Old Places; New Faces

I’ve spent the last two weeks helping to train the group of new volunteers who arrived last month. Their training is in the same city mine was last year, so it was fun to see my host family and re-visit old hang-out spots. It was also neat to see how much the city has grown in the past year, and after hanging out with the new arrivals, how much I’ve grown as well.

My host family is hosting another volunteer this summer. I must admit that my first reaction upon hearing that news was, “Oh no! What if they like him more than me?” It was a very made-for-TV moment- when the only child finds out that Mom is pregnant- but I think I handled it pretty well. No temper tantrums, screaming, or reverting to baby behavior. I met their new volunteer (who seems pretty cool and will coincidentally be my closest new neighbor), and went home with him for dinner one night. My host siblings (two brothers and a sister) were very excited to see me, and we chatted about school and soccer. The younger brother shared with me his newfound obsession with the game of marbles, and the older brother showed me last year’s report cards. Bragging moment: he’s entering his senior year in high school ranked number one in his class! He wants to go to University and study science. I’m crazy excited for him.

The big news from their neighborhood is the continued keenness for Ultimate Frisbee. I introduced my host siblings to Frisbee last summer. They seemed to really like it, so I gave them a disc as a going away/thank you present. Fast forward a year. My 13 year-old host brother invited me to play with him before dinner one night. Him and all the kids in the neighborhood! We went down to the field by their house, and I quickly found out he wasn’t exaggerating. The disc I had given them was…well-loved, to say the least. And we had a group of kids at the field that could really play well. They told me they play every morning and are thinking of organizing a tournament before school starts! Frisbee hasn’t yet replaced soccer as their sport of choice (they still play soccer in the evenings), but morning games? A possible tournament? How’s that for cultural integration?

It was also very fun to meet the new trainees. They’re in the middle of their training now, have just found out where they’ll be living for the next two years, and are about to start teaching in summer school. They’re all excited about being here, but a little nervous about moving into their villages in a couple of weeks. Hearing their thoughts on training, their questions, and their excitements really put the last year in perspective for me. I look back and see the same thoughts, anxieties, and excitements in myself a year ago. But hey: my French is more-or-less passable; I’ve successfully kept a class of 95 students under control (OK…sort of); and I’ve gotten used to not having ice cold drinks in 110 degree village heat. Not bad! However, my time with the trainees also reminded me of the things I still want to accomplish in my service- I’m hoping to do HIV/AIDS sensibilisations before Christmas, strengthen my math/science club, and possibly collaborate with a Girls’ Education volunteer for a girls’ camp in my village next spring.

I think the best thing I’ve realized this summer is that I’ve been here just over a year, and I love my life. And that’s a pretty satisfying thing to be able to say.

Help Fight Malaria in Burkina

Malaria is one of the most common infectious disease in Burkina Faso, killing more than 25,000 people (mostly children under the age of 5) each year. If you’re sitting at home asking yourself “What can I do?”, I have an answer.

One of my volunteer friends is working with SOS Enfants in Orodara, Burkina Faso. She has helped set them up to be a new distribution site for insecticide-treated mosquito nets through the Against Malaria Foundation. This means that if they raise enough funds, 5000 mosquito nets will be distributed free of charge to orphans, vulnerable children, and pregnant women. Donations are done online and are tax-deductable. Better yet, this British NGO receives private donations for all of their administrative costs, so 100% of your money goes towards the mosquito nets. At only $5 per net, a little bit goes a long ways. Though often associated with poverty, malaria is also a cause of poverty and a huge hindrance to economic development. Check out this link, and help a PCV out in her work. Thanks!

On the Road...or at Least Not at Home

It’s been quite the week or so since I left village. I’ve seen friends in several parts of the country, had a killer barbecue, did some biking, and am currently in town working with a PCV group organizing HIV/AIDS awareness activities.

My first stop was in Koudougou, the nearest big city to my site. I met up with some friends for lunch and surprisingly had the most delicious steak I’ve had since leaving Minnesota last spring. Luckily we knew that service at this restaurant is notoriously slow, so we ordered about an hour and a half before we wanted to eat, and the timing was perfect. I spoke with several friends who have recently attended an informational workshop regarding the Morenga tree. Morenga is kind of the magical, do-everything tree of Africa: its leaves are rich in nutrients, and powder from its seeds can even sanitize dirty village well water. I’m really excited about the possibility of doing a Morenga project in my village.

For the Fourth of July we ended up going out on the town in Ouaga. It was quite the night with dinner and dancing. We even lit sparklers and sang that “Proud to be an American” song that is a requirement of every fireworks display across the good old US of A. (Don’t worry, we sang at our house before leaving so as not to embarrass ourselves too much.) It was a fun evening, but the Fifth of July was the real party, though. We were completely intent on having a barbecue at our house; the only problem was the barbecue. Our guard tried to acquire a grill from one of his friends, but when that fell through, we had to “grill” the burgers on a frying pan on the stove top. Not quite the same, but still good. We had homemade french fries and even lemon bars. The only thing missing was beer-marinated brats. I guess I’ll have to tailgate in Madison when I get home next fall.

I took a trip out to see one of my friends in the East of Burkina for a few days after the Fourth. We went on a nice bike ride and helped his neighbors plant corn one day. Both were fun, but as the Burkinabe were quick to tell us, “We have no machines here! Planting makes your back hurt!” What do you know? They’re right! I did learn several interesting things though: it’s illegal to let your animals roam freely through village after planting starts because they’ll eat the crops; peanuts are planted about 10cm apart…making a large field a lot of work; and sesame seeds are so tiny and difficult to plant that people mix the seeds with 3 parts sand in order to spread out the seeds enough. And not a single tractor in sight! (Yes, I’m a wimp.)

I’m in Ouaga now, and between helping with the new group of trainees and teaching English here in August, I’ll be in large cities with internet the rest of the summer. I’ll try to update my blog more regularly. And hopefully I’ll get some pictures up soon. All the best!