Dancing to Life!: Update

I think its about time to have an update on here. I was hoping that Pat would get internet soon, but there have been a number of delays, so he asked me to update the blog and include pictures.
--Britt

Pat is really settling into his new place. This week was a very productive one! He taught an english class on nutrition and planned an entire lesson for 80+ kids. And its not even the number of kids that is most impressive, its the lesson itself! It was more than complete with Jeopardy questions, free cookies as incentive to answer questions, and building human bridges to show the importance of eating foods from ALL the food groups. Looks like his RA knowledge on ice breakers and the sort is being put to good use! In BF, "to" (pronounced "toe") is a very popular dish despite having little nutritional value; thus Pat wanted to teach the importance of a balanced diet. The absolute best part of this week was the excitement in his voice! He is really having a blast!

Pat has also been playing soccer with the local kids a lot. His cooking endeavors continue as he accumulates an impressive amount of international food options into his repertoire (he didn't mention that his first meal at his new home in BF was mexican spiced macaroni and cheese). Yesterday he went around with another worker as she did sensibilizations in the village and surrounding areas. This allowed him to meet many people and watch someone else give lessons. He continues to screen babies and children for malnutrition (a big concern over there given limited food options).

Another exciting thing that Patrick is working on is building a garden in front of the CSPS (health center/clinic) that he works at. This is a challenge simply because fencing is expensive and the whole thing takes a lot of planning, but I know that he is equal to the task. He recently has been working on his Plan of Action and report to submit for review by PC. In this document, he is to analyze the needs of the community and detail his plans for his remaining time as a PCV.

Pat has gotten very close with some local youths and they hang out in his spare time listening to music or just talking about life in general. Rihanna is very popular over there (something Patrick can relate to). Eminem, Lupe, and Akon have also extended their fan base into Burkina Faso. Pat has a hammock that he often relaxes in after work.

He has been on a quest for internet, but it has proven unsuccessful a number of times for one reason or another. Issues include ATM running out of money and lack of internet keys/car batteries. It seems acquiring internet is about as difficult as you would imagine in the rural areas of a developing country. That being said, Pat is very thankful for his close proximity to the marche or marketplace. This ensures that he is able to get food on a regular basis as it is needed. However, since the harvest this year was not ideal, there is potential for a food shortage. Let us hope and pray that does not happen!

The next couple months will be super busy for Pat! He will be doing more volunteer training during which his stage will be reunited! He is pretty excited to see the people he swore in with after such a long time apart. He also has a committee meeting. He has joined the Youth Development committee which meets about every 3 months. Additionally, the volunteers are planning a visit to a village in BF where there is going to be a huge festival that only happens every other year. Pat is pretty excited for that as well!

Below are some pictures from BF taken from facebook for those of you who might not have seen them yet. I have included Pat's captions as well.

Great tree to watch the sunset on. sit right there in the nook

I wake up to life in the BF. My courtyard with my host family. Far left is the oven and dishwashing on top. what looks like a rug is actually seeds from harvest. and the bottom center is usually a fire where food is prepared. the Jugs all around are filled with Dolo, a local beer that my family makes and sells from millet. (They popular people)

[This was where Patrick lived during training, this is not where he currently resides]

Mah house [on left] The kids, and my host mom, sleep in the round hut. :-( gender inequality

My host family and i communicate through dance

One of my lil Host Sisters. May just be one of the sweetest kids I've ever met. She stares at me while i eat breakfast every morning and dances in the evenings with me. Although you cannot see it here, she has one of the purest smiles you could ever imagine. There have been many of dark days where her smile brings light. :-)