What you don't have

I spend a lot of time thinking about things I miss from the States(turkey sandwiches) , or things that Guinea just messes up (public works), or things about the culture that irritate me (foté), but really, Guinea has some things you almost definitely don't have. There is beauty and joy and light and goodness here too.

1. Starlight : I can see the outline of the palm tree outside my house by the light of the big dipper. I can see the milky way. Walking out of a video club, I am struck by the light from the moonless sky. When's the last time you saw light from the night sky that wasnt light pollution or the moon?
2. Dancing in the market...no, everywhere : Imagine if everyone in the produce aisle started to break it down around you. Would you join in? That's my market. It is appropriate to dance everywhere, even without music.
3. An appreciation of fatness : They tell me I'm fat, but with such smiles that it's hard to get mad. Fat means you eat enough. Fat means you live well.
4. Meals that cost 75 cents and drinks that cost 37 cents. I can eat a delicious filling meal of peanut sauce and rice with a Coke for 1.12. What can you buy for a dollar?
5. "Recycling" : Kids playing with what we'd call trash, plastic bottles refilled with oil or juice, strainers made from tin cans. There may be no trash system here, but things aren't thrown out as easily either.
6. Greetings : Everyone says hi to everyone else, every time they see them. It feels friendly.
7. Fresh Mangoes : I mean just fell off the tree fresh.
8. Preciousness : People and things are dearer here. People die surprisingly and for unknown reasons. Quality goods cost significant, hard-earned money. For me, I appreciate the things I brought with me. How could i replace my solar charger? What would I do if my ipod broke? (On that note, I took apart my broken kindle and it was awesome! want to know more about e ink, was it microfluidics, what?)
9. Multilingualism : From a young age, people speak multiple languages because of the mixes of ethnic groups found here. In the US, you'd have some irritating person saying "learn english" but cultural heritage is important here, as is communicating. So I'm learning Pulaar and Susu, though at different levels.

Things you get used to (or don't)

1. Dirt : I never realized how dirty I could get in the course of a day. My feet are the worst, but then there's my elbow crease and sometimes i itch and discover black fingernails. I "shower" twice a day! Nothing makes it clearer about the amount of dirt I live with than when I wash my hands and face in Conakry and the water runs brown into the white sink. Hmm...
2. Cockroaches and Spiders: Gone is the girl who used to refuse to shower if there was a spider the size of a dustball. Gone is the girl who jumped on her bed in fright at the cockroach in the dorm room. This girl lives with behemoth spiders in her toilet. This girl puts off killing spiders unless they are larger than 2.5 inches and with fat legs. This girl only kills cockroaches that leave the bathroom. They keep to their business, I keep to mine.
3. Mice: i just throw things at them but let them be. The poison was a hassle and didnt work.
4. Cramped quarters : Contortions in a taxi? Appendages numb watching a soccer match? All par for the course.
5. Entrusting your life to others : In taxis, in the market, in getting around Conakry, in getting water. There's no choice. You ask for help and pray for goodness and, incredibly, you find it. I have been helped so often here by people with no stake in my future. 

Things you don't get used to (but i think thats ok)

1. The Heat : You just exist in it. Admit that it has you beaten. 
2. Being a different color : As fluent as I get in Susu, with my hair braided and my pagne tied right, I will always be Other. It's a good perspective to gain when you've been the group of privilige your whole life. (still am, but im in a minority position at least)
3. Some cultural expectations : No, I don't want to marry you. No, I don't care that i didn't use a ruler to draw the lines, please look at what I drew! No, I do not think it is OK to charge me a different price because I'm white.
4. Genders in French : I do not CARE if it is le or la. ITS JUST A THING!
5. Kids crying : For no reason or for good reason, I can't stand to hear kids crying. And there are a lot of kids here and they cry fairly often. Evolutionary behavior, I suppose, for me to hate it.

First, a small request

If you know of any French language high schools that might be interested in pairing with a guinean high school and help us open a library, please comment or message me. Thank you!