Didn’t really think it would happen so fast. We feel as if we’re back home. I guess Conakry has unexpectedly crept into our subconscious comfort zone. After two weeks of traveling, the familiarity of Conakry feels reassuring and comforting : knowing where to buy bread, where not to buy fruit, when to avoid going out because of traffic, even knowing which gendarme at what carrefour will inevitably stop you and ask our driver Bivan for papers, in hope that the big white guy in the passenger seat will somehow fork out a few francs, just because he’s nice and generous and rich and has so much money that he doesn’t know what to do with it. Odd to say, but all of this feels like home.
Returned on Thursday to a rather calm city, despite the anticipated election anxiety that was so flagrant when we left two weeks ago. I guess after the latest postponement of the second round of presidential elections, and since this was the fourth postponement since the beginning of the process, people appear to have taken it in stride and have resigned themselves to believe that this is how it should be. After all, this is the country’s first experience at a democratic election process. Bivan, in all his wisdom, summed it up nicely on the drive from the airport with a simple, “Dieu prendra soin de nous.”
This is all very rejuvenating. Hope it lasts.
PS : Returned to a spotless apartment. Jeanne, our tiny smurfy housekeeper lady had done her usual thing with her magic wash cloth. However, to our dismay, all of our clothes in our closets were moldy. We are talking a stinky, green, creepy moldy here. It appears that, when leaving home for an extended amount of time and the a-c isn't running during your absence, we need to leave the closet doors open in hope that the air will circulate and prevent moulding of everything that isn't made of cotton. And all this time I thought this heat and humidity could only get on my nerves...not ruin my clothes. Oh well, we learn something new everyday.
No comments:
Post a Comment