Guinea? I Hardly Know Yee!

 

I arrived in Guinea on February 3rd and I'll be here for the next 27 months, if all goes according to plan. 

Guinea is in West Africa. There are FOUR countries with the word "Guinea" in their name but the Guinea I'm living in is the only straight-up GUINEA. Yes it can be confusing so here's a short animated youtube video you can watch to learn about the naming history of the four guinea's. 

It's my first time on the continent of Africa and I'm vibing with it so hard. Nice people, good food, lots of lizards and fruit producing trees. Of course, I've only been here for a short time and explored a little bit of the town our Peace Corps training center is in. But from that small glimpse I really like it here! I feel better here, like I can breath a bit more deeply.

Speaking of breathing deeply, I have COVID lol. I had allergy-like symptoms last week but then last Sunday (almost a week from writing this) I woke up with a really stuffy nose so I took a rapid test just to check. If we get a positive Covid test we have to be in quarantine for 5 days from when symptoms started, then do another test and if it's negative do another test 2 days later. So if you're "lucky" you're only in isolation for 7 full days. Sadly on Thursday I tested positive again so that added 2 more days to my sentence. Today (Saturday, day 6) I tested negative so I'll take another test Monday and if THAT'S negative then I'm a free woman. 

I've tried to keep up with my French studying but man self-study is so hard. And not as fun! It's fun to learn something and then go out into the community and actually use it. But c'est la vie. These are the cards I've been dealt. It's better to get Covid during training than when I'm at my site. At least here I have internet and oscillating fans and a shower!

stuck in quarantine thoughts // the waiting game

As every 20-something is wont to do, I spend a lot of time thinking about what I want to do with my life. As of this time last year I had a loose plan that I was satisfied with: teach in Korea for a second year, travel around southeast Asia for a bit, do a working visa in Australia and/or New Zealand. Pretty much figure things out as I go, but always having an idea of my "next" step.

But then we found out my uncle has a brain tumor, one that has a 14-month life expectancy from diagnosis, and I knew I had to come home. No more teaching, no more Korea, no more travels. Obviously being home is emotionally and financially exhausting, especially with all of this corona business, but I know it's where I need to be right now. When people ask how long I plan on staying home, I tell them I plan to go back to Korea in August or September. It gives me something to look forward to and it makes others feel more comfortable if I have a plan.

But if we're being real here, I probably won't be going back to Korea this fall. Others are more hopeful about my uncle's recovery, but from where I'm standing it looks like it'll be a slow and steady decline, and I'll be needed even more then. Of course I hope God is real and he's in the mood to work some miracles, but nothing is for certain and I can't be signing any year long contracts anytime soon.

spending time mainly in bed or on the front porch

Now let's move on to a lighter, more relatable topic: what the hell should I do with my life?

For a couple days in self-isolation I was seriously considering becoming a teacher. I would love to teach English literature and I love working with kids, but I also know that the burnout rate for that job is so high. Plus, I would have to stay in the US awhile to become a licensed teacher, and I don't want to do that for a job that I'm not sure about doing long-term.

Being a travel blogger sounds cool, but I know I don't have the self-motivation or the ego for that. I want to talk about my FEELINGS, not boring stuff like "How to Spend 24 Hours in Busan". Anything that would be described as "content" is mindnumbingly boring to actually write. Also, I feel like a huge dumbass every time I post on here. The only thing more embarrassing than having a blog is having a blog that no one reads.

I love reading, but who's going to pay me to read all day?

I thought about the Peace Corps, but the thought of spending two years of my twenties in a super isolated community for a resume booster in a field I'm not even sure I want to pursue is probably not the best idea. Plus, with these family health issues I don't think I can be away for 27 months with no simple way of coming back.

I want to write novels, but I know that that isn't a stable or guaranteed job, so that needs to be something I do on the side. I'm close to finishing Draft 1 of a promising story, so hopefully I finish that during this sedentary time.

I don't want to go to grad school anytime soon. The thought of spending all that money and two years in one place makes me physically recoil.

trying to take cute photos on my first weekend in Jinju, March 2019

Things I DO know for sure: I want to keep traveling and living in different countries. I don't want to start a career anytime soon, because that would impede on my flexibility to travel. I want to write, but I don't have enough life experiences yet. Or I do, but I know I need to live way more life.

So what WILL I do with all my time in quarantine and while I'm home for the foreseeable future? I'm going to read a lot and try to finish writing a draft of this novel. I also realized I haven't really written about my ACTUAL travels, so maybe I'll go through my photos and post little snippets, quit bitching on this blog and actually post about travel. Yeah, I'll do that.