Spanish Interlude

We were learning together.

When I made the vocal agreement to serve in the Peace Corps, I knew that to some extent I was agreeing to be super isolated, at least as far as my contact with the Western world goes. What I did not account for is my random encounters with other travelers. It was ignorant for me to think that I’d see no one besides Peace Corps volunteers because in the grand scheme of things, I’m not that isolated, but my point of view from the States was just that, ignorant. I’m still surprised, and probably overly excited, when I do run into the occasional foreigner in my little area. I’m the only volunteer in my prefecture (think county) and thus I’m not accustomed to seeing others in my area but at the same time, my village is off the road between Conakry and Freetown, the capitals of Guinea and Sierra Leone, respectively.

               

Alya. This man kills it on the balafon (instrument in front of him)

The most recent encounter I’ve had with other Westerners was by far the most extraordinary. Normally, if I do pass by the occasional tourist, it’s in Coyah, a big suburb near my village. This last visit was special because not only did I run into two very nice musicians but they were staying in MY VILLAGE! I couldn’t believe it. For a week before hand, I had noticed the addition of drumming disturbing the normally quiet ambiance of my village. So one day I decided to investigate. It’s pretty standard practice for anyone just to wander wherever he or she likes in Guinea. Many of the neighborhoods consist of houses pushed close together without too many specific routes in and out, thus passing by someone’s house is never perceived as intrusive. Using that and my special treatment as the village white guy, I walked straight to the source of the drumming.

The dancers of the group. They're really good!

When I turned the last corner of a house I found a small group of musicians and dancers. Two of which, I quickly identified as foreigners. Turns out that Hector, a Spaniard, and his wife from Mexico, Najeli, were taking some time to learn traditional Guinean dance and drum from one of the most talented artists I’ve come across here in Guinea. His name is Alya and the man is a boss in front of a balafon, a naturally made xylophone with a beautiful hollow sound.  Along with his friends, the group was practicing multiple hours a day, which if you’ve seen Guinean dance and felt a true djembe, a Guinean bongo-esque drum, you will understand how impressive that is. I did not attempt to join in on the dancing, it is a very athletic style and mostly left to women (at least the style they were practicing was). So to be part of the team, I tried my hand at drumming. I found out quickly that my hand is way too soft for drumming. Throughout my entire life I’ve shook the hands of masons (my uncles and cousins normally) and known how rough they are, but frankly, the hands of a Guinean drummer make them feel Downy soft. Shaking Alya’s tremendously callused hand was like grabbing a mitten that’s covered in sand paper. Knowing I wouldn’t last long on the drum, I was happy to take a break when they asked if I would film them. I obliged quickly and put on my best impression of a professional cameraman. It ended up being a lucky job on my part because now I have 35 minutes of true Guinean dance and drum in HD quality!

The fun didn’t stop there. When Hector heard that I lived nearby and that I have the basics of a Western kitchen, he insisted on cooking some Spanish cuisine for me and the group, if I would host. Since getting back to Guinea after my trip home in August, I’ve lost all motivation for creative meals and have contented myself to a routine of peanut butter/banana sandwiches and hard-boiled egg sandwiches. It follows that I was super pumped to have someone cook a good meal for me. Despite his ambitions, Hector only achieved something close to cuisine (due to the lack of ingredients) and, at the request of Alya, he added spaghetti into the mix where it clearly didn’t belong. Overall, it wasn’t Spanish cuisine, but it was good.