Final Days with My Host family!

After a nice relaxing weekend, where I didn't have to lesson plan, and was able to hang out with friends and enjoy the last weekend with my host family and with all the other volunteers, I finished with the home stretch of classes in both French and the local language.  I had my final language interview to check that my French was good enough to continue on, which I believe went well.  Its quite bittersweet.

Yesterday we had a soccer game between the teachers and volunteers.  I would like to say that we (the volunteers) pulled our weight, but we are in Guinea and the teachers are born and bread to play this game.  We ended up finishing with a tie.  The best part was, because its rainy season, we got to play in the rain and for the first time in a while I was cold in Africa.  I arrived home after the game soaking wet, and got a shocking look from my host mother who told me to change.  My host brother also knocked on my door to tell me he was leaving tomorrow instead of Thursday.  I was quite sad, but he looked just as sad too.  I told him to let me know when he was ready for his gift.

He came into my room a little bit latter and I told him to get all my brothers together so I could give them their gifts.  I handed out the gift bags my mom had sent along with the gifts I requested.  Then I told them to open them!  I think I was more excited than they were.  But I found out that wasn't true!  My brothers opened up the bags and pulled out the Boston sports shirts my parents had sent, immediately pulled off their shirts that they had on, and quickly changed into their new attire.  They were astatic!  I was so excited that they like it so much!  I then told them that if they were going to wear these Boston shirts they needed to understand that they could not like NY.  Often times when they have said they wanted to come to the United States, I would ask where, and they would say, "New York".  I believed this was because NYC was the largest city in the US.  Therefore, they promised when they wore the Boston shirts, they would not like NY, because I explained the large rival between the teams.  They laughed and for the rest of the night, they came in my room thanking me a million times.  My host mother even came in and thanked me for their gifts and I could tell she was so touched.  I will be giving her a gift on the last night.  I got her a can opener, and oven mitts because they normally use a plastic bag, or old rags to pick up the lids to the boiling pans.  Hopefully she will like her gift just as much.  I've posted a pictures of my brothers below, one is missing, but you get the idea!

Thursday I will be heading to the capital.  I'll let you know how the gift giving goes, the packing, the final ceremony with our families, and the trip to the Conakry goes.  Hope all is well!