From the Net

Here’s a photo of Matt and me inside our mosquito net, a place in which we’ve been spending a lot of time lately. The mosquito situation here in Kan Kan is the worst it’s ever been and we’ve taken to retiring into our trusty net around 8:00pm to read, write, listen to BBC, play backgammon, and, eventually, fall asleep. If you’re wondering what we’re up to you can picture us in our net (if it’s evening here) or sitting at a cyber café waiting for the internet to start working (if it’s daytime). That’s pretty much the routine for now. Of course we eat and clean too. The cleaning thing is actually pretty intense since this city is unpaved and full of red dust. The dust is everywhere- on our clothes, in our home, in our lungs…it never ends.

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But I’m getting ahead of myself. First a summary of the world news (I guess I’ve had a bit too much of BBC news bulletins lately- every 30 min.! By News Hour at 8:00pm- in the net- we’ve basically got the news stories, and sound bites memorized and of course, the theme music is permanently imprinted in our brains by now). So, a week ago I left the family in Kerouane and met Matt in Kan Kan. He had gone to Conakry to see Charlie off. When Charlie left it felt like we moved into the next phase of this whole experience. Since we got to Guinea at the end of November, we had been travelling around, visiting our friends and families, and then enjoying our time with Charlie, introducing him to our families here, etc. Once he was gone we had some decisions to make. We couldn’t stay long-term in the village for a number of reasons. Being in the village with the family is an amazing experience. It’s also overwhelming. We were also getting to be quite a drain on their resources (though they would never tell us this). When I told the family that we wanted to rent a house in the village for our subsequent visits in order to not take up room in their house or in their neighbor’s hut, their reaction sort of summed up the spirit of overwhelming hospitality. The house I found was a five minute walk from the family’s house (five minutes!). The rent was $5 a month. My host mom said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. When you wake up in the morning I want to be able to find out if you slept well right away.” To be fair, the house did need some repairs. In any case, the family talked a neighbour into letting us rent one of his huts which is a few feet from the family’s house (where we stayed with Charlie during his visit). In so many ways being in the middle of everything in Kerouane is the best place to be. But not forever. After awhile it's necessary to have some breathing room.

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So we decided to come here to KanKan and find a place to rent. We decided on KanKan because it’s close enough to the family (a 6 hour bush taxi ride away) and it’s a city with some of the big city perks like electricity for charging our computer, and the internet. Unfortunately the internet hasn’t been working too much lately. I’m writing this post as a word document in the hopes that sometime soon the internet will be working and I can post this.

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So for $40 a month we’ve got a nice place to stay for awhile. KanKan is not a very comfortable city to live in right now though. There’s a water crisis which means that water is available every other day for a few hours. We don’t live near a pump or a well so we’re dependent on this schedule. We wake up early every other day (water is only available from around 4am to 7:00am) and fill jugs and buckets and bottles as best we can. This is also a hot place to live. We buy beans every morning for breakfast and the five minute walk at 8am usually leaves me dripping with sweat. And then there’s the dust. Oh the red, red, red dust. It’s a part of me now. It’s possible that the color of my feet will never be the same.

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We’re adjusting to life here but we’re not sure how long we’ll actually be here. It was important to rent the house because to get to the capital or to Kerouane one must spend the night in Kan Kan. Three nights in a hotel costs the same as rent for our house for a month. So renting is a good move financially. But will we stay here in KanKan or will we use the house more as a passage house? Things still feel really up in the air. I applied for another job (this time in Conakry) and am waiting to hear back. But I’m not sure I really want it. Whether I get it or not I’m going to have to decide what the heck I’m doing here. While in the village my objective is very clear- I’m there to be with my Guinean family. This is fun and easy to do. And I love learning and speaking Malinke. It seems everyday that I’m there I learn a ton. But away from the village I’m not sure what my purpose is. Why am I here? Matt is working hard on a writing project and so KanKan seems as good a place as any to do it (he says as he coughs up red dust…).

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I’m not so sure. I’m mulling over all kinds of possibilities right now. Most roads seem to be leading to home. It’s too early to say what that means but just know that it’s on my mind. A plan of some sort will have to come soon. In the meantime I’m waiting to hear on the job and am trying to clear my mind and listen to my heart.

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Our place here in Kankan is quiet and so while I miss the warmth and laughter or the family’s home in Kerouane, I’m enjoying the silence (other than BBC music, or course) not to mention the independence. Today I washed my clothes and no one tried to take over for me or make me feel bad for not washing Matt’s underwear. It doesn’t sound like much but in the midst of all this dust it felt like a breath of fresh air.

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In theory I’ll be able to post more often now that we’re in the city. I’m at the mercy of the stability of the internet connection though. I’m also hoping to check email more often, so please write and let me know how you’re doing. We miss all of you a ton. Oh, and I have photos from Charlie’s visit. I’ll get them up as soon as I can.