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.