Okay,let me preface this post by saying that coming to Burkina Faso has taught me a lot and I'm very glad I came. So, it is VERY disppointing that it hasn't worked out for me. Yet I have decided that it is not best for me to stay. I have a number of health concerns and have found that this, in addition to other difficulties, has brought me to the conclusion that I need to leave Pissila. Donc, I will be on the next available flight for Paris.
Going along with this, and equally as sad for me, Jon and I feel that it's best he stay. He has not had the same difficulties and is also obligated to teach two classes until the end of the year. Eleanor also chosen to stay. She loves nasaras, but she doesn't want Jon to get lonely. So he gets to enjoy this wonderful climate sans moi.
I think it would be appropriate now to list some things I will miss about Burkina Faso so I will do it Top Ten style (since my dad likes Letterman):
10. benga (beans) for 25 cents
9. the marche and its array of thrifty treasures ( hello, i love my 'ok' belt and panda bag)
8. speaking french and being laughed at beaucoup
7. leopold sending me 12 blank text messages a day (leopold + cell phone= annoyed heather)
6. old men laughing at me when we're drinking dolo and i say animal names in moore
(donkey=buenga...not to be confused with benga)
5. little kids screaming "nasara BYE BYE" as I ride by on my bike (guess no one taught them
'hello')
4. my host sister Balkeesa clucking her tongue at me (and dying my feet black. who doesn't
love black toenails for two months?)
3. Africans wearing hats and winter coats when it's 85 degrees outside (sometimes mittens)
2. sleeping under the stars (with Sayka Sayka lulling me from my sweaty bed into dreamland)
1. great people (they've been the sweetest and nicest people and I am truly going to miss them!)
Here are the Top Ten things I can live without:
10. sweating at 10pm in my tent trying to fall asleep ( and Jon sleeping peacefully beside me..
..jerk)
9. beggar kids singing at the gate trying to make me get out of my tent'o'sweat and saying "Je
ne comprends pas. Je parle a Moore"(or the ones in ouaga who slap me)
8. biting into several small sand pebbles every time I get a loaf of bread (or a bowl of benga)
7. getting a bacterial infection when i eat 25 cent benga (and pooing my pants after said infection
on African public transportation)
6. cab drivers! (they either rip me off or try to kiss me, heather+scandalous driver+heat
= nasara tanrum... and a backpack might get dropped and kicked)
5. sweating, all day every day (and night too!)
4. LATRINES and their creepy inhabitants (who I might right a children's book about)
3. running out of toilet paper (and resorting to notebook paper)
2. having noodles, rice, and white baguettes every meal (sometimes with a side of... more
noodles!)
1. my Burkina BUTT RASH. (great for those long bike rides on my bike!)
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
BUSY BEES
Alas school has begun and the cool season has not. Steadily things are picking up around Piss-town. I am tres hereuse. Leopold has now officially introduced Jon and I to many important people and the school committees, donc, I am all set to begin empowering those girls!
Maintenant, I am in Ouaga for my out-of-site leave and a dr. appt. I have spent the day eating BEAUCOUP. I have also gotten to meet up with some fellow volunteers, which is always good.
Mommy and Daddy, thanks for the "mother package." i can now schedule the heck out of my village life! (which is tres importante what with the Africans being slaves to their sundials). You guys flippin' rock!
It feels like there's not much to recount... I have been reading and sweating a lot. We went to a dinner with the teachers that Jon teaches with and tore up the fanta! I am officially known as "Addo" by the Burkinabe. Whenever I am asked my name, my reply is met with a stare that might closely resemble one you would expect to see if I'd crouched down and did a headstand. The sounds of my name are an enigma that some people can only make out a long grunt of mushed-up syllables. I would resort to being fatimata again, but I am in a cathoic village now with many names like 'Simone' and 'Collette.'
To conclude this post I would like to talk about Anselm. He is our daily visitor and is the most polite, well-spoken and adorable 11 year-old I've known. Whenever he comes over I am immediately cheered up. Anselm can make my day! I am really excited to finally start working with kids! One thing is for sure: the villagers are wonderful.
Well love to all!!!
Maintenant, I am in Ouaga for my out-of-site leave and a dr. appt. I have spent the day eating BEAUCOUP. I have also gotten to meet up with some fellow volunteers, which is always good.
Mommy and Daddy, thanks for the "mother package." i can now schedule the heck out of my village life! (which is tres importante what with the Africans being slaves to their sundials). You guys flippin' rock!
It feels like there's not much to recount... I have been reading and sweating a lot. We went to a dinner with the teachers that Jon teaches with and tore up the fanta! I am officially known as "Addo" by the Burkinabe. Whenever I am asked my name, my reply is met with a stare that might closely resemble one you would expect to see if I'd crouched down and did a headstand. The sounds of my name are an enigma that some people can only make out a long grunt of mushed-up syllables. I would resort to being fatimata again, but I am in a cathoic village now with many names like 'Simone' and 'Collette.'
To conclude this post I would like to talk about Anselm. He is our daily visitor and is the most polite, well-spoken and adorable 11 year-old I've known. Whenever he comes over I am immediately cheered up. Anselm can make my day! I am really excited to finally start working with kids! One thing is for sure: the villagers are wonderful.
Well love to all!!!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
heather's hellacious happenings
Jon has laready mentioned that things have not been particularly "peachy" the past two-three weeks....pretty much since we've been at site. First, sadly, we are down a kitty. Mali has gone to the hereafter and Eleanor is our only cat. I guess we learned the hard way that you have to be careful with beloved pets in Africa! Next, during a weekend visit to the capitol, a beggar slapped me in the face and a taxi driver tried to kiss me. Last week I had an infection in both feet and this week I had a bacterial infection with a really high fever and horrible stomach issues. I'm now recovering in Ouaga and feel a lot better. It's amazing how a little AC and Shrek will change your perspective on the universe.
So about our work! School gets going next week and we should both get busier. It is hot hot hot right now but we're told that November-January is "like paradise" (a quote from Sylvie the PCMO who tried to cheer me up yesterday) which remains to be seen. We have several friends in Pissila. We probably spend most of our time (besides with eachother) with Philippe. He is who serves us cold drinks at our local buvette "Kosnabas." The drinks are SUPER SUPER cold and the ambiance is outstanding (maybe a little too far on that last point). We are lucky though.
Here's a typical Day-in-the-Life if you will: wake up around six, lay around while someone makes hot water for an awesome cup of Nescafe (YUM) and then make some oatmeal. next, (and this might be around 8) we go for a bike ride down this dirt road that leads to surrounding villages (sometimes we go off road for a little exploration..hello Lewis and Clarke) this will include about one million greetings and Burkinabe laughing at the weird white people. Next we head back to the homestead for some bucket bath action. Hopefully around now it is close enough to eleven to warrant some benga and cold fanta/castel/coke/sachet de l'eau (water). Around 12:30 begins what we call here the repose (rest/nap time). This lasts until 3:30. I usually lie in our house fanning myself. The evenings are wild cards, sometimes we have a guest or two, sometimes we get invited for some socializing over dolo (local beer) and sometimes we just cook up a tasty meal around 4 and hit the hay around 6. It's a hectic schedule for us. Sometimes you just can't fit it all in!
Well thanks for the comments guys! Love to everyone over there in the Americas. Enjoy the fall t.v. lineup!
Au Revoir for now.
So about our work! School gets going next week and we should both get busier. It is hot hot hot right now but we're told that November-January is "like paradise" (a quote from Sylvie the PCMO who tried to cheer me up yesterday) which remains to be seen. We have several friends in Pissila. We probably spend most of our time (besides with eachother) with Philippe. He is who serves us cold drinks at our local buvette "Kosnabas." The drinks are SUPER SUPER cold and the ambiance is outstanding (maybe a little too far on that last point). We are lucky though.
Here's a typical Day-in-the-Life if you will: wake up around six, lay around while someone makes hot water for an awesome cup of Nescafe (YUM) and then make some oatmeal. next, (and this might be around 8) we go for a bike ride down this dirt road that leads to surrounding villages (sometimes we go off road for a little exploration..hello Lewis and Clarke) this will include about one million greetings and Burkinabe laughing at the weird white people. Next we head back to the homestead for some bucket bath action. Hopefully around now it is close enough to eleven to warrant some benga and cold fanta/castel/coke/sachet de l'eau (water). Around 12:30 begins what we call here the repose (rest/nap time). This lasts until 3:30. I usually lie in our house fanning myself. The evenings are wild cards, sometimes we have a guest or two, sometimes we get invited for some socializing over dolo (local beer) and sometimes we just cook up a tasty meal around 4 and hit the hay around 6. It's a hectic schedule for us. Sometimes you just can't fit it all in!
Well thanks for the comments guys! Love to everyone over there in the Americas. Enjoy the fall t.v. lineup!
Au Revoir for now.
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