November 7, 2011
Barka de Salla! Another year has gone by marked by the celebration of the Muslim holiday of Tabaski. What change a year can bring. I am now living in a different country and in a community of predominately Christians, rather than a community of 99% Muslims. Similar to Christmas in the states, everyone here, regardless of religion, pretty much celebrates Tabaski (hey, you get the day off). What I find interesting is how the celebration occurs. In Niger, the Muslims don’t drink alcohol, but in Burkina that’s apparently how you celebrate Tabaski (at least when you’re with a group of non-Muslims). Because Tabaski isn’t really celebrated in my village, I was planning to take it easy that day, but when I was invited to attend a fete in the next town over, I thought it would be good to go (especially since many of my village’s most prominent people were in the group). I imagined that we would be going to someone’s house to celebrate with them. Nope. Going to the fete meant going bar hopping. Quite bizarre.
Tabaski also marks the anniversary of the death of my friend Malika in Niger. My thoughts are with her and her family (my family in Niger).
November 12, 2011
Education in Burkina Faso is such a weird thing. First of all, the fact that it’s a privilege to go to school – even primary school! It amazes me when I walk around my village in the middle of the day and find children of all ages working and playing. Is it that they don’t want to go to school? Nope. OK, certainly for some that’s the case, but more often than not, these kids are not attending school because their families cannot afford to send them. The cost of tuition each year is 1 million CFA – roughly US$2. Some of these kids are so smart too! It breaks my heart to think that they are not going to school because of such a small amount of money- the cost of a notebook in the states. Of course, there is a larger financial picture, the cost of supplies (which is minimal), as well as the cost of lost income – but what price can you put on the stunted potential of these kids?
Once the kids get in the classroom, the situation becomes marginally better. I say this because the kids are more motivated than the teachers much of the time (which is not what I consider to be a great learning environment). Often teachers don’t show up or don’t actively involve the class in learning (not to mention the corporal punishment).
I am very lucky to work with a man who is quite possibly the most motivated teacher in Burkina Faso. He is truly dedicated to the success of his students. He works tirelessly to help them understand the information they need to move on to the next level of their education. I don’t know if this is the case in all classes, but I believe the students sense this and really strive to do their best. Whenever the teacher asks a question, nearly every hand in the class goes up. It’s a classroom, where it’s OK to ask “why”. This might sound insignificant, but the education system here is more about memorization than actual understanding.
Yesterday I sat with the class while the teacher was in a training session in the next town over. It was amazing, with no adult supervision, the students not only did their assignments (and behaved while doing them), but then corrected them as a class – with full class participation! I shudder to think of a 6th grade classroom in the states when the teacher leaves for five minutes – let alone all day! The students in school truly WANT to learn, I just wish they had more and better opportunities for success.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Friday, November 04, 2011
My First Month at Site
September 17, 2011
Je suis triste. I am sad. I mentioned before that I wasn’t looking forward to leaving my host family, but now that the time is here, I just plain don’t like it. My host mom (who is only 2 years older than me) says that she won’t let me leave without a signed demand from the Peace Corps. I feel so loved and welcomed. How can I leave them now??? The family is threatening to send their two year old daughter, Grace with me because they don’t want to hear the constant “Eye-in, Eye-in” as she calls for me, and the second youngest daughter Giselle is planning on packing herself in one of my bags and coming along with me. I’ve stayed with several host families in my past travels, but never have I been placed in a family that felt so much like home (in fact, i was counting down the days to leave the other families).
I leave the training site for a week in Ouaga at 9:00am tomorrow morning. If I feel this way now, I can’t imagine how I’m going to feel in the morning, when as a family, we will carry my (heavy) bags to the training center for my departure - the opposite actions of just three months ago (although, at that time I was terrified).
To the Douamba Family, I will never be able to thank you enough. You welcomed me into not just your home, but your family. I will visit you again in the future, but a visit will never be long enough. Merci beaucoup to each and every one of you. I will carry you with me throughout all of my Burkina travels –and beyond.
September 28, 2011
Well, I’m finally at site! I arrived yesterday, so today was my first full day here. While washing my clothes, four young kids came to say hello. And by “hello” I mean that they sat silently and watched me wash my laundry. When I was done, I told them that I need to go take a shower and that I would see them later. To me, this meant, it’s time to go now. Apparently to them, it meant it was time to stand outside my door and call to me.
I spent the remainder of my morning walking through tall corn stalks to each of my neighbor’s houses to greet them and introduce myself. All the reactions were overwhelmingly positive, but it is even clearer to me now how it important it will be for me to learn Lobiri as soon as possible – as well as improve my French.
This afternoon, I was once again visited by some of my young friends (I must admit to missing the gate I had in Niger). As I sat there talking with them, I realized just how sheltered I had become while living with my host family. In many ways I forgot the conditions that many people live in here. The children were dirty, had open sores, ring worm, a foot infection, etc. Flies hovered around and followed the children. In town I’ve seen many conditions that are very rarely seen in the west. How could I have forgotten about all this? I wish I was a medical professional so that I could treat their wounds and change their filthy bandages.
Tomorrow morning I will start my day by observing – and possibly helping, in the maternity ward of the local clinic. Since it will be a market day (held every 5 days), women from throughout the area will come to town to have their babies weighed and to monitor their pregnancies. I’m looking forward to getting back to work!
Update: My new address (for the next 2 years):
Alynn Woodson
BP 54
Gaoua, Burkina Faso
West Africa
(If you’ve sent something to the other address, don’t worry, I’ll still get it).
Talk to you soon!
P.S. How have I been here for nearly two days and still not have a cat?
September 29, 2011
OK, I may or may not have just agreed to meet my counterpart at 7 am tomorrow morning to ride 10+ km to give out polio vaccinations. I’m really looking forward to it, but I REALLY hope someone shows up with a car!
Turns out getting back to work really was like old times – I was the first to arrive and I waited over an hour until anything happened. But during that time I had the opportunity to sit under a beautiful tree and meet people as they came to the clinic. I just may make that part of my regular routine.
Weighing babies in Burkina is definitely different from weighing babies in Niger. For one, we were actually inside a room and not outside with the scale hanging from a tree. But what hit me most were the fat babies! Of all the babies we saw today (25-30 maybe), only ONE was malnourished! What a phenomenal difference!
September 30, 2011
Today was a good day. Things started out a little rough due to some language miscommunications, but in the end I vaccinated 80+ children against polio – and met a lot of the community at the same time. Rather than traveling to the outlying villages, Armelle and I walked the fields of Perigban. From one house to another we wondered down small paths through corn fields that dwarfed me in size. While it was everyday life for Armelle, it was a little magical for me. Exhausting and hot, but wonderful. We covered one side of the road today, so tomorrow we’ll do it all again on the other side!
After lunch, I went by the CSPS (the clinic) to see what was going on. I was given the biggest compliment, when the head nurse (there are no doctors), told me that they had discussed it, and they don’t think I should work with the schools, that I should only work with them. If only they knew how much I’d love that (no offense to the schools). I spent the rest of the afternoon in the dispensaire helping to inventory all the supplies. It definitely helped me get a better picture of what medications/supplies are available to the community and how much everything costs.
To top everything off, I made myself delicious and healthy stir fry! Now I just need to find something sweet…
School starts on Monday, I can’t wait to see what it brings!
October 3, 2011
First scorpion found in my house – yikes!
October 12, 2011
Yet another hot, humid day here in Southwest Burkina Faso – I can’t wait for the rain! But to be honest, I would trade it all for a few hours of autumn in the Northeast! I miss the sights and smells – and of course – the tastes of fall!
OK, back to Burkina. Imagine what it would be like in the states if on the first day of school the teachers just didn’t show up. That’s what it’s like here. The kids either sit in their classroom doing nothing or else play in the courtyard – but the teachers are absent. Can you imagine the uproar of parents in the states if this were to happen? So, now we’re a week and a half into the school year – and it still happens! Of the six teachers at the school, two taught (and I must give them credit, they have been teaching consistently since the beginning of the year), one teacher decided to take a trip (without asking permission) and the rest sat at their desks under a tree drinking tea. All this while the students were completely unoccupied. It’s madness! And when I ask about it (to one of the teachers who HAS been teaching), I’m told that yes, it sucks, but that’s just the way it is. So frustrating!
October 26, 2011
It’s been a little while, so I thought I best write a little post. Things here are going pretty well – there are the daily ups and downs, but all in all things are good. My community continues to be wonderful to me. Since I last wrote I’ve found many more scorpions, bats, mice, roaches, ants, termites, spiders, etc. But more importantly, I’ve added a rambunctious, adorable kitten to my home! I hope in time he will take care of the rest of our visitors (I’m currently helping him hone is killer instincts). He is a little orange fluffball named Aminu (after my young neighbor in Niger). He’ll pounce on anything inside the house, but he’s terrified of the outside. Go figure.
I’ve started leading an English Club for my students. So far the turn-out has been great – over 60 students! Hopefully the trend will continue, but you really never know. Aside from the time I spend at the school, I’m continuing to help out at the medical clinic each week.
One thing that I find myself really missing recently is the sense of family and camaraderie from Niger. Each region was a family there; here, I hardly know anyone near me. It makes me a bit sad at times. It makes the hard times harder. I wish some of my friends were located closer to me.
October 29, 2011
Let me set the scene for you…It was a slow morning for me today, not because I didn’t have anywhere to be, but because I wasn’t feeling well and had a headache. Somewhat uncharacteristically for me here (although quite normal at home), I decided to lie down for a few minutes before leaving for the day. As I lay quietly in bed, Aminu decides to be a little terror, so I kick him out of the mosquito net. A few minutes later, I hear a noise like a plastic bag rustling around. I assume the sound is Aminu even though I can’t imagine what he’s playing with. The next minute I roll over and see Aminu staring at me, frozen with fear in his eyes…the sound continues. A bit freaked out now, I get out of bed only to find that – literally – thousands of ants have fallen through the ceiling!!!!!! I look up and see a line of several hundred more. I hate swarms! What’s worse, when I went into the kitchen to get the insecticide I saw that they were in there too!!!!! I need a cruise.
October 30, 2011
I knew I should’ve left for that cruise immediately. Believe it or not, the situation I described yesterday actually got worse. You see, I THOUGHT I had done a good job of cleaning up all of the evil ants – but I never considered one thing – that somehow, someway, they could get into my mosquito net. But alas, they can and they did. When I went to bed I was stung repeatedly. It was horrible! Cruise – now please!
Je suis triste. I am sad. I mentioned before that I wasn’t looking forward to leaving my host family, but now that the time is here, I just plain don’t like it. My host mom (who is only 2 years older than me) says that she won’t let me leave without a signed demand from the Peace Corps. I feel so loved and welcomed. How can I leave them now??? The family is threatening to send their two year old daughter, Grace with me because they don’t want to hear the constant “Eye-in, Eye-in” as she calls for me, and the second youngest daughter Giselle is planning on packing herself in one of my bags and coming along with me. I’ve stayed with several host families in my past travels, but never have I been placed in a family that felt so much like home (in fact, i was counting down the days to leave the other families).
I leave the training site for a week in Ouaga at 9:00am tomorrow morning. If I feel this way now, I can’t imagine how I’m going to feel in the morning, when as a family, we will carry my (heavy) bags to the training center for my departure - the opposite actions of just three months ago (although, at that time I was terrified).
To the Douamba Family, I will never be able to thank you enough. You welcomed me into not just your home, but your family. I will visit you again in the future, but a visit will never be long enough. Merci beaucoup to each and every one of you. I will carry you with me throughout all of my Burkina travels –and beyond.
September 28, 2011
Well, I’m finally at site! I arrived yesterday, so today was my first full day here. While washing my clothes, four young kids came to say hello. And by “hello” I mean that they sat silently and watched me wash my laundry. When I was done, I told them that I need to go take a shower and that I would see them later. To me, this meant, it’s time to go now. Apparently to them, it meant it was time to stand outside my door and call to me.
I spent the remainder of my morning walking through tall corn stalks to each of my neighbor’s houses to greet them and introduce myself. All the reactions were overwhelmingly positive, but it is even clearer to me now how it important it will be for me to learn Lobiri as soon as possible – as well as improve my French.
This afternoon, I was once again visited by some of my young friends (I must admit to missing the gate I had in Niger). As I sat there talking with them, I realized just how sheltered I had become while living with my host family. In many ways I forgot the conditions that many people live in here. The children were dirty, had open sores, ring worm, a foot infection, etc. Flies hovered around and followed the children. In town I’ve seen many conditions that are very rarely seen in the west. How could I have forgotten about all this? I wish I was a medical professional so that I could treat their wounds and change their filthy bandages.
Tomorrow morning I will start my day by observing – and possibly helping, in the maternity ward of the local clinic. Since it will be a market day (held every 5 days), women from throughout the area will come to town to have their babies weighed and to monitor their pregnancies. I’m looking forward to getting back to work!
Update: My new address (for the next 2 years):
Alynn Woodson
BP 54
Gaoua, Burkina Faso
West Africa
(If you’ve sent something to the other address, don’t worry, I’ll still get it).
Talk to you soon!
P.S. How have I been here for nearly two days and still not have a cat?
September 29, 2011
OK, I may or may not have just agreed to meet my counterpart at 7 am tomorrow morning to ride 10+ km to give out polio vaccinations. I’m really looking forward to it, but I REALLY hope someone shows up with a car!
Turns out getting back to work really was like old times – I was the first to arrive and I waited over an hour until anything happened. But during that time I had the opportunity to sit under a beautiful tree and meet people as they came to the clinic. I just may make that part of my regular routine.
Weighing babies in Burkina is definitely different from weighing babies in Niger. For one, we were actually inside a room and not outside with the scale hanging from a tree. But what hit me most were the fat babies! Of all the babies we saw today (25-30 maybe), only ONE was malnourished! What a phenomenal difference!
September 30, 2011
Today was a good day. Things started out a little rough due to some language miscommunications, but in the end I vaccinated 80+ children against polio – and met a lot of the community at the same time. Rather than traveling to the outlying villages, Armelle and I walked the fields of Perigban. From one house to another we wondered down small paths through corn fields that dwarfed me in size. While it was everyday life for Armelle, it was a little magical for me. Exhausting and hot, but wonderful. We covered one side of the road today, so tomorrow we’ll do it all again on the other side!
After lunch, I went by the CSPS (the clinic) to see what was going on. I was given the biggest compliment, when the head nurse (there are no doctors), told me that they had discussed it, and they don’t think I should work with the schools, that I should only work with them. If only they knew how much I’d love that (no offense to the schools). I spent the rest of the afternoon in the dispensaire helping to inventory all the supplies. It definitely helped me get a better picture of what medications/supplies are available to the community and how much everything costs.
To top everything off, I made myself delicious and healthy stir fry! Now I just need to find something sweet…
School starts on Monday, I can’t wait to see what it brings!
October 3, 2011
First scorpion found in my house – yikes!
October 12, 2011
Yet another hot, humid day here in Southwest Burkina Faso – I can’t wait for the rain! But to be honest, I would trade it all for a few hours of autumn in the Northeast! I miss the sights and smells – and of course – the tastes of fall!
OK, back to Burkina. Imagine what it would be like in the states if on the first day of school the teachers just didn’t show up. That’s what it’s like here. The kids either sit in their classroom doing nothing or else play in the courtyard – but the teachers are absent. Can you imagine the uproar of parents in the states if this were to happen? So, now we’re a week and a half into the school year – and it still happens! Of the six teachers at the school, two taught (and I must give them credit, they have been teaching consistently since the beginning of the year), one teacher decided to take a trip (without asking permission) and the rest sat at their desks under a tree drinking tea. All this while the students were completely unoccupied. It’s madness! And when I ask about it (to one of the teachers who HAS been teaching), I’m told that yes, it sucks, but that’s just the way it is. So frustrating!
October 26, 2011
It’s been a little while, so I thought I best write a little post. Things here are going pretty well – there are the daily ups and downs, but all in all things are good. My community continues to be wonderful to me. Since I last wrote I’ve found many more scorpions, bats, mice, roaches, ants, termites, spiders, etc. But more importantly, I’ve added a rambunctious, adorable kitten to my home! I hope in time he will take care of the rest of our visitors (I’m currently helping him hone is killer instincts). He is a little orange fluffball named Aminu (after my young neighbor in Niger). He’ll pounce on anything inside the house, but he’s terrified of the outside. Go figure.
I’ve started leading an English Club for my students. So far the turn-out has been great – over 60 students! Hopefully the trend will continue, but you really never know. Aside from the time I spend at the school, I’m continuing to help out at the medical clinic each week.
One thing that I find myself really missing recently is the sense of family and camaraderie from Niger. Each region was a family there; here, I hardly know anyone near me. It makes me a bit sad at times. It makes the hard times harder. I wish some of my friends were located closer to me.
October 29, 2011
Let me set the scene for you…It was a slow morning for me today, not because I didn’t have anywhere to be, but because I wasn’t feeling well and had a headache. Somewhat uncharacteristically for me here (although quite normal at home), I decided to lie down for a few minutes before leaving for the day. As I lay quietly in bed, Aminu decides to be a little terror, so I kick him out of the mosquito net. A few minutes later, I hear a noise like a plastic bag rustling around. I assume the sound is Aminu even though I can’t imagine what he’s playing with. The next minute I roll over and see Aminu staring at me, frozen with fear in his eyes…the sound continues. A bit freaked out now, I get out of bed only to find that – literally – thousands of ants have fallen through the ceiling!!!!!! I look up and see a line of several hundred more. I hate swarms! What’s worse, when I went into the kitchen to get the insecticide I saw that they were in there too!!!!! I need a cruise.
October 30, 2011
I knew I should’ve left for that cruise immediately. Believe it or not, the situation I described yesterday actually got worse. You see, I THOUGHT I had done a good job of cleaning up all of the evil ants – but I never considered one thing – that somehow, someway, they could get into my mosquito net. But alas, they can and they did. When I went to bed I was stung repeatedly. It was horrible! Cruise – now please!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
It's Almost Time...
September 10, 2011
I’m at an interesting crossroads today. I am at once sad to be leaving my host family, but at the same time, excited to be moving to my new site. Two events have led to these crossroads. First of all, I had the opportunity to visit my new site, and I was very happy with what I saw. Secondly, in one week I will be moving from my host site to Ouaga to prepare for swearing-in (finally!).
Let’s start with my site visit. My new site is located in a small village in the Southwest part of Burkina Faso, near the borders of both Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire. The population is about 3,ooo people, most of whom speak a language called Lobiri. It’s very green and lush, and the people were very welcoming. I believe I am either the 6th or 7th volunteer that this community has had, but only the second education volunteer. In the past they have had health volunteers. My house is located in the middle of a large field and surrounded by wild tomato plants. I can’t wait to add some additional trees and vegetables to the mix! The town has no electricity, so I’m now is search of a good solar charger for my computer and phone. Any recommendations?
One of the best parts of visiting my site was meeting my counterparts. My community counterpart, Armelle is very fiery and I’m excited to work with her. Just two years older than me, she works at the local medical clinic in the maternity ward (she IS the maternity ward), as well as owning a restaurant and being a single mother. This woman knows EVERYONE in town, and it seems to me that she is much respected in the community. My second counterpart is the Associate Director of the primary school. He is sweet and soft-spoken. All three of us were able to quickly form an easy and jovial relationship.
In three weeks, I will be permanently moving to site – I can’t wait! But moving to site means leaving my host family who I have become very close with. I know that I will visit them over the next couple of years, but still, the thought of not seeing them and joking around with them on a daily basis makes me a little sad.
I think that’s the news for the day. I’m sure there’ll be more to come as I prepare for swearing-in and relocating to my site.
Two quick announcements:
1. I won’t have a new address until the beginning of October, but you can use the address in Ouagadougou and I will still get anything you send (although maybe slightly delayed).
2. Cell phone reception at my site will be a little iffy until the cell phone tower is completed at the end of October, please be patient when you try to call or text me.
Until next time!
I’m at an interesting crossroads today. I am at once sad to be leaving my host family, but at the same time, excited to be moving to my new site. Two events have led to these crossroads. First of all, I had the opportunity to visit my new site, and I was very happy with what I saw. Secondly, in one week I will be moving from my host site to Ouaga to prepare for swearing-in (finally!).
Let’s start with my site visit. My new site is located in a small village in the Southwest part of Burkina Faso, near the borders of both Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire. The population is about 3,ooo people, most of whom speak a language called Lobiri. It’s very green and lush, and the people were very welcoming. I believe I am either the 6th or 7th volunteer that this community has had, but only the second education volunteer. In the past they have had health volunteers. My house is located in the middle of a large field and surrounded by wild tomato plants. I can’t wait to add some additional trees and vegetables to the mix! The town has no electricity, so I’m now is search of a good solar charger for my computer and phone. Any recommendations?
One of the best parts of visiting my site was meeting my counterparts. My community counterpart, Armelle is very fiery and I’m excited to work with her. Just two years older than me, she works at the local medical clinic in the maternity ward (she IS the maternity ward), as well as owning a restaurant and being a single mother. This woman knows EVERYONE in town, and it seems to me that she is much respected in the community. My second counterpart is the Associate Director of the primary school. He is sweet and soft-spoken. All three of us were able to quickly form an easy and jovial relationship.
In three weeks, I will be permanently moving to site – I can’t wait! But moving to site means leaving my host family who I have become very close with. I know that I will visit them over the next couple of years, but still, the thought of not seeing them and joking around with them on a daily basis makes me a little sad.
I think that’s the news for the day. I’m sure there’ll be more to come as I prepare for swearing-in and relocating to my site.
Two quick announcements:
1. I won’t have a new address until the beginning of October, but you can use the address in Ouagadougou and I will still get anything you send (although maybe slightly delayed).
2. Cell phone reception at my site will be a little iffy until the cell phone tower is completed at the end of October, please be patient when you try to call or text me.
Until next time!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Another Month Goes By
August 10, 2011
Wow! I can’t believe it’s been almost a month since I last posted. A lot has occurred in that time. In my last posting I talked about meeting my counterpart. Well, I am happy to report that he was a very sweet gentleman and we got along very well. Unfortunately, it turns out that the site I was slated to work in isn’t going to work out as expected. So, I have a new site! Now, instead of being in the north, in an area very similar to Niger, I will be living in the lush southwest part of the country near Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire and speaking a language called Lobiri. I hope to be able to visit the site sometime next month. I’ll give you an update then!
Otherwise things here are good. My host family is still absolutely wonderful, learning French is still a nightmare, etc. The last week and a half have been especially busy as every morning we have been participating in “model tutoring”. Basically, for a couple hours each day I work with a group of 9-11 years old on reading, math and life skills (hygiene, self-confidence, health, etc.). This is where knowing French would come in REALLY handy! Luckily, my wonderful partner Vida (also of Niger fame) has great French, so she has been invaluable to me. That said, from here on out, I tutor alone. Yikes!
One of the focuses of Peace Corps service in BF is a program called Camp G(2)LOW. Girls and Guys Leading our World. Over the last couple of days I had the opportunity to visit the camp and interact with some of the girls (The girls camp was this week, and the guys camp will be next week). It was a great experience – intimidating at first, but better when I got to work with the girls one-on-one. The camp included activities about building their future, health, and decision making as well as tie-dying and yoga. Fun, informative and diverse! While the camp had just started, it seemed like the girls were really enjoying themselves. I hope they are able to implement what they learn into their daily lives.
Now, I’m back at training. Lots more French, lots more tutoring – and hopefully some sleep thrown in. I must admit that PST x 2 is still pretty difficult at times. I’m beyond ready to be at my site already! Luckily, there are some very awesome people in my stage to hang out with (and commiserate with) in the meantime. What especially hard to think about, is that if I hadn’t been evacuated from Niger, I would be halfway done with my service by now. I’m happy to be here, but at the same time, very jealous of my friends who were able to transfer to another country directly and continue their service without interruption, rather than start all over again. It’s hard to think about that aspect of everything! Plus, I keep thinking I see my friend Hamza everywhere I look! I wish!
P.S. I’ll try to post some pictures to Facebook tomorrow!
Wow! I can’t believe it’s been almost a month since I last posted. A lot has occurred in that time. In my last posting I talked about meeting my counterpart. Well, I am happy to report that he was a very sweet gentleman and we got along very well. Unfortunately, it turns out that the site I was slated to work in isn’t going to work out as expected. So, I have a new site! Now, instead of being in the north, in an area very similar to Niger, I will be living in the lush southwest part of the country near Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire and speaking a language called Lobiri. I hope to be able to visit the site sometime next month. I’ll give you an update then!
Otherwise things here are good. My host family is still absolutely wonderful, learning French is still a nightmare, etc. The last week and a half have been especially busy as every morning we have been participating in “model tutoring”. Basically, for a couple hours each day I work with a group of 9-11 years old on reading, math and life skills (hygiene, self-confidence, health, etc.). This is where knowing French would come in REALLY handy! Luckily, my wonderful partner Vida (also of Niger fame) has great French, so she has been invaluable to me. That said, from here on out, I tutor alone. Yikes!
One of the focuses of Peace Corps service in BF is a program called Camp G(2)LOW. Girls and Guys Leading our World. Over the last couple of days I had the opportunity to visit the camp and interact with some of the girls (The girls camp was this week, and the guys camp will be next week). It was a great experience – intimidating at first, but better when I got to work with the girls one-on-one. The camp included activities about building their future, health, and decision making as well as tie-dying and yoga. Fun, informative and diverse! While the camp had just started, it seemed like the girls were really enjoying themselves. I hope they are able to implement what they learn into their daily lives.
Now, I’m back at training. Lots more French, lots more tutoring – and hopefully some sleep thrown in. I must admit that PST x 2 is still pretty difficult at times. I’m beyond ready to be at my site already! Luckily, there are some very awesome people in my stage to hang out with (and commiserate with) in the meantime. What especially hard to think about, is that if I hadn’t been evacuated from Niger, I would be halfway done with my service by now. I’m happy to be here, but at the same time, very jealous of my friends who were able to transfer to another country directly and continue their service without interruption, rather than start all over again. It’s hard to think about that aspect of everything! Plus, I keep thinking I see my friend Hamza everywhere I look! I wish!
P.S. I’ll try to post some pictures to Facebook tomorrow!
Monday, July 18, 2011
A quick morning update - posted at night because the internet's been down all day
July 18, 2011
I find myself sitting in a hotel room in Ouagadougou on the morning of meeting the person I will work closely with for the next two years. So many thoughts are running through my head. Will they like me? Will I like them? Wil we work well together? Do they speak any English? Will they be horrified with my French and lack of Moore? Is my dress to short? (A real concern as my tailor made my dress several inches shorter than I requested).
Part of this is no doubt the regular nerves you feel upon meeting a new boss, but I think a big part of me is afraid that since I had such a great relationship with my counterpart in Niger, perhaps I’ll get the other side of the coin this time around. Irrational? Perhaps, but that doesn’t give me any extra confidence.
Wish me luck…here I go!
P.S. I found great veggie lo-mein last night – expensive, but worth every penny – or CFA as the case may be! Thank you Restaurante de Chine!
I find myself sitting in a hotel room in Ouagadougou on the morning of meeting the person I will work closely with for the next two years. So many thoughts are running through my head. Will they like me? Will I like them? Wil we work well together? Do they speak any English? Will they be horrified with my French and lack of Moore? Is my dress to short? (A real concern as my tailor made my dress several inches shorter than I requested).
Part of this is no doubt the regular nerves you feel upon meeting a new boss, but I think a big part of me is afraid that since I had such a great relationship with my counterpart in Niger, perhaps I’ll get the other side of the coin this time around. Irrational? Perhaps, but that doesn’t give me any extra confidence.
Wish me luck…here I go!
P.S. I found great veggie lo-mein last night – expensive, but worth every penny – or CFA as the case may be! Thank you Restaurante de Chine!
Friday, July 15, 2011
My first post from Burkina
June 19, 2011
Welcome to my first blog from Burkina Faso. I have been here for just over a week, and i’m currently enjoying a quiet morning at my homestay. While the family is at church I’ve decided to take some time to reflect upon my first week.
Upon meeting everyone for staging in Philadelphia I immediately noticed two things. The first was to be expected – on average, everyone is about 10-12 years younger than me, and the second – there are so many of us!!! Fifty in total, most of us are education volunteers, but some also work in the agricultural sector. Everyone is quite nice and I’ve already found several people that I find myself gravitating toward; people who I know will support me if/when needed.
While this experience has been radically different than my experience in Niger, so far it’s been pretty good. I feel extremely lucky to have my friends Vida and Lindsay, whom I served with in Niger, to help me through the process and really know what I’m going through.
For the last week we’ve been staying at a small retreat center in Ouagadougou (Wa-ga-doo-goo). There we had electricity, wifi and air conditioning – it was quite nice, but at the same time it didn’t feel like the West Africa I knew.
We came to the village of our Pre-Service Training on Friday afternoon, and I must admit to being utterly petrified. Living in a homestay situation is WAY outside my comfort zone! I just don’t like it! But alas, all of my fears have been relieved. My homestay family is drastically different than the one I was in in Niger. Where my first family was rather poor, with few resources, my current family has electricity, a refrigerator and a satellite dish. It’s crazy! My family consists of two very sweet parents, who laugh freely and show affection to each other and to the kids; there are three daughters, Arlette-12, Zuzelle-10, and Grace-24 months; and there are two sons, Abel (who they joking call my big brother at 18) and Ashille-14. Everyone is amazingly sweet and patient with me. I feel so very lucky!
July 7, 2011
I’m writing today from our training center outside of Ouaga. It’s been a trying and interesting couple of weeks, that has sadly brought the departure of 3 of my fellow stagiers. For multiple reasons, they decided that the US was the best place for them to be right now. While I wish them all well, we are certainly feeling the loss here.
July 9, 2011
Dark clouds are quickly rolling in, soon to be followed by a down-poor (I hope)!
The down-poor is here and it is wonderful! Several of my fellow stagiers and I are sitting around under a pavilion listen to the onslaught, staring with wonder at the rain.
It’s been a good day, lots of French, but it’s coming to me slowly and each day I get a little more confident. Our first language test is a week from today. It will decide if I continue to learn French for a few more weeks, or if I move on to learning the local language. I found out this week that I will be learning Moore, the language of the Mossi people. This coming Thursday I will find out where I will be living for the next two years, but based on the language, I am assuming that I will be living in the central area of the country.
July 11, 2011
Age is a funny thing. By most accounts I neither look, nor act like I’m thirty-five years old (however it is that we’re supposed to act), but at the same time, I feel the separation in age between myself and my cohorts on very nearly a daily basis. To start out with, not one of them has a decent appreciation for George Michael! As if that’s not inexcusable enough, most of my pop culture references fall on deaf ears. I actually had a friend tell me today that she didn’t like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off! As I ask myself what the world is coming to, I must also admit that I catch very few of their pop culture references - take from that what you’d like.
That being said, I really appreciate my cohorts and find it’s interesting how we can connect on many different levels. For example, while I may not have stories about being in college a few months ago; I am pleased to be able to play a part when the conversation turns to how much fun they had working with Habitat for Humanity during college. Many people were active with their campus chapters, while even more have made connections over Collegiate Challenge experiences. It’s amazing to me; how I could at once be so removed, while at the same time, have such a strong shared experience them. The day on which people were making connections to friends and family through Collegiate Challenge (“OMG! You went to New Orleans for Collegiate Challenge? So did my friend So-and-so!” “No way, you know So-and-so? We worked together every day on site!”), I must admit to feeling a certain amount of pride and accomplishment for the work I (and many, many others) have done to make Collegiate Challenge – and HFH Youth Programs, what they are today.
I love how while age can separate, it can also bring us together. Now I’m going to go pull out the crayons and color in one of the coloring books I brought for the kids until I can fall asleep! You’re never too old to color!
P.S. I have officially been in Burkina Faso for a month!
Welcome to my first blog from Burkina Faso. I have been here for just over a week, and i’m currently enjoying a quiet morning at my homestay. While the family is at church I’ve decided to take some time to reflect upon my first week.
Upon meeting everyone for staging in Philadelphia I immediately noticed two things. The first was to be expected – on average, everyone is about 10-12 years younger than me, and the second – there are so many of us!!! Fifty in total, most of us are education volunteers, but some also work in the agricultural sector. Everyone is quite nice and I’ve already found several people that I find myself gravitating toward; people who I know will support me if/when needed.
While this experience has been radically different than my experience in Niger, so far it’s been pretty good. I feel extremely lucky to have my friends Vida and Lindsay, whom I served with in Niger, to help me through the process and really know what I’m going through.
For the last week we’ve been staying at a small retreat center in Ouagadougou (Wa-ga-doo-goo). There we had electricity, wifi and air conditioning – it was quite nice, but at the same time it didn’t feel like the West Africa I knew.
We came to the village of our Pre-Service Training on Friday afternoon, and I must admit to being utterly petrified. Living in a homestay situation is WAY outside my comfort zone! I just don’t like it! But alas, all of my fears have been relieved. My homestay family is drastically different than the one I was in in Niger. Where my first family was rather poor, with few resources, my current family has electricity, a refrigerator and a satellite dish. It’s crazy! My family consists of two very sweet parents, who laugh freely and show affection to each other and to the kids; there are three daughters, Arlette-12, Zuzelle-10, and Grace-24 months; and there are two sons, Abel (who they joking call my big brother at 18) and Ashille-14. Everyone is amazingly sweet and patient with me. I feel so very lucky!
July 7, 2011
I’m writing today from our training center outside of Ouaga. It’s been a trying and interesting couple of weeks, that has sadly brought the departure of 3 of my fellow stagiers. For multiple reasons, they decided that the US was the best place for them to be right now. While I wish them all well, we are certainly feeling the loss here.
July 9, 2011
Dark clouds are quickly rolling in, soon to be followed by a down-poor (I hope)!
The down-poor is here and it is wonderful! Several of my fellow stagiers and I are sitting around under a pavilion listen to the onslaught, staring with wonder at the rain.
It’s been a good day, lots of French, but it’s coming to me slowly and each day I get a little more confident. Our first language test is a week from today. It will decide if I continue to learn French for a few more weeks, or if I move on to learning the local language. I found out this week that I will be learning Moore, the language of the Mossi people. This coming Thursday I will find out where I will be living for the next two years, but based on the language, I am assuming that I will be living in the central area of the country.
July 11, 2011
Age is a funny thing. By most accounts I neither look, nor act like I’m thirty-five years old (however it is that we’re supposed to act), but at the same time, I feel the separation in age between myself and my cohorts on very nearly a daily basis. To start out with, not one of them has a decent appreciation for George Michael! As if that’s not inexcusable enough, most of my pop culture references fall on deaf ears. I actually had a friend tell me today that she didn’t like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off! As I ask myself what the world is coming to, I must also admit that I catch very few of their pop culture references - take from that what you’d like.
That being said, I really appreciate my cohorts and find it’s interesting how we can connect on many different levels. For example, while I may not have stories about being in college a few months ago; I am pleased to be able to play a part when the conversation turns to how much fun they had working with Habitat for Humanity during college. Many people were active with their campus chapters, while even more have made connections over Collegiate Challenge experiences. It’s amazing to me; how I could at once be so removed, while at the same time, have such a strong shared experience them. The day on which people were making connections to friends and family through Collegiate Challenge (“OMG! You went to New Orleans for Collegiate Challenge? So did my friend So-and-so!” “No way, you know So-and-so? We worked together every day on site!”), I must admit to feeling a certain amount of pride and accomplishment for the work I (and many, many others) have done to make Collegiate Challenge – and HFH Youth Programs, what they are today.
I love how while age can separate, it can also bring us together. Now I’m going to go pull out the crayons and color in one of the coloring books I brought for the kids until I can fall asleep! You’re never too old to color!
P.S. I have officially been in Burkina Faso for a month!
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Evacuation and Moving On
OK, the quick summary for those that don't know - Peace Corps was evacuated from Niger in January due to security concerns. It really, REALLY sucked!
Since that time I've been hanging out in Syracuse, NY and visiting friends.
I am happy to announce, that as of early June 2011, I will be reassigned to Burkina Faso for another 27-months!
On to new adventures...Stay tuned!
Since that time I've been hanging out in Syracuse, NY and visiting friends.
I am happy to announce, that as of early June 2011, I will be reassigned to Burkina Faso for another 27-months!
On to new adventures...Stay tuned!
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