This is a post I wrote some time ago but never had a chance to post. Enjoy!
My experience so far with Peace Corps and Burkina has felt just like diving into a deep pool of water. At first, you feel the rush as your body enters. Then, you become overwhelmed, disoriented, unsure where you are in relation to the water’s surface; but once you’ve attained your bearings, you do everything you can to reach air.
After an incredibly quick staging session, 30 other PCTs and I (in either the Health or Small Enterprise Development programs) trekked from the Philly airport, to De Gaulle in Paris, and waited in De Gaulle for 8 hours before the 6 hour plane ride into Ouagadougou. With only 3 hours of sleep in our last night in Philly, I went 36 hours straight without more than 30 min total of shut eye.
The Ouaga airport is incredibly small. After claiming all of our baggage, the PCTs and I met up with some Burkina PC staff and got into PC vans to head to Hotel Excellence in Ouaga. I wanted to postpone any sort of judgment of the country until I had a full day to experience Burkina. It was difficult though, as one of the first things I saw out my vans window was a tall, dark, bearded man with unblinking, glazed eyes staring right at me, unsheathing what looked like massive samari sword. The ride to Hotel Excellence, the shanty towns we passed along the way, and our entrance into a beautiful hotel were completely overpowered by this overwhelming ‘holy shit what am I doing’ sentiment.
Every day since my first night has been nothing short of incredible though (granted, I guess there are many, many things better than a scary man with a sharp sword…). We arrived Wednesday night. Thursday we took care of some basic business (IDs, bike fittings, Language proficiency test, overview of what to expect, etc), headed to the Country Director’s (a great man) house for an incredible lunch, and then off to Ouahigouya, the PCT training site. We have been staying in 2-4 person rooms with electricity, a bug net and beds, and a bathroom (toilet, sink and shower all in one….but no door….). My adjustment to such a drastically different country thus far has been surprising. After my first night I’ve just taken things as they come. Ouahigouya is one of the larger cities in the north. It only has two paved roads. The rest are dirt. All houses I have seen have been made of mud or concrete (very small) with tin or thatched roofs. There’s trash, wild dogs, goats, donkeys, and people on mopeds and bikes all over the roads. I’ve already seen men and women carry baskets and boxes my size on their heads (sometimes, while biking and with a baby on their back!). The begins to rise at around 430 or 5, and begins to set at around 630. When its dark, its dark. No street lights, no flashlights, and yet everyone manages to hang out and see what they’re doing.
I got 3 shots today, 4 in the past 3 days, and will have probably another 3 or 4 before stag (training) is over. Training days will typically begin at around 8 and end at around 5, filled with language, cultural, and technical training. I (expectedly) scored Novice Low on the French exam (the lowest level…) so I will also be attending tutor sessions from 720-750 am and from 515-545 pm. So it’s a long day! We’re currently staying at our training site, but coming Sunday we will be meeting our host families and staying in a village nearby, where we will be eating, sleeping, and socializing with our Burkinabe host families, and biking to training every day.
I certainly wouldn’t say that I think these next 9 weeks will go smashingly. As a matter of fact, I know I will have a rough time. But so far I’ve been incredibly pleased with my patience and acceptance of the challenges and struggles that have thus far come from being in the second poorest country in the world. I know this will be difficult, but I am becoming more and more confident in the direction I am going. Two years does seem quite daunting right now, but I know the more I learn the more ready I’ll be. I’ve only been in Burkina for 48 hours and I can say with confidence that I know there is so much I will love here. Last night was our welcoming party. There was traditional music, dancing, and drinking, and I actually had quite the moment when we were greeted with open arms, drum playing, fresh water, and smiles from some of the locals. It was so touching, and I know that the rewards of my stay and work here will far surpass the struggles. You cannot find direction until you get a little lost and overwhelmed first.
In other news, the food I’ve had here thus far has been fantastic! Spaghetti, couscous with tomato stew-ish sauce, rice with peanut sauce, brushett (meet kabob with garlic and vegitables), Burkina beer—its all been surprisingly appetizing. No crazy bowel problems. Yet. Can’t drink the water. Will get a Burkinabe dress tailored for myself quite soon because they’re beautiful. Stag group is amazing, have already made what I can tell will be lifelong friends in the past 3 days.
My experience so far with Peace Corps and Burkina has felt just like diving into a deep pool of water. At first, you feel the rush as your body enters. Then, you become overwhelmed, disoriented, unsure where you are in relation to the water’s surface; but once you’ve attained your bearings, you do everything you can to reach air.
After an incredibly quick staging session, 30 other PCTs and I (in either the Health or Small Enterprise Development programs) trekked from the Philly airport, to De Gaulle in Paris, and waited in De Gaulle for 8 hours before the 6 hour plane ride into Ouagadougou. With only 3 hours of sleep in our last night in Philly, I went 36 hours straight without more than 30 min total of shut eye.
The Ouaga airport is incredibly small. After claiming all of our baggage, the PCTs and I met up with some Burkina PC staff and got into PC vans to head to Hotel Excellence in Ouaga. I wanted to postpone any sort of judgment of the country until I had a full day to experience Burkina. It was difficult though, as one of the first things I saw out my vans window was a tall, dark, bearded man with unblinking, glazed eyes staring right at me, unsheathing what looked like massive samari sword. The ride to Hotel Excellence, the shanty towns we passed along the way, and our entrance into a beautiful hotel were completely overpowered by this overwhelming ‘holy shit what am I doing’ sentiment.
Every day since my first night has been nothing short of incredible though (granted, I guess there are many, many things better than a scary man with a sharp sword…). We arrived Wednesday night. Thursday we took care of some basic business (IDs, bike fittings, Language proficiency test, overview of what to expect, etc), headed to the Country Director’s (a great man) house for an incredible lunch, and then off to Ouahigouya, the PCT training site. We have been staying in 2-4 person rooms with electricity, a bug net and beds, and a bathroom (toilet, sink and shower all in one….but no door….). My adjustment to such a drastically different country thus far has been surprising. After my first night I’ve just taken things as they come. Ouahigouya is one of the larger cities in the north. It only has two paved roads. The rest are dirt. All houses I have seen have been made of mud or concrete (very small) with tin or thatched roofs. There’s trash, wild dogs, goats, donkeys, and people on mopeds and bikes all over the roads. I’ve already seen men and women carry baskets and boxes my size on their heads (sometimes, while biking and with a baby on their back!). The begins to rise at around 430 or 5, and begins to set at around 630. When its dark, its dark. No street lights, no flashlights, and yet everyone manages to hang out and see what they’re doing.
I got 3 shots today, 4 in the past 3 days, and will have probably another 3 or 4 before stag (training) is over. Training days will typically begin at around 8 and end at around 5, filled with language, cultural, and technical training. I (expectedly) scored Novice Low on the French exam (the lowest level…) so I will also be attending tutor sessions from 720-750 am and from 515-545 pm. So it’s a long day! We’re currently staying at our training site, but coming Sunday we will be meeting our host families and staying in a village nearby, where we will be eating, sleeping, and socializing with our Burkinabe host families, and biking to training every day.
I certainly wouldn’t say that I think these next 9 weeks will go smashingly. As a matter of fact, I know I will have a rough time. But so far I’ve been incredibly pleased with my patience and acceptance of the challenges and struggles that have thus far come from being in the second poorest country in the world. I know this will be difficult, but I am becoming more and more confident in the direction I am going. Two years does seem quite daunting right now, but I know the more I learn the more ready I’ll be. I’ve only been in Burkina for 48 hours and I can say with confidence that I know there is so much I will love here. Last night was our welcoming party. There was traditional music, dancing, and drinking, and I actually had quite the moment when we were greeted with open arms, drum playing, fresh water, and smiles from some of the locals. It was so touching, and I know that the rewards of my stay and work here will far surpass the struggles. You cannot find direction until you get a little lost and overwhelmed first.
In other news, the food I’ve had here thus far has been fantastic! Spaghetti, couscous with tomato stew-ish sauce, rice with peanut sauce, brushett (meet kabob with garlic and vegitables), Burkina beer—its all been surprisingly appetizing. No crazy bowel problems. Yet. Can’t drink the water. Will get a Burkinabe dress tailored for myself quite soon because they’re beautiful. Stag group is amazing, have already made what I can tell will be lifelong friends in the past 3 days.
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