Saying Goodbye

I wasn't sure what to do before leaving village to thank everyone and say goodbye. I ended up planning two parties and the village organized a third.

My second to last day at site, my best friend Dabre made dolo and sold it all morning. I helped some but not as much as usual since I was trying to pack. That afternoon, she asked the priest to come to her house and in the middle of selling dolo and everyone getting drunk, we formed a circle and prayed. They thanked me for my time here and blessed me on my voyage and in my future. It was very sweet and so Burkina! Afterwards, Dabre gave out about 40 liters of dolo to celebrate! We danced all night long!

The evening before I left I was invited to the mayor's office and assumed he would thank me but didn't expect anything else. All of the village elders and chief's from each neighborhood were there along with many functionnaires and other local leaders. They had a very formal ceremony that followed strict protocal here with an MC, head table with special guests, and several speeches. Everyone thanked me for all that I had done and the functionnaires repeatedly commented on how hard life is here and how well I have done. They presented me with gifts in a very formal fashion as well. I had to stand in front of everyone and the MC announced who would be giving me a gift on behalf of which group. I then was asked to speak in French and Bissa but other than thanking everyone for their support, I was unsure of what to say. Afterwards we had soda in cans (very unusual here) and most of the elders didn't know how to open them. They then tried to do a toast but everyone had already started drinking since again thats unusual in village. It was a very sweet send-off and showed me what I did mean for my village.

That night I had asked the women in my family to prepare a meal that we could all eat together to celebrate my time here and to thank them. I felt bad asking the women to cook at their own party but thats how it is done here and I know they prefer their own food over mine. There was some miscommunication and they invited the whole family which makes up the entire neighborhood of several hundred people. Everyone got to eat though and had a good time.

The next morning I left for Ouaga with all my luggage on a bush taxi. My friend Dabre came with me and I had to say goodbye to her the next day. Its been hard to leave but I am definetly ready to be in the US now and am excited for my next adventure.