There is no place like home.....

My new home that is!!! It is so amazingly beautful tucked away in a valley surrounded by mountains, rock formations, a river and a few small waterfalls which will become huge by the end of august (wet season).

A few reflections on the past month at site. You know you’re in Guinea when

=you don’t have a phone that works, the radio was broken and you had no way to finalzie your plans wiht your friends buy you take off on a 40k bikeride over and down 3 huge mountains knowing it will all work out. You are not sure where to find these grand falls called shutes de sala but you nearly ride off the side of the mountain into the falls hundreds of feet below saved only by the one guard rail that exists in guinea.

=you hike 5k in the heat of the day to look at a groupments garden (group of women working together towards a common goal) talk to them about their groupment for an hour or so and walk away with a live chicken as a “small gift”. The president works in 4 different groupments to help support the family and she gives mea figt that is workth ¼ of her monthly income. I have no intention of accepting but whe I tell this to my counterpart he says it is rude not to accept it. Now we jef off in a taxi that has stopped for us with a live squawking chicken in toe.

=You set off on a n 18 mile hike to “les eschelles” (2 gigantic ladders made of bamboo) at 10:30 wearing kakhi’s because you are with a govenerment official Neither of you know where you are going but you get to a nearby village and hire a 9 year-old as a guide. When you finally arrive hot and tired at this amazing spot the official is scared to decend the ladders and forbids you to do the same. You act like you don’t understand his French and go down anyway only to be rewarded with a spectacular view of the valley and the sight of a family of monkys playing in the trees. You make it a business trip by visiting a groupment on the way back.

=Your friend (the government official) comes by on a random Tuesday monring to let you know that you are needed at the police office...now. Not understanding why you quickly march there together. After waiting for the chief to finish his other business you are bombarded by questions ranging from your work to your age. Next you answer all the same questons for the other volunteer who lives in your prefecture but is not there. He is just getting this information to keep us safe. Only 2 days later we are awarded another trip to the police but this time with PC staff. Moral of the story, is go visit early and don’t wait til you hear the call.

=Les eschelles take 2 only this time with the PC landcruiser trashing through the forest until we could not possibly drive any further. We land about 20 minutes fro the gigantic bamboo ladders, race there (in a skirt this time), a few of us descend and then must go back. I have now seen les eschelles 2x more than most Guinean’s in my village. I should take that back, some of them saw les eschelles on tv back when there was electricity in Lelouma.

=It’s Sunday, all your clothes are dirty and could not possibly be worn again. Its dry season so your well is almost dry...what to do? Go to the river and pound your clothes against a rock of course. Although you accidently end up at the mens spot you are rewarded with reggaie music and dancing because your friend (the taxi cab driver) has driven his car into the river for a quick wash. Just a quick note that your clothes do somehow actually get clean in the river but you just hope that the cow poop has already been washed downstream.

Hope you enjoyed these few details of my life in Guinea. Stayed tuned next month for more.