Letters from Volunteers in the Field

Stephanie Chasteen's letters upon returning to village (5 years after service)

Stephanie Chasteen served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guinea, West Africa, from 1997-1999, in the village of Wawaya. She helped run the Friends of Guinea group. In Summer 2004, she returned to her village in Guinea, West Africa. Here are the letters that she wrote home about the experience.

July 10. Ruminations from Guinea

Details: Category: Stephanie Chasteen's letters upon returning to village (5 years after service)

July 10. Ruminations from Guinea

Hello everyone,

I’m in Guinea! The short story is – we arrived exhausted, but there were no problems. It looks likely that we won’t have email access again until July 28th. The place feels so oddly familiar, like returning to a childhood home. Even though you forgot the color of the house, you remember the curve of the stairs, the hiding place in the eaves, or this vague impression of light in the living room. Guinea feels familiar. It’s certainly not home to all of me, but it is home to an important part of me.

For the longer story, read on…

August 10, Dazed and Confused

Details: Category: Stephanie Chasteen's letters upon returning to village (5 years after service)

Hello friends,

This will probably be the last missive about my trip (do I hear some sighs of relief?), though I may forward some other writings that I do about it at some point in the future.

I'm in New York City as I write this, enjoying a fast internet connection at my friend Alex's (who has graciously given me run of his room while I wait for my flight to San Jose tonight). It's 9am, but feels like sometime in the afternoon, and coffee is my friend. I walked down the street this morning looking for that friendly coffee, and the first coffee shop I found was full of men. I couldn't shake the feeling that it was inappropriate for me, a single white woman, to sit in a coffee shop full of men, so I left. I also can't shake the feeling that everyone's looking at me as I walk down the street, though they're probably not. I'm definitely a bit culture-shocked.

July 26, To the Village and Back Again

Details: Category: Stephanie Chasteen's letters upon returning to village (5 years after service)

Well, folks, we just arrived back in Conakry after 2 weeks "en brousse" (in the bush) and I'm exhausted. It was a day of bad choices & bad luck. The wrong taxi, missed phone connections, the wrong choice of eating establishments, wrong choice not to bring an umbrella, trying email a half-hour too late. But it's ended well, and I just washed my hair for the first time in 10 days and am sitting groggily typing this note. The next two days will be a whirlwind so, tired though I am, I might as well take a moment to write a little.