Drinking, Embassy, & More

Our schedule continues to be jam-packed including several really fun events. We had a field trip to "local drinking establishments" to see and taste the locally-made beverage of choice for many. Dolo is made from either red or white millet with a few other variations and takes a few days to ferment. Usually older women make it and run the "cabarets' where it is sold. When you first arrive, they give you a calabash or bowl made from a bird-house gourd to let everyone in your group taste. This is free but you are then expected to purchase a liter or more to enjoy during your time there. After the first taste, everyone gets their own calabash to drink from. Some described dolo's taste like hard cider while others felt it was more like vinegar. I didn't mind the taste but was a little disgusted by the large number of flies swarming our calabashes. This adventure was followed by a medical session about alcohol safety.

 

On Thursday we had a visit from the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Burkina. We were told that he is basically the second in command. He wanted to meet the new volunteers and see what training was like. The embassy is currently being evaluated so the individual completing the audit from D.C. also visited along with an IT expert from the embassy. It was obvious that everyone was very interested in Peace Corps and supportive of our programs.

 

Friday morning we left early for Ouaga, the capital of Burkina Faso, to make it to a 9 am meeting at the U.S. embassy. The ambassador met with us and again reiterated the importance of Peace Corps in this country and said that we were the true ambassadors of the United States. Several other American employees at the embassy also spoke to us on a variety of topics including what to do if we decide to marry a Burkinabé. We also visited the Peace Corps which was much larger than expected. We spent the last two nights at the PC Transit House which is a place for volunteers to stay in the city when they need a break from their villages. We get four nights away from site a month and many volunteers come into Ouaga or another large city to use the internet, shop at the grocery store, eat out, and just relax. After staying at the transit house which has real toilets, hot water showers, huge shelves full of books, comfy couches, and wireless internet (though my computer is so old I can't access it), I can imagine what a treat it will be to stay here after a while in the bush.

 

Yesterday we visited SIAO, the famous arts and handicrafts festival held in Burkina every two years. There are exhibitors from all over West Africa and lots of cool things. We are living on very small stipends during training so it was hard to look at all of the beautiful fabrics, baskets, woodcarvings, etc. and not be able to buy anything. Since I am so new in country, its hard to know what I can get at other places and what was unique to the festival and also what is a good price to bargain towards. Fortunately the festival will be held again in two years, just a few months before I return to the U.S. so I will be able to go crazy shopping then.

 

We are headed back to Ouahigouya tonight and are done traveling for the rest of training. We are finding out our sites on Wednesday which I am very excited about since it will determine where I am living for the next two years. I feel like it's an early birthday present followed by a late birthday present of our first language exam on Saturday, the morning after I turn 24.