Monday, November 1, 2010

Seb and School

Ever since school started, I feel like I haven't had much time to breathe, not that that's a bad thing. I started with three difference classes and coincidentally three different subjects: 6e earth/life science, 5e math, and 4e physics/chemistry. Those 12 hours a week were plenty to keep me occupied, especially since I, unlike most Burkinabe teachers, give more than two tests per trimester; I like to give at least three and I often grade a minimum of two homework assignements. With 130 in 6e, 105ish in 5e, and 61 in 4e, I've got my work cut out for me. No worries though. Teaching is coming along much more smoothly this year; it's already a habit, almost natural. And thankfully, my discipline has improved, including my ability to think on my feet when a student misbehaves in class. My students are still a handful; however, so we'll have to wait and see what this year has in store for me. I'm not losing control without a fight, I can tell you that much!

Our English teacher was a trainee who missed the first week of classes (not abnormal here), then the second (still, not out of the ordinary), then around the third it was brought to our attention that he failed is instructional classes and would have to retake them this year. Translation: no English teacher. So, to make along story short, I took on 4e English, adding three hours to my schedule because there was no way I wanted five additonal hours with 6e, the youngest group who literally start talking 2 seconds after I've asked them to stop, we got a teacher from a neighboring town to teach 3e and 6e, and my neighbor who works at the mayor's office in town took 5e (He taught English at a neighboring village last year, but they found a teacher for this year.) He's really quite good with the language. He understands some meanings and uses better than I do! I'll have to work on that.

Last week I made a trek to Ouaga, yes a trek, and it started out badly. Last Tuesday I taught for 5 hours in the morning and was planning on leaving that afternoon for our neighboring town, to spend the night with a Burkinabe friend/second or third mom and to continue on to Ouaga the following morning. Well, all that did happen as planned, but the entire mood was changed. I got a call from our directrice during my final hour and final class of the day. Not ordinary, not good in this case. Our secondary education Area Placement Country Director-I think that's what it stands for-(APCD), Sebraogo Kiedrabago, aka Seb, who had been battling colon cancer and just came back to work two weeks before hit a fall for the worse again and passed away Monday evening, the 25th of October, 2 days before his 40th birthday, leaving behind his wife and 2 young kids. I can't express how sad and gutwrenchingly awful this is. This man was amazing: he treated everyone with genuine respect, love, and care. He followed up. He smiled a lot. He was low-key and honest and kind. He didn't fit the Burkinabe male stereotype at all. He was a great person. No, he was an exceptional person. He will be greatly missed and I'm sorry the new volunteers never got the chance to know him. I'm sorry a lot of people never got the chance to know him.

Thankfully, I had the chance to visit and pay respects to Seb's wife (sorry, I don't know her name) with my fellow Peer Support and Diversity Network volunteers on Saturday morning. I spoke on behalf of everyone after we arrived and shared words and thoughts from my heart. The driver who went with us also shared some extremely kind words. So sad.

My trip to Ouaga went okay overall. I did get a cold probably from the weather changes and Ouaga dust/pollution that I'm getting over now. I also had some fun GI issues again and I'm not sure exactly why, but such is life here, at least for me. But not to worry, I'm tough, I'm used to it, I can handle it.

Until next time.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

I Can Make a Difference

I can make a difference
Little steps at a time
Kindness here; smiles there
Joviality everywhere

Exemplify good nature
Fueled by sincerity
Harmony promoted
Bright moments created

Exuberance contagious
A ball of chain reaction
Goodwill spreads
The world a better place

I can make a difference
By developing potentials
Productive, fulfilled, joyful
One more able to shoulder the weight
I am but a tiny seed
Within a multitude
But like a purple heart
I can make a difference

-(taken from Classroom Management page 90, a Peace Corps book)

"A Child Learns What He Lives"

If a child lives with criticism
He learns to condemn
If a child lives with hostility
He learns to fight
If a child lives with ridicule
He learns to be shy
If a child lives with shame
He learns to feel guilty
If a child lives with tolerance
He learns to be patient
If a child lives with encouragement
He learns to try his best
If a child lives with praise
He learns to appreciate
If a child lives with fairness
He learns justice
If a child lives with security
He learns to have faith
If a child lives with approval
He learns to like himself
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship
He learns to find love in the world

-Dorothy Law Nolte

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Finally Found my Groove

I finally got back to my village on September 1st after three months of being away. That's a long time when I'm only around for 24 months total. Luckily for me, my village wouldn't be upset about that because they're used to teachers not being there during the summer. In fact, I got more surprised reactions than anything. Plus, I wasn't gone from village on frivolous affairs, so I'm trying to cut myself some slack.

I was welcomed back by my friend A.S. by a beautiful garden he made for me in my courtyard complete with moringe, beans, onions, hot peppers, okra, aloe vera, citronel, corn, etc. etc. Amazing. It makes it that much homier and comfortable to be there.

It was great to see him and my other friends again, including my colleagues who were there. I got a visit from our PC directrice that first week back which was nice. It was fun to show off my village and stop in to say hi to a bunch of people.

Toward the middle of September I left to visit my buddy L.S. in her new village before joining the bike tour in Bobo. I spend a day there with my fellow PCV's and attended a ceremony they held for us as international volunteers. The following day, L.G. and I were bike buddies, the 80km to Orodara (about 50 miles). I ended up spending the night at Sita's with L.G. and I.T. It was great. I especially enjoyed that evening after being disappointed by my fellow PCV's when they opted out on our dinner plans with a woman who has been like a second mother to me. It was a lack of awareness coupled with poor communication issue, but I was still hurt. They tried to solve the situation like many US Americans do by throwing money at it. People sometimes think if they pay for something, then everything is okay when in reality there are times when people and relationships should take precedence.

The next day was a much shorter ride to Takeladougou to be present for a big party thrown for us and also to honor a PCV there. I enjoyed it and was bummed that I was too exhausted to dance.

Next day was a car day, although half of our crew decided to bike the 160km instead, that's how crazy hardcore they are. I enjoyed breakfast at McDonald (no, there's no 's!) where L.G. and I split an omelet and French toast (pain perdu) before the 5 of us left on the bike tour not biking took that bumpy nauseating ride to Loropeni. We walked the market for dinner and slept soundly at a school. I biked my best time that last day into Gaoua, 36km. I visited my village friend's brother and his wife's mother. It was nice meeting them and having the time to stop by the market where they worked to say hello. I saw a few friendly PCV faces I hadn't seen in a while and spent the day enjoying their company. We celebrated a fellow PCV birthday that night and he and I slept at the home of a newly wed husband of an RPCV who just returned to the states.

I headed to Ouaga to spend some time working on a grant application to build a library student center desperately needed in my village and to run some errands, including filling out forms for the guitar I had brought back for a friend that Air France lost. It was a very productive few days.

Back in village, I started the school year off right going over school rules and expectations with my students. I made it discussion based instead of authoritarian and think it went well. The participation from my 5e kids pleased me to no end. I got through my first week and for the last time and headed back to Ouaga for a Youth Development meeting.

I did a short stint in Ouaga and will be heading back to site tomorrow to start week number two.

I find that I've hit a groove here, finally. I'm comfortable with my language, with this culture. I have friends, a support system. I know this place. And I really like it here. Most days I'm very happy to be alive and to be here. It's funny thinking back a couple months ago when I was wishing my service were only a year long and that I didn't want to teach again. And now, here I am, already worrying about how fast this time will fly and how difficult it will be to leave. If you had asked me two months ago if I loved it here, I'd say no, but I like it here. Now, I still don't know if I'd say I love it yet, but I could see myself getting there before my service is over which by the way is in 10 months or less. Insane.

Plus, things are really great with my partner right now. Whoever said you can't maintain a healthy long distance relationship with someone back home while in the Peace Corps was wrong. Now, perhaps we're one of the exceptions, but if you want it badly enough and you're willing to work at it knowing that all relationships take work, then it is completely possible. It's just a matter of what you're willing to sacrifice and go through not to lose someone who is so important and irreplaceable in your life. Food for thought.

Enjoy life. Live each day to the fullest. Push yourself. Do something you want to do even if it's a little crazy or makes you a little uncomfortable. Don't be complacent!

Until next time.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

“Americaland” and Getting Back into the Swing of Things

I got pulled into stage and couldn't come out to give an update until now after working four weeks of stage after a week of TDE (training development evaluation) and a week of TOT (training of trainers) and 5 weeks home in the US.

Those six to seven weeks before my visit back to the US were insane. I definitely earned my vacation. I started as a member of a new committee: Peer Support and Diversity Network (PSDN), gave my input during preparation stages for the new trainees, and guided our 22 new secondary education trainees during their first three weeks in Burkina Faso. They're a fun group, one of the best. Each person bring something to the table and they've had quite a range of personal and life experiences ranging from teaching in Peru, living on a boat for a total of five years, and working in Kuwait to just graduating from college a week or two before and finishing high school and college in six years and already having three to four years of work experience despite being the same age as many recent college graduates. They have good attitudes and are fun to be around. It was sad to leave them after our time together, but I knew we would be reunited after my time home.

My time home was amazing. It was tough getting back into the swing of things with my partner what with being apart for over a year, but we managed to figure it out and still have fun in the process. I spent time with my parents, brother, friends, grandparents, and my beau-famille. I went sailing in Chesapeake Bay with family and friends, bringing my partner, who loved it, for the first time; went to the beach in Michigan; had dinner with my parents and with my grandparents; enjoyed the luxury of a US hotel; visited our local zoo; went on a wine tour and did a brewery tasting; ate a lot of delicious food I had been missing; went to the Cottage; rode in a power boat and went tubing after not seeing and real body of water for a year; went on two picnics; I even ran a few times. The best part about being home was seeing those I love and had missed all year. Time sped by and my 22 hour trip back to Burkina was difficult. The most difficult part besides leaving my family was leaving my partner, again. I knew it would be.

I've taken my days and hours at times slowly since I've been back while trying to ease back into a life that now seems so familiar to me. I've done it once already, so I know I'm capable of another year. And while it was tough coming back, I'm happy to be back and I do like it here.

I got back just in time for our second official PSDN meeting followed by our Mid-Service Conference (MSC). [In case I haven't told you already, Peace Corps is doused with acronyms, they can NEVER get enough!] During said conference, we had one day of conferencing and two involving TB tests, physicals, and a trip to the dentist.

The dentist was an interesting experience. I thought it was cool to go to one in another country and also where we spoke a different language. It was fairly routine and comparable to the states until the cleaning part. He, the dentist, checked my teeth to make sure I had no cavities, and cleaned them after taking new pictures of each one. The pictures were taken with the same type of cylinder and instead of using disposable lead strips coated in plastic, a rectangular prism wrapped in a plastic bag was used to isolate my teeth. The cleaning was interesting. Instead of a spinning plastic tool to put on toothpaste and rub off the plaque, a tool that shot a speeding saline solution was used seemingly to use water pressure as a de-plaquing technique. Interesting. Thankfully, I had enough paper wrapped around my neck to keep my clothes dry for the most part, other than that which dripped down the middle of my neck. It did not taste good, but that meant I was not dehydrated, so I had that going for me at least!

The conference part went well. I did not feel like being there at the start but things improved when we were given two hours to chat with each other about what went well, what didn't go so well, and how we can make it better. It was great because we were able to pick each other's brains and share advice and ideas.

Next I went north to Dori to do some tree-planting. We planted 20,000 trees with several other groups of volunteers from all over, including Burkinabè volunteers, too, of course. We spent the night, enjoyed good food, speeches, and a looong bus ride. Other than actually planting trees, I think I liked the kick-off bonfire the night before best. There was dancing and cheering and presentations – I enjoyed it a lot.

I spent the night in our capital before heading out early back to the training city to be reunited with SE stagiaires and to also meet the newbies whom I was only fortunate enough to welcome and not get formally introduced before I left.

I got back in time to watch two classes taught by two different trainees and watch a small group try their hand at PACA (Participatory Analysis for Community Participation). I enjoyed lunch with stagiaire D to catch up on everything I missed and attended the social relationships cross-cultural session which GEE also attended.

Today, Saturday, our SE stagiaires had a field trip language session 24 K away. I biked with two other PCV's since there weren't enough spaces on the bus. We got to see crocodiles, get pictures with them, sit on them, and pull them back by their tails – there are just some things you don't get to do in the states!

Tomorrow's plans involve biking nearby to go hiking on a beautiful hill L. spotted on our bike ride today. Another day. Another adventure.

Until next time.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Celebrating School's End with a Focus and Work Change

In 15 days I will have been here a year. A year! I cannot believe it. I am officially finished with my first year of teaching. I buckled down a bit with my students and tried to be more strict. I introduced the sentence, “Je ne dérangerai plus le professeur et les autres élèves,” to my students when they misbehaved or talked or whatever during class. I had them write their name on the board and then by 7am the next day they were to give me that sentence written 200 times. If not, I took away a point. If they skipped one number or word, I took away a point and they had to redo it. They did not like that! I had a couple students who correctly pointed out that they stopped talking in class after having to write that, so it did have some effect. Unfortunately, it only helped so much. My 5e kids remained out-of-control, reminding me of D.D.'s advice during stage: start out stern because he found that his worst class was the one he was more lax with from the get go. Come to think of it, many of my favorite and most respected teachers followed that motto. They started hard and loosened up throughout the year. That is my plan for the following year.

After giving my final tests and calculating averages I was free [at least until next fall]. I continued my regular routine of hanging out with my major friend each evening even though M.K., my friend and his wife, has been in Bobo since early April in order to give birth there. She gave birth on May 1st to a beautiful baby girl; I saw pictures. It's funny thinking about it because she's my age and I can't picture having kids right now. I definitely want them, probably at least 3, but I am not ready yet. [Then there are my students, 6th graders (older, 13, 14, still not old enough by any means) who are pregnant. It's disheartening and very sad and unfortunately far too common.] I can't wait to meet my little niece.

My two women colleagues finally made it over to my house when I was there and we spent time together chatting under my hangar. I shared my gummy worms with Mme D.'s little baby girl who loved them. She kept making an almost-mmm sound as she was eating it, perfectly content.

I spent more hours volunteering at maternity. One Friday I arrived to find the acoucheuse alone, because her colleagues had left on a vaccine campaign, possibly for polio. I'm glad I was there to help her that morning, get patient files, fill out forms, hold babies, take blood pressure. I enjoy that work a lot. It is very interesting and again, I feel good knowing that I'm helping, even if only in very small ways. If I can lessen the burden just a little, that's good enough for me.



I spent time with A.S., a 40 year old man who I have become surprisingly close to, surprising because he's a 40 year old man. We have had some great conversations. We've talked about my students, Rastus (the word is not offensive here), homosexuality, adoption, female genital mutilation, sexism, women's rights... He's an extremely bright and kind man. He finished primary school only and continued with self study at a seminary where, I believe, his father was. He speaks French well and has helped me a lot these past few months. He and S.K. are two friends whom I feel comfortable enough with to ask questions about French. I love that they correct me, because that's the only way I can learn and improve my language. I feel like I've improved light speeds in such a short time due to their insights.


I was also blessed to enjoy a few times listening to F. and A. play guitar and sing. Love it.
One day as I was visiting with A.S. under my hangar, we got a surprise visit from another friend, A.S.'s cousin, F.S. I was happy to see him. Sadly, he was there because his pregnant wife, F.S., was having complications and reached a point where she couldn't breathe. Scary. She saw the nurse and was prescribed medication. As the two men were looking for it, I set up my lit pico and let her and her daughter take a load off chez moi. I found the best thing I had for the little girl and brought out paper and pens for her to draw. I wish I had had something else, but I don't think I did. The guys eventually found the generic brand of meds and F. and F. left with mom-to-be much more at ease. She left with some tasty leaves from my courtyard that up until that day I had not known were edible.

Since my buddy, L.S., went back to the states for a month (after 2 years in away from friends and family back home, she deserved that time) I decided to visit her best friend and boyfriend in the city 25K from me. I chose to catch a ride with the PC car the day our doctor came for a visit. I was so excited to see him and one of our drivers in our region. I love having visitors. He stayed for a couple hours mostly talking and having great conversation. He told stories about his time in Cameroon and Gabon. He has great stories, and he always makes me laugh. We're lucky to have such genuine caring medical staff on board here. So that Thursday I quickly packed my bags and headed 25K away. I spent the night and the following day there. I had planned on spending two nights before I received a call telling me I needed to be in Ouaga for training that coming Monday (after they had originally told me I had to be there and recently called to tell me I was not going to attend – gotta love Peace Corps!) So I divided my trip having needed to return to my village to gather my things for the following week.

It was great to see the bff, S. and the bf, A. I spent lots of QT with them. Chez S. I hung out and enjoyed her cooking and wonderful company. You could tell she missed L.S. a lot by her stories of how they met and several memories of theirs. She also told me about breaking down the night before she L.S. left. Since L.S. is moving to another village, albeit nearby, Sita realized they didn't have much time together and even though they'll have 3 more months, it's during the rainy season, so she'll be spending most of her days in the fields. She was bumming. The two of them have made such a great connection and the nearing of separation is starting to hit. Sucks. We had some lighter conversation, too, as I became more at ease in her hut, playing with my little 5 year old buddy, Z. I had lunch with A. the following day before I had to head back to site for the night. I hung out briefly with my friends after running around and taking care of a few last minute things with the end of the school year. I saw two students for the last time in a few months and I'm glad I got that opportunity. I let one borrow an English booklet and the other my French/English dictionary. When I gave S. my dictionary he kissed it! A.S. and Y.T. walked me to the car the next day when I returned to the same city I left the day before. When I arrived at the gare and inquired about paying the attendant told me not to worry about it. Bizarre. Nice, but weird. Okay. So, I opted to use them to go to Ouaga the following day instead of the other company like I had been planning. More QT with my buddies before bed and an early following day.

The following week was TDE (training design and evaluation) for the incoming trainees. All of the PCVFP's (Peace Corps Volunteer Facilitator Permanent) for each of the four sectors worked with the staff to get on the same page, talk about the basics of the training, especially because it will be a group of 78 trainees, the largest group they've ever had here, write learning objectives and competencies, putting in core sessions into the calendar of training events (COTE), and then planning our individual technical sessions for each sector within our own schedules. It was great seeing some familiar faces from my stage, many of whom I hadn't seen since I left Ouahigouya last August. It was a tiring, productive week. I now understand all that goes into such planning and why changing the schedule is not as easy as we thought it was while we were in stage. There are so many different parts and aspects you have to keep in mind. It's nuts. I'm enjoying working on this. I'm excited to be one of the main PCV's to welcome the new trainees. I think my energy and attitude makes me the perfect person for the job.

TDE ended on Friday. My plan was to go to Bobo for the weekend, visit with some friends, then go back to my village for a few days before having to be back the following Thursday for my next Youth Development Committee meeting. That was before our new country director (CD) explained that we, PCV's, can in fact be on more than one committee, we simply need the permission of the CD. So, my buddy, M.B. and I were bummed because we wanted to be on the Peer Support and Diversity Network (PSDN) but did not know about the 2 committee rule: we were under the impression that only one was allowed. Then, we thought we were too late to join that committee. It wasn't until a current member advised us to ask our nurse if we could still apply; that happened Thursday night. So, early Friday morning I got the go ahead from our nurse, permission to participate in two committees from our CD, wrote my application while working on TDE things, submitted my application before noon as I was told and got accepted all within a matter of hours. I was so excited. The catch was that training started on Monday. So much for my plan.

New plan: leave early Saturday morning, arrive back at site by around 5 pm only to leave early the following morning for Ouaga. I had never made that trip in one day and was about to do it for two in-a-row.

I had around 12 hours at site in between my travel. I quickly put things away, packed my bags for 3 months, emptied out my buckets and water filters, and gave away any perishables. I spent time with S.K. who offered to moto me in early on Sunday so I could take the first car to Bobo. What a good friend. I also saw A.S. who was still using my courtyard. He had since done some landscaping. I now have a few new rows of plants including aloe! The stay was too short, but better than nothing. I got into Ouaga by 4 pm on Sunday with plenty of time to make the dinner our PC nurse invited us to. So good to us. Good food and great company.

The next 3 days were filled with PSDN training: active listening, which questions to ask and not to ask, how to help a peer arrive at a solution and sort through a problem without giving advice or any personal opinions. We talked about the differences in individual values, red flags, how to take care of ourselves. I enjoyed the training very much. It was exhausting, but great. It makes me wonder if I'd like to go into counseling or psychology. Although, there's a fair share of that in medicine, so I think I'm alright. Became an official PSDN member and got voted to training manager/coordinator again with M.S., the same PCV who is sharing the PCVFP position with me. He's right, we do work really well together. And our work will come next may when we're planning and running the training for the next year's PSDN members. It'll be good.

Thursday was my day off so-to-speak. I ran some errands in the morning, biking to the post to take out money and stopping at the bank to exchange CFA for dollars, taking care of another traveling back home preparation. People think I'm nuts to have my 2 checked bags packed already, a month in advance. I'm glad because I don't want to be stressed the few days before I leave. Speaking of, I am so flipping excited to go home at the end of June. 5 weeks with my partner, time with my family and friends. It's going to be great.

I ran Thursday morning with J.B. for the first time in months. It was difficult but I felt good afterwards. I bonded with C.R. and E. over lunch and then spent a couple hours working on the technical training sessions for the new stage with H. Friday, today, was our first Youth Development Committee (YDC) meeting. We talked about the resources we found and where we'd like to go next as in our focus. We're going to help with training sessions in four general categories, starting at first with one. It'll be interesting to see what becomes of this baby committee.

We have another meeting tomorrow and then I'm off until Tuesday when I'll take part in our Training of Trainers (TOT) for stage followed by more preparation for a few days before the new trainees arrive and stage is in full swing. Lots to do. Can't wait!

Be well. Live life to the fullest. Take chances. Don't be afraid to try something new and push yourself. Be the person you want to be, because only you can control that.

Until next time.

Monday, April 5, 2010

People. Importance is with people, with relationships.

I've had computer access for over a week and have been stubborn and unmotivated to write a blog. It isn't because I don't want to, but I'm having difficulty figuring out what to say.

I've been here 10 months now and I'm not the same person I was before I left. I've certainly grown in small ways: my patience, my understanding of people, my view of what's important in life. As Peace Corps Volunteers, we're not here to make people think like us and change mindsets and ways of life that have worked for hundreds of years. We're here to help make things work a little better, improve efficiency, help people with problems they feel need to be fixed. It's funny, because so many have the ignorant belief that we need to go to third world countries to save those people who are viewed as savages, simply because they were “unfortunate” enough to be born into the 2nd most illiterate country with over 50% of its people living on less than $1.25 a day and over 80% living on less than $2 a day. That type of mindset goes along with our US American need to view progress as something tangible, something you can quantify, and the faster we can do it, the better...

Being here, I've learned to slow down [at least somewhat!] Instead of focusing on fixing the problem, I know you can't do good work if you don't have people behind you supporting you. And you can't gain such support if you don't talk to people, get to know them, listen to them.

It's funny that there are those who think they need to save the people here while there are many important lessons the Burkinabè can teach others if they only took the time to listen. The focus on people here is where I think the focus should be. It's not about how much money you have, how many things you own, which prestigious people you know. It's about how you care for and maintain your relationships, how you are with people, and how much of yourself you give to others.

The way people give here continues to astound me. Perhaps the solidarity does only exist because of the omnipresent poverty. It's that solidarity that keeps such strong bonds between the people here. You don't need to know someone on a familial or personal level. If you're passing through an unfamiliar village for the night, you can stop by the nearest home or case and not only will that family give you a place to stay and food to eat, but they will welcome you and treat you as though you were a sister or a brother.

Another example. A new neighbor moved in a few months ago. When he came to introduce himself to me, he brought me a watermelon as a gift. He continues to give me fruit as gifts and even made me a well-wishing New Year's gift out a a calabask, the outside of a round melon-like inedible fruit here, often used as bowls.

As for me, I'm trying to do the best I can here. I'm making friends with my neighbors, even though I still cannot communicate with them in Jula, their language. I say hello. I'm trying to learn names. I'm keeping a positive attitude and trying to figure out what more I can be doing here.

My third and final trimester began Friday. It's the shortest with only 6 weeks to get grades. By the end of May I'll be finished with my first year teaching. I still cannot believe it.

I've been way too nice with my students and that finally came up to bite me in the butt my last week of classes at the end of the 2nd trimester. Based on their disrespectful and out-of-control behavior, I've finally decided to kickstart the discipline and hold them accountable. They'll be shocked the first day I'm back teaching because I'll be doing a complete and necessary turnaround. It's what's fair for me and for the 50 or so good students who come to learn, who ask good questions, who try, who come to my house for exercises and questions when they don't understand something. They'll be my motivation. I'll let you know how it goes!

I started volunteering with maternity at out local clinic. I really enjoyed it. I actually felt useful. There's a woman who works there, an accoucheuse. She's a strong, confident woman who is respectful and kind to the women who come in. I think I will learn a lot from her. The first day I went in I helped fill out the 3 separate forms necessary after every prenatal checkup. It was interesting. It still blows my mind that I'm doing all of this in French.

I had a 2 week vacation in between trimesters and spent the first half in Ouaga with my fellow volunteers. I attended my first COS (Close Of Service) party for the volunteers who will be leaving the country for good in the coming months.

Next I went visit my host family in Ouahigouya. It was great to see them. They welcomed me and treated me as though I was a member of their family and reinforced my mutual feelings for them. I hung out with my little brothers and sister. I spent an entire day talking with my Maman as she did my hair. I felt much more comfortable and at ease this trip. I'm more competent with my language and understanding of the culture here and it's made all the difference.

It was weird going back to a city that encompassed my first 3 months here and all that came with my training, my immersion, and my introduction to Burkina Faso and its people. It was great to realize all I remembered and learned in that time, even after 7 months of being away. In a way it felt like coming home which must also explain why I was sad to leave. It wasn't the city though, it was my family. I was blessed to be brought into that family in June 2009 and blessed to continue my relationship with them. I'm lucky to know them and I enjoyed having family to spend Easter morning with. It's my Burkinabè home.

I hope this hasn't been too sporadic. I wanted to provide an update on my life here and it was important to include my thoughts and realizations, because life is not all about doing. In fact, that's not even the half of it. I think the sooner people realize that, the sooner people can find true happiness and purpose.

So talk to people. Get to know them. Be kind. Be respectful. Forgive. And love. There's nothing greater than love.

Until next time.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Happy, Motivated, and Saving the World One Student at a Time

Le 12 février 2010

I forget if I made a special shout out to my family and friends who have sent me packages, so I'm starting this blog with a big THANK YOU to all of you who have sent me packages or letters: I love them and really appreciate them.

My In-Service Training in Ouaga in early January went well. And it was nice to see everyone whom I spent my initial training with again. We talked about how our first trimesters went, shared ideas, commented on our initial training, learned about starting libraries in village, soap making, starting a garden. We had our usual medical, administrative/financial, and security sessions. We enjoyed each other's company and I enjoyed my internet and skyping time. :)

My second trimester started with a bunch of nerves, anxiety, and uncertainty about how it would go with my nearly complete class schedule change. I went from 4 English classes and one environmental science/biology (SVT) class to one math class and 2 environmental science/biology class. I no longer teach the 2 older grades, so it was a change.

It wasn't too long before I found my own and got into a groove that I found much more quickly the second time around. I find I really enjoy teaching math. I like the subject matter a lot which I think helps. SVT is coming along. I'm getting into the human body with my youngest kids and I find that much more interesting and applicable to their lives. The class where I talked about STI's was interesting. I had a couple smartypants students tell me they didn't know what sex was. I was surprised to learn that they didn't know the word vagina, especially since it's a basic and integral part of female genital anatomy. That was fun explaining in words they could understand!

I give more tests that other teachers do. We're required to give 2 per trimester. And that's what most people give: 2 and only 2. I think it's much better for the students to give more than that. With math I can even assign homework to collect and grade. Giving at least 3 tests gives the students less material to study for each test, a greater chance to pass when averaging 3 grades as opposed to 2, and it also gives the me the option of rewarding my students for good behavior by taking the 2 best grades. I will not be doing that. My students talk way too much during class. I'm sure a large part of it is because I'm too nice and let it go way more than I should. I'm working on it. I started a new technique where I write a -1 on the board and start to draw a box around it when they're talking to much. If I finish the box, everyone receives -1. If my students stop talking, I stop writing and they don't. If I start this 10 times in one class, it's -1. That works a little bit, but often it'll work for the 5 seconds I'm writing it on the board and then as soon as I stop they start up again. We'll see. I need to be more strict, because it's disrespectful and not good for the students who actually pay attention and want to learn.

I started a girls club with my youngest girls and I have around 20 who show up every Tuesday evening. We spend the first hour doing an activity that I choose and the second hour is for them. They have thus far opted to use it to do schoolwork and homework. And then I”m there if they have any questions or need explanation. The first week I did an informational meeting to introduce the idea and talk about what we could use that time for each week. The second week and first official meeting, we played a name game and started putting together money by each of the interested girls to use to throw a party at the end of the year. The third week, I tried a Life Skills activity to introduce the terms aggressiveness and passivity. It all but crashed and burned which I initially thought was because of my poor French. I learned later figured out that it was because of their poor French. Their level is so low, it's no wonder they don't understand a lot things, including notes I give them in class. And of course, they don't ask questions when they don't understand, even though I've told them more times than I can count that they need to ask questions if they don't understand something. Anyways, for the third week I decided to find an activity that would force them to think and use the brains I know they have and also something that they couldn't or shouldn't copy their friends and neighbors. I don't know if it's laziness, a lack of self esteem and self confidence, a mixture of the 3 or what, but they're complacent with repeating what their neighbor or friend tells them to say. They're complacent with looking at something once and telling me they don't understand instead of trying to use the knowledge they do have to figure it out. Frustrating. One of the reasons we emphasize critical thinking here and try to find ways to work that into our teaching, because it's not often taught here. It's typically route memorization and that does nothing. So, after giving it some thought, I had them write a list of life goals, because I figured that no one has ever had them think about that. It took me 30-45 minutes to explain what goals were and how to write their list and how they didn't need to copy down everything I had written on the board to explain the activity. After we went a bit over the first hour, I wanted to give them time to do their schoolwork, so I told them to bring the lists next week, because we're going to share goals. And I'm making each girl share a goal that's different that all the others. I will not accept a repeated goal. Then I think I'll give them time to think about what they can do, what steps they can take to make their goals a reality. In any case, I often feel awkward and unsure when I'm doing my girls club activities, but I must be doing something right, because my girls keep coming back.

I spent about 5 weeks at site without leaving for the first time and could have stayed longer. I'm definitely coming into my own and getting comfortable with where I'm at. I visit a couple who are my friends every night, I started djembe lessons, and I am slowly and inconsistently incorporating working out into my schedule. I like my site, I like my colleagues, and I like my students, even though they frustrate me and drive me up the wall sometimes [read often].

Right now I'm spending the weekend in Ouaga to participate in an ISO softball tournament. We tied the Japanese team 6-6 today in the last inning which is a total bummer because we were up! Oh, well. Next game. It was a blast and we looked pretty decent. We've got another game tomorrow and then on Sunday. A second game on Sunday if we win and are in the finals. I'm going back to site Sunday and will therefore sadly be missing any and all games that day. We have subs though. However, one particularly awesome female volunteer said she would offer bribes for us to stay... :-)

Life is good. Can't complain too much. Wouldn't want to anyways. I'm happy.

Oh, also, I'm probably going to start my first grant-writing experience to help my CEG get a library and possibly help with raising money to build a second building in order to divide the classes and make them smaller. I'm excited because I've never done anything like this before and it'll be a great learning experience. We'll see. It's going to be a lot of work, but I have absolutely no problem with that.

Until next time. An bi dòni. (See you soon – been taking Jula lessons, too.)

Saturday, January 9, 2010

End of Trimester and Holidays au Burkina

Le 09 janvier 2010

It's been a while since I last wrote and updated a blog due to business and lack of motivation. So now, I will do my best to update you on as much as possible since my last update.

Before I get into all that, in true Burkina fashion, I'd like to wish all of you bonne année, bonne santé, et j'espère que tous vos souhaites sont realizé pendant la nouvelle année.

In three days I will have officially been in country for seven months and as of now will be home to visit in less than six. I completed teaching my first trimester which ended the week before the Christmas holiday.

That last week of classes I had intended on teaching in addition to giving my students their calculated averages, but as things often happen in Burkina, my plans were forced aside by the regular happenings within Burkinabè culture. That Sunday I found myself feeling slightly under the weather and nursing a fever that didn't want to leave, much like the flies once mosquitoes in the Ouaga transit house. After talking to my PCMO (Peace Corps Medical Officer) I did malaria slides and started my precautionary malaria treatment only to learn the following day that my slides came up negative for malaria and I had bacterial enteritis. I purchased the necessary medicine at my pharmacy and planned on resting that Monday not feeling up for teaching only to learn at my kioske where I stopped to drink some tea and wait for transport to pass by so I could send my slides that there was no school until Wednesday due to the 9 year anniversary of the murder of a well-known journalist.

The rest of my week was filled with finding time to talk with my classes to read off or give my students their averages, so they could calculate them and verify that I recorded them correctly. Then I had to write by hand the grade for each student on each bulletin (report card) along with the appreciation.

The rest of my time at site was mixed with an orphaned student who wants to come live with me, marché day, preparation for my Christmas with L.S. and friends and my post Christmas bike tour, and visiting with my couple friends every day.

My Christmas holiday was fantastic and although I missed my family and wished I was home to celebrate it the way I have for the past 22 years of my life, my chosen alternative this year was a decent second best. We had great people and therefore a light, fun, and inclusive atmosphere. Furthermore, we had a cultural exchange by having some Burkinabé friends share and celebrate the day. We gave stockings to two little girls who I don't think knew what to do with all that stuff. The gifts given to L.S.'s closest friend resulted in said friend dancing around and chanting about how we made her pretty (I.T. purchased a necklace and earrings for her).

The food was excellent. We prepared a Slovakian (I think...It begins with an S and I had trouble keeping it straight even then much like my past presbyterian/pentecostal issues.) meal which L.S. explained as the poor person's meal eaten and prepared the night before the big feast. And since my Polish background had its similarities, I prepared my Dad's famous mushroom soup, very successfully.

The day after Christmas we said our goodbyes to a few volunteers and friends before packing up, singing a few disney songs, and hopping on our bikes to head toward Banfora.

We made it as far as Beregadougou staying the night with an extremely generous family related to our sole Burkinabé biking buddy. That stay involved a relaxed atmosphere, good food (fish from Mauritania), and a tour of the local sugar factory. They cultivated sugar cane there and once you got within blocks of the factory you could smell sugar in the air. Sweet! (Pun intended.)

The following morning we continued on and stopped in Kerfigula to visit the waterfalls and the domes and to experience an unpleasant moment in 'tourist country' before heading over to visit another volunteer whose village threw a huge party in celebration of her having spent a year at site. They prepared food and had traditional African music with balophones, karis, and tambés. I danced a bit and had too many children grab onto my hands and arms...

After waking up very cold in my tent the following morning we biked to Tengrala to see the hippos while sharing a wooden canoe. I should clarify and say see the hippo heads, but it was cool.

That day we spent a few hours in Banfora before catching transport to a village 15K from where L.S. Lives.

I spent the next couple days in village and celebrated a low-key New Years at my friends house where I wanted to go to be at 9 but managed to stay awake with my buddies watching music videos, eating friend chicken, and drinking malta guiness (without alcohol) and pop.

Then after another day I started my trek to Ouaga for In Service Training. More to come later.