What I know for sure

What I know for sure……

 

When was the last time you read Oprah’s monthly magazine?  On the last page of the O magazine, Oprah always writes a short article entitled “What I know for sure”.  Inspired by this title, I felt drawn to writing about what I know for sure in the context of my life in Africa.  Here goes!

 

What I know for sure is that  as I drive on my way to school, I will see chickens running across the road. Ever wonder why the chicken crossed the street?  It’s not only to get on the other side, but to avoid the Guinean traffic, which may include men pulling huge wheelbarrows, half ton trucks, motorcycles or 4  by 4’s !  What I also know for sure is that I will see several men urinating along a building or in the field along the railroad or close to a few goats busy munching the grass(the grass that the men were just urinating on….think about that, next time you eat goat meat!) I will see women and children washing or brushing their teeth right in front of me as we drive by.   I will see people set up stands to sell fruits and vegetables. I will see toddlers sitting on pee pots. I will see women brushing, pulling and combing girls’ hair, tying it tightly in corn rows.  I will smell the muggy morning air. I will see people dashing across the autoroute.  I will see mounds of rice being sold by gossiping women and men carrying baskets overflowing with loaves of fresh bread. I will see albinos, the same few every day and I will do a double take, convinced that they are white folks like me.

 

When I get to school, what I know for sure is that I will hear the roosters crow throughout the day. I will also see geckos scurry just in front of me. I will see the same 4 hens hiding under the bushes, their chicks huddling close to them.  I will take in the view of this school yard in a tropical setting like I’ve never seen before, with its' single papaya tree brimming with un-ripened green fruit and the flowered bushes undulating the rocky path to my classroom. I will smell the salty ocean air, hear the waves crash on the jagged rocks and feel the hot windy breeze  on my face.   Before I open the door to my classroom I will see the four maintenance workers in brown uniforms cleaning up the entire school yard, trimming the bushes, pulling out weeds and sweeping the sidewalks.  This is the reality of my life in Guinee five days a week at my little school, the American International School of Conakry.

What I know for sure is that my 8^th week begins in Conakry and I am still amazed by my daily observations of the Guinean way of life. It fascinates me, troubles me at times and touches me at other times. It is a journey into this new world in Africa that teaches me about a culture, a people, a nation.  It teaches me about my own resiliency, adaptability and creativity. For this experience I feel blessed and lucky!

 

(On the picture:  Can you find the roosters in the school yard???)