January 6th

Mardi 6 Janvier 2015

We're headed to the village Kabo (cabo?) [It's Kabo] today for a medical clinic and I'm super excited! I had yogurt, a baguette and PB, and pineapple for breakfast. I'm wearing the yellow patterned shirt and black skirt and sneakers today. Last night was freezing and very loud.

Our clinic in a church in Kabo, the nurses are from Sheltering Wings 

So we just got back from Kabo which is a village where we do outreach. It was my first trip out into the "bush" but still no culture shock. We [have] a wellness clinic which used to be a malnutrition clinic, but now that's not really a problem so it's just general wellness and it's all run through the pastor and his wife. 

There was a young mother with a baby who was in the hospital with liver problems but got kicked out because she couldn't pay. She is bringing the baby here [to Sheltering Wings] tomorrow. There was also this woman whose house fell on her last year during the rainy season and [it] broke her back and now she has a steel rod in it. She isn't in pain but she is getting it looked at. She's so beautiful, I want to know more about her. One of the things I am really struggling with is taking pictures. I want to capture the essence of the people but I feel like it is such and invasion, even if I do ask. I also want candids [pictures] but I'm finding difficult to bring myself to do it. Would I want it done to me?

The lady with the broken back

Digging bricks out of the ground

Anyways, we brought gifts over for a widow in our program but apparently she had passed away. At least that means another woman from her village can be sponsored. After we left the church [where we set up the clinic] we went even further out to a site where Mike and Amy were having a house and huts built. It's cool because they are experimenting with all of this cool technology like aquaponics [a food production system that combines conventional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment.] and this thing that converts methane gas into energy and once they work out all the kinks they are going to present them to villages so that they can be self sustaining. Also from the property you could see this cool shaped mountain which I want to hike, apparently it has a 3k long cave [going through it]. You could also see the gold mines. We were watching the men work, especially the ones digging up brick. It was really intense and obviously a lot of hard work. I can't decide if it's ok because they are getting paid and this is just how houses are built or not. The problem with technology [out here, in the bush] is that it is so expensive to get out here and what happens when something breaks or runs out of gas? It seems like [it would be] more work than it's worth. We live so differently but is our way "better"? Standing out there, I think I would be content to live there. It's absolutely beautiful and I realize that all the extra stuff I have is just baggage [material and otherwise]. Who needs it? Hell, I even brought too much for this trip!

In Kabo

I do hate being an outsider though, between skin color and language and even though the people here are so nice, it is disheartening to know I could never "fit in" [...] I have a new appreciation for [the] minority, especially in the social sense. I really do think this is something everyone should experience [...] 

Anyways, I am excited to see what this afternoon brings! Oh and I had some lovely pumpkin spice tea with sugar in it.

 [...insert a few pages of my coming up with ideas for my paper...]

After sieste [like siesta, a "rest" time from about 1-3] I am going to go talk to the people in the office to see if they can check/correct my translating. Then I'll talk to some kids and try them out. I'm also going to have Coral (re) introduce me to Daniel so I can talk to him about the education system since he's been through it [successfully]. I also need to find some paper for the kids to write on [...]

Man who we bought fabric from

So we went to the bigger market they have every third day. Amy brought me, Coral, and Biba. It was really nice to have Biba with us to ask about prices and tell us what material was good quality. We got a few head scarves for the widows and Coral got material for a skirt for the one [widow] she is sponsoring and one for herself. I got two materials - a yellow-orangy and navy one with animal (doves and such) print and a yellow and navy one with starry like designs. The first was 2 mill [just under $4] and I got a deal on the second one for 1 mill 600 [$2.77]. The second one we [I] bought was at the original place we went to and the guys were really nice and even cleared a bench for us to sit at while we waited for Amy to pick us up. All of the guys [at the market] were really funny trying to sell us their cloth. We heard a lot of "tres joli"! ["very pretty"] It was SO nice to have Biba with us. I also learned that "barka" is thank you in Moré. [We also met a very rude sesame seed seller, probably the only rude person I met the entire trip]

In the fabric store with Biba and Coral

This afternoon I also went to the office and had Ernest help me translate my questions [...]

I went to go see little Steve and he looked like he missed me! It was cool because I was banging on a bin and he started doing it too but he had this whole cool rhythm going on and it was amazing. I want to work with him mañana and get a video of him drumming. He's so adorable! I spent some time watching Biba and her friends do some geometry homework. They were really struggling and it was really hard to watch [and not interfere, because observing] and [then] Lea helped them out. It was really interesting to watch their thought process. For one problem, Lea (older than them) did it - drawing a figure and left them with it and the figured out how she did it by looking at it/measuring it. All of the girls were frustrated with how difficult the problems were. They spent a long time on two of them, one I don't think was right, before "taking a break".

In Kabo

We made pasta for dinner and went to a prayer thing that they have with the older kids every Tuesday and it was really awesome. They did a lot of singing in Moré so I didn't understand but I could feel their love of God. They did their private praying out loud which was cool, as both French and Moré are so beautiful. Josué (who wants to be a doctor) was the preacher tonight and did a fantastic job. It was about how it is a new year and we need to work on a new identity. We need to become what we want our identity to be, we can't just expect people to call us what we are not. Daniel was awesome and translated it as we went and did a good job even though he apologized for not being able to keep up, as Josué was talking pretty fast. [Still amazed how well/fast they can translate to English] [...] 

After prayer we made the announcement about me talking to the kids about school and then Coral had Barto explain all about how I got here and how Sr. Linda was my 5th grade teacher and how I was a "role model for excellence" and it was SO SWEET! It felt amazing and [some of the older kids] were really excited and wanted to talk to me about school work tomorrow so that's exciting. 

The mountain with the cave I really want to hike

After prayer, we handed out gifts that Coral's cousin sent the kids (candy canes and pens). We [Coral and I] were talking about Assami who is 16 but flunked out of school in [the equivalent of] 4th grade and now doesn't [can't] go because he is so far behind. He wants to learn, so Coral is tutoring him but it makes me so upset and sad that her can't go to school [there's no such thing as "remedial" education in Burkina Faso]. He has a garden and chickens and does the aquaponics set up but he would (and has) just fail in the school system. Mike is mentoring him in "excellence" in farming. He [Assami] is hard to understand because he had a late cleft palate surgery. I was thinking, a library would be really helpful here, the problem is the lack of Moré  material. I should have brought my [old] textbooks, at least for the pictures. Also some ballet books because I want to do a dance exchange workshop, where I [teach] ballet and they [the kids] teach me African dance. It's also been interesting because a lot of the things I've learned in anthropology I've been seeing here, like choosing traditional over modern medicine and Coral told me about the widow she's sponsoring - two people in her village died and so of course they blame the 80 something year old widow. She got kicked out and came here for a bit but now she is staying with extended family. 


On a final note, I'm noticing this [my time there] is a lot like working at the CSU. You can help people in the moment but you can't change their past and you can't change their future, you can only give them skills that might help them endure it. Ugh. Well the moon (full) was beautiful tonight, there is loud music playing, tomorrow I will again put myself out there because life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Off to the shower and then bed!

Bon Nuit,
Holly Evelyn

PS. I think it's so funny that everyone has such a hard time saying my name.

Let's Try this again: January 5

SO blogging while I was in Burkina didn't work out very well because by the time I was ready to wind down for the night I had to upload pictures to facebook (because I was paranoid about loosing them) and write in my journal (because I wanted to write every single detail down) and that whole process took close to two hours each night. Also the internet was slow. So I'll write posts for each day and you can read them now! All of this is taken from my travel journal, things I changed are in brackets.

January 5:

I woke up to chickens and music this morning. I slept pretty well except my pillow was a bit hard. One of my journaling issues is that I want to capture every moment on paper but it's simply not possible, especially with the long conversations I've been having. I'll do my best but remember the experience is more important than recording. It's so cool to be sitting in my room hearing all of the kids playing, getting ready outside. Just something from yesterday- the [younger] kids have a habit of "ruining" things - bike pumps, cell phones, chairs, etc by picking at them and such. Coral think's it's an institutionalized thing as she has seen it in other places where she has done mission work.

Also when I first got here I was a little [surprised] by the religious nature [of the organization] [I wasn't thinking about it as I was freaking out about other things leading up to the trip], after being here though, I think it's a good think and I'm glad it's not just an NGO. There is amazing work being done here both for the kids and the community-kids from the community come and hang out here and the school in town is sponsored by Sheltering Wings and many of the kids have been brought up Christian anyways. Also, Coral is amazed how long it has been "on my heart" to come here. She's so sweet!

I am so impressed with the language skills of the kids - More is so beautiful. Also [during] the car ride [from Yako] it was so cool to listen to the conversation drift between French and English. It's about 10am. For breakfast this morning I had yogurt, bananas, and a crushed up granola bar. The yogurt was tart, like frozen yogurt but good. Coral and I went to get the three "toddlers", Moise, Winddinda, and Steve. She does therapy type things with them - from occupational (brushing teeth) to speech (singing) to physical (walking on the beam). It's really amazing to watch what she's done, especially with Winddinda who is very delayed developmentally. Steve is very bright, he can "communicate" in French and English [He knows what you are asking him to do] and he's only 4. He is also so patient with Winnie and Moise, I don't believe he has and developmental delays. His mom hasn't released custody so he's not actually up for adoption. Also it's pretty cold out so we are inside but it should warm up!

Steve and Moise

I think my biggest struggle has been and will be figuring out how to make the most of my time here. I find myself intimidated by both the local people and the older kids, especially the [ones] around my age. I know they are nice but there is still something intimidating. I regret not having more French, I feel uncomfortable with interactions because I can't speak their language. I also hate that the kids in the village yell "Nasara Boom-Boom!" Which means "White Person Candy!".
[I found this about the origin of Nasara on the blog of someone I met:

Village Kids

          They always yell “Nasara!” which is the word for foreigner. As the first foreigners to visit this country, Christian missionaries came from Nazareth to spread their gospel. Henceforth, in the eyes of Burkinabe, all foreigners are referred to as a Nasara. Strangely enough, when I visited Nazareth I didn’t see anyone else who looked anything like me…]

[I talked a lot about my project but you can read about that when I finish it]
I also just wanted to say that I really am astonished by how this program is run, the needs and the abilities of the children are well understood and some things are understandable - like still having outhouses while we have running water - are understandable. This is the fact of life for these kids and we are giving them the care and resources they need to thrive. I'm also realizing just how little we need to get by and be happy. Also on education the main issue I see is memorizing and lack of critical thinking - it's so frustrating! It will also be interesting to see what goals the school age kids have for themselves after school is over for them [one of the questions I planned to ask when I went into the schools]. It really just changes the way you think, being here, what do these kids really want out of life and how it is different/the same as me.

Ok so this morning I was really struggling with what to do and being intimidated and stuff but everything is working out very nicely. I set up two days to go and talk to the kids at the school (and get written answers) and I'm also going to try to talk to some of the kids here tomorrow night. The school system is so frustrating because it's not fostering creativity or critical thinking because most of the kids are just going to end up selling things or working in a job where there is no room for growth - so why does school even matter? Also, why are they learning German?

Coral and I went to the market again and did a little exploring. We got to go in and get a behind the scenes look at the baguette place (my favorite!). The lady there is so nice (and pregnant!). When we got back we watched some of the women dying the yarn that they use to weave/sew. I did a puzzle with the kids and it was really interesting to watch - most paid no attention to what was on the pieces, even though they had the picture in front of them, and pushed the pieces together.. One kid, Yannick, had it all figured out.
It was [one kid's] birthday (or something) and he got a gift and one part was this nice Swiss chocolate. The first thing he did was go around and share with everyone, including me. It was so sweet, why can't we all be like that? DO we need a whole chocolate bar to ourselves? Why are we so selfish! After, I went to hold the babies, adorable as usual. It's funny because Winnie is so intrigued by white skin, since she's being adopted so she keeps playing with my arm. Steven asked if I was her mom <3 I would take him home in a heartbeat. We went to the market again with Amy and Moise and looked t fabric for the widows. We went to the store we normally go to and the man said something to the kid  who was working with him about me being a good wife! [that happened a lot over the course of the trip...]. It's intimidating being to young but at the same time it's fun. [...] The more I think about it, the more I want to do work like this while I'm young. I don't need anything besides food and a little house. Why are we so materialistic? Anyways, we went to dinner at Mike and Amy's house and had rice and potato curry and apples. It was really nice to sit and listen to their stories (good and bad - kids do [get sick] and die) and hear orphanage news. It's interesting that things I learned in my anthropology class are true - like the frustration of watching people (including the pastor!) pick "traditional medicine" which can be really dangerous for [the person receiving it]. We also talked about how the school system is basically setting the kids up to fail. I need to understand. I don't know if better education is the right answer, but the fact of the matter is that the system is failing.

Also, I love all of the songs the tantes [care givers] sing and the handshake [that is popular here, with the shaking hands and snapping the other person's finger]. I also met Daniel the tutor, he will be good to talk to about education. Also, the kids study three hours a night, how are they all failing! One of my struggles is language - I know greetings in French and "joli" and basic numbers and "semaine" and a few other things, and Barto taught us "Ah-bil-ee-fou" is More for "see you soon. When I come back, before grad school (?), I will be better at French.  I think today really gave me a chance to think about why I am here and what I want to do while I'm here. By focusing on education, I can direct my energy to that and understand the system and see if I can find anyway to help. Also, I love the women's program ladies - they are hilarious et tres joli! Bon Nuit! HER

Well I'm Here!

I've been in Burkina Faso for two nights now. I haven't had to use an alarm clock yet because I've woken up to chickens, dogs, and music each morning. I landed in Burkina around 9pm on on Saturday night. We had to go through security/health (sante) and get fingerprinted and get our passports stamped and then collect our luggage. While all of this was happening I met a nice Italian couple who spoke really good English. They were here with some students and they made sure I was all set with everything. They even helped me carry the 50Ib rubber-maid that I was bringing as supplies (I got 2 checked bags so Sheltering Wings sent me the rubber-maid from St. Louis). I was most nervous about going through the airport, so once I got to Mike and Amy and Mosie I was very relieved.

We spent the night at a guest house in Ouaga and it was nice to stretch out for a change...those airplane seats were comfortable but I can't sleep on a plane. I actually lucked out with seats, Boston to Paris I head a bunkhead (the seat right after upperclass so there was extra legroom) and Paris to Ouagadougou I didn't have anyone next to me, checking in online is the way to go!


We went to Cafe Cappuchino for breakfast, it's the "most western restaurant" in the capital and boy was it good! I had a pain chocolat and a cappuchino ("because you have to try it!"). Fantastic.

Then we took the 2ish hour drive out to Yako. The road had been recently redone  "courtesy of the American People", which I thought was interesting...I didn't know we funded a road. It was really cool watching the city turn into the country. We got to Yako and I was dropped off at the Sheltering Wings (Ailes de Refuge) guest house where I met Coral. Coral has been here for 2 months and she's here for another two. She's a speech therapist from California and is so energetic and awesome. She gave me a tour and introduced me to all the kids as they were arriving (the older kids go home on breaks from school, in a sense the "orphanage" is more like a boarding school, I'll explain that sometime in more detail). We went to the market to buys food and have had some amazing conversations already. I'd post pictures but the internet won't let me....

Today's the day!

I leave for the airport in about an hour! I'll do my best to keep you updated while I'm gone! If you don't here from me, assume there's bad internet, though I've heard it's pretty reliable.

Here goes nothing!

Wait, How Many Days?

So apparently I'm leaving in 4 days...I don't really know where the past 6+ months have gone but I'm almost there. I was planning on posting more this past month but I had this nightmare about someone reading my blog and stalking me. I know it was just a dream, but a lot of my dreams come true so I was just being careful.

As far as news in Burkina Faso these days, it's all soccer (football) news because of the African Cup of Nations tournament coming up in mid-January. Burkina did really well last year so they're hoping to do well again this year. It will be held in Equatorial Guinea.
 
I have everything I need for the trip, and now all I have to do is show up at the airport. I'm almost done packing, I have all my medicine, I have all my travel information printed out and in my binder, I started my travel journaling (Thanks for the journal Rachel!). I am still looking for a good book to take on the plane with me, any suggestions? Preferably books you have a copy of. Also does anyone at home have a pair of noise reducing headphones I could borrow? I want a pair but I don't have $200 to drop on them.

Also, for each of my big trips, I like to come up with a quote that sort of defines where I want the trip to go. I haven't decided for sure yet, but I'm loving this one:

"It is in all of us to defy expectations, to go into the world and be brave, and to want, to need, to hunger for adventures, to embrace change and chance and risk, so that we may breathe and know what it is to be free."

What do you think?

I'm also still trying to figure out what I want to do with my journaling, if I want to type it up as I go along writing it or if I want to upload the pages or if I want to just include certain parts. Any suggestions?

Ok, well that's all for now folks!!

My last blood drive....

When I was 16 it was on my bucket list to donate blood but I couldn't do it until my senior year in high school because of the under 18 height/weight requirements. I'm sure anyone who was there remembers how awful that blood drive was...

Fast forward almost two years and today I donated blood for the fifth time. It went off without a hitch because now I know exactly what I need to be a successful blood donor. Unfortunately, I won't be able to donate blood again until after I graduate from Sweet Briar. According to the Red Cross guidelines you have to wait 12 months after traveling outside the US/Canada. When my year for Burkina Faso is up, I'll already be in Spain. I'm kind of sad, because saving lives is awesome, and check out this cool shirt!

If you can donate blood, please do it! You might not like blood and needles (I sure don't) but people don't like dying either so....

I promise it is not that bad, as long as you know what's going on. If you have any questions, please ask me!

Also, 24 days until I leave, and I'm SO EXCITED!!

It's the final countdown....

It feels like just yesterday I was posting at the "6 months" mark and now we have ONE MONTH to go! I was a little nervous, but since spending most of the morning getting all my documents together I have gotten more and more excited. I'm starting to work on a packing list as we speak. It is interesting trying to balance school and planning this trip, but I guess that comes with the territory.

This is my to do list:
1. Get my anti-malarial (my mom is getting a prescription from my doctor at home today)
2. Buy a French phrase book (if only Spain colonized Africa...)
3. Make a million copies of everything
4. Contact my bank and tell them not to freeze my card
5. Enroll in the STEP program with the embassy
6. Do my preparation readings
7. Finish up research readings
8. Make a packing list and buy the things I don't already have

I'm nearly positive that isn't everything, but we shall see.

Any packing tips? I think I'm going to bring my backpack and my (smallish) suitcase, as it's only 2ish weeks.

Sheltering Wings Orphanage