I served in Guinea as a Peace Corps Volunteer from 2000-2002. Since I am currently suffering from 'la nostalgie' and I have a lot of free time on my hand, but am tied to the computer, I thought I'd write a little about my experience. I thus share with you some of my photos, emails, and other random tidbits from my two years as a volunteer.
My story, presented more or less chronologically:
Training 1
Training 2
First Impressions of Guinea
Hot Season
End of the First Year
Summer/Mali
School
Gardening
Girls Conference
Another Hot Season
Friends
Leaving
Food in Guinea
But first, some relevant background:
I left for Guinea about a month after I graduated from college. I had always wanted to serve in the Peace Corps, so I was quite excited about the prospect. Nervous, too, but I tried not to dwell on that. The application was a hassle, but by December, I knew that I was going to francophone West Africa to teach Math. And by February, I knew I was going to Guinea. So I took a class to brush up my French, bought the Lonely Planet Guide to West Africa, and tried to find out as much information as I could about Guinea.
Unfortunately, information on Guinea is lacking. Thus, I give you my brief overview. Guinea is located in West Africa. It's bordered by Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Note that most of these countries aren't stable. Guinea is divided into four regions: Basse Cote (the coast), Moyenne Guinee (also known as the Fouta Djalon), Haute Guinee, and the Forest. Due to an on-going border war with Liberia, most of the Forest was off-limits to volunteers. I lived in the town of Siguiri, located in Haute Guinee. The current president, Lansana Conte, came to power in a coup following Sekou Toure's death in 1984. Sekou Toure is best known for having said "Non" to Charles de Gaulle's offer of quasi-independence. This did not bode well for Guinea, for the French left, taking everything with them. Siguiri is somewhat infamous for its political activism and is staunchly opposed to the current government. This, in itself, made my two years there very interesting.
Glossary:
PCV - Peace Corps Volunteer
ET - early terminate (ie. leave before two years)
APCD - associate Peace Corps director
COS - Close of Service
Stage - Training
Additionally, I would like to thank Frances and Brian for saving the emails I sent them even though I wrote them over two years ago. I'd also like to thank Dana for the pictures she sent me, especially the one of Mamadi.
Some relevant (or not) links:
Offical Peace Corps website
Friends of Guinea - a wonderful website with information for everyone
My sister's page describing her visit to Guinea.
Guinean news in French
Bigger map of Guinea
CIA World Factbook - Guinea
Radio Kankan
A PC Mauritania website - I know Mauritania has nothing to do with Guinea, but this is my favourite PC website.
Last updated August 26, 2005
