Primarily, it's all about the food....

First of All, WELCOME G-18! Our new Education Stage has arrived and are all doing well and (hopefully!) learning a lot at our training site in Forecariah. The group is incredibly motivated and always positive and open to new (and sometimes strange) cultural experiences. That they are an amazing group is already apparent and we look forward to getting to know them all better over the coming months. This past weekend, they all learned the name and location of their sites. We drew a huge map of Guinea on the floor and had all the trainees step forward to their proper place on the map. This group is also the first group that will be sent back into the Forest region as we begin the reopen the program there. Above is a picture of Emily, Phil, and Andrew, true cavaliers of knowledge. After the site announcement, we held "Poulet Fete '09" where we "prepared", cooked, and ate a bunch of chickens. It was a lot of work but also a TON of fun.

I (Kim) just got back from a 4 day Girls Conference in Boke. The conference was put together by a volunteer named Raven and she did a really incredible job. The girls were well provided for with local home stays and we had more delicious food then we could ever have eaten. The 19 girls participated in sessions ranging from public speaking, small business development, role and rights of women, study skills, the importance of education, nutrition and the practice of excision or female genital cutting. After all these sessions, the girls planned and carried out presentations in the local community and also participated in an afternoon of job shadowing of prominent working women in the area. For these girls this really is an amazing opportunity. Here in Guinea, as in much of West Africa, the role of women is strictly limited. The women are the property of their husbands and are given the role of bearer and care taking of house and home. Many girls are married off at a very early age and are not allowed to continue their education, no matter their ability. These girls were able to see that their are other options and that they can break away from constricting cultural norms. Now these girls are tasked to spread the knowledge that they have gained to others in their village and local community. It was amazing the sincere excitement that was ignited in these young women of tomorrow to be the change that Guinea needs.





Learning about the importance of education.

This is the T-shirt design I drew! Yay!

The girls in session about excision.


This cute little creature is our friends Marg and John's new puppy. Her name is Nimba and she is only 5 0r 6 weeks old. Jon and I will be taking care of her for the next three weeks while our friends are at home visiting their families. She's definitely a handful and will remind me to think twice before taking responsibility of a dog, but in this photo she's pretty darn cute.

This weekend, along with the new trainees, we went to visit the National Museum of Guinea. Above are some of the pretty statues that are outside. The top picture is of a statue that used to be a fountain and was so pretty at the base of a grand kapok tree. The bottom is a statue of the wife of a prominent Fular official who was a major resistor to French colonization. Inside were many artifacts, masks, tools, and instruments from all the different regions of Guinea. It was interesting to see how very little many of the tools had changed, many of them are still widely in use in villages throughout the country.

Last night, to celebrate Jon's belated birthday as well as the "star day" of our friend Sue, we had a sushi party. With much assistance from our friends (and my mum!) we prepared, constructed, and consumed ridiculous quantities of it! Big thanks must go out to Rob who generously donated from his wonderful supply of sushi magic-making supplies. The night then lapsed into hilarity and an all night dance party. Great night, good people, and I believed one of the funnest nights I've spent since I arrived. And to continue with this theme of food (which, of course is my favorite theme), this morning through the wonder of care packages and thoughtful friends again we were able to make the most amazing breakfast this morning. My college roommate, Kate used to make the "Breffest burritos" containing veggies, sausage, herbs, and most importantly, goat cheese!!! I think she would have been proud at our creation. I was certainly proud to be eating it!!!

And to continue even more in this theme, for lunch, our friend Sue brought over some Indian food which warmed our tummies and our hearts.

I like Sushi. ALOT!



All is well. Time is flying. We're ready for a little down time back in Moussayah after being on the road for almost a month here and there. We are counting down the days until our vacation in Mali.

Hope all is well in your world.

Kim and Jon