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…

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!”

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.

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.