Sali Mafo! Seasons Greetings

Wo nu wali!

This edition of blog-posting I finally have pictures from my site! I'm in Conakry celebrating Christmas (we have a week off of school for the petit congé) and helping out at the training of some of the new (public health) trainees.

Nxunyi - chez moi

My front porch - where all the impromptu English classes, physics, chemistry, and math tutoring, random family dance parties, and dinner happen.

 My living room/kitchen, repping PC-Guinea with my hand-made batik from an artist in Conkary. On the table is my gas stove (on the left) and my water filter (that tall thing on the right). On the left is the hallway to my bathroom and bedroom.

 Me bedroom: huge bed, suitcase of clothes and trunk of books. And of course the mosquito net (which doubles as a spider, cockroach, cricket, and mouse net).

Issiaga, nxunya xamema, my little brother, in his school uniform next to my house (with the other houses of our concession in the background).

 One of my other little brothers, Abou, sitting on the ledge of my front porch.

My front yard. Mango trees and babies. Our well is also there - it's difficult to see, but it's that piece of metal behind the mango tree on the right. Beyond that is the soccer field. Speaking of which...

Soccer field. It's dirt, with one goal post made of metal bars and the other made of 2 palm tree stumps and a bamboo stick across the top.

A crowd along the edge of the field during the 12th grade V 8th grade game. It was a tie, but unfortunately we're (12th grade) out of the tournament now. The last hope for Lycée lies with Terminale. 

8th grade comedians (that's what they call themselves) . Every time the 8th grade plays these guys come dressed in the silliest clothes and dance alongside the field and rally the crowd. Proof that kids are kids anywhere in the world and that middle schoolers are goofy everywhere.

 The soccer jerseys (Chelsea) for the girls soccer team after the screen printing was finished - front (left side) and back (right side).

Pepper Farm! This isn't actually the one I work on with the women (unfortunately I didn't take any pics at the women's farm yet). This is a plantation out in another village that I visited, but it looks pretty much like any pepper plantation.  

12eme Science Experimentale - the class that I'm Professeur Principal of, AKA in charge of their grades, dealing with discipline problems and other misc. things. Unfortunately about 10 students were absent the day I took this (it was taken yesterday, the last day before the petit congé, so naturally a lot of students were gone). I teach them 8 hours a week - 4hrs of physics and 4hrs of biology. Average age: 18 (range from 15-22).

Field Trip to the local "hospital." I talked with the doctor and lab tech and asked if they would let my students come in and look at Plasmodium (the parasite that causes malaria) in their microscope. They happily agreed, and after buying gas for the generator and getting soy bean oil to use as immersion oil we were able to use the microscope. The study of the malarial parasite is part of their national curriculum so it worked out perfectly. I think it was a pretty neat opportunity for my students, none of them had ever used a microscope before. The photo on the left is the lab tech explaining what exactly they will see in the microscope and on the right is Mamadou checking it out.

Seasons greetings to all and a Happy New Year! In the words of my Proviseur, may 2012 be a year of health, happiness, success and, surtout, PEACE.