My ¨Wish¨ List

So some people have asked about sending things to me. I want everyone to know that it is certainly not an obligation to send anything since I know the US is in an economic crisis and the packages my parents have sent have been between $50 and $100 (although these have been rather large). But if you feel compelled to send me one or two small things, I would gladly and gratefully accept it. I will also put a link to this post under the ¨Important Posts¨ sidebar. Here is a list of things, that I will update as my needs and desires change, which I could use (in no particular):

• Candy (non-chocolate is best so it doesn't melt - Starburst, Jolly Ranchers, Red Vines, Nerds, pretty much anything sweet)
• Drink mixes (powdered kool-ade, lemonade, iced tea, or any other thing that could make our chlorine-treated water taste less like the community swimming pool)
• Other mixes (powdered cheese for mac and cheese, ranch and other salad dressing mixes - anything that you can make by adding water)
• Easy to make meals like ramen noodles or something. Other easy foods like muffin mixes, cookie mixes, etc. Things I can just add water or oil are awesome.
  
• Dried fruit
  
• Granola bars, chocolate chip cookies, chips, or other similar snack foods
• Beef jerky and the like
  
• Flavored teas (love them all but fruit flavors would be extra nice)
• Old DVD or burned DVDs you don't want (since I have electricity now)
  
• Photos from home of course
• Magazines (news, NatGeo, entertainment, whatever you want to send - what's going on in the world?)
• Face Soap (something with Benzoyl Peroxide would be nice
• Spices (I can work with anything)
  
• Anything that a home/kitchen can't be without
• Anything your heart desires

As I said, don't feel like you have to send me anything, but if you want, these would be nice (don't go overboard please - even one little thing would be nice). Also, I will keep this updated so check back for changes, deletions, additions from time to time. Oh, and I updated right before this too, so keep reading the next post if you haven't yet because it has my new address in it.

Thanksgiving And More News

Happy Belated Thanksgiving to everyone back in the States! We actually had a great Turkey Day here in Burkina, with an actual Butterball turkey and pumpkin pies that was donated by the Ambassador. In addition, we had lots of mashed potatoes, cranberries, stuffing (which I helped make), salad, fruit, and lots of dessert. And we also ate our sheep that was given to us as a gift from the King of Yatenga when we first arrived here. Although it didn't taste as good as home, it was still really good. Everyone was in great spirits, and I think we all had one of our best nights since we arrived. Good food. Good people. You can't ask for much else on Thanksgiving.

On another note, World AIDS Day is December 1st, so mark your calendars. We actually recorded a 5-7 minute skit in French about the modes of HIV transmission that will play on the radio here Dec 1st. The radio is a great tool to use for sensibilizations (a big word used here for educating people about a certain topic), since radios are even in the smallest villages and you don't have to know how to read to understand it. I think I might work with this radio station after training too. For World AIDS Day, a group of us are heading to a village about 30km away to see what another volunteer has planned there that day.

In other news, I have a new address. Mail now can be sent to a PO Box directly to Ouahigouya, instead of through PC in Ouaga, so things should take slightly less time (hopefully) to get here. I have changed the address on the sidebar, but here it is as well:

Erik Durant
Corps de la Paix
Ouahigouya 01
01 B.P. 392
Burkina Faso
West Africa

If you use the other address, it will still get to me, but from now on, use this new one to avoid the middleman. A wish list will eventually come, if you need ideas about what I would like.

That's about everything I can think of on my end. Things are gradually slowing down it seems. My Mooré lessons are really interested. I was able to tell my non-French speaking mom this morning: ¨I am going to Ouahigouya, but I will return this evening¨ (Mam kengda Ouahigouya la mam na lebga zaabre). I think she was proud. We only have two more weeks with our host families which is kind of sad and kind of nice as well. At least for me, I will be able to visit them from time to time since I will be staying in the area. So yeah, things are going good.

Site Visit (With Chickens)!

So this weekend, I went with a few other PCT to a PCV's house about 10km from Ouahigouya. This PCV, Christina, just happens to be my future neighbor, less than 2km away from Aorema, my home for the next two years. I biked into Ouahigouya Saturday afternoon with Ilana (also my future neighbor - about 7km away), and we met up with Christina at the cyber café and biked to her village Youba, where we then met up with three other PCTs from an nearby village. We intended to visit my site that evening, but unfortunately Christina forgot her key in Ouahigouya, so we had to change our plans a bit. We hung out in Youba while a neighbor went by moto back into town to retrieve her key. By the time he came back, it was already dark, so we decided to go the next day.

Sunday morning, we biked the short distance to my future village of Aorema. There we met my counterpart, the head nurse of the CSPS (health clinic). He seems like a cool guy, so it should be fun working with him, though he does speak French at a rather quick pace for my tastes. We also met the other CSPS workers and got a brief tour of the clinic. From there we walked maybe 50 yards or so to my house! It is located right next to CSPS grounds, in a walled-in compound that also includes the homes of the head nurse and another CSPS worker. It is not complete yet, but they were working on it while we were there. One man was preparing my hanger (similar to a porch) to be cemented as you can see in the photo here, and another man was digging my latrine behind my house. After this is taken care of, they want to build a fence around my courtyard to give me some added privacy. I think once it is all done, it will definitely look great, and I can definitely picture myself here for the next two years. My friends said the little bumps on the roof make it look like a castle. I have to agree.

It has never been more real than now. I have seen the men who have spent months (since April) building a house specifically for me. I have heard the women in the maternity building at the CSPS thank me for coming. I really felt welcomed into Aorema, and now I've seen the people I am here to help. I am more excited than ever to move into my new home. The inside of my house is just as nice as the outside. It's all completely new, so I shouldn't have to worry about too many bugs or mice. There are two rooms: one large blue room, and another yellow room about half its size. There is even a door to seperate the two (I don't know why that is exciting but it is). The big blue room will mostly like be the kitchen/living room, and the yellow one will be my bedroom. It has an actual wood ceiling that I am thrilled about because it definitely will keep the house cooler than a tin roof would. Overall, it's not a big home, but for me it's the pefect size. Plus my nearest water source appears to be a faucet (i.e. not a pump or well) on the CSPS grounds, which means a lot less work getting water. I couldn't be happier with my little home.


When we were about to get on our way, the important members of the village (including the chief) presented me with two chickens. I was really honored, but may I give a word of caution. Riding 20km on a dirt road with two chickens tied together by their feet, hanging upside down from the handlebars of your bike in the midday sun for two hours is not the most pleasurable experience (for me or the chickens). Fortunately, I had Ilana there (see photo), so we switched half way through. Unfortunately, one little birdie was a bit sick and died shortly after arriving into town. But the other made it back in one piece, just to play the title role in my chicken spaghetti dinner I had last night. It was definitely an interesting weekend, with ups and down like the bumps in the dirt road we carried the chickens on that day. And while the death of my feathered friend was quite the Debbie Downer (insert sad trombone tune here), the trip only made me more excited to finish training and actually start my work as a Peace Corps Volunteer.


On a completely unrelated note, since Thanksgiving is this week, and today I am thankful that the cyber café computers are uploading photos relatively fast, I've decided to share a couple other pics from around my current village of Somyaga. Enjoy!

This is one of my best little buds in village, little Sayouba. You may recognize him from my last set of photos from village. Whenever I pick him up in the air as I often have to do, he just laughs and laughs. He's such a funny kid!

And this is one of the village elders in my quartier. He is always sitting on the ground making something - rope or calabash bowls or the like. Whenever I visit him, he shows me what he is working on, but because he is only speaks Mooré, he just keeps saying ¨Yaa soma¨ (It's good) and ¨Barka¨ (Thank you) to me. We started actual Mooré classes today, so maybe I will be able to talk with him some more after awhile. He is such a nice man though. He asked me to take a picture of him and his family, and when I should this to him, I don't think I've ever heard so many ¨Barkas¨ from one person. I think it turned out pretty good too.

One Month To Go!

So there is exactly only one more month of staging left before swearing-in. One more month before I can officially call myself a Peace Corps Volunteer. And although sometimes it feels like training has dragged on and on, at other times I catch myself thinking how soon it will be over and the next phase of my PC life will begin. My concept of time has drastically changed since being here, that's for sure.

I don't have much news to report today. I've been busy in village and around town, learning the skills and resources I will need once I'm at site. We have learned how to make enriched porridge for babies using locally-available ingredients. We visited a center that rehabilitates malnourished children and educates their mothers to keep them healthy. We met with a local AIDS support group for women and listened to their stories and advice. We helped weigh babies at our local CSPS in Somyaga.

We have also been busy with classes. French classes for several hours a day. Moore classes (the language I will be speaking) begin next week. We have had classes on first aid, Burkinabe culture, security concerns, malaria, HIV, nutrition, and the list goes on. It is quite a grueling schedule, but the group is all in good spirits. We are still 32 strong and plan to stay that way till swear-in, if we are so lucky. And while there is always a couple people sick at any one moment (myself included at times), it makes you realize how strong you can be. There have definitely been numerous frustrating times, but you have to have a sense of humor with it all. The good always outways the bad. And besides, Thanksgiving is next week! (it is, right?)

Good Times (and photos)

Lots to talk about today. Things here are going good. It has cooled down some since our arrival, for which we all are so very thankful. This past week, we found out about our site assignments. That is to say, we found out where we will be living for the next two years. There are people going to every corner of Burkina, and guess where I'm going - about 12km from where I am right now.

So the name of my future village is Aorema, and yes, I could walk to it from here if I wanted to. There are actually three other trainees (including my friend from W&M) who have been placed around Ouahigouya, so I am in good company. There are also a few volunteers nearby who have already been living here for several months. In fact, I have a neighboring PCV Christina who will only be 2km from my house. She actually said she would take me to my house next Sunday to check it out, so maybe I can snap some photos of my new home while I am there. While it does seem a little disappointing that I won't get to explore more of the country, I think it will still be great. I know the city pretty well already, the market has a year-round supply of fruits and veggies, there is internet access obviously, and transportation is easy to anywhere I want to go (the capital is only 2 hours away by bus). So I think the positives definitely outway the negatives. Plus it gives me a reason to go explore the rest of Burkina during my two years.

Apparently, my home is brand new, built specifically for me. It is a two-room cement house that shares a common area with the homes of the head nurse and another worker from the local health clinic. Currently, there is a shared latrine and shower, but they said they were going to build me my own. They also said they would build a hanger in front of my house, basically a roof to block the sun out, kind of like a porch. I am the first volunteer at my site, and they seem eager to have one. Hopefully, I will be able to motiate the community during my two year stay. So that's the real big news. On to the visuals. I have finally been able to upload some pictures in and around my current village of Somyaga. Desciptions follow:

This is my host mom (one of three, but this is the only one I ever see). She works so hard, getting my bath water twice a day, making me dinner, and washing my clothes. She only speaks Moore, so our conversations are limited, but she laughs at me a lot, which I take as ¨I love you, Erik.¨ Oh, and that baby is not hers, but I don't know who it belongs to. Who cares.

This is some random old lady in my village. Come to think of it, she may be the one who was dancing topless in her courtyard the other day. But she wanted me to take her picture and cracked up when I showed it to her. I think it made her morning.

This is my neighbor and fellow PCT Christy. Here she is grinding millet with the ladies. Apparently, she wasn't doing a very good job because they stopped her after I took this picture. These women work their butts off though. If it weren't for them, the men would starve.

This is my host brother Sayouba, at the entrance to my room. He is 19, and his French is great, so he is the one I do most of my talking with. He really is très cool, and he knows it. He is probably the first and only Burkinabe so far that I would call my friend and was so excited to hear that I was going to live just down the road. He has already said he will come and visit me in Aorema.

This is one of my favorite kids to play with in village. His name is Galilou, he is 5 years old, and I think he is Seyouba's brother (but then again every boy in village is a ¨brother¨). He is the first kid I taught how to high five, and now all the kids are doing it. He is quite the mischievous little boy.

Here he is again with Kapseta, some girl who always hangs outside my room. She is super shy, like most of the girls here. But Galilou makes up for that. Look at that smile. He's plotting something.

Finally, here is a group shot of lots of the kids in my courtyard. The one in the middle is also named Sayouba and he is one of my favorites too. His expressions are so cute, and when he and Galilou get together, they are nothing but trouble. Hope you enjoyed these pics. This is my life.

Ouaga Do Good

So I'm in the capital Ouagadougou (that's pronounced WA-GA-DOO-GOO for those out of the know) for the weekend. We arrived yesterday and met with the U.S. Ambassador and her staff, then we took a tour of the PC offices and got a flu vaccine. I also ate an amazingly good pizza that cost me about 6 times more than my average meals. So worth it! Today we woke up and headed over to SIAO, an international artisan festival. It was pretty cool. I bought a t-shirt and a cool necklace that I bargained from 2000 CFA down to 500 CFA ($1). I also had my first taste of FanChaco, a frozen chocolate milk treat. So great! We are staying at the PC transit house which is awesome because we have electricity, running water, and refridgerators. So yesterday I put a coke in the freezer and a few hours later, I had an amazing Slurpee-like drink.

Sadly, we ship out tomorrow back for Ouahigouya. It was a great excursion nevertheless and a real treat for all us health volunteers. We find out about our site announcements on Wednesday, so this helped take everyone's mind off things. It's amazing how many people yell "Barack Obama" when they see us. People here love him so much, so it's an exciting time for everyone here. But it's really weird because I have never felt more disconnected with American politics. I have no idea how America is reacting, but here it's nothing but excitement from the Burkinabe and the other PCVs. It will definitely be weird coming home in two years to a whole new administration. But hopefully, this will be a much needed change. Until next time.

Demystified

Well, I got back from my demystification visit yesterday. For those who don't know, that just means we went in small groups to stay with a current volunteer to see how they live. My group, which consisted of our language teacher, myself, Kristy, Ilana (who went to W&M amazingly), and Annete, went to visit an older volunteer in the small village of Sala, about 113km southwest of Ouaga. She was such a great hostess to the five of us, and we definitely packed the days in.

To get there, we first took a bus from Ouahigouya to Ouaga in the early morning. Then we caught a bush taxi (imagine 25 people fitting into a van that seats 12, overloaded with baggage, bikes, motos and goats inside and on the roof, and breaking down every hour or so) from Ouaga to Sala. When we finally made it after several hours, our hostess greeted us and showed us her house and friends and neighbors. She has a really nice crib for PC standards, so she's quite lucky. She also has another volunteer only 2km up the road, so we got to meet him and check out his place too (also incredibly nice).

For the few days we were there, we definitely got to do a lot. We weighed babies at the local CSPS (health clinic), ate lunch with the village chief, saw her PC neighbor do a talk about pregnancy at a nearby school, helped in a talk about proper handwashing to three classes at another school, saw a soccer game, visited the dam, had language classes, met all the important village leaders, and visited the market in the next town over. I was amazed how she manages to get by with her spectacular mix of English and French. She does have a language tutor that goes with her everywhere and acts as her translator. It's still great to see how how much the community respects her and how she manages to thrive there with less-than-perfect language skills, but she has no fear to get up and talk in her Franglais to a room full of confused school children.

She also made some amazing food, and for that, she could have been speaking Chinese to those kids and I wouldn't have cared. We had mac and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese. Amazing! It was cool to see how PCVs can take local products and make some really good American-friendly meals. I've heard that pizza isn't too hard to make. That is first on my list once I get to my site.

All in all, the visit was great. I got to see what a volunteer actually does on a day-to-day basis, and it really made me happy. Seeing her in her community was a reaffirmation for myself. I can see myself in her shoes a year down the road and know I can definitely handle the path to come. Hope to post again soon and hope all is well in the States (we PCTs can't wait for the elections! I feel so disconnected.)

P.S. Don't get too excited, but I have pictures of the entire group. Unfortunately, the first was taken in Philadephia and not Burkina, but the second was taken in the PC van on the way from Ouaga to Ouahigouya. You might be able to see Burkina in the background if you squint. They are all amazingly cool individuals (nobody has left yet which is very rare for any PC group - that should tell you something). More pics from and of Burkina will come eventually. Enjoy this for now: