Ouagadougou…knows how to party.
We keep it rockin’! We keep it rockin’!
OK, so maybe that’s not quite how the song goes, but I feel it’s pretty applicable to my life for the past couple of weeks. I’ve been in Ouaga teaching English, and have definitely grown accustomed to the city lifestyle. Ouaga maybe isn’t the flashy, cosmopolitan city of New York or Paris, but as far as I’m concerned it is definitely not bad.
Every summer the American Language Center puts on two month-long sessions of English classes for middle and high school students in Ouaga. In an effort to make things a little spicy (”Kick it up a notch!”…Emeril, anyone?), they’ve organized the schedule so that the students have two hours of classroom learning, followed by two hours of fun activities. And that’s where I come in. The ALC wants the fun activity time to be a little like a day camp, and they brought in PCV “experts” to help out with that. My application listed my numerous qualifications from my days at the Lair, including (but certainly not limited to): marshmallow snot rockets, Capture the Flag, whale hunting, and inner tube water polo. I don’t like to brag, but I can see how they couldn’t pass me up. There’s unfortunately no pool at the ALC, but together with three other PCV friends, we’ve planned four weeks of arts and crafts, class competitions, music, and athletic events that should keep the students at least mildly entertained. Either that or they’ll go home thinking we’re nuts.
The most interesting aspect of camp is the contrast between these students and my students in village. These kids, the older ones at least, drive to class on motos. They are well-informed about national and international events, and they have a good grasp on pop life and culture outside of Burkina. My village students walk up to 10km to get to school (the lucky ones bike); a few of them have a battery-powered light bulb at home; almost none have ever used a computer. Tellingly, one class at the ALC got in an argument over some routine aspect of life in village, and it was my PCV friend who had to step in and correct them as none of them truly knew what goes on in small villages. It’s reassuring to know that it is possible to get an education and lead a healthy life in Burkina, but it’s very frustrating to see more evidence of the enormous education, financial, and lifestyle differences that exist here. As Burkina is by no means alone on the list of countries combating poverty, I know I could see the same gap (if not a bigger one) between rich and poor students in America, but it has been eye-opening to work with the other half after living in village for the past year.
As for myself, I’ve more or less re-adapted to city life. Running water. Toilets. Electricity. Air conditioning. There are several small grocery stores near the PCV house; internet is everywhere; and restaurants serve cold drinks. I’ve also enjoyed feeling caught up with the rest of the world. (Brett Favre is in New York?!) I saw pictures from the Opening Ceremonies, and we got to watch the US soccer and basketball games yesterday. Being here has also highlighted the changes I’ve undergone having lived in village the past year. Despite the cool weather, I can’t force myself to take a hot shower. It feels weird and steamy and I don’t like it, so I leave the water cold. The other night we went down the street to get dinner. When describing the source of food to my friend, I explained that “It’s a little alleyway where four or five women set up carts every night at dusk. They have rice (good for carbs), beans (for protein), and spaghetti (for oil). If you mix them all together, it’s a really good meal.” She heartily agreed. Even better: the cost of meal was 25 cents. Beat that, Paris!
