Thursday, July 23, 2009
The little town called Bouroum-Bouroum
All right, this blog is going to be about my site visit to Bouroum-Bouroum. A nice little town about 6 hours southwest of Ouagadougou, Bouroum-Bouroum is green and semi-hilly, and nothing like Ouahigouya. Despite the fact that I love having internet and water readily available to me in my courtyard in Ouahigouya, I honestly believe that I’m going to like Bouroum-Bouroum so much more.
Starting from the beginning: I traveled to BB last Wednesday with my homologue (one of my future colleagues whose job is to help me find my bearings at site). His name is Marc and he spoke very little English, so we had fun working with my limited French. By the way I tested into Intermediate Mid French, one level higher—yay! Public transport in Burkina is insane—assigned seats mean nothing and elbows start flying when people scramble to get on the bus. It was hot and sweaty and uncomfortable, so nothing unlike the rest of my stay in Africa! Marc and I arrived in BB Wednesday night and I was immediately disoriented because it was dark, I had only my bike light, and did I mention that there’s no electricity in Bouroum-Bouroum?
I slept at Jillian’s house because it would have been culturally inappropriate to stay with mon celibataire homologue. Jillian is the other PC volunteer who has been living in BB for the past year. She wasn’t around during my site visit so I looked after her house and fed her dog while she was gone. I actually think her dog thought I was Jillian because he would follow me around wherever I went (he even came into the primary school’s director’s office during my meeting with him!). Silly Alaska. I definitely want to get a dog and cat when I get to site. One will be my protector and the other will eat the giant cockroaches.
Thursday was spent meeting community members and my colleagues. Unfortunately the director of the secondary school (where I’ll be working) and the mayor of the town weren’t around, so I’ll have to make those contacts once I return to site. I also got to see my house! I’ve posted a picture—it’s the brick house with the red door and windows. I will be the white girl behind the red door. I dig it. Incidentally, in BB kids don’t shout “Nasara!” at me, which is the equivalent of saying “Hey Whitey!” Instead, in more hushed tones they called me “Dubago" or something similar, the Lobiri word for foreigner.
I really like the location of my house because it’s about 2 km from the centre ville and market. It’s in a more secluded area where I’ll have more privacy, and the long road leading to my house is lined with trees and green bushes. Did you notice the huge tree in my backyard? My counterpart and I found a chameleon (pictured) en route to my casa. Isn’t he pretty?
I was disappointed that I couldn’t see the inside of my house—there was a lot of confusion because no one knew who had the key. I think my house has two rooms and a salon (or one room and a salon), an indoor shower, an outdoor shower, and an outdoor cuisinier. And when I say shower, I mean there’s a hole in the ground where my water will drain during my bucket bath. My latrine hasn’t been built yet and they haven’t finished painting the inside of the house or put up a fence around my property. But that should all be complete by the time I arrive at the end of August. I hope. I asked Jillian to try to make sure that the fence they’ll build around my house is also put around the latrine. I would feel awkward and uncomfortable if everyone could watch me walk to and from the latrine.
My house is right next to a Lobi compound—you can see the difference between my brick house and their mud/straw structures. I also live about 100 meters from the college (pictured), which is the secondary, or middle school, where I’ll be teaching. The subjects I’ll be teaching are still up in the air—I’ll let you know once I know. During my stay in BB I discovered that the primary religion practiced here is Animism. They say everyone in Burkina is an Animist, but in BB it truly is the people’s main religion. However, the next largest religious group is Protestant, then Muslim and then Catholic. The two largest groups that live in BB are the Lobi and the Mossi; thus the two most common local languages are Lobiri and Moore. Other languages spoken in BB are Jula, Birifore and Dagari. After learning French, I’ll be focusing on Lobiri and Moore.
Some interesting things that happened in Bouroum-Bouroum: A giant turkey chased me outside the mayor’s office. It then proceeded to chase me down the street after I got on my bike. Haha, I’ll see you at Thanksgiving.
BB doesn’t have any police force or post office.
I ate a meal with my hands for the first time in Burkina. I can’t say I was a fan of this experience, and it’s not because I ate with my hands. My homologue and I shared a plate of Attieké, which is like couscous with fish and onions. Not my meal of choice at any rate. But before we ate my homologue washed his right hand with water, then pulled the fish apart, then mixed it up with the couscous, then licked his hand, then mixed the dish again. I sat there feeling like George from Seinfield, thinking “It’s like you’re putting your entire mouth on the couscous!” But then I washed my hand and I ate the Attieké and it wasn’t half bad. I actually kind of like eating with my hand—I would just prefer to eat from my own bowl.
Oh! This is very important and obviously one of the most vital things I learned on my trip: Bouroum-Bouroum has Coke—cold cokes! They use a car battery and/or solar panels as the source for refrigeration. Glorious! I’m going to make friends with the people who work at the buvette so that they’ll always have the cold ones ready for me. My last night in BB my homologue and I had cokes under the stars in the absolute dark, listening to Celine Dion and Marvin Gaye on his cell phone. It was definitely a moment to remember.
I then spent a night in Gaoua, which is 25 km south of BB. It’s a much larger town that will serve as my source of internet and that will also be the place where I’ll pick up my mail and handle my finances. Gaoua will be nice for those purposes, but it’s too large and one of the most touristy places in Burkina. I much prefer Bouroum-Bouroum.
I then took transport back to Ouaga where I met up with the other trainees for a few nights in the capital city. I ate a cheese pizza, a cheeseburger, a hamburger, a chocolate crepe and amazing burritos at the house of the PC Director of Small Business Development (SED). Thanks Dan! I even got to use a real toilet and take a hot shower—absolutely refreshing. We went to the Ouaga zoo where we saw giant birds, some monkeys and crocodiles, and hundreds of bats—see the pictures! Bats are everywhere in Burkina, which is probably why all the trainees have been given 3 rabies shots!
Now I’m back in Ouahigouya with almost 6 weeks of stage behind me and 5 more to go. We start Model School next week. Eeek! I’ll be teaching Physics/Chemistry one hour a day, five days a week to Burkinabé students, in French. Should be horrifying. Or splendid. I guess we’ll see.
Hope you enjoy the pictures!
Starting from the beginning: I traveled to BB last Wednesday with my homologue (one of my future colleagues whose job is to help me find my bearings at site). His name is Marc and he spoke very little English, so we had fun working with my limited French. By the way I tested into Intermediate Mid French, one level higher—yay! Public transport in Burkina is insane—assigned seats mean nothing and elbows start flying when people scramble to get on the bus. It was hot and sweaty and uncomfortable, so nothing unlike the rest of my stay in Africa! Marc and I arrived in BB Wednesday night and I was immediately disoriented because it was dark, I had only my bike light, and did I mention that there’s no electricity in Bouroum-Bouroum?
I slept at Jillian’s house because it would have been culturally inappropriate to stay with mon celibataire homologue. Jillian is the other PC volunteer who has been living in BB for the past year. She wasn’t around during my site visit so I looked after her house and fed her dog while she was gone. I actually think her dog thought I was Jillian because he would follow me around wherever I went (he even came into the primary school’s director’s office during my meeting with him!). Silly Alaska. I definitely want to get a dog and cat when I get to site. One will be my protector and the other will eat the giant cockroaches.
Thursday was spent meeting community members and my colleagues. Unfortunately the director of the secondary school (where I’ll be working) and the mayor of the town weren’t around, so I’ll have to make those contacts once I return to site. I also got to see my house! I’ve posted a picture—it’s the brick house with the red door and windows. I will be the white girl behind the red door. I dig it. Incidentally, in BB kids don’t shout “Nasara!” at me, which is the equivalent of saying “Hey Whitey!” Instead, in more hushed tones they called me “Dubago" or something similar, the Lobiri word for foreigner.
I really like the location of my house because it’s about 2 km from the centre ville and market. It’s in a more secluded area where I’ll have more privacy, and the long road leading to my house is lined with trees and green bushes. Did you notice the huge tree in my backyard? My counterpart and I found a chameleon (pictured) en route to my casa. Isn’t he pretty?
I was disappointed that I couldn’t see the inside of my house—there was a lot of confusion because no one knew who had the key. I think my house has two rooms and a salon (or one room and a salon), an indoor shower, an outdoor shower, and an outdoor cuisinier. And when I say shower, I mean there’s a hole in the ground where my water will drain during my bucket bath. My latrine hasn’t been built yet and they haven’t finished painting the inside of the house or put up a fence around my property. But that should all be complete by the time I arrive at the end of August. I hope. I asked Jillian to try to make sure that the fence they’ll build around my house is also put around the latrine. I would feel awkward and uncomfortable if everyone could watch me walk to and from the latrine.
My house is right next to a Lobi compound—you can see the difference between my brick house and their mud/straw structures. I also live about 100 meters from the college (pictured), which is the secondary, or middle school, where I’ll be teaching. The subjects I’ll be teaching are still up in the air—I’ll let you know once I know. During my stay in BB I discovered that the primary religion practiced here is Animism. They say everyone in Burkina is an Animist, but in BB it truly is the people’s main religion. However, the next largest religious group is Protestant, then Muslim and then Catholic. The two largest groups that live in BB are the Lobi and the Mossi; thus the two most common local languages are Lobiri and Moore. Other languages spoken in BB are Jula, Birifore and Dagari. After learning French, I’ll be focusing on Lobiri and Moore.
Some interesting things that happened in Bouroum-Bouroum: A giant turkey chased me outside the mayor’s office. It then proceeded to chase me down the street after I got on my bike. Haha, I’ll see you at Thanksgiving.
BB doesn’t have any police force or post office.
I ate a meal with my hands for the first time in Burkina. I can’t say I was a fan of this experience, and it’s not because I ate with my hands. My homologue and I shared a plate of Attieké, which is like couscous with fish and onions. Not my meal of choice at any rate. But before we ate my homologue washed his right hand with water, then pulled the fish apart, then mixed it up with the couscous, then licked his hand, then mixed the dish again. I sat there feeling like George from Seinfield, thinking “It’s like you’re putting your entire mouth on the couscous!” But then I washed my hand and I ate the Attieké and it wasn’t half bad. I actually kind of like eating with my hand—I would just prefer to eat from my own bowl.
Oh! This is very important and obviously one of the most vital things I learned on my trip: Bouroum-Bouroum has Coke—cold cokes! They use a car battery and/or solar panels as the source for refrigeration. Glorious! I’m going to make friends with the people who work at the buvette so that they’ll always have the cold ones ready for me. My last night in BB my homologue and I had cokes under the stars in the absolute dark, listening to Celine Dion and Marvin Gaye on his cell phone. It was definitely a moment to remember.
I then spent a night in Gaoua, which is 25 km south of BB. It’s a much larger town that will serve as my source of internet and that will also be the place where I’ll pick up my mail and handle my finances. Gaoua will be nice for those purposes, but it’s too large and one of the most touristy places in Burkina. I much prefer Bouroum-Bouroum.
I then took transport back to Ouaga where I met up with the other trainees for a few nights in the capital city. I ate a cheese pizza, a cheeseburger, a hamburger, a chocolate crepe and amazing burritos at the house of the PC Director of Small Business Development (SED). Thanks Dan! I even got to use a real toilet and take a hot shower—absolutely refreshing. We went to the Ouaga zoo where we saw giant birds, some monkeys and crocodiles, and hundreds of bats—see the pictures! Bats are everywhere in Burkina, which is probably why all the trainees have been given 3 rabies shots!
Now I’m back in Ouahigouya with almost 6 weeks of stage behind me and 5 more to go. We start Model School next week. Eeek! I’ll be teaching Physics/Chemistry one hour a day, five days a week to Burkinabé students, in French. Should be horrifying. Or splendid. I guess we’ll see.
Hope you enjoy the pictures!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Broom-Broom!
Actually it's Bouroum-Bouroum. But it's pronounced Broom-Broom, and roll your r's.
I’m going to be living in Southwest Burkina
I’m going to be living in Southwest Burkina! The southwest happens to be the region where it rains the most! I have to say that I was really surprised when I was told my site location because 1. A lot of the trainees requested to be placed in the southwest and 2. I personally didn’t specify a region so I figured I’d be placed in the Sahel or central Burkina. But here I am. And as of now I am going to be a Math teacher. However, that could change at any time because professors drop out of programs, or they move away, or the schools add or cancel classes. I will be either a math, physics/chemistry or biology teacher—or all three, or perhaps just two. Who knows?
I’m also going to be living in a village where another volunteer is currently situated. This person is a GEE (Girls’ Education) volunteer, so I’ll be the only PC volunteer teacher in the village. I wasn’t expecting to be placed in the same village as another volunteer and I’m almost certain that it’s not too common. But having this other volunteer in my village will most likely help facilitate my integration into the community, and I’m happy that I’ll be close to someone who’ll be willing to help me adjust to a brand new life after training is over.
Next week is site visit! By next weekend I’ll be able to explain in more detail what my home for the next two years will be like. For now I’ll tell you what I know about the South. According to Bradt’s Burkina Faso Guide, the south has the best elephant-viewing! Finally I’ll bathe at the watering hole with the elephants! The south is also the greenest part of Burkina, with the most amount of rainfall and unfortunately the most humidity. The upside is that I haven’t stopped sweating since my arrival in Burkina, so humidity is no object. Anywho, the southwest has red earth, green hills, streams and it is “the gateway into the world of fetishes, sacred rites and bush lore of Lobi country.” It’s been said that all Burkinabe are animists, but that’s particularly true in the southwest. I don't know what local language I'll be learning, but I'm pretty sure it won't be Moore. Again, I'll know more about my site next week so I'll let you all know then.
Wheew! Am very excited and nervous for next week. I leave Ouahigouya on Wednesday with my counterpart, who’s a member of the community in my village, and together we’ll travel to my site. My counterpart will act as a conduit between myself and the members of my prospective village. He or she will introduce me to the chef of my village, my colleagues, the police, etc. I’ll also get to see my new house and begin to cook up ways to make it my own. I envision myself having a lot of fun with paint. Yup, it’s going to be a mess. Right now I’m not sure if I’ll be spending the nights with my counterpart or with the other volunteer in my village during my visit. Hmm, I need to figure that out. We're having workshops on Monday and Tuesday to hammer out all the details.
I’ll be spending 3 nights at my site, and after that I’ll travel to Ouagadougou (sans counterpart!) to meet up with the other secondary education trainees. We’ll spend 2 nights in Ouaga—good food will be had, and I might even get to use a real toilet (sans cockroaches!). I’ll be on the hunt for chocolate and other delectable goodies, so wish me bon chance.
Other stuff from this week: My host mom and dad are in Ouaga this weekend so I've been hanging out with my host aunt.Her name is Mariam and she's been living with us for about 3 weeks now. I've been wondering how long she'll be staying with us, and I believe I got my answer last night. Mariam was explaining to me in full detail the history of the Brazilian soap opera Au Coeur du Peché when suddenly she told me that her husband died two months ago. She told me that she had been living in Ivory Coast with her husband and daughter (1 yr, now living with us too) when about 2 months ago her husband was killed in a motorcycle accident. So now Mariam and her daughter are living with my host family indefinitely. My lack of French made it difficult to express sympathy, so I just said "Toutes mes condoléances" and then I just sat on the couch awkwardly. But we looked at Mariam's photo album and she seemed comforted by my company.
Unfortunately moto accidents are quite common here because few people wear helmets and a lot of the times traffic lights and stop signs are merely decorations. Needless to say it's sometimes a little scary riding a bike here.
I had my second language test today and I'll know the results on Monday. It wasn't horrible but it also wasn't great. However, this time I could understand everything that my instructor said which is quite an improvement from last time! Sadly, my speaking is still atrocious. Ça va aller!
Also, tomorrow I have to do laundry all by my lonesome. Usually my host mom or aunt will take over after an hour ot two, but not this time. I have a feeling that it will take me a day and a half to finish cleaning all of my clothes, and I'll have battle wounds all over my delicate fingers. It should be interesting.
All right, I can't write any more. I'm glad that you had a nice time in Boston, Mom and Doug. And I hope you have spectacular adventures in London and Paris, Shelly and Nathan!
Please send snail mail if you have the time!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy Independence Day!
This is my second post in 5 days! Not sure if that will ever happen again, but make sure to check out my previous post--it's a long one.
Today's the 4th of July, and it is our (the trainees') plan to have a fête tonight. Supposedly there are going to be hamburgers--sans cheese because it's so expensive when you can find it, lamb on a stick (or brochettes), pasta salad, other vegetables, beer and COKE! Ah Coke, I may have 4 of them. I'm so excited that I might even take another bucket bath before I go. There will also be dancing (Dance with me, Remus!) and other performances from the trainees. It should be entertaining and delicious.
The wedding we all went to on Thursday was a fun cultural experience. I was sick (some gastro-intestinal issues) and so I couldn't eat the food, but mayhaps I will taste the goodness at another Burkinabé wedding some other time in the next two years. The actual ceremony was very official and business-like. No romance, flowers, music, bridesmaids, etc. Just the mayor of Ouahigouya and the bride and groom sitting at a desk at the front of the room, and the guests sitting behind them. The ceremony was in French so I didn't catch all of it, but vows and rings were exchanged, and even a chaste kiss. It was actually kind of cute, sort of like an impromptu wedding at City Hall, except there were at least 100 guests.
The ceremony was held at a nice venue with a small garden (though it was mostly dirt). Pictures were taken, including one of yours truly with the rest of the PC trainees! Then a man (I'd like to call him the Best Man though I don't think that's accurate) recited the bride and groom's love story, and then we ate. Or we watched people eat. I had cold water and Sprite so I was happy. I can't say for sure whether this Burkinabé wedding was sort of "Americanized" because of the groom. I'd like to attend another wedding where both parties are Burkina nationals, just to see if there's more of a difference in ceremony.
Aside from that, not much else is going on. I'm about to go have lunch--a nice omelet sandwich. Hopefully I'll be able to keep les mouches away. There are so many more flies here than in the US! What's the frequency, Kenneth?
Next week we get our site announcements!
Today's the 4th of July, and it is our (the trainees') plan to have a fête tonight. Supposedly there are going to be hamburgers--sans cheese because it's so expensive when you can find it, lamb on a stick (or brochettes), pasta salad, other vegetables, beer and COKE! Ah Coke, I may have 4 of them. I'm so excited that I might even take another bucket bath before I go. There will also be dancing (Dance with me, Remus!) and other performances from the trainees. It should be entertaining and delicious.
The wedding we all went to on Thursday was a fun cultural experience. I was sick (some gastro-intestinal issues) and so I couldn't eat the food, but mayhaps I will taste the goodness at another Burkinabé wedding some other time in the next two years. The actual ceremony was very official and business-like. No romance, flowers, music, bridesmaids, etc. Just the mayor of Ouahigouya and the bride and groom sitting at a desk at the front of the room, and the guests sitting behind them. The ceremony was in French so I didn't catch all of it, but vows and rings were exchanged, and even a chaste kiss. It was actually kind of cute, sort of like an impromptu wedding at City Hall, except there were at least 100 guests.
The ceremony was held at a nice venue with a small garden (though it was mostly dirt). Pictures were taken, including one of yours truly with the rest of the PC trainees! Then a man (I'd like to call him the Best Man though I don't think that's accurate) recited the bride and groom's love story, and then we ate. Or we watched people eat. I had cold water and Sprite so I was happy. I can't say for sure whether this Burkinabé wedding was sort of "Americanized" because of the groom. I'd like to attend another wedding where both parties are Burkina nationals, just to see if there's more of a difference in ceremony.
Aside from that, not much else is going on. I'm about to go have lunch--a nice omelet sandwich. Hopefully I'll be able to keep les mouches away. There are so many more flies here than in the US! What's the frequency, Kenneth?
Next week we get our site announcements!
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