During our Tougan visit we met up with Nick, a PCV who lives about 45k from us. He showed us a couple of cool places to visit in Tougan, where we can check our email and get good eats, and went around to meet people with us. He actually ended up being our first guest at our new home! He also had us come up to his home for an evening of food and drink and good conversation on that Friday night. He ordered a mutton (goat) for us and some of his friends from village for supper, as well as Cokes and Brakinas (the ‘national beer’). I know some of you have some aversion to eating goat, but let me tell you, this goat was amazing! It was seasoned with spices Nick brought, grilled with onions and peppers, and then slow cooked again over a fire. I think it could’ve converted some of you! Just being able to have a meal that wasn’t 90% carbs was amazing in itself!
We also spent the weekend in Ouagadougou, the capital city. For the most part, Ouaga is a very modern city, with many of the luxuries we experienced back in the states such as air conditioning, cold drinks on demand, readily available internet access, and a variety of foods. For supper one night we had pizza, and I mean it was actually pizza. The next night the trainees were invited to a PC staff member’s house to eat Mexican food (soft shell tacos with chips and salsa etc). Yes, I realize we get a big hung up on food here, but it really does have a big influence on our outlook. Processed food, like cheese, and foods that require refrigeration are difficult to find in Burkina, so it really is a treat when we encounter them!
Tomorrow model school starts for me, which means I’ll be teaching math in French every day. Its intimidating to say the least, especially the French part. A lot of the math terminology looks similar to the English but the pronounciation is quite a bit different and some of the concepts are approached entirely differently. It’s a challenge but one that I really look forward to.
With the rains in Burkina come the mosquitos, and they are actually starting to get thick. Yes, Northern Minnesota thick, except the world never seems to cool off here. Jessi and I are constantly dabbing anti itch cream am bug repellant on ourselves, but I think the mosquitoes here have learned that the scent of DEET = human blood to be drank, and thus are attracted by the stuff instead of repelled by it.
Rooster Story!
After what seemed like an epic battle with the cock in our courtyard for sleep over the past month the dust has finally settled, and sleep can once again be found. For the first month here, the cock in our courtyard woke up at 3:00 AM every day, and crowed until 7:00 AM. To put this into perspective, realize that windows and doors here do not have glass on them to keep noise out, and 4 out of 5 nights most of my family (self included) sleep outside in the courtyard to escape the heat of the house. Thus, if the cock goes off at 3:00 AM, there is no way to escape its decree. A couple of mornings I would wake up to my host father chasing the cock with pieces of hose and wacking it in an attempt to silence it. I also saw my brother put a bucket on top of the damn thing one morning in a similar attempt, but it continued to crow in an even more deranged manner since the sound was reverberating inside the bucket. One morning they even tied the cock’s foot to a chair behind the house so it was at least away from us. It seemed like this would continue indefinitely.
Well, two weeks ago I finally remembered that I brought earplugs, so when the cock started crowing at 3 AM, I put my earplugs in and enjoyed another three solid hours of silent sleep, outside, under my mosquito net in the cool 80 degree morning air. I woke up at 6 AM, earplugs still in, to my host brother leaning over the mosquito net, reaching for the cock which was sitting on top of my sagging mosquito net, 3 inches above my face, squawking and flapping its wings like mad. I was sure that I was going to start of my day with a face full of chicken poop! However, after my morning bucket bath, my host mom informed me that enough was enough, and that the cock had menaced everyone for too long. The following night we all slept soundly without the deranged crow of the cock, with bellies full of fried rooster. As twisted as it sounds, having won this battle by frying and eating my enemy was particularly satisfying.
After spending the past 12 days together, Jessi will return to her host family in village tomorrow night. I know it has been hard to be away from them for so long, but we have greatly enjoyed being able to spend so much time together.
Hope that all is well on the home front. Until next time!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Visit to Tougan
Whatever doubts Tyler and I had about forming a vision of the next two years in Burkina were pleasantly dwindled after our visit to Tougan, our future post.
Fortunately, our journey to Tougan via public transportation was relatively easy-going. Tougan is only a two-hour bus ride from our training city – and while the road was bumpy, it was easy to pass the time with a book in hand ;)
After arriving to Tougan, it didn’t take long for Tyler and I to fall in love with the small city. Quite a bit smaller then our training city of Ouahigouya, Tougan is more easy-going, the streets have less traffic, the air is fresher, and everyone we met was very laid-back and friendly. Our favorite part – the trees! Hundreds of trees of different sizes and shapes shading our path as we traversed through the city.
Our new house, currently uninhabited, is a simple two-bedroom home placed in the corner of a fairly large courtyard. While the house does not have running water, we will have electricity by the time we move in at the end of August (a privilege only some volunteers have here in Burkina). There is a small out-door building we can use as our kitchen or a storage area, and a walled-in area for a latrine and bathing spot. Because Tyler and I will be the first people living in the house, we will have the freedom to "make it our own" by painting the inside, planting trees and flowers, adding a hangar to our porch, and more. (Tyler and I find it increasingly amusing that our first home together will be in Africa – we absolutely can’t wait to move in!)
As far as our schedule in Tougan went, Tyler and I spent a lot of time "hanging out" with people and meeting local leaders, authorities, and others in the community. Our counterparts (i.e. individuals trained by Peace Corps to help us integrate into the community) were very helpful. Tyler’s counterpart, Yaya, is a teacher at the same high school where Tyler will be working. My counterpart, Alice, is a teacher at the primary school where I will be doing some of my work. Two individuals that should also be mentioned are Solange and Yaro. Solange works with a branch of the Education Department in Tougan and will be assisting Alice and myself. Yaro, as far as Tyler and I can tell, has been assigned as our "tutor" (though we are still unclear if that means he’ll be showing us the ropes or providing us with local language instruction?) Yaya and Yaro were very hospitable during our 3-day visit and were constantly inviting us to eat meals and spend time with them and their families.
Yaro’s nephew Arnaud was also very generous with his time and gave us two separate tours of Tougan. During our tours, we discovered that Tyler and I will have the great privilege of having access to an array of restaurants with cold drinks and "good eatin’," limited internet use at the local cyber café, an outdoor movie theater (usually playing action and karate films from what we can tell), and a large market every Sunday. We will also have a seasonal lake (which is absolutely beautiful) during the rainy season.
As you can see, our visit to Tougan has energized us tremendously. We are finally able to envision in greater detail what our next two years in Burkina will look like. We look forward to moving in at the end of August, making new friends, and getting to know our new friends even better.
- Jessi
Fortunately, our journey to Tougan via public transportation was relatively easy-going. Tougan is only a two-hour bus ride from our training city – and while the road was bumpy, it was easy to pass the time with a book in hand ;)
After arriving to Tougan, it didn’t take long for Tyler and I to fall in love with the small city. Quite a bit smaller then our training city of Ouahigouya, Tougan is more easy-going, the streets have less traffic, the air is fresher, and everyone we met was very laid-back and friendly. Our favorite part – the trees! Hundreds of trees of different sizes and shapes shading our path as we traversed through the city.
Our new house, currently uninhabited, is a simple two-bedroom home placed in the corner of a fairly large courtyard. While the house does not have running water, we will have electricity by the time we move in at the end of August (a privilege only some volunteers have here in Burkina). There is a small out-door building we can use as our kitchen or a storage area, and a walled-in area for a latrine and bathing spot. Because Tyler and I will be the first people living in the house, we will have the freedom to "make it our own" by painting the inside, planting trees and flowers, adding a hangar to our porch, and more. (Tyler and I find it increasingly amusing that our first home together will be in Africa – we absolutely can’t wait to move in!)
As far as our schedule in Tougan went, Tyler and I spent a lot of time "hanging out" with people and meeting local leaders, authorities, and others in the community. Our counterparts (i.e. individuals trained by Peace Corps to help us integrate into the community) were very helpful. Tyler’s counterpart, Yaya, is a teacher at the same high school where Tyler will be working. My counterpart, Alice, is a teacher at the primary school where I will be doing some of my work. Two individuals that should also be mentioned are Solange and Yaro. Solange works with a branch of the Education Department in Tougan and will be assisting Alice and myself. Yaro, as far as Tyler and I can tell, has been assigned as our "tutor" (though we are still unclear if that means he’ll be showing us the ropes or providing us with local language instruction?) Yaya and Yaro were very hospitable during our 3-day visit and were constantly inviting us to eat meals and spend time with them and their families.
Yaro’s nephew Arnaud was also very generous with his time and gave us two separate tours of Tougan. During our tours, we discovered that Tyler and I will have the great privilege of having access to an array of restaurants with cold drinks and "good eatin’," limited internet use at the local cyber café, an outdoor movie theater (usually playing action and karate films from what we can tell), and a large market every Sunday. We will also have a seasonal lake (which is absolutely beautiful) during the rainy season.
As you can see, our visit to Tougan has energized us tremendously. We are finally able to envision in greater detail what our next two years in Burkina will look like. We look forward to moving in at the end of August, making new friends, and getting to know our new friends even better.
- Jessi
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Site Announcement!
We found out our site in Burkina! After swearing in as official Peace Corps volunteers on August 25th we will be heading to Tougan, which is about an hour and forty five minute drive from Ouahigouya (where we are now). While we do not know a whole lot about Tougan right now, we will be visiting for 3 days starting Wednesday and will let you know what we learned :)
Site announcement has been all that anyone has been thinking about for the past week, but as usual we have been staying busy with trainings, Jessi's first girls club meeting, and teaching my first math lesson in French. Are bodies are well, and our spirits are high. We got to spend a day at the pool today at the hotel in Ouahigouya, which was incredible! I never expected the water would feel so good! We also enjoyed Cokes and garlic chicken for lunch, a treat for sure!
Hope all is well and spirits high in the States as well! Please email us with what is going on back home too, as we love to hear from everyone stateside. We look forward to sharing more information on our site as we find out more. Stay tuned!
Site announcement has been all that anyone has been thinking about for the past week, but as usual we have been staying busy with trainings, Jessi's first girls club meeting, and teaching my first math lesson in French. Are bodies are well, and our spirits are high. We got to spend a day at the pool today at the hotel in Ouahigouya, which was incredible! I never expected the water would feel so good! We also enjoyed Cokes and garlic chicken for lunch, a treat for sure!
Hope all is well and spirits high in the States as well! Please email us with what is going on back home too, as we love to hear from everyone stateside. We look forward to sharing more information on our site as we find out more. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
PST Continued (f/ Tyler)
My view on training has been similar: it`s intense, especially with one day off per week. Most everything, including simple things, such as using the latrine and doing laundry, has required some form of adjustment here. Happily, we are making those adjustments and what once was new seems more normal now.
I live in Ouahigouya (why-he-goy-ah), the 4th largest city in Burkina. My host family is wonderful. My host father, Harouna, is the director of a primary school in Ouahigouya. My host mother, Beebata, maintains the house and sells water, bissap, zoom koom, and other refreshments at their streetfront window. She spends a lot of time taking care of Alim, my 11 month old host brother. My host sister Aguiratou is about 20 and spends the most time working at the window, selling refreshments. Alimata (12) and Romatta (9) are my other two host sisters, and Mohammed (14) is my other host brother. The three of them are in school, and they each do Karate (Jessi and I went to one of Romatta`s sessions last week, which was fun!) Romatta and Mohammed are my professors in French, Mooré, and Burkinabé life, and they are incredibly patient with me. When I first met Alim he was curious about me, while at the same time terrified of me, but now he will reach out for me to hold him when I am around. I like to hold him and play cell phone ring tones, which he dances to by turning his head right and left. Its hilarious, and I need a video of it before we leave.
My family has an outdoor courtyard area that is surrounded by bedrooms, a kitchen building, a living room, and the refreshment storefront. My family has electricity, and to my amazement, satellite TV. I usually start and end each day watching France 24`s news programs, so I can stay up to date.
I also sleep outside frequently to escape the heat. However, today it rained and the world is full of red/orange mud, so I will probably bunk inside at Jessi's tonight when I visit. The rain storms here are truly a sight to see. You see dark black clouds with a green tint approaching, and then the clouds turn brown. Intense winds picking up sand and leaves and everything else hurdle towards you, and last about 5 minutes. Then, in the midst of the dust storm the rain comes, and it is practically raining mud. Sometimes the rain cancels the wind out, and other times the wind continues to howl. This morning I got caught in the dust storm portion of the storm on my way to the training center. It is difficult to bike in the storms, and my mouth was filled with dirt by the time I made it in. When the rain came the winds didnt subside, and it seriously looked like hurrican footage with the intense rain and wind. Then, a couple hours after the rain the land looks dry like it has't rained in weeks. It rains 3-4 times a week during this season, and while it is not fun to get caught in the storm, they are fun to watch.
Sitting here and typing makes me realiwe how fast time is flying. Next week we will find out where our site placement is already, and the week after we will visit.
We hope you are all doing well, and thoroughly enjoy receiving mail and emails from people. Take care! We'll post our site announcements next week when we receive them! Salut!
Tyler
I live in Ouahigouya (why-he-goy-ah), the 4th largest city in Burkina. My host family is wonderful. My host father, Harouna, is the director of a primary school in Ouahigouya. My host mother, Beebata, maintains the house and sells water, bissap, zoom koom, and other refreshments at their streetfront window. She spends a lot of time taking care of Alim, my 11 month old host brother. My host sister Aguiratou is about 20 and spends the most time working at the window, selling refreshments. Alimata (12) and Romatta (9) are my other two host sisters, and Mohammed (14) is my other host brother. The three of them are in school, and they each do Karate (Jessi and I went to one of Romatta`s sessions last week, which was fun!) Romatta and Mohammed are my professors in French, Mooré, and Burkinabé life, and they are incredibly patient with me. When I first met Alim he was curious about me, while at the same time terrified of me, but now he will reach out for me to hold him when I am around. I like to hold him and play cell phone ring tones, which he dances to by turning his head right and left. Its hilarious, and I need a video of it before we leave.
My family has an outdoor courtyard area that is surrounded by bedrooms, a kitchen building, a living room, and the refreshment storefront. My family has electricity, and to my amazement, satellite TV. I usually start and end each day watching France 24`s news programs, so I can stay up to date.
I also sleep outside frequently to escape the heat. However, today it rained and the world is full of red/orange mud, so I will probably bunk inside at Jessi's tonight when I visit. The rain storms here are truly a sight to see. You see dark black clouds with a green tint approaching, and then the clouds turn brown. Intense winds picking up sand and leaves and everything else hurdle towards you, and last about 5 minutes. Then, in the midst of the dust storm the rain comes, and it is practically raining mud. Sometimes the rain cancels the wind out, and other times the wind continues to howl. This morning I got caught in the dust storm portion of the storm on my way to the training center. It is difficult to bike in the storms, and my mouth was filled with dirt by the time I made it in. When the rain came the winds didnt subside, and it seriously looked like hurrican footage with the intense rain and wind. Then, a couple hours after the rain the land looks dry like it has't rained in weeks. It rains 3-4 times a week during this season, and while it is not fun to get caught in the storm, they are fun to watch.
Sitting here and typing makes me realiwe how fast time is flying. Next week we will find out where our site placement is already, and the week after we will visit.
We hope you are all doing well, and thoroughly enjoy receiving mail and emails from people. Take care! We'll post our site announcements next week when we receive them! Salut!
Tyler
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