Hello, Bonjour, I ni sooma... My name is Adam, but everyone here in Guinea just calls me "Sidiki." I love the name because it comes from the Arabic word "Sadiq," which my friend Sam has told me means "friend." I came here to help out by volunteering at a small health center, but when it comes down to it, being a friend is the biggest impact I can make, and I have been helped way more than I could ever do for the people here. I have been adopted by a family, a village and a culture. The Malinkes that shout my name out as I walk through the flooded muddy streets are some of the kindest and happiest that I have ever met. They have very little resources and material wealth, but their spirits are rich beyond measure and they value things in life that should come above others in any culture: the family, the well-being of the community, and kindness to strangers. I am constantly being nagged to share meals and visit the homes of people that stop me on the street simply to exchange greetings. It is funny that Africa is known as a continent of mass hunger, yet I constantly need to turn down invitations to eat because I am full of rice and peanut sauce from the earlier lunches that have been shared with me. Two loving families have adopted me in the village where I live and work, Missamana, and they always find a way to find me and feed me even though they have ten children that need to eat too. Don't get me wrong, these people have very little, and the huge hike in rice costs has hurt the bellies of many, but sharing is never an issue and people will share the little that they have because that is how things have always been here. I am a big proponent of change, but there is very little that I would like to see change here; the society functions without many of the luxuries that other civilizations have (no electricity, running water, or adequate medical care), and the family unit is incredibly strong, and there is very little family disintegration, drug and alcohol abuse, crime, or murders. I do fear for my friends when they drive motorcycles carelessly without a helmet, and when the vast majority of the children have bloated bellies because they do not have clean drinking water or nutritious food to eat. I would change little things, but I do not want their roads to be paved or their huts to be connected by power lines. My eyes have adjusted to the pitch dark evenings and I love staring up at the stars from my prayer mat. I love my friends and family, both in the US and those that have opened their lives and homes to me here, and they have taught me that being a good friend is one of the greatest attributes that one can have. Friendship and family is everything.
