I'm in a plane on the tarmac of the Conakry airport at dusk, taking in the last sights of Guinea before I head home for a month; thinking how much I'll miss Guinea, even for just a month. The plane is getting ready for take off and by now it's dark. And when I say dark I mean dark. As the plane is taking off I look down at Conakry, capital of Guinea and home to a couple million people. Darkness. The city is black, only the head and tail lights of cars gives proof that this is even a city. As usual, power is out in Conakry. It's time to go home.
My home leave is 6 weeks long (4 weeks of PC home leave + 2 weeks of my own vacation time). The first two weeks were spent in France with my mom and her family. The remaining 4 weeks were split between high school friends, college friends, and family in Chicago, Madison, Indiana and New York.
When I got off the plane in Chicago my family met me with cheers and a welcome home sign. Through my tears I got to see my brother's daughter for the first time. She was 3 weeks old. Just thinking about the first moment I saw her makes me cry - with joy, love, and amazement for this beautiful new heart and soul. La vie est belle.
My time home was well spent - bike rides, picnics, card games, street festivals, beach volleyball, pool parties, hikes, electricity, internet, cheese, ice cream and pizza (though apparently 2 years of not eating dairy has made me lactose intolerant).
I've thoroughly enjoyed being home and spending time with the people I love. Here are some of the highlights of being home:
My mom and her sisters in Paris
My sister-in-law, my brother and me at the airport
My beautiful niece Lola Maureen
4th of July in my hometown
My cousin and her kids - note the Guinean complet worn by my 2nd cousin
College friends Brian and Alex in Madison
High school friends Katrina, Diana and me in Chicago
Maternal grandparents in Indiana
My brothers, niece and me in Chicago
Friends/family friends/family...it's all the same
My Grandmother, Dad and Uncle
I leave for Guinea in a few days. I'm sad to say goodbye again for a long time, but I can't say I didn't make the most of my time home. I'm ready to get back to Guinea, start some new projects, help with the next Peace Corps education stage's training, and eat some rice and sauce. Al Baraka
