List of resources for Guinea

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Following is a list of websites for additional information about the Peace Corps and Guinea, and to connect you to returned Volunteers and other invitees. Please keep in mind that although we try to make sure all these links are active and current, we cannot guarantee they will be.

A note of caution: As you surf the Internet, be aware that you may find bulletin boards and chat rooms in which people are free to express opinions about the Peace Corps based on their own experiences, including comments by those who may not have been happy with their choice to serve in the Peace Corps. These opinions are not those of the majority of Volunteers, the Peace Corps or the U.S. government, and we hope you will keep in mind that no two people experience their service in the same way.

[edit] General Information About Guinea

http://www.countrywatch.com
On this site, you can learn anything from what time it is in Conakry to how to convert from the dollar to the Guinean franc. Just click on “Guinea” and go from there.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations
Visit this site for general travel advice about almost any country in the world.

http://www.state.gov
The State Department’s website issues background notes periodically about countries around the world. Find Guinea and learn more about its social and political history.

http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/official.htm
This site includes links to all the official sites for governments worldwide.

http://www.geography.about.com/library/maps/blindex.htm
This online world atlas includes maps and geographical information, and each country page contains links to other sites, such as the Library of Congress, that contain comprehensive historical, social, and political background.

http://www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/infonation/info.asp
This United Nations site allows you to search for statistical information for member states of the UN.

http://www.worldinformation.com
This site provides an additional source of current and historical information about countries worldwide.

http://www.graphicmaps.com/webimage/countrys/africa/gn.htm
This site provides maps, flags, and other facts and figures for almost every country in the world.

https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gv.html
CIA World Factbook

[edit] Connect With Returned Volunteers and Other Invitees

http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/peacecorps
This Yahoo site hosts a bulletin board where prospective Volunteers and returned Volunteers can come together.

http://www.rpcv.org
This is the site of the National Peace Corps Association, made up of returned Volunteers. On this site you can find links to all the Web pages of the “friends of” groups for most countries of service, made up of former Volunteers who served in those countries. There are also regional groups who frequently get together for social events and local Volunteer activities.

http://www.rpcvwebring.org
This site is known as the Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Web Ring. Browse the Web ring and see what former Volunteers are saying about their service.

http://www.peacecorpswriters.org
This site is hosted by a group of returned Volunteer writers. It is a monthly online publication of essays and Volunteer accounts of their Peace Corps service.

http://www.friendsofguinea.org
A website hosted by returned Volunteers who served in Guinea. There are several helpful Guinea links on the site, and they share a quarterly newsletter and provide fundraising for current Volunteer projects. This is also an excellent way for family and friends to stay informed about events in Guinea.

[edit] Online Articles/Current News Sites About Guinea

http://allafrica.com
News about all of Africa (in English)

http://www.irinnews.org
News site from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (in English)

http://www.boubah.com
Web portal with news about Guinea (in French)

http://www.aminata.com
Web portal with news about Guinea (in French)

http://www.jeuneafrique.com
Jeune Afrique online (in French)

[edit] International Development Sites About Guinea

http://www.guinea-forum.org
The U.S. Agency for International Development’s work in Guinea

http://www.reliefweb.int
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

[edit] French Language Websites

It is a good idea to practice French as much as possible before your departure. Local language instruction will be extremely important when you begin your training in-country, and it will be provided when your French proficiency is sufficiently advanced. The following websites may be useful:

French Language Guide with Sound:

http://www.languageguide.org/francais/

Several links to BBC online courses with video clips:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/index.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/lj/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/experience/

Basic French Grammar Site (no sound):

http://www.jump-gate.com/languages/french/
wordPROF, French Vocabulary Online (including interactive scenes): http://www.wordprof.com/

Fluent French: http://www.signiform.com/french/
French Tutorial: http://www.frenchtutorial.com/
http://humanities.uchicago.edu/orgs/ARTFL/forms_unrest/FRENG.html
ARTFL French-English and English-French Dictionaries http://www.hum.port.ac.uk/slas/francophone/frac-in0.htm
A Wealth of Links to Resources on Francophone Africa: http://www.scola.org
SCOLA’s mission is to help the people of the world learn more about each other, their languages, their cultures and their ideologies through the use of modern technology. Their site provides unedited televised programming from 80 countries in 70 languages and dialects. This language learning resource is recommended by Peace Corps for invitees. For further information, please go to the following site and click on French language (Sorry, no Guinea yet!):

[edit] Recommended Books

1. Africa On File. New York: Facts On File, 1995.
2. Africa South of the Sahara 2003 (32nd ed.). London: Europa Yearbook Publications, 2002.
3. Country Profile Guinea and Country Report Guinea. Economist Intelligence Unit (15 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4LR, United Kingdom).
4. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2002. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 2003.
5. Kéita, Sidiki Kobélé. Esquisses biographiques des Premiers Députés Guinéens. Conakry, Guinea: Editions Universitaires, 1995.
6. Kurian, George Thomas. The Encyclopedia of the Third World, Vol. 2 (4th ed.). New York: Facts On File, 1992.
7. Laye, Camara. The Dark Child: The Autobiography of an African Boy. Farrar, Straus and Giroux Reissue edition (January 1, 1954) (L’Enfant Noir, in French)
8. Nelson, Harold D. Area Handbook for Guinea (2nd ed.). Washington, D.C.: American University, Foreign Area Studies, 1975.
9. O’Toole, Thomas E. Historical Dictionary of Guinea (2nd ed.). Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1987.

[edit] Books About the History of the Peace Corps

1. Hoffman, Elizabeth Cobbs. All You Need is Love: The Peace Corps and the Spirit of the 1960’s. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2000.
2. Rice, Gerald T. The Bold Experiment: JFK’s Peace Corps. Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 1985.
3. Stossel, Scott. Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2004.

[edit] Books on the Volunteer Experience

1. Banerjee, Dillon. So You Want to Join the Peace Corps: What to Know Before You Go. Berkeley, Calif.: Ten Speed Press, 2000.
2. Casebolt, Marjorie DeMoss. Margarita: A Guatemalan Peace Corps Experience. Gig Harbor, Wash.: Red Apple Publishing, 2000.
3. Dirlam, Sharon. Beyond Siberia: Two Years in a Forgotten Place. Santa Barbara, Calif.: McSeas Books, 2004.
4. Erdman, Sarah. Nine Hills to Nambonkaha: Two Years in the Heart of an African Village. New York, N.Y.: Picador, 2003.
5. Herrera, Susana. Mango Elephants in the Sun: How Life in an African Village Let Me Be in My Skin. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1999.
6. Hessler, Peter. River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze. New York, N.Y.: Perennial, 2001.
7. Kennedy, Geraldine ed. From the Center of the Earth: Stories out of the Peace Corps. Santa Monica, Calif.: Clover Park Press, 1991.
8. Thompsen, Moritz. Living Poor: A Peace Corps Chronicle. Seattle, Wash.: University of Washington Press, 1997 (reprint).