The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Mockingjay
Suzanne Collins
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Called to Conakry by the PCMO: Weeks 14 and 17
Week 14
So the week before IST (in-service training) I journeyed to Conakry to visit the PCMO (Peace Corps Medical Officer) to discuss a couple health concerns. No big deal, should have taken only one appointment, but this is Guinea, and everything takes an unneccessarily long time. Tuesday I spoke with the PCMO and he decided I needed to have an echogram so off we went to a provate clinic downtown with a few other volunteers (one needed an x-ray because she injured her ankle). While waiting at the clinic I decided to have a little snack and proceeded to eat a bit of bread with cheese (not real cheese, just laughing cow). As I was on my last bite, I was called into the exam room, where the tech yelled at me for eating, saying she couldn't get an image now. Well, that sucked, especially because I was not told I couldn't eat. An hour later the tech tried the imaging and it was ok, but they needed to confirm what they saw was from food and not actually a medical concern.
After the other volunteers where finished with their appointments, we went to a fancy French restaurant (Le Damier) for lunch. I had an amazing mushroom and chicken quiche, a fruit tart, and ice cream. It was pretty expensive, but after months of rice and fishy sauce it was definitely worth it!
That evening, Julie (CD) and her husband Paul took all the volunteers in Conakry (about 7 of us ) out to dinner at San Remo's a pizza place not far from the PC compound. It was a great time and everyone swapped pieces of pizza so we could all try the different kinds. The outing was made even better when Julie picked up the tab for all of us, a very welcome surprise!
The next day, the three of us ventured off to our appointments with the PCMO, where Wiatta (hurt ankle) got a cast for her "sprained ankle" and I had another echogram which luckily showed no problems. Clara was unable to see the doctor because he decided not to work that day, nice huh?
When we were done we had the Peace Corps driver drop us off at Le Damier again for ice cream and croissants. The restaurant has a great atmosphere and stepping inside is like being transported out of Guinea and into the Western world. Of course we were a little out of place; sweat pants and t-shirts made us stick out when everyone else was wearing sleek dresses with heels and suits with ties. The staff, however, was very kind and a few of them new PC staff and so they gave us fresh squeezed juice (mango!) while we waited. From here, we met up with Janice (a PCRV who was leaving Guinea in the next few days) and the four of us had Chinese for lunch (needless to say it was incredible!)
That afternoon all PC Guinea volunteers received a text message from Julie, the Country Director, informing us of protests in Conakry due to upcoming legislative elections. We were told not to travel around Conakry and were pretty much limited to the PC compound. This warning carried over to the next two days making it impossible for us to keep our doctors' appointments. By Friday evening the protests had stopped and everything was back to normal in the city. A few more volunteers came to visit and we were able to venture out for dinner altogether (piza again!).
Sunday we all got on the PC bus and headed off to Mamou for IST.
Week 17
After IST a few volunteers, including myself, took a taxi back to Conakry for doctors' appointments and/or the quarterly visit we are allowed every 3 months. We left Mamou about 12:30 and made it to Conakry around 7:30 pm. Fortunately we were able to "de place" a taxi, meaning we found an empty taxi and paid for all the seats; there were seven of us and we found a car for 9 people (normally it's 2 people in the passenger's seat, 4 people in the middle, and 3 people in the far back seat) so we were at least comfortable on the trip. About 3 hours into the drive we ran into a traffic jam. This turned out to be the result of a damaged bridge which was in the process of being rebuilt.Yes, it was being built right then and there with hundreds of cars waiting on both sides to cross. We waited about 1.5 hours, during the hottest part of the day; oh, did I mention I also had a kitten with me?! (more on the cat in the next post) Once we crossed the bridge (super sketchy, basically just a couple metal sheets welded onto the existing framwork of bridge) it was smooth sailing for another hour or so. A little bit later, as our driver was speeding through a narrow road with a little market on the side, we rear ended a "patron" (wealthy person living in Guinea). Our driver tried to slow down and swerve, but there was a car coming the other way who sped up so we couldn't pass. So, the front passenger's side of our taxi hit the rear driver's side of the SUV and the patron flipped out and punched our driver in the face. There was hardly any damage to either car (taxi's are beat up anyway, most are literally falling apart) and no one was hurt; in fact, the kitten was sleeping on my lap all the while and didn't wake up once during the whole ordeal. After this, our driver seemed a bit more cautious, although we was driving very fast despite the fact that the brakes were not the best; from here we made it into Conakry in one piece.
This week in Conakry was pretty much the same as the last; a bunch of doctors' appointments and really awesome food. I ate pizza five times in addition to the delicious quiche from Le Damier. We made Mexican one night and a mango pie. At Le Damier I also tried a couple sandwiches: ham and swiss, and avocado, shrimp, and swiss. Both were amazing and I wish I could have them all the time.
The visits to the doctor went well and by Wednesday I was cleared to go back to site; although I don't really have any answers for my health problems, I know there is nothing seriously wrong, so we will see what happens. This, however, is not the case for one of my PC friends, Aprille, a fellow PH volunteer. She hurt her leg/ankly playing baskball during IST and had to see an orthopedic surgeon. The x-ray showed there was no fracture, but all her symptoms indicated a rupture to the Achille's tendon.
Aprille was medically evacuated to the US Thursday evenening to many hugs and a few tears, with little hope that she will be back (we only have 45 days for a med-evac before we either have to come back to Guinea or be medically separated from PC). At least Aprille will get the treatment she needs, but it is very unfortunate that her PC service is ending so soon, only three months in.
Today I leave Conakry for Boke and then tomorrow go back to site. I am glad to be going back, but after four weeks away from village it might be a little rough getting back into the sing of things. Luckily I have a few projects planned and I am excited to get under way and actually start working!
So the week before IST (in-service training) I journeyed to Conakry to visit the PCMO (Peace Corps Medical Officer) to discuss a couple health concerns. No big deal, should have taken only one appointment, but this is Guinea, and everything takes an unneccessarily long time. Tuesday I spoke with the PCMO and he decided I needed to have an echogram so off we went to a provate clinic downtown with a few other volunteers (one needed an x-ray because she injured her ankle). While waiting at the clinic I decided to have a little snack and proceeded to eat a bit of bread with cheese (not real cheese, just laughing cow). As I was on my last bite, I was called into the exam room, where the tech yelled at me for eating, saying she couldn't get an image now. Well, that sucked, especially because I was not told I couldn't eat. An hour later the tech tried the imaging and it was ok, but they needed to confirm what they saw was from food and not actually a medical concern.
After the other volunteers where finished with their appointments, we went to a fancy French restaurant (Le Damier) for lunch. I had an amazing mushroom and chicken quiche, a fruit tart, and ice cream. It was pretty expensive, but after months of rice and fishy sauce it was definitely worth it!
That evening, Julie (CD) and her husband Paul took all the volunteers in Conakry (about 7 of us ) out to dinner at San Remo's a pizza place not far from the PC compound. It was a great time and everyone swapped pieces of pizza so we could all try the different kinds. The outing was made even better when Julie picked up the tab for all of us, a very welcome surprise!
The next day, the three of us ventured off to our appointments with the PCMO, where Wiatta (hurt ankle) got a cast for her "sprained ankle" and I had another echogram which luckily showed no problems. Clara was unable to see the doctor because he decided not to work that day, nice huh?
When we were done we had the Peace Corps driver drop us off at Le Damier again for ice cream and croissants. The restaurant has a great atmosphere and stepping inside is like being transported out of Guinea and into the Western world. Of course we were a little out of place; sweat pants and t-shirts made us stick out when everyone else was wearing sleek dresses with heels and suits with ties. The staff, however, was very kind and a few of them new PC staff and so they gave us fresh squeezed juice (mango!) while we waited. From here, we met up with Janice (a PCRV who was leaving Guinea in the next few days) and the four of us had Chinese for lunch (needless to say it was incredible!)
That afternoon all PC Guinea volunteers received a text message from Julie, the Country Director, informing us of protests in Conakry due to upcoming legislative elections. We were told not to travel around Conakry and were pretty much limited to the PC compound. This warning carried over to the next two days making it impossible for us to keep our doctors' appointments. By Friday evening the protests had stopped and everything was back to normal in the city. A few more volunteers came to visit and we were able to venture out for dinner altogether (piza again!).
Sunday we all got on the PC bus and headed off to Mamou for IST.
Week 17
After IST a few volunteers, including myself, took a taxi back to Conakry for doctors' appointments and/or the quarterly visit we are allowed every 3 months. We left Mamou about 12:30 and made it to Conakry around 7:30 pm. Fortunately we were able to "de place" a taxi, meaning we found an empty taxi and paid for all the seats; there were seven of us and we found a car for 9 people (normally it's 2 people in the passenger's seat, 4 people in the middle, and 3 people in the far back seat) so we were at least comfortable on the trip. About 3 hours into the drive we ran into a traffic jam. This turned out to be the result of a damaged bridge which was in the process of being rebuilt.Yes, it was being built right then and there with hundreds of cars waiting on both sides to cross. We waited about 1.5 hours, during the hottest part of the day; oh, did I mention I also had a kitten with me?! (more on the cat in the next post) Once we crossed the bridge (super sketchy, basically just a couple metal sheets welded onto the existing framwork of bridge) it was smooth sailing for another hour or so. A little bit later, as our driver was speeding through a narrow road with a little market on the side, we rear ended a "patron" (wealthy person living in Guinea). Our driver tried to slow down and swerve, but there was a car coming the other way who sped up so we couldn't pass. So, the front passenger's side of our taxi hit the rear driver's side of the SUV and the patron flipped out and punched our driver in the face. There was hardly any damage to either car (taxi's are beat up anyway, most are literally falling apart) and no one was hurt; in fact, the kitten was sleeping on my lap all the while and didn't wake up once during the whole ordeal. After this, our driver seemed a bit more cautious, although we was driving very fast despite the fact that the brakes were not the best; from here we made it into Conakry in one piece.
This week in Conakry was pretty much the same as the last; a bunch of doctors' appointments and really awesome food. I ate pizza five times in addition to the delicious quiche from Le Damier. We made Mexican one night and a mango pie. At Le Damier I also tried a couple sandwiches: ham and swiss, and avocado, shrimp, and swiss. Both were amazing and I wish I could have them all the time.
The visits to the doctor went well and by Wednesday I was cleared to go back to site; although I don't really have any answers for my health problems, I know there is nothing seriously wrong, so we will see what happens. This, however, is not the case for one of my PC friends, Aprille, a fellow PH volunteer. She hurt her leg/ankly playing baskball during IST and had to see an orthopedic surgeon. The x-ray showed there was no fracture, but all her symptoms indicated a rupture to the Achille's tendon.
Aprille was medically evacuated to the US Thursday evenening to many hugs and a few tears, with little hope that she will be back (we only have 45 days for a med-evac before we either have to come back to Guinea or be medically separated from PC). At least Aprille will get the treatment she needs, but it is very unfortunate that her PC service is ending so soon, only three months in.
Today I leave Conakry for Boke and then tomorrow go back to site. I am glad to be going back, but after four weeks away from village it might be a little rough getting back into the sing of things. Luckily I have a few projects planned and I am excited to get under way and actually start working!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Time for a Vacation! Bel Air: Week 13
WEEK 13
This week I took a mini vaca to visit my friend Megan, a fellow public health volunteer. She lives about 30 km from a beach resort, Bel-Air, which is one of the most touristy places in Guinea. Marissa, Phillip, and I stayed a couple nights with Megan in her village and got to meet a bunch of her friends and visit the health center where she is working. It was really cool seeing the diferences between my site and hers and having a chance to talk about projects we are working on.
Saturday we went to a fancy hotel in Bel-Air to check out the beach. The water was crystal clear, and the beach was white sand with tons of cool shells. Best part--no seaweed!! The weather was perfect, hot and sunny without a cloud in the sky and the water was cool and refreshing. It was an ideal beach day and things could not have been better...until lunch.
So the hotel we were visting is pretty expensive and we had kind of high expectations as far as buying food goes. When we tried to order for lunch they only had a few options including salads, sandwiches, and a few other things. No problem, we all found something that sounded appetizing and we placed our order. About thirty minutes later a server comes up to us on the beach and says their refridgerator hasn't been working and so they can only make a tuna sandwich, and it was going to be expensive. Well, after much deliberation, we decided to forgo lunch altogether and just ate a little left over bread and mango jam we had from breakfast. Despite this setback, the day was very relaxing, and a successful beach trip. I am definitely looking forward to going back : )
Some Pictures!!
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| Bel-Air |
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| Making rice at the primary school..three pots of rice, one full of sauce |
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| shredding gumbo to add to the rice |
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| students washing bowls |
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| rice with gumbo, ready for serving |
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| cooking hut at chez Kadiatou |
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| rice and sauce ingredients |
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| tub o' peanut butter |
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| washing rice |
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| mixing peanut butter with water for sauce |
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| onions and piment ready for piler-ing |
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| piler-ed pepper and onion |
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| rice and peanut sauce cooking |
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| lunch is served!! |
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| river separating Bintimodia from Katangoro |
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| our new bridge...and yes, it is as sketchy as it looks. |
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| across the bridge, walking to katangoro |
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| laundry day...bedding is the worst to wash |
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| all clean! |
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| Lamar pumping my water at the hospital |
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| freshly painted living room! |
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| bedroom..it's not as clustered as it looks, actually it's pretty spacious. |
Friday, April 27, 2012
Bean Sandwiches and Fish Balls: Weeks 11 and 12
WEEK 11
April 18, 2012
Today
Mr. Diallo, the principal of the school/Kadiatou's dad, asked me if I would
teach a few math classes a few days a week. After looking over the schedule I
decided I probably could do it, even though math is not my strongest subject,
to say the least. As if he could tell I was wavering about what I should do,
Mr. Diallo then offered me the option of teaching English instead. Clearly I am
much more comfortable with this and so I agreed. Now I will be teaching 7th grade
and 8th grade English, each once a week.
This
afternoon I looked at Kadiatou's English notebook to see what the 8th grade has
learned so far. First of all, the last English class she had was in December,
so pretty much anything she may have learned, she probably lost. Although this
sucks for the students, it makes lesson-planning soooo much easier for me; I
can just start at the beginning, which I plan to do, using the same model as
for my revision class.
April 19, 2012
Well,
today was my first day teaching English for the 8th grade. It went well,
although it was a little overwhelming. There are about 45 students in the class
(remember, my revision had only about 7) and they all talked at once and asked
a million questions. However, the students were all kind, and listened to me
and I think they actually understood what I was trying to teach. I felt a
little bad at the end, because I told them I plan to give an exam next week,
after having only one class in which we covered A LOT of material, but no one
complained, and so I hope they are prepared next week.
April 21, 2012
Since
I haven’t been working at the hospital, I’ve been spending my days selling bean
sandwiches with my host mom. These are awesome sandwiches, simple baked beans
on French bread with a sauce made from oil, onions, and I think mashed up fish
(it doesn’t really taste fishy, so I’m not sure). They are a nice change from
rice and sauce and so I enjoy having them for breakfast each morning. Yesterday
my mom also started selling “banti” or meat balls made from fish. These are
also delicious, although they take a little getting used to since they are made
with the bones of the fish in addition to the meat. Banti are made with mashed
rice, onions, mashed whole fish (literally the whole fish, but with the head
cut off), and hot pepper. Some people sell these fish balls with a hot
pepper/water sauce, which is delicious and is actually what I prefer, although
my mother cooks the banti in the pepper water rather than serving it in it.
Each
morning I get up around 6:30 to help my mom prepare the beans and fish balls
and then we carry everything over the school to sell to students and teachers.
It is a nice way to pass the morning because I can talk with my student friends
and see the professors I work with (namely Mr. Soumah, my Susu teacher). In the
afternoons, once school is out, I help Kadiatou prepare the rice for her family
and spend time with her brothers and sister. I feel more a part of their family
than my own sometimes, so this is a pleasant way to pass the day. Once the food
is finished and we have all eaten, Kadiatou and I get water from the pump and
then I head home for the evening. Mostly
I hang outside with my sister, Namina,
and my mom has to cook the beans and prepare the fish balls for the next
morning (these things take a couple hours to make so it’s necessary to prep
them at night so their ready for cooking the next morning). Sometimes, when
Namina has finished her chores and cooking the “cookies” she sells, we walk to
the port where a bridge is being built connecting Bintimodia to Katangoro, a
neighboring village. I like seeing the progress of the bridge and its nice to
be at the river in the sunset hours.
WEEK 12
April 23, 2012
Today
I had my first Susu class in about 3 weeks. Mr. Soumah was impressed that I
remembered most of what he taught me, and that I have learned new things in the
interim. The class progressed smoothly and when we were about finished I received
a telephone call from a number I didn’t recognize. I noticed the country code
was not from Guinea, so I was curious as to who was calling me and so I
answered (normally I would just call back after class, that is the respectful
thing to do, after all). Well, it’s a good thing I answered, because it was
Raychel calling from Tanzania! It was so great to hear from her and share our
PC experiences so far. It was an awesome surprise to get that call, and I look
forward to talking with her, and others, again.
April 24, 2012
Every
Tuesday there is a “petite marche” in my village where women sell vegetables, food
(KeKe, bean sandwiches, etc.), and shoes, amongst other things. It is very
small, but everyone comes to buy various things for meals and whatnot. Today
was my first time experiencing the market, and it was rather exciting. Let me
begin by saying I ate a ton of food. Before 10 am I had already eaten a bean
sandwich, keke (shaved manioc with a little sauce and stuff), an avocado salad sandwich,
about 6 fish balls, and a couple bonbons glacees. I was stuffed and happy, and
could honestly not think of a better place to be at that time than selling
beans and banti with all the other women talking in Susu.
Later
in the morning, the chef of the health center gave a short talk about the
importance of treating water and drinking only this water because there was a
recent cholera outbreak in Kamsar, with two deaths as a result. The women all
stopped their work and listened attentively while the chef went on about this;
but once he was finished, it was back to business and chatting, just like women
everywhere.
Today
was also my first day teaching English to the 7th grade. I decided
to give the same lesson as I gave the previous Thursday to the 8th
grade. Everything was going well, except for a few disrespectful students, who
apparently give all the other teachers a hard time too. This class is smaller
than the 8th grade (about 25-30 students) but it is wayyy more challenging.
No one understood anything, or so they said, and no one listened at all. I
ended up cutting the lesson a little short because I could tell the students
had checked out, and honestly, I had had enough. Hopefully next week goes
better, now that I know what to expect from them.
April 26, 2012
Today I gave an exam to the 8th grade English
class. It was awful. The class average was a 10 out of 20. The highest grades
were a 19 and 18, but I’m fairly certain these students cheated, as I know the
smartest kid only got a 16.5. I gave a
written part, which went ok, and an oral questioning, which went horribly.
Firstly, all the students were talking throughout the whole
exam. Second, hardly anyone knew the answers to the oral exam. Thirdly, half
the class cheated on the bonus I gave because they were all listening in on the
oral exam. This was all very discouraging, but I made it through, and
definitely have a better plan for the next time.
Grading papers was again slightly upsetting, once I realized
how badly most students did, but this is normal, and I know education is not
valued here and so this occurrence is not unique to my class. I was happy with
some students, who I know, and who did well, namely Kadiatou who earned a 15.5.
Once I got the last few papers, though, I realized there was a major case of
cheating. One student’s paper had two different handwritings on it; one
belonging to the girl whose test it was, and the other belonging to Kadiatou. I
asked Kadiatou if she sat next to this girl, to which she said no. I then asked
if this girl is a good student, and Kadiatou replied not particularly. I then
flat out asked if Kadiatou helped her with her test, to which she, again, said
no. I then told her I knew she did because her handwriting was on the test and the
answers she wrote were wrong and unique to her own test. She then admitted that
she wrote those answers in to help her friend. I told her they would both receive
zeros, because cheating is unacceptable. I feel badly about this, but I know it
is right and for the best.
Birthday Edition!!
April 15, 2012
Today was a pretty average day; spent the morning cleaning and doing laundry and then went to help prepare the rice with Kadiatou. Kadiatou's older sister (Fatim) from Boke has been visiting from Boke, which has been cool because Kadiatou has gotten some time to relax and just hang out, rather than do all the chores and cooking for her brothers and sisters.
This afternoon I was in the cooking hut with Fatim and Sarata, Kadiatou's younder sister (about 8 years old) when all of a sudden Fatim took Sarata out of the hut and started saying that there was something in the hut. I immediately assumed there was a spider (prior to this Fatim kept looking at the roof above me) and ran out of the hut covering my head. Once outside, Fatim said there was a chameleon and then Kadiatou proceeded to tell me that chameleons are extremely dangerous. Now, I know chameleons are not dangerous, so I wasn't concerned but the others were afraid and M'Baye, Kadiatou's younger brother (14 years old) grabbed a spear (yes, a spear, seriously) and started trying to stab the chameleon and get it out of the hut. Finally they knocked it down and M'Baye pierced it, and left it on the ground with the spear still stuck inside.
After all this excitement, we all (the women) returned to the cooking hut to continue making the rice. Now that I saw how honestly afraid everyone was I asked Kadiatou why chameleons are dangerous (well, why she thinks they are, anyway). She then explained to me that they change colors and so you can't see them and that's why they are so bad. I laughed a little and said they aren't dangerous, even though there was no proof I could give to verify this.
April 16, 2012--Birthday!!
In order to spoil myself a bit in honor of my b-day, I went to Kamsar with Steph and Marissa where I was able to skype with a bunch of family and friends. Once in Kamsar I made a quick trip to the market to buy all the ingredients my host family said I would need for my village celebration for "mon anniversaire". Finding all the things was interesting and challenging since some of the words were in Susu and written in a not-so-easy to read way. Not to mention that the market is huge and not really organized in a logical way. After about an hour of frantically searching and asking a bunch of random people where I could find things I had everything on the list, and a massive plastic bag to show for it.
Unfortunately the internet wasn't working for the first hour or so, and I missed a few people who had to go to work. After an awesome lunch (cheeseburger and fries!) we went to the grocery store where I splurged on hummus and ruffle potato chips (the only inexpensive thing to eat hummus with), blue cheese, and a wine cooler type frozen drink.
After we were finished in Kamsar, the three of us found a taxi and made our way back to Boke. Marissa and I spent the night in the PC house where we watched movies (Harry Potter--of course, and Monte Carlo--please don't judge, it was a cute movie) and made dinner. I attempted a buffalo-style eggplant sandwich, which, although was not exactly what I had in mind, was very delicious, and would definitely be worth a second try. Phil (a PC response volunteer) came to the house after his class and he and Marissa made spaghetti and tomato sauce. Together we shared the chips and hummus and also some skittles I brought from a care package. Unfortunately the city power did not come on that night, so the refrigerator wasn't working and my frozen drink stayed liquid and luke warm. I decided to save that for the following trip to Boke.
April 17, 2012
This morning I left Boke with Cisse and the Boke Driver, Conte to head back to village. On the way to Kamsar (Cisse had some business for PC to take care of there) we stopped to look at a potential placement for a new education volunteer. It would be a great site, judging by the brief look I got, it is nearer to me than any other volunteer right now.
I finally made it back to Bintimodia around noon and immediately started cooking lunch/dinner with my family. After the normal rice and sauce we started making the "cake" aka balls of fried dough. My mom was preparing the dough and cut up onions in it. Immediately I was like "umm, onions in cake?!" but my sister assured me it was normal and would be good. Well, she was right, they were delicious (how could anything with sugar fried in oil not be good?) and we ended up with a huge bowl full of "gateau".
After the cake we started making "bonbons glacees". These are normally like popsicles in that they are fruity, sugary, frozen treats; however, since I do not have electricity, they were not frozen, or even cold, but still sugary and delicious. These snacks come in a bunch of flavors, most commonly ginger (djin-djan), hibiscus (beesap), moki (a fruity fruit, can't describe it any other way), and mango/banana. I like all of them, but chose to make beesap for my b-day celebration, mostly because I found the dried hibiscus flowers in the market and couldn't find anything to make the others. After mixing the hibiscus flowers with boiling water and straining, we added a ton of sugar and a little vanilla sugar. After the mixture cooled, we added more water and then spooned the syrup into small plastic baggies. The bonbons are eaten by biting a corner of the bag and chewing/sucking the juice out that way (it sounds way more strange than it is).
Once everything was prepared, and of course after eating a ton of rice (they gave me twice as much as normal since it was a "special day") my sister, Namina, and I went around the village distributing the bonbons and dough balls. Everyone wished me a "bonne anniversaire" and were surprised when I said I was 24 years old. I don't know if they expected me to be older or younger, but nonetheless, everyone was surprised.
All-in-all, my first African birthday was amazing. It was awesome talking with my American family and friends, but spending the time with my host family was truly priceless. They are all so kind and thoughtful, and took a lot of time to make sure my day was perfect. This was by far one of the best birthdays I have had and one I will always cherish.
Today was a pretty average day; spent the morning cleaning and doing laundry and then went to help prepare the rice with Kadiatou. Kadiatou's older sister (Fatim) from Boke has been visiting from Boke, which has been cool because Kadiatou has gotten some time to relax and just hang out, rather than do all the chores and cooking for her brothers and sisters.
This afternoon I was in the cooking hut with Fatim and Sarata, Kadiatou's younder sister (about 8 years old) when all of a sudden Fatim took Sarata out of the hut and started saying that there was something in the hut. I immediately assumed there was a spider (prior to this Fatim kept looking at the roof above me) and ran out of the hut covering my head. Once outside, Fatim said there was a chameleon and then Kadiatou proceeded to tell me that chameleons are extremely dangerous. Now, I know chameleons are not dangerous, so I wasn't concerned but the others were afraid and M'Baye, Kadiatou's younger brother (14 years old) grabbed a spear (yes, a spear, seriously) and started trying to stab the chameleon and get it out of the hut. Finally they knocked it down and M'Baye pierced it, and left it on the ground with the spear still stuck inside.
After all this excitement, we all (the women) returned to the cooking hut to continue making the rice. Now that I saw how honestly afraid everyone was I asked Kadiatou why chameleons are dangerous (well, why she thinks they are, anyway). She then explained to me that they change colors and so you can't see them and that's why they are so bad. I laughed a little and said they aren't dangerous, even though there was no proof I could give to verify this.
April 16, 2012--Birthday!!
In order to spoil myself a bit in honor of my b-day, I went to Kamsar with Steph and Marissa where I was able to skype with a bunch of family and friends. Once in Kamsar I made a quick trip to the market to buy all the ingredients my host family said I would need for my village celebration for "mon anniversaire". Finding all the things was interesting and challenging since some of the words were in Susu and written in a not-so-easy to read way. Not to mention that the market is huge and not really organized in a logical way. After about an hour of frantically searching and asking a bunch of random people where I could find things I had everything on the list, and a massive plastic bag to show for it.
Unfortunately the internet wasn't working for the first hour or so, and I missed a few people who had to go to work. After an awesome lunch (cheeseburger and fries!) we went to the grocery store where I splurged on hummus and ruffle potato chips (the only inexpensive thing to eat hummus with), blue cheese, and a wine cooler type frozen drink.
After we were finished in Kamsar, the three of us found a taxi and made our way back to Boke. Marissa and I spent the night in the PC house where we watched movies (Harry Potter--of course, and Monte Carlo--please don't judge, it was a cute movie) and made dinner. I attempted a buffalo-style eggplant sandwich, which, although was not exactly what I had in mind, was very delicious, and would definitely be worth a second try. Phil (a PC response volunteer) came to the house after his class and he and Marissa made spaghetti and tomato sauce. Together we shared the chips and hummus and also some skittles I brought from a care package. Unfortunately the city power did not come on that night, so the refrigerator wasn't working and my frozen drink stayed liquid and luke warm. I decided to save that for the following trip to Boke.
April 17, 2012
This morning I left Boke with Cisse and the Boke Driver, Conte to head back to village. On the way to Kamsar (Cisse had some business for PC to take care of there) we stopped to look at a potential placement for a new education volunteer. It would be a great site, judging by the brief look I got, it is nearer to me than any other volunteer right now.
I finally made it back to Bintimodia around noon and immediately started cooking lunch/dinner with my family. After the normal rice and sauce we started making the "cake" aka balls of fried dough. My mom was preparing the dough and cut up onions in it. Immediately I was like "umm, onions in cake?!" but my sister assured me it was normal and would be good. Well, she was right, they were delicious (how could anything with sugar fried in oil not be good?) and we ended up with a huge bowl full of "gateau".
After the cake we started making "bonbons glacees". These are normally like popsicles in that they are fruity, sugary, frozen treats; however, since I do not have electricity, they were not frozen, or even cold, but still sugary and delicious. These snacks come in a bunch of flavors, most commonly ginger (djin-djan), hibiscus (beesap), moki (a fruity fruit, can't describe it any other way), and mango/banana. I like all of them, but chose to make beesap for my b-day celebration, mostly because I found the dried hibiscus flowers in the market and couldn't find anything to make the others. After mixing the hibiscus flowers with boiling water and straining, we added a ton of sugar and a little vanilla sugar. After the mixture cooled, we added more water and then spooned the syrup into small plastic baggies. The bonbons are eaten by biting a corner of the bag and chewing/sucking the juice out that way (it sounds way more strange than it is).
Once everything was prepared, and of course after eating a ton of rice (they gave me twice as much as normal since it was a "special day") my sister, Namina, and I went around the village distributing the bonbons and dough balls. Everyone wished me a "bonne anniversaire" and were surprised when I said I was 24 years old. I don't know if they expected me to be older or younger, but nonetheless, everyone was surprised.
All-in-all, my first African birthday was amazing. It was awesome talking with my American family and friends, but spending the time with my host family was truly priceless. They are all so kind and thoughtful, and took a lot of time to make sure my day was perfect. This was by far one of the best birthdays I have had and one I will always cherish.
Photos! Finally!
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| baby goat playing : ) |
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| Kadiatou |
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| "Cake" balls (aka fried dough) and Beesap Bonbons (hibiscus popsicle, but not frozen) made these with my family for my b-day...brought them around the village to celebrate |
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| Birthday dinner...massive pile of rice with my favorite sauce and noodles!! |
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| Sarata, Kadiatou's younger sister, washing dishes |
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| Kadiatou, again |
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| I braided Kadiatou's hair! |
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| Garden |
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| garden |
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| garden |
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| The plot of land I share with Lamar and Kadiatou |
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| Lamar watering plants |
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| Lamar's sister working in the garden |
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| some kids in the garden |
April Book List
Nostradamus
Knut Boeser
Girl, Interrupted
Susanna Kaysen
The Winter of Our Discontent
John Steinbeck
The Mosquito Coast
Paul Theroux
Congo
Michael Crichton
Welcome to the Great Mysterious
Lorna Landvik
Babel Tower
A. S. Byatt
Knut Boeser
Girl, Interrupted
Susanna Kaysen
The Winter of Our Discontent
John Steinbeck
The Mosquito Coast
Paul Theroux
Congo
Michael Crichton
Welcome to the Great Mysterious
Lorna Landvik
Babel Tower
A. S. Byatt
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