First Letter to Kris Lynes' 1998-99 grade 3-4 class at Mast Way School in Lee, New Hampshire

Saturday, October 19, 1998

Hello to all! Welcome to a new year of school. Some of you who were in Mrs. Lynes' class last year will remember me. Those who are new to the class - I'm a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guinea, West Africa. Mrs. Lynes' class and I have been writing each other the past year - sharing letters, stories, and drawings. I can't wait to hear from all of you!

The school year just recently started here, and we kicked it off with a big party. We held a grand ceremony for the school opening, and gave school books to the top students in each class. School materials here are not free, and most families have a hard time finding the $3-$4 for books, plus notebooks, pens, and school uniforms. We asked some people in the capital city to help us out, and with the $100 they gave us, we were able to really help some kids out.

Then, I talked a bit about how different school is in the U.S. - we have enough schools for everyone, and most families can afford education. But that here, in Guinea, it is very hard. The villagers nodded in appreciation that I understood this. I said that there was a class of children in the U.S. that we had been writing to (that's you!) and that you were very interested in the children here. I then pulled out the things you sent - paper, markers, crayons, colored pencils, and . . . the soccer ball! There was a huge cheer among the kids and parents. The local mayor next to me looked curiously at the crayons - he had never seen anything like them before! We took several pictures of the kids with the gifts, and Mrs. Lynes should have a copy to show you. They all got together that afternoon to play a soccer game. They thank you all very much. Soon, I'll have them draw you some more pictures, with their nice new crayons!

However, not all is well with the school. There is a national crisis - a lack of teachers. We have 2 teachers for 5 classes, and one of those teachers is gone right now. So, the students go to school every day to sit around all day . . . I'm sure that sounds like fun to you, but it gets pretty boring after a while! And they aren't learning the lessons. At least half of them repeat a grade one, two, or even three times. So, I'm worried about them. Many can't understand French (the official language) very well, because they speak another language at home. Very few can read very well. You can probably read this better than most 6th or 7th graders here. Congratulations!

Right now is the end of the wet season. Guinea has two seasons - hot/dry and cool/wet. Although, if you ask me, it's hot all the time. We have thunderstorms every evening now, and rain usually around 5 p.m. like clockwork. The peanuts that people planted in June are now ready to be harvested, and so everybody is out working in the fields. Every Sunday, market day, you can see huge piles of peanuts for sale. Some are almost as tall as you! That's a lot of work - peanuts are all picked and shelled by hand.

Well, that's all for now. Please write me with your questions.
Take care,

Your friend,

Stephanie