout ants. They discover the prize and shortly there after discover that a rival colony is also hot on the trail. Within minutes VERY large ants with pincher's emerge from both hills and engage in direct conflict until the food is in the sole possession of one of the colonies. Army ants are always a lot of fun to play with, but very intense and very aggressive. Of course that is the fun. They will attack a stick that falls in their path. I wonder what they are so pissed about. Play at your own risk. I have never felt a bite like one of these guys and the pain lasts for hours. When you are playing and get bit it’s your own fault but the sneak attack is the worst. Which brings me to my next swarm story, two nights ago there were so many of these ants in my hut I could actually hear them moving across the flour. Much like the termites they are attracted to light but these guys wouldn’t leave on their own. I mustered my courage; I had two house guests at the time of invasion and had to get them out, jumped out in front of them and guided them out with two flash lights and a candle. I left the candle outside and waited for most of them to leave the hut. I went back in and shut the door and stomped away. A survey of the damage the next morning showed a biblical bug battle scene. My floor was covered in corpses. Other less interesting swarms;
Caterpillars- look but don’t touch they sting
Cockroaches- still hand sized
Frogs- they eat other bugs but attracted snakes they had to go
Crickets- as it turns out they don’t like storms
Mice- Moose caught her first one yesterday- soon to be under control
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Feb e-mails Part 2
I think adjusting to life in the village will be just as interesting as adjusting to life in Guinea has been. There is just no way to know what to expect next but everything always seems to work out. That is one thing I have learned from Guineans. They are so used to things going wrong they just don't worry about it when it does and in the end everyone is ok (except when their not but there's nothing you can do about that). If you manage to find a taxi that doesn't break down in route you have just had a great day. When I left Mondiana (The village next to mine where I can get a Taxi) to go to Kankan (my regional capital) the taxi broke down about fifty feet from the garage. The cabby got out, took off the carburetor with a screwdriver, taped it on the side of the car, blew on it a couple of times, and put it back on. IT WORKED! The car made it. It struggled like hell the whole way and we had to stop to give it a break every now and again, but it made it. I couldn't believe it. The stores are never stocked with what you need so you learn that you don't need it and you stop worrying about it. Guinean spoon, right hand, Guinean toilet, paper left hand. No need to buy anything. But don't get the two mixed up or you will spend a whole lot of time using your left hand. The people here are so kind and generous. They are always willing to help out a stranger. They all understand struggle and know that one day they will need help to. Something else I have learned here; there is no shame in needing a little help. Most of them actually jump at the chance to help out a stranger and feel very proud they were able to do it; you can see it on their face. All the Volunteers that have been in country a while are amazing. They have done everything we asked them to do. Navigating Guinea without them would have been impossible. They take us into the city to get the things we want. Tell us which restaurants will probably not get us sick and has food that we will like. Any time we all want to buy something they just tell us how much it costs, collect the money, and go get it. It’s not like you can just go to Target and find what you’re looking for. You have to know who has what you want and then talk to that person for a half hour or more on how much that thing should cost. On the bigger items it is amazing that they are willing to just do it for us. They have spent the last two days helping us get stuff for site and it’s not over yet. I can't wait for the next group to come in so I can be the one to show people around and help out. When we say thanks they just say, "do it for the next group, someone did it for us". Plus I don't like asking for help. I know there's no shame in it, I still don't like it. Well not yet anyway. Whoever said people can't change, never did anything challenging. I don't remember what I have told people about my new village so I will just say it again now. I am moving to Faralako on the 14th. It is a very small village. They don't even have a weekly market. My market is in Mondiana. That is about three/five K and it is a really pretty walk/bike ride. The best part about my village being so small is that there is no trash everywhere. There is nothing much to buy, and whatever waste they do have they just burn.
My village name is Binta Djackieta.
They like giving us African names because it is easier for them to pronounce and remember. I was against this practice in the beginning; my village name during training was Bountoo Camera. I thought it was stupid. But when I went to visit Faralaco and met the Mayor, a toothless man without shoes eating with his hands outside his hut, he asked me what my village name was. I said I didn't have one in hopes they would just let me keep my name. He looked disappointed tried and failed again to pronounce Alison and then asked why I don't have one. He was the last of a long list of people I had met that day, I was tiered, so I just shrugged my shoulders and said it wouldn't be right for me to name myself. His eyes and smile widened, he sate up straight (well straighter) and cleared his throat. Obviously the task of naming me was now his and he couldn't be happier about the responsibility. I was accompanied by my work counterpart and the man that will be my brother in the village. He is about 40 something and as a teacher one of the few French speakers in the village. The mayor said in a very declarative voice “Binta Jolo.” At this my "brother" started yelling. From what I understood of the Monikaka conversation, my name could not be Jolo because I was to be cared for by the Djackieta family and why would he say Jolo. The Mayor explained that the last volunteer would was a Jolo so I should be as well. They argued for another five minutes and then the Mayor turned to me, smiling, wide eyes, straight back, and declared Binta Djackieta. I found the argument funny so I took the name without argument. For the rest of my visit everyone had retold the story to me. As I was introduced to people they would tell me my name and say not Jolo Djackieta and laugh hysterically. So I like the name thing because it helped me break the ice with everyone in my village. And as they all knew my name before I had ever seen them it must have made it easier for them to remember.
I am looking foreword to getting to know the people of my village. They appear to be such a warm and loving people. They were always smiling and joking and seemed very care free. I can't wait to work with them and I hope I can find a way to make their lives easier. I will be working with three women’s gardening groups.
Project potentials
1) Mud stoves, the Guinean cooking method is very simple. Three rocks hold up a large pot and a wood fire burns underneath. With the Mud stove they use half the work and can cook in half the time. The open fire method also causes long term long and eye problems that can lead to blindness and death.
2) Live fences. They would have to spend time cutting done trees and grasses or mending the fences if i find the right bush.
3) Fire break. Brush fire is a huge problem in Guinea and the current solution is to just start the brush fire early in the season while the grasses are still wet so they don't get out of control and burn down the village. Unfortunately they sometimes still get out of control and that technique ruins the earth for planting. But planting certain trees can actually stop the brush fires so I hope to try a project like that but it is a hard one to get started. It takes a long time to establish and they are more worried about putting food on the table then that type of environmental issue.
4)Maringa. “The tree of life.” It is not native to Guinea so they don't know a lot about it. But it grows easily hear, you can literally chop of a branch and stick it in the ground in a few weeks you will have new growth. It has been called the tree of life. It has more Vitamin C then oranges, more iron then spinach, and so on through all the vitamins and minerals. It is used around the world to cure most any disease you can get. It is great and I have been talking to the Health volunteer in Mondiana about getting the docs to prescribe it as a prenatal vitamin. My ladies get something that will sell and everyone else gets healthy. Win, win
02/26/2008
Well I have been at site for just over a week and we came into Kankan to greet the US ambassador who is making his first rounds of the country. I have been very excited to see the other PCVs while here, it is amazing how close you can get to people in such a short period of time. I am looking foreword to going back to my village though. The village has put on a soccer tournament, some of which I am missing now. Before each game I shake the hands of all the kids playing say a word or two and then kick out the first ball. It’s all very cute. The last game is March third and there will be traditional drums and dancing afterword. I have made some friends in my village but most people there speak no French at all so it is slow going. I'm sure it will get easer soon when I pick up the local lang. better. The woman that is my village mom is incredibly nice. I love her. We have almost no common words between us but we still manage to spend a lot of time together and know what the other one is talking about. She stops by twice most days to see if I need anything and we take tours around the village to meet people. She tells me I am a chicken because when they eat they share a bole so they eat quickly in order to get enough. They don't have any water until the end of the meal, and at no other point during the day, again they share a cup so they down the whole cup in one gulp in order to pass it on quickly to the next person. They also tend to eat a large amount at one time rather than a few smaller meals during the day, cooking is a pain so they just assume do it once. I, on the other hand take small sips and small bite all day long. Eating mostly grains and veggies she just laughs and calls me chicken. My name continues to cause controversy but I am sticking with the one I've got. While most of the people in my family have a different last name, causing some confusion, I found out that woman don't change their last name when they marry and my moms last name is Djackieta to I just say I am her kid and no one else. She's the only one I consider family anyway. Getting used to village life has been hard. We were finally getting used to things at training and it all changed again. But as I get to know people it gets easier. Doni Doni (little by little) whenever I have a bad day, or a bad hour as there are a lot of ups and downs during the day, I say that to make myself feel better. When others see me struggling and give me a look of how can I help. I smile and say that to them, it is one of the few monikaka things I know, and it always makes them laugh and we all relax a little bit. Although this has been a very intense experience I can feel myself easing, if not slowly, into life here and am looking foreword to having work to do during the day. As spring hits and your temperatures start to turn pleasant just think of me over here next month is supposed to be the hottest of the year. There hasn't been rain since November so everything is dust and we won’t see a drop of it until May. But I have always wanted to experience this kind of life and am looking foreword to it, if not a bit apprehensive. Just get a hair dryer set on high pointed at your face throw in some dust and you can pretend you are here with me. All my love and sweating a lot
My village name is Binta Djackieta.
They like giving us African names because it is easier for them to pronounce and remember. I was against this practice in the beginning; my village name during training was Bountoo Camera. I thought it was stupid. But when I went to visit Faralaco and met the Mayor, a toothless man without shoes eating with his hands outside his hut, he asked me what my village name was. I said I didn't have one in hopes they would just let me keep my name. He looked disappointed tried and failed again to pronounce Alison and then asked why I don't have one. He was the last of a long list of people I had met that day, I was tiered, so I just shrugged my shoulders and said it wouldn't be right for me to name myself. His eyes and smile widened, he sate up straight (well straighter) and cleared his throat. Obviously the task of naming me was now his and he couldn't be happier about the responsibility. I was accompanied by my work counterpart and the man that will be my brother in the village. He is about 40 something and as a teacher one of the few French speakers in the village. The mayor said in a very declarative voice “Binta Jolo.” At this my "brother" started yelling. From what I understood of the Monikaka conversation, my name could not be Jolo because I was to be cared for by the Djackieta family and why would he say Jolo. The Mayor explained that the last volunteer would was a Jolo so I should be as well. They argued for another five minutes and then the Mayor turned to me, smiling, wide eyes, straight back, and declared Binta Djackieta. I found the argument funny so I took the name without argument. For the rest of my visit everyone had retold the story to me. As I was introduced to people they would tell me my name and say not Jolo Djackieta and laugh hysterically. So I like the name thing because it helped me break the ice with everyone in my village. And as they all knew my name before I had ever seen them it must have made it easier for them to remember.
I am looking foreword to getting to know the people of my village. They appear to be such a warm and loving people. They were always smiling and joking and seemed very care free. I can't wait to work with them and I hope I can find a way to make their lives easier. I will be working with three women’s gardening groups.
Project potentials
1) Mud stoves, the Guinean cooking method is very simple. Three rocks hold up a large pot and a wood fire burns underneath. With the Mud stove they use half the work and can cook in half the time. The open fire method also causes long term long and eye problems that can lead to blindness and death.
2) Live fences. They would have to spend time cutting done trees and grasses or mending the fences if i find the right bush.
3) Fire break. Brush fire is a huge problem in Guinea and the current solution is to just start the brush fire early in the season while the grasses are still wet so they don't get out of control and burn down the village. Unfortunately they sometimes still get out of control and that technique ruins the earth for planting. But planting certain trees can actually stop the brush fires so I hope to try a project like that but it is a hard one to get started. It takes a long time to establish and they are more worried about putting food on the table then that type of environmental issue.
4)Maringa. “The tree of life.” It is not native to Guinea so they don't know a lot about it. But it grows easily hear, you can literally chop of a branch and stick it in the ground in a few weeks you will have new growth. It has been called the tree of life. It has more Vitamin C then oranges, more iron then spinach, and so on through all the vitamins and minerals. It is used around the world to cure most any disease you can get. It is great and I have been talking to the Health volunteer in Mondiana about getting the docs to prescribe it as a prenatal vitamin. My ladies get something that will sell and everyone else gets healthy. Win, win
02/26/2008
Well I have been at site for just over a week and we came into Kankan to greet the US ambassador who is making his first rounds of the country. I have been very excited to see the other PCVs while here, it is amazing how close you can get to people in such a short period of time. I am looking foreword to going back to my village though. The village has put on a soccer tournament, some of which I am missing now. Before each game I shake the hands of all the kids playing say a word or two and then kick out the first ball. It’s all very cute. The last game is March third and there will be traditional drums and dancing afterword. I have made some friends in my village but most people there speak no French at all so it is slow going. I'm sure it will get easer soon when I pick up the local lang. better. The woman that is my village mom is incredibly nice. I love her. We have almost no common words between us but we still manage to spend a lot of time together and know what the other one is talking about. She stops by twice most days to see if I need anything and we take tours around the village to meet people. She tells me I am a chicken because when they eat they share a bole so they eat quickly in order to get enough. They don't have any water until the end of the meal, and at no other point during the day, again they share a cup so they down the whole cup in one gulp in order to pass it on quickly to the next person. They also tend to eat a large amount at one time rather than a few smaller meals during the day, cooking is a pain so they just assume do it once. I, on the other hand take small sips and small bite all day long. Eating mostly grains and veggies she just laughs and calls me chicken. My name continues to cause controversy but I am sticking with the one I've got. While most of the people in my family have a different last name, causing some confusion, I found out that woman don't change their last name when they marry and my moms last name is Djackieta to I just say I am her kid and no one else. She's the only one I consider family anyway. Getting used to village life has been hard. We were finally getting used to things at training and it all changed again. But as I get to know people it gets easier. Doni Doni (little by little) whenever I have a bad day, or a bad hour as there are a lot of ups and downs during the day, I say that to make myself feel better. When others see me struggling and give me a look of how can I help. I smile and say that to them, it is one of the few monikaka things I know, and it always makes them laugh and we all relax a little bit. Although this has been a very intense experience I can feel myself easing, if not slowly, into life here and am looking foreword to having work to do during the day. As spring hits and your temperatures start to turn pleasant just think of me over here next month is supposed to be the hottest of the year. There hasn't been rain since November so everything is dust and we won’t see a drop of it until May. But I have always wanted to experience this kind of life and am looking foreword to it, if not a bit apprehensive. Just get a hair dryer set on high pointed at your face throw in some dust and you can pretend you are here with me. All my love and sweating a lot
Feb. e-mails
02/08/2008
Well it's official. I swore in as a volunteer today. There was a ceremony with some of the important people of Guinea including the U.S. ambassador and some other NGO heads. It was nice, it didn't take to long, and there was food. When we got into the capital I went to a Chinese restaurant I had heard of and it was the best food I have had in country. In fact it was some of the best Chinese food I have had period. Today I tried an Indian restaurant. It was good but very expensive. Anyway my new village won't have much for me to buy so I might as well splurge while I have the chance. The Lebanese have little grocery stores all over Conakry so I also went there today and spent a tone of money on things like beans and spices and more western foods that I won't be able to find up country. The last few weeks of training were great! I learned a lot about agro forestry and I am finding that I am quite passionate about it. I think if all goes well over the next two years I would like to go back to school for it and make a career out of it. I have gotten really close to some of the other trainees. To be honest it would be impossible not to. When you share these types of experiences with people they become good friends, even people you wouldn't have talked to in the states or didn't like at first, you just learn a lot together. Like the most comfortable squatting position when you have the shits (the only way to poop in country), and the best way for keeping the mouse out of the bed at night (the little suckers have no problem getting through the mosquito netting). But all in all it has been a wonderful experience. I have started to find laundry meditating; it takes so long you might as well. I also find that I am able to get things cleaner then the machine could. The Day I turned a badly dirt and grass stained sock white was a proud day.
I tested out of French at Advanced High which made me feel very proud because the only thing above it is fluent. When I got here I tested into Intermediate low ( rating goes; 3 novice, 3 intermediate, 3 advanced, fluent) The PC language program is internationally recognized and advanced high will look really good on my résumé, plus I can argue over prices with the best of them. Not that this will help much in my village as almost no one there speaks French. I will be living in a Malinka village where they speak Monika. Guineans only learn French when they go to school and my village is very small and most have never been. I was interviewing one of the groups I will be working with and of the 64 only four were literate in any language. This was a big wake up call for me. The village we did the training in was fairly large and most had some form of education. Even though I knew the literacy rate here was low I guess I just never really got it. When I asked how many people in the group could read they all actually laughed at me. They just thought it was a funny thing to care about. So I guess by the end of my tour I will be speaking Monikaka well. It is spoken all over West Africa so it will be useful if I travel outside of Guinea.
I already have a lot of project ideas for my new village so I am really excited to get started.
Well it's official. I swore in as a volunteer today. There was a ceremony with some of the important people of Guinea including the U.S. ambassador and some other NGO heads. It was nice, it didn't take to long, and there was food. When we got into the capital I went to a Chinese restaurant I had heard of and it was the best food I have had in country. In fact it was some of the best Chinese food I have had period. Today I tried an Indian restaurant. It was good but very expensive. Anyway my new village won't have much for me to buy so I might as well splurge while I have the chance. The Lebanese have little grocery stores all over Conakry so I also went there today and spent a tone of money on things like beans and spices and more western foods that I won't be able to find up country. The last few weeks of training were great! I learned a lot about agro forestry and I am finding that I am quite passionate about it. I think if all goes well over the next two years I would like to go back to school for it and make a career out of it. I have gotten really close to some of the other trainees. To be honest it would be impossible not to. When you share these types of experiences with people they become good friends, even people you wouldn't have talked to in the states or didn't like at first, you just learn a lot together. Like the most comfortable squatting position when you have the shits (the only way to poop in country), and the best way for keeping the mouse out of the bed at night (the little suckers have no problem getting through the mosquito netting). But all in all it has been a wonderful experience. I have started to find laundry meditating; it takes so long you might as well. I also find that I am able to get things cleaner then the machine could. The Day I turned a badly dirt and grass stained sock white was a proud day.
I tested out of French at Advanced High which made me feel very proud because the only thing above it is fluent. When I got here I tested into Intermediate low ( rating goes; 3 novice, 3 intermediate, 3 advanced, fluent) The PC language program is internationally recognized and advanced high will look really good on my résumé, plus I can argue over prices with the best of them. Not that this will help much in my village as almost no one there speaks French. I will be living in a Malinka village where they speak Monika. Guineans only learn French when they go to school and my village is very small and most have never been. I was interviewing one of the groups I will be working with and of the 64 only four were literate in any language. This was a big wake up call for me. The village we did the training in was fairly large and most had some form of education. Even though I knew the literacy rate here was low I guess I just never really got it. When I asked how many people in the group could read they all actually laughed at me. They just thought it was a funny thing to care about. So I guess by the end of my tour I will be speaking Monikaka well. It is spoken all over West Africa so it will be useful if I travel outside of Guinea.
I already have a lot of project ideas for my new village so I am really excited to get started.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Blogs of other volunteers:
http://tckinguinea.blogspot.com
alittleblury.blogspot.com
www.travelpod.com/members/kylejesw
http://cuseinafrica.blogspot.com
http://tckinguinea.blogspot.com
alittleblury.blogspot.com
www.travelpod.com/members/kylejesw
http://cuseinafrica.blogspot.com
Well after much pushing I have finally decided to start a blog. No more mass emails. Things are starting to move along more quickly now. I have started work in a near by village and my own garden is coming along quit nicely. That’s about it for my day to day life, kind of boring but nice. When I first got here I think I felt like I was interrupting my life. I was in a strange place surrounded by very strange people. It could not have been life. Now however I am more comfortable and carving out my little notch in the village. Now I just feel like I am living my life, perhaps just a strange part of it.
Points of interest for the month –
A wedding
I went to a wedding for the regional driver at the begging of June. It was interesting and very different from the weddings I am used to. All those coming from Kankan went in the same car. It was about two hours away but in true Guinean stile we broke down along the way. We were crammed in, with more butts than seats. Our welcoming to the village was unreal. The bus pulled into the center of town where hundreds of children waited. As soon as they saw us they started screaming. They were banging on the sides of the bus. As we got off they were falling over each other trying to touch us or if they were lucky shack our hands. I feel like a celebrity here often but on this day I could have been the Beatles surrounded by a bunch of prepubescent girls. It was nuts.
As always there was a lot of food. But not served at a reception just at the groom’s house, you could go back and eat if you want. There were two ceremonies, a religious and a civil. The religious ceremony took place in the Mosque. The bride and groom entered through separate doors, sat at opposite ends of the room, and left through separate doors. At no time during the ceremony was the bride addressed or acknowledged. After that ceremony she walked around to the other side of the building where he was standing and they got into a car. It was very reminiscent of back home. People were throwing confetti and cheering for the couple. They were taken to the village office where an official waited. This time they sat next to each other at the front of the room. The official read the marriage law out of a book basically saying that the man was the head of the household and that the woman now had to live with him. It was strange as this ceremony was held in French. A language that some of the men could understand, including the groom, but none of the woman, including the bride. But that’s how it went. The groom paid the marriage fee of five hundred GF, five thousand = 1$, they kissed on the check and that was it. Outside was a hammock under what looked like a covered coffin. Four men carried it on their heads and the bride got in. They carried her like that around the whole village. I am told that this is reserved for only the important woman of the village, her father is the Imam. The procession ended at the groom’s house where she was presented to his family. This represents that she is no longer a part of her family but a part of his. It is tradition for the bride to cry most of the day and act upset because she is loosing her family and everything she has known.
Her mother is no longer her mother his mother is, although I saw her smiling more than once. I think she was happy about the arrangement. She is his second wife. Something I am used to only if I don’t actually know the woman. He has two wives, no big deal. But with families I know I still feel bad for the woman and disappointed in the men. Before we left for his village I was “talking” with his first wife and she was visibly upset that he was taking another wife. Although I love our driver, I hate that he thinks he should have more than one wife.
After the new wife was presented to his family everyone went back to the center of town where we watched people dancing. Only small groups dance at a time while the rest of the village watches. Not exactly the free for all we are used to. After the dancing everyone went back to the grooms for food. The bride was ceremoniously carried into the bedroom and everyone cheered her virginity. That was it, it was over. It was interesting.
Politics
Ever since we got here we are briefed on the political situation in Guinea. Basically it is not good. The government neglects to pay people like the police, the military, its teachers, or just anyone they are supposed to in general. For some reason these people find it upsetting and strike often. In a dictatorship striking is a dangerous game. No danger to us, we are not striking and those who do are glad we are here. However general unrest is never good. We had to postpone our girls conference because the teachers planned a strike for the same day, how inconsiderate of them. But the teacher’s issues are resolved for now so the conference is set to take place in October before school. July is already booked and September is Ramadan. It would be hard to get participants during a holy month. There is no current unrest, I wouldn’t be in Conakry if there was, but things come up quickly around here. The embassy keeps us well informed so we usually know well in advance. Through it all my village seems unchanged and untouched. When I asked if the teachers there were striking they didn’t know what I was talking about. Peace Corps told us when we got here that the safest place was in the villages. I guess that is why. Not only are they unconcerned with the outside world they are unaware. News broadcasts in French a language few speak and fewer speak well. I am looking foreword to going back to my little village. Nothing much to do and less to worry about.
That’s it for this month. Happy fourth of July. Talk to you all soon
Points of interest for the month –
A wedding
I went to a wedding for the regional driver at the begging of June. It was interesting and very different from the weddings I am used to. All those coming from Kankan went in the same car. It was about two hours away but in true Guinean stile we broke down along the way. We were crammed in, with more butts than seats. Our welcoming to the village was unreal. The bus pulled into the center of town where hundreds of children waited. As soon as they saw us they started screaming. They were banging on the sides of the bus. As we got off they were falling over each other trying to touch us or if they were lucky shack our hands. I feel like a celebrity here often but on this day I could have been the Beatles surrounded by a bunch of prepubescent girls. It was nuts.
As always there was a lot of food. But not served at a reception just at the groom’s house, you could go back and eat if you want. There were two ceremonies, a religious and a civil. The religious ceremony took place in the Mosque. The bride and groom entered through separate doors, sat at opposite ends of the room, and left through separate doors. At no time during the ceremony was the bride addressed or acknowledged. After that ceremony she walked around to the other side of the building where he was standing and they got into a car. It was very reminiscent of back home. People were throwing confetti and cheering for the couple. They were taken to the village office where an official waited. This time they sat next to each other at the front of the room. The official read the marriage law out of a book basically saying that the man was the head of the household and that the woman now had to live with him. It was strange as this ceremony was held in French. A language that some of the men could understand, including the groom, but none of the woman, including the bride. But that’s how it went. The groom paid the marriage fee of five hundred GF, five thousand = 1$, they kissed on the check and that was it. Outside was a hammock under what looked like a covered coffin. Four men carried it on their heads and the bride got in. They carried her like that around the whole village. I am told that this is reserved for only the important woman of the village, her father is the Imam. The procession ended at the groom’s house where she was presented to his family. This represents that she is no longer a part of her family but a part of his. It is tradition for the bride to cry most of the day and act upset because she is loosing her family and everything she has known.
Her mother is no longer her mother his mother is, although I saw her smiling more than once. I think she was happy about the arrangement. She is his second wife. Something I am used to only if I don’t actually know the woman. He has two wives, no big deal. But with families I know I still feel bad for the woman and disappointed in the men. Before we left for his village I was “talking” with his first wife and she was visibly upset that he was taking another wife. Although I love our driver, I hate that he thinks he should have more than one wife.
After the new wife was presented to his family everyone went back to the center of town where we watched people dancing. Only small groups dance at a time while the rest of the village watches. Not exactly the free for all we are used to. After the dancing everyone went back to the grooms for food. The bride was ceremoniously carried into the bedroom and everyone cheered her virginity. That was it, it was over. It was interesting.
Politics
Ever since we got here we are briefed on the political situation in Guinea. Basically it is not good. The government neglects to pay people like the police, the military, its teachers, or just anyone they are supposed to in general. For some reason these people find it upsetting and strike often. In a dictatorship striking is a dangerous game. No danger to us, we are not striking and those who do are glad we are here. However general unrest is never good. We had to postpone our girls conference because the teachers planned a strike for the same day, how inconsiderate of them. But the teacher’s issues are resolved for now so the conference is set to take place in October before school. July is already booked and September is Ramadan. It would be hard to get participants during a holy month. There is no current unrest, I wouldn’t be in Conakry if there was, but things come up quickly around here. The embassy keeps us well informed so we usually know well in advance. Through it all my village seems unchanged and untouched. When I asked if the teachers there were striking they didn’t know what I was talking about. Peace Corps told us when we got here that the safest place was in the villages. I guess that is why. Not only are they unconcerned with the outside world they are unaware. News broadcasts in French a language few speak and fewer speak well. I am looking foreword to going back to my little village. Nothing much to do and less to worry about.
That’s it for this month. Happy fourth of July. Talk to you all soon
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