Eid and Entamoeba

Entamoeba

Teachers who have first hand experience in the subject they teach makes the learning experience much better for students. That's why, the great teacher I am, I went out and got amoebic dysentery (it's an intestinal parasite)- so that next year I'll really know what I'm talking about. Well, actually it was a lot less deliberate than that. The good news is that I'm better now, and the best news is that next year in 12th grade biology I'll have a lot more to say when we talk about Entamoeba histolytica, though I'll probably spare them (and you) the finer details [You're welcome]. Anyway, because of this maladie I had to go to Conakry and subsequently didn't have enough time to get back to my village before going to Dubreka for training :( At least I got to celebrate the last few days of Ramadan and Eid in my village...

Eid-al-Fitr

 The end-of-Ramadan celebration took place last week, after a month of not eating or drinking during the day. I would have liked to fast the whole month, but I decided not to fast while I was with my parents, which left only about 6 days left out of the month. It is an incredible and fulfilling feeling to fast, knowing that more than a billion people are experiencing the exact same thing along with you. After sundown during Ramadan we broke our fast with rice porridge and sweet rice, followed by...rice and sauce of course. My host family doesn't really have the means to do anything special like buy juice or fruits or other foods which other families eat to break their fast.

Thankfully I was healthy enough in the morning of the Eid to partake in one of the most amazing spectacles I've ever witnessed. My host family invited me to pray at the mosque with them...and the rest of the village. I donned a beautiful white lace headscarf from my host mother and walked 25 minutes to the largest mosque at the edge of the village. I joined thousands of other women and men there, all dressed in their finest robes and complets. The mosque only held a few hundred people, so the rest of us were in front, back, to the side, along the road and encircling the whole area. I took my shoes off and joined my neighbor on her praying mat along with the other women. I had no idea what I was doing so I just followed everyone else's suit. I didn't feel weird or imposing because many Guineans had invited me to go and they wanted me to be a part of their community. The rest of the day was spent getting sali ma foed by very well dressed children, who, in wishing you a bonne fete, want money or candy in return. I like to think of it as a Guinean version of Halloween meets Christmas. The family also cooked a small feast, which included a very small portion  of meat from the cow that our neighbors had slaughtered the day before.

Wishing everyone a Bonne Fete! Sali Ma Fo!  Eid Mubarak!