The Countdown has begun

C'est fini (its finished) is a phrase that I've quickly become accustomed to hearing. For instance; on a recent trip to the poste, I gave 1000 CFA bill towards the purchase of 830 CFA of stamps and since they were all out of small change I received part of the change in stamps. La monie, the change, c'est fini. Huh?! Or there's the ti,e that I went to the market to buy some avocados and I was told that, c'est fini; tomatoes? No, I dont want tomatoes, I want avocados. Wheres a Whole Foods when you need one? BTW, my mexican feast was delicious. No guacamole but the tortillas were a hit and made for great vegie fajitas. In fact, it went so well that I think that I may try my hand at making a birthday cake this week.

Another week has come and gone and with it I fid that I am that much closer to th end of pre service training (pst) and only 4 weeks away from swearing in. Along with swearing in comes a certain freedom that I have missed over the past month. It'll be nice to sleep in until 6:30 without feeling guilty and to be able to prepare meals for myself that dont start and end with rice.

Last week we began some of our appropriate tech. sessions which I have to say might be some of my favorte sessions so far. In addition to learning how to make a compost pile, we also learned how to make a makeshift shower drain, a necessity where mosquitos and malaria are rampant, learned how to dry fruit and veggies (particularly handy to those of us that will be far from fresh produce and will have to stockpile these items when they are available), and lastly how to make a mud oven out of dirt, donkey poop and straw. The traditional "ovens" that are most commonly used are inefficient as they cook slowly and use up a lot of wood. The new mud pots use much less wood so they are a better alternative which goes towards helping Burkina's overall deforestation efforts. My family has agreed to build one although they are skeptical as to how this will be better than the one they currently have. Hopefully they will realize th benefits over time.

Hallowee in Burkina is nonexistent, however, we still managed to celebrate and have good time. I'm happy to say that my 6'3" tall, male friend took the prize for "most burkinabe" when he dressed up like a Burkinabe woman, complete with traditional dress and head wrap. Based on the pictures that I received from mnay of you, it looks like many of you were in the full holiday spirit. Thanks for the pics; keep them coming!

On Thursday, we went to Ouaga where we spent a few days visiting SIAO, the arts and crafts festival that takes place every 2 years here in Burkina. Tons of African art, purses, masks, clothing, jewelry, etc. We also got a chance to go to the PC office where all of the staff is located and visited the PC hostel where I will likely stay during subsequent visits to Ouaga. No trip would be complete without a couple of shots so I got my 3rd and final rabies shot and another Hep shot as well. Thankfully, I think I'm done for a year or so. While in Ouaga we stayed in a hotel that came complete with a toilte, toilet paper and chocolate croissants. What a treat! We went out for chines food one night and pizza and ice cream the next. Each meal costed about $10.00, vs. the usual $0.30 meals I had been having earlier in the week but it was totally worth it. Afterall; we were celebrating. On Thursday afternoon after much anticipation, we each learned where we will be living and the type of work we will be doing for the next 2 years. Quite a ceremony it was. We, the trainees, received a huge map that covered the entire wall and were called up one by one and given our photo to tape on the map as we were told the name of the village we would be going to. We were then given some general info on our location and the organization that we will be working with. I will be living in Gorom-Gorom, a town that's about 7 hours away from Ouaga in the far North in the Sahel region. Its pretty close to the Mali border. I am told that they have a market every Thursday and its a good one so hopefully I'll be able to stock up on fruits and veggies and preseve them in the desert refrigerator that I just learned how to make. There are also a number of kiosks and cafes where I can go out to eat if I dont feel like cooking. Internet and electricty are available but it is often limited to only a fe hours a day during the hot season. Temps can exceed 120 degrees in this region so my house will be made out of mud to help keep the inside "cool". Last year during the rainy season, Gorom was flooded and the existing house destroyed, so construction is now underway for my house. Ive been told that I should have electricity but I may have to contact someone to come and run it through the house and have it set up. I am hoping to plant a garden as well in my courtyard, so if you have any ideas about what grows well in the desert besides cactus, let me know. No trees in the north, just sand dunes and camels so this may be pointless but I'm willing to give it a shot.

As far as work goes, I will be wokring with a womens artisans group that makes leather handbags. Ive seen some of their work and it is stunning. They aspire to to start exporting some of their goods and to expand their distribution channels within the country as well so they sound like a very motivated group. Should make for a very rewarding assignment. Unfortunately, Fulfulde is the major language spoken in the region so the French and little Moore I know will only be marginally helpful. Ive been told that I will be starting these lessons soon. There will be 5 of us going to the Sahel, myself and 4 other health workers, and we'll be about 25k apart. Gorom is the regional capital so I imagine I'll see them when they come in to go to the market. No other details at this point but its nice to at least have the name of my town. Yippee!!