Monday, December 26, 2011

Site

Long time no see/hear?
 Maybe a couple of weeks?

I have now been at site for a little over a week now and love it. I have my fair share of challenges and triumphs but overall I am pretty happy. :-)

A brief Summary of my activities:

Dec 15th.
Swore in as a peace corps volunteer at the Embassador's residence here. Lots of great pictures that I hope to upload soon.  Swear in came with its share of politics and guest appearances by important people, none of whom i can name off of the top of my mind. After the party, we went across the street to the American Rec center. Pool party.

Dec 17th.
Clarissa, my site mate, and I bush taxi'd out to Fada where we spent a night and did some last minute shopping. Fada is a great city and we were able to get some fried chicken. FANTASTIC! Had a little run in with the police because we did not have bike lights, but ey, all good. We spent the night with a PCV in fada who took great care of us.

Dec 18th.
Clarissa and I met up with  a peace corps driver and we were taken 6 hours east to our sites. What a nerve wrecking drive but we arrived in one piece and our driver took greatc are of us. He was great gave us food and made sure we were all settled in.  We dropped Clarissa off first, moved her in,  and then went off to my site. My house, which is huge, was not finished and there were guys still working on it when we arrived. My driver was a bit pissed off and had some choice words with the workers in Gourmanchema. I think he purposely used gourmanchema instead of french so that i could not understand what was going on. Ca va aller.  I was thankful.
The workers continued building as I moved in and then my major, nurse, and I went to the CSPS where we started doing physical exams of high school students.  All troisieme students must pass a physical exam if they want to play a sport at the lycee, high school.
It was kind of stressful being thrown into my new house and job all on the same day but i was also kind of thankful for the chance to keep my mind occupied enough that I did not focus on how alone i felt at that time.

My first night in my new house was kind of scary. I crashed at around 6:pm and slept through the night....


Until insane drums woke me up around midnight.  Drumming, yelling, screaming....exorcism perhaps?
Anyways, i was freaked and tried to sleep through it. THREE HOURS LATA, they still going on so i decided to investigate.
I was not prepared for what i came across. A huge crowd dancing, yelling, and singing around a fire. Apparently, for funerals here, everyone in village drinks dolo, dances, and sings all night until the funeral in the morning. So they literally started at around 7pm and went through the morning until the funeral at around 10am.
INSANITY!!!!!!

I stayed until about 6am, but i was too tired and overwhelmed to dance all night.

Dec 19th.
My Major took me around to various religious/community leaders who were more than happy to greet and meet me. All in all, I got a day of VIP treatment. Pretty cool. I ended everything off by goign back to the funeral in the eveveening, getting free dinner. Pretty nice set up. 
Then went to the bar with my CSPS staff where we ate a grileld chicken.

Dec20th.
Tuesdays are Baby weighing day! I spent the mornign weigting and measuring babies as we screen for malnutrition. Great day. only 7 babies out of about 100 identified as malnourished. 
What was really exciting was being peed on. This one baby, as i was measuring him just let loose
klike... LET LOOSE LIKE NONE OTHER!
Boy was it impressive. What a well nourished and hydrated baby.  I got a squirt in the mouth and it tasted like water and was clear. Clear urine is a good sign on proper hydration and nutrition. Although the pee in my face/mouth caught me by surprise, i was genuinely excited to see such a healthy baby.

The afternoon consisted of Clarissa and her homologue coming to my site so that we coould greet/meet more leaders.
This resulted in free fanta/coke for us, and another grilled chicken

Dec 21st.
Did more physical exams of children, received a delivery of food from the world food program. Beans, flour, oil, and a lot of other godo stuff to help prevent/support malnourished families.  It seems like mhy village is really being supported by outside help. This is good but I would love to help my village support  themselves. Sustainability will be a big deal here.

Dec 22nd.
Spend the morning passing out food to pregnant women. The aim of this program is to prevent malnourishment by making sure mothers and women are well nourished before they have babies.That way, everyone wins and we are ahead of the game.

 Will finish later
Got to ruN!



Check out Clarissa's blog for  more about my Christmas! 

http://clarissa-burkinafaso.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Crash Course in Local Lang


Crash Course Gourmanchema

(I sound like a certain very tall and very hairy star wars character.....)

Translations are tough, because I'm learning this in French..... and then translating back to English. Weird


Times of the Day
·         Ku Tanuaagu
·         Ku Yensiinu
·         Ku Yenjuagu
·         Ku neeuhagu
Salutations
·         Morning goes well?
o   N Faanda? or u duanu guam?
·         Afternoon goes well?
o   N Toonda? Or liyentuli te?
·         Evening Goes well?
o   N Juaada? Or Ku Juote?
·         And you?
o   Den Pote
Introductions
·         N Yii…
o   My name is…
·         Amote?
o   And you?
·         Biyinga lede?
o   What do they call you? (Formal)
·         A yii lede
o   What do they call you? (Informal)
Good Byes
·         Tin tundi laamani
o   Good day
·         Se da limba
o   Until next time
·         Kaliyogunto
o   Until next time
·         Nwanfuondi denpo
o   Say hi to the family for me
·         Kali lan Pugini
o   For the moment
Professions
·         Lotoli
·         Cogibila Camba
·         Cogibila (Cogibiga)
·         Pkapkaalo
·         Madmaanlo
·         Tanmaalo
·         Ku Diegu n pua
·         Obonkuado
·         Teyila
·         Balpualo
Expressions
·         N tie
o   I am…
·         A tiedi be?
o   What do you do?
·         N tuuni
o   I work at
·         A tuuni le?
o   Where do you work?
·         N tuonli tie
o   My work is
·         N moko
o   Me too
·         A tie le yua?
o   Where do you come from?
·         N tie Americ yua
o   I am from america
·         N nani…
o   I am from America
·         A nani le?
o   Where do you come from?
Situation Matrimonial
·         Jawaalo
o   Young man
·         Jakpagili
o   Single man
·         Jafaano
o   Single Woman
·         Podaano
o   Married Man
·         Jadaano
o   Married Woman
·         Diedaano
o   Chef de Famille
·         Biga
o   Enfant
·         Jakpelo
o   Old Man
·         Pociamo
o   Old woman
·         Pkepuoli
o   Widow
·         N nwa o pua
o   Engaged (I follow a woman)
·         N da nwa o pua
o   I’m okay, Im engaged (I follow a woman)
Pronouns
·         N
o   I
·         A
o   You
·         O
o   He/she
·         Ti
o   We
·         Yi
o   You(Formal)(Plural)
·         Bi
o   They



Verbs
Past Tense
“Den” in front of verb
Future Tense
“Ba” in front of verb


N Den todi a
N bua ki todi a
N ba ta sencenli Ouaga
N ba soani CSPS (kani)
Ti gandi ki gedi Ouaga
Yi bua gedi Ouaga



o   To be
o   Ki Tie
o   To eat
o   Ki Je (past and present are Ki Di)
o   To play
o   Ki Jeli
o   To do
o   Ki Tieni
o   To Learn
o   Ki Bangi
o   To help
o   Ki Todi
o   To drink
o   Ki No
o   To travel
o   Ki ta sanu
o   Ki ta sencenli
o   To Work
o   Ki Soani
o   To send
o   Ki Soani
o   To go
o   Ki gedi
o   To have
o   Ki Ba
o   To Want
o   Ki Bua

o   To Call
o   Ki pia
o   To Buy
o   Ki da
o   To like
o   Ki bua
o   To wait
o   Ki guudi
o   To leave
o   Ki cha
o   To Win
o   Ki ba
o   To fall
o   Ki nwmadiba
o   To Sing
o   Ki yiini
o   To Choose
o   Ki Gandi
o   To begin
o   Ki cili
o   To know
o   Ki bandi
o   To run
o   Ki sani
o   To close
o   Ki Nwuagini
o   To open
o   Ki luodi
o   To Say
o   Ki yedi
o   To Stop
o   Ki sedi
o   To Give
o   Ki teni
o   To Sleep
o   Ki guani
o   To write
o   Ki diaani
o   To speak
o   Ki Maadi
o   To pay
o   Ki pa
o   To lose
o   Ki bia
o   To take
o   Ki bia
o   To return
o   Ki kua
o   To Know
o   Ki bandi
o   To be able to
o   Ki fidi
o   To listen
o   Ki ghadi
o   To enter
o   Ki kua
o   To finish
o   Ki gbeni
o   To wash
o   Ki nwuudi
o   To stand up
o   Ki fi
o   Sentir
o   Ki nuudi
o   Sortir
o   Ki na
o   Tenir
o   Ki kubi
o   Vendre
o   Ki kuadi
o   Venir
o   Ki cua
o   Voir
o   Ki le






Comparison

o   Bigger
o   Yabi cie
o   Better
o   Danni
o   Worst
o   Wa cie
Bu kpalibu ligi yuabi cie li liadili
The price (of the) pagna is bigger than (the) shirt

Nick fagimu yabi cie Ouali
Nick is bigger than Ouali

Clarissa bina yabi cie Ouali
Clarissa is older than Ouali

Camba piama yabi cie o cogibiga
The professor is richer than the trainee.

La liadili dunga liga wa cie bu kpalibu
The shirt is cheaper than the pagna

Ouali fogimu wa cie Clarissa
Ouali is smaller than Clarissa

Clarissa bina wa cie Nick
Clarissa is younger than Nick

Ki cogibiga piama wa cie o camba
The trainee is less rich than the professor

Lucie nwamu wa cie Jeanette
Lucy is less pretty than Jeanette

Bu kpalibu ligi Danni licabili
The price of the pagna is equal to the price of the tissue

Li nwagni
Cest bien

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Bien Integre


November 27, 2011

The people of Burkina Faso, Burkinabé, are really starting to grow on me. Well, outside of my immediate host family. There have been fantastic days, nights, and meals with my family but I would say that it has been more challenging/frustrating than rewarding. Since my family is rarely home, my mom vends Dolo and my dad drinks it, I spend a lot of time with the children in my village who are too young to speak French. We communicate via dance and music. It is great. Last week I spent a sizable chunk of an evening teaching the kids the Macarena. I soon had a crowd of around 25 young kids shouting “HEYYYYY Macarena” and doing the corresponding dance moves.  It was truly a heartwarming moment.
Even more heartwarming was how I came home the past two nights and heard all of the children dancing and singing the Macarena on the other side of my village. And then I came home this evening to children confidently stating “je demand musica”(I ask for music). This was especially heartwarming because children in the city and Burkina usually ask for money or gifts, “Je demand Cadeau”. My children on the other hand confidently demand music. How cool and completely endearing.
My eldest host brother, Naz for short, and I also communicate through dance. There have been several occasions now where we go to a bar/maquis and just dance. No drinks necessary. Just dancing.  There has also been the occasional tea time with Naz and his friends. The guys here will literally sit around for 4 hours brewing a batch of Chinese green tea. We sat around and just talked (causé). They literally layed a rug down on the ground and plopped down (Might I add that they put the rug right over cow crap. People here are not dirty but there is simply crap everywhere). Although I was only listening to a blur of French and Mooré, it felt like I was back at home chillin with the guys. It was nice, and they tried to include me as much as possible.  Naz speaks near perfect French and is the top of his class, senior year of high school. As I’ve mentioned before, he is the only French speaker in the family but is usually so busy with school that he is never around.  He even lives in a separate courtyard from my own.  The term, family, is loosely applied here and pretty much everyone is family. There are kids running around all over the place. It truly takes a village to raise a child.
I’ve also gotten the chance to get to know the local markets. I’ve had shirts and hats made here at a local tailor (Pretty swank if I do say so myself), I have a peanut butter girl, banana lady, barber, and know local bar owners. The more I get to know people here, the more I feel connected. I hope that things run similar to this at my site. The big difference between home and Burkina is that everyone knows everyone. You greet, talk with, and relax with everybody.  At home, if I don’t know you then I do not usually want to greet or talk to you.  Here, it is the complete opposite because people want to greet you and talk with you simply because they do not already know you. Plus, there is an added bit of curiosity around the Nasara(foreigner/white person). Yes I am often mistaken as a local, Mossi, but that quickly changes as soon as I open my mouth. Shucks. Nasara for Life.
This is all to say that I am starting to really enjoy being around the people and in the culture. This is likely to change for a while when I get to my site and learn a whole new language, but this works for right now. I’ve even started to take long hikes into the bush and have really gotten to know it pretty well. On my last hike I came across a shrine of sorts but I was too chicken to do very much exploring (yeaaaa I don’t eff with that voodoo or pagan stuff. Not for me). Speaking of voodoo and such, there is a sizable group of guys and gals who are all planning on a vacation January 2013, to Benin, Togo, and Ghana. Why January? Only because the world’s largest voodoo festival/carnival takes place in Benin. Yea I’m planning on avoiding the festival buhhh the trip would be nice.
*Long conversation with host brother*
I love my boy Naz because he’s smart. Sure he’s tried to swindle my friends and I out of our money, but he does it because he’s smart. This kid has like 3 jobs, is the top of his class, is one of the 1% going to University next year, and is an exemplary positive deviant. And to top it all off, he hates TO. I think I’ve mentioned TO before but it is the Burkinabé go to food. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It has no flavor, the consistency of thick grits, usually eaten with a sauce on the side, and one eats it with their hands. Most volunteers hate it but Burkinabé love it. This kid DETESTS TO. Naz calls his classmates stupid for having premarital sex, values & understands family planning, dresses pretty fly, and saves his money (All pretty rare here).  Did I mention this kid can dance too? No really, I wish I could bring this kid to site with me. We could be best friends!
…Especially if we started understanding more than 50% of the things we say to each other.
The End…
for now