...and break is over!

So here I am, sitting in my house, lots of thoughts in my head. My PCV friend just took off towards his home 40k away. So I am solo in my house once again.

It is getting late-ish here and I'd like to right-en a sleep schedule that has been wronged by a long weekend in Ouaga, an Easter fete in town, a visitor at my home and basically two weeks of having even less responsibilities than I do normally...as in none at all.



Tomorrow classes begin again. Next week I am going to a training on "Positive Deviance"--or from how I understand it, how to use good role models within a community to inspire change in others--with Sister Elisabeth in Ouahigouya. I am looking forward to this not so much for the conference itself but more for the time I will be able to spend with Sis E to discuss things about our town and the school here and stuff we can do. Blahdy blahdy blah. There are about fifty questionably-applicable questions about "my community" that I have been told to find answers to in order to prepare for this conference...so I'm going to have a hard core answer-finding mission in town one of the days this week. Probably Wednesday. Take that, conference.

part of the path I will take from Lioudougou into town. bike bike bike. or walk.

I dunno, I've talked a lot about my site and my sitch and my feelings and stuff a lot lately and I always come back to being happy with the way I'm doing things here, but I do wonder sometimes if maybe I should start trying a different approach now too, maybe go out and be a little more formal, a little more I-Have-A-Job ish. I want to be proud of what I'm doing and I am. I think I need to go even further above and beyond the stupid challenges that I have due to the fact that my site is ridiculous...I'm already doing a good job, finding niches, finding people who want to work with me to do things to better their lives, slowly and surely making things work...but I want more more more!


There are always going to be difficult things that come up when you're trying to do things that are important to you. There are always reasons not to do something. It's easy to blame your stress and disappointments on other things. Even if other things really ARE the cause of your stress and disappointments...why give them the damned benefit of affecting your life? Easier said than done. And there's nothing like living alone on the top of the hill in a country that is not your own during the hot season to re-notice things like how hormonal certain weeks of the month can be. But hey, what is life for if not to learn (and relearn)?


This is a random jump back but I had a lovely Easter. I went to a giant party at a friend's house in town...their family had cooked tons and tons and TONS of food, they had dozens of cases of beer and soda, endless amounts of dolo (local beer), and people just kept coming and going, sitting and eating and chatting and laughing, the church choir came by after mass and after they had finished eating they sang and danced all in a circle and it was just a joyous and nice time. I sported some pretty nice clothes and hung out with some of the Ste B students who were there as well as friends I knew from town and everyone and anyone. I love social butterflying and that's what I did.

me in my pretty new complet at Easter (Paques)...and what is that, a ponytail?? yes.

better shot of the swanky outfit perhaps. me talking to my friend Therese, coolest nun ever in the background.

...and then today, I did almost nothing! But I don't feel too bad. I'm going to kick myself back into gear with this new and final 2009-2010 trimester. I'm going to keep doing what I've been doing and really work on opening up real GEE-esque conversations with more people...parents' association people, Lioudougou people, Ste Bs people. Can you believe I've been in country for just about 10 months? I wouldn't scoff at an iced vanilla latte with whipped cream and caramel sauce.

And that is where I will sign off this time. Seven weeks and three days 'til my 'rents arrive!