Sharing New Lives

It hasn't been all that long since we last posted but we've made it back to the capital for some work...and some repose. Life is just moving along here, everything is fairly calm, not too much new or exciting-and sometimes, that is a good thing!


The school year is winding to a close and we are preparing for the new volunteers to arrive in July for their training. We are planning for a trip to Mali and some fun side projects for the summer vacation. Our days are spent teaching, recovering from teaching, resting and reading, getting our garden ready for the rainy season, and studying our french and sussu. Each day passes quicker then the last although sometimes in the midst of the heat and stress a day may seem as if it will never end.


We've been spending an inordinate amount of time spoiling our new cat Houdini. And as all cat lovers do, we have photographed him in many a cute pose. Jon also loves him so much that I once woke up in the middle of the night because Jon was sleeping diagonally so that Houdini could have a comfy spot to doze...right on Jon's pillow. So, he is quickly making his way into our hearts...and our bed.



"What, did you want to sit here?"

A purse pillow for a sleepy one.

Houdini loves playing in our mosquito netting. Here is a picture that Jon took a few weeks ago. This is not as fun when it is three am and one is trying to sleep!

Cuddles beware, this cat is one good reposer.

A week or so ago, I was getting ready to go to my tutor's house for a Susu lesson. While I was getting ready, I took a look through our bedroom wedding and saw a sheep in our garden. This sheep was acting rather erratic so I decided to watch it for a while. Moments later, I realized that the sheep was in labor and was about to give birth in our garden!!! Jon and I watch in amazement as this new life entered the world. I was astounded. it was the first time I had seen the birth of anything, animal or human, and it was amazing. The most incredible thing was that just moments after it was born, the baby was already up walking around and looking for some food! Here is a picture just minutes after!!!

And there is always, of course Mia, our chicken who has just hatched 4 more (yet to be named) babies and our wonderful goat, Sierra who is getting fatter by the day. Sierra is in denile about her weight gain as she still tries to fit through the narrow bars of our porch fence. I think that soon we will have a Winnie the pooh episode on our hands! Here are some pictures of that funny goat as well!

I'm getting to be a bit of a Little bo Peep around town as she has taken to following me around. I love it, but the ladies in the market just don't understand!

"Do you have any rice to share?"

Look at that belly!! Pretty soon we'll have a new baby goat...or two!!

Last weekend, Jon and I went out to a neighboring village with our pal Mr. Bangoura because we were told that some "experts" were coming into town along with the Forestry department of the local prefecture. We were told that they wanted to take a hike out into the forest and we had been invited along. It turned out that these experts were two americans working with the USGS to do a geological survey of the area. It was awesome! We got to see a GPS map of the area including the dense forest that we are trying to protect. One of the american "experts" is actually based out of Conakry and is a former volunteer so hopefully we will be working with him in the future. We went up to the edge of the densest bit of forest, but due to time constraints, were unable to do much more. But we were able to find some really gorgeous views and had a really fun hike. We didn't see much wildlife, however. But, we have other trips in the works so we will keep you posted about any chimp sightings

That is all for now. We miss you all and hope that all is well, spring is springing and that the sun is falling warmly on your faces.

As of Right Now

...I (jon) am writing my last post before I head back to the village. There's still a bunch of stuff the Kim and I need to catch everyone up on. After the cat incident, surprisingly enough, life went on. We still have the cat by the way and he's doing great. Kim and I are yet to decide on a name but we're thinking very seriously about Houdini (like the illusionist)

or maybe falcor (the luck dragon from 'The Neverending Story').

The Monday morning after we got back from our visit with the hunters, before our classes started at the secondary school, Kim and I went to visit the primary school in our village. Some family and friends back in the States had been sending us school supplies and we went to the school to drop it off. The faculty at the school were really pleased and the students were ecstatic. The experience was incredible. How refreshing it was to be surrounded (thronged really) by a crowd of enthusiastic young children. As we went from class to class the students would sing out greetings together. After that Kim and I would walk around passing out some of the school supplies (mostly pens, pencils, colored pencils, and that sort of thing). When it came time to leave the students sang goodbye and thank you songs. It was so beautiful to be surrounded by so much joy. I can't say enough how full of happiness Kim and I were when we finally left. What a way to start our week.

Well that week came to an end with reviews and test leading up to what at present is a one week spring vacation. Kim and I have spent the majority of our time in Conakry but we were lucky enough to take some time to head out to a small group of islands off the coast. We left the city on a tiny boat with a 15hp engine - passing through a veritable ship graveyard - and found ourselves in sun-drenched paradise about an hour later.

We and a group of our fellow volunteers spent the better part of the day swimming, throwing frisbee, and combing the beach. All in all a great way to pass the time. Kim and I cooked and shared a bunch of hot dogs we had bought at one of the grocery stores that can be found in Conakry. That and the watermelon made the experience almost feel like home. Kim found some beautiful jewelry, we had a nice walk around the island, and came home the the Peace Corps bureau salty, sun burnt, and exhausted. It was great.

Shortly thereafter, Kim left to take some of our Peace Corps friends to visit our village for a hunters ceremony that coincided with the full moon on Wednesday. She told me today that it went great and everyone had wonderful time. Apparently there was a bunch of food and music. If it was anything like the ceremonies I've been to out that way I can attest to just how amazing the surreal the whole experience can be. What happens is a group of hunters will play Coras (guitar/drum things) while another group will pantomime as deer and hunters. This all to the periodic back fire of gunfire as people fire their rifles into the air flourishing them for dramatic affect.
I, on the other hand, stayed in Conakry so that I could go on a little fishing trip. I and good friend headed back out to the Island were we had just visited 4 days earlier. After having met a local fisherman while exploring the island's small village community, he and I had tentatively planned to go on a fishing trip just out past the islands. We got to the islands and after swimming for a little while we headed off to get ahold of the fisherman so we could take off on our trip. We fished well into the night and then got back to his house were we stayed until morning when he brought us back to the mainland. I won't lie, it was a bit scary now and again but we had a great time and there were some big fish. We caught a red snapper and a barracuda both well over 3ft. We got some photos of the smaller fish, but the big ones didn't come out until after the sun went down. We used long spools to catch these things and it was a really neat experience. For the little fish we just lifted them into the boat but for the bigger ones we had to hit them with this long stick that had a spike on the end. Truly a remarkable, albeit harrowing, experience.

That gets us pretty well up to date. Tomorrow I leave Conakry and head home to Kim. The school year is coming to a close in just over a month and we're trying to get ourselves prepared for that. Otherwise, everything's pretty much the same back at site. The people are great. The scenery is wonderful. No complaints here.

jonathan

chimps are blurry! thats the problem!!!: Mitch Heberg, RIP

When last we left our heroes they were venturing into the African bush in search of perilous adventure.
One has to admit it has a cetain 'pulp' appeal if not a twing of melodrama. Well as Kim was writing (not so sutle remark aimed at denoting that this is Jon - hello by the way), after the local hospitality brigade served us some wonderful food; we were invited for a walk into the woods with some of the local hunters. Avid fans might recall that we had already gone out on a trip like this with another group a few months back. Last time we saw a bunch of chimp habitats and a totally great waterfall which we hope to check out again during the rainyseason. Well, needless to say, we accepted and left with four locals and our stalwart companion, Mr Bangoura.






After trudging for hours thru plantations and bamboo groves, we arrived in vally filled with palm trees (apparently a major food source for chimps). Unfortunately we had to walk along a this rediculously muddy, trecherous river bed from that point on. Neither kim nor I had really planned, or dressed for this but we kept our heads down and powered thru. And it all payed off; Kim and I saw three chimps in the wild. Unfortunatly, the dense cover and failing light made it that we only have this one, rather dark and fuzzy photo. But we were there and we'll remember it for ever. It was so surreal as the hunters all started to act like giddy little kids pointing and making a great big deal as we fumbled with the camera half in a panic ourselves to atleast take a few photos.
"Chimps ARE blurry, thats the problem!!!"


Anyone skilled at 'Where's Waldo' can probably find the black splotch in the foreground to the right of the leftmost tree. That black splotch, in all its majesty and splendor, is Pan Troglodytes Verus in the wild. Pretty rad. Unfortunately our trip didn't end there and we had to walk back to town in the failing light which soon became utter blackness. There is a saying here that 'In Africa, when the sun goes down, it's dark'. Obvious isn't it. But in a world without light pollution, or electricity of any kind - such as the African bush, the duh-factor of the saying acts only to incapsulate more fully the shock one recieves upon incountering complete and utter darkness.

Well the morning came and we had a little breakfast with the local head of the community whose house we had stayed at the night before. We were then invited to an impromptou gathering with the hunters and thier families. This was a remarkably great time. I had an oportunity to play the Cora which you can see from the pictures is drum/guitar made from a calabash, animal skin, and other assorted objects. Everyone seemed to get a pretty big kick out of that and the ladies inticed Kim into dancing with them which she always loves. They also brought us more food - meat and bouille (local fair resembling hot rice pudding) - which we ate a great deal of.

Eventually we had to head home which was a lovely bikeride through the rolling hills and small hamlets on the periphery of our sousprefecture. Home coming is always an event as everyone seems to be surpised that we keep returning. Sadly our homecoming was rather sullied buy the events I'm about to relate.
When we got home we unpacked, started our laundry, and the other chores that comprise our daily routine at home. At some point we begain to notice a lot of activity around our neighbors latrine. (I'll take a minute to explian the bathrooms in Guinea real quick in case anybody might not see clearly the image that I'm trying to paint. There are a great variety of latrines. There are water level latrines, pit latrines, indoor and outdoor latrines, flush latrines, the list goes on. All opperate in ostencilbly the same manner, being that there is a hole in the ground and one must indevor to aim as one can. Our neighbors have pit latrine which is outdoors and by all accounts resembles an outhouse.) Eventually, one of the kids came and told me that something was in the latrine. "Il y a un chose di-dans!" This latrine, it should be noted, has been the sight of many a snake sighting and killing. I therefore natually assumed it was a snake or lizard or something and decided to go check it out with my neighbor. Well I got there and I didn't see anything. Meanwhile I'm asking him what it is and he dosn't know the word for it which surprises me (he's a rather smart little guy after all). So I look and look but I don't see anything, all the time looking for some lizard. But then I hear it...and my heart drops. (don't worry this story has a happy ending)
It's a cat. Twenty feet down in this horrifying abyss of shit, someone has thrown a cat. I know how obsurd it is to wax sentimental about the suffering of a cat when the world is full of human suffering. I know that starvation, disease, poverty, and war destroy lives and that this suffering in many cases goes unadressed. With all that in mind, I can't even begin to express my disgust at the type of person who could throw away a life like that. Domestic animals place such unassuming trust in people. And than someone goes and does something like this. What a complete and utter betrayal of that trust. This person completely abandoned any semblance stewardship or paternal responsability.
So there it is, a tiny little cat mewing weekly, and I ask the little boy next to me how long its been there. And again my heart drops. He tells me its been there for two days now. Someone put it there the night before Kim and I left to go on our trip and it had been there ever since. People had kept using the latrine and everything. What had been disgust directed at one person becomes a wave of scinicism with the indifference and ineffectualism of the bystanders.

Supressing this, I go an get Kim. We tell ourselves that we at least have to try unlikely though it is that we might help the cat. We bring our flashlights to try and see if its even possible to save this cat or if all hope is lost. Straining to see down this rediculously small hole in the floor of the latrine into the pit twenty feet down, we still hear mewing this pitiful cat. There it is, these two little eyes reflecting back up at us. So we devised a plan. We found long stick to lower into the tiny hole of the latrine. We tide a little rope to the end with a sliding knot to snare the little cat. We then lowered the stick thinking first of all that the cat would jump on and climb out on its own volition. Unfortunately it was far too weak, or delerious from whatever toxins it had been breathing. We started to realize how rediculous our plan was and that we could never hope to get this cat. Nevertheless, we kept trying for a while and the cat, who still couldn't move as we was surrounded in sludge, started biting at the little rope we had at the end of the stick. Somehow I got the rope on him enough that we begain to lift him out. It was increadably tense for a few minutes as we were worried that something would slip and he would fall anew and that all chances would be lost. But remarkably we lifted him up to the open and pulled out this putrid little guy who just lay there completely destroyed.
Sadly, Kim and I were sure he was going to die. But we were happy to atleast give the cat some modicum of dignity by giving it a chance and pulling it out of that abysmal place. So we washed it up and put it in the sun.
Kim fed it condenced milk. A few days passed. We have a cat.

I had to add this picture: BEFORE...sad and smelly
AFTER: Happy and right at home
We haven't chossen a name and we're looking for suggestions. Any ideas?

wooden phaluses, african hula, and le serpent boa

So we had only been back at site for a few weeks but I must say that they were some very interesting two weeks and we have many a tale to tell. We are back in the Big City Lights for our school's one week vacation. Many of the other education volunteers are using their well-earned vacation time for a trip to see other parts of the continent or a much needed and well-deserved rest-up at home. Jon and I are planning to do very little in general but take care of the necessities in town and a much-inticipated trip out to some of the islands off the coast. I am really looking forward to spending some quality time laying on a beach!!

As for the events of the past few weeks...

I will begin with an AIDS sensibilization that we helped out with in town. I have now learned to never expect anything to go the way I want it to or the way I expect it to here in Guinee. However, I have found that sometimes things can work themselves out in a very Guinean style. We were approached by a fellow professor and the youth group in town for assistance with the sensibilization. This basically meant that they wanted us to provided some sort of materials i.e. condoms and posters. Here is Jon preparing...

I knew that there was a group of youth mentors from a neighboring village who often do these types of things so I tried to contact them, fairly unsuccesfully. When finally we got in contact with them (two days before the event) they agreed to come out with 7 of the kids. The day of the event passed with me having no knowledge of what was actually going to happen except an approximate time and all of these youth group kids sitting on my porch playing crazy eights who knew even less then I did. We had some idea that there were some music groups invited and that there would be a dance and that at some point we would be talking about AIDS.
The day of the event, at the onset, seemed like a flop...it was supposed to begin at 1pm and began the contemplation of really beginning at 4. Like all big events in Guinee, it involved lawn chairs in a big circle, huge speakers with too much reverb, and many loud electronic squeakings...but perhaps that is the halmark of the grand fetes.


Music was played and several music groups rapped or sang in succession and slowly but surely the lawn chairs began to fill and young students began to wander in. The youth group from Forekariah did an amazing job, especially under the time restraints and circumstances. They put on a little play and a condom demonstration. Though it was all in Sussu and I really have no idea if any really pertinent information was transmitted, I must say that the event, lead by Guineans, for Guineans surpassed the uneasy expectations that I had set for it. But most importantly, I think it was important for the young people of Moussayah to see these people, of the same age, doing something so important. Perhaps this will spark some motivation to start a similar group there. The SIDA dance was a bit disappointing, with more lawn chairs and loud noises but lots of condoms were given out...and I suppose that is as good as anything.


Last week was the most intensly bizarre, interesting, and outright bewildering week in my recent history.

It all began on Friday when....ah..no....it all began on thurday morning with the slaughter of the baby...goat (that is) by the tree in our front yard.

And no, not Sierra, but the neighbor's newly purchased young goat that I was looking forward to naming and getting to know. The morning was made even stranger by the presence of...what's this? a slight sprinkle of rain after months of scalding harmattan!! After sweeping up the leaves in the yard ( a weird but culturally necessary chore here) I headed to school to do a review for the 7th graders. My friend Kate who lives in Hawaii had sent a kids hula outfit for me to use. To add to the unreality of this whole week, I now added a hula outfit... on African kids. I had planned a game like who wants to be a millionaire only if you got the wrong answer, you had to wear the hula outfit and do a dance for the class. They loved it and I have the photographic proof! Thanks Kate!!!





But wait, there's more...
Later that afternoon, I headed to my Sussu tutor, Madame Balde's house. We are sitting there talking when I feel a slight breeze that causes me to turn my head slightly and what do I see but a huge black storm cloud engulfing the mountains and quickly baring down on the village. "I think I'm going to go home." I said. "I think you better run!" she said. But I did not need much encouragement, nor did many other villagers who quickly ran, worried eyes to the skies. Students yelled out "Nana Soumah!" and told me to take refuge in their house but I was determined to make it back up the hill before the rain. The storm came in like a rebirth, cleansing the streets of the town of all it long-laid dust with one great burst. We all ran, mouths clenched against the grit, eyes narrowed and looking at the sky when ever there was a little relief from the stinging grit. Huffing and grunting, I made it up the hill, sand in my teeth, only to have a spectacular veiw of the clouds speeding from the mountains and the entire town below us engulfed in dust. We stood out in the wind, watching the world tense in readiness for what was to begin. And suddenly it came!! Cold, wet, wonderful rain, soaking into the parched earth and making it red as clay. Inside, Jon and I listened in amazement to the pounding newness of the rain on our tim roof. To heighten the strangeness even more, we were able to celebrate with delicious (baby) goat fajitas with rice and quacamole and a box of red wine. NOW how is that for a rather random day?.....

But it doesn't end there.

The next morning, we had planned to bike out to a nearby village to meet our friend, Mr. Bangoura. Mr. Bangoura is working with the Jane Goodhall Institute to organize and sensibilize hunters and try to determine resources usage and protection measures for the forests in the region. We had gone to a few events with him in the past and really enjoyed them. The route to the village was absolutely stunning, I had to keep stopping the bike to get just the right picture to capture the unreal natural beauty that surrounds us. Here are some en route:






When we got there we immediately were taken to talk with The President of the rural Development commitee ( basically the village 'big wig') who was an older self-important man. He had just completed the Haidj. Hands were shaken, we were given a welcome gift of banannas, and were found lodging for the night....with Monsieur le President, of course! After that, we put away our bikes and bags, and went for a walk with a local hunter and Mr. bangoura to the nearby village. On the route we took pictures of some of the environmental damage being done in the area, burned regions of the mountains, brick yards with erroding sand pits, and areas of devastated forest all for the wasteful production of charbon or charcoal. (See pictures below). One of the highlights of our walk was the sighting of a rather large BOA CONSTRICTOR (!) in the wild. Of Course, the hunter then grabbed a very large stick and proceeded to whack the boa with the intention of having him for supper. The Boa did escape, but I'm very sure was smarting quite a bit. We sat for a bit while Mr. bangoura chatted up some hunters and showed some pictures from our previous outings and then returned for an eagerly-awaited lunch.








Unfortunately, this eagerly awaited lunch was very much delayed and we sat in hunger-induced apathy as Bangoura continued diligently to sensibilize the villagers about resource-usage and the formation of hunting associations...all in a language we didn't know. Finaly, after many contemplations of mange-ing my own left foot, a huge, steaming bowl of rice and peanut sauce arrived and we happily ate our full. Upon finishing, we were asked if we wanted to go on the (photo) hunt for chimpanzees...

and eagerly we agreed...

Stay tuned for more of our very bizarre week!!!!

Our Carbon Footprint...

During these harrowing times of climate change, everyone is always talking about their carbon footprint and last night we began discussing the ways that we have been(voluntarily involuntarily) reducing ours. par example:

1.We use less elctricity.
In general, we don't use any. We do use an alarming number of candles at night, however to try and stimulate ourselves to staying awake. But in general, our days follow the movements of the sun. We wake with it, and are ready for bed not long after it sets. Our time with Conakry is marked (and well celebrated) with an overabundance of air conditioning, movie viewings and long nights on the computer but it is certainly less then we have been accustomed to. The absence of electricity can allow us to be more productive....sometimes....as we can't distract ourself quite as often. But with the ipod and the copious quantities of books and magazines that we stockpile, there are always other amusments. We are constantly using batteries for headlamps, speakers, our radio. We try to use only rechargeable but after a time these do corrode or lose their charge quickly so sometimes we have little choice. We do use our little solar panel but often will wait to charge it up with electricity then lay it out in the sun.

2. We use less water.
As all of our water is now carries to us from our students, we are very careful with its usage. We reuse greywater from our laundry to "flush" out latrine. We take very short showers with 5-8 goblets of water, economizing the water as much as possible. We are constantly drinking water but even so, you can easily dehydrate with the dry winds, dust, and heat. We are hoping to renew our attempts at a garden soon once we repair our fence, but hopefull that will not require much more water perday to support. Its interesting to think about if our concerns regarding water usage will follow us home or not. I think there will be many changes to re-adjust to, not the least being overuse and accessibility of water.

3. We throw away less.
Here in Guinee, tin cans are toys, plastic bags are always reusable, and bottles are treasures. I was just told about a voluteer who gives her old water bottles to a lady at the market who then gives gifts of onions or sugar and is convinced that she is always getting the better deal. The garbage that we do accumulate we burn every few weeks which, although is not great for the environment, is better then the alternative of just throwing it in a pile. All excess food gets given to petites or the animals and in general, the world is out compost pile. One thing that I have really come to appreciate is the ability of Guineans to reuse just about everything. I was chatting with a friend yesterday about how much we throw away back at home. I am contantly reminded of the bins outside of any university during move in/out day just piled with tvs,rugs, chairs, foam pads...all these things that we find so necessary and yet so disposable. We live in a disposable nation and the more I see, the more sickened I become. For example, I was informed yesterday that a medication that costs 70 bucks a pop that we were just given is going to expire soon, and that we are forbidden by law to give that medicine to any other entity to use, even health clinics here that would happily take even older expired medicines. But instead $13,000 worth old meds will be inceinerated. And this happens on every level of our lives: it costs less to destroy or dump then to find any other solution. Its sickening and yet its so ingrained into this culture of consumerism. In our village, we have and "need" far more then any other person to be comfortable. Our shelves are filled with spices and special foods, we have hammers and multitools, saws, and shovels: all these things just to feel at ease. This is not too mention all the toiletries that we all want and need to survive that are eventually are thrown away. I'm not really sure that we can escape it, I think it is somehow part of it. Maybe we can only recognize it and try to make more informed decisions.

4. We Carpool
Not only do we carpool, but we carpool with 8 or more other people depending on the size of the vehicle. It really is not a true bush taxi ride if you aren't straddleing the stick shift and sandwiched between to very sweaty strangers with your head buried in their armpit. Of course, that being said, these are some of the oldest, most beatup junkers in the world that leak oil and gas like sieves and I'm sure would so soil the emmissions tester with their fumes that it would never recover. Not to mention that the gas tank is a yellow bidon in the trunk or that the winsheild is held together with a Bob marley sticker.

Well of course we also have taken planes, and keep the AC on full blast when we have it and there is never a real neutrality there....but there is some beauty in the aknowledgement that we have so far to go and that we can always try harder, we can always consume concientiously, reduse, reuse, recycle.

Thats all for now.
We have a break coming up in the beginning of April and we will be on vacation for a week!
Take Care and Be Well.

Harmattan wind's just blowing along

Jon Om-ing with some of the neighborhood kids. They don't understand Yoga really but think that Jon is a ninja.

Jon and I went to visit some friends out in the Fouta region and found...amazingly...PINE TREES!!


This pod/fruit thing is awesome and tastes like a really sour fruit rollup.

We are back in the bright lights of the city catching up on our pop culture, relaxing, shopping for hard to come by goodies like tuna and oatmeal, and enjoying our first mangos of the season.
This last month has passed amazingly swiftly but it was definitely getting to be time to take a bit of a breather. Life in Moossayah is beautiful to be certain. We wake up to the prayer call at 5:30 every morning and lay still and drift and listen to the world awaken. Every morning we listen to the harrowing world news on the BBC, listen to the voices raise in panic of a financial crisis, and then watch the daily life here continue, unchanged and untouched. As I listen, I heat water for tea and oatmeal.The harmattan winds blows the heat away all night and the temperature in the morning is wonderful. Our neighbor lets the sheep, chickens and our goat, Sierra out of their coup. Sierra quickly makes her way over and runs right into the house to say good morning with a little "meeeh" which also says "give me breakfast". I quickly oblige with a handful of rice. After locking up of big red metal doors, we head down the hill towards school. On the way we say good morning to everyone in whatever language seems to fit at the moment, French, Sussu, Pulaar. The same kids that we pass each and every morning will come running, breathless and yelling "Nana Soumah, Nana Soumah!!!" waving their hands frantically. You'd think that they'd be used to us by now but still they all need to say their little "Ca bah?"
We are joined on the route by all of the primary school kids in their blue or red checkered dresses or khaki uniforms. Kids carry piles of wood of their heads or bidons in their hands to fill with water as a duty to the school and to their teachers. Others hold breakfasts of boiled manioc with hot pepper on shreds of bannana leaf. Arriving at school we are generally among the first to arrive. If the classes start on time they are at least 20 minutes late.

Life at school can be very challenging but also really rewarding. Jon and I are both feeling like we are finally finding our stride. We are using teaching techniques that these kids cannot even fathom but slowly but surely they are starting to catch on a bit. That being said, trying to maintain discipline in these large classrooms is a HUGE challenge and has brought me to my wits end on a number of occasions. Many student's level of french is so low that many cannot read or understand the lesson and act out or talk with their friends. So, instead we try to explain things in a more visual manner which tends to work a little better. But for every bad day or difficult moment, there is always something there to balance it....and if the balance isn't quite reached, then there are always good books to escape to or a little tv or music on the ipod that can get us through the rough patches.




We have been really busy. We helped do an AIDS presentation to each of the classes at the school. The information was presented in Sussu by a fellow teacher and then we demonstrated correct condom usage (using a wooden stand in) and asked the kids questions. We used pens and pencils that you all donated as prizes for correct answers.(Thanks again!) I have started an unofficial "Equipe des filles" or girls soccer team. We meet Monday-Wednesday for practice. At this time there are 7 girls who show up fairly regularly and I feel like it is gaining some steam. As in all things, there have been ups and downs, but I like it in a selfish way because it gets me out of the house and running around. Eating only simple starches can be a bit harsh on the waistline!

Jon asked me to share and experience from last week. In doing a review for a upcoming exam, I decided to break the students up into groups to answer questions and then try to find a creative way of presenting the information to the class. Now creativity does not come easily to these students who are so used to simply memorizing passages of information. And though I did not see much real new creative thought, it was fun to see the kids working together to solve a problem. I was hoping for some funny skits or drawings but basically just received carbon copies of drawing that I had already done. But, one of last groups to present was lead by a very serious student who solemnly greeted all members of the class and just as methodically thanked me for giving them this kind of assignment because they really liked it and had never done anything like it before. Its strange that the whole time I had thought that maybe I was just wasting my time and I wasn't obtaining the results that I wanted, but this one student appreciated that this was new and different and I suppose that, in itself, can be labeled a success.

We've also got alot of stuff coming up as well. The Association des Jeunes or the Youth group in town has approached us to help them with an evening AIDS sensibilization and dance for a big group of the young people in Moussayah. So Jon ad I will again be leaving Conakry with a big old back of preservatives to give out at the event. Along with that, we had a meeting with and NGO that works with water pumps called SNAPE Société nationale d’approvisionnement des points d’eau or the National Water Supply Service. We were hoping that they would be able to replace a pump and a generator that would pump water the five spouts throughout town. But because of two failed attempts where solar panels and other generators were vandalized or broken, they would not help with the funding for new machinery. That being said, they said that if we could raise the money, they would kindly install and train all the necessary partners. So we will continue to work on this and keep you informed on any progress.

I wanted to mention our rather amusing (or aggravating) ride from Moussayah. We took the only car that was leaving after school got out on Thursday. We are already sweating and the hottest part of the day hadn't even hit yet! The taxi was an ancient conversion van and this is always a bad sign as with these vehicles, they tend to stop at every house and every person on the route to take on more passengers or strap on some more huge bags of cassava to the already top-heavy car. And this was no exception. What would normally, in a Peace Corps SUV take 30 minutes, took 3 hours. Jon and I have actually biked this same route in the same amount of time. Add on top of that right before departing the driver asks me to get out from my middle seat next to him. He lifts a blanket covering a slab of metal. He then precedes to lift this metal hood and there under where I was sitting is the cars engine. He tops off the radiator with some water (who needs coolant?) and off we go. So not only are we traveling during the hottest part of the day but I am two inches from the engine. I must have lost two pounds just from sweating on our 3 hour voyage. Not to mention the heat from the 20 or so other people that were sharing the same taxi with us. You just have to love the transportation system of Guinea...there is nothing you can do so you just endure and laugh later.

That's about enough for tonight but I wanted to include one more picture of Sierra because she is too funny and fluffy to ignore. I am looking forward to getting back to her morning greetings. Here she is looking particularly adorable.....



All our love to everyone! Thanks so much for your letters, calls and packages, it always amazing to hear from you. Stay Warm.
Be well...
Kim and Jon

they who gather flowers

Jon and I are back in Conakry. Today we went to one of the nicest resturaunts in the city, the Domiere, where we feasted to our heart's content on all sorts of fine cuilinary delights. After 6 months (!) here in guinee eating mostly rice and sauces of different types and qualities, or soups of the middling vegetables that we can find at site, we decided that it was time for a treat. We went with all the G-16ers from the basse cote region and we ate until we were all about to burst...and were oh so happy about it. Needless to say, for the rest of the day we were not all that mobil but very very content.
Tomorrow we head out to the region of Guinee called the Fouta to a city called Mamou to go to our IST conference where we get to learn about how to begin secondary projects. Jon and I are very excited to begin working on secondary projects as soon as possible. Teaching at a school that doesn't always work the way that one might expect can be a tad frustrating so we are looking forward to having other outlets to inspire change and development in the community. We recently took some first steps in trying to get some projects up and running with S.N.A.P.E, a water resource NGO, and The Jane Goodhall Institute.

Jon and I have had some pretty amazing adventures since the Christmas coup so there are quite a few stories that we would like to share:

Right after christmas, we had made plans to go hike this mountain nearby where we had been told that there lived a troup of chimpanzees. We had been approached a few months ago by a man named Mr. Bangoura to help him to teach hunters and others in the community the importance of protecting the chimps and their habitat. He offered to take us and we quickly agreed. We left early on our bikes for the one hour ride to the village of Djaboui. We left just as the sun was coming up over the house and burning off the morning fog. Biking out was beautiful as the road follows the mountain range. The secondary path the leads up the the village is a really fun little biking trail that Jon and I had actually found by accident one time before. On the way we pass through another small village where we are greeted by many people. Since we were out to search for animals, a family nearby brought over a tiny baby monkey that they had been keeping for a pet. It was so tiny, scared, and cold, that I just wanted to take it home with me. But it quickly reinforced the need for community education about the importance of conservation and protection of wild animals. When we finally reached Djaboui, Jon and I found that the village was actually comprised of three huts belonging to the Soumah family. Mr. Soumah is the head of the association of hunters that have been working with Mr. Bangoura and who are interested in spreading the word about ending the overexploitation of resources and protecting the chimpanzee population. Djaboui translates as "under the mountain"and that it certainly is. The family was incredibly welcoming, almost overwhelmingly so. We were given kola nuts, a very important cultural sign of respect and we were invited to eat a meal together with them after the hike.





We ascended the mountain along with a group of hunters all tooting very ancient-looking rifles that certainly did not look fire-able. The guns seems to be held together with electrical tape and rubber bands and look as if the would explode if anyone tried to fire them. But the hunters knew the mountian like the back of their hands and led us to a stream called the "Chimpanzee River". Although now it is more of a trickle, one could see that during the rainy season, it was quite the raging torrent. We were able to find some beautiful spots and we even found some nests up in the trees where the chimps sleep. (see below) But unfortunately we did not see any real chimpanzees. We did however find a very lovely water fall. We hope to go out there again sometime this month, possible overnight to get the chance to really see some chimps.


At the end of the hike we returned, weary and only a bit worse for wear(...much of the hike was through real jungle so we had our share or scrapes and bruises) to a delicous meal of rice and sauce. We passed a lovely hour or so spending time and taking pictures with the family. Before we left, they gifted us a rooster which then accompanied us to Moussayah on the back of my bicycle



About 2 weeks later, Mr Bangoura invited us again to a ceremony to be held with a group of hunters in another neighboring village. Jon and I had some reservations as sometimes these things can be a big unorganized and awkward since we don't understand the language or the culture fully. But our host "mom and dad" , the Sousprefet and his wife were invited too so we decided to take a chance. When we finished rumbling along the very bumpy road and arrived at the village we were immediately glad that we did go. Apparently, the mother of one of the local hunters had died and it is an old custum that all of the hunters will come down from the mountians,fields and forest, lay down their gun, and spend the whole night singing and dancing with their friends and family to celebrate the life of the deceased. When we arrived, the entire community was gathered around singing to the music of the kora (a string instrument made of a tall stick and a big round gord). The hunters were dancing in the circle. We were the guests of honor and were again presented with kola nuts and a delicious meal of freshly hunted game in a spicy sauce. The griot sang songs and the hunters continued dancing sometimes with their guns and sometimes without and sometimes acting out scenes of the stalking of their prey...complete with somone playing the part of a deer. Also, a bit disturbingly, they would suddenly life their guns and shoot them up into the air, each time giving us a shock.

For all of our worry about going and frustration of the unknown, by the end of our evening there, we truly did not want to leave. I hope that this is a lesson and reminder to us to continue to embrace these very unique experiences and not to let the fear of the unknown daunt us. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures from this evening as it was too dark and possibly a bit too important of an occasion for the imposition of flashbulbs. But certainly it was a memory that we will both hold very dear.

Jon and I have bought a goat.We named her Sierra and we are having a great time with her. She is very funny and very attached to us. Each time we leave her she is very sad and cries. Our chicken Mia also had 4 chicks. We have named the two white ones Castor and Pollock, the dark one is Sweede, and the brown is Stewie. The eat rice out of our hands and are very fun to watch. When you can't watch TV, you might as well have your own live sitcom on your frount porch!





Last but most certainly not least, I wanted to explain the title of the entry. Africa is a place where children play with flowers and scraps of cloth, sardine cans and old bike tires. About a month ago, my host brother Alashane came up to me to show me a tin can lid on a string that he was twirling like those old games kids would play with button before dora the explorer, video games, and tonka truks. He came back a moment later with a big red blossom that he had attached to the string and it opened and closed marvelously with the inertia. I quickly discovered that the tree that produced the flowers was actually on our hill though I had never noticed the flowers before.

This time of year in Guinee is a time of very powerful winds and distintly lower temperatures. (I'm sure everyone at home with the frigid snows would laugh but it can get pretty chilly here in the evenings and early mornings.)The night's strong winds knock down the flowers and each and every morning, as soon as the sun has risen and burned off the fog in the valleys, they come. Little children with bare feet and dirty knees come racing up the hill, jubilently pick up all the flowers they can carry, gather them in their shirts and skirts, and laughing, they descend again with their treasure, content with the day of playing that they have ahead of them.




We take off tomorrow and most likely will not have internet again for about a month or so. But hopefully we will have more fun adventures to share with you then...

a la prochaine..
Be Well,
Kurasi tango...
Era famah (We love you!)
~Kim and Jon