La Vie Est Bonne

My group heads to our homestays in Forecariah tomorrow and won't have internet for at least a month, so this is going to be kind of short so everyone else can get on the computers.

Yesterday I went with some other PCTs to Mamou and it was beautiful. Everyone was so nice and friendly and the country is truly beautiful. The kids are adorable and the mamas are hilarious and we could not have asked for a nicer walk. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the country.

The last few days' sessions have been very long - if I don't use a flip chart for a long time it's okay with me. But today we learned about our homestays and how to act and what to expect...and how to clean yourself if there is no toilet paper. Hilarious. Hopefully that won't happen to me - everyone else seems to be getting sick but I'm still fine! Knock on wood...

I'm really looking forward to finding out where my site is, I'm hoping for the Fouta region, it's the most lush and chilly part of the country.

The food here is good - I've had mangoes, avocados, rice and sauce, oranges and bananas every day so far. Yum! The food selection here is much better than what I experienced in Kenya, which brings me to another point...

I like Guinea more than Kenya. I was going to try not to compare the two, but it's been impossible. Giving Africa another chance was a leap of faith on my part since I didn't have the best experience in Kenya. Guinea is a totally different story. No one has asked me for anything, the Peace Corps does a great job of both training and baby-sitting us, and I'm excited to be practicing my French.

Tomorrow we take a 5 hour drive down to our homestays - wish me luck! I'm sure it will be a huge adjustment and I might not be as chipper as I currently feel once we get there. But I'm safe and happy and have wonderful friends and support.

Please write or email me! And some of you have asked about what would be good in a care package, so here's a brief list:

Trashy magazines
Tuna pouches
Candy/chocolate
Protein bars that won't melt

Wrap it all up so the mice don't get to it! Otherwise I would love just to get a letter and hear about anything you are doing. Gossip, work, whatever.

Love, Jen