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!