A Strange turn of Events

Since my last update, life has been pretty much a blur. Rain, an invasion of frogs, a major outbreak of malaria cases, the collapse of my hangar, more rain, a trip to Switzerland with my mom, the rebuilding of my hangar, heat rash, romance, flooding, a visit from a friend from home, heartbreak, no internet and more challenges. And somehow I got through it all. Allow me to back up a bit.

In my last update, I referenced hearing a strange sound that I couldn't quite place. I now know what was making that peculiar sound. That loud guttural noise was nothing other than a pond (or rather a lake) full of happy frogs. While I too was happy that the much talked about rains had finally arrived, I was less than thrilled when I wasn't able to sleep because of all of the noise. No one said anything about frogs...

And now an update on my poop covered hangar. As you may recall I was utterly dismayed not long ago when I wrote about coming home to find my new hangar covered with poop. Again, the reason for the poop in the first place was to be a deterrent from animals eating up your property. Well, I'm sure that you can probably guess at what's coming, right? One day when I returned home after being gone for only a couple of hours, I found three young goats chomping on my hangar. Before this, I had a nice, cool (i.e. not sweltering) hiding place from the sun. Now my hangar has a bunch of newly installed “windows” which all of the neighborhood children have found to be a welcome addition. Nothing like spying on the newbie in town; no telling what I might be up to. (Sigh) Thankfully, I no longer have to worry about any of this since the rainy season has managed to destroy what was left. In mid-July, I met my mom in Switzerland for a 10 day vacation and when I returned I was welcomed by a swarm of mosquitoes and other insects that had taken up residence in my hangar during my absence. My yard which up until this point was nothing more than sand, had now become covered with overgrown grass and in some areas, tiny pools of standing water. In other words, it was a mosquito's paradise. My neighbor was nice enough to chop (no, I don't mean cut...he used something that is sort of a cross between a machete and a hoe) down all of my grass and to remove sections of my hangar. After some serious yard work, I was back in business.

One of the other things that come along with the rainy season is an alleged cooling off. I still laugh when I think that about the fact that I actually believed them. HA! Some friends and I have adopted an unique system to describe just how hot is outside on any given day. It's what known as the blowdryer system. The average day's temperature in Burkina is about the equivalent of having one blowdryer on full blast, blowing hot air into your face. In April and May, we were holding steady at five blowdryers and in June we were been consistently at four but in July/August it was holding steady at two and a half to three. When it's actually rainy, the temperature drops but as soon as the rain stops it's back to full blast. Interestingly enough, I was able to make it through the hot season without terrible heat rash. Can someone please tell me why it's chosen to show up now? Unfortunately, I now know why it is also referred to as prckly rash. Ouch!

Probably the most exciting time of this summer was when Laura, a very dear friend from home was brave enough to come for a visit and take the Burkina challenge. After lots of tentative conversations (“if I come for a visit do you promise not to let me die?”), hundreds of dollars spent on vaccinations and a twelve hour layover in Morocco, she finally arrived. It was so nice to have someone from home to actually see all of the things that I was experiencing on a daily basis. She got to meet my friends, see me at work, taste the food, negotiate for things at the market and even take in some of the touristy type sites. The last night she was there a group of my friends even threw a party for her (which was a surprise to me as well) to say thank you for visiting and for getting to know them.

The most heralding experience for us both was our ongoing challenges with transport. With the rainy season in full swing, my main road was covered with water and a vital bridge or two broken. But we're in Burkina; it's going to take more than three feet of water to stop us from passing through. That said, everyday you saw overturned trucks because of not negotiating the roads just right or because they drove off the road which wasn't there fault really seeing how they were driving blind. It's impossible to know where the road starts or end when covered with so much water. Lots of moments that I'm sure I will look back on and think, “I can't believe I did that”. The Peace Corps slogo comes to mind, “Life is Calling;how far will you go?"

Switching gears, one night I received a phone call from my mom that started out very much the same as all of her calls (“How are you hanging in there? Are you sick? Have you been eating, etc.) but quickly took a dramatic turn. She was calling to tell me that she found a lump in her breast. You can imagine my shock in hearing this. As many of you know my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer 13 years ago and after a vigorous nine months of treatment she was 100% cancer free. Now hearing this while literally halfway around the world, I was upset, concerned and ready to hear what was next. A couple of days later, the doctors came back and said that it was cancer and that she would need to have a lumpectomy and subsequent treatments. While it was caught early and was self-contained, cancer is still a scary thing, particularly when you're hearing about it so far away. After hearing all of the details, I made the decision to the resign from the PC so that I could be close by to help her through what will prove to be life's next big challenge. Funny how quickly everything can change in the blink of an eye but I never looked back. I called my director of the program, explained the situation, packed my things rather hurriedly and said my goodbyes. Leaving Gorom was difficult as it had finally really become home. I was also excited about all of the work that was in process, after having spent months and months of building trust and finding out who was really motivated to work and wanted to help get things done. My friends threw a party in my honor, complete with food, drink and a plethora of promises to stay in touch. It was a tear-filled night as we sat around and talked about everything from the first time we met to why in the US it's ok for men and women who are friends to hug, a major no-no in Burkinabe culture. At the end of the night, with hugs all around—see, I am changing the world—I had said my goodbyes and was ready to head back. The next day I headed down to Ouagadougou (one, last hearalding transport ride, this time with all of my things in tow) to begin all of my paperwork, medical exams, interviews, etc. that are required when you leave the PC. This part of the process proved to be as taxing as joining the PC. With my teeth freshly cleaned, and an almost clean bill of health minus a small bacteria, I set off on the 27-hour journey it would take for me to get home (Philadelphia). Having arrived home exactly one week ago, I can barely believe how drastically things have changed.

Not exactly sure what the future holds, although the immediate plan is to stay in Philly so that I can be with my mom as she begins her treatment. Right now I'm just trying to take things as they come which has proven to be a bit overwhelming after some time away. I guess I adjusted to the Burkina pace of life even more than I realized. (smile) I hope that you have enjoyed experiencing this tiny slice of life, through my eyes, while on the other side of the pond. It is an experience that I will always hold dear, despite the ups and downs and many challenges. My life is that much richer because of the people in Burkina Faso. Now that I'm stateside, please don't be a stranger! Would love to be in touch and to learn about the equally exciting experiences that I missed out on while I was away. Hope to see you soon!