What I have been doing in the past two weeks
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04 Augustus 2014 | Guinea, Conakry
I've been waiting for this blog to write itself, but unfortunately it doesn't work that way. And since I can't sleep, I've decided to finally put some effort in it, and write something about what I've been doing in the past two weeks.
First an update on Daniel en Moïse. They are both doing very well, Daniel is now able to roll over from his tummy to his back! This is a very great improvement, and I am so proud of him! Moïse is learning to sit up, he is able to push himself up and sit for a few seconds before he falls over again. However, Daniel is not eating well because he has trouble swallowing. Please pray that this improves!
Last weekend I went to a waterfall, the Cascades du Soumba. We had a great time swimming and climbing on the rocks. If I manage to add some pictures to this blog you can see how awesome it was! We also played Dutch Blitz (I was the only Dutch person, but that didn't help much, I wasn't very good at it. But I hadn't played Dutch Blitz in a long time) at the restaurant right next to the falls while we were waiting for our food. The lunch was delicious, even though I kinda ruined it by putting too much pepper on my rice...
On Tuesday last week I visited the women in the Women's Prison. I have already been to the Women's Prison twice while I worked for Mercyships, so it wasn't a new experience for me, but that didn't make it any easier. The conditions in which the prisoners are living are so hard... But it was good to be there.
And now about Canada Day, the national day of Canada. Officially, Canada Day is on the first of July, but because the Canadians in Conakry were busy on that day, they decided to celebrate it on the first of August. I was invited, even though I've never set foot on Canadian soil... We ate Canadian food (now I know what poutine is!), and we talked about typically Canadian things (moose hunting and Quebecois humor, for instance). Ok, I didn't do much talking, I just listened. I guess I'm still too Dutch to know much about moose eh? We had a really nice evening, and the fact that we didn't have power even though we should have had it, didn't make it less nice. There is nothing wrong with candlelight after all.
What else shall I write about? There is always so much happening that it is difficult to choose what to write down and what to just keep in my memory. I don't want to forget anything, however sad some things may be, but I can't share everything.
Saturday was in many ways a great day. My roommate and I decided to go to what Mercyshippers always called the Craftmarket. It is a place not too far from the port, with many little shops that all sell wooden elephants, tigers, little drums, paintings and whatnot. It is a little bit further away if you live in Nongo, but we got there in less than an hour I think. Our taxi driver really knew the city well, and drove us through parts of Conakry that we'd never seen before, but he managed to avoid all "embouteillage" without getting lost. At the Craftmarket, we bought some really nice things to bring home to our family and friends. We enjoyed lunch at Hotel Camayenne, a big fancy hotel with an ocean view. It was strange seeing the familiar shape of the islands, but not being on the ship... After lunch we went back to the market, because we bought a game and the guy who sold us the game promised to teach us how to play it. I think we spent an hour sitting on little stools, playing this Guinean game that involves a board with twelve holes and 48 seeds, and it was awesome!
It is already past midnight, so the power will probably shut off soon, and I should try to get some sleep. Good night!
First an update on Daniel en Moïse. They are both doing very well, Daniel is now able to roll over from his tummy to his back! This is a very great improvement, and I am so proud of him! Moïse is learning to sit up, he is able to push himself up and sit for a few seconds before he falls over again. However, Daniel is not eating well because he has trouble swallowing. Please pray that this improves!
Last weekend I went to a waterfall, the Cascades du Soumba. We had a great time swimming and climbing on the rocks. If I manage to add some pictures to this blog you can see how awesome it was! We also played Dutch Blitz (I was the only Dutch person, but that didn't help much, I wasn't very good at it. But I hadn't played Dutch Blitz in a long time) at the restaurant right next to the falls while we were waiting for our food. The lunch was delicious, even though I kinda ruined it by putting too much pepper on my rice...
On Tuesday last week I visited the women in the Women's Prison. I have already been to the Women's Prison twice while I worked for Mercyships, so it wasn't a new experience for me, but that didn't make it any easier. The conditions in which the prisoners are living are so hard... But it was good to be there.
And now about Canada Day, the national day of Canada. Officially, Canada Day is on the first of July, but because the Canadians in Conakry were busy on that day, they decided to celebrate it on the first of August. I was invited, even though I've never set foot on Canadian soil... We ate Canadian food (now I know what poutine is!), and we talked about typically Canadian things (moose hunting and Quebecois humor, for instance). Ok, I didn't do much talking, I just listened. I guess I'm still too Dutch to know much about moose eh? We had a really nice evening, and the fact that we didn't have power even though we should have had it, didn't make it less nice. There is nothing wrong with candlelight after all.
What else shall I write about? There is always so much happening that it is difficult to choose what to write down and what to just keep in my memory. I don't want to forget anything, however sad some things may be, but I can't share everything.
Saturday was in many ways a great day. My roommate and I decided to go to what Mercyshippers always called the Craftmarket. It is a place not too far from the port, with many little shops that all sell wooden elephants, tigers, little drums, paintings and whatnot. It is a little bit further away if you live in Nongo, but we got there in less than an hour I think. Our taxi driver really knew the city well, and drove us through parts of Conakry that we'd never seen before, but he managed to avoid all "embouteillage" without getting lost. At the Craftmarket, we bought some really nice things to bring home to our family and friends. We enjoyed lunch at Hotel Camayenne, a big fancy hotel with an ocean view. It was strange seeing the familiar shape of the islands, but not being on the ship... After lunch we went back to the market, because we bought a game and the guy who sold us the game promised to teach us how to play it. I think we spent an hour sitting on little stools, playing this Guinean game that involves a board with twelve holes and 48 seeds, and it was awesome!
It is already past midnight, so the power will probably shut off soon, and I should try to get some sleep. Good night!
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Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
