#24 - Adam Herman

Adam Herman is a member of the US Peace Corps. From 2018 - 2020, he lived in the Koba-Tatema Village of Guinea, West Africa—where he taught 7th - 10th grade Guinean students and designed, organized, and brought to life the first school computer lab across the entire sub-prefecture.

For more information on the Peace Corps and its history, visit this page: https://www.peacecorps.gov/about/history/

***TIME STAMPS***

2:34 - Adam’s backstory; Joining the Peace Corps; How he landed in Guinea, West Africa

9:54 - The 3 Goals of The US Peace Corps; Government funding for the Agency

13:51 - Adam explains “Selfless vs. Selfish” in joining The Peace Corps; Lifelong bond of Peace Corps Volunteers

21:58 - Adam breaks down the Peace Corps’ presence in Guinea; Guinea’s Capital, Conakry; Adam’s Orientation and first host family; Guinean languages and the language barrier struggle Adam encountered early on

34:36 - Food, Shelter, & Plumbing in Guina; Adam describes the rude awakening of his first months in Dubreka

38:41 - Adam recounts the Peace Corps training program in Dubreka, his assignment to the village of Koba-Tatema, and the teaching curriculum he had to learn; Adam’s integration into his new host family, community, and the bigger challenges his second Guinean home presented

46:39 - “Happiness” among the Guinean people; The industries & economy of Guinea

50:43 - Background on Adam’s early teaching and the challenges he faced (most notably the cultural norms around student discipline)

1:01:05 - When Adam learned about Covid-19; The chaos of the emergency evacuation of all Peace Corps volunteers worldwide when the Pandemic began; Adam’s emotions leaving Guinea unexpectedly

1:10:39 - Adam’s gives a few details about his project building the first computer lab ever in a school in Koba; Electricity in Guinea

1:15:47 - iPhone, Cell Phone, Laptop, & Internet use in Guinea; Adam explains the rest of the details on his project, including the funding process, the corruption of the government officials he worked with, and the near failure of the entire thing because of Covid and the aforementioned corruption that impacted the project’s funding

1:33:10 - Adam talks about the quiet of spending so much time alone in a 3rd world country; Thinking of America

1:38:28 - Adam describes the difficulty of his reintegration into America; What came of the project he left behind

1:44:01 - The political tension in Guinea surrounding the 2020 Guinean Presidential Election and the Constitutional Crisis that has followed (Incumbent President Alpha Conde vs. Challenger Cellou Diallo); The Susu (Sousou), Malinke, and Pulaar tribes of Guinea; Guinea Politics and Democracy