Well I had originally planned to post about the trashed wasteland that is Medina Market in Conakry and all of my fun adventures there, but instead I have a happy tale to tell. Don't worry, the horror story will come next week! As all of you know, this past weekend was Thanksgiving and I spent it here in the capital city with about thirty other volunteers. I normally dip out on the larger get togethers, but my presence was mandatory due to a seven meeting I had (completely in French) with my boss. Our Thanksgiving feast was on Saturday night in the house of the Country Director. I had never visited her house before, and as soon as I walked in it, I was completely floored by how much it resembled an American home...I could easily have been in America. Tears welled in my eyes when I saw things like leather couches, flat screen tv's, people in small groups talking over glasses of wine, and soft jazz playing in the background. Before eating, we all shared what we were thankful for, and at this point I really came to appreciate the other volunteers and the amazing support network we have here. We are all in this together. I also was reminded of the amazing support system I have at home. It's not a bad thing I miss my family and friends so much. It means that I had something worth missing. Above all, there was the amazing food. I don't know where they found turkey and cranberry sauce, but those were two of about twenty dishes laid out in front of us, the malnourished volunteers. I became sick on cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green beans, salad, and yes, even turkey. After dinner, a few of the volunteers turned on the aforementioned TV to watch the Michigan/Ohio State game, and even though I can't stand football in the states, it was yet another taste of home. All in all, I was really glad I came into the capital to celebrate thanksgiving, and was amazed that I could have so much of America in this place called Guinea. While I'm not really looking forward to going back to site (and lots of rice), Christmas will be coming really soon and I'll be taking a super awesome trip to Guinea's forest region!
[Note] I'm going to try to start posting on the same day every week (or every two weeks). So make sure to come back on Wednesday's!
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