Holla atcha from the A-side! We landed in Conakry yesterday morning and it’s been a whirlwind ever since. Highlights include the initial drive to the Peace Corps Compound, a random walk to the market, and football and sunsets on the beach.
Okay! The initial drive to the compound:
After a crazy trip through the Dakar airport, in which we went through about 19 security checkpoints, left the airport, re-entered the airport, and then went back through customs, we landed in Conakry around 9:45am Thursday morning. PC staff was waiting for us as we got off the plane and gave us a warm bag as they helped us load our bags first onto push carts and then into the cars. 25 of us crammed into the minibus, 5 to a row, and took in the sites, sounds, and smells. The scene was more intense than I had ever imagined: people everywhere, no lanes in the streets other than the center median, women and men carrying anything you can imagine on their heads. I recall seeing one man with a stack of backs about 30 high perched atop his head.
Random walk to the market:
After lunch yesterday, about 10 of us decided to venture out of the compound and make our way to the market. There weren’t any real roads until we got to the actual market, but that didn’t stop cars from coming honking by us. Little children chanted ‘Fote.. Fote..’ (white person) as we passed. It was impossible to walk by a person without having them stare. One boy, probably in response to a dare, shook each of our hands as we passed, but wouldn’t speak back to us when we said bonjour or ca va. Another boy simply came up and poked Valentin, another PCT, and walked away. Street vendors sold everything from leather shoes to cell phones to roast corn to fried chicken. Although we didn’t buy anything, it was great to see that everything was available for a bargain.
The beach and the beach bar:
Right next to the compound lays the beach. It’s not a beach like you or I would imagine, but one through which the rainwater carries the garbage and sewage from the streets, and one on which people appear to dump their trash. That said, it is FILLED with people, mostly playing soccer – games as far as the eye can see, surrounded by petits (elementary/middle school kids) eager to try to jump in with the bigger kids and adults. On the beach is a wonderful beach bar, which basically comprises a 30x30ft covered patio where they sell a local beer, Guiluxe, for 5000GF, or about $1.20.
After our sessions in the compound ended today, some friends and I took a football to the beach and ended up playing a pick-up two-hand-touch game with some Guineans (pronounced gih-nay-ens). The game was pretty interesting, considering they’d never before played le football americain, but was lots of fun nonetheless. After the game, I joined in with three female PCT’s hitting a volleyball with a bunch of petits. The petits didn’t have too much to say, but we all had fun laughing together as we tried to keep the ball in the air as long as possible. Afterwards, a few of us stuck around for a beer and to watch the sunset. As Guinea is located on the far west coast of Africa, the sun sets right over the horizon of the ocean; it’s a beautiful scene.
I could go on trying to describe these scenes to you, but hopefully in the next day or two I will be able to take and post some photos to give you a clearer impression. On that note, Sunday night will probably commence my trip into the dark ages, as it will be at least a few weeks before I return to the internet; on Monday we leave for training with our host families in Forecariah (four – ay – car – ia). While I am going to try to procure a cell phone this weekend, it isn’t likely that I will, so I will probably end up getting one when we return to Conakry for a visit at the end of the month (perhaps a birthday present to myself?).
A few people have asked me about the customs tariffs on packages. PLEASE SEND ANY PACKAGES THROUGH THE U.S. POST OFFICE. I only have to pay 5000GF for packages delivered from the Post Office. DHL packages, however, will cost anywhere from 200,000GF to 400,000GF, which is about $100US. If you are kind enough to send me a package, I have no problem paying the $1.20 for the tariff :). Also, there is no charge on letters.
Lastly, if you couldn't tell, I am 100% excited to be here; it's incredible and I'm having a blast!
3 comments:
Congratulations on your incredible journey. I have your Blog bookmarked and will visit frequently. My daughter Tiffany is part of your G16 group. Make sure to play some futbol too! All the best.
That beach you described seems nasty, but I can't wait to see a picture of the sunset. Have fun meeting your host family.
Hunter! I'm glad you made it there safely. I'm going to be reading up on all your African adventures while I'm stuck in my boring office job. Take Care!
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