Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Belated Thanksgiving! We were able to have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at our country director’s house who supplied us with a delicious turkey. With our powers combined, volunteers were able to scrape together stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes , green beans and even rolls with butter! For the first time in my life, I did not roll my eyes at the traditional lets go around the table and say what we are thankful for activity. Living in Guinea, I realize how much I have to be grateful for. Here is an abbreviated list.

1.       I am thankful that I won the nationality lottery. Being born as an American citizen opens up so many doors.

2.       I am thankful for watching the sunsets over the ocean from the roof of the volunteer house in conakary.

3.       I’m thankful to friends and family who have sent me letters and packages.

4.       I am thankful for mangos, pineapples, avocados and other delicious things that grow in Kindia.

5.       I am thankful to have a host family that has really taken me in as a member of the family. I am thankful that I have a real family who has supported me on this adventure.

6.       I am thankful that the people of Kindia are motivated and engaged and ready to work with me towards a better future.

7.       I am thankful that I have had success in my projects and that I find my work so fulfilling.

8.       I am thankful to my stage mates and to our “flotte” that makes all of them just a free phone call away (if only Orange could get their act together)

9.       I am thankful for waterfalls that let me escape the heat and go for a swim.

10.   I am thankful that in 8 days, I will be getting on a plane to go to American for the Holidays and thankful that I am loving life enough here that I can say for certain that I will get back on that plane at the end of vacation and continue my work.

Things I am not thankful for…BICIGUI. If you have been following the saga, we still don’t have our credit card so my BiblioTech is still on hold. You expect the small local organization to make development work challenging, not the multinational bank, but alas AGUIDEP has their stuff together 1000x more than BICIGUI.