It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

...wellp not really. It doesn't quite LOOK like Christmas. Except for in the room of the PC house that we stayed up till 3am last night decorating with ribbons, snowmen, and snowflakes. It looks like Christmas in there!

So a bunch of us are together for the holidays- originally planning on going to Sierra Leone for the week after Christmas and for New Years, but alas- the president, Lansana Conte, died. And they announced that this morning, so we're all confined to the PC compound until further notice. It's all pretty calm apparently right now, but the military has taken over and the consitution has been suspended(so says the BBC), so we're all just kind of sitting around waiting to see what will happen next. Kind of stinks because some people hadn't left their sites yet, so might not get to make it here for Christmas. Bummer. And the new group of trainees aren't allowed to come in either, so we had a bunch of things planned for them, that now we can't really do. Bummer, and probably going to be a much harder Christmas for them since they just got to country at the beginning of this month and now they're spending Christmas at the training site with their host families and I guess the other PC workers that are there. Kinda stinks for them.

Anywho- Since the last couple times I blogged, I decided I'd start writing things down to remember to blog them when I get internet. As to not let you avid readers down. Ha. So here are some things I've been up to since Thanksgiving!

I'm still working on learning Pular- I have a couple students that come over once a week and we do a little English-Pular exchange, but then there's moments like the one when I found out there are 19 different words for "cow" in Pular. So... I guess it'll take some time before I feel a little mor confident in the language. ha!

I saw my first snake in country- very little. But it was pretty hilarious. My boss for PC came to visit and we were chatting on my porch when we saw the little guy out in front of my house. He was in the middle of trying to eat a frog when the PC driver chucked a large rock at it and killed it. Great moment haha

A typical day in the life of Fatoumata Binta Diallo at site:
-school day: wake up around 6/6:30, eat oatmeal and bananas, bike to school (always the first to arrive... Guinea time is NOT like America time, once people show up, they raise the flag and sing the anthem ("sing" is more like it, because I've actually never heard a line of it. There are about 500 students at school, but they prefer whispering the anthem so I don't really know what it sounds like), teach 8 (8:30 is more like it)-10, then a little break to shmooz with the other teachers before teaching 10:15 (10:30 is more like it)- 12:15. then bike home.
-for lunch I sometimes cook, or eat at a rice bar, at a friend or neighbor's house, or at the missionaries house.
-generally spend a large part of the afternoon sitting around- reading, grading, coloring with crayons, or sitting and listening to tapes with my petit, El-Hadj Abdoul.
- my free time includes a lot of sitting (I'm a professional now), listening to tapes with the little kids that like to hang out around my house, going up the hill to make phone calls, pumping water, visiting missionaries, visiting friends, and watching Leppi, etc.

Just thought I'd try to paint a picture of a day in the life.

Learned how to make attaya one day with my friend Ismael. Attaya is a chinese tea thing that they make that's really tasty and verrry caffeinated.

Two weeks ago was the Fete of Tabaski (Muslim holiday where they celebrated Abraham sacrificing the ram instead of his son). Dates in this country are never really official. So the whole week before, people said the holiday was Tuesday, then Sunday night, someone made some announcement saying that it was Monday. So on Monday, I went to the prayer with everyone (dressed in my new African outfit), neat to observe...though it was kind of odd because there were photographers walking around? and2 of the 3 randomly came up and wanted to take my picture with the older ladies I was sitting with. Kind of awkward? But apparently, not so abnormal? Anywys, then we ate a lot, then zig-zagged through town greeting everyone and their mom with my friend Diaraye (she's a teacher at the primary school and she's awesome. Helps me out a lot). So ate, greeted everyone in town, then ate more, then went home. Tuesday- was also the holiday. Obviously. But, I went to school for funsies to see if anyone would show up- not a soul in sight. My proviseur showed up and we chatted for a bit and he rang the bell as if that would make the students come to school. Then we left. His son came with him on the moto, and his son wasn't even dressed in uniform. So I guess he just came to go through the motions as a little joke. Oh well.

Anyways, day 2 of the holiday, went with Diaraye again and greeted everyone and their mom in the next town over that was about a 1k walk away. Ate about 78 times, greeted about 600 people, and took a nap in some random person's house? Also, apparently not weird... for them at least. Haha.

So the holiday = a week of nothing for me. Went to school on Wednesday- but they also take the "day after the holiday" off... which was Tuesday, Wednesday, maybe Thursday... who knows? So showed up Wednesday, 4 other teachers and approximately 25 students (out of 475 ish) showed up between 8 and 10:30. Sat around and hung out with the teachers for a while before we all went home again. Oh, and because they had a week of kind-of-school, the next Monday, they scheduled their PTA meeting at 10, so the kids would get out early then too. Good thing they don't need to be in class or anything. Anywhooo C'est la Guinee.

Went to a cookout out the missionaries house- had hot dogs, shmores, and planned on watching the meteor shower in the wee hours of the morning, but the moon was full and super bright all night. So, no meteor shower, but good times nonetheless. Conor and Lisa came in for it too, so we had a great time and played Holiday charades and ate well. Also, got to watch It's a Wonderful Life the next morning. Which was heart warming and also kind of sad? Miss you guys.

Recently, found out about some weddings in my town. Asked my friends about it and if they were students that got married. Answer was yes. A girl in my 9th grade class is now the 3rd wife of someone and no longer going to be in school. Another girl in SIXTH grade got married, but it's ok, she failed twice, so she SHOULD be in 8th grade... that's totally old enough. Ugh. Sad state for these young girls. Wish they'd stay in school.

Anywho. That's about all I have for now. We decorated the crap out of our PC house here for Christmas, but as much as I'm glad I have my PC family here to celebrate with, still wish I could be with you all. Also wish I didn't have to wear flip flops and no sleeves, but oh well. We made fake snow and sit in the air conditioning while were here to try to feel like winter :)

Love you and miss you all- even more during the holiday season. Really grateful that I have all of you in my life though and know that I'm thinking of you constantly! Call me anytime, because I, in theory, have cell phone reception for the next 2 weeks ish.

Again, love and miss you. Holidays just aren't the same without you, but hope they're the merriest for you all over there!

love
rach