WEEK 5
March 7, 2012
I can't believe I've already been at site for a month. Time is flying by and I can only imagine how quickly it'll continue to pass when I actually start working.
Monday I had my first Susu lesson with Mr. Soumah, the history teacher here. He has tutored all of the other PCVs from Bintimodia and so I feel confident that he will actually be able to help me. He seems very accommodating and is pleased with my effort so far.
Yesterday I met with the English teacher to discuss a revision class for students interested to learning English. We worked it out so I will be teaching revision once a week for two hours for any student or adult from the village. I am very happy with this because it won't be too time consuming, but it should be very beneficial to those who attend. The students in the college (7th-10th grade) are being taught incorrect English by their Guinean teacher and have incredible difficulty pronouncing words, since the teacher can't even pronounce them properly. Hopefully I will be able to correct mistakes of the teacher and help them practice real English.
The same cat that broke into my house a few weeks ago was hanging around the hospital this morning looking for food. I called it over and it was being very sweet with me so I was petting it and trying to encourage it to like me. It was purring super intensely and did that "I can't get enough love" biting thing Bomber does. It was really nice, and I'm considering adopting it, especially since I know it belonged to the previous PCV. I still plan to get a kitten, but for now I might see how this cat works out.
Conte was really excited this morning. He told me to start sitting in on consultations with the stagiares. I am very happy about this, because now I actually feel like I'm doing something instead of just being a secretary for the hospital.
March 8, 2012
Another morning of consultations! I actually enjoy "working" at the hospital, instead of sitting helplessly outside. There is a specific procedure to each consultation; the "doctor" questions the patient about symptoms and whatnot then takes blood pressure, temperature, and weight. Sometime during this process, a diagnosis is made (usually Malaria) and the patient receives medication (usually aspirin and antimalarials, even if that was not the diagnosis). Our health center is not equipped with a lab so we can't run tests for malaria or anything else; therefore, all diagnoses are presumptive. After the patient gets the medications, or is written a prescription to have filled in Kamsar, they pay an arbitrary amount of money (but not much) and head home.
Today I sat in on another American history lecture with Mr. Soumah. The lecture was on the stock market crash and Great Depression in the 1930s. It was a great overview of why/how it happened and the effect it had on international economics. However, he didn't really discuss what happened after. He mentioned FDR and the "New Deal" saying it helped rebuild America, but didn't go into the actual importance of these programs in shaping the face of America today. When Mr. Soumah asked if I had anything to add to the class, I wanted to talk about these things, but refrained; I figured it might be for a future class and I wasn't confident in my ability to discuss the issue and answer questions about it.
Immediately after the history lecture I had a Susu class with Mr. Soumah. I love learning the language, even though it is a little challenging. A lot of the words are from English or French, so picking up a lot of the vocab shouldn't be too difficult. Also, Mr. Soumah thinks I'm the best student ever, but really it's just because he is teaching me things I kind of already know and Susu overall is an easy language to learn, so I'm picking it up quickly.
Mr. Soumah is also helping me with some things outside of academics. I mentioned I want to paint my house and so he is looking in the market for interior wall paint for me. He is supposed to get it this weekend and the man will come to paint my house Sunday!
WEEK 6
March 12, 2012
Well, the man did not come to paint my house yesterday. I'm a little bummed about this, but I have Susu this afternoon so I can ask Mr. Soumah about it and see if he was able to buy the paint.
This weekend was really awesome. Friday I sat in on consultations throughout the morning and hung out with Kadiatou for lunch. There was a sacrifice of a goat at her house for something to do with her aunt. I eat meat rarely so it was a great treat to eat the grilled goat. In the afternoon, Lamar and I worked in the garden and he showed me other plots we are starting for rice. I really enjoy being there and want to try spending more time working there.
I spent Saturday in Kamsar and tried a new place for lunch. I got a hotdog that turned out to be two hotdogs on half of a French baguette with mozzarella cheese, onion, tomato, mustard, and ketchup. It was delicious and inexpensive, especially considering how large it was. I talked a little with the owner, and he told me about the WiFi there, and to my understanding it's free, which is awesome. I will definitely check that out next time I'm in Kamsar, since the internet café isn't the greatest.
Saturday night I went to the video club run by my brother/cousin. The music is pretty good, except for the really traditional stuff. However, I really do no like the skits. They are very strange and are in Susu so I can't even really follow what's happening. Also, they are cheaply made, which is not usually a problem, but the volume is up sooooo loud that when the dialogue or music happens the sound is blasting out and it's too loud to even hear. It's really annoying and I cannot handle it.
Sunday was a relaxing day as usual; washed some clothes, painted my nails, got water from the pump. It was made special, because I got packages form home delivered. Getting packages is like Christmas; I have no idea what's inside for the most part, but I know it's going to be awesome. I got a bunch of food/candy in addition to games and other fun things to share with the PCVs in Boke next weekend. There was one small mishap with one of the packages, though. A mouse got into the corner of one box and chewed into a packet of noodle soup. Well, this, in turn, invited tiny red ants to take over and the box was completely filled with them. Somehow the ants even managed to get into a Tupperware container. Luckily, they didn't ruin anything and I was able to get them all out of the box and off of the various items!
March 13, 2012
Just had my first English revision. It went really well and I feel great about it. I was worried at first, because it was just Kadiatou and I. Fortunately two boys showed up right as I was beginning so it wasn't too bad. Throughout the lesson, more students trickled in, and by the end I had nine students!
I taught them greetings and how to introduce them. There was a simple dialogue to reinforce introductions, learn some vocabulary, and listen to how a real conversation might sound. As a final exercise, I had them answer questions about themselves: name, age, where they live, what they do, and how many siblings they have. I think it was basic enough for everyone to fully understand, but still challenging enough for people to need a little help or a few corrections for their answers. Next week, I think I will have them read aloud their mini bios for practice and to reinforce the lesson before teaching how to express wants and needs in daily life.
March 18, 2012
I love going to Boke and spending the weekend with other volunteers. It is really great to get out of village for a little while and just have some "American" time. Friday Steph and Marissa bought mozzarella sticks at the super market. We fried them up and also garlic bread, spaghetti, and homemade tomato sauce and had a feast dinner. They were soooooo good and we are definitely planning on buying them again in the future, especially since they were half the price we thought they were going to be. Also, on Friday Marissa gave me a haircut. My long locks have become a chin length bob and it is really nice not to have to "do" my hair. Saturday we started the day watching Lion King and then went to market to buy things for lunch/dinner and look for fabric. We spent almost two hours there but luckily all three of us got some beautiful cloth to make some new clothes. For lunch we made macaroni and cheese with velveeta from my care package and had a delicious salad. The afternoon was spent playing scrabble and watching Rio. For dinner we made tortilla soup and Phil bought beers since it's St. Patrick's day. We even splurged and bought ice to put in the filter so we could have cold water! After dinner we made peanut butter and banana cookies/brownies and watched another movie (Big Trouble). All in all, it was a great weekend, and not too much money spent. Today I am off to Kamsar to try the restaurant WiFi and maybe buy another hotdog sandwich : )
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