And I'm finally gonna make it back to America.

I’m headed back to the U.S. in September! Although the original plan was to stay in Guinea until 2009, using the third year to find a position with an NGO (still under the Peace Corps umbrella), a number of things made Jen and I decided that it was time to head back. A good position wasn’t readily becoming available - there were two possible options but they weren't certain; it would have been, to put it diplomatically, "crowded" in Labe with 3 volunteers there; and it will be easier to find jobs and apartments upon our return if we can tell them we’ll be staying a year (there’s a trip to Asia being planned before going to grad school in 2010). Plus, the thought of a sandwich from Cosi, a cold Yuengling Lager, and fast internet at any time of day is just really appealing!

o When we move back to the US, Jen and I will be living in DC. It should be a rather exciting time and we’re both looking forward to living in a place where we both have lots of friends from Peace Corps/college/high school. We’re going to try to use our non-competitive eligibility in order to get government jobs – or see what other jobs are out there. I’m rather worried about the state of the economy though! All I keep hearing on the radio over here are horror stories about the economy going in the tank. The other day, Ian walks into the room and throws three Economist magazines at me, all three with covers about the American economy just sinking. Let's hope by September it will be easier to find some jobs.

o Guinea is hot. And I mean HOT. As in 118 degrees. (I know, I know, I already did a blog update on this, but the heat is everywhere, I can't escape it!) The dry season is coming to an end, but the end of the dry season also means the hottest temperatures of the year. My house is unbearable at night, and I’ve begun placing a towel under me on the bed to soak up all the sweat. It’s gross and leaves me tired and not feeling clean in the morning. In a month and a half though, the rains should be coming down steadily, which will bring temperatures down a good deal (but will also bump humidity up 10 notches)

o My parents and Stefi are thinking of coming to Guinea in June and July (two separate trips)! I’m very much looking forward to their arrival. It can sometimes be so hard to explain life in Guinea to people who haven’t been here, so it will be nice to have them share a little bit of the experience that I’ve been having since 2006. We might even be able to sneak a trip to Ghana or Senegal during one of the visits, provided we have enough time.

o Although my teaching job is winding down (school ends in late May), Jen and I have decided to take on re-establishing the Girls Conference that takes place in Mamou. It was one of the flagship events of the Peace Corps Guinea program, but last years evacuation caused the Girls conferences to be cancelled. These conferences are essentially 3-4 day camps/seminars on health, education, family planning, and job opportunities for young women finishing middle and high school. Women, without a doubt, face many difficulties in Guinea, so the conference is really a great opportunity for many of these girls to see that they too can become successful, independent, and educated women. It will be great to finish up our service with such a good project - I'm just hoping the fundraising comes in on time for our conference!

Anyway - I suppose that's all the major updates! The internet was shockingly fast today, so I'm going to take advantage of it now to download some news articles before going back to Boke! Until next time, oo'o!