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.