On The Road Again

So I'm back in Ouahigouya for the night. I biked in this morning for the fourth day in a row, and my butt is beginning to hurt. Luckily, I won't be needing a bike for nearly a week. I am going on what PC calls a ¨demystification visit.¨ Basically, we go in small groups to crash at another PCV house for a few days to see what life is really like for them. I will be staying with a volunteer southwest of Ouaga. I am excited to finally experience a tad (martin, inside joke) of how I might be living for the next two years, and it will be great to get some new foods. I haven't had a piece of meat since I arrived in village. I'm craving some chicken. We got a sheep as a gift from the chief of Ouahigouya, and he's looking pretty tasty right about now. But we named him Turkey because we are planning on eating him for Thanksgiving. C'est la vie!

Just a side note about money here, while I think about it. Money goes a long way here as you can imagine. When we first got here, we were given 9,000 CFA to last two weeks. That's about $18, FYI (500 CFA = $1). In village there is not a lot to spend it on, but in town there are plenty of restaurants, boutiques, and the market. To give you an idea, a bottle of Coke or Fanta usually costs 300 to 350 CFA (about $0.65). My meals usually cost about the same, between 300 and 400 CFA. I just bought a plug adapter for 300 CFA. I bought a bag of sugared peanuts this morning for 25 CFA (about $0.05). Fruit, like apples or bananas, is usually 100 or so CFA ($0.20). So yeah, the money is good. Toilet paper comes in packages of two for 500 CFA ($1). The only problem is that nobody can ever exchange large bills (by large I mean more than $4 or so), so carrying coins is your best bet here.

Anyway, we have to be at the bus station at 5:30am tomorrow for Ouaga, so it will be an early morning for me. And from what I've learned about Burkinabe public transportation, it should be an interesting trip. I'll probably update again next week when I make it back to town. Hope all is well in the States and talk to you all soon. Bon nuit!

Ney Windga

Good afternoon all, or Ney Windga in Moore, the local language I am learning here. I have been in Burkinq for a week and a half and there is so much to tell. I am using a French keyboard, so excuse any typos I make hereafter. Last Sunday, the health volunteers (like me) moved out of the mqin city of Ouahigouya and into one of three small villages surrounding the city. My village is called Soumyaga and it has about 5000 people or so in it. It is about 8km outside the city and it takes about 30 minutes to bike into town. This is actually the first day I biked back since last Sunday.

I live in ... you guessed it ... a mud hut. It is probably about the same size of my bathroom back home. Everyone lives with a host family until the end of December. My family's name is Sawadogo. My father is named Seido, and he has three wives. I've only met one but she is really nice. She just laughs everytime I speak Moore, as do most people. I talk with my host brother Seyouba the most. His French is great and he even knows some phrases in English. He is 19 and seems like the coolest kid in our compound.

Our compound (one of five in the village) has about 150 people living in it and is impossible to describe. Once I feel more comfortable, I will take some pictures and put them up here. There are always about 15 to 25 children around my door staring at the crazy white guy. Sometimes it is fun; sometimes it gets annoying. There are also tons of chickens, roosters, lizards, and donkeys outside my door.

The typical day for me begins at about 5:30 or 6am, when I am awoken by the sound of either women pounding millet or the roosters crowing. I take a quick bucket bath (i.e. throwing water on my myself, soaping up, then splashing more water on myself) then I eat breakfast (bread and tea usually). We usually meet around 8 or a bit earlier to begin French class. I tested into the Novice High group for French, but I am picking up more and more each day. Moore is also a lot of fun to learn, and people are amazed when you can speak their language! After language we have technical training for most of the rest of the day. I am learning about the Burkina health care system and how local clinics operate. By the time we finish it is usually about 5:30pm and then I go home, take another bucket bath, eat dinner, practice French and Moore, do French homework, and go to bed about 9:30 or so. I know it's crazy early!

It's nice that I have another volunteer Christy who lives about 20 feet away from me, so that is extremely helpful. Funny story: the other day she dumped a mix used for a ceremonial drink around her toillet (i.e. hole in the ground) because she thought it was used for cleanliness after using the bathroom. Speaking of lost in translation, my host brother told me so,eone was going to do my laundry a couple days ago, so I gave it to him. Then when we got to our meeting place he handed it back to me. So I had to carry a bag of dirty laundry with me the whole day!

Anyway I have to go soon. This week might be busy for me. We are going back and forth from village to Ouahigouya and also to the capital Ouaga, so I don't know the next time I'll post, but I am reading your comments. Thanks guys, you are awesome! Oh and I have a phone but I have to figure out the whole deal with charging it, but I'll post that in my contact info as well soon. But know that all is well. I was sick one day but better now. It is in the high 90s at least but bearable. I just drank my first cold Coke in a week (yes we have Coke), so I'm good. Talk to everyone later. Peace!

I'm Alive

Bonjour everyone! I am safe and sound here in Ouahigouya, Burkina Faso. I only have 10 minutes to type this up, so I'll make this short. We arrived safely in Ouaga Wednesday night, but unfortunately one of my bags ways delayed, but I should get it within a few days I'm told. After an overnight in the capital, we crammed into a bus and made our way to Ouahigouya, where we will remain for most of the next three months. The people here are super friendly, and I am practicing my French daily with them (Moorè training begins tomorrow). It pretty hot but not too bad, very dusty, but the food has all been really good: chicken, apples, bananas, and lots of rice dishes. Anyway, my time is running out; I will post again the next chance I get with more details, but do not worry. I am safe and having a blast!

It's Always Funny in Philadelphia

So I've got some free time today at the hotel in Philly, and I thought I'd write another short post. I got in at about 10:30am yesterday and made my way to the hotel. I found a couple PCT at the airport, so it was cool to have someone to find lunch with and talk to. We began our extensive information sessions shortly after 3pm with introductions and icebreakers and group activities. It seems like a really good group of people. There are about 30 of us in total, mostly all in our 20s. There are no older volunteers, but there is one young married couple here. The majority of us here are in Health, but there are some doing Business as well. Our meeting lasted till after 8pm, with information about risks, concerns, fears, expectations, and logistics for arriving in Burkina. Afterwards, we split up and headed for dinner, then ice cream and a drink. I called home from the hotel payphones and got to bed around midnight.

I woke up this morning around 6:30am, ate a quick breakfast, then we met downstairs at 7:30 to head to the clinic. I got my Yellow Fever vaccination, as well as my first Mefloquine pill for malaria. I only have to take it once a week, so it's much more convenient than other daily kinds. I definitely felt a little funny from the medication, somewhat loopy, but now it's all good. But let's hope my dreams are not as intense as everyone says they will be. And that brings us to now. I have to be ready at noon to leave, and I still need to repack some things and shower. Until next time (in Burkina this time, I promise).

My Last Night Home

So this is it. It's my last night at home. My last night in my own bed. I leave tomorrow for Philadelphia for staging, and then I'll be heading for Burkina Faso on Tuesday (by way of Paris). I am pretty much all packed up and ready to go. As much as I'll ever be. I've been able to talk to and see many friends before leaving, to which I am grateful.

But to those friends and family members I haven't talked to, I just want to say goodbye, and I hope that you all stay in touch. I've heard there are times when every volunteer gets really lonely, and they value the messages they receive. So this is an open invitation to write - whether its here on my blog, via e-mail, facebook, snail mail, calls, or any other way you can think of - even if you don't have much to say at all. Just dropping me a line from time to time will definitely make my day. And I'll try to get back to you all as best I can (please be patient with me though). Also, if for some crazy reason, anyone happens to be in Africa in the next 27 months, please let me know. I'd be thrilled to see you and show you around! If it's not in Burkina Faso, I do get vacation time to travel. Anyway, I better wrap this up. I still have to finish packing, hoping not to forget anything. Take care everyone, wish me luck, say a prayer, and next time I write, I should be on African soil finally (or maybe in Philly, but probably not).

Countdown

I officially have less than a week before I am to report to Philadelphia for staging. I have been so busy lately, gathering my supplies, visiting friends, and running 20,000 different errands. Let me apologize to those friends of mine who have sent me messages, emails, etc. Sorry! As you can imagine, things are getting so crazy here. Hopefully, I'll be able to get back to you all before I go. I still have a long list of things I still need to accomplish before I leave. Plus my computer has decided to get sick on me, which is why I haven't updated anything lately. So that has complicated everything. Luckily, one problem is fixed, but it's still not perfect. I am pretty sure my laptop will not be making the return trip with me two years from now.

This past weekend was quite jam packed. I left Friday to drive to North Carolina to visit one of my best friends before I leave. It was great to just hang out with him and his friends, and I managed to see the ocean one last time. I drove back Sunday morning, just in time to arrive at the party my mom had planned for me, which ended up lasting till dark. All in all, it was a fun weekend, but now I really have to focus to get everything done in the six days I have at home. I know I'm going to forget something.