Adapting

---

It's hard to believe I've been in Guinea for almost 3 months, the longest I've ever been away from the US. Looking back at pictures from before we left, I see that most of the trainees have changed a bit. The guys are generally shaggier and skinnier, several of the girls cut off their long hair. Our American clothes are faded, stretched, and bleach-spotted from washboards and harsh soap. Most of us have acquired some Guinean clothes as well, but I don't really know what mine look like on because there are no mirrors anywhere. With no mirrors to remind you of how you look, you stop caring about your appearance pretty quickly. Some signs I may be adapting to the new environment:

*Foods that were once repulsive are now tantalizing. I realized this after devouring a meal of boiled potatoes and what I think was goat meat. I had seen the rack of meat sitting out all afternoon after being slaughtered and skinned, and at dinner that night we were served all different parts of whatever animal it was. (Mmmm....that chunk of meat tastes different than the other ones...) But I've stopped asking questions and have taken to scarfing my share before it's gone.

*The weather. The heat and humidity has become more tolerable. It's only in the afternoon in the region near the coast, if it doesn't rain, that I consider it too hot to be alive. I've gotten used to the torrential downpours that pass through, and I've accepted the fact that I just have to walk through gross puddles sometimes. Schistosomiasis doesn't sound that bad.

*Languages I don't understand. Because I was working on French and Pulaar, I didn't have time to learn much Susu while I was in Forecariah. Most of my host family spoke Susu and very little French and it was always fun for them to walk up to me and say something in Susu that I obviously would not understand, and then laugh at my confusion. At first I kept asking them to repeat themselves and then to say it in French, but this became a lot of work to learn some useless phrases in a language that I won't need after training. I found it was easier, and more fun, to just answer however I wanted in English, a language as foreign to them as Susu is to me. A typical interaction with a friend or neighbor may go like this:

GUINEAN (Getting my attention as if he has something really important to tell me): Hey! Hey! Zenab, Zenab, ZENAB!!...... I bara naralaxfe moxone bugurafe i xa?
(stares at me expectantly, awaiting my response)

ME: "Now why would you think I would understand that??"
or maybe, "Oh, yeah, I didn't like that movie either."

GUINEAN: I roxone doxonerafe mi ragife sigama minden?

ME: I agree. The characters were poorly developed, the cinematography poor, and the humor trite.

GUINEAN: Makod anarafe fene fanyi ra piya gombo?

ME: What? No, there's no hippopotamus in my room.

etc.




*Learning to deal with "Donne-moi." Or at least I've learned to say, "no, leave me alone" without feeling bad. Some common phrases you hear in the cities and large towns are

"Fote! Donne-moi un peu d'argent!" (White person! Give me some money!)

Or if Fote is riding a bike, "Fote! Donne-moi ton velo!" (White person! Give me your bike!)

If Fote is carrying an umbrella! "Fote! Donne-moi ton parapluie!"

My favorite was on a bike ride with three other stagaires; we were three girls and one guy in a country where men can have four wives. Someone yelled, "Fote! Donne-moi une femme!" (White person! Give me a woman!)



Oh yeah, thanks to people who wrote comments. It's nice to hear from you! If anyone's written letters, I haven't gotten them. And yeah, I don't really know what to talk about on this thing half the time, so if there is anything you want to hear about, let me know. You can send me emails too, I'll probably get them every month or so.

---

Comments

[Michael Johnson]

MIT
Hey Rose. I saw somewhere about your journal so I checked it out. We're in the third week of classes and its already a bear, so you have that to look forward after your stint in peace corps. Jordi says hi. Good luck with the rest of your teaching.

[Shannon O.]

Hey Rose!! I love reading about your experiences in Africa!! Everything you write about is so fascinating. I knew you would adapt well- you are so brave and smart! I hope you are able to keep up with the blog. I'll be sending you some fun stuff in the mail soon (hopefully you will get it). Take care of yourself, be safe, and have fun!

[Hilary]

I just found your blog!
Rose you are my hero. I'm getting ready to apply for the peace corps and you make it sound so fun. I'm getting really excited. I want to send you a care package so if you have time let me know what you need or what me to send you. I hope your having a great time.

[Eric]

Fote!
At the time I didn't understand him, but now it all makes sense. Downtown at the Tiger game, an African American fellow who was apparently between careers yelled to me, "Give me some money!". I told him no. He replied with fote you, or go fote myself, or fote off, or something to that effect. I really had trouble understanding what he was saying. Now I know that he meant nothing hateful towards me and that he was just referring to me as a white person.

[Greg]

the locals
I have to admit, this is the kind of behavior I expected from the locals. You obviously are more wealthy than they are so they want something from you. That's why I am happy with being white trash so nobody will ask me for anything. By the way, does that "White person, give me a woman" actually work? I love how they refer to you as white person. What would happen if you yelled "hey black person!" in Detroit? You would probably not be greeted with a smile. Tell me more about this hippopotumus in your room.