A few days after I returned from Niger, Dylan came to village to help put on a computer camp. We had planned to do this earlier in the summer but had to cancel so were trying to squeeze it in before school started. As I think I’ve mentioned, an American company built a computer lab at the school in my village about 3 years ago. It is outfitted with 20 computers in great condition that are run off solar panels. For the first year and a half there was even satellite internet though it was never used so they stopped paying the bill. The computers are rarely used and usually just by the teachers but students have expressed interest in learning more so I wanted to set something up. My friend Jacque who is the pharmacist was particularly interested and helped with some of the arrangements. We held 3 different sessions a day each for an hour and a half. One group for girls, one for boys, and one for community members. The girls were mostly from my club and younger but the boys that came were mostly in high school in another town and much more advanced then the girls so it was good to split them up. The community members included the madarassa (Islamic school) teacher that is in my family and my friend Dabre’s husband. Neither had ever touched a computer and it was interesting to give them this experience. Dylan discussed the parts of the computer and how to turn it on and then did lessons in Microsoft Word and Excel and had them use a typing program to learn the proper finger placements.
School officially began in Burkina on Oct 1 though the first week or so seems to be spent figuring out who is in what class and how they are going to pay school fees. I think they are now just starting to teach classes. In my family we have two kids starting school this year. I’m so excited for Akeem and Assetou and have tried to show the family how important I think school. Barkissa, my 13 year old friend and helper, also is starting middle school this year. She passed the big exam last spring that students have to take at the end of primary school and is one of the lucky ones who gets to go on. I’ve been hearing a lot of complaints about how expensive school is and many people are unsure of how they will pay their children’s school fees. In my village, primary school costs about $5 for the year and middle school costs about $40 plus they have to buy notebooks, pencils, and other supplies. This doesn’t seem like much but is a huge chunk of most villagers income especially when you realize they may have 5 kids in school.
It is now harvest time and people are out in the fields bringing in their crops from this year. Right now they are harvesting corn, beans, peanuts, and okra. The millet won’t be ready for several more months but people are hoping for a good harvest this year after several bad years. I was told to go out to the fields one day with my friend Dabre but had no idea what we were doing. We showed up late because had work at the CSPS to do first. Turns out it was a work party in the fields. Dabre had been paid to make dolo for one of her neighbors who asked people to come help him weed his fields in exchange for dolo. The men were all lined up in the field with their dabas (hoes) and weeded in unison to the music from a drummer and maraca. It was almost like they were dancing as they weeded. I have spent a lot of time in the fields but this was my first experience with a social gathering like this revolved around working together and helping your neighbors.
I recently made soap with a group of women. Dabre had asked me to make it with her and some neighbors so I picked up supplies in Ouaga months ago and we finally found time to get together. I was expecting a few women but we ended up with 25 women that showed up for the two days it took. We had a lot of fun and they were very appreciative for the knowledge and to take home a free bottle of liquid soap. Now they are asking me to make hard soap so hope to squeeze that in still.
The minister of foreign affairs for Burkina Faso is my neighbor. Well at least he has a huge house that I can see out my window though he usually lives in Ouaga and only comes back for holidays and special events. His relatives are still there though and I have played with his great nieces and nephews and will sit and “chat” with his older brother. Unfortunately in August his mother passed away. I have seen her many times and she was in very bad health and mostly blind so it didn’t come as a huge surprise. Plus they are saying she was 105 years old so I guess she’s had a good life! Anyways, two weeks ago they held a huge funeral for her. I’m guessing a thousand people descended on my town to partake in the festivities and there were cars all over and tents put up to host the visitors. Even the first lady Chantal Campaore flew in on her helicopter and landed in the field behind my house. That’s the second time in six months! I guess you can tell there is an election coming up next month!
There was another death recently that hit me much harder. This is a hard time of year and many people are falling sick with malaria and other diseases. It seems like practically every day I am hearing about someone else that died. Most of these aren’t people I know though and they don’t really affect me. Recently a child that I knew well and played with frequently passed away though. Marc was just over a year old and such a happy baby. He was very chubby and seemed to be in such good health. Nobody is really sure what happened since he had been fine the days before he died and even seemed to be improving a few hours before his death. Its so hard to not have answers here. Death is just a part of life and people move on. His mom was in mourning for three days and couldn’t leave the house and then things are supposed to be back to normal. But they obviously aren’t. I am so sad about this loss and can’t imagine what his mom is feeling. I just want to hug her when I see her but of course that’s not appropriate here. Its hard to know what to do…
On a happier note, there is a small “mountain” in Garango that I had talked about climbing with Karla and Yoshi and never seemed to get around too. I finally went with Dylan last week though and reached the summit. Even Puppy came with! He ran 20 km while I biked and then climbed the mountain and later ran 20 km home. Its really not very high but the land is so flat here that any change in topography is exciting. We met up in Garango and biked towards the mountain. I tried to show off my Bissa and house nearby and we left our bikes there before beginning to hike. Dylan packed a picnic and we enjoyed several hours overlooking Garango and the nearby bush. On our way down, we found a large rock where water must rush over during rainy season. It was very slick and we enjoyed sliding down it!
One final note, there has been a gas shortage throughout Burkina. I didn’t really think much about it until my gas tank ran out and I had no way to cook dinner. Dylan was here at the time and we had to come up with creative ideas for dinner. Dabre lent me a grill and I got charcoal so cooked over coals for about two weeks before I was able to get a new gas tank. We even made lasagna in my Dutch oven one night. It took forever to cook but tasted amazing! Flexibility is what Peace Corps is all about!
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