Taxis in Conakry

So catching a cab here is a form of high tech hitchhiking. Place your right hand down and shake it means you would like to go straight on the road you are standing on. Hand up and shaking to the right means you want to go right after a bit and shaking your hand left means you would like to go to the left.
You do this shaking until you see a cabbie looking at you and shaking his hand in the same fashion, as he drives by you shout your desired destination and the number of seats you need. He will either shake his head and keep on going or pull over and open the door you should get in. You then walk up to the door and say your price and he agrees or doesn't.
Prices are 700 cents fg in between each MAJOR destination, some places it is 500 cents fg. This is supposed to be all standardized but occationally you get a bad cabbie.
I have been thinking that it might be useful to develope a similar system in Crested Butte. A certain hand waggle for the Mountain, Riverland, CB South, Almont and Gunnison. But then I'm sure most Buttian won't be having the Guinean four people in the back and two in the passenger seat shindig.
This seating arrangment is often unbearably uncomfortable and now that I understand more french I get when the driver I demanding that a large lady confess that she is not actually one place but two and that she should pay for two places beacause it is unfair for her to insist on four people in the back because that is no good with her there. She of course is adamant that she is indeed only one lady and will therefore only be paying for one place. After she makes her exit everyone sighs with relief and rehashes how she was really two places.
This reminds me that everyday Guinean conversation can be hilarious. For instance, "Look at those children running in the night like that, they will fall on their faces and then they will cry for their mothers. They should not run like that at night it is not good." Many things here are not good, sitting with your head in your hand is not good. Not eating a ton of rice is not good. Drinking water in sips is not good.
But there are so many things that are good here. I'll tell more later

The Kids, the Monkey and the Liberians

I am now living in a room that shares a courtyard with a school for youngsters, a monkey that is "bandy", and some Liberian refugees who drink gin at 9am.
The children are cute, I can hear them all morning yelling "madame! madame!" because they all know the answer and want to be picked. How the teacher handles all 40 of those 4 to 6 year olds I have no idea.
The monkey, or Booboo, I feel a little sorry for, he's all tied up and cries all the time at night. I give him bread and bananas, although i make Manamou hand the items to him as I am actually afraid to get to close. As Dayna knows and those of you who heard about the bad bad monkey in Agra, india can testify, I am not a monkey fan.
The Liberian are nice, they always ask me how I am and invite me to eat and drink gin if they have any to offer. I of course don't drink the gin but sometimes I'll sit and listen to them. It is sad to hear them talk about wanting to go home but they can't because home has nothing for them. One woman told me, "Before, I lived in Senegal and it is better their because the food is cheap. I came to Conakry because it is closer to home and Guinee is good because their is the freedom to walk around but food here is very expensive, so it's hard because we don't always eat. I want to go home and try to find some of my family but it is worse there, there is no food, no work, and nothing for me. Here, I must try to find a way to make money so that when I go home I might have something and make myself better. I would like to go to school, to make myself better but I don't think it possible. Someday, maybe I will go all the way home to America, that is where we Liberians are coming from before, and maybe I will be able to make money and send it to my family and we will all be better."

African Juicebox

An african juicebox may mystify you at first glance, what are those white orbs that woman's selling? They are carefully stacked in groups of three and have artistic swirls and stripes. On further investgation I see that the madame is peeling mid-size green oranges and the white orbs are her finished product, the african juicebox.
So I fork over 500 cents FG (about 12.5 cents usd) and take off down the road with three oranges, handing one to Manamou to see how you go about this juicebox business. Bite off one end, squish and suck. This of course, sounds far easier than it is in actuality.
But after some practice I have become quite adept.
Really, you should all give this a try, very refreshing.

So I made it! I'm in Guinee!

There is nothing like a reception that involves a lot of dancing and drumming.
Right now I am living in a room that shares a courtyard with an elementary school. In the morning they sing the national anthem and put the flag up and you can here them singing their lessons. Very cute. Our place also has a guardian who is an older man who watches over the property all day to stop robbery and vandalism. He is also very nice and always says "Bonjour Madame, Ca va?"
We have been going to alot of Sabars and doundounba's. I think I prefer the sabar although the dance is way to fast for me but it is much more like dancing at a club than the doundouba.
The other day I danced at a sabar with some local clowns which was pretty funny and gave everyone a good laugh.
Things are going well.

Tired but happy

It's the final push here in Issaquah before I board the plane tomorrow morning. I'm so tired but as my sister says, you'll get there and everything will slooooooooow down a whole bunch. maybe, you never know. I'll report back soon.