On Est Ensemble

I have a sad story to share.

There was a massacre on September 28 in Conakry in which the military (which is basically the acting government since last years coup) opened fire at the stadium killing 150+ people and violating women in the streets. The gathering of people was meant to be a peaceful protest of President Dadis's refusal to abide by his claim to help facilitate elections and not run as a candidate himself. I wont keep going, but if you want to know more, this story has been covered thoroughly by the BBC, among other journals, so you can read up online.The US embassy evacuated all non-essential personnel, and Peace Corps was forced to evacuate to Bamako, Mali a week or so after the violence. The US State Department was the driving force behind Peace Corps Washington's decision to evacuate. None of the volunteers felt unsafe or in any danger, as the violence was limited to Conakry and Americans were not targets.

After two weeks, the decision was made to officially suspend Peace Corps Guinea. On Tuesday we began the transfer conference. Everyone has been given the option to close their service. I have decided not to transfer directly but to reenroll and start over.

It is difficult to explain what this feels like. Everyone is grieving over Guinea. We all feel cheated in some way. I was so ready to move to my site, to settle in, start teaching, be a real volunteer. I never got to be installed.

During the evacuation, driving in the SUV along the road to Kankan, we picked up volunteers. I watched as G15ers said goodbye to their villages. I saw their goodbyes, relationships that I never had a chance to make. Now after getting to know every Guinea volunteer, I've heard so many stories, so many great experiences. I'm jealous of the time they spent in Guinea. I was supposed to have those experiences too. I was going to make my own stories.

We had a goodbye dinner two nights ago. The food was delicious and everyone made speeches. Ousmane said “Guinea needs you now more than ever.” Those people that we left behind, they don’t know why we aren’t there. They have never known democracy. They don’t know what they are entitled to.

Guinea is the poorest country I’ve ever seen. Sitting around a candle at night, I’d wonder, what year electricity was invented. How are people living like this? Sharing one bowl of rice and sauce for dinner, eating with their hands. Collecting water off the roof when it rains to bathe. The roads are worse than rally car race tracks. Every car that you see is jammed with people, 7 inside, 2 or 3 hanging on the back and at least one sitting on huge sacks of rice on the roof. Not to mention the chickens.

There is no place for garbage. When you’ve got to go, you find a latrine, or a hidden place to squat. Guineans don’t know what cheese is. No airplanes fly over your head because no one is coming or going. The military build barrages and hassle you for money when you try to drive through. University students don’t know how to use a computer. Almost every woman you will come across has suffered from genital mutilation. People get gunned down and the bodies disappear.

You know, if you are lost, a Guinean will walk you to where you need to go even if it takes an hour. If you walk by a stranger eating they will invite you to sit and share their food. Children make toy cars out of recycled garbage and pull them around on strings. Everyone always says hello, no matter what. They ask how I am. They ask how my family is.

Guinea needs Peace Corps. Guinea needs education. On est ensemble. We are together.

By this time next week I will be remembering how wonderful America is. America is a beautiful place. I’m not ready to leave Guinea. I’m not ready to leave West Africa. I need to go home because I need to take a break. I don’t have any energy right now. I’ll reenroll in the Peace Corps soon. I’ll be given another country, another group of friends, another site where I will be the best volunteer that I am.

Guinea, I’m sorry.

My close of service is set for Sunday October 25.

Trouble in Conakry, complications and delays...

First of all, I am safe and sound far from Conakry where all the violence occurred on Monday. I'm not going to comment on what's going on, to be honest, we are told only basic information from Peace Corps and not to believe everything we hear on the radio or read on the Internet. Information, though it whips around the country faster than one would think still takes time to reach us.

That aside, I left Conakry Sunday morning for Kankan and haven't seen any causes for concern there or now in Gueckedou. I can't be installed in my home yet because they didn't have my new house ready. Bummer. And now I'm stuck in Gueckedou for who knows how long. Communication here is easy which is nice, as long as I can keep my phone charged which is challenging.

Our taxi ride to Kankan was a long one. We left at 8:30 Sunday morning and didn't arrive until 2:30 a.m Monday. We only broke down once towards the beginning but for some reason the trip took forever. I got bitten by a blister beetle on my thigh. I'm not sure how it got me there but all of a sudden I woke up in the taxi and my leg was burning. I shined my cell phone light down my pants and saw huge blister burns. The blisters broke open into huge sores later that night. I called the Doctor the next morning. It's a chemical burn. I've been cleaning it and lathering it in antibiotic ointment and it seems to be heeling. Oh, Africa.

Kankan is a cool city in the region of Guinea called Haute-Guinee. It is the driest and hottest region of the country, but now coming out of the rainy season the weather is sunny and nice. I enjoyed it a lot, the peace corps compound there is cool with a great view of the stars from the roof. I might need to track down a bug hut from the states so I can sleep outside during the dry season. I did a lot of shopping, bought buckets, a mat, a trunk and a lock, a hammer, etc.

The forest crew said goodbye to the hauters on Tuesday. It was sad leaving this last group, though these are the people I will see for Thanksgiving and maybe Halloween. We had a bumpy luxurious ride in a PC Landrover. We told Sam it was our first long trip not on the PC bus or in a bush taxi and he promised to kill us with air conditioning. We dropped our closest G16 neighbor off at his hut on the way. It was awesome to see how nice a hut can feel when you set it up and make it your home.

We arrived in Gueckedou, said hello to all the officials and dropped off all of our stuff. I've set up camp in one of Phil's guest rooms, using the window and a chair to rig up my mosquito net. We went into town for rice and sauce and then I came back and crashed with exhaustion.

I woke up this morning with a slight cold but feeling well rested. I took a much needed bucket bath and was getting my things together when I looked up at the window and saw two wide-eyed little faces staring at me. I said hello and before I knew it, the entire neighborhood of petits were there. They are so interested in me and they love it if I smile at them or do something silly. I left the house to head for the Internet. This is a big city so there are many different people here from all over Guinea. This means, people call me Toubabou, Porto, Fote, Puluno, etc. I try to say hello in their language based on the name they call me. I picked up breakfast along the way, peanuts and fried maniok which came to probably around 10 cents.

It's nice to be in a place where I can communicate easily with everyone but I'm anxious to get settle into my village. And hopefully there I will figure out some hike to a spot that will offer cell phone service. I'm about to go look for a coke somewhere and do some exploring of the city. It's a cloudy day so the sun shouldn't be too bad.

Thanks for your interest and send peaceful vibes this way. Love,

Em