Aorèma or Bust

So I've made it. I have finally moved into my little castle in Aorema, about 12 km away. I have yet to take any pictures since I am not completely finished unpacking, buying, and organizing, but soon enough I'll post a few of my furnished crib. I also plan, at some point, to shot a short video tour of where I live but that might come a bit later. I digress...

The move was rather easy, as I expected. I was the third to last person to leave Ouahigouya out us 32 volunteers. My driver helped me load up the van full of my stuff, and we were off. It took about 15-20 minutes to arrive at my village, and we unloaded everything we had just loaded. Some kids were there to help carry my things to my house. I was greeted by the woman in charge of the pharmacy, and soon after, she went and grabbed the keys to my house. These were not really my keys, since once the door was opened, my driver put a brand new lock on the door and handed me the only three keys to my house in existence. He also showed me how to work my gas stove and recommended I clean my filter. Next thing I know, he was leaving dust trails as he sped away. There I was. Alone. Everything to my name in a pile on my porch. No, it wasn't that scary, but there was definitely a feeling of ¨what have I got myself into?¨ as I looked around my new environment. And the fact that my major, the only person I have really met before and my link to the rest of the village, is training in Ouahigouya for several days doesn't ease my worries.

Nevertheless, I began to unpack and get things settled. Christina, my PCV neighbor from the neighboring village came by for a second to say welcome. Sooner than I imagined, it began getting dark, and I still hadn't even put up my mosquito net. So I quickly grabbed some nails and strung a line to hang the net, as ugly as it turned out to be. The next morning I finished with my organizing, as much as a could for the moment. We had a short meeting with CoGes (Comité de Gestion) who I will be working with the next two years to build their capacity. They work with the CSPS, helping to decide activities for the year and funding for sensibilizations (health education activities and demonstrations). Without the major being present, this meeting consisted of brief introductions of the members of CoGes, seven in total, and a quick intro of myself.

Since the major has been absent, our plans to introduce me to the community and important people has been put on hold, so my first few days have been very quiet. Sunday was marché day in Youba, so I went there to check it out. It is actually a really nice market, and I am lucky to have it so close to me. I bought some bread which actually was someof the best bread I've had here in Burkina, so I am super excited to have that available to me. I also bought a canari. I don't know the word in English, but it is basically a terracota pot to store water in. It is called a ¨desert fridge¨ because it can keep water much colder somehow through the magic and sorcery of science. I found a place that can charge of my phone and a place that sells sodas, so I am basically set.

Yesterday, I went to an AIDS sensibilization put on by two women from an organization in Ouahigouya. Over a hundred people turned out to hear them speak. Halfway through, they hand me the microphone and tell me to give them some advice on HIV/AIDS. Ha! You have to understand that most volunteers spend days or even weeks or more planning these things and to be put on the spot like that. I am sure I sounded like a fool, but I was able to say something about how it is possible to live a long life with the virus if you take your medication properly. One of the CoGes members translated for me in Mooré, and people seemed to be receptive. I consider it a small victory that I said anything useful at all.

And today, I pedalled the 45 minutes into town to recap with my fellow PCVs and the world here at the cyberposte. I am sure there are a lot of stories to share. Hopefully, when I return, my major will finally be back, and I can actually start the slow and awkward process of integration. À la prochaine!

It's Official!

Finally after nine often-long, sometimes-short weeks of training, training, and more training, I am officially a Peace Corps volunteer! It feels really good to be done with training and am ready to move to my new site.

Since the last time I have written (sorry for the delay), I have since moved out of my host village of Somyaga and back into our training center here in Ouahigouya. It was actually more sad to say goodbye to my host-family than I expected, but trust me, the time had come. My family helped me bring all my stuff down to be picked up by a PC car, and then we said our adieus. I know I defnitely learned a lot about Burkinabe people and culture that I never could have without the kind of immersion I experienced, for which I am grateful. We left on Monday the 15th and we swear in as volunteers on the 19th.

Between this time, the soon-to-be volunteers participated in a Counterpart workshop. Every volunteer is paired with a specific person (the counterpart, or homologue in French) from their community who they will work with and turn to for any assistance needed during the next two years. For us health volunteers, these counterparts are the headnurses (majors in French) who work at the village health clinics called the CSPS, a term I will probably use a million times on this blog. For me, this man (they are almost always men) is named Albert and seems like a really nice man. I met him once before when I visited my home, but this time he and the other counterparts spent several days with us, learning how each partnership can work together. It was really nice to get to know him a little better, despite the fact that he speaks French way too fast for me still. After we finished the workshop, all the counterparts came to see us swear in.

Both my host-mother and father also came to our swear-in ceremony, as did many VIP guests. All the PC staff were there, as were many important Burkinabe people and the US Ambassador. This was her last PC Burkina swear-in speech, as she is soon to be relocated to another country, I believe. Doug, our Country Director (aka the big boss), also gave a really touching speech, choking up a bit when saying how proud he was that all 32 of us made it through training, a feat which hasn't happened in almost a decade we were told. The picture on the left is the five health guys (myself, Colin, Rob, Aaron, and Josh) in all of our local clothes - yes I had my suit made in Burkina for about $13. I think the next outfit I get made will be traditional so look forward to pics of that at some point. Everyone was really excited to get all dressed up, and everyone looked stellar. We were so sharp, we made the Burkina news. I still have people telling me that they saw us on TV. The women in the next picture is my APCD (my direct boss) Dr. Claude, who always dresses to the nines, and swear-in was no exception. She is in charge of the entire PC Burkina health program and is a wonderful person and resource for us health PCVs. After the ceremony, we had a banquet with some really good Burkinabe food, and were able to chat it up a bit with our host-families, the Ambassador, and all the staff members. Doug's wife even baked us chocolate chip cookies, which were no less than amazing. We are all so very spoiled here in the Peace Corps. Afterwards, we celebrated with a beer, and then I went back and relaxed the entire day. It was nice to get a break from the structured schedule for a change. Almost everyone went dancing that night, which was also a lot of fun. It almost felt like America - almost.

The next day we began another workshop with our counterparts called Life Skills, which basically taughtus how to teach about HIV/AIDS, relationships, decision-making, communication and other similar topics. A lot of this was repititive, but it was nice to get to interact and practice with our counterparts some more. This week was actually added to allow us to stay together here in Ouahigouya till after Christmas, tomorrow.

And that basically bring everyone up to today. Today and yesterday have been spent mostly in the marché, buying everything I can to put in my new house. It is actually extremely stressful, having to shop for so much, bargaining for everything, and in such a short time frame. But I am basically done. Things I can think of off the top of my head I have bought include: a matress, a table and countertop for cooking (arriving tomorrow from the carpenter), 2 mats, 2 chairs, a large trash can for water storage, long mirror, a large basin to wash clothes in, 2 buckets, sets of plastic cups, plates, and the like, sets of silverware, hammer and nails, twine, 4-burner stove and gas tank, a cot, and 2 trunks to store food and valuables. It has been so tiring but its finally done. A driver will pick it all up Friday morning and drive me to my site 12 km away, and I can start the process of making my house a home.

Tomorrow is Christmas, which should be relaxing and fun for everyone. Other than waiting for the furniture to arrive, we have organized a local Lebanese restaurant to cook for us, which will definitely be great. Also, I need to hit the marché and get the last minute perishable items like fruits, veggies, and eggs to take to my site. Besides that, it should be a day of singing Christmas carols and praying for snow. Anyway, I hope everyone has a Joyeux Noël and the next time I write, I will have moved into my permanent home. Yippay! À la prochaine!

Randomness

I've just biked into Ouahigouya with a strong head wind to blog, and I've realized I don't much more new to discuss. Tomorrow is Tabaski, a big Muslim holiday, so I needed to come into town also to pick up some sugar for my family - the traditional gift for the day. Tomorrow, there will be a lot of dancing, eating sheep, giving bonbons to the children, praying, and having a good time, so I am excited to join in on the celebrations. I am also here to pick up some nice suit fabric at the market. We have a tailor in the family, so I am going to take the fabric to him to make me a vest and pants for swear-in in about two weeks. I think the fabric and tailoring should cost me about $12 or $13, so a good deal definitely.

Here you can see a picture of me in front of my current home, the mud hut of my brother Sayouba, the one who left for Ouaga. I would have posted a photo of the inside, but honestly it is so small, I could get any good angles at all. Despite its cramped size, it has serves me well for the last month and a half, but believe me, I am more than ready to upsize for my maison in Aorema. I just hate the feeling of living out of a suitcase, and that is what I've been doing. It will be so different when I can actually have a carpenter build me some bookshelves and tables and such. I have felt, living in Somyaga, both a member in the family and a guest in a hotel. It is nothing my family has done, simply the facts of the situation. Before he left, my brother told me ¨Erik, you are becoming Mossi,¨ when I would speak to him in Moorè. The Mossi are the largest ethnic group in Burkina, and the ones who speak Moorè, like the people here. He even gave me a Mossi name: Irisso. So I have definitely felt like family, but you can't help feel like a tenant when your host-mom sweeps your room and brings you your bath water and cooks your meals. It will just be nice to do these things for myself. Not too much longer to go.

On a side note, we saw a snake right where we have language lessons in village every morning - my first snake I've seen in Burkina. The people here are really scared of them, since I guess most of very dangerous, but this one did not survive long. Lots of village kids came with big rocks and severed the head and then the rest of the body. It was still squirming and then my French teacher yelled in panic ¨The heart! You have to go for the head and the heart!¨ As long as they don't bother me, I don't mind the snake. My host brother said he has only seen two all year, so it doesn't seem like a common thing here.

On another side note, the last three days have been the coldest since we have been here. In the mornings, I've heard it has been in the high 50s. Everyone, including the Nasaras (us whities), have added extra layers. I've been sleeping in my sleeping bag the past few nights. Everyone in village here is all dressed up in the heavy winter coats, sitting in the sun, trying to keep warm. I can help but shiver during my daily bucket baths now. It's actaully a refreshing change. It feels like December for once. I hear it only lasts a few weeks though sadly. Anyway, I guess I better wrap this up, not much else to say, and I have the whole day to spend in town. À la prochaine!

Ouahigouya: The Big City

So not a lot of news here. My host brother leaves tomorrow morning to Ouaga, and since I am staying in Ouahigouya until tomorrow evening, we had to say our goodbyes this morning. He goes between here and Ouaga every few months, so I will see him again sometime in January or February, but it was still kinda sad. He is really the only one whose French is good enough for me to converse with, but we have now less than two weeks with our host families. Time flies. I gave him a coffee table book on Virginia that I brought with me, and he really loved that.

Today, besides having a very in-depth Moorè session, we learned about moringa, which I had never heard of until PC. It is this remarkable tree whose leaves are incredibly packed full of nutrients. I really hope I can do some sort of moringa project at site.

Since there is not a lot of news to speak of (and I only have a short time before dinner), I thought I would share with you all the many excitements that Ouahigouya, my home away from home, has to offer besides this internet café. Since I don't know the names of most places, excuse the following nomenclatures. And these are only the most frequented places:

RESTAURANTS

• Sandwich lady - she sells bagette sandwiches filled with your choice of: sausage, beef, egg omelet, mayo, crudité (diced veggies), and other fillers. She also has yougurt (plain and banana), mougoudougou (spicy peanut butter balls), other treats
• Chicken in a Bag - technically called (or located near) Hawaii Express Café, they serve grilled chicken (the whole bird only) with sautéed onions. It's a bit pricy but worth it just for the onions alone. Best when split between two or three people. You can also get brochettes (beef kababs) nearby as well
• Caiman - the full name I believe is Cave Caiman, and this is a good hang-out when in town. It costs 50 CFA to park your bikes, but inside you can get brochettes, salads, french fries, and a lot of other stuff. A bit pricy but the fries are nice.
• La Famille - a restaurant close to where we stay which serves more Burkinabe cuisine. You can often get riz gras (a rice dish), riz avec sauce d'arachid (rice with peanut sauce), to (a millet dish), and they have a really good spaghetti too. Prices are cheaper here too which is nice.
• Bouvette du Coeur - basically serves the same things as La Famille only cheaper (and not as good in my opinion)
• Hotel d'Amitie - this hotel caters to foreigners and while the pool is nice, the food is really expensive. But they do serve a 3500 CFA cheeseburger and fries is you want to dish out the dough (average meal elsewhere may be about 500 CFA). I haven't actually tried it yet, but some in our group have gone for it.

OTHER TREATS

• Citron lady - she makes little pouches of frozen goodness. You can buy frozen lemonade, chocolate milk, coffee, tea, bissap (made from hibiscus flowers) and many others. I visit here quite frequently. The closest thing I have to a Slurpee.
  
• Pool - For 1000 CFA, you can swim all day in their pool. I have yet to partake, but I will definitely hit the pool come hot season.
• Alimentation - there are 3 alimentations (small grocery store) that I frequent across town. It can be pretty pricy, but it is the only place to get a lot of Western foods and foodstuffs such as corn flakes, ravioli, chocolate, toilet paper etc.
• Total - there are two Totals (gas station) which also act as small grocery stores as well.
• Cinema - I have yet to go, but I plan to. They show American films and others but they are pretty old. So far, I've seen signs for Red Dragon, The Sum of All Fears, and Blood Diamond (which would be interesting to watch here) among others.
• Marché - huge market that sells everything. I've gotten lost in it before.
  

And that is my town, at least as I know it now. And since Ouahigouya will only be 12 km away, it will stay my town for the next two years. Hopefully, I will continue to discover more and more interesting places after training ends. Anyway, I've gotta run. My chicken in a bag is waiting for me.