I am in Ouaga for the weekend after two months in village--thats two months without internet, showers, speaking English, eating good food, etc. This is definetly the longest I have stayed in village but I really don't feel like I was missing out on much. Now that I am back in the big city and online, I feel overwelmed by everything I need to do. I figure I should try to post a few blogs though as well. Its getting more and more difficult to come up with stuff to write about in my blog so I'll try to just update everyone but also would love to hear what questions you have or things you'd like me to write about.
I don't feel like I have been doing much but seem to be very busy. I had hoped to get a lot of projects started but it just takes so much time to get things going. It doesn't seem like I have done much work but I really haven't been bored or had nothing to do. Every evening I am shocked that the day is coming to an end when the sun starts to set. The days are just flying by! I spend every morning at my health center usually helping with prenatal consultations or baby weighings depending on the day. I also talk to women hanging around about breastfeeding and childhood nutrtion, prevention of mother to child HIV/AIDS transmission, and other health topics. Many afternoons I hang out with my friend Dabre or the women and children in my family.
I did leave village to celebrate Christmas in Tenkodogo with several Peace Corps and Japanese volunteers. Tenkodogo is about 40 km from my village and is my regional capital but I don't go there very often because transport isn't great and its just as easy to go to Ouaga. I'm good friends with Yoshi, a Japanese volunteer, there and am excited to now have a Peace Corps neighbor in the city as well. PC Guinea was evacuated in October and 5 volunteers came to Burkina including one in Tenkodogo. Dylan, my new neighbor, moved to site in early Dec. On Christmas eve, I biked from village to Tenkodogo, the longest ride I have ever done. It wasn't too bad of a ride but was complicated because I was carrying a puppy the whole 40 km in my front basket. I found an adorable puppy in village and claimed him for my own. A few weeks later Dylan told me he wanted a dog so as the amazing neighbor that I am, I decided to bring him the puppy for Christmas. Bob was pretty good riding in the basket but I think was very happy to be done when we arrived. Dylan biked out to visit me a few weeks ago and brought Bob along to see my dog and I so he is quite used to traveling now!
Anyways, there were six of us together in Tenkogodo for Christmas at Yoshi's house. Christmas Eve we made a paper tree with ornaments as well as cut out snowflakes. Yoshi and I then went to midnight mass at the large church in town. It was a huge service outside the church because there wouldn't be room for everyone inside. We somehow missed the memo that it was bring your own chair so weren't too excited about standing outside in the dark and the cold (yes Dec & Jan actually got cold at night!) listening to mass in Moore which neither of us understand. There was lots of singing but we really didn't know what was going on and were so far back that could barely see the priest. After about an hour of this, we couldn't stay awake any longer so headed home. The next day we had a lazy day hanging out, cooking, eating, and drinking lots of beer. Our traditional Christmas meal consisted of sushi and burritos. Yum!
I then biked back to village (much easier going home since I was with the wind and the route happened to be on a slight decline which I didn't realize as I was biking the first day) and continued celebrating with my friends in village. I spent New Years Eve in village and stayed up until 2 am--an unheard of hour for me in village. I hung out with some functionnaires up until midnight and then later checked out the big dance going on at my market where all the village young people were hanging out. Nothing exciting but I am glad to have seen the celebration. Also I think many people were happy that I stayed to celebrate in village. During the holidays here, as in the US, its common to go visit friends and family so I was happy to have a variety of village friends come and hang out at my house.
Our cold season in Burkina is coming to a close and it is once again hot and sunny during the day and hard to fall alseep at night because of the heat. It does eventually cool down around 4 am and feels good when I get up but is hot again by about 9 am. The Harmattan has hit though and the winds off the Sahara have made it even more dry, dusty, and super windy. Everything is constantly covered in a cover of dust, my nose, mouth and eyes are painfully dry, and its hard to bike because of the wind. I am trying to enjoy it though because I know once it stops, the hot season will be here and I am scared to think about that again!
Also I met my friend's niece over the holidays who is a law student at the University of Ouagadougou. She speaks a little English and is very interested in having a penpal in the US. I am wondering if anyone would be interested in writing to her occassionally. She has email so I can pass it on to you.
Finally I posted new pictures from the last couple months.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Cabaret - Burkina Style
I know I have mentioned dolo in other blog posts but figure its time to talk about it a little more since I feel like so much of my time in village is spent at the cabaret. First an explanation of terminology. Dolo is the local brew here made from red sorghum. A cabaret is the "bar" where dolo is sold, usually just a shady spot under a tree or a small courtyard in someone's house. Dolo takes three days to make from when it is first started cooking until it is properly fermented. It is only made from women though both men and women (and children) partake in the drinking. Dolo tastes a lot like hard cider to me except its always warm or (Burkina) room temperature and I would never drink warm booze in the US.
I have enjoyed drinking dolo since I first arrived but it seems like it has become a much more regular part of my life in the last few months. I think part of this is I feel more integrated in my village and comfortable drinking and partly because sorghum was harvested in the fall so there is a lot more around and therefore more dolo being made. The family I live with and all of my neighborhood is Muslim and nobody drinks there so I have to go into the center of village to drink. I try to make it a point not to rub it in my family's face that I drink since I know they don't approve. That said word spreads quickly in village and gossip is rampant so I know that everybody knows and now realize its really not a big deal.
My best friend in village, Dabre, makes dolo occassionally and I enjoy helping her out. She first has to wash the sorghum and then leave it out to sprout. Then whenever she wants to make it, she cooks it down with water in a canary (huge clay pot) over a wood fire. This takes about a day or so until it tastes right. They then do something kind of like straining it so the liquid is put in another pot and the chunky sorghum that is left is saved to feed the pigs. This then sits overnight and ferments. The next morning (often starting at 6 or 7 am), its ready to begin selling.
I try to help with making it but usually don't do much. I am very much involved in the selling though. I guess everyone loves to buy dolo from the nasara (white girl) in village! There are a lot of traditions surrounding selling and drinking dolo. When someone shows up to the cabaret, they are given lengha (like a first taste) for free in a calabash. If it is good, they are then expected to buy more. They can get about a cup worth for 25 CFA or a liter for 100 CFA (about 20 cents). When someone requests it, you take it to them and squat down to hand it to them. You then take a sip first to show that it is safe and good before handing it to the customer. Everyone loves when I am willing to squat in front of them.
I also have recently invested in the dolo industry. The price of sorghum was going up a few weeks ago and my friend had the opportunity to buy about five huge grain sacks for $70 but didn't have the money to afford this since she hadn't yet made dolo from the last sorghum she bought. I bought the sorghum before prices raised with the agreement that I would be repaid once we make and sell dolo again. She has already repaid half and it is nice to be able to help in this way. I wouldn't feel comforable doing something like this with most people but this is my best friend and I am happy to help her increase her income since she can make a bigger profit if she can buy sorghum at a lower price. I feel like I have no money here but my PC monthly living stipend is still much higher than what many large families in village live on. I would like to do more to help but don't know how while still letting people see I am trying to live at the same level as them. I don't want to come across as the rich American with money to throw away since I do see the many NGOs that come through and waste money on unnecessary projects.
Didn't mean to turn this blog into a discussion of development work but I guess every part of my life comes back to that. Anyways I do enjoy my dolo and the community that surrounds partaking in this local Bukinabe beverage. I'd love to share it with you all but unfortunatley it doesn't last and has to be drank within about two days of being made.
I have enjoyed drinking dolo since I first arrived but it seems like it has become a much more regular part of my life in the last few months. I think part of this is I feel more integrated in my village and comfortable drinking and partly because sorghum was harvested in the fall so there is a lot more around and therefore more dolo being made. The family I live with and all of my neighborhood is Muslim and nobody drinks there so I have to go into the center of village to drink. I try to make it a point not to rub it in my family's face that I drink since I know they don't approve. That said word spreads quickly in village and gossip is rampant so I know that everybody knows and now realize its really not a big deal.
My best friend in village, Dabre, makes dolo occassionally and I enjoy helping her out. She first has to wash the sorghum and then leave it out to sprout. Then whenever she wants to make it, she cooks it down with water in a canary (huge clay pot) over a wood fire. This takes about a day or so until it tastes right. They then do something kind of like straining it so the liquid is put in another pot and the chunky sorghum that is left is saved to feed the pigs. This then sits overnight and ferments. The next morning (often starting at 6 or 7 am), its ready to begin selling.
I try to help with making it but usually don't do much. I am very much involved in the selling though. I guess everyone loves to buy dolo from the nasara (white girl) in village! There are a lot of traditions surrounding selling and drinking dolo. When someone shows up to the cabaret, they are given lengha (like a first taste) for free in a calabash. If it is good, they are then expected to buy more. They can get about a cup worth for 25 CFA or a liter for 100 CFA (about 20 cents). When someone requests it, you take it to them and squat down to hand it to them. You then take a sip first to show that it is safe and good before handing it to the customer. Everyone loves when I am willing to squat in front of them.
I also have recently invested in the dolo industry. The price of sorghum was going up a few weeks ago and my friend had the opportunity to buy about five huge grain sacks for $70 but didn't have the money to afford this since she hadn't yet made dolo from the last sorghum she bought. I bought the sorghum before prices raised with the agreement that I would be repaid once we make and sell dolo again. She has already repaid half and it is nice to be able to help in this way. I wouldn't feel comforable doing something like this with most people but this is my best friend and I am happy to help her increase her income since she can make a bigger profit if she can buy sorghum at a lower price. I feel like I have no money here but my PC monthly living stipend is still much higher than what many large families in village live on. I would like to do more to help but don't know how while still letting people see I am trying to live at the same level as them. I don't want to come across as the rich American with money to throw away since I do see the many NGOs that come through and waste money on unnecessary projects.
Didn't mean to turn this blog into a discussion of development work but I guess every part of my life comes back to that. Anyways I do enjoy my dolo and the community that surrounds partaking in this local Bukinabe beverage. I'd love to share it with you all but unfortunatley it doesn't last and has to be drank within about two days of being made.
Finding Gold at the End of the Dirt Road
Ghana may have been the Gold Coast but Burkina sure seems to have a lot of gold these days as well. There are two small gold mines near my village that I have been hearing about since I arrived but was only able to first visit last fall. Since then I have gone back a few times and am fascinated by it. Many people have told me that around 2006 when the mines were at their peak, there were about 15,000 people living there, three times as many people as in my village. It has greatly decreased in size and I really am not sure how many people are there now; my guess is one or two thousand though the population is very transient so frequently changes. Most of the inhabitants are Mossi (a different ethnic group from my community) and are not from nearby. There are some folks from our area that move out there for an opportunity to strike it rich or to offer services to this population though such as small restaurants and boutiques.
The gold mines are within the area covered by my health center so folks living there will come into village for services as well as coming our market. Of course the gold has brought some wealth but more than this I think it has created many problems in the community. My family has fields near the gold mine and said that several years ago there were lots of issues with animals and crops disappearing. Another issue is that there are many young men living alone at the gold mine, either single or away from their wives, and so prositition is a problem. Prostition among a mobile population can lead to an increased tranmission of HIV/AIDS and we have seen a few cases of women from my village that are known to hang out at the gold mine that have tested positive.
This is the information I knew about the gold mine before going but I really wasn't sure what to expect. The first time I visited was with my major during a tetanus vaccination campaign. I was shocked at how temporary the area looked considering people had been living there at least 4 years. In most villages here, homes are made of mud or cement bricks but at the gold mine, houses were more like lean-tos made from woven straw and plastic sheets. It is a lot like I imagine a refugee camp. The first visit was very short since we had a lot of work to do in other villages as well and I didn't get to look around much.
I then biked out to the gold mine in December with my friend and her niece, a university student on break. She had made dolo and wanted to sell it out there so I was happy to go along. Most of the day was spent sitting under a tree talking to the folks that were taking a break from their work to enjoy a calabash of dolo but I also had a chance to walk around and see the process used to extract gold. I need to first admit to everyone that I really have no clue how this works and how a rock becomes the gold earrings someone makes. On my little "tour" everything was translated from Bissa and Moore to French for me so I know there was a lot being explained that I didn't catch.
Basically what is done though is that lots of pits are dug out in the bush and they take rocks from the pits and then break them up into smaller rocks and eventually into small pebbles which are mixed with water to a make a sludge which is then filtered out to find the gold that is left behind. This is then mixed with mercury to become gold. Or something like that. I'm sure others could explain better but it was these multiple steps that I saw. Once they have flakes of gold, they have a small balance scale to weigh it against the weight of one or a few matches or a 1 CFA coin. The gold is then taken to Ouaga to be sold and shipped.
I made another trip to the gold mine last week when my friend Yoshi visited. I had told her about my experiences there so she was curious to see. This was my first time going alone and unfortunately I couldn't remember exactly which dirt path to take. We ended up very lost in the bush and even when we ran into someone, nobody spoke any French or understand what we were looking for. We did eventually the gold mine but we were definetly on a treasure hunt up until then. By the time we found the gold at the end of one small dirt road, we felt like we had found the jackpot even if we couldn't keep any of the gold!
I hope to continue going out to the gold mine and maybe even trying to do some programs and sensibilizations since I think there is a need for increased health education among this population.
The gold mines are within the area covered by my health center so folks living there will come into village for services as well as coming our market. Of course the gold has brought some wealth but more than this I think it has created many problems in the community. My family has fields near the gold mine and said that several years ago there were lots of issues with animals and crops disappearing. Another issue is that there are many young men living alone at the gold mine, either single or away from their wives, and so prositition is a problem. Prostition among a mobile population can lead to an increased tranmission of HIV/AIDS and we have seen a few cases of women from my village that are known to hang out at the gold mine that have tested positive.
This is the information I knew about the gold mine before going but I really wasn't sure what to expect. The first time I visited was with my major during a tetanus vaccination campaign. I was shocked at how temporary the area looked considering people had been living there at least 4 years. In most villages here, homes are made of mud or cement bricks but at the gold mine, houses were more like lean-tos made from woven straw and plastic sheets. It is a lot like I imagine a refugee camp. The first visit was very short since we had a lot of work to do in other villages as well and I didn't get to look around much.
I then biked out to the gold mine in December with my friend and her niece, a university student on break. She had made dolo and wanted to sell it out there so I was happy to go along. Most of the day was spent sitting under a tree talking to the folks that were taking a break from their work to enjoy a calabash of dolo but I also had a chance to walk around and see the process used to extract gold. I need to first admit to everyone that I really have no clue how this works and how a rock becomes the gold earrings someone makes. On my little "tour" everything was translated from Bissa and Moore to French for me so I know there was a lot being explained that I didn't catch.
Basically what is done though is that lots of pits are dug out in the bush and they take rocks from the pits and then break them up into smaller rocks and eventually into small pebbles which are mixed with water to a make a sludge which is then filtered out to find the gold that is left behind. This is then mixed with mercury to become gold. Or something like that. I'm sure others could explain better but it was these multiple steps that I saw. Once they have flakes of gold, they have a small balance scale to weigh it against the weight of one or a few matches or a 1 CFA coin. The gold is then taken to Ouaga to be sold and shipped.
I made another trip to the gold mine last week when my friend Yoshi visited. I had told her about my experiences there so she was curious to see. This was my first time going alone and unfortunately I couldn't remember exactly which dirt path to take. We ended up very lost in the bush and even when we ran into someone, nobody spoke any French or understand what we were looking for. We did eventually the gold mine but we were definetly on a treasure hunt up until then. By the time we found the gold at the end of one small dirt road, we felt like we had found the jackpot even if we couldn't keep any of the gold!
I hope to continue going out to the gold mine and maybe even trying to do some programs and sensibilizations since I think there is a need for increased health education among this population.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Amazing Times with Anna
I have had an exciting, whirlwind month. I can't believe how fast it has blown by but I have had so much fun traveling and catching up with Anna. I have been here a year but haven't done any traveling except for the few places I had to go for Peace Corps so was glad to see more of this country.
We started out the month with a trip to the southwest, probably the most touristic part of the country. We spent a night in my friend Amanda's village just outside Banfora and then went into the city for a few days. Banfora is a very relaxing, friendly place with lots of good food and after hearing so much about it, I was glad to check it out. One day we rented bikes and rode out to a nearby village where there is a beautiful waterfall. Its not huge by American standards but fun to see in a dry desert country where we don't have much water or green anything. Next stop was a little farther north to Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city in Burkina Faso. We checked out the Peace Corps office there, hung out with a few volunteers, ate some more good food, and enjoyed the market.
After a week of traveling, we headed back to my village to experience the real Burkina. I had told everybody she was coming and they were so excited to meet some that came all the way from the United States just to visit me and their village. It felt like there was a lot going on or at least many things to show Anna during our week there so it flew by. I helped lead an HIV/AIDS sensibilization at the local high school so we got to hang out with quite a few students and she saw the school. We also did an enriched porridge demonstration and weighed babies to combat malnutrition, one of my normal weekly activities. Then there were other random daily activities in village including drinking dolo, doing the market, and hanging out with friends and family.
I originally didn't want to celebrate my birthday in village but ended up having one of the best celebrations ever. Anna brought me confetti cake mix and frosting so I even got a real American birthday cake complete with a match stuck in to blow out and a make a wish. My new PC neighbor Krystle biked out to visit for a few hours then later in the afternoon my friend Yoshi, a Japanese volunteer came out to spend the evening. I don't drink much besides dolo in village because beer seems expensive, I don't want to hang out at the one shack that sells beer, and my family doesn't drink alcohol so I try to be discreet about any drinking I do in village. Since it was my birthday though I had a friend bring us a few over. Another friend then showed up with dolo to enjoy at my house. Later in the evening, we threw a dance party with my family in my courtyard. I've done this a few times but this was definitely the biggest. We cranked my iPod mini speakers and set up three headlamps on flashing around my courtyard to act as strobe lights. All the kids from 2 to 20 years old came as well as the moms and even grandma stopped by. They loved all of our crazy American dancing and the little ones copied anything we did. Their favorite thing was when we shouted "Put Your Hands Up" and everyone jumped around. Even grandma raised her arms and participated. After a while dancing to my music, everyone spontaneously started singing, drumming, and shaking their booties to traditional Bissa songs. It was a great mix of these two cultures!
After a week in village we headed north into the Sahel and the real desert. We spent a night with a volunteer in Dori and then continued on to Gorom Gorom, the farthest north city in Burkina. The transport from Dori is notoriously bad. We were in the back of pickup truck sitting on top of huge sacks of potatoes. I think there were about 10 people sitting in the bed and there were bars above the bed with at least that many people balancing precariously over our heads. Plus the road is pretty rough and dusty. We arrived in Gorom Gorom and were amazed to find that even the roads were covered in sand. The Thursday market here is famous. It isn't that much different than other markets in Burkina but I did enjoy seeing the many people that came into town. There are several different ethnic groups in this area including many Peulhs like in my village and Tuaregs, a nomadic tribe that raises camels and travels throughout the Sahel and Sahara. The next day we went out into the desert riding camels for about two hours. We arrived in the dunes and spent the evening there with our guides. It was beautiful and such a change from the south of Burkina and even what it looks like in my village. I've always heard that the desert gets cold at night but was shocked just how chilly it really was! We left early the next morning and watched the sunrise over the sands on camelback. After Gorom we met up with my friend Rob in Kaya and then spent the evening in his village nearby.
Next stop was Ouaga for a few days and my mid-service conference. We did some souvenir shopping and hung out in the big city. On Thanksgiving morning one of our staff members had volunteers over for brunch and game time. It was so fun to hang out, eat yummy food, drink coffee, and play games with friends. We then caught a bush taxi back to village and our own version of Thanksgiving dinner including instant mashed potatoes, boxed stuffing and canned green beans! That evening the girls in my family hennaed our feet and hands for the next day's festivities. We had to leave on Thanksgiving in order to celebrate Tabaski in village. We enjoyed hanging out with friends and family, wishing everyone health and many babies in the next year, and eating sheep and goat (or at least pretending to eat it and then giving it to a friend).
Thanks so much to Anna for traveling all the way to Burkina Faso and spending a month with me. It is so great to have someone from home see what my new home and life in Burkina is really like. After more than a year apart we had so much to catch up on and enjoyed comparing our Peace Corps experiences. She also really spoiled me by bringing a whole suitcase of American goodies. I am definitely not feeling deprived anymore!
I have posted lots of pictures of Anna's visit so take a look. Also a few updates. Unfortunately, Karla, my closest PC neighbor and friend in Burkina has been sick for a long time and was sent back to Washington in October to get medical help. She ended up being medically separated from Peace Corps so won't be returning to Burkina. I am very sad that she is no longer here but know it is important for her to get better. On happier news, I have a new neighbor in Tenkodogo. PC Guinea was shut down and 5 of those volunteers came to Burkina including one who will be by me.
We started out the month with a trip to the southwest, probably the most touristic part of the country. We spent a night in my friend Amanda's village just outside Banfora and then went into the city for a few days. Banfora is a very relaxing, friendly place with lots of good food and after hearing so much about it, I was glad to check it out. One day we rented bikes and rode out to a nearby village where there is a beautiful waterfall. Its not huge by American standards but fun to see in a dry desert country where we don't have much water or green anything. Next stop was a little farther north to Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city in Burkina Faso. We checked out the Peace Corps office there, hung out with a few volunteers, ate some more good food, and enjoyed the market.
After a week of traveling, we headed back to my village to experience the real Burkina. I had told everybody she was coming and they were so excited to meet some that came all the way from the United States just to visit me and their village. It felt like there was a lot going on or at least many things to show Anna during our week there so it flew by. I helped lead an HIV/AIDS sensibilization at the local high school so we got to hang out with quite a few students and she saw the school. We also did an enriched porridge demonstration and weighed babies to combat malnutrition, one of my normal weekly activities. Then there were other random daily activities in village including drinking dolo, doing the market, and hanging out with friends and family.
I originally didn't want to celebrate my birthday in village but ended up having one of the best celebrations ever. Anna brought me confetti cake mix and frosting so I even got a real American birthday cake complete with a match stuck in to blow out and a make a wish. My new PC neighbor Krystle biked out to visit for a few hours then later in the afternoon my friend Yoshi, a Japanese volunteer came out to spend the evening. I don't drink much besides dolo in village because beer seems expensive, I don't want to hang out at the one shack that sells beer, and my family doesn't drink alcohol so I try to be discreet about any drinking I do in village. Since it was my birthday though I had a friend bring us a few over. Another friend then showed up with dolo to enjoy at my house. Later in the evening, we threw a dance party with my family in my courtyard. I've done this a few times but this was definitely the biggest. We cranked my iPod mini speakers and set up three headlamps on flashing around my courtyard to act as strobe lights. All the kids from 2 to 20 years old came as well as the moms and even grandma stopped by. They loved all of our crazy American dancing and the little ones copied anything we did. Their favorite thing was when we shouted "Put Your Hands Up" and everyone jumped around. Even grandma raised her arms and participated. After a while dancing to my music, everyone spontaneously started singing, drumming, and shaking their booties to traditional Bissa songs. It was a great mix of these two cultures!
After a week in village we headed north into the Sahel and the real desert. We spent a night with a volunteer in Dori and then continued on to Gorom Gorom, the farthest north city in Burkina. The transport from Dori is notoriously bad. We were in the back of pickup truck sitting on top of huge sacks of potatoes. I think there were about 10 people sitting in the bed and there were bars above the bed with at least that many people balancing precariously over our heads. Plus the road is pretty rough and dusty. We arrived in Gorom Gorom and were amazed to find that even the roads were covered in sand. The Thursday market here is famous. It isn't that much different than other markets in Burkina but I did enjoy seeing the many people that came into town. There are several different ethnic groups in this area including many Peulhs like in my village and Tuaregs, a nomadic tribe that raises camels and travels throughout the Sahel and Sahara. The next day we went out into the desert riding camels for about two hours. We arrived in the dunes and spent the evening there with our guides. It was beautiful and such a change from the south of Burkina and even what it looks like in my village. I've always heard that the desert gets cold at night but was shocked just how chilly it really was! We left early the next morning and watched the sunrise over the sands on camelback. After Gorom we met up with my friend Rob in Kaya and then spent the evening in his village nearby.
Next stop was Ouaga for a few days and my mid-service conference. We did some souvenir shopping and hung out in the big city. On Thanksgiving morning one of our staff members had volunteers over for brunch and game time. It was so fun to hang out, eat yummy food, drink coffee, and play games with friends. We then caught a bush taxi back to village and our own version of Thanksgiving dinner including instant mashed potatoes, boxed stuffing and canned green beans! That evening the girls in my family hennaed our feet and hands for the next day's festivities. We had to leave on Thanksgiving in order to celebrate Tabaski in village. We enjoyed hanging out with friends and family, wishing everyone health and many babies in the next year, and eating sheep and goat (or at least pretending to eat it and then giving it to a friend).
Thanks so much to Anna for traveling all the way to Burkina Faso and spending a month with me. It is so great to have someone from home see what my new home and life in Burkina is really like. After more than a year apart we had so much to catch up on and enjoyed comparing our Peace Corps experiences. She also really spoiled me by bringing a whole suitcase of American goodies. I am definitely not feeling deprived anymore!
I have posted lots of pictures of Anna's visit so take a look. Also a few updates. Unfortunately, Karla, my closest PC neighbor and friend in Burkina has been sick for a long time and was sent back to Washington in October to get medical help. She ended up being medically separated from Peace Corps so won't be returning to Burkina. I am very sad that she is no longer here but know it is important for her to get better. On happier news, I have a new neighbor in Tenkodogo. PC Guinea was shut down and 5 of those volunteers came to Burkina including one who will be by me.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
One Year in Burkina
A few weeks ago we celebrate one year in Burkina. I meant to write then since I was in town but after writing several other blogs forgot to mention the whole reason I was in Ouaga. Its crazy to think that I have been out of the United States for over a year now. The time has really flown by. It seems like May was a few weeks ago, not 6 months ago. I guess that must mean I am well settled into my life here and I have to say it actually feels like home.
There are still little (well, sometimes big) cultural differences that get to me but overall I feel pretty integrated into my community and content with life in general. I have started feeling very busy. I know this is a good thing but have to admit I am kinda missing all the reading time I used to have! I'm working on several different projects and seem to find more and more activities and things to do in village. Plus I have lots of teens that like to come over and do their homework or just hang out at my house. All in all, it means a lot less alone time which didn't bother me before but am enjoying these changes in my routine.
I am excited to be back in Ouaga today because I have a good friend arriving tonight. Anna was my RA my freshmen year at Madison and we lived across the hall. I dragged her to a Peace Corps info session about a month after school started and she ended up joining before me and serving in Cape Verde. I visited her there and we celebrated her 25th birthday. She nows works at the Peace Corps office in D.C. and has come to spend a month with me and celebrate my 25th birthday in Burkina. We are going to be doing some traveling around Burkina which I really haven't done yet and also spend several weeks in village. I am so excited to show her my friends, family, home, and work!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Ouaga Hip Hop Battle
This week is the International Festival of Urban Cultures: Ouaga Hip Hop. I had a great time at the hip hop battle. Take a look!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Wedding Drums
I finally was able to attend a wedding here in Burkina Faso and loved the experience. The bride was a teen girl from my family so as a member of the "bridal party" we had a processional from our house in the 'burbs to the groom's house in downtown village. There were about 20 teen girls and women that went and we carried the family's gifts to the bride which included everything she needs for her new kitchen such as pots, pans, plates, utensils, etc. See photo of one of my tiny sisters carrying it all on her head. Other gifts included fabric and clothes. Once outside the groom's family's house, we started singing requesting entrance. I couldn't understand most of the words but it was something to do with peace and welcoming us into the home. The family then responded and we all went in. In the first courtyard were lots of men and boys. We then continued into a second courtyard divided by a 4 foot high wall. This is where all the females were. There were already many people there, probably several hundred.
They started dancing and singing in the traditional Bissa style which includes a lot of booty shaking! Music was provided by dumming done on a big metal basin and a plastic water jug. The dancing and music was very fluid and changing constantly. There was no set pattern but everyone seemed to know what to do. Most of the dancers were in a large circle that rotated with drummers inside the circle providing the beat.
In the outer courtyard there was a dj playing modern African music that often overpowered the traditional singing and drumming but this just encouraged women to sing louder. Later in the evening some women moved over to the "men's" courtyard and danced to the modern music too. It seemed like this was not approved of by many though since at least in village teen boys and girls aren't supposed to hang out much.
At midnight the bride's family took her to the shower area to wash her and dress her in new clothes. This was followed by a processional across the courtyard to her new home.
Throughout the celebration there was lots of special food and drinks including rice, chicken, zoom koom (ginger juice), candy, and coffee early in the morning. I went home about 3:30 am because I had to be at work at 6 am but the party was still going strong. Two of the young women from my family just got home when I as leaving for work.
The next day I was paid 100 CFA (about 20 cents but about the cost of a meal in village) for dancing at the wedding. They said that all the women got paid for dancing at the wedding. Bit different than us giving gifts at American weddings!
I posted several pictures of the wedding. Unfortunately it was hard to get any goods ones since it was the middle of the night. I hear this is the beginning of wedding season here so hopefully I will have more opportunities for making a little money from midnight dancing!
They started dancing and singing in the traditional Bissa style which includes a lot of booty shaking! Music was provided by dumming done on a big metal basin and a plastic water jug. The dancing and music was very fluid and changing constantly. There was no set pattern but everyone seemed to know what to do. Most of the dancers were in a large circle that rotated with drummers inside the circle providing the beat.
In the outer courtyard there was a dj playing modern African music that often overpowered the traditional singing and drumming but this just encouraged women to sing louder. Later in the evening some women moved over to the "men's" courtyard and danced to the modern music too. It seemed like this was not approved of by many though since at least in village teen boys and girls aren't supposed to hang out much.
At midnight the bride's family took her to the shower area to wash her and dress her in new clothes. This was followed by a processional across the courtyard to her new home.
Throughout the celebration there was lots of special food and drinks including rice, chicken, zoom koom (ginger juice), candy, and coffee early in the morning. I went home about 3:30 am because I had to be at work at 6 am but the party was still going strong. Two of the young women from my family just got home when I as leaving for work.
The next day I was paid 100 CFA (about 20 cents but about the cost of a meal in village) for dancing at the wedding. They said that all the women got paid for dancing at the wedding. Bit different than us giving gifts at American weddings!
I posted several pictures of the wedding. Unfortunately it was hard to get any goods ones since it was the middle of the night. I hear this is the beginning of wedding season here so hopefully I will have more opportunities for making a little money from midnight dancing!
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