One Year, two months, and 7 days in Le Faso

Happy Holidays!!

So I've been a bit bad about updating lately but in order to make it up to you guys, I've made a new photo album and put the link below. I figured a picture is worth a thousand words and with close to 200 pictures I figured that I could share a little bit of what I've been up to in the past year. The pictures, for the most part, are in order and have captions explaining them.

<-- Click Me (heh)

Also, as I am in America for the holidays I hope to see as many of you as possible and am thankful for the little bit of time I have had with the few of you I have already seen. 

I'm truly thankful for all of my friends and family who have showed me so much love and support over the past 14 months.  Thank You!

Enjoy the pictures and Happy Holidays!!

Black in Africa My "Story"

A friend asked me to write about what its like being a black male peace corps volunteer. She is a current volunteer in morocco and is interested in what it is like for other volunteers of color. As she plans on sharing the responses with high school students at home, figured i'd try to make it interesting and then post it on here because its about time for an update.  Below is my response...

"After literally inhaling two plates of Riz Sauce Arachide, rice with peanut sauce, I felt pretty content with myself and was ready to move on to the meat. Although we eat rice with some kind of sauce just about every day here in Burkina Faso (try to find that on a map), it never gets old. From salty peanut sauces, watery tomato sauces, tangy mustard sauces, and even bitter vegetable sauces; I can’t get enough of it. Most volunteers complain about the redundancy of the palate here but I for one enjoy the consistency and supplement the rice with delicious meats. Buying meat here is nothing like it is in the states. There’s literally a man with a machete, chopping away at a recently killed animal, and then placing the chunks of meat on the grill to cook. Muscle, innards, organs; it’s all the same. He then pours ridiculous amounts of spicy pepper and other seasonings on the meat as it cooks. End product: AMAZING (although I for one still prefer Popeye’s spicy batter).

A lot of volunteers give me hell for eating the meat here, but after trying chitterlings and pig feet in the states, this is easy. Although they usually choose not to get meat, this particular night out on town I was able to convince them to order with me (Chevre/Goat). As a result of circumstance, we all ordered separately and got three separate plates of 500 CFA worth of meat (550CFA = $1). Although I was the last to get my plate, I was definitely the first to start eating and the last person to notice that everyone was staring at my plate. Although I had not originally noticed, my friends were quick to point out how pathetic my plate of meat looked in comparison to theirs. Upon closer inspection, I realized that my plate consisted mainly of fat and bone while their plates were overflowing with prime cuts. Although this did not particularly bother me, the other volunteers were bewildered as to why my plate was so pathetic in comparison to theirs. As they stared incredulously at my plate, I stared incredulously at them. “Had they really never noticed that they always get preferential treatment over me? Prime cuts of meat, preferential seating, served first; life in Burkina Faso revolves around making foreigners feel special."

Realizing that I needed to explain the situation to them, I began to talk to them about the “black” experience in Africa. Long story short, the phenomenon of “white privilege” is not isolated to America but has also found its way to Western Africa. Although I am a Black American male, the locals here still see me as African (despite my drastically lighter complexion). After explaining this to the other volunteers for what feels like the 100th time in country, they instantly became enraged and made comments on the injustice of my situation. Becoming slightly accustomed to being treated worse than my fellow American volunteers, I was taken aback by their surprise and was even turned-off by their naivety. So I did what I think anyone else would do in my situation, I shared my story.


Growing up just outside our National Capitol’s city limits, I am no stranger to poverty or difficult living situations in the States. A first generation college student, my family had big plans and hopes for me; that is until I decided to join the Peace Corps over going to law school. Although my parents and family were not initially supportive they soon grew to accept my decision. Deferring my loans, giving away my XBOX 360, and saying goodbye to the love of my life (at the time); I joined the U.S Peace Corps and moved to the 7th poorest country in the world in order to try to make a difference. Expecting to be met with gratitude or thankfulness, I’ve often been met with cold indifference because the locals usually think that I am one of them. Although this helps with integration into my community, I would also like to be recognized by my proper identity/nationality. Peace Corps volunteers in Burkina are overwhelmingly white females and are usually treated like royalty(with noticeable exceptions), whereas the 6 other Black Americans and I (out of 166 volunteers) are treated like second class citizens from Niger, or better yet Ghana. Although this initially bothers me, I enjoy educating locals on the diversity of Americans. Race, ethnicity, sexual Orientation, and socio-economic standing (No, not all Americans are rich like Rihanna or George Bush) are a few of the topics that I love discussing with Burkinabe. I enjoy working and sharing my culture to the locals here and definitely feel fulfilled by my work here (I am a community health volunteer working at a medical center). Although I look forward to one day serving in the Foreign Service, I definitely would like to get out of Africa.

Sharing my “story” with my fellow volunteers really made me feel better about my situation and even made me realize how genuinely good a lot of the volunteers are. They were able to sympathize and have even begun to take up the cause and educate the locals on American diversity. I walked away from dinner that night knowing that I had opened the eyes of several American volunteers. I felt good; until the next time we hung out at our volunteer hostel. They mistakenly greeted me in French because they thought I was a Burkinabe…. FML"

Home Sweet Home

There is nothing more surreal than going back to site after spending time with other volunteers in the capital. Returning to the rollercoaster of transport and site is definitely tough after eating good food and enjoying good company in the capital city.



Yesterday’s trip was no different. After spending 2 weeks at the beach in Togo and another week in a training of trainers I was definitely ready to head home. As I sat on the bus, naturally ended up being 4.5 hours late, I was serenated by the scraggly speaker’s blaring traditional Muslim prayers. The other passengers and I had already finished fighting over the limited baggage space and were more than ready to head out. A few old men sang along with the Arabic prayers limping out of the speakers while naked children laughed and played… on my head rest and seat. The chickens under my seat were making an unholy amount of noise as they defecated all over the floor of the bus. Life suddenly becomes a reality show (do they still have those in the states? I don’t know) and I realize that True Life: I live in West Africa…and am getting too well integrated. None of the above things bother or phase me; not the lateness, chickens, children, or prayers. (The two new fly bites on my left foot and hand respectively still bothered me… AND HURT)



It turned out that the bus was late because it didn’t work in the first place. The enterprising business men decided to sell tickets for a bus that did not work. (I had no option as only one bus goes to my area of Burkina Faso.) After finally getting the bus working, we were destined for a maximum speed if 60 kmh, one accident, and two break downs. After stopping on the side of the road, the driver could not get the bus going again so he floored the gas (logical reaction). Unfortunately, the bus was in reverse (of its own volition) and we hit something behind us. 4 hours after departing, we had gone about 150 km and decided that we needed to switch buses. Admittedly, after the hour and a half that it took to transfer baggage and people to the new bus, we moved a lot quicker. Arriving at our destination 6.5 hours later; it was dark, rainy, and cold (of all the luck in a land-locked Sahel country). I still had to bike to a neighboring volunteer’s site where I would spend the night and then continue on to my site in the morning (biking 40k). The bus staff had taken my two calshews (def: piece of rubber used to tie baggage to bikes or motos) off of my bike and I therefore had to bike with my army duffle on my back and my backpack in my hand. Sigh, ce n’est pas facile. A couple of things that did make this 15 hour trip bearable were the other passengers and scenery. Striking up engaging conversations with other passengers definitely makes the time fly by quickly.



After biking through several small lakes, I arrived at my house. Over-grown and inaccessible; I had to go to a neighbor’s house to ask for a machete to cut the bushes so that I could reach my house. The naked village children shouting bon arrive definitely made me smile but I soon lost that smile as I made it into my overgrown courtyard. Going into my house was not actually so bad but I definitely have a lot of cleaning to do. Ugh….. Spiders are everywhere. Home sweet home

As usualy: More pictures are on Facebook!

Chez Moi.... (My house)

PS. we have a new group of trainees coming in today. I want to say BON ARRIVE to them... as well as send them good luck as they learn to make this country their home. Best Wishes

A dead man and flood waters

Just another week:

As I prepare to head out to Togo, I was planning on taking things pretty easy during my last week in village before vacationing. Little did I know that Burkina Faso had other things planned for me. From site visits, rain for days, a dead body, to swimming across a road. Starting from the beginning:

About a week and a half ago, our newest stage class of trainees swore in and became volunteers. In true Burkina fashion, we went out for drinks afterwards and had a great time. The 44 new volunteers will be working with the environment, education, and small business associations. We were all excited to welcome them into our family.

The next day, I was informed that our new country director, The Big Boss, was interested in coming out to my site to see how life is. Although slightly nerve wrecking at first, I had a great time playing host for a couple of hours and showing them, her husband accompanied her, around my village. I think we had a good time but it’s more so comforting to have office staff come out to our sites to see what the situation is.

About two days after the visit, it started raining off and on for about 4 days. Andddd then it just started pouring solidly for 3 days. Rain in the U.S is usually no problem(although I hear the rain has been pretty cruel over the past two weeks in the states), but when your roof is made of tin, every drop sounds like a snare drum next to your head. Further, every gust of wind lifts your roof up a bit allowing water to leak in. Needless to say that between cleaning up the water, the permanent drum roll in my head, and worrying about my house falling over; I have not gotten much sleep. I think the worst day was this past Tuesday. As I laid in bed, I could literally hear the waterfalls(6k away) and rivers(500m) in the distance. There was THAT much water. (Have I mentioned that Burkina is usually dessert?)



The Wednesday after, I went outside and found that most of the main roads were flooded. Even more so, a flash flood had ripped a grown man off of his moto bike and then carried his body 2k down the river and deposited it on a bank. When his body was found that morning, they alerted the head nurse, my major, and had him come out to inspect the body. He of course asked me if I wanted to accompany him. I of course said yes. ***ITS GETS KIND OF GRAPHIC FROM HERE FOLKS***



We headed out to the scene and were amazed by what we found. The river, which had been a stream the day before had flooded enough to have carried the body 200m from the actual river bed. The ground was still pretty muddy and flooded when we arrived but more noticeable was the way that the water had knocked over all the trees, crops, and road signs that had stood in its way. The only thing left to be found in this once green field was the dead body of a village man. Trekking out to the body we lost our shoes to the mud on a number of occasions and had to battle the swarm of flies surrounding the body. I took notes for my counterpart as he inspected the body for identification and paper-work purposes. The torso was bloated with water and badly bruised. Blood and water bubbled out of the mouth when the major touched the body. The body had sustained severe trauma wounds on its head and arms and had clearly been in the water for a number of hours. The skin was spongy and there were already flies crawling in and out of various bodily orifices. As the blood leaked out of the body into the surrounding mud and water, I could not help but to think of this man’s family and friends. Although he did not have a wife or kids, this was an extremely unlucky way to leave the world. In the words of another volunteer who learned of the incident: “Seriously, Life ain’t as precious here man. Carpe diem and all that.”



The next day, yesterday, I left for Ouaga and will continue on to Lome, Togo. I left my house at 5:30am and biked the 10km to catch a truck that takes us to the bus. Biking down flooded roads was no walk in the park and I at times had to get off and carry my bike and bags through. The truck showed up at about 7:30 and was supposed to take us to the next city over so that we could catch the bus. (The word truck does not reference a pick-up truck but instead makes reference to 16 wheeler with an open back where luggage and people alike are stored) The truck only made it half way to the next city before we came to the river. Now usually, there is no river on this road but with the rain the way it had been, a river had popped up. The truck stopped, we descended, and were then told to cross the river because the buses were waiting on the other side. There were no canoes, paddle boats, paddles, floaters, or anything; but we were expected to make it across the river and its relatively strong current. Did I mention that the water was up to my chest? So yes, I swam/walked/doggie paddled my way across the river with my backpack, army duffel, and bike. Yes I had to make more than one trip and yes we all got on the bus on the other side. So yes, I was a bit damp for half of the 9 hour bus trip and am still in possession of too many wet items, but my laptop and hard drive survived. Dieu Merci.

The bus waiting for us on the other side was not the usual and was of an… “older model”. With a top speed of 50kph/ 31mph this 60 seater lacked a gas tank and proper door. To make up for the lack of gas tank, the clever drivers had several 75L containers in the front seats of the bus. They filled these containers with gasoline and then hand pumped the gas directly into the engine. I wish that there was some kind of benefit to this method but I am personally at a loss. Not safe, not efficient, and they lost passenger space. They made up for the lack off door by tying a piece of sheet metal to the side of the door. We somehow managed to arrive in Ouaga in one piece at about 6:00pm. The End.



I am now sitting in Ouaga reflecting on the past week and realize that I really do need a vacation. What an interesting series of events.

Life in the Faso!

Happy Birthday to Me!

(A post dedicated to what one year in Burkina Faso does to ya)



Another year has come and past… and unlike past years… a lot has changed in 365 days. In the past year I have aged , what feels like the equivalent of, 5 years mentally, emotionally, and physically. I am definitely not the same person that I was one year ago.



Hanging out with other volunteers from my stage class, we took the time to talk about how much we have all changed since we first arrived in Burkina Faso 10 months ago. Unfortunately, our superficiality shown through and we began with physical characteristics. Starting with he guys; most of us have lost a of weight, mostly muscle. A protein deficient diet has destroyed what we once had and has turned us into skeletons of what we once were. Long, hot, and dry days &nights have caused our faces to resemble the dry, cracked, and dusty land that we live off of. With women volunteers, a lot of them gain unwanted weight and unwanted places. A diet heavy in carbs is proving to not be overly flattering for the majority of volunteers (their words, not my own). The protein deficiency causes hair to fall out and reduces the speed that our bodies heal from simple cuts and bruises. Most of our legs and feet are covered in bug bites and scars. Personally, both my feet and arms are heavily scarred from a bike accident. I fear that Burkina has left permanent physical marks on most of us….. 10 months in.


Although I feel that Burkina has physically weakened us, it has definitely made us stronger mentally. My stage in particular has had to say goodbye to roughly 28% of the people that we started off with and never got the chance to say good bye in most cases. (Burkina Faso, ce n’est pas facile de) But further than losing friends/brothers, Burkina has made is tough in other ways. Waiting hours for a taxi or bus has pushed us to new levels of patience. Getting rid of Faux Types (Scam artist) has pushed us to new levels of assertiveness…and in some cases aggressiveness. And finally, eating and “digesting” the food has pulled us down to lower than previously thought possible standards. (Just yesterday I ate an omelet sandwich made from guinea fowl eggs, covered in flies. Just last night, I spent a sizable amount of my time “digesting” that sandwich into my hole in the ground).


Yes, life is tough, but we always have to maintain a positive attitude and try to laugh about as much as possible (including ourselves).



Emotionally, I can only speak for myself, but I have definitely become a stronger…I also think better, person in general. Dealing with a long distance relationship, losing that relationship, maintaining ties to home, and also creating new ties here has been a part of a non-stop series of trials. I definitely feel that I have grown a lot in self-knowledge as well as understanding of others. Further, I feel that I have become more self-reliant and less dependent on others as sources of happiness.




In the days/weeks elading up to this day, I have had a hard time remembering how old I was turning. 22? 23? 24? 25? I even found myself double checking with my passport. Times likes these make me realize how lucky and BLESSED I have been. Although my experiences are that of a 30y/o I think I am younger. Travelling to close to 15 countries, working on capitol hill, playing soccer in Europe, and now living & working in a developing country; I have been blessed.


Its tough to take any credit for any of these things because they have only been possible through blessings from GOD and sacrifices made by my family and friends. THANK YOU! Although I may feel like a 30 y/o at times, I am far younger and hopefully have quite a number of years & experiences ahead of me.







Happy Birthday To ME!!







PS.



A status update :



Two friends came to visit so we spent the past two days exploring the waterfalls and cliffs of my site. Its been AMAZING!! I’m happy that I got the chance to share a part of my site with them. Another good friends comes in tomorrow, and I hope to be repeating that experience with them.



Health: Not toooo good. Ive been pretty sick for the past 3 weeks off and on. I suspect dengue fever or malaria… but no proof… yet.



I had dead foot that spread up my calf for a while…



And now I just found out I have a fungus growing on my face… so yess…. White marks all over my face.



BUT ON THE BRIGHT SIDE!!! I love the work and love everything that we are doing here. A friend and brother from home is coming out here to visit, so that should be awesome too. SHOUT OUT TO TERRY. LFS brother

Camp G2LOW

Back by popular demand (coughcoughTIARA,SAM,&MOMcoughcough)

Its been about a month since the last post…and not much has changed. I still libe in a small village in Burkina Faso… I still “digest” food into a hole in the ground... still have no electricity…. And STILL LOVE EVERY SECOND OF IT.



I just got back from Camp G2LOW last night and am more than happy to be home. The trees in my court are doing well and although the wild flowers that I planted failed, the sunflowers are doing wonderfully. The little kids in my village welcomed be back with songs and dance as I biked in. I could not help but to smile and feel giddy. I spent the majority of my time today cleaning and relaxing; Camp G2LOW and the past 2 weeks were EXHAUSTING.



First things first, its been exhausting saying goodbye to everyone. As I mentioned in a previous post, about half of the volunteers in country are in the process COSing or have already left. Those volunteers that I have become friends with, looked up to, and sought guidance from are finally getting to go home. The past month has been full of saying goodbye and “least nights out”. Best wishes to everyone!



Camp G2LOW (Girls and Guys Leading Our World) was awesome! (I will try to get pictures up on FB) Although we planned for and invited 120 7th grade students, the 100 that did come were absolutely fantastic. The students attended sessions on HIV/AIDS, family planning, goal setting, hygiene, nutrition, plans of action, goal setting, and active listening (just to name a few). We also had mock Olympics, eating contests, songs, games, and a camp fire complete with story time and a comedy show. The week-long camp brought together students and Burkinabe volunteers from all over the eastern region of Burkina Faso. Volunteers worked with PCVs as session facilitators, night chaperones, and mentors to the students. We had a BLAST! I was charged with a group of 8 boys (GO BLUE TEAM); facilitated sessions on active listening, HIV/AIDS, and plans of action; and got the chance to learn some new songs and make new friends. All 15 PCVS involved felt that the week was a success. But don’t just take our word for it, check out some of these testimonials from campers!

Aichatou, 13 ans


Le Camp G2LOW est tres bien et tres interessant. Nous avons appris beaucoup de choses qu’on aurait jamais appris dans notre communautee. Je promet de partager cela avec ceux de Diapaga.





Donatienne, 15 ans


G2LOW m’a apportee beaucoup de connaissances. J’ai appreciee les cours dans les classes, les jeux. Je mes partager toutes ces connaissances avec mes camarages.





Malata, 14 ans


Selon moi, Camp G2LOW est tres interessant. Les Volontaires sont tres gentils avec nous. Avec eux, nous apprenons la discipline. Nous demandons toujours la permissions avant de faire toute chose. Nous avons appris la politesse,l’amitiee, et beaucoup d’autres choses. Je vais partager ces connaissances avec mes camarades.





Pascal, 14 ans


Avec Camp G2LOW, j’ai appris qu’il faut travailler a l’ecole afin de donner des bons resultats pour encourager les parents a toujours payer nos scolarites. Je sais maintenant comment me preserver contre les grossessses et le VIH/SIDA.





Ahanad


J’ai suivi avec interet les cours sur le système reproductif, la violence et le VIH/ SIDA, la tolerance dans la religion et l’acceptation des autres religions, la capacite d’ecouter et l’hygiene. Ce que j’ai appris m’a rendu plus intelligent par rapport a l’avenir.





Fatima, 13 ans


J’ai été marquee par une etude de cas de Sally, cette fille qui était oujours harcelee sur son chemin de l’ecole. Elle a eu le courage de se confier a un ancien du village qui l’a aidee. Cette histoire m,a marquee parce qu’il ya des filles qui n’ont pas le courage de partager leur probleme ou de se confier pour avoir une solution a leur probleme. Cette histoire nous montre comment soutenir nos camarades dans une situation de violence ou de harcellement. Avec Camp G2LOW, j’ai appris des choses que nous n’apprenons pas a l’ecole.





Pascal 15 ans


Camp G2LOW m’a appris beaucoup de choses. J’ai été marquee par les cours sur le système reproductif. Je vais passer l’information a mes amis.





Djalinou, 21 ans


Mes parents ont refusee de m’inscrire a l’ecole. A 11 ans, je suis allee voir une personne de confiance. Cette personne de confiance est allee voir mes parent et il les a sensibilisee sur l’importance d’aller a l’ecole. Suite a cela, mes parents m’ont inscrit a l’ecole. Cette annee, j’ai 21 ans et je suis en classe de 5eme. J’ai 18/20 de moyenne en classe. Je continuerais toujours mes etudes jusqu’à l’universite. Pendant les vacances, je cultive au champ et je vend les produits de mon champs pour payer mes etudes. Avec Camp G2LOW, j’ai appris beaucoup de choses qui vont m’aider dans ma vie de tous les jours.





Fatimata, 12 ans


Le Camp G2LOW est une bonne chose, ca s’est tres bien passee, c’était bien organisee et j’ai appris beaucoup de choses. J’ai aussi fait la connaissance de beaucoup de personnes. Grace a camp G2LOW je vais essayee d’etre un modele pour mes camarades.





Sawadogo, 16 ans


Avec Camp G2LOW, on a appris des choses qu’on ne savait pas. Par exemple, je pensais que l’exision était un abus de pouvoir par l’Etat. Je pensais que l’etat utilisait son pouvoir pour nous empecher d’exiser les filles. Avec Camp G2LOW, j’ai eu la bonne information. La formation recue me permettra de sensibiliser les gens dans l’ignorance.

Overall, CAMP WAS A SUCCESS!!



PS. Another success story! A student that I have been working with has been sharing the resources with other village youths and has even started leading informal classes on the material I gave him. This youth and I worked together during the Youth development conference in May. I can’t take credit for him sharing the resources but I am definitely excited to see him sharing the resources and working towards the development of his village



PPS.

I Just got back from a sensibiliation put on by 6 French girls visiting my village. Honestly, it was almost comical. They had no idea what they were doing and I almost felt bad for them. They chose a time and date where nobody is in village, as they are in the fields, and they were poorly prepared. Maybe this is me being a Peace Corps snob, but that is not the way development should be done.

1,500 kilometers in 24 days. Le Tour de Burkina

After an already busy summer, I have the pleasure of introducing The Tour de Burkina. Similar to the Tour de France, yet without the doping, Peace Corps volunteers will be pedaling their bikes all over the country of Burkina Faso. An easy feat of 1,500km!.....(or 932.25 miles for those meter challenged folks).

Why?

Why not!

Beginning August 29, 2012, Peace Corps volunteers from around Burkina Faso will be participating in the third annual country-wide bike tour to raise money for Gender and Development projects in Burkina.

Gender and Development projects encompass a huge variety of volunteer projects, be they organizing a girls’ camp to promote self-esteem and goal setting or helping a women's group conduct an income generating activity. These are of critical importance in Burkina Faso and represent a significant component of each volunteer’s work. The Gender and Development (GAD) Committee exists to support volunteer-initiated, gender equity projects around Burkina Faso; with Le Tour de Burkina we hope to generate funds so the GAD Committee can give small-scale project grants and volunteers can continue the essential work of promoting gender awareness and equality in Burkina Faso. We’re proud to say that last year’s tour raised nearly $6,000.

Please help us reach this year’s fundraising goal of $6,000 by visiting our blog and making a donation:

http://burkinabiketour.blogspot.com

To be certain your donation reaches Gender and Development projects, be sure to specify
“GAD Gender and Development” in the Comments section.

In Burkina Faso, one dollar goes a long way, so even the smallest contribution will make a big difference. Follow the blog to learn more about the tour, which projects were funded last year, and to stay updated while we’re on the road.

This year we will be riding for 24 days, covering about 1,500 kilometers, and passing by about 30 volunteer sites. The tour will increase awareness of Peace Corps Burkina Faso’s activities and reinforce the relationships within volunteers’ communities.

Thanks for your support!

Of Tofu, Malaria, and Tragedy

So yea, not that I was exceptionally worried or anything… But the Tofu was a huge success and is very popular with everyone in village.




We made tofu brochettes (meat on a stick) as well as tofu soup with a delicious spicy peanut sauce. The Brochettes are by far the most popular and are in high demand. After succeeding with the process, my women’s groups and I marched around the village giving out free samples in order to gage public opinion and to build a market base. At first, people were a bit skeptical, but their skeptism melted away as soon as they tasted the brochettes. “Wow, this comes from soy?”



Now as a result, we have a number of people offering to donate money to keep this project going. Although a nurse and I fronted the cost this round, there are any numbers of others willing to help out in the future.


As mentioned in an earlier post, soy has relatively high amounts of protein and other vitamins, which make it incredibly valuable to the malnourished and poor in village. Soy is relatively cheap and has a number of uses. Speaking of which, there is now interest in making soy milk and other soy products on a large scale. Needless to say, I will be busy in the future and am excited to watch as the number of malnourished children decreases. (We currently see about 100 cases of malnutrition each week)



Malaria has also been keeping me busy. Luckily, there have not been too many mosquitos so far this year, but that will definitely change as rainy season goes on. Although villagers usually have no defense, excluding bed nets, against mosquitos carrying malaria, I am happy to say that my villagers have a new form of defense. Simple Mosquito repellant. Although every PCV in country makes the same mosquito repellant, my region of the country seems to have never even heard of it. They are now awestruck that they can now make this repellant on their own and avoid mosquitos. We now have an expanding collection off women’s groups that are excited to make, and then sell for profit, neem cream from the leaves of the neem tree.



Tragedy; of the ironic yet almost comedic, but not quite, variety. It hailed this past Monday. Yes, I live in what most would classify as a desert, but big chunks of ice fell from the sky… and killed a couple of kids. The children had been outside herding animals when blocks of ice fell from the sky and hit them on their heads. I imagine that before the incident, they were probably more surprised to see the ice than I was…



The kids were young and there therefore will not be a funeral or mourning. (Funerals and mourning are reserved for old people.)

sAVING THE World....nBd

Hey, wanted to send a quick shout out to three groups of people who have most recently sent me care packages.

MY PARENTS!!! WOOP WOOP!!!I (Canned chicken breast and ham never tasted so good)

My Church (Thank you thank you thank you for all of the goodies. The hot chocolate always gets me up in the mornings. :-) )

My Brother in LFS, Rachel Manchester. (Those girl scout cookies were delicious! Yes, girl scouts may have to expand their market to west africa because the locals love thin mints)

On a work note:

I have a couple of projects up and running and am really hoping that they work out nicely. I have a small tree garden that I am hoping to grow (no pun intended) into a large village tree garden. Trees are important here because they serve a number of important roles. Yes they provide shade but trees also enrich the soil, slow desertification, provide leaves for nutritional sauces, and provide wood for future generations. (Burkina has a dangerous slash and burn culture that has destroyed much of the country’s natural land resources) A lot of the trees that I am planting have medicinal purposes as well. For example: The leaves of the neem tree can be boiled and then mixed with shea butter to produce a mosquito repellant. Another good example is the Moringa tree which is said to have over 100 medicinal purposes. One problem with the moringa tree is that the locals in my area have a lot of myths surrounding it that scare them away from planting and using the tree. I am working to debunk these myths as well as introduce some of the many uses of this tree into the mainstream population. (One such myth is that your family will fall apart if you plant the tree in your court.) I have started my work by first planting moringa in my own court and I have also started working with the forestry agent here to plant and grow more trees. Although I am looking to start my own garden, he recently showed me his garden of a little more than 10,000 trees. (He chuckled out loud to himself when I told him about my 54)

Another project I am currently working on is small enterprise development with a focus on health. I am training 4 women’s groups in my area on how to make organic mosquito repellant(from the leaves of the afore mentioned neem tree), tofu, and liquid soap. Although the women will be selling these products to make money, the mosquito repellant will hopefully reduce the number of cases of malaria; the tofu will help reduce the occurrence of malnutrition by introducing higher concentrations of protein to the diet; and then soap will generally improve the hygiene of the village. Yes, I now know how to make all of the above and will be teaching women and then children how to make them. (The tofu is DELICIOUS!)

In July, I will be taking part in two very cool trainings. The first, Coaching For Hope is a British organization that uses soccer to educate youth&adults on HIV/AIDS. I am super pumped for this training, which is taking place in the north western corner of the country(right near the mali boarder). The second training, Camp Girls and Guys Leading Our World(G2LOW) is a camp dedicated to empowering and enriching youth. Along with 19 other volunteers, we will be hosting the camp in our regional capital of Fada and will be working with 120 middle school aged children(60 guys and 60 girls). http://pcburkina.org/camp-glow

(Oh and here is a picture from the Youth development conference in the village/city of PO that went AMAZINGLY! We were happy to see so many motivated youths.)

As mentioned in an earlier post, I am also in the process of starting a internship program at my local high school. I want to bring highly motivated students to work at the medical center(CSPS) in order to gain valuable work experience. Plus, the CSPS really needs the help. This is a long way from actualization, but I am working to pull it together.

Village Life:

Village life is great! The villagers have really started to get to know me and now when I bike through the village, people shout my name and greet me. It really gives me warm fuzzies to see everyone and greet everyone, especially after coming back from a trip. When I first got here, I really felt like an outsider but now I feel like I am really integrating well into the community. The kids in my area always come to my house to play ball, dance, and wrestle. Although they can be annoying at times, I have really come to love and appreciate them. The teenagers and young adults often come by to listen to music, practice their English, and hang out. Adults come by to practice English, learn about America, and try to get Visas and/or money.

Overall, I am really quite happy with my village experience. Although there is no electricity or other luxuries, the people have really started to grow on me. I legitimately feel as if I belong in this village. The word LOVE comes to mind, but I am definitely avoiding that word for a while."Warm Fuzzies" will do for now.

Whether I am sitting on my porch reading, in the market eating and shopping, or working at the medical center; I usually feel like I belong here and the people love me. No matter where I go, people ask how Brittany is doing, how my family is doing, how I am doing, and when people are coming to visit. People here genuinely care. It’s truly heart-warming.

I feel like I belong most when I am playing soccer with the kids and when I am dancing with n’import qui (anyone). As most of you know, those are two of my favorite things, dancing and soccer, and the fact that the Burkinabe love them as well makes my life much easier. I wish that I could have the chance to show people in America my village and introduce you to everyone but for now, pictures suffice. (They love your pictures hanging on my wall just as much as some of you love seeing pictures of them)

Thanks for everyone for your support, love, and prayers

I Left my Kingdom

A story that really stood out to me from Deepak Chopra's "The Return of Merlin."  Any thoughts?

There once lived a king of India who was visited by a wandering holy man. To show his respect, the king lavished the holy man with every kind of rich food and drink. His begging bowl and staff were taken away, and fresh robes of silk were draped over his body. He was given a feather bed to sleep on and numerous attendants to carry out his slightest wish. One day at banquet before the assembled court the king announced that he was going to make the holy man his prime minister.
“Oh but I cannot accept”, the holy man said.
“Why not?” the king asked. “You will be the most powerful man in the kingdom, excepting only myself”
The holy man replied “But I am more powerful than you already.” At this effrontery the court buzzed like wasp. “I do not mean to offend Your Highness,” the holy man continued. “To show you how touched I am by your offer, I will gladly give you all my power. Follow me.” The holy man rose and called for his begging bowl and staff. Without another word he walked away from the court.
The king could not decide if he was more curious or angry with the old beggar’s boldness, but in the end curiosity won out. He dressed in traveling clothes and followed the holy man on foot.  It was a beautiful morning, and the king enjoyed the journey, which lasted until nightfall. The two weary travelers slept by a stream under the full moon and were up by dawn.

“Do we have much farther to go?” the king asked somewhat anxiously. He was tired, and in the night he had begun to think of his enemies back home. The holy man said nothing but kept walking. Thus they continued for two days.  On the third day they reached the frontier of the kingdom.

“Stop,” the king commanded. “I must turn back.”
“Why?” the holy man asked. “What I want to show you is only a step away.”
The king retorted, “I can go no farther. If I cross the frontier my throne will be seized by my enemies.”
The holy man nodded. “I said that I have a power you can only dream of, and here it is: I can walk away from this kingdom while you, its ruler, cannot. If you want my power, just follow me.”
But the king would not.  With a smile the holy man strode over the frontier, a free spirit, leaving the dejected king to return to his palace.

I feel like I  have left my Kingdom and am somewhat of a free spirit. Liberating.  Anyone out there have any thoughts?

I Look Like a Mummy!

I look like a Mummy

Oh man, this past week has really been something else.  Currently sitting in the med-unit of our office, I have mummy-like wraps/bandages on both arms and feet.  In the words of another volunteer, I look “a hot mess.”  How did this happen? I wish I fully knew…  but it is definitely hella embarrassing.

What I remember:

1.     Biking towards our office after dark, my bike made a sound as if something had broken or something had hit me.

2.       Next thing I knew was that I was standing up leaning forward over my handle bar, while my hands were still holding on for dear life.

3.       Of course, as the rules of physics suggest, my bike went into a reverse willie. A maneuver commonly referred to as a “stoppie”; in which a biker is simply riding on their front wheel with the back tire in the air.

4.       Of course me having no sense of balance and being completely taken by surprise, I went into quite an impressive series of front flips.

5.       After rolling around for a while, I flipped up and stood in the middle of the road in shock. My helmet was across the street and my bike was about 10ft behind me. (“Did this really just happen”)

6.       Oh yea, upon further inspection; I was covered in blood and was pretty scratched/bruised up. 

7.       Continuing on to the office I met up with friends already in the med-unit and used the shower there to wash the blood/dirt off.  Yeap, that was the most painful shower I’ve ever taken.  

8.       !@#$%$#@!@#$@!@#$$@%^&*^&*(*&^%

9.       The next day consisted of PSDN training and me feeling horrible. Every bone, piece of skin, and body part hurt. My head was killing me and my neck was definitely too stiff to turn.

10.   After running by the medical officers, they patched me up like a mummy and gave me enough painkillers and antibiotics to cure a village of malaria (yes, they occasionally prescribe this stuff for malaria in village).

11.   THE END! Here I am.

In further news, a recent string of robberies and purse snatchings have PCBF in a state of panic. I think at the last count, there have been around 14 in the past two months.  It seems that PC volunteers have become the newest easy targets in Ouaga. Yours truly got to become a target this past Friday. Luckily I did not lose anything, but the volunteer I was walking with had her bag snatched and she lost a few things.  It all happened too quickly.  We were walking down the street from our transit house when a moto with two guys came up behind us and grabbed her bag. Yea, they sped off and left us there stunned.  It’s amazing how a single small incident can take away all of your confidence and power. I was left feeling useless and powerless.  Although I was not the victim, I definitely lost something.

Besides spending the majority of this week wrapped up like a mummy, I also got to take part in PSDN training with 11 other volunteer (3 from my stage and 8 from the stage before us). I am happy to say that this training may have been the most useful and interesting training that I’ve done in-country. Well organized and actually useful/practical, I am happy to be a part of this group, and am looking forward to our task of supporting the needs of volunteers.

Well, I’m ending this post here, as I am off to dinner. 

FOOOOOD!!!!

Heartbroken, J’ai pris conscience de la vie.

First things First!!

Happy Mother's Day!!! My mom is one of my best friends and is always the first person to call me whenever there is a problem.  She is amazing!!  I want to thank my mom for her continued love and support in all that I set out to do.

If I were there right now, I'd definitely be taking you out to cheese cake factory for dinner....
:-) Love you Mom!!

The rest of this post is a bit more personal than the lasts, but I feel like enough of you have asked me about the subject; I might as well post something. Along the same lines, I can only tell my side of the story as I understand it. There is, undoubtedly, more that I do not understand or know.

The toughest part of being a Peace Corps Volunteer in Burkina has definitely been managing my relationships with people back at home.  This includes family, friends, and of course Brittany. Everyone has been amazing and Britt has really done a great job of keeping everyone updated with news.  More than that, she kept me connected to all of you at home. And for that, I am grateful.

Unfortunately, Brittany can no longer be my rock.  This was not my decision but I support her and understand the strains of a long distance relationship. Although there have always been critics of our style/type of relationship while I’ve been here, her decision none the less caught me by surprise.  The End.

My Message to anyone back at home: 

            Out of respect for her, please do not bother her or ask her about news of me. This has already been a tough situation and 50 people asking her about it/me would not help either of us move forward.

Me: 

The last two weeks have really made me re-evaluate my life and job. Yes, I definitely seriously thought about going home, but I could not & would not back out of my commitment to the job here. Further, I’ve had to refocus my attention and have been able to develop closer relationships with people here; both other volunteers and Burkinabe. Although it feels like my home support system has been shattered, I am thankful for family and friends who have made themselves available to me. Thank You!!

Work:

IT NEVER ENDS!!! I have definitely been able to keep myself insanely busy. Although many of you know that sleep has not come easy, my workload has broken me down and I am usually in bed by 8pm. 

-This past week was spent in Fada participating in Malaria training. Fantastically well-done and organized, I feel that everyone benefited immensely and will be implementing great projects in their respective communities.

- The week before that consisted of me collecting and treating cow “crap/kaka”, dirt, and sand; in order to mix it all together and begin a small tree garden in my village. As of right now, two weeks later, there are 54 baby saplings growing nicely in my courtyard.  I will be meeting with the mayor later today to decide on where to plant them permanently.

- This week will be pretty busy with a polio vaccination campaign and meetings with local stake holders. The campaign consists of vaccinating every child under the age of 5. That is roughly 7000 children & infants. (I am exhausted after day 2)

-Next week I will be traveling across the country with two extremely dynamic youth leaders from my village. We will be participating in a youth leadership conference in the South of Burkina.  Yours truly will be facilitating two sessions on HIV/AIDS and community needs assessments. 

-After a week-long break I will be taking part in Peer-Support & Diversity Network (PSDN) training. PSDN is a group of volunteers who support the needs of the other volunteers in country. For lack of better words, we are “peer counselors mixed in with University Resident assistants.”

- After a week-long break, I will be taking part in a youth development committee meeting where we will be planning youth appreciation week in mid-August.

- After this, I will go directly into training my local women’s groups on how to produce tofu, soy milk, liquid soap, and organic mosquito repellant.  The groups will then sell the products and HOPEFULLY (fingers crossed) earn a profit.

(Yes, I’ve actually learned some useful things here.)

The next couple of weeks are busy, but I am really looking forward to being productive and hopefully succeeding. Please be sure to pray for and think of me as I move forward.  Thanks!

Random:

In the way of care packages, a lot of you have asked me for my address and things to send.  As I am pretty low on everything right now, I feel like this is a good time to ask for stuff! HELP!!! As much as I hate asking for help, I am getting pretty tired of simple rice and beans. 

I could use some of the following:

• Cliff Bars
• Powdered Gatorade
• General Food Stuffs… especially seasonings. (ANYTHING!!)
• Canned Chicken Breasts are amazingly delicious
• Powdered cheese… or better yet… Velveeta
• Candy for the kids.

You can mail stuff to

Patrick Williams

BP 27, Diapaga

Burkina Faso

West Africa

Be sure to write “Air Mail” on the package along with phrases such as “God Bless”, “Merci Dieu”, and “Jesus Loves”

Thank you for all of your love and support!

Feel free to shoot me a $0.25 cent text.  122677494392

Deuces!

Ps. Cannot believe I almost forgot this,

SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO MY BROTHERS AT THE EPSILON MU CHAPTER OF ALPHA PHI OMEGA. Happy 65^th Birthday! I am so happy to see all of you gathering and celebrating together in Leadership, Friendship, and Service.

Also, a special congrats to all of the graduating seniors (especially two of my littles).  Go out and set the world on fire! 

Transport Stories

So transportation can be pretty rough in the BF. I think I have mentioned before that I live approximately 100k from a paved road and 40k from my district capital. (Random note: There are three of us out here and we are all required to check in with our security coordinator once a week to get security updates and to let them know we are still alive.) In order to go anywhere I usually have to make it to a market 10k away and pray that there is a working bus available. That bus usually leaves at 6:30 in the morning; which means that I have to leave my house at 5:00am, bike the 10k and then get there early enough to reserve a spot.  In the event that there are no spots or the bus is not running that day, the latter is much more likely, I have to bike the 40k to the district capital.  Fun right?

Returning to site from Ouaga, I usually have to catch a 7:00am bus and take it to my district capital. If I am lucky the bus will continue on to the large market near my site, but this does not usually happen and I therefore spend the night in the district capital with another volunteer before continuing to my site in the morning. (40k bike ride)

Because transportation is so much fun in this country, I am dedicating this post to some stories about transportation in the BF. (#s 5 and 6 are gems)

1. 1.       Returning to site one day, our bus was routed off the road by a huge accident. A huge tanker had apparently collided with another bus. 11 people died and the tanker spewed what seemed to be thousands of gallons of oil all over the area. I would later find out that this was one of the worst accidents in recent history.

1. 2.       Heading to Ouaga with 2 other volunteers, our bus stopped on the side of the road to pick up a couple of people. (This is normal in BF. There are very few bus stops and buses usually pick up anyone on the side of the road.) Two men get on but there were a couple of interesting things about these men and each one of the volunteers traveling with me noticed something different.

a.       The female in our group noticed that one man had a very nice Valentine’s Day shirt on. It was a pink and blue button down that said “Je T’aime”(I love you). She also noticed that for some reason, that same man had a bike pump attached to his hip

b.      The other male volunteer noticed that the two men were handcuffed to each other.

c.       I noticed that one man was extremely dirty while the other had a large hand gun on his hip.

Apparently, the police and Gendarme use public transportation to transport prisoners. The man in the pretty Valentine ’s Day shirt was probably a gendarme who had just caught a prisoner. He was indeed wearing a gun on his hip, not a bike pump as one party previously thought, and the two men were handcuffed to each other.  The two men were surprisingly polite to each other and didn’t cause a problem. 

It ended up being us who caused the problem. There was a disagreement over price so the bus staff stopped the bus and tried to kick us off….

1. 3.       The second leg of the above mentioned voyage to Ouaga consisted of us standing on the side of the road waiting for another bus to come by. After waiting unsuccessfully for some time, we decide to hitch hike and flag down a car. This turned out to be a fantastic turn of luck because the man gave us a free ride to Ouaga and happened to be in the same line of business as the two volunteers I was traveling with (buying and selling Sesame).  The three of them started making phone calls to their respective organizations and a great deal was worked out for all involved.  The good samaritan was involved with both Chinese and Indian buyers so trying to speak French was a struggle. In the end, everything turned out okay and we ended up in Ouaga without further incident.

1. 4.       Heading into Ouaga, my site mate and I decided to try to catch the bus from our big market. This bus leaves at 6:30 am, but we of course want to be there by 6:00 in order to get tickets. This means that we have to leave our homes by 5:30 and bike the 10k to the market.  Luckily, the bus was running that day and we were able to get spots without a problem. ( Although after we took off, we noticed he was drinking a beer and seemed a bit hung-over.)The bus took us(volunteer and Burkinabe passengers) about 100k to the paved road, but then the driver decided that he did not want to go any further so he called a friend and ordered him to take us all to Ouaga. This is Normal. Our new driver was great! He drove fast and had not been drinking the night before, although, when we made it to our regional capital, 200k, he too became tired and did not want to continue. So we switched again, traveled 100k, and then had the SAME PROBLEM! So we switched again and finally made it to Ouaga at about 6:30 in the evening.  We departed our market at 6:30am and finally arrived in Ouaga at 6:30 in the EVENING! A voyage that usually takes about 8-9 hours ended up taking 12. Needless to say, we were exhausted.  Bon arrivee!

1. 5.       Returning to site oner day, our bus pulled off to the side of the road to pick up a group of men on the side of the road. These 4 men started exchanging words with the bus staff and things got heated. (My Moore/Gulmancema/French is not good enough to know what the fight was about. They were switching languages tooo quickly for me.) They came to blows and it seemed like the bus staff was going to lose….. that is, until the driver ran to the front of the bus and grabbed a gun. All the other passengers ducked down as the driver ran to the door at the back of the bus…. (Where I was sitting and always sit.)  Surprisingly, I did not duck down or freak out. I may have just been in shock at what was going on. Even now, I ask myself, did that really happen?  But the situation did not escalate because the site of a gun tends to calm people down pretty quickly. 3 of the 4 men boarded the bus while one was left on the side of the road. The three men that boarded turned out to be Ghanaian and may have been associated with some shady stuff. They all had large packets of cash in 3-4 currencies (yes American Dollars were one of them) and they soon got off the bus on the Niger boarder.

1. 6.       Last but certainly not least, during my most recent return to site I was biking to the bus station in Ouaga with another volunteer when two men on a moto sped by me and decided to punch me in my back as they went by. Me being completely blindsided had no time to react and could only struggle to maintain my balance on my bike as they sped by cursing me out. We were, and continue to be, completely perplexed as to why they were so angry and decided to punch me.  It hurt.

Continuing to the bus station, we were able to board the bus and travel the majority of the route without incident. The other volunteer got off the bus about 2 hours later and I continued on for the next 7 hours without a problem. That is, until the bus broke down on one of the most isolated stretches of dirt road in Burkina.  We are the only bus that usually travels this road and we are completely stranded as it is getting dark.  After about two hours, a minivan/bush taxi arrives to pick us up.  Our original, now broken down bus, was about the size of a greyhound bus.  This taxi is the size of a minivan…. But somehow, everyone and everything fit inside, outside, on the side, and on the back of the bus (We’re talking 30 people, bikes, luggage, chickens, goats, and rice sacks). I started this last leg by holding on to the back of the minivan but then moved inside after the other passengers became worried for my safety.  I am pleased to report that we then made it safely to our destination, district capital, without further incident. In the morning, I biked the 40k home.

I hope these stories have shed some light on why I hate traveling to and from site. Hopefully other volunteers will read this and stop asking me why I do not like to travel. Its tough, its hot, its crowded, its unreliable, it sucks. We get leaked on, peed on, and occasionally “faux tipped” (con-artist trying to work magic). Along the same lines though, I enjoy the new experience and the stories that I take away from each voyage. The most revealing thing to me is the Burkinabe spirit. They experience the same things and still remain positive and cheerful. We travel together, the volunteers and Burkinabe, and we experience the same things.  Yes it is tough, but we always arrive at our destination in one piece. And for that, we are all thankful!

This Life Didn't Come with Instructions

We both knew this type of life

Didn't come with instructions

So I'm trying to do my best

To make something outta nothing

And sometimes it gets

Downright shitty in fact

When you call and I don't even know

What city I'm at

Or what day of the week in the middle of the month

In a year I don't recall

It's like my life's on repeat and the last time we spoke

I told you I wouldn't be long(yeah)

That was last November now December's almost gone

I'd apologize but I don't realize what I'm doing wrong

“I am one of the lucky few. I am one of the lucky few that have been given the chance to live and work in a developing country for two years of my life. “

I find myself constantly repeating the above phrase as some of the frustrations and homesickness really begin to set in.  Yes, it has begun!

In the way of work related topics, I AM SWAMPED!!! EXHAUSTED!!! I love the work but it is extremely tiring.  Working at the health center (CSPS) 6/7 days of the week is tough enough without also being expected to attend other Peace Corps trainings. I have recently found myself out of my village a lot more than I have actually been in my village.  In-service training(IST) was a two week training on practical things volunteers can do in village. We worked on nutritional rehabilitation programs, family planning sensibilisations, and project design and management. Now that our etude, adjustment period, is over; it is finally time to hit the ground running with projects. PC is attempting to make a conscious effort to better monitor and evaluate ALL projects. This means that volunteers are responsible for collecting and analyzing data as well as evaluating whether or not a project is successful.  For example: if I work at the local high school educating students on family planning techniques, PC would like to know how many students were educated, and what behavior changes took place. Common sense right? But how can one adequately measure whether or not student sexual behavior changed based on a training(sensibilisation) that I gave? It is a tough job without a doubt and requires a fair amount of creativity and constructive thinking.

One particular project where this is a problem is planting trees.  Health and Education volunteers are expected to plant 625 trees each year while business volunteers are expected to plant 5000. Thus, I am expected to be planting about 2 trees each day, while business volunteers are expected to plant about 14 trees a day. (As anyone who has ever planted a tree before can tell you, IT IS HARD WORK! But I digress). The problem here is trying to understand what planting a tree really means. Are we supposed to walk around throwing seeds on the ground? Or can we be expected to actually raise these trees? Watering a baby tree is no easy task (twice a day in most cases), but watering 100 at one time is difficult.  Even further, insuring the survival of each tree is also hard work and requires large amounts of energy and time. Can we accurately and responsibly expect each volunteer to plant and raise such significant numbers of trees? And what if half of the trees die due to the lack of lack of water, resources, soil, or the munching of animals.  Insuring the survival of so many trees is definitely a tough task but evaluating the success of tree planting campaigns is even more difficult. How can one measure the number of trees that he has planted? Is it based on the number of seeds used? The number of trees that survive in a year? Or is it the number of trees that make it to the earth.  The answer remains unclear.

It seems that most of my projects are developing nicely with support from the community. My mayor, community organization, High School(as most of my projects revolve around youth), and Prefet are all behind me 100%. Although it feels great to have their confidence and support, I would actually like them to take more of an active role in project development and implementation. As mentioned in an earlier post, my village is all too used to having things given to them. 

A counterpart from my village and I recently(yesterday) just completed a tree planting training in Fada, our regional capital.  Throughout the training, we learned how to properly care for and start tree gardens. Although trees are not the most interesting topic in the world (in my personal opinion), all of the counterparts loved it. Each counterpart walked away with two trees and several bags of seeds in order to begin planting in village. (Yes, I am taking credit for anything my counterpart plants and am well on my way to 625 for this year)

Although I want to head back to site in order to begin planting, I have a youth development committee meeting in the capital. We will be discussing a youth camp that we are holding in a couple of weeks. The camp is focused on youth leadership in the community and family planning. I will actually be attending the camp with two motivated youths from my community. We will be traveling about 800k to get to the training. Fun stuff no? All sessions during the week long camp will be led by volunteers like myself. No pressure or anything. J

Currently in PCBF, there are about 174 volunteers working in three sectors throughout the country. Unfortunately, about 60 of those volunteers are now preparing to COS(Close of service) and are preparing to return to the real world. I am incredibly proud of these volunteers and the large majority of them will be severely missed. Those COSing have been holding the country together for the past two years, and it is now time for the newbies like myself to step forward and take leadership positions. Most of my trainers and friends, outside of my own stage, are COSing and although it makes me a bit sad to part with friends, it’s also awesome to see that they finished their missions and are moving on to bigger and better things.  Good Luck G22

(The COS party was EPIC! It should be illegal to get over 100 volunteers in one place/pool, but we had a blast)

Communicating with home has suddenly become a really big challenge. I do not receive texts from the states anymore and nor do I get the chance to be online when I am in village.  This has really made things difficult for Brittany and I, but I think we have adjusted and handled the problem remarkably well.  Although she is swamped in books and pharmacy school, it feels good to see us both making efforts and growing individually & jointly. As we would in the states; we have our fights and I tend to be too honest at times, but we have really taken this chance to grow and develop in our relationship.

Well, that is all for now. Time to go get breakfast. J Omlette sandwiches….

Oh: random moment. Half way through this past week, I went to an ATM for money and learned that my account has been cleared out. After freaking out and working with the bank for 5 hours, I was able to figure out that an ATM in Ouaga had triple accessed my account the last time I had withdrew money. WOMP WOMP! But after arguing and being patient, I was able to figure everything out. IN FRENCH!!!  AND GET MY MONEY BACK! What what!  Boss status!! (Small victories go a long way here)


and on another random note.. Below is a link to a big project I am working on right now! Do Check It Out!!
http://pcburkina.org/content/leadership-active-citizenship-conference