So I lost my number so I have a new one. It's 011224 63823518. Sorry I keep switching my number! Anyway, I'm in Labe for the weekend. We are celebrating Halloween. My friend Rachel and I bought soccer jerseys and socks, along with jellies, because that's what Guineans wear to play soccer. Should be a good time. Mombeya is going well. My tutor was very helpful and classes finally started October 20th after only one strike. So I've been teaching for two weeks and it's going great. I write down everything I say to insure "success"; however, my students have the hardest time understanding things even when it's right there presented to them on the board. I teach four classes and in my 7eme class, I have about 75 students. 75 students who just stare at me and hardly respond, it's a good time. I am enjoying it. The other day they were making fun of my french when I turned my back to write on the board so I turned around and started talking in English. Their mouths dropped and they were shocked. I just stood up there and talked for about 5 minutes until we all started laughing. We then had a quick English lesson on what I was drinking, lemonade, and how to make it. My house is still coming along slowly. I ordered shelves and drawers so I can finally unpack; still living out of my suitcases. I return to Mombeya Sunday, don't know how quite yet, so that should be interesting. Anyway, I'm home in less than two months...can't wait! Love and miss you guys all!!

Did you know...

that cows never sleep? Or so it seems. Instead of getting woken up by roosters, I hear the low, grumblings of hundreds of cows from 2 am on. Okay, maybe not hundreds. So I finally moved into my site and was there for a week when I was dragged out and sent to Conakry to be placed on medical hold. Last Monday night, right before 7, I looked down at my foot where earlier I had noticed an infected mosquito bite. My left foot was so swollen I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it. So I hobbled, because at this point I realized why it was so painful to walk (I'm not a very observant person apparently), to the field where I get phone service and called my doctor. Unfortunately, my doctor was traveling and did not have service so I called the nurse. I explained to her that my foot and ankle were swollen and my toes were purple. She immediately told me to get to a hospital. I told her I was 10 hours away from the Conakry hospital and that it is almost 7 and I'm not allowed to travel at night (it gets completely dark around 7:15). So she said she was going to have a doctor in Conakry call me. So he calls me and he says come to the hospital. At this point I'm kind of starting to get worried, but it's getting dark out and I need to truck it home. I tell them that I will call the doctor tomorrow. I do and after a day he sends a car for me, because I wasn't responding to the antibiotics (only because I found out recently that I'm anemic). The trip takes two days so we stop in Labe for the night and the doctor calls me to see how I'm doing. I tell him I can't feel my toes, they're numb. He calls the doctor in Labe, who doesn't speak English, and I'm taken to...the local mechanic to see him. So I sit in a back of car while he pokes around on my foot, asks me if my lower stomach hurts, and pulls one of my eyelids down and says something about red blood cells. He says I don't need to be rushed to Conakry and that I can leave the next morning. So I do. The eight hour ride was rough and I think I got even more sick. As soon I got to Conakry, I went to the hospital. I expected to see it crowded, but there was only one other patient. The hospital, I'm told, is the third best in Conakry...and the good news kept coming. In all seriousness, the hospital was an old Red Cross hospital with American fixings. I saw a doctor, he confirmed what I had been thinking...that I was going to live...phew. So now the doctor and nurse have been caring for it, as well as my infected ears (yes, I apparently still get ear infections, but I really think this was a bad one, I mean I can't hear out of one of my ears!). I saw the doctor tonight and he can't really understand why it's not healing faster. I told him I am a "delicate" and "fragile" being and that I will be just fine. So I'm hoping to go back to my site on Wednesday. I will be missing the first two days of school, but everyone tells me that school won't begin until Monday, if then. They always have some sort of strike before it actually begins.
So let me tell you about my first week at site! It was rough. I walked into my house, after searching for my keys for about 20 minutes (my bad!), and the person who dropped me off asked, "Do you want to stay somewhere else tonight? This place looks awful." I was shocked. Of course I wanted to stay in my new house. I was finally there. So a bunch of people got to work and started cleaning. We didn't get much done. For the next three days I bruised both my hips sleeping on a broken down straw mattress, got rained on throughout the night, got eaten alive by bed bugs, got a wall painted when they said they would finish that day, realized my latrine area would never really be clean, paid to have screens made so I wouldn't be bitten and not getting them finished for another four days (after they saw I couldn't walk because of an infected bite), and found the source of beaucoup de mouse droppings (the roof). And really...I can't wait to go back. The people there are amazing, so generous. I found myself a host family that seem very nice. Basically, I would starve without them. (I still am kind of hungry all the time there, but does that really surprise anyone?) I have a gas stove, I just don't have a gas tank right now. My host mother is 24 and has a baby on the way!! I cannot wait. I look forward to meeting my students and finally doing what I came here to do...teach. I'm feeling better (this just in, I'm not anemic anymore!) and I can walk just fine, I'm even starting to hear out of my clogged ear!
I miss all you guys...two months till I come home for Christmas!
Oh and my new number is 001224 63979427. I get texts!

"It's like an end of an era"

I'm finally done with training and have been spending a couple of nights in Conakry to relax by the pool (haha, right? We actually did get a pool party at the director's house, we even got burgers-not as good as my father's though). It's been a great couple of days, but I'm ready to move to my site. Tomorrow I leave and by Tuesday night, I will be all moved into my house. For the last 2.5 months, I have been living out of my suitcases, so I am definitely ready to finally unpack. I can't believe the time has come where I will be living on my own and teaching. Classes commence October 15th and I am very excited. I taught for three weeks during my training and loved it. It's hard to believe that I've been here for 2.5 months and that training is over. However, I will still have training in French, intense training for the next couple of weeks. They are sending a French tutor with me. We had a farewell ceremony before we left Forecariah and it was hard to say goodbye to my family, especially my sister. She was amazing; she cooked, cleaned, and took care of me while I was sick. This past weekend I have bought things for my house at the marche (which is a scary and very filthy place). I bought screens for my windows, locks, a gas stove (which I need to learn how to use, then I need to learn how to cook), cooking utensils (and I had to ask, what's that thingy called again? Oh, a spatula.), paint (I'm going with white), and other stuff to fill my empty, dark house with. I'm looking forward to putting my house together, meeting and integrating into my community, and finally begin teaching.

And now, on to some other news...I'm coming home for Christmas!! I'll be home December 20th and I return to Guinea January 1st. I'm very excited, and I can't lie, but I'm very excited to eat good food. I already know what I want as a first meal. Also, I want to say, thanks for all the e-mails and letters and for the birthday wishes. I can't tell you how grateful I am. Thank you! I miss you all and love you very much!!

Mini-vacay!

I've finally gotten to a computer!! I can't believe I've been away from it for over a month. Serious withdrawals. Thanks for all your e-mails and messages...I really appreciated them:) I've been in Labe for about a week so I could check out the place I wil be living for the next two years. I'm about a two hour terrible drive away from Labe, the regional capital. I've never felt so sick in a car before and hope I can get use to it. My site is a little village called Mombeya. I will be living in a two bedroom house. It's very empty and dark right now, but I'm hoping to paint it white and decorate it. If you have any ideas, let me know! The people in my town were extremely nice and helpful. I will probably move there sometime after my training, end of September. Training is going well, it's extremely intense, with sometimes six hours of language, but it's going well. My host family is interesting, but they do do their best to take care of me. The food I receive is um not good, but I've found myself getting use to it. My family consists of my two parents, a 21 year old sister, and two younger brothers. My sister is the one who mostly takes care of me. We are able to communicate, but she does laugh at me a lot...probably because I'm a funny person...I tell here almost everyday that I don't eat fish and that I like potatoes. She finally, after a week, stopped serving me fish and gave me a potato. Don't worry, I'm not starving. I eat a lot of bread and PEANUT BUTTER!! And here in Labe, I've enjoyed pizza and french fries almost everynight and the hotel I'm staying in is fairly nice. I must say the weather here in the Fouta region is very nice and cool. I've been wearing long pants and cardigans...and have even gotten cold. I'm sorry this is so short, the internet is not that great here. I miss you guys all and hope everyone is doing well. I finally got a cell phone. My number is 011224 65822807. My family has been calling me by either getting an African phone card or using skype. If you use skype it goes right to my mobile. Apparently it's only 18 or 20 cents a minute. If you have any questions feel free to call my mother, Lauri, at 515-556-8846. Love you guys all!

This just in...

My lost luggage was finally delivered to me tonight. Opening my bag and going through it felt like Christmas morning...everything was still in it!

Also, I have 18 bug bites on my lower right leg.

I'm being adopted...

Tomorrow I am finally leaving Conakry and into my host family's house, 100 km away. I probably will not have internet access during the next three months or so. So my mailing address is:
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 1927
Conakry, Guinea
West Africa
We have been spoiled at the Peace Corps house in Conakry, as we have had electricity, showers, AC, and some food (I've learned to eat at breakfast and dinner...and only a little at lunch). Tomorrow, after the adoption ceremony, I will be moving all my stuff into a house where I will not be able to communicate with anyone! This past weekend, I have had surival language in French and Su Su (the native tongue in this region). I am able to say hello, what's your name, how are you, where you from, and goodbye...good start, right?! It should be very interesting and entertaining. I've been trained on how to use a latrine, take a "bath" with a bucket, and use bleach to "clean" my water. I think I'm ready!
Miss you all and love you very much!!

Here I am!

So I've arrived here safely and am now in Conakry. The flight from JFK to Dakar was very interesting, I sat next to a family who had just moved to South Africa from the U.S. They were very informative and had the two cutest, little kids (who kept me up most of the flight). Our flight was delayed for about an hour and our captain kept saying "silly booger in the hole"....uh...can anyone tell me what that means?! Right now I'm at the Peace Corps house which has AC...yay...and bunk beds...whoop whoop! However, one of my checked bags was lost at the airport which has all my shoes, lots of my clothes, etc. Hopefully, they will find it tomorrow...I'm not so sure. I just had my first Guinean meal...it was rice and some sort of meat. I took a bite of the meat and immediately asked for a napkin and carefully, so no one would noticed, spit out this mystery meat. I just couldn't chew it, nor get it down; and I later learned it was goat... However, I did eat most of the rice, so I have that going for me. I will be in Conakry for the next four days until Sunday in which I will be moving in with a host family. Can hardly wait!

I'm leaving!

So I leave tonight for Guinea from JFK! It's been an intense two days...mostly because I've been dead tired. However, I have had some great dinners here, ya know, my last meals in America before I leave and have met some great people. I am super excited to leave, but definitely dread the eight/nine hour plane ride. Monday morning was a very sad day. My plane left at 6 am from Des Moines and my whole family came to say goodbye. I then proceeded to cry all the way to Chicago and then when I landed in Philadelphia. I will try to post soon, once I land in Conakry, which is where I will be staying for about four days. Miss you guys all!

Preparing to Leave

In five days, I leave for Guinea.