Missing Guinea

I feel priveledged to have been able to live in Guinea, one of the most beautiful places in the world. While I did not and don’t feel like I would have gotten a lot of actual projects done there, it was an amazing place with amazing people and I will miss it forever. Especially my effing dog.

But now I feel priveledged to serve in Mali. The people here are great and here I feel like I will actually get projects accomplished. So I got to have the best of both worlds.

Today Drissa and I went to the bigger town north of us where the gendarmerie, mayor and sous prefet are. I’m not exactly sure who I met but everyone seemed to be happy that I am here and unlike in Guinea do not make big non-sequitor speeches about it. I think I met the mayor, the second mayor and the sous prefet. I don’t know really. The Sous Prefet was very flirty and it’s still hard to get rid of that.

I was wrong in thinking it wouldn’t be easier this time around. It is, if only in the sense that I know I have to act like a freaking idiot and be unapologetic for my lack of language skills but show that I am trying.

I think my experience here will be a lot different than my experience in Guinea. Both will have their high and low points and both will be equally important and satisfying in my life.

But I seriously miss my dog and want to go get him if Guinea reopens anytime soon.

My family has been giving me hot bath water twice a day. Once in the evening when it gets dark and once at 6:15 in the morning. Which means I have to get up every day at 6:15am. So I take an afternoon nap every day after lunch.

I managed to get the house pretty much organized today (as much as I can without a table or shelves yet). I’ve been getting fed 3x a day every day so I don’t know when I will have occasion to bust open the four food boxes I have with me (inheritances from people who flew to their reassignment/back to America and two boxes from my grandparents) or the entire carton of eggs I bought. I have to figure out how to pay the family back for all the food. Whether I should just pay them or buy them stuff on market day remains to be seen.

Dooni, dooni as they say: little by little.