Site Visit

Well I got to see my site. I'm in a small village in fact it's one of the smallest 3 sites that they put business volunteers. I do like it though its nice and has a very friendly feel to it. And because it's a village not a whole lot of people speak French! So I will be learning to speak Pular as well now! OHMYGOODNESS! But what are you going to do right?

I have an awsome house with a great front poarch and room for any visitors!!!!!!!!!!! Who's coming???? I met the woman I'm replacing she's great and introduced me to all of the important people in the village and showed me the ropes. The coolest thing is that on Tuesdays we have a huge market and its so fun people come in from everwhere to buy and sell stuff I can get anything I need for the most part. The really funny thing is, and they have this in all markets, is the "dead porto" area....direct translation..."dead white people" area. Basically GoodWill sends all of the surplus clothes to Africa and I can buy it in the Market now...so all of thouse t-shirts you gave away over the last 2 decades are here for sale for about 15 cents!!!!! So funny.

It's so great in my house though I'll be able to cook for my self and for the most part I can make a ton of stuff from home. However things I need in care packages.....
powder sauces of any kind and lots of them, the one in asian markets are the cheapest but I'll take anything. And Powdered Ranch dressing, onion soup, add water for instant curry sauce that kinda stuff. Oh and MOM if you can find maple surup extract its comes in a bottle like vanilla extract anyway you add sugar and water and ta-da you have maple surup...bring on the pancakes....who's comeing to my place for breakfast??????

Also Mom please send me all of the good lithuanian recipes b/c I have most of the ingredence here...oh and send me my greater please!!!!!!!!!!! I have tons and tons of potatoes and I need to grate them and make Kugelis and other good stuffs!!!!!!!!!

We're currently in Labe checking out what is now my regional capital and I will be returing to Forecariah tomorrow for another 4 weeks of training....ugh...we all wish that was over. I'm currently trying to upload photos but I may get kicked off line in a second so hopefully when you read this there are some links attached for pics. Miss you all.

Cheers,
Rasa

today is my half birthday

Ok so it's not nearly as cool as my regular birthday but you kinda invent things to celebrate around here.

So I recieved my site assignment and I now know where I'll be living the next 2 years. In a very nice and very small town called Doune (also spelled Dounet or Dounee) so if you want to look in up on a map its about 30 kilometers west of Mamou in the Fouta region. I'm super excited b/c there are plenty of oranges, tomatoes, potatoes, manderines, avocatoes, and lettuce. All fun and cheap things that is not rice and sauce (the Guinean staple).

Ok I'm in Mamou now and we are having counterpart workshop this weekend and then I will travel to my site on Sunday. I'll spend a few days there and then travel to my regional capital in Labe, also in the Fouta. Its nice to be out of Forecariah for a the week and get some perspective on what life will be like in my village. I know that I do not have electricity or running water. Both I'm growing accustomed to living without and its kinda cool....and we'll see what I really have to say about that in like 6 months!

Well I'm tired and I have a papaya with my name all over it. I'll post pictures just as soon as I can figure it out. Hopefully this weekend.

Cheers,
Rasa

Superbowl

OK this is stupid the Seahawks are in the Superbowl against the Steelers playing in Detroit and I'm in freaking Guinea...what the hell are the chances of that. For all of you worried that I might not catch the game have no fear we have the coolest country director ever and he's taping the game for us so we can watch it on Monday night....and with the communication lag time here it damn near watching it live!

Ok so as most of you know communication here is terrible. During training I'm lucky to see a computer once a month. They say it gets better when we go to site...which I find out my site next Saturday!!!! So exciting!

I live with an awsome family and I have a new African name, Aminata. Training is boring and fun and crazy and tiring but good. I feel like such a turd because I can't speak French yet but Im improving daily. Guineans are great people and they seem to like to have a lot of fun.

I taught English at a high school last week and now I have a standing arrangment with the teacher there that I'll be teaching class on Saturday's now (Saturday is a normal school day here. That's fun and the kids really like it and my sister is the class so she gets a kick out of it too. I played basketball with the local kids the other day and that was great they were not only suprise that a girl was playing but even more so when I kinda kicked they're butt! The really young ones watched me as if I was green and had 2 heads. I hope when my language improves I can try to set up a clinic to help kids work on there basketball skills or (this might be a stretch)teach some of the girls.

My mom is very worried about my diet and living conditions. Things are actually far better for me then most I have and indoor toilet and a great host mother who is a good cook and really makes some great food for me. The normal diet here is white rice with sauce and I've definatly had my fill but it's not the end of the world and I can make some pritty great sandwitchs with fresh food from the market!

Ok so if you're not laughing here you pritty much don't get through the day so in very fine and true Rasa form I pulled a good one the other day. So you have to picture that the compound where we have class has goats and chickens running around free but a puppy tied up to a tree. Right. Anyway I find it terribly amusing to watch the baby chickens run around and flip their wings. So after class I decided it was a good idea to chase the chickens and as I round the corner my wrap skirt drops and there I am chasing the chickens in my underwear infront of a bunch of the trainees and a few, very shocked, locals. And there you have it. Well I have to go because we made a 2 hour drive today to use the internet and now were going to get PIZZA!!!!!! So exciting. Hope all is well with everyone.

Cheers,
Rasa