Yesterday was very successful. In the morning I got several blog posts up. The internet has been a little wonky and it was working well yesterday. I also got off a few important emails, and then searched out the Credit Rurale, which is a bank run by the Guinean government that provides credit to people in the agricultural sector. The basic idea is that the bank provides money to farmers to buy their supplies at the beginning of the growing season, and then collects the money during the harvest. It gives farmers a better interest rate than they would get from a real bank (what real bank?). I was told the interest rate is 4%, but I can’t be certain. When we talked to Credit Rurale during training we got some very weird answers as far as the interest rate was concerned, and I also don’t know if it is annual or some other time period. If it is from the beginning of planting to the harvest, then it is 4% over about eight months. That turned out well and I’m glad I took the time to find them. There was no sign or anything, they don’t make it easy. The guy who works there seems to be the only one and he actually used to work for my organization before they hooked up with Faissons Ensemble and went big.

Then I met again with the guy who wants to create an ONG. Its been kind of interesting working on it with him, seeing how he works compared with how I work. I can’t help making generalizations as to the differences between Guinean and American work culture, but I try to keep them under wraps. We have proceeded now through the objectives and the domaine d’intervention, and are I think about finished with it. I am not sure what happens next.

I have several specific goals today. I thought I was going to have my site inspected by my security director, but I haven’t heard from her, so I don’t know if that is still happening. I want to buy a couple of bidons to begin collecting fertilizer. This means peeing in the bidons until they are a quarter full and then setting them aside for two days to kill the schisto, then adding water and watering my plants. I don’t actually have any plants yet, but I am also thinking that this will cut down on the need to choose between a strong urine smell or using lots of water to flush every time I go to the bathroom.

I also want to give an order for a solar dryer to my carpenter, which I don’t expect to be easy, but we will see. I will probably have to do some serious explaining, but pictures help a lot. If I don’t do it soon the mango season will be over before I get any real stock of dried mangos.

And then I need to buy a bunch of mangos to make some mango jelly with. I have some jars I requested from the Peace Corps office, and I want the small ones and one big one full before the mangos run out. There are maybe a few more weeks of mangos left, I’m not sure.

This may not sound like a lot, but I will have to spend a lot of time arguing with the venders so that I can buy bidons and rubber strips at a reasonable price. Then I will have to argue with the carpenter so that I can get the solar dryer made at a reasonable price and to make sure he understands what I want. I expect it to take a few hours, and then I have to get the jelly made, wash my clothes, and get water all before nightfall.

I have several big projects in the very early stages. I will try to set them all down in a post, either tonight if I have the time and motivation, or tomorrow.