The Time I Accidentally Prayed to Allah

As far as stressful weeks go, this one takes the cake. This week was the “Brevet Blanc”, the practice version of the high school entrance exam that takes place in June. Over the span of 4 days, my students had exams in Chemistry, History, French, Physics, Geography, Civics, Math and Biology. To my surprise, some of the subjects had decent topics. For example,  for French they had to write an essay about how important school is for the future, and for History they had to analyze colonialism. I had hoped the open-ended questions would help the students, but I quickly realized that they don't understand open-ended questions. Instead, they tried to answer the essay questions with definitions that have been drilled into their heads over the years. In the end, all of the subjects passed in the same manner. “It was so hard.” “We never learned that.” “We learned that last year.” or as a student so eloquently put it, “it nearly killed us Madam.” And he's right! Out of 67 students that took the exams, less than 10 of them managed to average a passing grade.

When it came to the math sections, I was just as nervous as all of my students (because contrary to their beliefs, I hadn't yet seen the topic). I let out a huge sigh of relief when I saw the questions. There wasn't anything I hadn't gotten to yet, and it was something they should've been able to do. It was mostly things I had taught them this year, plus a few things from previous grades. As much as my kids complained about it, it was much easier than what is usually on the exam. Despite that fact, none of my students passed. Not a single one. Talk about a blow to everything I've tried to do here!

In many ways, the Brevet is unfair. There is no standard of difficulty, and no standard grading procedure. In addition, the wording of the questions is purposely made more difficult in order to trip up the students. All of those things are in the hands of the government, and nothing can be done about them. One things however is guaranteed. Cheating. I ended up playing exam proctor for the last two days of the exams to reduce/eliminate the cheating that had gone on the first two days. For the most part, this cheating was due to a lack of vigilance among the other proctors. Some of them had fallen asleep during the exams! Kids had cheat sheets with them, they were passing notes, they were blatantly looking at others work, and a large number were caught using cell phones, where mass texts had been sent out with the answers to the questions. None of that really shocked me though because I've seen that kind of cheating in progress all year. What did shock me was that my students fully expect me to help them cheat for the real exams, and every time I refuse, they tell me I'm not really here to help them. They want me to “research” the test questions and help them memorize the answers. I had a pretty serious talk with them about that. I told them they needed to work hard, and that they could pass without cheating. They were astonished by the positive reinforcement. All week they'd been told, by my fellow teachers, things like “you don't know anything,” “why don't you just give up and go home,” “you refuse to learn.” So I got a hearty “MERCI MADAM” when I told them I had faith in them and that they were capable. Speaking of faith...

Every phone that I took during the exams sat on my kitchen table until the week was over. So, the second they finished the last exam, students came over, en masse, to take back their phones. When they arrived, I had music playing in the house, and it turned into a dance party. Finally, as they were heading out, they noticed a book in Arabic my neighbors has left on my porch. They asked me if it was my book, and then came the inevitable “do you speak Arabic?” Well, when I said no, they shoved the book in my face and told me to read the phonetic part, which I did. They were both shocked and amused to hear me speaking Arabic, and they made me read more and more. Finally they said “Madam you speak Arabic”. I explained that even though words had come out of my mouth, I didn't understand what I'd said. They laughed and explained, “Madame that's one of our prayers!”  

Strangers in a Strange Land Part 2

Words of wisdom my xunya! This was supposed to be in last weeks post, but didn't quite make it.


So, Christine asked me to write a few words about my experience in Guinea as a visitor. There's so much that it's hard to pinpoint what to write about; every day held a completely new experience. Traveling in the taxis, talking to Africans, meeting my sister's fellow volunteers. Eating food, sitting in on Guinean school classes; even hanging outside my sister's house under the yentenye fruit tree to escape the heat and playing with the neighbor kids. This is possibly why it's been hard for me to get something together for Christine to post in her blog. People ask me what my favorite part was, what was the most surprising or different, and I honestly can't pinpoint a particular theme. I liked it in Guinea, though, must to Christine's (and her fellow volunteers') surprise. It's one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world, yet the people there are still very real people; eking out a life for themselves and their family the best way they know how. They work hard, but they also know how to relax and enjoy life, taking it one minute at a time. They're very ignorant of the rest of the world, yet still friendly in their own way. Nobody does very well under the French education system, yet they're still intelligent and resourceful. They suffer from many health problems because of lack of sanitation and nutrition, but they are strong and resilient anyways. Being there helped me to understand what my sister, and most overseas volunteers, have to sacrifice and go through each day. Guinea is not for the faint of heart! Seriously. It is extremely difficult to live in, even as a third-world country. I admired the way that my sister stood up to merchants and taxi drivers trying to rip us off because we're white. She endures their ridicule and amusement when she speaks their native language. She's changed a lot and become much tougher. She's not phased by some things that she'd dislike at home! Peace Corps volunteers leave their money, their home, and their lifestyle to work in an often completely thankless job, trying to help the people of the world. I'm not sure that I could do it, so next time you talk to a Peace Corps volunteer (such as my sister), give them some props!

Strangers in a Strange Land

Last week, my family, or more specifically, my dad and sister Kathryn, came to visit me in Guinea. After anxiously awaiting their arrival, they finally came down the ramp and I burst into tears of joy. I couldn't believe they were actually in Guinea (and neither could they). It's been almost 10 months since I left the United States. Ten months since I've seen my family and my friends. Their coming to visit was an amazing treat. They brought over 50lbs of America with them in food, clothes and shoes! But more importantly, they saw extreme poverty for the first time and what life is really like in Africa.

When you make plans, Guinea gets in the way. This was one of the first things my family learned upon arrival. They also learned the useful arts of sitting, squishing, drinking water out of a plastic bag, bucket bathing, hand washing laundry, and last but not least, they dipped their toes into the pool that is the Susu language. But I'll let them tell you all about it. . .

[The following are excerpts from what my dad had to say about Guinea. Sadly, my sister didn't send me anything in time for me to put it in this week's blog.]

We visited Christine in Guinea. What a wonderful experience! I say wonderful wishing for a better word, but it was full of wonder. It is wonderful how very differently life transpires in Guinea in comparison to America. One of the many things that struck me in Guinea was the difference between Conakry and the less populated areas. The big town was generally filthy and dangerous, with little greenery in sight. The country and villages seemed to have much more spacious homes; they were far slower paced, with much more interpersonal communication. Am I biased toward rural areas? Absolutely. But this is true nonetheless. [In addition] children learn from birth the importance of family and community. They place a huge emphasis on being close to loved ones, asking about their well being, and supporting the extended family. Guineans pride themselves on their hospitality. They lavishly share the meals they have with those around. And they assume others will do the same for them.

[When it comes to resources] Guinea has the largest deposits of bauxite in the world. Bauxite is the raw material from which we produce aluminum. In the locations I visited, bauxite is everywhere. It paves the roads, comprises the stones for fences, walls, and road beds. During the dry season, the orange and red dust from bauxite permeates everything. Although bauxite lies on the surface of the earth through Lower Guinea, I never saw a bauxite mine. Further south, in the heart of the jungle, Guinea boast the world’s 2nd largest deposits of iron ore. Christine gave me a specimen of ore she collected. It looks to be a type of specular hematite, but is weakly magnetic. So it probably has traces of magnetite as well. These iron oxides are higher grades of ore than the more common deposits of pyrite (“fools gold”), which are high in sulphur. The iron deposits lie directly beneath the heart of the rainforest region, native home to primates and elephants. There are also diamonds and gold in Guinea. But the most obvious wealth I saw was their exotic woods. It was everywhere. Guineans use the spectacularly colored, fine grained, wood for the most unworthy of purposes such as construction lumber and (gasp) charcoal. For example, the ladder leading to the crawl space below Christine’s roof is in her bathroom. She will never use it. House guests will never see it. But it is probably 20 board feet of solid red rosewood (or something of similar color and consistency). They use the most highly prized woods, always solid, for chairs, doors, tables, bowls, everything. And they never realize any of these items, sold new in America, would fetch months, or even years of their local salary. Exotic wood from the tropics is as common and base in Guinea as pasteboard here.

My family being here was like looking at myself in a mirror for the first time since being here, and I didn't like everything I saw. It was difficult realizing that I've become an even more selfish person, which I attribute to my increased independence. I've become an angry person, and I'm always complaining about something. In the States, I never would have screamed at or openly mocked someone to get my way, but here I do it with alarming frequency. I guess what the mirror revealed wasn't all bad. My family pointed out how out-going I've become and how many friends I've made in my village. All of the children here love me, even when I don't give them candy (which says something). They saw me teach,and even though they found it extremely boring, they believe I'm making a difference and truly helping my students. They saw how strong I've become and how stubborn. I bet my mom didn't think I could be more stubborn!

Saying “goodbye” and not getting on the plane with them has proved to be one of the hardest things I've done so far. I really want to go home! I really miss all the wonderful people back at home, not to mention, the ease of which one can live there. Say what you will, I will really appreciate how convenient things are. They fact that i'll hopefully be home in August for a few weeks keeps me going. When it comes to Dad and Kathryn, I know it was really hard for them to leave me in Guinea, after seeing my life and what I put up with on a daily basis. I know they are proud, and they are already trying to plan another visit to Guinea! They had a great time, and learned a lot, which they are already sharing with friends back at home. Life changing? Probably, but you'll have to ask them.  

Sometimes I have days where I want to pack up  my bags and return to the land of wealth and luxury. Every PC volunteer has those days. However, whenever the going gets tough, there are always moments that remind me why I'm here, and why I can't leave.

I was walking home from school when one of my best and brightest students started complaining about the absence of their teachers, and the fact that the teachers aren't helping them get ready for the high school entrance exam. Last year, the teachers held tutoring sessions months before the exam, but so far, I'm the only one who has offered tutoring sessions. My student told me, "Madame, you are the only one fighting for us, and we really thank you for that." Talk about a reason to stay! All it took was that one sentence and I was reminded of my reason for coming here and why I can't leave yet!

Sorry for the late post and the fact that it's so short! I'm in the capital, Conakry, and just dropped my family off at the airport! Hopefully I'll be able to blog about their visit next week

Clean Drinking Water for Guinea?

In Guinea, as in most of Africa, there are two seasons; the rainy season and the dry season, each lasting around six months. During the rainy season, as you would expect, it rains a lot. At least once a day. During the month of August, it does nothing but rain. Laundry is out of the question, as is doing much of anything. During the dry season, it's dry. When I say dry, I mean no rain, no moisture, nothing. The wells and the streams dry up, and layers upon layers of dust build up on everything. Right now we are almost at the end of the dry season, and I'm really looking forward to the rains! It has rained twice since the end of rainy season in October. The first was a 30 minute shower back in December, the second was a five minute sprinkle that occurred two months ago. I was sound asleep when suddenly I heard rain falling on the roof. I jumped out of bed, ran outside, and stood in the rain. It was 2 am. Sadly, it was over all too soon so I climbed back into bed. Since then, it hasn't rained a DROP, although rainy season will officially start in about six weeks.

The six month gap of no rain has a huge impact on water security here. When the wells dry up, which they do around March or April, people are forced to used water sources that might not be as clean resulting in more sicknesses. The well that is next to my house is just about finished and it will remain dried up until the month of May. Fortunately, in the bigger villages like mine, we have pumps that bring up clean water from further down. In the smaller villages, they are often forced to drink contaminated water, which then then attempt to filter using a contraption using sand and the leg of a pair of jeans. 

So, what can be done about this problem? Well, I recently went to a training held in a suburb of Conakry, where I learned how to make a Biosand Water Filter (designed by CAWST). These filters, in the field, last forever, and remove around 80 percent of the bacteria, viruses, and other nasty things you find in the water here. They are fairly easy to make. You pour concrete into the mold, and then you fill it with layers of gravel and sand. The only substantial cost is getting the mold made. I am hoping to work with fellow volunteers Kelly and Sarah to start making and distributing the filters to people in need. The group that we worked with have been doing this project for about a year, and have given approximately 60 water filters to neighbors in the surrounding area. After the training, we walked around to look at the filters, and amazingly, almost ever single one was being used! The people with filters had nothing but good things to say about them. Since they started using the filters, they've gotten sick less often. I was really encouraged after going to this training! The water filters are useful, durable, easy to use, and immediately begin improving the lives of those who are using them!

Step One : The mold is oiled, and put together. Plastic tubing where water comes out is placed in the mold

Step Two: Concrete is mixed - cement, sand, gravel, water, and lots of work!

Step Three: Concrete is poured into the mold. The mold is beaten with a hammer to get all the air bubbles out. In the US, this process is done by a machine which vibrates and gets all the air bubbles out . 

Step Four : Concrete is set to dry for 18 hours, and now the filter looks like this. 

Step Five : Fill the filter with gravel and sand, and give to someone in need!

MISC

Ebola

Just wanted to let you all know that I'm alive and well! As you may or may not know, there has  been an ebola virus outbreak here in Guinea. It started in the forest region, but has recently spread to the capital city. As scary as Ebola sounds, as long as you aren't hanging around with infected people, or touching the corpses of those who have died, the risk is very small. I'll keep you updated of course, but it doesn't look like it will be bad enough to get us evacuated.

People Magazine 

If my village had their own version of People Magazine, I would be on the cover every month. People follow me around every day, they scream my name when they see me, and they are always taking photos and videos of me. I was in the middle of teaching last week when I looked up and noticed a student videotaping me! I'm sure my students alone could fill pages of those unattractive “real life” star pictures they like to include in magazines. As far as the gossip columns, I can only imagine what would circulate, because the people in my village spend a ridiculous time talking about me. Where I'm going, what I'm doing, what I'm eating. Everything. “Kadiatou was late for school today.” “Kadiatou went for a run today and she didn't greet me. She is so rude.” “Kadiatou bought rice at the market. Will she make rice and sauce for dinner?” “Did you see Kadiatou walking with so-and-so? I bet they are dating!”. They seem to find the most mundane things that I do worthy of conversation. They even discuss my fashion. “Did you see what Kadiatou was wearing today? It was so pretty!” I've recently noticed some of my girl students wearing copies of my dresses. I've even had someone ask to borrow my clothes so that they could have a tailor replicate it for them! You know what they say. Imitation is the sincerest form of praise. Being such a celebrity can be really overwhelming. Everyone here knows my name, and wants to talk to me. They carefully watch and judge everything in a manner some might call crazy. I often find myself wondering if this is how celebrities feel? I never thought I would find myself walking in their shoes!

Upcoming Events

Tomorrow marks month NINE in Guinea. Boy does time fly.

My family will be arriving Guinea this Sunday for Spring Break! I cannot wait to see them and to show them Guinea and my day-to-day life.

World Book Day is coming up, meaning that I will have 300 mini-books to distribute to my students. These books are a mixture of fables, plays, and fairytales that come in both French and English. This is part of a Peace Corps literacy initiative throughout the country. I haven't yet planned my World Book Day activity, so if you have any suggestions, feel free to email me