Adventures in Burkina

A Strange turn of Events

2007-09-15T07:57:00.000-05:00

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!

A Day in the Life of a PCV

2007-06-06T03:10:00.000-05:00

5:00am wake up wondering “what is that strange noise”
5:30 wake up again, “seriously, what is that?”
6:00 Take down tent and go inside to sleep for a little while longer
7:00 Electricity comes on and so does fan – finally relief
7:15 Get dressed for the day in preparation for early morning vistors; bucket bath #1
7:45 Sweep out 2 inches of sand that have accumulated from yesterday
8:00 Boil water for tea and oatmeal
8:05 First visitor comes by
8:15 Second guest arrives
8:30 remember boiling water—oops!
8:30 Offer guests some oatmeal and subsequently hear how terrible it is for the next 30 mins
9:00 Visit friend at her boutique and meet up with half of Gorom; refuse first marriage proposal of the day; decide to stay for tea
10:15 Three rounds of tea is finally over; head to work
10:30 Talk about money management, the rising cost of wood, importance of quality vs. quantity
12:00p Walk home in the oppressive mid-day sun; eat a friend's restaurant too hot to cook
12:30 Bucket bath #2
1:00 Read some of Oprah's book club pick of the month
1:05 Friends stops by to chat and have tea
1:20 10 kids come by to check out the action and to stare
2:30 Three rounds of tea and the second and third refusals of marriage have been given
3:00 End of the afternoon break (“repose”); head to meet with group of animal herders to talk about obtaining credit
3:45 Everyone is finally here!
4:00 Time for more tea; I drink only one round this time
5:00 Meeting ends, set up next meeting date; promise to have more tea next time
5:15 Stop by my artisans to say “Bonsoir” and to see how a recent order is coming along
6:00 Head home for bucket bath #3
6:30 Receive evening guests
7:00 “What am I going to have for dinner? Popcorn sounds good!”
7:05 “Oh wait, my dad just sent me some protein bars. I'll have that instead.”
8:00 Meet with friends to have a beer and to greet everyone that walks by. “How can they see anything, it's pitch black and there won't be another moon for 7 days??”
9:45 Friend walks me home and offers to help me set up my tent
10:30 “Headlamp. Check. Ipod. Check. Water bottle. Check. Ready for bed”
10:40 “Oops, I forgot to take my malaria medicine”.
11:45 “Why did I drink so much tea?? I CAN”T SLEEP!”
1:00am “What is that strange noise?”

There's Been a Terrible Misunderstanding

2007-04-20T06:30:00.000-05:00

Today I came home only to find the walls of my brand new hangar covered with cow poop. I almost cried.

Backing up a bit, I recently decided to have my hangar rebuilt and expanded so that it could comfortably accommodate more people since I do most of my socializing there. Plus, now that its hot, I've started sleeping outside and with the additional space, now its a little more private. My old hangar was not particularly attractive so I decided that since I was the one doing the buying, to make the new more uniform in color and size, etc. There are two types of materials that are typically used to make a hangar; one is essentially a bunch of dark sticks and the other is a bunch of dried corn or millet shafts. I decided to go with the millet shafts because I prefered the lighter coloring. Unfortunately, no one told me that the goats prefer to eat these as well. I quickly realized that I would have to do something, and fast, before my investment was chewed up to pieces so I asked around for suggestions. The most common method is to mix cow poop and water and splatter it all over the husks. I told my neighbor, respectfully, thanks but no thanks. The other option would be to smear motor oil on the walls. A friend said that he would buy the oil and come by that night and we could paint it on. “That would be great,” I said, “because there's no way I'm putting cow poop on my walls.” Unfortunately, my neighbor thought that by asking to see his hangar that meant that I wanted the same thing done to mine, despite the fact that I said, no thanks. Now my only hope is to hope that once it dries, it (1) looks a little better and (2) that the awful smell goes away. If not, I may looking into a third hangar.

Thinking back to my last update, I would consider these past three weeks to be a “character building” month. Nothing really dire just a collective sum of not so great things. As if the cow poop wasn't enough. To start things off, there was one night that I was one my way home after being out with friends, when I passed a donkey cart carrying a person into the hospital when a young girl ran up to me saying, “that's John Doe” on the cart. Just three hours before, he and I had been sitting at my house talking and he was completely fine. Now he lay there completely out of it and listless. When he came to he was combative and was having hallucinations. With the weather being so hot, I thought it could be something as simple as dehydration but one never knows. The doctors ended up running some tests and later diagnosed him with malaria. While I am by no means a medical worker, I had my doubts because malaria is always the first thing that comes to mind. Its not at all unusual for someone to say, “I'm feeling a little sick today; I think it's my malaria acting up.” People –malaria doesn't “act up”. That said, after two days in the hospital, the medicine starting kicking in and when I visited him on the second day he was awake and was smiling a little. 48 hours after that we were sitting at my house again and he was telling me that he was heading out of town the next day for work. No rest for the weary.

And then there were the eggs. I noticed these random white, half-circle shaped things that seemed to pop up periodically on my walls and at first I didn't pay any attention them. I asked a friend and he said that he heard that they bugs lived in them. Great. So I did what any normal person would do and hammered it as hard as I possibly could with my flip flop. When nothing happened I felt good, accomplished even. Take that Africa! That was until a couple of weeks later some other friends were over and I asked them if they knew what these white circles were about. My friend Kary said, “oh yeah, those are lizard eggs.” WHAT IS IT WITH ME AND LIZARDS???? Again, I did what any normal, level-headed person would do; I had my friend go about the task of removing the lizard eggs. Everything was going just fine until he emerged from the kitchen and showed me a half-developed lizard embryo that had developed inside of one of them. I almost vomited. Thanks, Jeremy but I didn't need to see that. Fortunately, I think that the word is out because I haven't come across any more eggs.
During this same visit with the other volunteers, I got pink eye. My friend got it a few days earlier and decided against his better judgement, and my constant nagging, to just tough it out. If this wasn't the same friend that had just saved me from the lizard eggs I might have killed him. With the aid of some eye drops, I was fine 3 days later. It could have been worse.

On the bright side of things, in five days I leave for a 10 day vacation in Ghana!! From what I hear its absolutely beautiful there and is most importantly a lot more temperate weather wise than it is hear at the moment. Not really sure how, but I allowed myself to be talked into taking a 24 hour bus ride down instead of taking a 2 hr flight. I'm sure that I will live to regret that decision but at least I'll have some entertaining stories to share afterwards. I made no promises about the return portion of the trip. There may be only six people versus seven people on that bus if I decide to fly back.

Wish me luck!

The Heat is On

2007-03-26T07:37:00.000-05:00

Today is the 87th day of the year and there's still no sign of rain. Actually there hasn't been any kind of precipitation since last October. So strange coming from a place where there is a lot of snow fall each winter. The dry season has officially begun as has left me longing for fruit and vegetables and most importantly water. I've never been more aware of just how dependent we are on water up until this point. Here, water is scarce and is increasingly difficult to come by, as is evidenced by the ladies now sleeping by the water pump in hopes to be among the first the fill their buckets before the water is finished. While water is always a challenge, during the dry season you really feel the pinch, particularly when you're faced to make decisions about whether or not to take a second bucket bath that day because then you might not have enough water to wash clothes or dishes. For families and animal herders the dilemma is that much greater. Will I have enough water for my family as well as my 50 cattle? At the height of the water shortage, I hear that sometimes fights break out at the pumps because people actually bring their animals to the pumps to drink while others are still waiting in line to get water for their families. Suffice it to say it looks like there will be difficult times ahead.

Now that the water is just about finished, the community gardens are as well. On a recent trip to the capital I went to the grocery store, AKA expat central, and stocked up on canned fruit. About an hour later I checked out and my tab was 25,000CFA ($50), almost a ¼ of my monthly income. Some things are costly but worth it. (Funny...I used to use the same reasoning when it came to buying the occasional handbag.) I also decided that it might be a good idea to start drying veggies so that I have some to carry me through the dry season so at our market this week I bought what I thought was a bunch of green peppers and onions to cut them up and dry them. Little did I know what little that would actually reap. Seven fresh peppers in the desert sun shrinks down to about less than one cupful. Hopefully I'll still be able to find them next week; I'll be sure to buy a lot more. Yesterday I also tried my hand at making granola which I'm happy to say turned out a lot better. Thanks for the nuts, dried fruit, honey!! I'm able to find yogurt here so I'm looking forward to having a different breakfast option.

For the past three weeks, I've had in-service training (IST), one week in Ouagadougou, one week in Ouhigouya and the third week here back at my site with four other volunteers for local language. I decided to go down to Ouaga a couple of days early to check out FESPACO, the two week, bi-annual West African film festival that features films from around the world from sun-up to sun-down at participating theaters. The only film that I actually made it to was the Last King of Scotland, which at the time seemed like a good idea. But at 12:00am when I was leaving the theater all I wanted was to be back in America. I don't know if you've seen this film but it isn't exactly a feel-good film, and my uneasiness was only exacerbated by seeing this film while living in Africa. Walking out of the theater, all of us had the same feeling as we hurriedly walked towards a cab to take us back to the safety and security of the PC house. I'm curious to see if I'll have the same reaction when I watch this movie again, in English once I back at home.

During our week in Ouagadougou, we visited a handful of different NGOs working here in Burkina which was really useful particularly as I consider the different projects that I'd like to work on. One organization does a lot of work with composting, specifically, composting latrines and how to treat and use human waste so that it can be used again in gardening projects. The soil here in Burkina is lacking in nutrients so there are a lot of projects targeted at enhancing the soil quality to help the agricultural business and productivity. It has been said that the Burkinabe are among the world's best farmers and considering the circumstances under which they farm, I am inclined to agree. I'm interested in learning more about these composting latrines because I think that this could potentially be a way to help taper the spread of disease. Every day I walk down the street and see people squatting alongside the road instead of using a latrine. Then a few minutes later, I might see some goats or chickens or pigs rummaging through the trash as they try to find something to eat next to where the man just went to the bathroom. A few weeks later that same goat might be killed in celebration of a big holiday and everyone merrily eats the goat meat without any regard for the condition of that animal. Not good.

With the completion of my first four months at site I now have the green light to officially start working. Having spent a lot of time talking to people in the community I have a lot of ideas for possible projects and am anxious to get going. Wish me luck!!

A Different kind of Marketing Plan

2007-02-13T04:02:00.000-05:00

Well its been just two weeks since I've been back in Burkina and thankfully the transition hasn't been too difficult. Ok, I'll admit it - this past weekend I stayed in my house for the most part but the hot sweltering sun is as much to blame as is my uneasiness about returning. I went from 5 degrees to 100 degrees in the matter of one long plane ride. Whew, and its only February. Every time I say, “its hot” someone is quick to shoot back, “huh, just wait until April. This is nothing.” Great.

I figured the best way to get back in the swing of things would be to jump into work with both feet so that's exactly what I did. Over the past two months, I've been working on creating a punch list of projects that I'd like to tackle during my time here. Following one of the first rules in brainstorming, no idea is a bad idea, I jotted everything down that came to mind. That may well be but there is a handy phrase that is in reference to biting off more than one can chew. With my notebook in tow, I went to visit my friend who is in charge of the hospital here and all things health-related, to run the list by him to get his reaction. Two hours later, we had worked through each of the 30 items on my list and I had a better understanding of which things were actually feasible and those that were not. My consulting friends will be happy to hear that I put my consulting skills to use as I performed a needs assessment there on the spot to help prioritize which things should be bumped to the top of the list. No pretty powerpoints with graphs and charts but the outcome was the same. Prior to the meeting, I began working on a few mktg plans to figure out the best way to organize my activities and to plan out the remainder of the year (and beyond). [Heidi, unfortunately I haven't been able to find a dry-erase board for my calendar although you'll be happy to hear that my “to do” list check box system is firmly intact. : ) ] Once I put the finishing touches on my plan, the real work begins as I start the daunting task of consensus building and getting people excited about all the possibilities. It's good to dream big, right? If I have my way, I'll be working with a wide variety of groups and individuals to get these programs started. The goal is sustainability so it's important to win over the locals and involve them in the process as soon as possible. I think it's important that the projects touch a broad spectrum of people so there's everything on the list from starting a savings club for expectant mothers, to hosting a quarterly small business seminar to building public latrines. In addition to these projects, I'm also committed to the work that I'm doing with the women's artisans group which I expect to take a fair amount of time. The good news is that the PC is not a 9-5 job, rather its a 24/7 type of arrangement so there's a lot of flexibility to try and squeeze it all in.

While it's taken me some time to get here, I finally feel like I can make a difference and that my work does matter. I actually feel true contentment and am encouraged by the possibilities. I like it here. It's taken me over four months to get to this point but I'm thankful for all of the learnings that have led up to this point. Thank you, my fellow tax payers for allowing me this unique and challenging experience.

Lizard, Lizard on the Wall

2007-01-27T12:41:00.000-05:00

I know that lizards are useful creatures to have around, however, sometimes they get a little too close. For instance, one day I was cooking dinner when I noticed that the plastic on my ceiling kept rattling around like there was something heavy walking on it. I've gotten fairly good at ignoring these strange (now routine) sounds so I kept on stirring and didn't give it a second thought. That was until 2 secs later that lizard lost its footing and instead of scurrying down the wall did a nosedive for my pot! Thankfully the crisis was avoided as his aim was a little off and he fell to the floor and not into my dinner.

Two days later I had another run in with a lizard. I was going about my business, washing my dishes (washing dishes is safe, right?) and was almost finished when I noticed that there was just one more knife at the bottom of the bucket. You can imagine my horror and utter disgust when I pulled out a dead lizard and not a knife! Miraculously I lived but not without being scarred. Not a day that I will soon forget. I had hoped that I might be able to live in my hut without ever coming face to face (literally) with a lizard. Silly me.

Aside from my encounter with the lizard, 2007 has been off to a rocky start. My grandmother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's 8 years ago, passed away on Thursday, January 11. My grief was only compounded by the fact that I was so far away so I immediately decided to make arrangements to come home for the funeral and 48 hours later I was on a plane. The service was beautiful and was a wonderful tribute to a life well-lived. Being at home has been bittersweet for while I am happy to see family and friends I would have preferred it to be under better circumstances. While this is an incredible loss and will be felt for some time to come, I am fortunate for the time that we had together. I am who I am today because of my grandmother so I take comfort in the fact that she will always be with me.

After being at home for two weeks, I'm headed back to Burkina tomorrow. Lots of mixed feelings as you can imagine, especially since the Bears are going to the Superbowl this year. Can someone please take copious notes and tell me all about the commercials, oh yeah, and the game? : )

Go Bears!

Life is like a box of chocolate

2006-12-27T12:30:00.000-05:00

Have you ever thumbed through National Geographic and seen a scene where there is asinlge woman dressed in brilliantly colored clothing and jewels braided into her hair, emerging from "the bush", walking along, seemingly into a great expanse of wilderness and sand? Welcome to Gorom-Gorom. If there was any doubt before I arrived here, I can now say definitely that Ive never been to a place quite like this before. The day after swearing in, I along with another PCV jumped into the PC car to make the trek North. Thanks to some recent road improvements we were able to make the trip in a day although it was anything but quick. As we continued North, trees turned to shrubs and dirt became sand. Here everyone dresses in garments that are long and free-flowing enough to allow them to wrap the cloth around their face to shield them from the blowing sand. It does wonders for my respiratory system, I assure you. I live in what many consider to be the most culturally diverser area of the country; there are a number of ethnic groups here including the Fulani, Tuaregs, Tamashek and Songry. With so many different people, it is quite rich in color and custom.

Earlier this year, Gorom was hit hard during the rainy season and was flooded, rendering much of the town and a large percentage of houses uninhabitable, if not totally destroyed. Among those homes that were destroyed was the house formermy occupied by the previous volunteer whiwh was also to be my new home. So instead of moving in and setting up shop, Ive been living in temporary housing nearby. To the casaul observer, the house may seem mole lux accommodations, complete with indoor shower and electricity. I assure you that this is most definitely not the case. I was told that my house would be ready in 2 weeks but that deadline has come and gone and I still havent moved which has proven to be the biggest stressor that Ive faced since being here. I am now fully aware of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, perhaps for the first time in my life. It is true, without your basic necessities intact you do feel quite vulnerable.

My first three weeks here have been largely spent meeting people, socializing and drinking tea. Gorom is a small town, with 5,000 to 8,000 people depending on who you ask, so everyone knows about the newbie in town. Ive met everyone from the mayor to the post office workers and everyone in between. Its strange to think that this is all apart of my job. Its white daunting trying to remember so many names--no Michaels, Jims, Sarahs or Kims here. Only Hamidou, Mamadou, Assieta and Fatimata. And those are the easy ones. Lots of "Im sorry can you please say that again" going on which can quite humilitating since most have no trouble remember Ivet. (Yet another spelling and pronunciation to add to the running list, mom and dad.) The balance of my days have been spent haggling at the market and turning down marriage proposals. (Theyre persistent I tell you.)

My first three months at site I am supposed to focus on integrating into the community and getting to know the resouces that are here as well as identiyfing protential projects and potential parters to work with. Just walking around, I see a number of NGOs but Im not really sure what most of them do. Lots to learn in the weeks ahead. Burkina like many developing countries seems to have no shortage of NGOs although what they really seem to be lacking is a long term committment of human labor vs. dollars. At this point Im still trying to wade through it all to determine where I fit in. An interesting yet challenging task. Im starting to see why the PC is two year committment instead of one.

In the days leading up to Christmas, there was some fighting and shooting going on between the military and the police in the capital which left all of us on lockdown and wondering what was next. While there were some scary momnets, thankfully the situation was resolved 48 hours later and all went back to normal. Not sure whats floating around on the wires, but no one from the PC was hurt. I guess these two groups have had flare ups in the past but nothing like this has ever happened. Im just glad its over. Thanks for the concerned emails.

Christmas came and went in Gorom without any real fanfare. Not a single santa claus, christmas light or event tacky christmas tree. It was just another day here in the largely Muslim town. The other PCVs in the region came in for a visit and we all celebrated together; who knew that a white elephant gift exchange could be so fun.

Other than that not much else to say. Just trying to be patient and trying to adopt a more take it as it comes attitude. All of my list-making and detailed orientedness have no place here. Guess I'll just have another cup of tea.

Happy New Year!

Divide and Conquer

2006-12-27T12:27:00.000-05:00

JFK was right --being in the Peace Corps is the touhgest job that you'll ever love. Sometimes I am more certain of the former than the latter but I digress. Its been a month since I swore in and became an official volunteer and oh what a month's it's been. To back track a little - the last two weeks of PST flew by. I spent my first American holiday away from home but had the good fortune of being able to share Thanksgiving with my new PC/Burkinabe family. We prepared a huge potluck dinner, complete with turkey and most of the trimmings. While sheep and goat meat are very popular here, turkey is not. Lucky for us, one of our host families raises turkeys because the father thinks that turkeys are cute. He normally tries to sell the turkeys in pairs and in fact offers a better price for 2 vs. 1 because he wants others to breed turkeys as well. You can imagine his reaction when we told him that we wanted to eat them. It took some coaxing but the CFA (local currency) prevailed.

During our last week of training we ran hurriedly around town as we prepared to be parceled out to Burkina's farthest corners. In true Burkinabe style, we would head to the marche to pick up whatever we needed and then strap the load to our bikes. We were quite the site one afternoon when 7 of us biked home, each of us with a 100 liter trash can strapped to our bikes. Looking back on this now I realize that was nothing; just yesterday I saw a man go by on his moto with a huge pig onboard.

The last few days in Ouahigouya were spent with our counterparts during a multi-day workshop. Each PCV is assigned a counterpart that acts as his/her go to person in their host community. The counterpart helps with everything from negoitating a fair price at the market to helping brainstorm new community development activities. Over the course of my 2 years I will undoubtedly work with a number of different people based on the type of project Im working on, however its nice to have formal counterpart that I can go to as well.

Meeting my counterpart for the first tile was a memorable, and at the time, a very nerve-wrecking experience. I was having all of these visions of frequent, awkward pauses because of the language barrier but thankfully I feared the worse for nothing. My counterpart, Ousmane, has turned out to be very patient and light-hearted and appeared to be happy that we would be working together. I am also replacing a volunteer that has served in this region for the past 2 years so he is already accustomed to Americans' various quirks. When day two of the workshop came to a close, I felt content with how things stood and anxiously anticipated swearing in. The next morning, 38 out of the 39 people that were apart of my training class swore in, determined to help fulfill the mission of the PC. There were several speeches from both the US and Burkina government and another 5 speeches given by fellow volunteers in various local languages. We were quite proud of ourselves for having made it through training as we hooted and hollared while watching ourselves on the local broadcast that night after the celebratory dinner. Little did we know the the toughest part was yet to come.

Three Little Birds

2006-11-21T11:21:00.000-05:00

I don't know if its the change in season from hot to less hot or what but recently there's been a lot more dust and I've noticed that I've been getting dirtier than usual, if possible. So lately, I've been wondering exactly how dirty is dirty? I mean, if you sweat profusely throughout the day does that really mean that your shirt is too dirty to wear again? If it dries overnight and it doesnt smell the next day then its not dirty - right? What in the world has become of my life?

This morning as I was taking my bucket bath, I found myself singing "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley which seems to play on the radio no fewer than 5x day. "Dont worry about a thing; every little thing's gonna be alright..." Its funny to me that this should be the song that is played repeatedly in a country where there is so much need. Its got to be coincidence, right? Afterall, Celine Dion is played pretty frequently as well and while it makes for a great sing-along amongst us Americans, I dont think that there is a hidden meaning in "My Heart Will Go On".

With Thanksgiving just 2 days away, I've been thinking about all of the many things that I'm thankful for, especially now that I'm sometimes painfully aware of those things that are missing. Which got me thinking--how is it that deodorant, trash cans, toilet paper, toothbrushes, tables, clean water and screens are only scarely available (if at all) while other non essential things seem to be in an overabundance? There is no shortage of things like tomato paste, peanut butter, MSG, yams, fried balls of dough and oil. Huh? I guess its just one of those things that I'll have to chalk up to living in Burkina.

The last 2 weeks have been busy with wrapping up projects and assignments and me learning my third language. Yesterday I gave my first presentation on marketing in French to my host father who is a tailor. He was very gracious and patient as I stumbled along in my broken Frenglish and actually seemed to even enjoy what I had to say. My teacher/translator only had to jump in once to help clarify so I consider that to have been a small victory. Armed with my elementary drawings and my french/english dictionary, one might say that I am even dangerous. (Through this I also have a new found respect for elementary school teachers. Who knew that teaching required an artistic ability? Laura, you would have been proud.)

Not much else to really share as I wrap up month two. The PC trainings continue to go well and now that I know what to do in the event that I'm stung by a scorpion or I should find myself in the middle of a military coup d'etat, I'm in good shape. Nothing that my medical kit or my trusty evacuation plan can't handle.

Wishing you all a happy Turkey Day - have a second helping for me!

The Countdown has begun

2006-11-05T07:13:00.000-05:00

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!!

We're not in Kansas anymore

2006-10-28T08:29:00.000-05:00

I can’t say that its true for other parts of the world but time spent here in Africa seems to fly by. Since my last update, I’ve visited Zoroge, a 1,000 person village where we learned about beekeeping and agriculture, attended a meeting hosted by AIMEE, a NGO focused on HIV/AIDS prevention, education and treatment and celebrated Ramadan. Each day continues to be packed with new learning and healthy dose of “dos and don’ts” in making friends with the Burkinabe. I have said it before but it’s worth repeating, the Burkinabe are very formal in comparison to Americans and there seems to be a set of rules to match each occasion. In addition there is a new set of greetings to match. Simply saying good morning can take 3 minutes. I’m not kidding. 1/3 of our classes are language, 1/3 if cross culture training and the other 1/3 is all hands on training. In our hands on sessions, we’re learning how to cook which is quite a feat given the absence of modern conveniences like electricity, and oven, and a variety of ingredients. Later this week I’m making a Mexican feat complete with quesadillas, guacamole and salsa (homemade tortillas, of course) so I’ll let you know it goes. We’re also getting to do thins like create skits and public service announcements on topics like malaria, nutrition and hygiene that are then going to be broadcasted on the radio. Since we’re still only trainees and not yet volunteers, we are being exposed to a wide variety of jobs and responsibilities so that we can get a favor of the types of projects we can implement once we’re at our permanent site. Regardless of sector or location, all volunteers are required to spend a portion of their time on HIV/AIDS awareness. Sex is taboo here and is not openly discussed which makes discussing prevention kind of tricky. There is a fear that if one contracts HIV then he/she may be shunned by their family and/or community, so many avoid the issue entirely by not getting tested. Ignorance is bliss, I guess. Problem with that is that there are 80,000 children orphaned each year because of interested parents. Of Burkina Faso’s 13 million population, 55% of then are under the age of 15 so you can see that this is a huge problem. (Greg, I’m thinking that the Pied Pipers should plan on spending 2 weeks here during the summer of 2008. What do you think?)

Children here are not treated so much like children, as they are “adults in training”. At home in the States, kids are treated like princes and princesses and are showered with everything imaginable. Here, I have seen children play in the streets, barefooted next to a pile of trash and animal waste, while chasing a can tied on a string –there version of a toy. Talk about the “have and the have-nots”; it’s very humbling. At this point I continue to play the roles of the quite observer, however, over time I hope to be able to build trusting relationships in which I can talk to them about makind healthier choices. Another interesting cultural norm is the whole notion that children are to respect their elders, all elders, and do what they are told, regardless of whether or not that child is part of your family. Children are typically the ones that run all of the errands and so they can often be send doing things like buying a couple of cigarettes at the corner store (known here in BF as a boutique) or swaddling a child to their back to give their mother a break. If I ever need anything and I don’t like going to get it myself, all I have to do is go outside of my courtyard and say “wa ka” which means “come” in Moore, to a child passing by and he is obliged to do whatever I ask. I have yet to try this but several of my fellow trainees tell me that they have done this with great success. There are so many more examples that I could give to help paint the picture of life here, but time simply doesn’t permit me to do so.

As a small enterprise development (SED) volunteer, one of our bug tasks is to start savings and credit clubs (S&CC) among women. There is a lot of research shows that businesses are more sustainable and have more positive effects on a family as a whole when women are targeted. Evidently, men are more focused on instant gratification. (I could say something here but I won’t.) : ) The basic concept of S&CCs is that a group of women come together on a regular basis to put money into a joint account from which they may borrow at a later date to start/expand their own business. Some examples of common businesses found here in Burkina include: frying yams or gateaux (small dessert like cakes) on the side of the road, walking around selling fruits and veggies from baskets that they carry on top of their heads, or making and selling bicep or ginger juice that comes in little sandwich Ziploc like bags. Most loans are for $5 or less and the max seems to be about $10. Very cheap to start a business here but without any collateral it’s very different to get a loan from a bank. Hence the savings clubs. It’s all been very fascinating and inspiriting at the same time.

So, it’s week 4 or 5 of taking my malaria pills and I’m happy to say that I haven’t had a terrible reaction the medicine. One of the biggest and most disturbing side effects is violent nightmares. Last week I had my first, and it was pretty bad, but taking a weekly dose instead of the daily pill is more appealing. Most of my dreams are about having a pumpkin scone or Carmel macchiato (skim of course) from Starbucks so I think I’ll be ok. (Kelli, I hope you’ll honor my dream this Saturday as you head off for the farmer’s market.) BF seems to be the only place where Starbucks and McDonalds have yet to reach. Speaking of deprivation, Monday was Ramadan, the Muslim celebration that marks the end of a 30 day (actually a little less) fast. This is clearly an oversimplification of the holiday so I hope no one is offended. My host family is Muslim so the preparations began on Sunday night, which found me having my feed decorated with henna. Quite a process henna is but is lasts for about a month so I’m set. Not exactly a pedicure but I’ll take it. On Monday, people took turns visiting one another in each other’s homes while eating mini meals throughout the day. This was my opportunity to learn yet another greeting salutation pattern. As a guest, I was allowed to accompany them to visit their friends while the rest of the women stayed at home. Back among the women I was questioned why I wasn’t married, how many children I want and why I want’ married. Not all that different from home. As we flipped my photo album there were several inquiries of "is that your husband “each time they say me photographed with a guy. In a culture where women don’t ever even expose their knees I think they were perplexed by the intimacy and closeness of male/female friendships. It’s just hot something that happens here. As I wrap up week 4 I’m struck by all that I still have to learn. I still find it odd that when we eat spaghetti and salad with our hands her but why would these foods warrant any special treatment, i.e. a fork? Nothing else does. We just all dig into the same plate or bowl like one big happy family. That said, the PC experience is all about having a cultural exchange so while a 31 year old, single, childless woman may be an oddity to the Burkinabe, they will have plenty of time to adjust. HA!

As always thanks for the many words of encouragement, letters, pkgs, etc. I hope that this finds you all in good health and enjoying a bountiful life!

Oh the places you will go

2006-10-12T13:01:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we went to Fada, the regional capital of the Eastern province, that's about 220km due East of Ouaga. The purpose of our visit was to get a feel for the day to day life of a volunteer and to have a chance to see the type of work we will be involved in and the living conditions in which we would live. So at 6 30 on Saturday morning and lugged my bag and my bike over to the bus "terminal" and crowded on with 50 others for the first leg of our 7 hour trip. Riding African transport is an experience in and of itself and is an experience that warrants some further discussion. There are a couple of types of transport available here in Burkina. Bush taxi which equates to a 15 passsenger van packed to the max (typically 25 passangers) and the bigger more luxurious buses which are supposed to hold about 35 people but often hold more like 50 people. In addition to all of the paying customers, there are also all sorts of animals and other essentials that are strapped to the roof such as goats, chickens, motorbikes and great sacks of yams. We had the good fortune to be able to ride on the bigger of the two vehicles which was an easier introduction to the new way of getting aound. We made a number of stops, some scheduled, others not but brought about by an elderly woman saying, "Chauffeur, can you please pull over at the next big tree", and there we would find her family waiting for her there amongst the millet fields. Each time we would make a stop, our bus would be surrounded by vendors selling everything from Elle magazine in French and english to baguettes and sweet bissap juice sold in little sandwich bags. There is definitely a different way of doing things here but I am quickly adjusting.

In Fada, we met with the mayor of the town (everyone is always happy to meet the new Americans), met with several business owners and a number of local artisan groups. I spent my 31st birthday (EEK) dining on steak sandwiches and patates sold by a roadside vendor. Life is good and I couldn't be happier. More to come on the living situation by suffice it to say that I am getting better as time goes by. Getting used to the latrine and I don't jump nearly as often or as high when I find a frog in my shower or my room. Success!!

Greetings from Burkina!

2006-10-05T12:40:00.000-05:00

I made it! After two days of training and orientation in Philadelphia, I along with 39 others boarded the plane in New York and headed off for Burkina. What an amazing experience this has been. I have been on sensory overload since I stepped off the plane. Upon arrival into Burkina, we were greeted on the tarmac by a host of PC staff and a number of locals. Flying into Ouaga is unlike any other airport Ive ever visited. Throngs of people everywhere and total chaos. Welcome to Africa. After gathering up all of our luggage, we loaded onto the bus and headed to our hotel that would be our home for the next two nights. Looking back now, I see that they were easing us into things. Each morning we feasted on pain du chocolat and cafe and had bottled water around the clock. Our room was a modest but very nice two person room, complete with AC and a shower. Those days were filled with a host of medical inspections, 7 shots and endless hours of do and donts in Burkina. We were also told that our pre staging training would be hosted in Ouahigouya (OHG), the third largest city in Burkina.

Sadly I didnt get to spend much time exploring Ouaga but I expect that there will be plenty of time for that in the months to come. On day 3 we drove two and a half hours to OHG where I have been ever since. The people are absolutely beautiful here in Africa!!! So happy and friendly despite their circumstances. I am living with a family of about 20 people which as you can imagine means that there is never a dull moment. In addition to French, I am also learning Moore and my family is very patient with me as I stammer along. All is well here so far no sickness to report of. Promise to write more soon but now Im off to another lesson.
Wena kon Bilfu... (see you soon!)

Where in the World is Burkina Faso??

2006-09-21T15:45:00.000-05:00

The number one most frequently asked question that I've heard over the past few months (besides "are you crazy") is, "where is Burkina Faso?" Rather than explaining that it is a landlocked country, sandwiched between Mali, Niger, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Benin and Togo, I have decided to attach a map so that you can for yourselves. For more information on Burkina Faso, visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1032616.stm

Tomorrow is the beginning of Staging here in Philadelphia. It is a two-day event before we leave for Africa on Tuesday. At staging is where I will meet the others that I will be working with while in Burkina, I receive all of my vaccinations and I will receive some very high level information about life in Africa. The ins and outs of sanitizing my drinking water, how to change the breaks on my bike and how to pound millet into an eatable form will all be covered in-country. Should be quite an adventure...