When September Ends...

Bags are packed and sent to Brussels Air, embarkation cards are filled out, passports and yellow vaccination cards in hand, a few 10000GF bills strategically placed in different pockets of my traveling shirt for the surprise last minute exit taxes the customs leeches will be demanding at the airport...I guess we’re ready to go. We’re just waiting for Bivan to pick us up to go to the airport.

It’s been quite a week, this last week. A lot of excitement with the prospect of holidays coming up. Ambiance in Conakry is good. With the new president being sworn in on Tuesday, there’s an aura of hope and optimism in the air.

The whole city of Conakry is being cleaned up for all the visiting dignitaries coming for the inauguration festivities. Traffic is more chaotic than usual because of all the cleaning going on. Apparently, since the coup 18 months ago, the civic infrastructures and services like garbage collection has all but collapsed. We have piles of garbage everywhere in the city. Mind you, this represents far less waste than it would in Canada because once stuff is thrown out, it goes through at least two cycles of ‘people’ rummaging through it, followed by goats who have a final pick at the remnants. Pretty sad, but the goats don’t seem to complain.

Brought the whole staff for lunch yesterday. A very nice event to close off this first semester. I thanked everyone for their hard work, their love of kids, and especially for their warm welcome and their genuine acceptance of Madeleine and I into their family. I told them that they were not only our new colleagues, but our new friends.

And so, this brings me to my last blog entry of 2010, at least while I’m in Africa. I am about to embark on a grueling 36 hour trek to my ‘other home’ in Canada. I’ve said my goodbyes, even to my little buddy namesake bébé Raymond, reassuring him, as I reassured the whole staff yesterday, that I’d be back. Like always, I leave Africa with much more than I had when I first arrived. I leave with a happy heart filled with fond memories. Now, where did I leave my passport....