The Things I Have Learned

Believe it or not, 2 years have gone by since I have started writing this blog about my adventures in the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso. In those 2 years I have had many ups and downs and have learned more than I thought imaginable. I have laughed. I have cried. I have been the teacher. I have been taught. I have had the experience of a lifetime that I wish more people would be open to doing. These last two years have flown by. However, at times I never thought they would end. But, here they are. I will try to explain to you a few of the things that I have learned. There is no way I can possible write everything because I myself possibly have not even realized all that I have learned. But for the time being, I have written a few of the big things that I will carry on with me for the rest of my life.

#1. Patience! Ever since I was a kid, I can remember people saying, “Patience is a virtue”. And Americans SAY this all of the time, but they don’t actually LIVE it. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to wait, and while sitting there, wondering, “God, is this a test? Is this you teaching me patience?” Being patience also means slowing down. Here in Burkina TIME ≠ MONEY. Things happen when they are supposed to happen or when everyone is there. That being said, many times, I can arrive to something early and find no one there. I can even arrive “late” (after the said arrival time) and still be the first person there! So, what do you do…? WAIT! Because I am waiting, I can never be in a hurry. If I were in a hurry I would go crazy waiting. The one really really REALLY good example that I can give of my patience being tested is a day when I wanted to return back to village.

My transport to and from village by bus was limited to 2 days a week. To village were Sundays and Wednesdays at 8 am and to the capital was Mondays and Thursdays at 8 am. Not a whole lot of options, but we made it work for 2 years. One day, I show up a bit early knowing that we never leave at 8 am exactly, but usually by 9 we are on the road. I left the Transit House by 7 and was at the bus station by 7:30. This particular day, I could just tell that my bus driver was not in a hurry (more laid back that normal). Nine o’clock arrived and they all kind of gathered around the bus and kind of decided to leave. I already knew something was up, but had yet to find out. Normally, leaving the bus station we turn right and head north. This day, we turned left and headed south. Initially, I was not concerned. I knew that often times we would pass by other places and pick up other things being commissioned by villagers to bring to village. I noticed we were driving around and heard the bus driver start yelling at another guy about where we were going because he could not find the place. Again I wasn’t alarmed, it’s normal. We arrive at the destination, still in the capital, but in the other direction of our final destination. At this point its about 10 am, 2 hours behind schedule. But still, no worries. The driver and his staff get off the bus and pretty much say to me, “It’s going to be a little while”. I have learned that this does not mean what most Americans would mean if they were to say it. Here in Burkina “a little while” can mean 30 min, 2 hours or 4 hours. You never know. So, I waited. I was in no rush to get back because usually we would get back around noon, and it was hot and a cloudless sky filled with sun that made my pale skin turn red just thinking about going outside. Knowing that we were waiting a bit would get us back a little bit later in the afternoon, and I was OK with that. So I waited. And, I waited. Got some street food that I found next to where we were. A little while later, I grabbed a beer to pass the time. By this time, it is noon. 2 hours of waiting and they are still saying, “It’s going to be a while”. Finally at 1 pm a bus full of people shows up from the Ivory Coast. Several of these passengers head straight for our bus. Oh, but these people didn’t travel lightly. Most people go to the Ivory Coast to look for work, so when they come back, they have a bit of money and of course gifts and necessary things to bring back to the family. So, of course, we had to wait for the arrival bus to unload all of the baggage, then our bus had to load all of it back on. Not a simple or quick task by any means for the amount of people we had. Now it is 2 pm and we are about ready to move. By this time I was getting a bit antsy, but knew the bus ride was about 3 hours, so I still was not worried. It gets dark at 6:30. We would be home by 5. We pass by the original bus station and not to far past that… we stop again. We add some more things (completely unrelated to the people we just picked up from the Ivory Coast). Now, I am a bit perturbed. Why did we not do this while we were waiting for how many hours for these people?!!?! Now we could be on our way!!! That takes a bit more time and now it’s about 2:30-45ish and I’m tired. We finally move and we make it to Tougo at 6 pm as its getting dark. I jump on my trusty bike and pedal my 5k home to Rassomdé. By 6:30 I am home. Remember, I left at 7 am for a bus ride that only takes about 3 hours. It took me almost 12 to get home! Talk about patience!

#2. Gift Giving. In the U.S. we have many holidays where we give gifts to people. Why do we give gifts? I believe its because it is expected of us. If its my friends birthday and I don’t bring him/her a gift or do something “special” for said birthday person, it is possible that the person will believe that I do not think of them as a true friend because I didn’t buy anything for them. (Yes, this is not true for everyone. Just an example that can be true from time to time.) I know that the holidays are just around the corner. What does everyone do the day after Thanksgiving? Which is now becoming the day of. But that’s a different story) People go out and shop for Christmas gifts. Why do we buy people Christmas gifts? Because people expect them. How many times have you bought a gift with a gift receipt, just in case they don’t like it? How many times have you wondered, “What can I buy for this person? Will they like it?” We come from the land of plenty, where people can be more choosy in their possessions.

I have lived the last 2 years in one of the poorest countries in the world (Burkina is in the bottom 10). I have lived in relative poverty with this people. By no means can I compare my living standards to my villagers, but I have seen it and lived it with my own eyes. What have I learned? I have learned the joy of gift giving. To see the joy on people’s faces when you give them a gift and they TRULY appreciate it, is amazing. Not saying that people don’t appreciate gifts in the U.S., but there is definitely a difference between the haves and the have nots. Just recently, I was on my way to the market and I cam across a woman from my courtyard. It was early in the morning and had already been to Tougo and was on her way home. She had gone to the health clinic and wanted to go to the market as well, but at that hour not many people were there yet. She asked me if she gave me money if I could buy her daughter some shorts. Of course I said yes, however feeling a little daunted at the task of having to pick something out for someone else (the American in me). Later that day I venture into the market on the search for some shorts for the little girl. I find a vender who is nice and start to ask prices. I find a few pairs for 300 cfa (25 cents). The woman asked me to buy just one pair and to return with the change. I decided that I would do as she asked, but also use my money to add a second pair of shorts knowing that money was limited for them and clothes for kids are not priority. (Also this little girl was one of my absolute favorites). I come home and find the woman anxiously awaiting the shorts. I handed her the bag with 2 pairs and she looked at me with anger in her eyes. Before I could explain that I paid for one, she assumed that I bought the 2 with her money. So, in my broken Mooré, I explained that there was 700 cfa change for one pair and that I added another with my own money. He anger quickly disappeared into appreciation and amazement that I would do something like that. The next morning she thanked me profusely along with the other women in the courtyard that had heard what I had done for the child. After this the little girl came to me and asked me if it was true that I had bought her the shorts (she had already put them on). I said yes, that I had wanted her to have 2 pairs of shorts and she replied with, “BARKA! Wend na reegay!” Which means, “Thank you, may God see what you have done”. This little girl is about 4 years old and even though I had given her a simple pair of shorts, you would have thought I had given her the world.

When people have so little, the smallest gifts mean the most. The joy that filled my heart at that moment cannot begin to be put into words. I have felt that many times here when I have been able to help someone and their appreciation has been more than genuine. It is a feeling that you do not get from your everyday gift giving and that most Americans have never experienced, that I had never experienced before. This is definitely something that I will bring back home and never forget. Open up your hearts (not just for the holiday season) to those that do not have much. It might burden you until your next paycheck, but the joy that you will receive will be worth spending those few extra $$ on someone else. You do not have to buy them the world, but it will mean the world to them.

#3. You cannot force people to change. Again, this one seems obvious. But from the eyes of development work it is the first thing that everyone must learn. The problem here in Burkina is that everyone has been doing the same thing for generations upon generations. They do not know another life. What they do know is what they currently do barely gets them by, but it works. What they do not understand is that this situation can change, if only they are willing to take the risk and break the cycle of what has been done for many years. One of the things (obvious) that will break the cycle of poverty is an education. For many people in village and certain ethnic groups here in Burkina, girls do not go to school. The girls are seen as an expense and not someone that can be a “breadwinner” for their family or someone that can contribute later in life. So, money spent on a girl’s education is money wasted. It is highly unfortunate, however, in my courtyard almost all of the girls go to school, one of them having been 3rd in her class last year! The biggest challenge that I ran into though was my work with my assigned women’s association. If you have never been to school, how can you appreciate learning something new and the transfer of knowledge? It is difficult. Why learn something knew, when you know what you are doing is getting you by some of the time? Why take that risk to change from what works some of the time to what could possibly fail and work none of the time? When you are poor, you don’t always want to take that risk. However, in my eyes, it is those risk takers who can break the cycle. Obviously, what is being done here has been done for years and it isn’t working. Something needs to change. This is where Peace Corps comes in. This is our job as volunteers to help those willing to change and motivated to better their lives. I struggled to organize my association to even meet with me because they often told me they didn’t have time to work with me because they had to go out to the fields. They were afraid to leave that work for an hour or two to come and learn something from me that might or might not work to make them money, when they know that those tomatoes out in the field will make them some money. Unfortunately, in my two years I never found the right incentive for them to give me a few minutes of their time to teach them some things and hopefully make them some money. They were more looking for handouts of money (as they specifically asked me for money on several occasions). It was definitely frustrating, as I could see the value of teaching them something new, but could not make them see it or convince them to take a small risk of not going out to the fields for an hour or two and coming to learn something from me. Maybe it was a character flaw on my part, but either way, it was a failure! I tried several times to explain to community members ideas that I had and explain that I wouldn’t take a whole lot of time, but they always told me, “We are poor. Sorry, we do not have time to work with you because we are poor.” You can’t make them change, they have to want it and be willing to learn and take small risks.

#4. Failure is OK. We often say “Learn from your mistakes”. Well in the Peace Corps we can learn from our failures and it is perfectly ok to say, “I HAVE FAILED!” In America we don’t like to think of failing. It’s the worst. The end. Failing means that you are the looser. Not only admit your mistakes, but also it is ok to fail. It means at least you tried. I would by no means say that my Peace Corps service was a failure, but I have done things that I have failed at. There is an emotional depth and learning that comes when you say, “I have failed” “I have not accomplished grandiose things” “I didn’t do what I expected I would do”. But it doesn’t even have to be the extent of failing. In Burkina and West Africa when you ask people how their work is going, or their family is they will tell you its going “little by little” or “slowly its coming along”. They are honest that their life is not measured by huge accomplishments. The one thing that I have learned is that I have grown as a person because of the struggles and difficulties and yes failures that I have encountered in the Peace Corps.

Those are 4 of the take home messages/lessons learned in the last two years. I can feel that I have changed and grown as a person. I have learned patience, confidence and to enjoy and live life one day at a time. Last week I did one of the hardest things in the world. I said good bye to my village. I never thought that these people would find their way deep into my heart and make a cozy little home, but they did. They are there. I know that one day I will go back and visit, but who knows if that will be 5 years from now or more? I told them that I will come back one day, but the first volunteer has been gone for about 3 years now and all they say is: Look! She hasn’t come back yet! One day. One day I will return and see my little children and how they have grown and visit all of the women. But for now, I have to say good bye not knowing when I will be back. I would love to bring them all with me, but that’s in line right after impossible. So, for now, I will keep them in my heart, look at their pictures, and remember fondly of all of the good times we had together.

Two Years. If you are willing, a lot can be learned in two years.
You could learn a lot in 2 years as well. Anyone can do Peace Corps. I highly recommend it. Its tough. Its hard. But you gain so much from it all in the end. You can’t put a dollar amount on growing as a person, but its worth the two years of being a volunteer.

Wend na ko-d rassomdé!

Fun Fact: I don’t know if I ever mentioned this, but the name of my village is Rassomdé, which means “the good day” and there is a benediction in Mooré (there are tons of them!) that says “Wend na ko-d Rassomdé”. It means May God give us the good day. It is usually said to pregnant women and when other happy events are coming up!

 

Hello all! I hope you have been well! I know it has been a while since I have posted and my most sincere apologies for that. To be quite honest I haven’t really felt like there has been anything “note worthy” to write about because life has become normal and I have gotten into a routine in village. But, I know people have been wondering if I am ok and what the word is here in Burkina Faso. Happy Reading!

 

So lets back up a bit. Last year if you remember rainy season never really came. It usually starts in June and goes until September. Also during rainy season it will rain several times a week. Last year, this did not happen and therefore everyone in my village had a bad harvest. This year however, for the most part the rains came! Thank God! I know everyone was really nervous because there is no way they could handle another drought with a bad harvest. Starting about May the rains came and the people in my courtyard were one of the firsts out into the fields to plant (my theory is they were so worried, so when they did see rain they didn’t hesitate to go out and plant). So on that front it seems that all is well. The rains came right on schedule and it seems that it has been sufficient enough to warrant a good harvest this year. I can literally feel the sigh of relief from my village because they have started harvesting the black eyed peas, which had a very meager harvest last year. The millet seems to be in good shape and will be cut shortly (which is the necessary staple to make tô!). Also, peanuts should be ready soon too and those were NON-existent last year. So, everyone is happy and we should have a good celebration for Tabaski (the Muslim holiday to celebrate the harvest and sort of a thanksgiving) the beginning of November.

 

However for most of rainy season I was out of village. In June I took my last 4 weeks of vacation and stayed here in Burkina Faso. I spent that time with my boyfriend Frederic (who is Burkinabé). We went and visited his family (my host family) in Koudougou that I lived with at the very beginning of my service. It was nice and relaxing to be out of village, but I felt horribly guilty being in Burkina and not in village even though I was on vacation. It’s hard to explain the feeling, but anytime I’m not in village I feel like I NEED to be there even during rainy season when there was nothing going on except planting and weeding. 

 

After vacation I went back to village for about a week and a half and then went to Kaya (a small city in the north-central region of Burkina) for a leadership camp. Last year Peace Corps volunteers organized the leadership camp for boys and girls and this year the Burkinabé government said that they wanted to take over because they thought it was such a good idea! So, this year Peace Corps volunteers co-organized it with the Ministry of Youth and Secondary Education. For a week we had a 112 boys and girls for Camp G²LOW (Guys and Girls Leading Our World). The camp is Peace Corps wide, not just here in Burkina Faso. Here in Burkina there were 4 camps held in 4 different cities around Burkina. The camp focuses on issues that are important here in Burkina but might not always get discussed in school. The topics we covered were nutrition; hygiene – washing your hands after using the bathroom, before eating, keeping food covered from flies, etc.; the reproductive system and puberty including the menstrual cycle and “teen pregnancy”; family planning, which includes contraceptive methods and HIV/AIDS and STI prevention; gender equality; violence – what it is and how to respond to it. During the week there were several Peace Corps Volunteers and Burkinabé counterparts that facilitated that camp. The kids came from neighboring villages so everyone (boys and girls) stayed at the school, ate at the school, lived at the school. The camp also included a bon fire where we made S’MORES! Something the kids had never had and the Burkinabé thought we were crazy for burning a bunch of wood just to sit around and roast some marshmallows! Also included was a talent show at the end of the week.

 

This week was probably the hardest (from working with civil servants as opposed to your average villager) but the best week that I have spent here in Burkina. Each facilitator was given a group of 10 kids to eat with, work on the camp journal and prepare for the talent show. My group of 10 were some of the best kids in the whole group (if I do say so myself). They were very respectable and well behaved. I had one particular girl however, that was incredibly shy and ALWAYS looked like she was on the verge of tears and I think most of the time she was. She would usually refuse to talk unless someone greeted her, but from what I got was that it was her first time leaving home. Crying here in Burkina Faso is taboo especially in public. You just don’t do it, so the moment that I saw her crying I tried to pull her aside into a classroom so not all of the other 111 kids would be talking about her for the rest of the camp. I don’t know if I accomplished anything with her, but by the end of the week she was participating a little and we got her to crack a smile, or at least I think it was a smile, it was small and only lasted a split second. The other 9 kids in the group were great with her. I had to explain that they couldn’t be in her face and asking her what her problem was because that would only make it worse, and the respected that. They actively encourage her to participate within our group and ask for her input. I was very pleased with the way they handled her, because most kids (probably anywhere in the world) can be mean. By the end of the camp I was dubbed the “happy police” because I was so intent on making this little girl have a good time, or at least not be utterly depressed to be away from home. The week was difficult because the idea of Camp G²LOW is obviously an American idea of a summer camp, therefore the expectations of the facilitators/camp counselors was normal for us and also all of the Americans saw this as a “fun week” to hang out with kids and educate them on things we think are important to make them the leaders of tomorrow. However, the idea was a bit foreign for the Burkinabé that we worked with. They were all civil servants and had other jobs, families and priorities to deal with, so they were not present all the time. Also, the way I interpreted it, is they did not see this as a fun week, they saw it as another job. So there was a huge difference in attitude between the Americans and Burkinabés and unfortunately we clashed a lot, but I feel like both sides learned a lot from the experience. In the end I considered the camp a success and I believe that the kids had fun and learned a lot. 

 

After the camp in the month of August Peace Corps held our 3 day long Close of Service (COS) conference. That’s right! CLOSE of service! Its insanely crazy to think about. I have been here for almost 2 years and its time to start thinking of what comes next! I had talked a lot from the beginning that I was going to stay for a 3^rd year here in Burkina as a volunteer, but recently I have decided that my heart isn’t in it. I still love Burkina, but mentally I am ready for something else and a little bit of my “normal” life back. The conference was extremely useful in explaining the benefits of being a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, resources for us to use, job searching, grad school options, résumé writing and interviewing. It was a long 3 days filled with lots of information but it also made me even more nervous about what’s next. What is next?!!? That is an excellent question! Would anyone like to answer it for me because I am at a loss? I have learned a lot about myself during my time here as a PCV, and I know that for a year after Peace Corps I have Non-competitive eligibility status for government jobs. Meaning that it shortens the process for me to apply for government jobs (since it’s the government its long and complicated), so that helps a bit and I am definitely considering looking in that direction, but the government is a big place and I know I would start looking with the State Department, but I am not sure if I will find anything that I would find “appealing” as a career. So, I will consider other options too. As I just mentioned above the week of Camp that I facilitated was one of the best weeks here in country and it was because of the kids. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with kids and educating them, however I am not sure I want to go the teacher direction. My mind is going in circles and a hundred different directions at the same time, but I have a bit of confidence that once I am home and start my job search, get an idea of what is out there and network, I can narrow it down and I will find something that will be fulfilling. Also, I am considering going to grad school, but I need to get a job first and get on my feet, so that will come later. As an RPCV I have PC Fellowships open to me for life for grad schools, so there is no rush there, but still something to consider for the future once I have more of an idea of what field and line of work I’m going into. So really, any suggestions would be helpful and welcomed!!! 

After the COS conference it was time to go back to village and I had hardly been there in about 2 months, so it was a struggle to go back and get into a routine again and be “alone” in my house. I say “alone” because I am never alone, there are always children at my door or I can hear the neighbors in my courtyard reminding me that I am never alone. By now it is the end of August and the rains are starting to slow down and the temperature is starting to go up up up again! I remembered that around the month of October we hit a mini hot season where the rains don’t come to break that heat, its just constant heat with the only relief being the month of November with the temperatures will start to drop and it will get to “bitterly cold” that you think its going to snow by the way people are dressed, but we are still in Sub-Saharan Africa not too far from the equator, so I don’t think snow has ever been seen here. So, HELLO! Mini hot season! You know its getting hot again when you are sitting around doing nothing and sweating and also when you get the food sweats – when you are eating and start sweating uncontrollably. Again, sweat is no biggie here, everyone does it, no need to be ashamed, but I still find it gross for me to be sweating because I am sure that everyone is saying, “Look at that Nasara sweating!”

So, now I am in the capital for my COS med appointment, where I get a complete physical to make sure all is A-OK for my return to the states. I am officially done with Peace Corps November 16! So, that means that the next time I go back to village is the LAST time I will be coming back and the next time I leave will be the LAST time I leave… I will spend about 4 weeks in village and then have to say my good-byes. The thought crosses my mind and I always get a bit teary-eyed so I try not to think about it, but I know I am going to be a mess the day I leave village.

After I leave village and am done with Peace Corps I will spend a month here in Burkina Faso before I come back home. I will officially be home December 19! So mark your calendars! For the month in between I will be with Frederic and most likely his family in Koudougou.

So, that’s the story! I hope this satisfied all of your blog reading appetites since it has been a while. Until next time, and hopefully it won’t be as long as the last time! 

But Mrs., you cannot eat water.

Ça fait deux jours! It’s been two days! That’s the crazy French way of saying it’s been a while!

Since Dad left I have been hiding in village and actually WORKING! Things have progressed with my English club and have enjoyed getting to know my students. The title of this blog is a quote from one of my students that took me off guard for 2 seconds until I caught on. Thanks to Mom, we have been doing some DOL’s that we did in Elementary school. So, I give them between 5 and 8 sentences and they have to correct the mistakes. Most are grammar but some are spelling. One of the sentences was “Mom and I ate ice cream”. After correcting the mistakes to get the correct sentence, one of my students raises his hand with a confused look on his face. He asks, “But Mrs., you cannot eat water.” He was trying to day that the verb needed to be changed from eat to drink. I stopped and thought. It finally hit me, the word for ice cream in French is “glace” the word for ice in French is “glace”. Therefore there is no differentiation in the language between frozen water and the deliciousness that is frozen flavored cream. The student, knowing that “glace” was in reality water thought the verb needed to be changed. So, then I explained… in oh so very much vain, ice cream. First of all, ice cream is hard to come by in Burkina Faso. It can be found in Ouaga (the capital) but it is a bit on the expensive side and mostly just the Nasara’s eat it. Secondly, we are in a village where most of my students have never been outside of the village. So, trying to explain that ice cream was more than just frozen water was difficult. And as I’m trying to explain ice cream I thought, “WE CAN MAKE IT!” Then I was brought back to reality REAL FAST and remembered we are in the middle of nowhere Burkina Faso without any electricity. Sigh. My students will continue to not know the wonders of ice cream…

I have also been spending a lot of time at my school. For almost 2 weeks I was there everyday working with the students on our world map! It turned out fantastic and the students loved to help. It is a little bit bigger than 3 x 6 meters. I am really glad that I did the map because as we were painting each country there was a teacher quizzing some students on the continents. He gave them the country of Angola (a country here in Africa that the students should know) and as them what continent, also he had the visual of the whole map. He said he didn’t know. Then he asked them which continent Ghana was on. The student replied, “Uh, America…?” It was quite frustrating to stand there and listen. The school has a small globe, but when you are one of 100+ students in a room and just a tiny globe, you don’t really see much. So painting the map on a wall at the school has been quite the experience. And everyone, even the teachers all commented on how small Burkina is relative to the rest of the world. The teachers joked that I didn’t accurately draw Burkina, that I purposefully drew it extra small. But in reality Burkina is a little bitty country (about the size of Colorado). So, when you do see Burkina on the map, it looks insignificant. After all of the hard work that I put into it and with the help of students, it is almost finished. All that is left is to write on the names on the countries.

La chaleur has arrived! The heat has been slowly making its way into our lives here in Burkina. As the days have passed I have come up with a list of ways you know its hot:
You stop boiling water to take a bucket batch
Well water is warm to the touch
To boil water takes a significantly less amount of time
The Burkinabé complain about it
You have accepted sweating is not embarrassing
You sweat sitting and doing nothing
You embrace the sweat and the breeze, its quite refreshing
You wake up in a pool of your own sweat
The Burkinabé say things like: the sun will hurt today
When the Burkinabé open windows on the bus
When you start sleeping outside again
The Burkinabé sleep outside
Dust storms are welcome because the sun doesn’t come out (you are literally in a cloud of dust – its actually disgusting, but it doesn’t get hot!)

I have been curious to know what the temperature is, but I don’t have a thermometer, so I turn on my thermometer to take my temperature and it tells me at about noon its 95 degrees in my house. Yay! Oh heat…

So, as I mentioned in my last blog I got a dog! Her name is Luna! All dogs here are like a lab, mutt mix. Luna is a golden tan color with some white. She enjoys chasing after chickens and barking at goats in the middle of the night while everyone is trying to sleep. She also enjoys chewing on shoes (not only mine) and drinking out of the womens’ water basins at the well, which gets me into big trouble! I have discovered that the women aren’t keen on having water that a dog has already drank out of. If my dog happens to take a lick of water (which I have still yet to see, but has happened twice) from the basin full of water, they will dump it all out and start over. It drives me nuts because I know that “my dogs mouth is cleaner than my own”, and there are people that eat and drink after their dogs. So, it drives me nuts that they waste all of the water. I dunno. And I see them do so many other things that would be considered unsanitary, yet they dump out water that my dog may or may not have taken one lick from. Oh well. She will learn, they usually give her a good whack with a rope and she runs off and does something else.

Despite all of the troubles she has caused me, I have been happy with her presence, even though she spends more time with the kids than with me. But it has been a good thing with the kids. Like they know not to hit my dog because it is not nice. They don’t bother her when she’s sleeping or eating (because you don’t want to be poked and prodded and hit either). The other thing is that dogs here in Burkina are just guard dogs, and some times they don’t get fed. They are not a member of the family, like dogs are in the states. It is a cultural thing, and something that took a lot of getting used to, but not something that I will accept with my dog. They think its strange that I give her her own bowl for food and water. They think its strange that I give her water (but I know if I don’t she will for sure be at the well drinking out of basins). The women get mad if I give her “raaga riibo” (market food) or greet her first before I greet the other women. It has been a learning process for us all. Overall, they have just come to accept that the crazy nasara that lives with them just got a bit crazier. But, Luna is loved by most of the kids here especially a few boys that have taken a liking to her and she loves them too.

I just took a couple days of “repos” to rest. After 6 weeks in village and doing the world map, I needed a break to the real world. So, now its back until Easter when I will leave again and possibly be with my host family. It was a wonderful break, which makes it hard to go back to site. But the fact that I have done something that I can “see!” Its nice to drive by and see the map from the road (and it actually looks like the world).

Well that’s about it. Life goes on, in the heat. We are down to about 9 months left before the 2 years are up, so I need to start looking into options for a third year, or not. Until next time.

Simon Says: I know a shortcut!

Greetings from a thankfully cooler Burkina Faso (but if your dad, its hot)!

We have arrived again in the “Cold Season” where the Burkinabé dress for a blizzard. It still amuses me to see them in their winter coats, gloves, hats, earmuffs, scarves, etc, however, I have to admit, that I find myself a bit on the cold side. Ok more than a bit, often times at night I feel like it could be freezing outside! But once I think about it, the temperatures in the north on average are over 100 degrees and during cold season it can get down in the mid 50’s low 60’s at night. So, subtract 40 degrees from the norm and its downright cold! If we translate this into Michigan weather, when it starts to cool off in the fall, after having had some nice sunny days around 80 degrees, subtract 40 and you think it’s about ready to snow! (Well, ok it is getting close to snowing at 40 degrees.) Anyways, so what I’m trying to say, is that I guess I have acclimated a bit and find 60 degrees to be a bit chilly. However, during the day, when the sun comes out, the sun can still be downright painful. That is when I get confused as to how people can be working with said clothing mentioned above. Yes, the air is cold, but being in the sun and doing manual labor… its warm! I wouldn’t say hot, because It’s not anywhere close to what “hot” can be. (Look forward to March and April for HOT!) So for now, we have nice cool nights and warm sunny days. In the north its very dusty and the Harmattan (cool winds from the north) will be starting and cooling it off a bit more. Then we get to March and the hotness come – lets just say, I’m NOT looking forward to it, but know that its bearable.

I hope that everyone had happy and healthy holidays! Mine were eventful, traveling around the country visiting my host family. It was great to be back again. I hadn’t been to visit them since July and once again upon arrival I was handed… a beer! In the last year my host dad has fallen ill and cannot eat salt or drink beer (amongst other things, but those are the 2 I find to be the most tragic!) so, I feel that because he can’t drink, I have to make up for it! Ok, not really, but he did make sure that I was never thirsty! They are a wonderful family and always make sure that I have eaten enough. If they don’t think I’m eating enough, they put some more on my plate or bring out something else to eat! The great part about this time of year too, is that there is salad! (And since they were my host family, they were trained on proper cleaning of the veggies so I don’t have to worry about falling ill!)

Then shortly after the New Year I took a bus from Ouaga to Accra, Ghana. The bus ride itself isn’t horrible. It just took about 20 hours to get there and the bus ride was freezing because they ran the air conditioning at about 62 degrees the whole way down! Then when I got off the bus I was hit by a wave of humidity that doesn’t exist in the desert here in Burkina! It was awful and I wanted to run back on the cold bus because I almost instantly started sweating. We left at about 9:30 am and got into Ghana at 5 am. Dads arrival wasn’t planned until the following afternoon at 2 pm, so I had quite some time to relax and hang out, but I had no idea how I was going to do that because I knew nothing and no one in Ghana. I had found a place to stay so I decided to try my luck and see if they would give me a bed a few hours before check-in started. I was in luck, so I cleaned up and hung out for the day. The following day I hung out until checkout at noon and went to the airport to wait for Dad. It’s a good thing that I’m good at waiting! I got there around 12:30 so I knew I had some time to kill, unfortunately the arrivals terminal in Accra doesn’t have a whole lot to look at… So, I waited. Around 1:30 I got up and checked the screen and it said that the plane was coming in about 20 minutes early! I thought this is great! I don’t have to wait as long now! So, I waited. And waited. And waited. Around 2:15, after seeing many people from the same flight, I started to wonder if they didn’t make the connection flight, or decided not to come!? (Because we didn’t know if my phone would work we set up a plan that I would check in with Mom if there was any news). So, I called Mom to see if she had heard anything from Dad. Nope! At this point there was the last few passengers coming through the gate. So I look back and I see them standing at another counter, but they actually hadn’t come out yet. I was able to talk to them and figure out what was going on. Welcome to Africa (and more to the risks of traveling and having a layover)! Their bags didn’t come! Now, normally this wouldn’t be so bad, but one of the bags that they checked was full of delicious Americaland food for me!!!! Haha so it wasn’t too tragic really. The connecting flight was in DC so I had the confidence that it was probably still in America and not roaming around somewhere in South America. So, we found our taxi driver that the resort had sent to get us at the airport. We gave them my number and we got one for them and would be in contact if there was any news.

Now, the adventure that was Ghana was just beginning. We put the few bags that we had in the taxi and took off. Already my impression of Ghana was that it was already much better than Burkina. And by better I mean that you could visibly see that the country was poor, but it was much more developed than Burkina. The infrastructure was much nicer and everyone spoke English, so I was ready to change my Peace Corps post instantly. We then quickly discovered that traffic in Accra was not so fun! There was some construction that was causing a huge backup! Our taxi driver said that he knew a shortcut to bypass all of the traffic. So we said ok! Great! Well, the shortcut… also had lots of traffic. I guess his shortcut wasn’t a secret. So, we still ended up sitting in traffic. It took us 2 hours to get to the resort. Upon arrival we were greeted with a bunch of people and the OCEAN! We were right on the ocean, which was fine by me since I live in a landlocked country in the desert. The next day we called and the said the bags would be there, so we got our taxi driver and went back to the airport, which took about 2 hours. Then we had to eat and go back to the resort… another 2 hours. So, it was a whole day going back to get the bags. Both times, he said he knew a shortcut so that we weren’t sitting in traffic, but we still sat in traffic for 2 hours. We weren’t in any sort of hurry so it wasn’t awful, we just learned that when he said he knew a shortcut, not to expect to get anywhere fast. Overall, Ghana was good. I would go back, especially because it was so easy to get to (except for the 24 hour bus ride). The people were nice; the food was good; there’s a beach!

The news back in village: So Dad came out to village for 4 days. We started by taking my normal transport out. We arrived in village and had a warm welcome from all of the adults and children (well most of the children, some were scared of a big white man!) That night we started off by visiting my current house and the first house that I lived in. In the time that I had been gone, 2 babies had been born, so I had to meet them too! Everyone was happy to meet dad, but they all wanted to know where my mom was (sorry dad, they were happy to see you!) Then we got back home and the head of the courtyard was waiting to give us a guinea fowl as a welcome gift for us.

Day 2 was a market day, so we went to Tougo to visit the CSPS (health clinic), CEG (middle school), and of course, the market! I think it was a bit surprising for them how few options there were for food: tomatoes, onions, cabbage, and carrots. We were lucky that the last big village we go through before getting to village (the day before) was a market day and they had more options that we took advantage of before continuing to village (potatoes!) It was long day, but we got a lot accomplished and they were able to see some of the work that I’ve been done and see my students that I have been working with and the midwife from the health clinic. Dad also tried tô! I don’t think he particularly liked it, but if he had to live off of it he could.

Day 3 we had to visit the chief of the village, just to present the “strangers” and explain who they were and what they were doing. He is a very old man, I’m just learning that hes probably in his 80’s, which is very old for a Burkinabé because they normally only live into their 60’s. We went back home and spent the day resting up. Later that night, one of the children of the chief came by with a chicken for us!

Day 4 we went out to the fields to see where everyone in my village is growing onions and tomatoes. Again, everyone was happy to see us and show us what they were doing. We took an abbreviated tour of the 30+ hectars of land (over 60 acres) that has been converted into a giant garden. Dad even got to educate one of the men on fertilizers and what the numbers on the bags meant! After that we went back home and rested for a while before continuing on to where the women’s association make tomato paste. We took the short tour and then they gave us a small jar of their product! So Dad is taking that home to cook with! Then that night my good friend in village gave us another guinea fowl to welcome us to the village! So we had plenty of meat to eat!

The 4 days were filled with adventure. Then it was time to leave village, and we really got a full “Burkina” experience. The guy that normally drives the bus that I take in and out of village had his bus break down. He just got a newer-ish bus that is bigger and holds lots of people and is pretty nice for Burkina. So, we had in his place just a bush taxi that holds maybe 15 (not comfortably). So they got a good view of what “transport” is and can be like here!

Other news that I haven’t updated! I got a dog!!! Before Christmas the kids were hanging out and I thought I heard a puppy barking. I went out to investigate and sure enough there was the cutest puppy! They told me to take her, and I couldn’t really say no, because she was so cute, I just had to take her. So I took her in and she has been my little companion in village since!

Now, Dad is on his way out of Burkina back to the land of plenty and unimaginables. As for me, back to village! I have been having a little down moment again. I have realized that I only have a year left and I haven’t done as much as I would like and am worried that this next year is going to pass before me and I will be horribly unsatisfied with my work. I’m trying to make the most of it and find motivated people to work with and sustainable projects to do, but getting things put into action isn’t always easy. I’m sure things will work out, but for now I’m kind of in a slump and not sure if I will be able to do get anything I want done accomplished. We will see.

Other than that, I hope everyone is well and staying warm!

P.S. Comments are always appreciated! ☺ Its nice to know who is reading and what more you want to hear about!

Holidays and WORK!

Ne y taabo! Bonne Fête! Happy Holiday!

Excuse me for my long absence. I have been a busy bee working away in my village! After welcoming the new trainees and helping them get settled into the wonderful world of Burkina Faso, I went back to site and got down to business.

It’s been an interesting 4 weeks. As soon as I got back it was babies galore in my courtyard! Before leaving for the states I had seen that several of the women in my courtyard were pregnant. (In village the women never talk about being pregnant, it is a bit superstitious since health care is so limited you are never sure what the outcome will be). Then when I came back, Voila! A baby girl had been born. A week later I had noticed a woman in my courtyard had gone to get her basin to go and get water and she didn’t make it out of the courtyard before she passed off the basin to a child and came over and took a seat, which was very abnormal. I could see she was very pregnant, but didn’t know what to make of it. An hour or so later, I saw her walking out with a few things tied up in a pagne (the fabric we wear as skirts and make into clothes). Soon after one of the younger adult men of the courtyard had gone off of the moto and picked her up. He came back maybe 30 minutes later and said, “Siaame!” Meaning that it was over. She had had the baby, but didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl. So, I waited until the next morning when she came back. And she also had a baby girl! Now there are still at least 3 women, that I can visibly see, that are pregnant. It is also fun because the women know that I looooove the children so I always get one of the babies passed off to me while the women are working. One of my closest neighbors has a little girl that is maybe 6 or 7 months old and I often get put in charge of her. I have started to tie her to my back and carry her around to get her to stop crying and go to sleep! So, it will be exciting to get some more babies in the next few months!

Work!

So, I have resolved to make the most out of the time I have left in village and not stress over the failures that I have unfortunately encountered, but have learned from. I have been in close contact with the director of my middle school and the head of the health clinic as well as the midwife, who is one of my closest friends and ally in village. All of which have fully supported my work with them and have been completely motivated to work with me to better the community. I have been absolutely thrilled!

When I got back to site, school had started so I went in for a visit and said, “I’m here!!! Let’s get to work!” The director (who has the firmest handshake I have ever received) is ready to support me and help me with any ideas that I have. The one he loves the most in the world map project that I will do (hopefully soon!) That entails painting a giant world map on the side of a wall for everyone to see and to show people that, in fact, you CANNOT drive a car to the United States from Burkina Faso. So, I just have to get the materials (paint and such) and plan on how to reveal it and what kind of “festivities” to have once it is finished.

In the meantime, at the school I have been helping with 3eme English (or the equivalent of 9th grade). I usually sit in on the classes and facilitate the professor when needed. If he can’t be there then I usually take over the class. It has been great to get to know the kids (who are a bit older and speak French – usually confidently). Also, with the same class, I have started an English club, as they will take an exam at the end of the year to get their second diploma (there are 3 for the equivalent of our high school diploma) and English is one of the sections. So, I figured a little extra help wouldn’t hurt. So far it has been a success (I think…?) I’m not entirely sure that the kids think, but they come and they ask questions and some participate! We have had some great discussion and have suggested ideas for future discussions.

I am also in the process of starting my girls club with 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls and the same with my boys club. Because I have been more reliant on the school to help me get organized it has taken a bit longer to get things done because they have a lot on their plate with a few staff members and hundreds of students. But, nonetheless it is started and we will get going soon! I have just gotten some manuals from girls and boys clubs that have been run here in Burkina Faso and other Peace Corps Countries called: Camp G2LOW (Girls (and guys) Leading Our World). So, all that’s left is finding a time for the 2 groups to meet and… well, have meetings! I’m hoping that these kids will be as open as the other group that I have started with.

Just before I left village was the Muslim holiday of Tabaski, which is a bit like Thanksgiving in the fact that they celebrate the harvest. However, Muslim holidays are all lunar, meaning that they go by the moon. It was cute because all of the kids had asked if I was going back to the US to celebrate Tabaski because I left just in time to celebrate the end of Ramadan in the US. So, they were happy to know that I was going to be in village to celebrate Tabaski with them. All day Saturday, I had heard that the holiday was going to be the following day. So, I prepared and knew that I wanted to do something for my courtyard and family that I lived with. I got up Sunday morning and noticed that people weren’t really around and getting ready to “celebrate”. I was a bit confused. Having not experienced a large Muslim holiday in my village before, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. So, I waited around in my hut and waited… It didn’t seem like anything was happening. Later in the afternoon I had a friend stop by and he told me that Mecca was praying today and we could not pray before Mecca, therefore, the holiday would be celebrated in our village the next day. So, I knew that it was for sure this time.

So, I got up Monday and prepared to go to the neighboring village and wish a happy holiday to my Muslim friends. I was there around 8:30 am and the midwife asked me if I was going to stay for the prayer. I asked what time it would be and she said at 9. I figured that I could wait the 30 minutes (my neighbors were not worried when I left that I wouldn’t be there to celebrate with them, so I promised that I would return quickly). So, we waited and waited some more. Eventually, I found out that we were waiting for the neighboring Imams to bring in the smaller villages into the big one for the prayer. Closer to 10 we heard the chanting and saw the group of people headed towards to Mosque. We followed in when they passed. When we arrived at the Mosque, we took our places and shortly after the prayer started. I stood and faced Mecca with a couple thousand fellow villagers and joined them in prayer. It lasted 15 minutes or so and after I headed back to my village. When I arrived, I found out that my fellow villagers did not pray with us in the neighboring village. I had just missed the prayer with my village. I headed back home after greeting everyone and found the women hanging out in the courtyard. I started chatting with them and hanging out with the children. Shortly after, the head of the courtyard came in with a goat. Normally the choice of meat for Tabaski is sheep, but that can be expensive especially for the holiday, so we had a good alternative: Goat! So, I watched the neighbors slaughter and divide up the goat. I ended up being gifted a large chunk of uncooked goat.

Having never cooked goat before, I wasn’t quite sure how to proceed. I finally decided that I would make spaghetti and cook the goat in the sauce. So, the Marth Betty Crocker Stewart came out in me and I made some spaghetti sauce with goat. I kept some for myself, and if I do say so myself, it was quite tasty! I presented the head of my courtyard with a giant bowl of spaghetti and he seemed quite pleased. And they shared their rice and sauce with me. Afterwards, I went and visited the first family that I lived with and wished them a bonne fete and they fed me too. So, needless to say, I ate very very well.

Now, I am back in the capital for MSC (Mid-Service Conference) where we discuss challenges and successes thus far and our action plan and projects we have planned for the last year. We also were presented with certificates certifying that we have second year status! (Yay!) Also, we had physical exams and dental exams. So, I had to go to the dentist, which, I normally don’t mind, but the dentist that I went to here had a tool that I had never come across before. It was like a vibrating pick, and lets just say that I’m not fond of that device. After talking with other volunteers they have heard of this device in the States too.

That ended on Wednesday and Thursday was… THANKSGIVING! The director of Peace Corps Burkina Faso invited those that would still be in the capital to come to her house for dinner. Since there were quite a few of us she asked us to make side dishes and she would make the main stuff. So, Wednesday night a few volunteers and myself were at her house baking cookies! Then she needed help with some other things, so we helped make apple pies, stuffing (my favorite!) and chocolate mousse. While we were cooking we of course taste tested, but also needed dinner. So we went to the Chinese restaurant down the street and got some delicious dinner.

Thursday morning, another member of PC Burkina staff invited us over for breakfast and games. So around 9 am we went over and ate sausage, cinnamon roles, french toast and drank coffee. We played games, including the Christmas music game, which got us all ready for Christmas! Later in the afternoon we went over to the directors house and feasted! Of course because Peace Corps is all about cross cultural exchange, the entire office staff (which is largely Burkinabé) were invited. A large number of them came and shared in giving thanks with us. We had tons of food, and even more left over. We all ate very well for a long time. I hope that everyone else had equally satisfying meals!

After that, I went back to the training center for a week to help with the training of trainees that arrived in October. They are almost done and have about 2 weeks left until they become volunteers and go to village! I hope they are ready because it is coming up soon! I think they are. 9 weeks of training is a long time and the days are long, but, we all have to go through it to become volunteers.

Now, I am headed back to village for a couple of weeks to work on my projects and put my action plan… into action! I have some new ideas on how I can proceed and find some more partners to work with in village. So, I’m excited to get started on that. Then, I am planning on visiting my host family for Christmas again, like I did last year. Then, just after the first of the year, I will meet Dad and Pat in Ghana for a vacation on the beach and then they will come to my life here in Burkina and check it all out! So, look forward to hearing about their adventures here in the B.F.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holidays!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to The BF! I am safely back in Burkina… and SWEATING!

Thanks to everyone that made my time in the States AWESOME! It was so great to see so many friends and family that have been following what I do. The 3 weeks flew by and I honestly have no idea where they went. Sorry to anyone that I didn’t get to see!

Life back in the States was a SHOCK! It actually started in the Paris airport as I was waiting in line to go through security upon arrival, all I could see were bright lights and reflective surfaces. Super overwhelming coming from a place where most people don’t have electricity, so there’s not a lot of excess to light up signs and billboards and most houses don’t have glass in the windows = no reflective surfaces. I immediately wanted to turn back around and run to the plane that would take me back to the land of simplicity. Of course I didn’t forget what life was like, but after having adjusted to life here in Burkina, so very simple, being back to the land of not-so-simple was an eye opener. The thing that shocked me the most was how easily I got back into old habits… ie sitting in front of the TV and watching HGTV. I didn’t do a lot of this as it took me about a week to be able to sit down and PICK a channel…! Too many options! Also eating. Choices, again, are limited here in Burkina, so whenever anyone asked, “What do you want to eat?” I honestly didn’t care. I just wanted FOOD, real food! The first morning that I was back home I’m pretty sure I had a slice of mom’s red cake for breakfast ☺.

Another thing that bothered me that I readjusted to and contributed to is the amount of WASTE that Americans produce and the over indulgence of food. The amount of food that goes to waste is appalling. The saying is true – there are starving children in Africa. Here in Burkina NOTHING goes to waste. Absolutely nothing. They eat everything, even if it has fallen on the dirt ground. It will get eaten. Even if its been sitting in the heat for a while, it will get eaten. Even if it’s the organs of an animal or the bones, it will get eaten. And if its not a human that does, there are plenty of animals around that are looking for food too! Even among volunteers we adapt that policy and if someone isn’t going to finish that slice of pizza… PASS IT OVER! And I’m almost sure that even at the restaurants here in Burkina, if something for some reason doesn’t get finished by us, someone will benefit from it. It is not often here in Burkina that I complain about being stuffed full completely where I cannot pass anything more into my stomach. Yes, I eat, and for the most part I eat well, but I don’t think that I have reached the point where I have eaten TOO MUCH and it was easy to get back into the habit (also I think because I knew I had 3 weeks to eat what I had been missing out on for almost a year and knew I would be leaving again and missing out on another year), but to be able to get back into the mindset of just eating and eating is disturbing. It didn’t take me long at all.

My visit back home to the States was fantastic. I had a wonderful time seeing everyone and even speaking in the Elementary, Middle and High school that I attended. It was great to see the reactions of all students: from kindergarten all the way to seniors in high school. I hope that at the very least it inspires some of the kids to volunteer, although a lot of them told me that they already do volunteer! I also hope that at least one of the kids got the big take home message, that being: there is more to life than Battle Creek, MI. There are so many other places and opportunities throughout the world and you aren’t “stuck” here.

So, I ate a lot. Spoke a lot of English. Watched some TV. Relaxed. And caught up on “life”. It was wonderful to be back, but I was also happy to return to Burkina.

Upon my re-arrival in The BF, I have been busy! I got back on a Monday and Thursday we kicked off a 3 day fair in Ouagadougou (the capital of Burkina) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Peace Corps (YAY! Peace Corps!) and to showcase what many of the volunteers have been working on in their sites. It also marked the swearing in of the newest group of almost 50 new volunteers. We were graced with the presence of the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso on the first day and the 3rd day the First Lady of Burkina Faso was able to come. So, we have been getting a lot of attention from the political world here in Burkina and they were able to see all of the super awesome projects we have going throughout the country. And to finalize everything, Floby, a popular music artist here in Burkina, wrote a song for Peace Corps!!! So of course he came and performed it for us! Check it out on youtube.com by searching: “Floby Peace Corps” and it will come up! Unfortunately, it is in French, but its still awesome to have a song written about the daily life as a Peace Corps volunteer by a pop artist. Also check out on youtube.com all of the things about the fair and what volunteers here are doing by searching: “PCBurkinaFaso”.

After the Fair was over I was able to go back to my village after a 4 week absence and see my community. I was only back for a grand total of 4 days because I had to come back to Ouaga for a small training. But for the 4 days in village I had huge ups and downs. I had been in the states busy for 3 weeks and then the one week I had been back in country I was busy helping out with Fair things and always had something to do. Then the moment I get off the bus in my village… nothing! I unpack… go out and greet my neighbors… go back to my house… sit down… and its quiet. I didn’t have anywhere to go or anywhere to be. Going back to the not-so-fast pace of life was one of the most difficult things I have done here. Day 2 was better, but still hard. Finally on day 3 I had a market day, so that gave me a little something to do and a few more people to see. It was helpful that there were more people around in my courtyard because the work in the fields is winding down. So, I have gotten to hang out with the women a bit more. And the best part of it all, was the kids that were around the moment I got home! They were all so excited to see me and it melted my heart. The even better part of it all was my all-time favorite little boy, Rashid, who knows he’s my favorite and I think I might be his favorite person too. When I went to visit him (he’s 3 or 4 by the way) he first stood and looked at me tentatively, probably asking himself if it really was Lola…? Everyone was saying “Rashid, a Lola wayame” (Laura came!) Once he had decided it was me, he threw his arms around me and gave me the biggest hug I have ever gotten in Burkina (side note: in the Burkinabé culture they don’t give hugs and are not affectionate people, so for this boy to hug me was very out of the norm) and it just broke my heart and I got a little teary-eyed. So, at least someone did miss me! And the following 2 days that I saw him he continued to give me hugs! I think I need to find a way to get him home to the States with me when this is all over, I don’t know what we will do without each other!

So, as I said, I am back in the capital now for a small training. The last training group just became volunteers about 3 weeks ago and next week the next new group of trainees will arrive. I have been chosen to help with the training for these trainees (although, I’m not sure why..? It seems there are many other qualified volunteers that have been busy with projects in village), so in order to help we have to go through a “Training of Trainers” (T-O-T for short) for the week. So, that’s the program for now. We get to pick when we want to work and will discuss that this week and I’m thinking I would like to stay to see everyone get off the plane and greet them at the airport upon arrival in The BF. I will then be there for their first few days in country while they go through the shock period of being in a developing country that is in the top 10 poorest countries in the world. I’m hoping I will be a bit of a cultural liaison, which would be perfect for me.

During the training this week I have gotten to brush up on a lot of Peace Corps policies that PC Burkina has put in place and PC Washington has put in place. Since we are government organization, (meaning all funding comes from the U.S.) they have a say in a lot of policies and protocol. It has also been good to meet a lot of people that I don’t know in country. There are currently 150 volunteers here in BF and there are 26 new trainees coming in on Tuesday. So in a couple of months we will have almost 180 volunteers! It’s nice to meet a few since we are all scattered across the countryside and doing lots of different projects. So, for the next couple of months while I am in and out of the training site my new title is PCVF – Peace Corps Volunteer Facilitator and we will be working with the PCT’s – Peace Corps Trainees. PC likes to use a lot of acronyms! I am excited to be able to help and see some things that are going on behind the scenes. I’m also hoping that I will get to know the staff from the office a bit better because I met them during my training, but haven’t worked with many of them since then… a year a go!!!

In just about a week, I will have been in Burkina Faso for one year! Its crazy to think about and exciting. It was a year ago that I was preparing to enter into the unknown world of Burkina Faso that I now call “home” (minus my family and friends being here). I was preparing for the longest camping trip of my life – that has not yet begun to disappoint. That means about 14 months left of my service before I COS (another fancy acronym for the ending of our service) or choose to do a 3rd year in which I would have a mandatory 30 day leave, which of course would be taken next December so I could be home for Christmas! So, I have a few more months to decide what I want to do, start preparing for Grad School, finding a “big kid job” or staying here for another year and putting off those bigger decisions. I don’t know where the last year has gone, but its kind of scary and definitely motivates me to get moving in village to get projects up and running! Hopefully my village is ready! So, congrats to all of us that have made it a year in this wonderfully warm paradise in Africa (mini hot season is upon us for the next month until it cools off for a few!) And best of luck for the upcoming year for my group and the next 2 years for the new trainees coming in!

Wend na n sik Y Laafi!

Greetings from AMERICALAND! Yes, as I’m sure all of you know I am home visiting (if you didnt well… I’m state side for a few weeks!)

Lets back up a bit as there was some time in village between my last post and me coming home. It turns out that I didn’t actually have a parasite…. mystery illness. I think it was the insane amount of just about pure sugar that I ate when my host mom made carmel with peanuts. It was the sweetest thing I had had in a long time and it was like candy. When she realized that I really liked it they told me to buy some sugar and they would make me more. So, bought some sugar and viola! more sugar! Im pretty sure all of that sugar was what made my stomach angry with me. So, all is well.

Life has been extremely S-L-O-W in village. The rains finally came the month of August, so an already empty courtyard became even emptier (if that was even possible). So most days it was just me and the quietness. Should have been nice but there were 2 factors that made the days creeeeeep by. The first one being me looking forward to coming home and counting down the days. Probably didnt help matters, at all! The second reason being the starting the second of August was the 30 days of fasting for Ramadan. I would say 99% of my village is Muslim, so I figured, why not give that a try? Something to do and it would help me become “bien integre”, right? So we fasted from 6am to 6pm (ish). So 12, hours with no food and water. Yes, I chose to do this. I made it about 2 weeks before the heat came back and not drinking water was unbearable. No eating was fine, I really only eat 2 meals a day anyways. But, with everyone gone and out in the fields working (and fasting – I wasn’t that strong to go and work too, I didn’t want to die before coming to the homeland!) life was quiet and all I wanted was to come home and EAT! So watching the days go by made my antsy and impatient!

So, most days I tried to find things to do that wouldn’t involve me being hot and wanting to drink water. Some days I still decided to go to the health clinic, which is a hilly 5k bike ride away, but I figured it was that or watch time go backwards in my mud hut. One of the days I show up and usually I spend a lot of time with the midwife (yes she delivers all of the babies in the village, if they woman makes it to the health clinic first). She is the sweetest lady that I have met and her kids are adorable and were visiting for the summer vacation. So, more people to speak French with! So, one morning I arrive and we greet each other and we start to just chat when she tells me that we need to go to the maternity and check on a lady that had come earlier in the morning to give birth. So, we walk over and she is calmly sitting in the waiting room. She and the midwife go into the “birthing room” which is really a tiled table, hard, and thats all you get no meds, nothing, nada, zilch. (I have pictures and I am planning on doing a whole post in just pictures before I go since internet is faster here – so look for those coming in the next week or so). The midwife comes out just a few minutes and says “There is just a little bit of time left.” I figure ok, we are still a few hours away, and I say this because the last time I was there when a woman came to give birth, she told me that she was ready “right away”, then she went to her house and took a nap. So, our definitions of “right away” differ from the US and Burkina. So, when she said just a little time, I wondered what does that mean? 5 min? 30 min? 2 hours? I had no idea. Well turns out it was about 2 min because the midwife told me to put down my bag and bring my phone to tell her the time the baby was born. So, I got front row seats to watch the show. Which was the first time I had ever watched a child be born. Baby boy was born at 10:23am. The placenta didn’t come out right away and Madame told me that was normal for some women, so we went outside to wait a bit, and as soon as we are in the waiting room another motorcycle pulls up with a lady on the back and she waddles in. I didn’t think anything of it right away. Next thing I knew we were panicking with the first woman because her placenta still had not descended and was essentially hemorrhaging. And of course we can barely pass as a band-aid station, let alone stop this woman from bleeding. So, we had to call the ambulance which was in Ouahigouya (Wa-hee-goo-ya) which is 70k away…. and people in Burkina don’t necessarily move fast, and thats also hoping that that 1, yes 1, ambulance wasn’t already in use.
So we (and by we I mean I watched and the 3 people on staff) juggled the lady that had just given birth and the lady that had come in that was also REALLY ready to give birth. So, we go to lady number 2 and her baby boy was born at 11:36am. Just over an hour apart and lady number 1 is “going to die if the ambulance does not get here soon”. Needless to say I’m on the verge of tears also because I know if Mom dies, there’s no milk for the baby and of course no money to buy baby milk, therefore baby will die too. I’m heartbroken, but trying to keep it together because you cant cry in public in Burkina. So, all we can do is wait…. A few minutes a miracle happened (before the ambulance arrives) and the placenta descends and the woman will live! EVERYONE sighed a huge sigh of relief. Madame assured me the woman would be ok, she had lost A LOT of blood, but would pull through. So, after that I started thinking about that broken down ambulance that we do have that probably hasn’t ran in 10 years minimum and all of the tires are flat and windows knocked out. I am now going to research how we can get an ambulance and keep maintenance up on it to help not only the women but any other emergency that occurs when people need to get to “medical care”. We are 20 miles from the main road, so our road is dirt and right now flooded in places and washed out in others because of the rain. We need to do something though.

After that, things were calm and quiet and I haven’t watched any more births, which I am ok with. It didn’t make me want to be an OB/GYN but did open my eyes to a problem that we have living in such a remote place and no one can get to us in a timely manner in many situations that are life or death.

So, the days passed and before I knew it (really! days drag but the month of August did end up going by fast with children at my house and mice in my house!) Next thing I knew, my bags were packed and it was the day to go home. The day I left, it still didn’t feel like I would really get to go home and see my family in just about 36 hours. It wasn’t real. I said good bye to everyone in my courtyard. It was kind of hard. The neighbor lady was sitting there when I left and I would say shes my age, maybe a bit younger (but shes a “lady” not a “girl” because she’s married and has a baby). She told me that I couldn’t stay long – only about a week and that would be good, then I would have to come back. That gave me warm fuzzies inside and thought, ok, maybe someone will miss me? After that, I left my village and walked the 3-4 miles from my house to where transport was in the next village over. I left at 6:30 am and we got there at 7:30. Normally we leave around 8, but with the end of Ramadan coming in the next couple of days, people were bringing in their animals (goats, sheep and chickens)for us to take to the capital to sell. Seeing everyone prepare for one of the biggest Muslim holidays really made me upset that I was going to miss it and not be with my village for the feast! I missed it by 2 days. I left Monday and it was on Wednesday. Really bummed, but everyone told me I would be around for Tabaski which will be in October. So, that made me feel better.
We finally leave around 9:30 ish and make it into the capital around 2:30pm. It was a looooong and hot bush taxi ride (pictures to be included in next post – animals and all). We finally make it and then I had some time to kill before my plane left at 10:30. Plane leaves, arrive Paris. Sit in Paris for 7 hours. Leave Paris. Arrive DETROIT. We get in around 4:30 our time so 8:30pm Burkina time so its been over 36 hours of travel at this point since I left my little village in Burkina. I go through customs and wait, and wait, and wait to get my bag. I swear it was the last one off the plane and I was considering just leaving it because I wanted to see my family that I knew would be waiting on the other side of the doors that I could see. I finally got to walk through the doors and see Mom, Carl, Alicia and her boyfriend Varun who had all come to welcome me home.

Now that I am home and have been on American soil for over a week life is becoming “normal” here again. Its hard to explain all of the “cultural shocks” that I have experienced coming back, but it does give more meaning to the saying “eat all of your food, there are starving children in Africa”. It is also hard because in village all 1,000 (or so) people know who I am and know my name. All of children run to me and want to greet me and shake my hand. Kids get excited to see me and most people are happy to greet me (despite the fact that you greet everyone anyways). People are usually genuine when they greet me and ask how I am doing. Im sure if I wasn’t the only one with a camera they would be the paparazzi. And if more people could read and write I would be asked for my autograph. So, I am a celebrity in a sense with my village. Even if I go out of my village I still stand out (because of the color of my skin) and I get attention there too. So, when I come home and am in public – no one is staring at me. I want everyone to know that “I dont belong here either!” I don’t live here! I’m out “SAVING THE WORLD!” That may sound really selfish and conceded, but for the last year, I have been the center of attention, whether I like it or not. I have no choice, and now I come back, and I’m another face in the crowd and no one cares who I am…. However it is nice at times, but I also feel like I want the world to know what Im doing. Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to be a celebrity I don’t really think I can live like that the rest of my life, but I guess its nice for a while! But being able to leave that world and come to where no one knows who I am (per say) and I can blend in with other people that have the same color skin and diversity is not uncommon, its a shock!

So, for now, I get to stuff myself with food and try not to feel guilty about it as I know everyone in my village is struggling as we are right before the harvest and supplies are running low. Its hard, but I am happy to be home and share my experiences and pictures thus far with everyone. Yay! for completing goal 3 of Peace Corps: Helping Americans to have a better understanding of my host country. I love it and would love to tell the world about where I live and what I am doing. I really think more people should consider doing it. Its one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things a person can do. And it doesn’t even have to be Peace Corps. Volunteering in general. I wish I would have done more as a kid, but it didn’t seem as important as all of my social events that I had to attend. But, we can’t change the past, we can only make a difference here and now.

So, welcome home to me! I miss Burkina terribly and the simplicities of life, but I do enjoy running water and hot showers again
Oh, and I almost forgot. I was told by everyone to Greet all of America, so I guess this is my outlet. Greeting is important and they wanted you all to know that they say “hello” from Burkina. They even wanted me to greet Barack Obama for them Not a problem, we talk all the time, I’ll be sure to pass on that message! So, President Obama, if you come across my blog in your copious amounts of spare time – my little village of Burkina Faso says “hello!”