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!