So there’s this saying here, “Ca fait deux jours.” It literally translated means, “It’s been two days,” but people use it to mean “It’s been a while.” I was so confused when people first started saying it to me. I was thinking, “No, actually it’s been 5 days since I last saw you.” Two days isn’t really a long time anyways. In Bissa, you say “Dom piya.” So sorry it’s been so long since I’ve been able to update my blog!!!
A lot has happened since I last wrote. It’s weird how normal life is starting to feel in village. It doesn’t even phase me anymore that I’m taking bucket showers or don’t have electricity. The family I live with is totally awesome and I’m so lucky I have them helping me out all the time.
Recently, I’ve kept myself busy with vaccination campaigns. To make sure that as many children as possible get their vaccines, the Ministry of Health organizes vaccination campaigns and they are administrated by each CSPS. In November, there was a campaign for polio. In December, there was a campaign for meningitis. The campaigns are exhausting because you go to the satellite villages, sometimes door-to-door, all day. But it’s a great opportunity to meet people in my satellite villages. Also, it’s been a great way to build relationships with the community health agents. The community health agents (representatives from each village who connect the CSPS to the community and mobilize the community) help out with the campaigns. They’re a really awesome and motivated group of people and I definitely see myself working with them a lot during my two years. I did a needs assessment activity with them to help me figure out what exactly the community wants me to do here. Some things that came up were sensibilisations (health education activities on topics like malaria, family planning, maternal health) and helping women with small enterprise development. I’ve also been doing an informal questionnaire. Anytime I can, I ask people, “Why is it difficult to have good health here?” The most frequent answers are mosquitoes, lack of means, and lack of nutritious food.
I’m starting to plan for projects and really excited to jump in after in-service training. I’m hoping to do a lot around nutrition because it’s something my community really recognizes as a health issue. I definitely foresee a lot of challenges and obstacles, but that can also be very motivating and exciting.
I have a name in Bissa. It’s Banse Tolow. Banse is the name of the family I live with. My name literally translated means “the name of the woman,” but as my brother explained it, it means the name of the woman with us. Before, I used to hear “nasara” all the time. Now, at the marche, biking back from the CSPS, or even visiting satellite villages for vaccination campaigns, I hear “Banse Tolow.” Although it can be overwhelming at times and frustrating that I’ll never be able to just quietly slip by at the market, it is comforting being somewhere where everyone knows you name. It’s hard to explain, but hearing people call me “Tolow,” and not “nasara,” makes me really feel like I’ve been adopted into my community.
Oh my goodness, so there’s so much more I want to write, but I don’t have enough time right now. Will get another chance to write in the middle of January. So sorry! Miss you all and thank you for all your thoughts, e-mails, and letters. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Enjoy the holidays and Happy New Year!! (My New Year’s resolution is to get better at this blogging thing…)
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Boogieman with a Thermometer
So I’ve been at site for just about a month and a half. It’s gone by pretty fast, but the days go by really slow. Our first three months at site are called an “etude de mileu,” or a study. Our job is to get to know the community, integrate into it, and keep working on language (which for me is definitely needed ). In practice, it involves a lot meeting new people and hanging out with them. Which, as for most Americans, is a huge change in pace. At times, I feel so unproductive and without a purpose, but then I remember that the success and sustainability of my work here largely depends on my awareness of the community and my integration into it. It takes time to build the necessary foundation.
Next to anticipation and waiting, just being myself is surprising hard here. It’s really difficult to be yourself in your second (and third) language. Who we are is so much about how we express ourselves and when your ability to fully communicate is limited, it is hard to be yourself. I didn’t realize how much I’ve taken the ability to communicate for granted. It’s really frustrating when you can’t. The good thing is that the days that are the hardest to get out of my house are usually the best days. Just because of little moments I have while taking a walk where the idea of integrating into my community seems so much more reachable.
So when most people think about Peace Corps, they think about no electricity, no water, hole in the ground as a bathroom, sacrifices like that. Don’t worry, that’s definitely my situation. But that’s not the hardest part of it at all. It’s being away from family and friends, living and integrating into a completely new and totally different community, and figuring out how to express yourself in a new culture and language.
One thought I’ve also been grappling with is the luxury I have of knowing a different life. I have the luxury of knowing not just electricity and running water, but also access to education and career options. It’s hard reconciling these opportunities and things I’ve been given with the realities of life in village (particularly for young girls). I realize that on some level I can never fully understand what it’s like to live here and I can never truly be fully integrated because I know a life completely different and I know I’m going home in 2 years. Many people think of what I’m doing here as a sacrifice, but living here for two years is really a luxury I have, something I am very lucky to be able to do. And after I’m done with my service, I have the comfort of knowing I’m going home to so many opportunities, many because of my choice to be here.
One thing I have been doing since I’ve been here is helping out with baby weighings and prenatal consultations. Mostly just the recording, can’t do much else. It’s nice to have something to do and it’s a great way to get to know the CSPS and get to know people in our region. It’s also given me ideas for possible projects. It’s nice starting to have a vision of what the next 2 years will look like and have more “concrete” ideas of what I will actually be doing. I also sometimes help take temperatures of babies in the waiting room. This makes most babies scream. I’m the boggieman with a thermometer. One girl even covered her eyes as she cried. The nurses keep telling me it’s because the babies think I’m going to give them a shot. But I think it’s because I must look like some sort of ghost. You know I’m working when you hear tons of babies screaming.
So in addition to a whole bunch of patience and slowing down, here are some of the others things I’ve learned:
• Cooking over charcoal is really hard. Right now, the entire country is out of gas that powers stoves. It’s not good because it is how CSPS’s with no electricity power the refrigerator for the vaccines. My CSPS may need to send them to Zabre (where there’s electricity) soon. For me, it means if I want to cook, I use charcoal. The first time I did it on my own, it took 2 hours just to get the water to boil. Last time, the charcoal finished before I was finished cooking. My pasta was super undercooked and the sauce was not cooked at all. So not good.
• I have some unwanted roommates. Bats. But, when I’m under my mosquito net at night, they’re not really that scary. My mosquito net is my safety blanket.
• I really like to bike. Really. So I’m way out in the bush. In one month, I’ve biked over 400 km, or 248 miles. Finally getting my cross-training in.
• It really annoys me when people keep repeating the same phrase to me in Bissa when I don’t understand it. It’s not funny. But it makes me feel slightly better to say something back in English. As long as I smile and laugh when I say it, I can probably say pretty much anything.
Next to anticipation and waiting, just being myself is surprising hard here. It’s really difficult to be yourself in your second (and third) language. Who we are is so much about how we express ourselves and when your ability to fully communicate is limited, it is hard to be yourself. I didn’t realize how much I’ve taken the ability to communicate for granted. It’s really frustrating when you can’t. The good thing is that the days that are the hardest to get out of my house are usually the best days. Just because of little moments I have while taking a walk where the idea of integrating into my community seems so much more reachable.
So when most people think about Peace Corps, they think about no electricity, no water, hole in the ground as a bathroom, sacrifices like that. Don’t worry, that’s definitely my situation. But that’s not the hardest part of it at all. It’s being away from family and friends, living and integrating into a completely new and totally different community, and figuring out how to express yourself in a new culture and language.
One thought I’ve also been grappling with is the luxury I have of knowing a different life. I have the luxury of knowing not just electricity and running water, but also access to education and career options. It’s hard reconciling these opportunities and things I’ve been given with the realities of life in village (particularly for young girls). I realize that on some level I can never fully understand what it’s like to live here and I can never truly be fully integrated because I know a life completely different and I know I’m going home in 2 years. Many people think of what I’m doing here as a sacrifice, but living here for two years is really a luxury I have, something I am very lucky to be able to do. And after I’m done with my service, I have the comfort of knowing I’m going home to so many opportunities, many because of my choice to be here.
One thing I have been doing since I’ve been here is helping out with baby weighings and prenatal consultations. Mostly just the recording, can’t do much else. It’s nice to have something to do and it’s a great way to get to know the CSPS and get to know people in our region. It’s also given me ideas for possible projects. It’s nice starting to have a vision of what the next 2 years will look like and have more “concrete” ideas of what I will actually be doing. I also sometimes help take temperatures of babies in the waiting room. This makes most babies scream. I’m the boggieman with a thermometer. One girl even covered her eyes as she cried. The nurses keep telling me it’s because the babies think I’m going to give them a shot. But I think it’s because I must look like some sort of ghost. You know I’m working when you hear tons of babies screaming.
So in addition to a whole bunch of patience and slowing down, here are some of the others things I’ve learned:
• Cooking over charcoal is really hard. Right now, the entire country is out of gas that powers stoves. It’s not good because it is how CSPS’s with no electricity power the refrigerator for the vaccines. My CSPS may need to send them to Zabre (where there’s electricity) soon. For me, it means if I want to cook, I use charcoal. The first time I did it on my own, it took 2 hours just to get the water to boil. Last time, the charcoal finished before I was finished cooking. My pasta was super undercooked and the sauce was not cooked at all. So not good.
• I have some unwanted roommates. Bats. But, when I’m under my mosquito net at night, they’re not really that scary. My mosquito net is my safety blanket.
• I really like to bike. Really. So I’m way out in the bush. In one month, I’ve biked over 400 km, or 248 miles. Finally getting my cross-training in.
• It really annoys me when people keep repeating the same phrase to me in Bissa when I don’t understand it. It’s not funny. But it makes me feel slightly better to say something back in English. As long as I smile and laugh when I say it, I can probably say pretty much anything.
Friday, September 17, 2010
September 16
September 16, 2010
Been in my village for 2 ½ weeks now. It’s definitely overwhelming at times, but awesome! It’s definitely an adjustment to the pace of life. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, our first three months at site are called an “etude,” or study. We don’t start projects yet, our job is to get to know our community and integrate into it. What is means is a lot of sitting around just hanging out with people. Which in the US would be lazy, but here it’s productive and important work. I’ve learned how to play 2 of the card games here. They are not very discreet cheaters here. But I take part in that too… The onlookers who have seen everyone’s cards will occasionally tell me which cards to play. I also do the bridge shuffle, which everyone is amazed by. I told my family, after 2 years, I’ll be fluent in Bissa and they’ll be able to shuffle like me.
One of the highlights of my days are my walks. Instead of biking the 2 km to the CSPS, I like to walk. It gives me a chance to greet my neighbors and meet people along the way. It’s so funny because every day, people ask me where my bike is and if my bike is okay. (I had a flat the other day, there was a hole by the pin that couldn’t be patched, so I had to take it to the mechanic to put a new pin in. Of course, it was a process that at least 10 people were involved in helping me, whether it was insisting that I bring my bike to the mechanic, or helping my find the second mechanic at the marche who could replace the piece. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the help a lot. There’s no way my bike maintenance skills were to par here. But I’ll feel so not self-sufficient.) Anyways, I find it funny that people who are in general so unconcerned with time and generally less purpose-driven, always have to be productive as Americans are, find it weird that I walk to the CSPS instead of take my bike. But of course, people think everything I do here is weird…
The past few days, I’ve been helping weigh babies and pregnant women at the CSPS. Some kids are terrified of me. The other day, I was helping take temperatures of all the kids in the waiting area and this girl would not stop crying every time she saw me. It makes me really sad. But I love the slightly older toddlers who have just enough curiosity to shake my hand. Or the newborns who don’t realize I’m different. Tuesday afternoon during my walk, I stopped by the CSPS. Someone just told me to come, so I followed them. She led me to a room with a mother and her newborn baby girl, and I got to hold her! She was so beautiful and peacefully sleeping! It’s so different here. Never in the US would you just walk into the room of someone who just gave birth and hold their baby if you didn’t know them. But that’s not weird here. The whole community is family. And so am I. It’s amazing how quickly people have adopted me.
Holding the baby was also a moment where I realized how thankful I am to have been born in the US. I am so fortunate to have had some many opportunities that girls in many places never get. I hope that things change for that baby girl, but it’s still a place where too much of your life is decided based on where you are born.
Think that’s all for now… Hopefully I can get some pictures posted soon. I know it’s a weird place to see beauty, but I actually have a great view from my latrine (bathroom). Every time I go to the bathroom, I think to myself, “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I actually live here!”
Been in my village for 2 ½ weeks now. It’s definitely overwhelming at times, but awesome! It’s definitely an adjustment to the pace of life. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, our first three months at site are called an “etude,” or study. We don’t start projects yet, our job is to get to know our community and integrate into it. What is means is a lot of sitting around just hanging out with people. Which in the US would be lazy, but here it’s productive and important work. I’ve learned how to play 2 of the card games here. They are not very discreet cheaters here. But I take part in that too… The onlookers who have seen everyone’s cards will occasionally tell me which cards to play. I also do the bridge shuffle, which everyone is amazed by. I told my family, after 2 years, I’ll be fluent in Bissa and they’ll be able to shuffle like me.
One of the highlights of my days are my walks. Instead of biking the 2 km to the CSPS, I like to walk. It gives me a chance to greet my neighbors and meet people along the way. It’s so funny because every day, people ask me where my bike is and if my bike is okay. (I had a flat the other day, there was a hole by the pin that couldn’t be patched, so I had to take it to the mechanic to put a new pin in. Of course, it was a process that at least 10 people were involved in helping me, whether it was insisting that I bring my bike to the mechanic, or helping my find the second mechanic at the marche who could replace the piece. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the help a lot. There’s no way my bike maintenance skills were to par here. But I’ll feel so not self-sufficient.) Anyways, I find it funny that people who are in general so unconcerned with time and generally less purpose-driven, always have to be productive as Americans are, find it weird that I walk to the CSPS instead of take my bike. But of course, people think everything I do here is weird…
The past few days, I’ve been helping weigh babies and pregnant women at the CSPS. Some kids are terrified of me. The other day, I was helping take temperatures of all the kids in the waiting area and this girl would not stop crying every time she saw me. It makes me really sad. But I love the slightly older toddlers who have just enough curiosity to shake my hand. Or the newborns who don’t realize I’m different. Tuesday afternoon during my walk, I stopped by the CSPS. Someone just told me to come, so I followed them. She led me to a room with a mother and her newborn baby girl, and I got to hold her! She was so beautiful and peacefully sleeping! It’s so different here. Never in the US would you just walk into the room of someone who just gave birth and hold their baby if you didn’t know them. But that’s not weird here. The whole community is family. And so am I. It’s amazing how quickly people have adopted me.
Holding the baby was also a moment where I realized how thankful I am to have been born in the US. I am so fortunate to have had some many opportunities that girls in many places never get. I hope that things change for that baby girl, but it’s still a place where too much of your life is decided based on where you are born.
Think that’s all for now… Hopefully I can get some pictures posted soon. I know it’s a weird place to see beauty, but I actually have a great view from my latrine (bathroom). Every time I go to the bathroom, I think to myself, “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I actually live here!”
Week of Waiting
September 5, 2010
Been at my site for almost a week now. There’s definitely been moments while using my latrine in the middle of the night or biking through narrow paths in cornfields in pouring rain where I think, “What the heck am I doing out here!” But overall, it’s great. I have a really fun and welcoming family, live in an absolutely beautiful village, and work with a great CSPS staff. I’ve met so many people this week, it’s really hard to keep everyone straight. I met all the CSPS staff, community health agents from all the villages in our health area, the chef, the mayor, and some other people in the community. Slightly overwhelmed by everything, but that’s part of it all.
Friday, I was supposed to go meet a chief of a neighboring village. My counterpart said he’d be at my house around 7:30 or, if he had a lot of work the night before, 8 or 9. It rained in the morning. He didn’t call me until 11 to say he’d be there in half an hour. That’s how things work here. If it rains, you do nothing. You wait inside. The chief we were going to visit had left for Ouaga the day before, so wasn’t there, so we were going to go to another village instead. We left around 11:30, but the route was impassable because of the rain. So I went home. I was supposed to be at the CSPS by 13:00 (1 pm) for a training for something going on the next day. But, my sister insisted I wait until she finished making lunch before I left. I was all nervous about being 10 minutes late. I got there and there was only 4 other people there. We didn’t start until 16:00 (4 pm). I knew time here wasn’t that important, but wow!
Saturday and Sunday, I went out to a neighboring village to help with a “sortie.” We went out for a campaign to give out medication to prevent trachoma. I have my salutations in Bissa down pretty well. People always laugh when they hear me speak Bissa, but they love it. It was a lot of fun to go out with the other community health agents, met lots of people, and see how things work here. I’ve had kids stare at me because they were so scared, but today was the first time a baby was so scared he just screamed. It’s funny, some of the older kids like to push the younger kid who is scared towards me and see how far he’ll make it before he cries.
Today, we came back early because of the rain. It poured, but we still had to bike back about 30 minutes or so, some through narrow cornfield paths. I’ve never been so soaked in my entire life! I was wearing my rain coat, but my clothes were still completely drenched. Now I know why they don’t do anything when it rains here.
Language is still pretty tough. I feel like I’m communicating by playing charades. All day long.
Going into the “city” tomorrow to meet the MCD (the person in charge of our health district). Three other PCVs that are in the same district will also be there.
Been at my site for almost a week now. There’s definitely been moments while using my latrine in the middle of the night or biking through narrow paths in cornfields in pouring rain where I think, “What the heck am I doing out here!” But overall, it’s great. I have a really fun and welcoming family, live in an absolutely beautiful village, and work with a great CSPS staff. I’ve met so many people this week, it’s really hard to keep everyone straight. I met all the CSPS staff, community health agents from all the villages in our health area, the chef, the mayor, and some other people in the community. Slightly overwhelmed by everything, but that’s part of it all.
Friday, I was supposed to go meet a chief of a neighboring village. My counterpart said he’d be at my house around 7:30 or, if he had a lot of work the night before, 8 or 9. It rained in the morning. He didn’t call me until 11 to say he’d be there in half an hour. That’s how things work here. If it rains, you do nothing. You wait inside. The chief we were going to visit had left for Ouaga the day before, so wasn’t there, so we were going to go to another village instead. We left around 11:30, but the route was impassable because of the rain. So I went home. I was supposed to be at the CSPS by 13:00 (1 pm) for a training for something going on the next day. But, my sister insisted I wait until she finished making lunch before I left. I was all nervous about being 10 minutes late. I got there and there was only 4 other people there. We didn’t start until 16:00 (4 pm). I knew time here wasn’t that important, but wow!
Saturday and Sunday, I went out to a neighboring village to help with a “sortie.” We went out for a campaign to give out medication to prevent trachoma. I have my salutations in Bissa down pretty well. People always laugh when they hear me speak Bissa, but they love it. It was a lot of fun to go out with the other community health agents, met lots of people, and see how things work here. I’ve had kids stare at me because they were so scared, but today was the first time a baby was so scared he just screamed. It’s funny, some of the older kids like to push the younger kid who is scared towards me and see how far he’ll make it before he cries.
Today, we came back early because of the rain. It poured, but we still had to bike back about 30 minutes or so, some through narrow cornfield paths. I’ve never been so soaked in my entire life! I was wearing my rain coat, but my clothes were still completely drenched. Now I know why they don’t do anything when it rains here.
Language is still pretty tough. I feel like I’m communicating by playing charades. All day long.
Going into the “city” tomorrow to meet the MCD (the person in charge of our health district). Three other PCVs that are in the same district will also be there.
First Night at Site
August 30, 2010
While it wasn’t as dramatic as expected, I don’t think any PCV will ever forget the image of the back of the Peace Corps car that dropped them off at site driving away. As it turned around the cornfield, the last person who spoke a little English, or for that matter, could understand my French, disappeared. But, I luckily didn’t feel alone. My counterpart (the head of the CSPS), who I had already met before, was with me. I was also moving into a family compound, so my family had dinner waiting for me. (So I made the mistake of saying I liked Riz Gras. My counterpart asked me what my favorite dish here was. I don’t really like any of them, none of them are really good, so I just said riz gras. I have a feeling I’ll be eating that a lot over the next 2 years.) Anyways, knowing that I was moving in with a family and that they will take care of me when I need it, made me feel a lot better.
Vaguely started to unpack. Need to get some furniture before I can really unpack. I realized that 2 years in one house will be the longest I’ve been in one place (apartment, dorm, camp cabin) since high school. Hopefully can get some pictures up with this post of my house.
So my village is way out “en brousse” (in the bush). Really – its way out. But it is absolutely beautiful. There were 2 other PCVs in the car with me when I was dropped off. I just laughed as we drove out. And then we drove more. I’m 12 km to the main road (if you really want to call it that) and them another 15 km to the nearest “city” (which is really just one street). That is the closest place I can buy toilet paper. Stocking up whenever I go…
First night went pretty well. It poured right after dinner so just hung out in my house. I did enjoy the chocolate I bought in Ouaga as a first night treat as I sat in a dark house when rain pounding on the roof, still in unbelief that Im actually here. Last time for chocolate for a while... Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have more of a chance to hang out with the family I’m living with. Also, will be meeting the CSPS staff.
While it wasn’t as dramatic as expected, I don’t think any PCV will ever forget the image of the back of the Peace Corps car that dropped them off at site driving away. As it turned around the cornfield, the last person who spoke a little English, or for that matter, could understand my French, disappeared. But, I luckily didn’t feel alone. My counterpart (the head of the CSPS), who I had already met before, was with me. I was also moving into a family compound, so my family had dinner waiting for me. (So I made the mistake of saying I liked Riz Gras. My counterpart asked me what my favorite dish here was. I don’t really like any of them, none of them are really good, so I just said riz gras. I have a feeling I’ll be eating that a lot over the next 2 years.) Anyways, knowing that I was moving in with a family and that they will take care of me when I need it, made me feel a lot better.
Vaguely started to unpack. Need to get some furniture before I can really unpack. I realized that 2 years in one house will be the longest I’ve been in one place (apartment, dorm, camp cabin) since high school. Hopefully can get some pictures up with this post of my house.
So my village is way out “en brousse” (in the bush). Really – its way out. But it is absolutely beautiful. There were 2 other PCVs in the car with me when I was dropped off. I just laughed as we drove out. And then we drove more. I’m 12 km to the main road (if you really want to call it that) and them another 15 km to the nearest “city” (which is really just one street). That is the closest place I can buy toilet paper. Stocking up whenever I go…
First night went pretty well. It poured right after dinner so just hung out in my house. I did enjoy the chocolate I bought in Ouaga as a first night treat as I sat in a dark house when rain pounding on the roof, still in unbelief that Im actually here. Last time for chocolate for a while... Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have more of a chance to hang out with the family I’m living with. Also, will be meeting the CSPS staff.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Officially a Peace Corps Volunteer!
August 28, 2010
Training is over and we are now officially Peace Corps Volunteers. We had our swearing-in ceremony Friday at the US Embassy. The first lady of Burkina Faso came, which was a huge honor and super exciting. I leave for my regional capitol tomorrow and then on Monday, I get to my site finally! It’s crazy, can’t believe its finally here, my first day in village!
Pictures:
Left: First Lady giving a speech
Right: Health Stage August 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Bye Bye Ceremony
August 24, 2010
Had a great last few days in homestay. I’m really going to miss my family, although I can definitely come back to visit. We had a thank you ceremony on Monday that was really fun. 
Played dress up last night in some of my host mom’s traditional clothes and had a photo shoot. Hair is getting more comfortable, but it’s just really, really hot and hard to sleep with. So training has felt a lot like high school, having class all day and then going home. And this week definitely feels like the last week of school before summer gets out. Haven’t really been doing much, which has been surprisingly enjoyable. So excited for swear-in on Friday and to be an official PCV!!!!
Taco Night
August 22, 2010
This weekend was my last weekend with my host family. Unfortunately I was slightly sick because of a parasite apparently, but we had a great time. We made dinner for my host family, some variation on tacos/fajitas with what we could find here. We also made tortillas from scratch and taught them the concept of “make-your-own.” It was hysterical! They were delicious, but my family hated the tacos! Their faces were so funny as they were eating. They were saying “It’s so good,” but their faces were like “what the heck is this crap!” It’s so funny, good food is largely defined by the sorts of foods you’re used to. I do think it gave them a new appreciation for what we go through every night with the food here.
Some of the girls in my family did my hair again, but this time they added extensions. At first I was a little nervous because I was thinking they don’t really sell extension to match blonde hair here. But the match actually isn’t too bad, and you can’t really see much of my original hair anyways. Between Saturday night and again Sunday morning, it took 6 ½ hours!! And it hurt so much. The price of beauty… 
Counterpart Workshop
August 18, 2010
Met my counterpart for the first time today. He seems really, really awesome and motivated. He’s the head nurse of the health center in my village. I will be the first volunteer in my community, but my counterpart worked with a PCV in the other village that he worked in before he was posted in my village. Meeting him makes me feel really good about getting to village and working there for two years. We were talking about the village I will be living in, the CSPS there, and other things to expect. He was also asking about me. He couldn’t really understand why I would leave a paid job to become a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Kinda embarrassing, we were doing an activity about the differences in work attitudes for Americans and Burkinabé. We were talking about the power dynamics between a boss and an employee. We said it very much ranges from formal to informal. I was trying to say that if you have an informal relationship, one where you are friends, you might socialize with your boss outside of work. However, that’s not exactly what I said in French. I realized this when everyone in the room giggled. Ca va aller I guess…
Part of the Family
August 17, 2010
Wow, seriously learning patience and not stressing out every day. I had a list of things to do today during my breaks and had been planning exactly what I wanted to eat for lunch since breakfast yesterday. Of course it rained, so it meant not only did I not accomplish my errands during lunch, I also did not get my peanut butter, honey, and banana sandwich. Making matters worse, I also got the rope I use to tie stuff to my bike extremely tangled in my de-railer (the thing that does something about switching gears on your bike. I don’t know if I’m fully functional on a bike yet...). But somehow, by the end of the day, I feel like I’ve had one of the best days I’ve had here.
This morning, I went for a run with my host sister (technically host aunt, but she’s also 23). It was really awesome because girls here don’t really have the opportunity to do sports, so everyone who saw us thought we were totally crazy!!! Also, this route is absolutely gorgeous, especially in the calm of the morning. Then this evening was just so comfortable. I felt like I was just another family member. My sisters helped me practice reading my notes for my presentation tomorrow. Wallyita, my 2-year old sister, started saying my name tonight. I think it means she likes me. She even said “Bon Nuit” to me. I think that’s the first thing she’s said to me the entire time I’ve been here. She usually just looks at me, somewhat confused. Our host mom always says, “Say hello” or “Say thank you,” but she usually just shakes my hand with a confused look on her face and walks away.
Another small success this weekend, no one laughed at me while I washed my laundry. I guess I’m finally doing it right. That or they’ve just given up hope. We also talked a lot about life here versus life back home. Taught my family the terms “top secret” and “creepy critters.” Some concepts that are really different to explain (in French) to a Burkinabé: Halloween and being a single, 23-year old girl.
Also talked to my 19-year old sister about her goals. She really wants to finish school, move to America to work and make a lot of money, and then move back here and by a big house in “Ouagadou-mil” (a ritzy neighborhood in Ouagadougou, the capitol city). She said it’s a big dream, that she might not ever realize it. It was a moment where I thought about how different my mentality was than the mentality here, and also how fortunate I am to have the luxury to have big dreams about what I want to do with my life and the opportunities to pursue and achieve my dreams.
Training is over in about one week, which on one hand, I can’t believe and feel like there’s too much more I need to learn, and on the other I’m thinking “FINALLY!!!” Ready to get to site, although I’m a bit nervous (which is totally natural. The first few months are really hard). Today we talked about what our first few months at site will be like. Still can’t believe what I’m doing! I’ve come to the conclusion that you have to be slightly crazy to join the Peace Corps…
Tomorrow, we have a counterpart workshop, which means we get to meet our counterparts for the first time! I’m super excited, but super nervous. I have talked to my counterpart (the head nurse at my CSPS) on the phone once and he seems super motivated and excited to have me.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Independence Day
August 5, 2010
The past two days, we’ve had class out in a village outside the city of our training site. It’s about 30 or 45 minutes from the main part of the city. We had a rare block of “personal learning time” and a friend needed to go to the post office. I decided I wanted some exercise and would enjoy a nice bike ride. After biking 30 minutes into the city in the heat, we arrived at the post office gate which was chained. Today is Burkina’s Independence Day. They don’t celebrate it in August because it’s rainy season (meaning everyone is busy cultivating their fields, everything is based on the seasonal calendar here). They celebrate it in December with the rest of West Africa. So everyone else is busy in their fields, continuing daily tasks as usual, but the post office is closed. Ca va aller.
Upside to our seemingly pointless bike ride, we found the really awesome juice bar!! They have tons of different kinds of juice and a real espresso machine!!! Even though I was sweltering hot, I had some espresso. Not great, but good enough for here. We then got back on our bikes for the 30 minute bike ride back.
I was only in it for the bike ride, so worthwhile trip for me. Other than the fact that I forgot to put sunscreen on. When I got home that night, I said “Je suis rouge!” (I am red!), which was apparently hysterical.
The past two days, we’ve had class out in a village outside the city of our training site. It’s about 30 or 45 minutes from the main part of the city. We had a rare block of “personal learning time” and a friend needed to go to the post office. I decided I wanted some exercise and would enjoy a nice bike ride. After biking 30 minutes into the city in the heat, we arrived at the post office gate which was chained. Today is Burkina’s Independence Day. They don’t celebrate it in August because it’s rainy season (meaning everyone is busy cultivating their fields, everything is based on the seasonal calendar here). They celebrate it in December with the rest of West Africa. So everyone else is busy in their fields, continuing daily tasks as usual, but the post office is closed. Ca va aller.
Upside to our seemingly pointless bike ride, we found the really awesome juice bar!! They have tons of different kinds of juice and a real espresso machine!!! Even though I was sweltering hot, I had some espresso. Not great, but good enough for here. We then got back on our bikes for the 30 minute bike ride back.
I was only in it for the bike ride, so worthwhile trip for me. Other than the fact that I forgot to put sunscreen on. When I got home that night, I said “Je suis rouge!” (I am red!), which was apparently hysterical.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Parr
August 4, 2010
Completely exhausted, but just had some quick thoughts to share. The adorable new puppy kept me up all night last night! I guess it’s one of his first nights away from his mother and he slept outside. He cried the entire night! But he does have a name now, Kingston. My family thinks we’re totally crazy when we say hi to the dog when we get home from class.
Interesting observation in Bissa class today. We learned the vocabulary for members of your family. Parr in Bissa is family. It also means house. It’s really interesting how the words that exist within a language reveal a lot about the culture. In Bissa, there’s a lot of words to describe your family members. There’s three different words for aunt and three different words for uncle in Bissa.
Mother’s side:
•Doro – brother of your mother
•Naagouta – older sister of your mother
•Naapore – younger sister of your mother
Father’s side
•Pogdeba – sister of your father
•Babagouta – older brother of your father
•Babapore – younger brother of your father
I think the words you use to describe the family here are revealing of a culture where your rank based on gender first and then age, is so important. On your mother’s side, there’s 2 words for aunt but only 1 for uncle. Her brothers will always outrank her regardless of age. But, for her sister’s age order matters. On your father’s side, he will always outrank his sisters, so there’s only one word for aunt. But, age rank between brothers is really important, thus there are two terms for uncles on your dad’s side. Another interesting thing about the Bissa language is that there is no word for cousin. You use the same set of words you use for brothers and sisters. I think this reflects the very close nature of families here in Burkina Faso. Also, there’s a common practice here that if a man dies, his oldest brother “inherits” or adopts his family. The kids become his kids. If in a polygamous society, his brother’s widows become his wives. He has the responsibility now to take care of them. The kids of your siblings are also your children. Apparently, you can also call your uncles on your dad’s side “Baba” (or dad) as well.
In Moore, the most common local language here, the word husband has the same root as truth (“C’est vrai” in French, meaning it is true). Husband in Moore is “Sida.” “C’est vrai,” or it is true, truth in Moore is “Yaa sida.”
Completely exhausted, but just had some quick thoughts to share. The adorable new puppy kept me up all night last night! I guess it’s one of his first nights away from his mother and he slept outside. He cried the entire night! But he does have a name now, Kingston. My family thinks we’re totally crazy when we say hi to the dog when we get home from class.
Interesting observation in Bissa class today. We learned the vocabulary for members of your family. Parr in Bissa is family. It also means house. It’s really interesting how the words that exist within a language reveal a lot about the culture. In Bissa, there’s a lot of words to describe your family members. There’s three different words for aunt and three different words for uncle in Bissa.
Mother’s side:
•Doro – brother of your mother
•Naagouta – older sister of your mother
•Naapore – younger sister of your mother
Father’s side
•Pogdeba – sister of your father
•Babagouta – older brother of your father
•Babapore – younger brother of your father
I think the words you use to describe the family here are revealing of a culture where your rank based on gender first and then age, is so important. On your mother’s side, there’s 2 words for aunt but only 1 for uncle. Her brothers will always outrank her regardless of age. But, for her sister’s age order matters. On your father’s side, he will always outrank his sisters, so there’s only one word for aunt. But, age rank between brothers is really important, thus there are two terms for uncles on your dad’s side. Another interesting thing about the Bissa language is that there is no word for cousin. You use the same set of words you use for brothers and sisters. I think this reflects the very close nature of families here in Burkina Faso. Also, there’s a common practice here that if a man dies, his oldest brother “inherits” or adopts his family. The kids become his kids. If in a polygamous society, his brother’s widows become his wives. He has the responsibility now to take care of them. The kids of your siblings are also your children. Apparently, you can also call your uncles on your dad’s side “Baba” (or dad) as well.
In Moore, the most common local language here, the word husband has the same root as truth (“C’est vrai” in French, meaning it is true). Husband in Moore is “Sida.” “C’est vrai,” or it is true, truth in Moore is “Yaa sida.”
A Cute Puppy Always Makes My Day!
August 3, 2010
Great day! So I’ll admit, I’ve been slightly frustrated lately about lack of personal time and a jam-packed, totally planned schedule all the time and too much to do. But today was a very relieving day and I all of a sudden feel much calmer.
First great thing, finally made it to the post office. So the post office here is only open when I have class. It’s been an epic adventure trying to get to the post. I think I’ve tried at least 5 times in the past week and a half. This has also been a major source of the stress this past week. So this was a major accomplishment today.
Mail arrived today, which always makes life here awesome! It’s really funny when mail comes. You can feel the excitement buzzing through the training center as everyone lines up hoping to have something from home. Seriously, you have no idea the joy a letter from home brings. And no one pays any attention in the next class because they are consumed by letters or sorting through goodies in a care package.
Also had a really great day of classes. We did a sensibilisation this morning. (There’s really no good English translation for this. It’s basically an educational event or presentation.) My group presented on family planning to a group of women ages 18 plus. Not only was it great French-speaking practice, it also reminded how important it will be to work with my counterpart here. I think one of the greatest things about Peace Corps is its development philosophy. It uses a ground-up, find solutions within the community approach. That’s why integration and actually living in a village are such key parts of the Peace Corps experience. Anyways, especially when presenting on topics such as family planning, it is so important to work with your counterpart to bring more cultural understanding to the sensibilisation. The reasons why family planning is important in the US is completely different than the reason it is important here. Working with someone from the community makes sure you are relevant here. And it works. The sensibilisations were fantastic and I was really impressed with all of the creativity of the health stagirees. Really lucky to be part of such a talented, committed, and inventive group of people. We also had really engaging classes today on HIV/AIDS and positive deviance (a development theory based on using models within the community as solutions to community problems rather than looking outside).
My day got even better on my way home. So sometimes here you have to set small goals and be happy when you achieve them. Next to going to the post, another goal of mine was to buy something resembling Tupperware. Mission accomplished. It’s funny how my idea of accomplishment has changed.
My host family probably thinks Lindsay and I are totally crazy. The idea of having a pet here is very different than having a pet in the US. Pets are part of our family in the US. We buy special food for our pets. That’s not at all the case here. So all of a sudden today, this adorable puppy wandered into our room. Lindsay and I were so excited. (Have a picture, will post soon, forgot my camera cord today.) We picked it up and were ohhing and ahhing over it for at least 10 minutes. My family just laughed at us. There’s probably so many ways that we seem like complete aliens to my host family. Gosh, we can’t even eat like normal people here (although in our defense, cous-cous is hard to eat with your hands and not spill everywhere).
The night ended with us flipping through an American cooking magazine (courtesy of Lindsay’s care package) while the puppy slept in my lap. The kids loved the pictures and pretended to eat all the food. I was trying to remember what good food tasted like. Then my host siblings (2 and 8 years old) and their 7-year-old cousin danced to music videos on the TV while we talked to our Mom about living “en brosse” (in bush/in village) for 2 years. “Ca va aller” she said.
Highlight for tomorrow – cooking class! Learning how to cook here with equipment here (i.e. no microwave or refrigerator). So excited for good food!
Random Thoughts from the Week...
August 1, 2010
Started learning Bissa, my local language, this week. I don’t know my exact site yet, but Bissa is widely spoken in the center-east of the country. Here’s a good map with the regional languages labeled. http://www.ethnologue.com/maps/bfa_eth.jpg
I’ll be somewhere that region. Bissa’s very different, but it might be easier than French. There’s only 3 tenses (present, past, and future). And from what I can tell now, you don’t conjugate verbs at all. Just use the right pronoun and the verb always stays the same.
Rain here defines everything! Most of the time, it’s a sweet release from the intense heat. Other times, it’s this frustrating halt to everything! No one goes out. The other morning, my host family seemed so confused that I was leaving on time for class despite the pouring rains (and subsequent flooded roads I had to bike through). I was one of the first people there.
So most of the time, I feel like Bambi trying to learn how to walk. I usually don’t know what I’m supposed to do or what’s going on. Someone will hand me a piece of fruit and I’ll be thinking, “I have absolutely no idea what to do with this or how to eat it.” Weata (I have no idea how to spell it) is this delicious sweet and sour fruit. It tastes like Sour Patch Kids. But the first time I had one, all the kids laughed at me as I ate it. I couldn’t figure out how to open it. And then I tried to eat the pit. It makes delicious juice though. And I don’t know why it’s funny, but apparently me and Lindsay trying to wash our laundry is hysterical. I feel like I’m doing it right, it’s all soapy, but apparently I’m not doing it right. Sometime I just talk and everyone laughs. Last night, we went to get a soda before dinner with our family. I said “N’importe qui” instead of “N’importe quoi” (It doesn’t matter). Everyone thought it was hysterical. Come on, I was only one letter off, close enough. I wonder if “N’importe qui” means something totally different.
Last night, I watched a movie from Ghana with my host sisters. Movies from Ghana, hysterical. Way overdramatic, horrible acting, and completely ridiculous plot lines. Think soap operas meet trashy MTV shows. They speak English in Ghana, so the show was in English so I could (kind of) understand it. I was attempting to give recaps in French to everyone else. Fun night.
On a more serious note, we visited a CREN (malnutrition center) and have talked a lot about food security and malnutrition this week. Definitely preparing myself for the seeing and working with very emotional things. And I tend to get pretty attached to my work.
Started learning Bissa, my local language, this week. I don’t know my exact site yet, but Bissa is widely spoken in the center-east of the country. Here’s a good map with the regional languages labeled. http://www.ethnologue.com/maps/bfa_eth.jpg
I’ll be somewhere that region. Bissa’s very different, but it might be easier than French. There’s only 3 tenses (present, past, and future). And from what I can tell now, you don’t conjugate verbs at all. Just use the right pronoun and the verb always stays the same.
Rain here defines everything! Most of the time, it’s a sweet release from the intense heat. Other times, it’s this frustrating halt to everything! No one goes out. The other morning, my host family seemed so confused that I was leaving on time for class despite the pouring rains (and subsequent flooded roads I had to bike through). I was one of the first people there.
So most of the time, I feel like Bambi trying to learn how to walk. I usually don’t know what I’m supposed to do or what’s going on. Someone will hand me a piece of fruit and I’ll be thinking, “I have absolutely no idea what to do with this or how to eat it.” Weata (I have no idea how to spell it) is this delicious sweet and sour fruit. It tastes like Sour Patch Kids. But the first time I had one, all the kids laughed at me as I ate it. I couldn’t figure out how to open it. And then I tried to eat the pit. It makes delicious juice though. And I don’t know why it’s funny, but apparently me and Lindsay trying to wash our laundry is hysterical. I feel like I’m doing it right, it’s all soapy, but apparently I’m not doing it right. Sometime I just talk and everyone laughs. Last night, we went to get a soda before dinner with our family. I said “N’importe qui” instead of “N’importe quoi” (It doesn’t matter). Everyone thought it was hysterical. Come on, I was only one letter off, close enough. I wonder if “N’importe qui” means something totally different.
Last night, I watched a movie from Ghana with my host sisters. Movies from Ghana, hysterical. Way overdramatic, horrible acting, and completely ridiculous plot lines. Think soap operas meet trashy MTV shows. They speak English in Ghana, so the show was in English so I could (kind of) understand it. I was attempting to give recaps in French to everyone else. Fun night.
On a more serious note, we visited a CREN (malnutrition center) and have talked a lot about food security and malnutrition this week. Definitely preparing myself for the seeing and working with very emotional things. And I tend to get pretty attached to my work.
America’s Exports
July 29, 2010
In a place so far away that is unknown to most Americans, everyone here has an image of America. But that image is often far from reality (or what I think we want to be seen as). So it’s totally not what I expected, but my host family has satellite TV. We’ll watch the news, some TV shows and movies, and a lot of music videos. (Friends and Family Matters, by the way, are hilarious in French. Is it bad that even though I couldn’t understand the French, I pretty much knew exactly what was being said in the Friends episode I saw?) There’s one music video channel we watch that occasionally plays American songs. From watching what my host family sees of America, I must be a real shock to them. I don’t wear booty shorts or low-cut, mid-drift shirts. I’m not sure the Thong Song or WWF are some of America’s best cultural exports. I could talk forever about media and culture in America, but it really saddens me that some of the worst and most dangerous messages in American culture have been passed on, especially to a place that already faces too much. Really, is this the best cultural contribution of America?
Another interesting “export” is President Obama. He is everywhere and I’m not exactly sure what to think about it. Stores are named after him (the Obama boulangerie, Obama coiffure, Obama cell phone store). People wear Obama t-shirts and backpacks and stores sell pagnes (pieces of cloth) with his face on them. My host family has a picture of him hanging above the TV. I will admit, I’ll capitalize on that sometimes. My claim to fame here is that I live in the same city as him, that I’m Obama’s neighbor. I tried once to explain in French I saw him inaugurated, but my French isn’t quite there yet. Usually the response is, “Il est notre frère” (He is our brother). But at the same time, I feel like a lot of people here may have unrealistic hopes in him. I get the significance of his presidency, I really do and I think it’s awesome. And I’m really glad I got to be part of something so historic living in DC in 2008/2009. The other week we visited a CBO that does HIV/AIDS education, treatment, and outreach. Part of what they do is fight discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS in Burkina. They have a picture of Obama in their office. He is wearing black pants, white shirt, and tie (typical political look right?). The president of the organization said that Obama wore black and white to protest discrimination in the US, so they have adopted the same uniform to protest discrimination against those living with HIV/AIDS. I don’t know, maybe I missed something, but I’m pretty sure all politicians wear black pants and a white shirt. The thing is, even though he’s an idol here, Obama is not going to/can do/wants to do much to affect the situation of the average person in Burkina Faso. I wonder if people will ever become disillusioned with or let down by him. Just my initial impressions/wondering.
Another trainee I was talking to about this would disagree. I perceive the Obama-obsession here as a hope that he is going to do something here. My friend would say it’s not about that at all, that there’s no expectation in him, or for that matter, even an interest in what he is actually doing. She says it’s more of an image of achievement and what someone with descendents from the African continent can become.
Just some initial thoughts… I’m sure I’ll have a different perception of it all after 2 years of talking to people here.
Many people don’t know, but Peace Corps actually has three goals in its mission. The one most people know is to assist in the development of interested countries. The lesser known two are about cultural exchange. To promote understanding of America in other countries and to promote an understanding of other countries within America. It is cool to have the opportunity to give a more positive (and realistic) representation of America.
In a place so far away that is unknown to most Americans, everyone here has an image of America. But that image is often far from reality (or what I think we want to be seen as). So it’s totally not what I expected, but my host family has satellite TV. We’ll watch the news, some TV shows and movies, and a lot of music videos. (Friends and Family Matters, by the way, are hilarious in French. Is it bad that even though I couldn’t understand the French, I pretty much knew exactly what was being said in the Friends episode I saw?) There’s one music video channel we watch that occasionally plays American songs. From watching what my host family sees of America, I must be a real shock to them. I don’t wear booty shorts or low-cut, mid-drift shirts. I’m not sure the Thong Song or WWF are some of America’s best cultural exports. I could talk forever about media and culture in America, but it really saddens me that some of the worst and most dangerous messages in American culture have been passed on, especially to a place that already faces too much. Really, is this the best cultural contribution of America?
Another interesting “export” is President Obama. He is everywhere and I’m not exactly sure what to think about it. Stores are named after him (the Obama boulangerie, Obama coiffure, Obama cell phone store). People wear Obama t-shirts and backpacks and stores sell pagnes (pieces of cloth) with his face on them. My host family has a picture of him hanging above the TV. I will admit, I’ll capitalize on that sometimes. My claim to fame here is that I live in the same city as him, that I’m Obama’s neighbor. I tried once to explain in French I saw him inaugurated, but my French isn’t quite there yet. Usually the response is, “Il est notre frère” (He is our brother). But at the same time, I feel like a lot of people here may have unrealistic hopes in him. I get the significance of his presidency, I really do and I think it’s awesome. And I’m really glad I got to be part of something so historic living in DC in 2008/2009. The other week we visited a CBO that does HIV/AIDS education, treatment, and outreach. Part of what they do is fight discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS in Burkina. They have a picture of Obama in their office. He is wearing black pants, white shirt, and tie (typical political look right?). The president of the organization said that Obama wore black and white to protest discrimination in the US, so they have adopted the same uniform to protest discrimination against those living with HIV/AIDS. I don’t know, maybe I missed something, but I’m pretty sure all politicians wear black pants and a white shirt. The thing is, even though he’s an idol here, Obama is not going to/can do/wants to do much to affect the situation of the average person in Burkina Faso. I wonder if people will ever become disillusioned with or let down by him. Just my initial impressions/wondering.
Another trainee I was talking to about this would disagree. I perceive the Obama-obsession here as a hope that he is going to do something here. My friend would say it’s not about that at all, that there’s no expectation in him, or for that matter, even an interest in what he is actually doing. She says it’s more of an image of achievement and what someone with descendents from the African continent can become.
Just some initial thoughts… I’m sure I’ll have a different perception of it all after 2 years of talking to people here.
Many people don’t know, but Peace Corps actually has three goals in its mission. The one most people know is to assist in the development of interested countries. The lesser known two are about cultural exchange. To promote understanding of America in other countries and to promote an understanding of other countries within America. It is cool to have the opportunity to give a more positive (and realistic) representation of America.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Crispy...
July 26, 2010
Just a quick note. Time for bed right now. Bugs, not so bad. They were cooked, so they pretty much just tasted crispy. Not my new favorite snack, I’ll stick with peanuts. But if you had given them to me blindfolded, I wouldn’t have guessed bugs.
You know the episode of Friends where Joey tries to learn French? Sometimes I feel like Joey. I feel like I’m saying the right things, but nobody understands my French. Ca va aller.
We spoke to two midwives from CSPS in our training city today. Definitely thought a lot about the things I will see and preparing myself mentally for dealing with seeing really tough things.
Just a quick note. Time for bed right now. Bugs, not so bad. They were cooked, so they pretty much just tasted crispy. Not my new favorite snack, I’ll stick with peanuts. But if you had given them to me blindfolded, I wouldn’t have guessed bugs.
You know the episode of Friends where Joey tries to learn French? Sometimes I feel like Joey. I feel like I’m saying the right things, but nobody understands my French. Ca va aller.
We spoke to two midwives from CSPS in our training city today. Definitely thought a lot about the things I will see and preparing myself mentally for dealing with seeing really tough things.
Bugs for Breakfast
July 24, 2010
My host family is awesome. They’re so much fun and super nice. Today, my mom and some friends braided our hair (we’re in host families in pairs of two. Lindsay is the other trainee I’m staying with).
So we helped catch breakfast tonight. We were sitting inside watching TV (PS – Family Matters is hilarious in French), and lots of bugs were flying into the house. I glanced over at the bugs. Apparently my interest was enough for my mother to say “On peut le manger,” to which I responded “Quoi?!” After repeating to me multiple times that you can eat these bugs, I finally realized that it wasn’t my French comprehension that was the problem, but my crazy notion that bugs aren’t food for people. So my host brother catches one for me and hands it to me. Not really a fan of bugs, I’m holding it by the wing with my arm extended. They keep telling me to eat it, and I’m thinking, “Wow my French must be really bad because there’s no why I’m supposed to eat this.” After letting it go, my host mom said she’d prepare some for us for breakfast tomorrow. When the rest of the kids went outside to catch them, Lindsey and I joined them for some bug catching. Can’t believe we’re eating bugs for breakfast. Good source of protein. Still not exactly sure what the name of the bug is, but from what I gather, they come in with the rains and are attracted to light. I’ll update you on how delicious they are tomorrow!
West African International Time - WAIT
July 22, 2010
So as much as people warned us, one of the hardest things to adjust to is time here. The time zone is West African International Time – WAIT. It’s still tough to get out of the time is money mindset.
Today, we did a sensibilisation at a primary school in a village outside of our training city. Students are out of school for the summer, but the director was able to get some of the class to come in. We were supposed to meet up at 7:30 so we could begin at 8. Since I had never biked out to village, my host sister accompanied me the 6 km there. At 7:00 am, I was ready to go, but breakfast wasn’t ready yet. I was getting anxious, but tried to not worry. By 7:20, I had eaten breakfast and informed my host mother that I needed to leave. Problem was it had rained the entire night. Actually, let me rephrase that, it monsooned. I now see why no one does anything when it rains here. We left the house for village, me on my bike, my sister on her moto. So when it rains, the streets flood completely. It was like biking in a river. My foot got stuck in the mud and there were times while peddling, my peddle and whole foot would emerge in the water. After a difficult ride, only 25 minutes late, I arrived to no students. Because of the rain, no one came. Ca va aller.
We were able to do our lesson later in the afternoon. Just another moment where you remember to go with the flow and not worry or stress out. Time does not exist here and rain stops everything. Learning patience and flexibility every day I’m here. Ca va aller.
So as much as people warned us, one of the hardest things to adjust to is time here. The time zone is West African International Time – WAIT. It’s still tough to get out of the time is money mindset.
Today, we did a sensibilisation at a primary school in a village outside of our training city. Students are out of school for the summer, but the director was able to get some of the class to come in. We were supposed to meet up at 7:30 so we could begin at 8. Since I had never biked out to village, my host sister accompanied me the 6 km there. At 7:00 am, I was ready to go, but breakfast wasn’t ready yet. I was getting anxious, but tried to not worry. By 7:20, I had eaten breakfast and informed my host mother that I needed to leave. Problem was it had rained the entire night. Actually, let me rephrase that, it monsooned. I now see why no one does anything when it rains here. We left the house for village, me on my bike, my sister on her moto. So when it rains, the streets flood completely. It was like biking in a river. My foot got stuck in the mud and there were times while peddling, my peddle and whole foot would emerge in the water. After a difficult ride, only 25 minutes late, I arrived to no students. Because of the rain, no one came. Ca va aller.
We were able to do our lesson later in the afternoon. Just another moment where you remember to go with the flow and not worry or stress out. Time does not exist here and rain stops everything. Learning patience and flexibility every day I’m here. Ca va aller.
Narsara, Nasara!
Sorry for multiple posts at once - It's a lot easier to type them all at home and then post a bunch at once when I get internet. I'll try to date them all.
July 21, 2010
So one of the bizarre feelings of training is this completely crazy, what the heck am I doing feeling that has this odd calm to it. It’s really weird for such insanity to result in a calmness about everything that I am about to do. I think it just means I’m in the right place, doing the right thing. That it’s scary, exciting, and completely crazy, but that’s the wonderfulness of it all.
One of my favorite parts of training so far has been the conversations we’ve had with health workers and educators here. We’ve had a chance to talk to CSPS (health center) staff members, a CoGES (community-elected governing board of a CSPS), and different community-based organizations around health education. While the language barrier makes the conversations more difficult, one benefit from this is it forces me to listen to the answer to a question. I think Americans have become good at asking questions, but not really caring about or listening to an answer, or only listening to what we want to hear. We’re good at tuning out, whether it’s in a college lecture class or just checking in with a friend. There’s always something to be preoccupied with. When you have to translate mentally what is said, it forces you to listen and understand. It’s been really cool having conversations with organizations here about what the health issues are and how they could be fixed. It’s given me a more defined idea of the challenges I will face as a health professional in Burkina Faso and an understanding of the approach to health in Burkina Faso.
Moved into my host family this week and they’re totally awesome. I have two siblings, ages 2 and 8. My host mom is really cool and she works for an organization that does health education in villages, so we’ll definitely have a lot to talk about. They live in the “suburbs” of the city we are training in. They have running water, electricity, flush toilets, and satellite TV. I was originally bummed out because I wanted the true village experience in my host family to prepare me for my site. But then I remembered I have two whole years of using a hole in the ground for a toilet. It is odd because sometimes an American music video will come on the TV and I will almost forget how far away I am. As a health volunteer, I will be placed “en brousse,” (in the bush), and I certainly will not have these amenities after training, so I may as well enjoy them now. We also have a cat and two dogs, one named Scooby Doo.
Nasara is the Moore (a local language in Burkina Faso) term for foreigner. As we walk down the street, we are guaranteed to hear it multiple times. Often times I hear it in the marche, but usually that means “Hey foreigner. You have money, come buy my product.” That I try to ignore. But it always makes me smile when a kid says it laughing, pointing, and sometimes running after us. Some people are offended by this, that we have names other than Nasara. I find it endearing. It’s more out of interest and curiosity than being derogatory or harmful. It’s so funny how we’ve gathered quite a following of kids. As soon as we leave our training site, we have at least 4 kids following us, usually holding our hands. And they will hang out with us throughout whatever we are doing, even if it is eating dinner. Once you get over the crazy idea that their parents aren’t worried about where they are or that they’re with strangers, it’s actually quite fun. I’ve had so much fun attempting to learn to count to 5 in Moore, which I’m really bad at so we just laughed instead. I’ve also learned that some things transcend language. Like hand clapping games. The fun seems to be universal and you don’t need to speak the same language to play with someone. I’m sure soon the hand holding while I’m walking or being a human zoo will get annoying, but right now, I love having instant friends who walk me back to the training center after lunch.
July 21, 2010
So one of the bizarre feelings of training is this completely crazy, what the heck am I doing feeling that has this odd calm to it. It’s really weird for such insanity to result in a calmness about everything that I am about to do. I think it just means I’m in the right place, doing the right thing. That it’s scary, exciting, and completely crazy, but that’s the wonderfulness of it all.
One of my favorite parts of training so far has been the conversations we’ve had with health workers and educators here. We’ve had a chance to talk to CSPS (health center) staff members, a CoGES (community-elected governing board of a CSPS), and different community-based organizations around health education. While the language barrier makes the conversations more difficult, one benefit from this is it forces me to listen to the answer to a question. I think Americans have become good at asking questions, but not really caring about or listening to an answer, or only listening to what we want to hear. We’re good at tuning out, whether it’s in a college lecture class or just checking in with a friend. There’s always something to be preoccupied with. When you have to translate mentally what is said, it forces you to listen and understand. It’s been really cool having conversations with organizations here about what the health issues are and how they could be fixed. It’s given me a more defined idea of the challenges I will face as a health professional in Burkina Faso and an understanding of the approach to health in Burkina Faso.
Moved into my host family this week and they’re totally awesome. I have two siblings, ages 2 and 8. My host mom is really cool and she works for an organization that does health education in villages, so we’ll definitely have a lot to talk about. They live in the “suburbs” of the city we are training in. They have running water, electricity, flush toilets, and satellite TV. I was originally bummed out because I wanted the true village experience in my host family to prepare me for my site. But then I remembered I have two whole years of using a hole in the ground for a toilet. It is odd because sometimes an American music video will come on the TV and I will almost forget how far away I am. As a health volunteer, I will be placed “en brousse,” (in the bush), and I certainly will not have these amenities after training, so I may as well enjoy them now. We also have a cat and two dogs, one named Scooby Doo.
Nasara is the Moore (a local language in Burkina Faso) term for foreigner. As we walk down the street, we are guaranteed to hear it multiple times. Often times I hear it in the marche, but usually that means “Hey foreigner. You have money, come buy my product.” That I try to ignore. But it always makes me smile when a kid says it laughing, pointing, and sometimes running after us. Some people are offended by this, that we have names other than Nasara. I find it endearing. It’s more out of interest and curiosity than being derogatory or harmful. It’s so funny how we’ve gathered quite a following of kids. As soon as we leave our training site, we have at least 4 kids following us, usually holding our hands. And they will hang out with us throughout whatever we are doing, even if it is eating dinner. Once you get over the crazy idea that their parents aren’t worried about where they are or that they’re with strangers, it’s actually quite fun. I’ve had so much fun attempting to learn to count to 5 in Moore, which I’m really bad at so we just laughed instead. I’ve also learned that some things transcend language. Like hand clapping games. The fun seems to be universal and you don’t need to speak the same language to play with someone. I’m sure soon the hand holding while I’m walking or being a human zoo will get annoying, but right now, I love having instant friends who walk me back to the training center after lunch.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Three Weeks In
I can’t believe I’m finally here! I’ve been in Burkina Faso for three weeks, but it still feels so surreal. I still have moments where it hits me and I can hardly believe what I’m doing because it’s so crazy. I’m going to live in a completely different world and speak a completely different language for 2 years… and somehow manage to do something in health development…Training has been going great. I am in a stage (training group) of 79 people from four different sectors. There are programs in community health development (my sector), girls’ education and empowerment, small enterprise development, and secondary education. Most of us met in Philly in late June (secondary ed had to come 3 weeks earlier), and travelled here together. I still remember the first night – we arrived at the airport, and the power was off so we stood outside for about 15 minutes. After meeting the country director and being herded through customs like cattle, the chaos of baggage claim began. So you know the conveyor belts they have at most airports, no not here. Basically they start piling up the baggage in a small space and everyone pushes through to find their buried bags. It’s completely chaotic and overwhelming. I think at one point I just gave up and decided to wait until everyone had taken there stuff and mine would be easier to find. Patience is a skill I will develop here.
After a few days in the capitol city of Ouagadougou (Ouaga) and getting four shots in one day, we headed to our training site. Every day we have four classes. We take classes in language, medical (how to not get malaria, the diarrhea you will avoidable get, stuff like that), technical (stuff related to health development), safety and security, and cross-culture. Language is definitely the most overwhelming part of it. I feel like I’m so far away from being functional in French, let alone a local language too. People keep telling me not to worry, that it will come. I really hope they’re right. I really enjoy our technical training, the stuff on health development. It’s super interesting and it’s making me really excited for the work I’ll be doing over the next two years. We’ve learned about the health care system in Burkina, the structure of the CSPS (health center) and CoGES (community governing board of the CSPS), and analyzing community needs. We’ve also learned about malaria and how to make liquid soap.
Village life is a lot easier to adjust to than most people think. It will definitely be harder when I’m on my own instead of with a host family because I will have to do chores completely on my own, but the simplicity is actually quite enjoyable. There’s something really incredible about a bucket bath under the stars.
Since we’ve been in Burkina Faso, everyone we’ve meet has been so incredibly nice and welcoming. It’s awesome the way people here will always go out of their way to help someone, even a complete stranger. Biking is the main mode of transport for Peace Corps Volunteers. As part of our training, we got to shadow a Peace Corps Volunteer for a few days at her site. I went with three other people to a village close to the capitol city. During this trip, we had bike issues pretty much every time we tried to go somewhere. My friend’s bike broke down as soon as we got off the bush taxi (an experience in itself) and within minutes, we had four people around us, helping us try to fix it. It was beyond repair at the moment, so one of the guys (a friend of the volunteer we were visiting), gave us his bike to use while he sat on the back of another guy’s bike. Someone else volunteered to take the bike to the repair shop so we could have it fixed and pick it up the next morning. They are also good at making anything work again here, no matter how broken it seems.
The welcoming spirit is reflected in many ways in the culture of the Burkinabe. One custom here to greet a guest is to bring them a bowl of welcome water. There’s nothing special about the water, it’s a symbol. Unfortunately, because it’s straight from the pump and I don’t have the stomach for that yet, I have to pretend to drink it. Giving gifts is also a big thing in this culture. Despite the fact that they may not have anything to give, when a guest comes, they like to give the guest a gift. And it is extremely rude to refuse a gift. When we went to visit a current volunteer at her site, it’s respectful to go around and greet important people and elders in the village. We went to visit the chief, the imam, the pastor, some elders, and the president of the CoGES (the governing board of the health center). We were given a lot of pintard eggs and three live chickens. Just in case you didn’t know, I have a slight fear of birds. When we were given the chicken, everyone started passing it around. Figured I should start getting over my fear of birds. Better start now when I can quickly pass it off to someone else than when I have to bike it home on the handlebars of my bike all alone. So as the chicken came to me, with a bit of hesitation and multiple reaches, I held it. Everyone laughed at me, particularly the Burkinabe. Being afraid to hold a chicken is not something that happens here. And then we ate the chicken for dinner.
Getting to visit a current volunteer for a few days was really helpful. Because the job of a community health development worker is so elusive and vague, it was really awesome to see what a volunteer on the ground actually does. It was a moment where I could really picture myself doing this for the next two years. While there's definitely a sense of excitement about it all, everything is still really overwhelming. Thinking about language, technical skills, and being able to adapt. But I’m learning to not worry and be patient here. I’m really excited for both the opportunities and the challenges I will have here over the next two years. There’s a saying in French here “Ca va aller.” It basically means, “It’ll be fine” or “Don’t worry about it.” It’s a very useful saying here. It works when I’m frustrated about something, when I’m stressed out about something, or when I don’t know what’s going on. It also works when I don’t understand what people are saying to me in French. I say it and people seem to just laugh. I have a feeling that “Ca va aller” may be a theme throughout my next two years here…
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