Nothing Beyond Repair

Guinea is hard on material goods. My ipod’s screen is cracked, my laptop is dented, my water bottle gets moldy on a daily basis and my clothes that aren’t stretched out from the washboard have holes from mice taking their midnight snack. My watch has taken the most sever of beatings. I brought a “sports” watch with me that I thought was water resistant, but it became impaired after my first bucket bath and died completely when I work it swimming in a waterfall. My mom sent me a new Timex Ironman triathlon watch. This watch, I thought, will be able to take on Guinea. It is an ironman, after all. It did a pretty good job for about 9 months, but then the integrity of the plastic started breaking down. The first thing to go was that little ring to keep the tail of the band down. It just snapped off one day. I used a stray piece of string for a while, but eventually just cut the tail off. If there is nothing to hold down, then you don’t need that little ring thing. Next, the band ripped from on of the holes over to one side. I slapped on a little duct tape and continued on my life. Finally, the band just broke in half from a different part. No problem, I took it down to the men who repair furniture and they sewed the two bits back together, for free! That fix didn’t last very long. The plastic had become too brittle so it crumbled away by the sutures. The band was beyond repair.

Except, that nothing is beyond repair in Guinea. Cars that have no business being on the road move this country’s population and its economy. Young boys roam the street, ready and waiting for the inevitable moment when your cheap Chinese flip-flops break. They will have you back on your way in minutes. Roofs are patched until there is more patching than roof and potholes are filled with roadside gravel to prevent your car from scraping bottom. It really is incredible how with elbow grease and a strong will, people can fix anything here. So, I knew there must be a solution for my watch. I went to the area of the market where they make leather shoes. It also happens to be the part of the market where you buy blessed necklaces to keep babies free from infection while teething, snakeskins, cowrie shells, and baby alligator skulls for who knows what purpose. This old man, who could not even see enough to know which way my watch should face, fashioned me a new custom leather watchband in 30 minutes for the equivalent of $2. Literally, it started from a piece of animal skin and using tools that have been around since the iron age, made me a lovely watchband and even gave me a guaranty.

Imagine what Guinea could do if it had resources- financing, education, material imports, factories, roads, and governance- at its disposal.