Happy Thanksgiving from Guinea!
This year I am thankful for the following things:
-My contagious, parasitic skin infection (Scabies) has been cured. What I thought was a bad case of heat rash turned out to be a little more serious. Being a biologist and all I thought it was kind of cool to get a parasitic infection, however, I'm quite happy to be over it.
-I have a house with a floor that is not made of dirt, a roof and ceiling not made of grass, and a toilet
-Every night I get to sleep in a bed (and without bedbugs!)
-I have one of the most interesting, fun and challenging jobs in the world :) Everyday I go to work with the opportunity to inspire and encourage the future engineers, scientists, doctors, pilots, and ambassadors of Guinea (this is what my students tell me they want to be)
-I have great friends and family all over the world who are continously supporting me and encouraging my work here
-I live in a beautiful place where people are incredibly generous and friendly
-The people in my village are so grateful and appreciative of my work and the Peace Corps presence in Guinea. I'm thankful that they're thankful.
-The best Thanksgiving gift was that, in a taxi on my way to Conkary yesterday (to celebrate Tday with some other vols), about 100km from my village, a group of construction workers on the side of the road all waved at me and yelled Damayé, Damayé Camara!! (my Guinean name) when I passed by. I have no idea who they were, but apparently they were from my village and recognized me. Feelin' good.
Peace and Thanks!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
L'ecole
Wo nu wali!
I've finally found some time to give you a more detailed account of my experiences in my village (and to find an internet cafe!). I've decided I should write about my school, seeing as that is where I spend most of my time...
La Guerre
The day before the first day of school one of the other professors gave these words of wisdom to me, Demain, la guerre va commencer. Or, in English, tomorrow the war begins. He said this in a joking manner but I couldn't help but feel slightly terrified for the first day of class.
Inshallah
One of my host brothers (actually the son of my principal) came to visit me from across the village. As he was leaving I said "won tina a l'ecole" - see you tomorrow at school (susu). And his response, ominously foreshadowing, was Inshallah, or if God wills it (in Arabic). I thought that was a silly thing to say, because of course there would be school tomorrow, it's the first day of class (whether or not God wills it)!...There was no school the next day. Long story short, it was the day after independance day and at the last minute everyone decided that there shouldn't be school (I did not get this memo, however, until I was the only person to show up at a school of 2,000 students and 28 teachers). Thankfully, classes started the next day and things went smoothly, sans probleme.
Some tidbits about my school:
-The school bell consists of someone banging a wrench 3 times against a giant metal wheel, which I suspect used to be part of a train
-Some students walk for miles to get to the school, others have moved in with family or friends living in this village so that they can attend school. The high school serves a very large area, so I know most of my students probably have gone to a great difficulty to be there
-Many students missed the first week, 2 weeks, or even month of school because they didn't have enough money to buy the school uniform or notebooks. When I questioned my own host sister about why she wasn't going to school the first few days she told me she didn't have a uniform. Well, we marched right over to the market and bought one, for a whopping $4.50.
-Some of my students are essentially the same age as me. At least one of my students has a baby and she's often late to class because she was at home breast-feeding her. I'm actually surprised this girl has managed to stay in school after being married and having a baby (way to be!). The girls that continue to go to school are really courageous, they have a lot going against them. My principal calls me the defeneder of the jeunes filles (young girls) and he often refers to me as the mama of the school. Now that I'm also coaching the girls soccer team I've really gotten a chance to know more of the girls attending school.
-One of my host brothers (I feel like I have a million of them) said something very profound, and disheartening about his education (which I fear may be true for a lot of students in a lot of places around the world). He said, A l'ecole on etudie. Dehors l'ecole on apprend - At school we study. It's outside of school that we learn. At school the students are used to simply memorizing the facts or formulas they need to know, without understanding them or their applications. There simply aren't enough resources (especially, for example, in a class of 100+ students) to do activities to help the students learn and discover things on their own.
-Each class room (there are 21) is cleaned by the students. The boys clean the chalk boards and empy the trash and the girls take turns sweeping the class room everyday after class. These kids literally work for their education.
-It is my principal's dream to build a library and a laboratory at the school. The school is well organized and has a lot of good teachers (not to mention great management). I think it's absolutely feasible and I'm going to do what I can to help him realize his dream...because it's my dream too.
-There are an endless number of things to derange (disrupt) your class. For example, bats fighting in the ceiling, giant vultures landing on the metal roof, lizards running across the floor, and very loud weddings, baptisms and assorted parties happening right outside the window, to name a few things.
-Apparently last night someone messed with the lock to the school office and cleverly broke it so that it could not be opened. Before class could start we had to call a locksmith, who, with the help of some of the teachers, hammered through the cement wall to unlock the bolt. Ahh...nothing like taking down walls before starting class at 8am. (Note: The professors with the name Sylla blamed this lock fiasco on the professors who are Camaras - the "joking cousins" never gets old!).
That's it for now, folks. Oh, and I should just say, we're VERY excited for the next group of volunteers, G-21, coming to Guinea in a month! Soyez la bienvenue!
I've finally found some time to give you a more detailed account of my experiences in my village (and to find an internet cafe!). I've decided I should write about my school, seeing as that is where I spend most of my time...
La Guerre
The day before the first day of school one of the other professors gave these words of wisdom to me, Demain, la guerre va commencer. Or, in English, tomorrow the war begins. He said this in a joking manner but I couldn't help but feel slightly terrified for the first day of class.
Inshallah
One of my host brothers (actually the son of my principal) came to visit me from across the village. As he was leaving I said "won tina a l'ecole" - see you tomorrow at school (susu). And his response, ominously foreshadowing, was Inshallah, or if God wills it (in Arabic). I thought that was a silly thing to say, because of course there would be school tomorrow, it's the first day of class (whether or not God wills it)!...There was no school the next day. Long story short, it was the day after independance day and at the last minute everyone decided that there shouldn't be school (I did not get this memo, however, until I was the only person to show up at a school of 2,000 students and 28 teachers). Thankfully, classes started the next day and things went smoothly, sans probleme.
Some tidbits about my school:
-The school bell consists of someone banging a wrench 3 times against a giant metal wheel, which I suspect used to be part of a train
-Some students walk for miles to get to the school, others have moved in with family or friends living in this village so that they can attend school. The high school serves a very large area, so I know most of my students probably have gone to a great difficulty to be there
-Many students missed the first week, 2 weeks, or even month of school because they didn't have enough money to buy the school uniform or notebooks. When I questioned my own host sister about why she wasn't going to school the first few days she told me she didn't have a uniform. Well, we marched right over to the market and bought one, for a whopping $4.50.
-Some of my students are essentially the same age as me. At least one of my students has a baby and she's often late to class because she was at home breast-feeding her. I'm actually surprised this girl has managed to stay in school after being married and having a baby (way to be!). The girls that continue to go to school are really courageous, they have a lot going against them. My principal calls me the defeneder of the jeunes filles (young girls) and he often refers to me as the mama of the school. Now that I'm also coaching the girls soccer team I've really gotten a chance to know more of the girls attending school.
-One of my host brothers (I feel like I have a million of them) said something very profound, and disheartening about his education (which I fear may be true for a lot of students in a lot of places around the world). He said, A l'ecole on etudie. Dehors l'ecole on apprend - At school we study. It's outside of school that we learn. At school the students are used to simply memorizing the facts or formulas they need to know, without understanding them or their applications. There simply aren't enough resources (especially, for example, in a class of 100+ students) to do activities to help the students learn and discover things on their own.
-Each class room (there are 21) is cleaned by the students. The boys clean the chalk boards and empy the trash and the girls take turns sweeping the class room everyday after class. These kids literally work for their education.
-It is my principal's dream to build a library and a laboratory at the school. The school is well organized and has a lot of good teachers (not to mention great management). I think it's absolutely feasible and I'm going to do what I can to help him realize his dream...because it's my dream too.
-There are an endless number of things to derange (disrupt) your class. For example, bats fighting in the ceiling, giant vultures landing on the metal roof, lizards running across the floor, and very loud weddings, baptisms and assorted parties happening right outside the window, to name a few things.
-Apparently last night someone messed with the lock to the school office and cleverly broke it so that it could not be opened. Before class could start we had to call a locksmith, who, with the help of some of the teachers, hammered through the cement wall to unlock the bolt. Ahh...nothing like taking down walls before starting class at 8am. (Note: The professors with the name Sylla blamed this lock fiasco on the professors who are Camaras - the "joking cousins" never gets old!).
That's it for now, folks. Oh, and I should just say, we're VERY excited for the next group of volunteers, G-21, coming to Guinea in a month! Soyez la bienvenue!
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