Helllooo long lost blog-readers!! Hope you're all doing well!!
This is the first time I've had internet access in, well, you can tell, a while.
But, I'm done training! In Conakry now, getting ready to set up for our lives as real PC Volunteers! We swear-in as Volunteers on Friday, so until then, we're living the life, opening bank accounts, and shopping for necessities to live at site!
G-16: started training with 25, swearing in with 25! I'm so proud of us all! Everyone made it through and we're just an awesome group! So many cool people and all really motivated!
Training is done, had to say goodbye to our host families this morning, which was kind of sad. I think we were all ready to move on, but still sad to say goodbye to the people. Definitely ready to have more control over our schedules and our daily lives tho. My family was awesome so hopefully I'll get to go back and visit sometime! My homonym (Binta) and I wore matching complets for the ceremony, so that was clearly adorable. I gave the thank you/goodbye speech in Pular so that was fun. I didn't really write it. But I read it! and apparently people understood it! So hooray!!
Tomorrow we do banking stuff, Friday we swear in and [arty, Saturday shopping and party and then Sunday we head out to our various locations around the country. I'm hopefully going to be able to post a few pics on here so you all can get a glimpse into my African life.
It's been so long since I've posted, so I don't really know what all to tell you guys! Met one of the professors from the high school I'll be teaching at. He seems pretty cool. My high school is apparently approx 400 students, out of which 100 ish are girls. No other female teachers, and no other English teachers. We move into site in a week or so, and then school starts Oct 15 (supposedly, but we'll see). So that gives us a few weeks to work on making our house a home- our little mini American/oasis to escape from Guinea if need be. I can always bike an hour or so tho to see another volunteer if I get too lonely, so I'm lucky for that!
Love you all and miss you soo much! It's a bummer to be missing the birthdays, holidays, and just regular days, but I know I'm living those over here with a new group of people too. It's weird that it's already late September, since seasons here aren't really changing, so I still feel like it's summer! Weird. I think I'll really miss the fall and winter- especially come holiday time! But oh well, c'est la vie en Guinee!
Doing really well over here! Everyday makes me glad I chose to do the Peace Corps- even if I miss some things at home and DEFINITELY the people (not to mention the BACON NIGHT AT A BAR IN PITTSBURGH THAT KAREEM JUST TOLD ME ABOUT!!). But! Guinea is great and I'm doing well and staying healthy! (knock on wood!)
LOVE YOU GUYS! KEEP IN TOUCH!
Me, Carolina, Tiffany and some students from the 12eme class of Practice School. This was the End-of-Practice-School Awards Ceremony.
Turn your head to the right, and you'll see Fatoumata Binta Diallo 1 and 2 in matching complets. This was taken this morning at the Goodbye Ceremony in Forecariah before we left our families.
The Diallo Family, minus the dad. Binta holding Ibrahim, me holding Dalanda, my mom, and bro Saidou. This morning at the Goodbye Ceremony.
My home for the next two years! My Proviseur is on the far right, the Directeur de la Sous-prefecture de l'education is on my other side, and on the far left is Ousmane Sow, the Peace Corps drive for the Fouta region, and also, the man.
