Perhaps this is why they die so young

Kalifa had told us that most of his siblings had died and that each year when he returns to Guinea at least one of his friends is no longer alive.  He even said that he would take us to the best drum maker – unless he had died since Kalifa’s last trip home.

This place we visited seemed a place of opposites or maybe discordant things is a better choice of words.  While there I learned in bits and pieces about the things that I believe contribute to shortened lifespan.

Our first time crossing the water, we waded through the surf to mount the boat. I later realized that the bathrooms in the Obama café, our touchstone in Conakry, emptied directly into the surf.  Never again did I walk through the water which also had rusted metal objects embedded in the floor, though for the folks who lived there it was routine to do so.

Although marveling at the way women and young children carried loads on their heads, it does make we wonder that if despite correct posture, etc., the cumulative effects over time are compressed vertebrae.  Does sleeping on the ground or on a mat as thin as a towel on concrete or tile ebb away at one’s skeleton and cause degeneration of bones?

We drank bottled water, but the water we bathed in came from uncovered wells with openings at ground level allowing easy access for dirt, garbage – whatever happened to be rolling by.  As such I decided not to shave my legs while there, thinking that if I nicked myself I was opening myself to  being vulnerable for disease.  But the folks who lived there drank the well water…. Are they immune to the contaminants or is it a role of the dice?

When we were giving out toys Kalifa pointed out some kids with distended bellies and he commented that they have parasites.  Not sure if that was treatable or contagious I kept my distance.  It was such a challenge for me to not be welcoming of small children who grabbed my legs or wanted to snuggle up on my lap.  Not knowing if runny noses and eyes were “common” colds or something more serious, something that my immune system was not prepared for, I stayed at arm’s length.  The children who did make their way onto my lap seemed fine, but who’s to know? 

The food, cooked outdoors over a wok shaped item filled with charcoal, simmered for hours and  our guess was that was an effort to kill any harmful organisms that may have been present in the unrefrigerated meats and fish.  I stuck to rice and veggies – deliciously flavored I might add.  There were times when Don said the meal’s protein tasted suspect and he found ways to avoid eating it.

I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that in a place where people travel by car and have smart phones that they don’t have safe drinking water, their average life expectancy is 55 years and there is the very real expectation that if you haven't seen someone in awhile they might be dead.

As I write this - in August 2014 – over 1500 people have died from Ebola in 4 West African countries  including Guinea, and there are an additional 3000 reported infected people. The first case was reported shortly after we returned to the United States.