Maple Leaves in Mango Trees: Finding Home in West Africa

With retirement approaching and their children having flown the nest, lifelong nomad educators Raymond and his wife, Madeleine Mulaire, make the bold decision to uproot their lives and embark on another overseas posting to Guinea, marking their fourth move abroad.

Under military rule following a coup that had taken place the previous year, the West African nation-state is in a state of incredible upheaval, proving challenging even for well-seasoned travellers like Raymond and Madeleine. Armed military personnel roam the streets, and outbreaks of political unrest-even violence-are not unusual. While Madeleine teaches and Raymond serves as director of the American School in Conakry, they find themselves faced with these forces, in addition to the more everyday difficulties one might expect to encounter as Westerners living in Africa: being forced to hand over bribes to local police, dealing with bouts of malaria and worms, and the general strains of living in a poor and underdeveloped nation with little of the conveniences one's used to.

However, their passion for educating their students carries them through. As they immerse themselves more fully in the local culture, they find themselves inspired by the unwavering strength and resilience of the Guinean people. Moved by their desire to make a difference in the lives of those they teach, Raymond and Madeleine will ultimately find themselves utterly transformed, with a clearer sense of purpose than they thought imaginable.

Raymond G. Lemoine is a recent retiree from a career in education spanning over forty years, during which he served in many roles, including as a teacher, principal, school director, and educational consultant. Originally from Manitoba, he has worked locally in Canada, parts of Europe and Africa, as well as Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and China. He was inspired to write this, his first book, by his time serving as a school director in Guinea, which he deems the most rewarding endeavour of his educational career.

Outside of writing, Raymond enjoys reading, biking, hiking, swimming, and of course, travelling. He and his wife, Madeleine, call Port Moody, British Columbia, home-where they love to return, no matter how far their voyages take them.