IST #2

“In Service Training”, that’s what they’re calling our evacuation to Mali, anyway, since everyone is expecting that we’ll return to Guinea, as what we hope to be the worst of the strikes are over. So it’s been a while since my last blog, I’m writing this from the computer center at the PC training center in Bamako, Mali.

Last I wrote I was getting exited for my trip home to the states, to see the people I love, and almost as important, to eat home made food and junk food to my heart’s content. Both missions were successful by the way. So before I get to what’s going on now, let me re-cap my top ten favorite things from my fantastic 3 week vacation sponsored by mom and dad:

10. Being able to wear my hair down without a severe case of sweat neck
9. Riding in cars that I didn’t have to push-start (and didn’t break down, not once!)
8. Understanding what children were saying (children here only speak local language, hardly any French yet since they learn in later years in school, so I felt privy to the children’s secret world of poc-e-mon and other such important things)
7. Having clean feet for 3 weeks straight
6. Bowling + beer
5. Big Mac enjoyed first thing at the Chicago Airport
4. Playing in the snow… but not for too long, it was absolutely freezing
3. Swedish massage (thanks Alice & Ken! Worth balancing a box of rice on my head any day)
2. CHEESE and other general tasty food items otherwise unavailable in the third world
1. Seeing family & friends

So as you can see, seeing family and friends was number one, but just by a little. Hey, you’d have a hard time choosing between a plate of steak and salmon or seeing a good friend when you hadn’t seen either for a year- luckily, I didn’t have to. It was overall an excellent trip, I spent much of it snowed in and lying about eating and playing games, but it was just what I needed. Only problems included a brief freak out flying into the Chicago airport on account of suddenly being surrounded by English speaking white people who didn’t seem to realize that I was a celebrity deserving of their special attention (as I have been in Guinea for the last year).

After celebrating la fete de Noel and de la nouvelle annee avec la famille, I arrived back in Guinea late January 6th to find out that I have 2 days until the nation’s biggest yet strikes. This is the third nation wide strike since we’ve been here, and the most serious to date. I knew we’d be asked to stay put once the strike started (and that transportation would shut down) so I spent the 2 days writing grant proposals for an environment sensibilisation tour, and a well, and then caught the last taxi up to Dinguiraye, as I was anxious to get back and see my adopted family, the Camaras. Everyone was happy to see me, and I graciously resumed my celebrity status and handed out small gifts to most everyone (Since it’s so important to bring gifts, even small things, when you voyage) Thanks to mom and dad for sponsoring most of the gifts. My neighbors got BIC lighters, my friends got photo albums, soccer magazines picked up in the Paris airport, special crank flashlights and ibuprofen for aches and pains. Kids got little toys and plastic flutes.

The strike started out calm enough throughout the country, except that everything was closed down. Even Dinguiraye market ladies didn’t come to work. Then tensions started mounting and a general nervousness spread over the town as news reports of violence in Conakry and marches broadcast over the shortwave radios that everyone owns and walks around with, volumes all the way up. Our prefet asked Dinguiraye not to demonstrate and to rest calm indoors, and his wishes were respected. Unfortunately, many other towns would not miss this opportunity to demonstrate their anger towards the current regime. The whole country is tired of a diminishing currency, low and missed salaries, and the mounting prices of gasoline and rice. All union workers demanded a regime change, and insist on holding the strike out until it does. Conditions are not the best for Peace Corps to get to us in case of emergencies, so we were temporarily outed to Bamako Mali, for what we’re thinking will be about 2 weeks, but can’t be sure yet. It looks like the worst days of the strike have past us (with about 40 dead throughout the country and 100s injured at protests) But to be on the safe side, we’ll be here until some concrete agreement is reached between the union presidents and workers and the government.

I’ll have internet everyday I’m here, so I’ll keep you posted. Take care!