My new village is awesome! The family I live next to super nice and
made me dinner every night I of my visit. I met all the "important"
members of the community-the President, the Sous-Prefect, the "Sage"
(aka religious leaders), the Principle of the School, and of course
the Chief of the Health Center (my counterpart). Everyone is very
excited to start working with me and know a lot about Peace Corps
because they have had 4 other volunteers (all education) in the past.
My house is also great. I have a living room with a couch and 4
"comfy" chairs, a small wall shelf, and an awesome side table (an
elephant at the base with a checkerboard top!). My latrine and shower
area are off a short hall between the living room and my bedroom. The
bedroom is the same size as the living room and has a double bed, a
large table, and a large shelf unit. I am soooo happy that I have
furniture and that my place is "homey" so I can be comfortable there.
I can't wait to actually move and make it mine.
I am also excited to spend some time at the health center. It is
located in an old hospital and has plenty of space for people to be
seen by the health agents. I was very impressed that there is a
functioning refrigerator (runs of propane!) so vaccines can be
administered to the children/pregnant women. All the health agents are
extremely intelligent and dedicated to helping educate the community.
BOKE
Boke is the regional capital for Bass Cote (my region in Guinea) and
so I am allowed and encouraged to spend time once a month at the Peace
Corps house here. The city itself is a little overwhelming because
there are tons of people everywhere and I am not yet familiar with the
area. The PC house also is not the greatest--especially compared with
the PC houses in other regions in Guinea. We don't have a TV or
computer (rumored to have been stolen by the old regional coordinator)
and there is no internet or running water. The electricity is not very
reliable in the city and so the house uses solar panels, but these
aren't powerful enough to run the stove (which I think is broken
anyway) or the refrigerator. The Country Director is looking for a new
Regional Coordinator, and is seriously trying to improve the
conditions of the house so it can be a great place for us to relax
when we visit. Overall it isn't so bad, especially because the other
volunteers in the region are super nice and helpful for us newbies.
KAMSAR
This is an awesome city! There are two internet cafes (and not that
expensive!), a pizza place and a "fast food" diner, and two Western
style super markets. Although it is expensive to go to these places,
it is worth it every now and then, especially to get a little taste of
America. The best part is that Kamsar is only a bike ride away from my
village! I have yet to make the ride so I'm not sure exactly how long
it will take me, but the route is pretty and not too hilly so I think
it will be a nice trip once a week.
TRAVELING IN GUINEA
My first experience in a bush taxi was from Conakry to Boke with 4
other volunteers and our counterparts. The eight of us found a taxi
and paid for only us to ride in it. When we were all getting in, after
loading up all our luggage, a large man decides he wants to get in our
taxi….clearly there was not space for him but the driver allowed him
to ride because that meant more money for him. Thirty minutes into our
ride (with a Guinean man half sitting on my lap) the taxi broke down;
the engine was overheating. The driver tried pouring buckets of water
on the engine to cool it down and said we should be back on the road
in fifteen minutes. Two hours later the driver hops in a car headed
back to Conakry to find us all a new car. When he returned (with two
taxis, each half full of people) we piled in and began the rest of the
trip to Boke. At this point let me mention the fact that we are not
under any circumstances, supposed to travel at night. By the time we
get going it is already 5:30 and the trip to Boke is 5 hours, on an
unpaved road full of enormous potholes. Well, we made it safely; I
spent the ride crammed in the front seat between the driver and a
military police officer (and there were only a driver's seat and
passenger's seat…not a seat for me in the middle) and arrived at the
PC house in Boke around 11 pm.
My second experience went better but still wasn't great; I was
traveling from Bintimodia to Boke to spend some time at the regional
house. Everything was fine until we got to Boke and the driver stopped
at the market and everyone got out; this is not where I was supposed
to be and so I was a little concerned. A police officer who was in the
car told the driver to bring me to the PC house and gave him vague
directions. Not listening to the officer, the driver stopped first at
the hospital and then drove around the city trying to find where I was
supposed to go. He then demanded more money from me (which I gave him)
but still tried dropping me off at three incorrect places. At this
point I began to cry. He kept asking for more money and I kept telling
him to being me to the PC house. We ended up back at the market where
he went to ask for directions and made me accompany him. Just imagine
me crying in the middle of the market surrounded by locals asking me
what's wrong. It must have been quite a sight seeing this "Fote"
crying in the middle of everything. Luckily the driver got directions
and a security guard from the Boke PC house happened to be in the
market where I was and came with me in the taxi. Finally I made it,
and was able to convince the driver to let me go without paying an
additional fee. This is crazy stressful but also a learning experience
and I know now that I am more prepared for my next taxi adventure.
