After today, I'll be fiiiiiine!

Today is the last day. The very last day that I can say that I am not, have never been a teacher. Because tomorrow I will be a teacher. I will be standing up in front of a classroom filled with girls, professing knowledge in what I hope is an interesting and creative (but not too ostricizingly and weridly-creative) way. I am prepared but not too prepared. I have a special packet of delicious instant coffee for the morning. Excellent.

This is a picture of a future tree, one of at least five that are now growing in my courtyard. Look out, deforestation!!

years and years

It's nice to see a new place. It's been becoming very easy for me to get stuck in my own head lately. The one year mark has come and gone and I've been thinking so much about the past (reflecting on times before Peace Corps, living the past a little too much) and about the future (totally unsure of where I'll be, what I'll be doing, who I'll be with a year from now) that I've sort of come out of the present. I've always known I was going to go to college after high school, and I figured out pretty quickly that I was going to join the Peace Corps after that...I may have even known that in high school as well. So, next up...a big mysterious turn in the road. I guess they all look big and unique and mysterious from this vantage point though. And I do have a bit of a goldfish memory at times...thinking that this thing or this event is huge and new when maybe it's not. Shock and surprise. There are a lot of challenges up ahead, a lot I've got going on. What's next is what's here, what's now.

But it was nice to see a new place and old familiar people. To maybe talk a little too much about what's on my mind and in my heart with one friend, to put into words why speaking Mooré is so important with another friend, to commiserate about having to deal with tiring and annoying comments and suggestions from men on the street with another one.

Arrive back in Ouaga and see my town's name on a bus and smile because I really like it there.

Next Tuesday is my first day as a teacher. Better get prepared...but I don't really know if anything but my first day will prepare me. Only have a few hours of classes each week. I hope I enjoy them. I think that I will.

Gotta find a way to live more calmly, take the pressure off. I'm feeling so un-Burkinabè. Worried, rushed, no time, stressed out that I'm not doing things right, that if I'm somewhere I should be somewhere else. Gotta chill. Just be. I need to find some ways to do that.

Being here can be hard in ways that are kind of unexpected. And when you sit back and think about them, you realize that it's just life, life is what can be hard in ways that are unexpected.

Bobo Dioulasso

I decided to come down to Bobo Dioulasso for a couple of days. A fellow volunteer's 30th birthday was the excuse...I've never been down here before and don't have a lot going on since school's start is a weekish away.

It's a nice town city. I like the feel.

I just wanted to say hi.

chez qui? chez me!

Dear Mom and Dad,

Do you recognize this place pictured below?

It is the path leading from my school down into the village (where I now live). We took this path on our way to visit Ono. Look at all that green! This has been a good, rainy year for the folks of Burkina Faso. All signs point to the rain continuing through the end of this month, which will be good news for crops as well as for weather. I love me some fresh air!

And if you were to follow that path and turn right and push your way through some close-growing millet you would soon get to my new house!

This is part of my new house, latrine/douche area over to the right there. Three rooms, lots o' space for little me. Let's go in, why dont we? Ah, but upon getting to the doorway, let's look out into my courtyard!

If you look closely you can see a kid in green (camoflauge) getting water from the well. My walls are not very high at the moment!

...and to the right, the entrance to my courtyard, temporary clothesline up above, a little place where I might eventually compost some stuff, the tree that currently provides me with daytime shade...

And inside my house?

I should be embarassed that this huge mess of a room is on the internet for all to see, but I took these pictures right as I was heading out to the internet and...it's really not that bad! Got my bed down there, bookshelf, notorious chairs, scattered things...

...and this is where I cook. On the other side of this room is where I keep my get-myself-clean stuff and my water and things. But yes. Voilà chez moi. I must get off the internet and bike back there right now.

Bye!

Here I am...

Today, for the very first time ever, I French braided my hair into pigtails. Hair, it turns out, can actually start to get long when you stop cutting it.

I've tried to do this before, quite recently actually, but it hasn't been altogether successful.

This task was made interesting by the fact that I haven't washed my hair in quite some time. Those of you who know me might not be too surprised to discover that I decided a while ago to stop washing my hair just for fun. Just because I thought I might like how it feels and looks. Kind of chunky without all of the social and physical aspects of dreadlocks. Kind of cartoon character hair is how I imagined it.

Well, deciding not to wash your hair for an undefined period of time is one thing when you live in a house with running water that flows like wine and from a particularly useful thing called a shower head, but when you live in a house slightly more removed from this luxury the choice aspect of the decision starts to come from a slightly different angle. The whole process included, it takes me about an hour to get ten and a half gallons of water. I take two 20-liter plastic bidons halfway across my quartier to a faucet where I pay a teeny bit per jug to fill 'em up before attaching them to my bike and walking them back to my home. There is a much closer source of water to my house, a well about ten feet from my courtyard that is literally a hundred feet deep with a cement barrier around it that only goes up to just below my knees. Not only is it incredibly difficult to pull buckets of water up from such a profound depth, it is also incredibly slippery and dangerous near this well. I help the ladies with their buckets from time to time in order to get badass cred, but my nun friend pretty much told that if I didn't fall in and die she'd come down and kill me if she found out I was getting my water from there.

Imagine a large jolly lady in a habit laughing after saying this. My nun friend has an interesting way of getting her points across and a fun sense of humor.

So yes...it takes a lot more effort to get water, and it would currently take a lot more water than normal to really wash my hair, so the choice becomes pretty easy nowadays when I fill up my bath bucket and take it to my little shower space outside.

Someday I'll wash my hair again.


I am incredibly happy in my new house, my real house, my house in a community with kids and neighbors and Burkinabè. I am incredibly happy with my flashlight and my dust and my little moringa tree seeds planted in my courtyard. I am so happy to wander over to Claudia's house at night and eat tô with her and her family, and sit and chat and look up at the stars until I am too tired to keep my eyes open and must walk through the millet and corn and bean fields to my house to go to sleep. I am very excited about working with the health center in my quartier and with my school up on the hill.

Year two is lookin' good.

house? house?

House!

Today I moved the large majority of my things into my new house. YES! Still have my kitchen stuff and my bed to go...and I need a way to get and store water (and a finished latrine) before I can actually move there for good.

BUT PROGRESS! Real, sweaty, beautiful progress. Yes folks, it's possible.

More later, when I have a working computer with which to compose blog entries before coming to the post.

I'm going to go out for a little bit now with my new American sitemate and two Japanese volunteers who just moved to my town. We will probably drink a beverage or two and talk about life and stuff and then I will go back to my castle for one final night (I hope) and then life will keep on doing this wild thing it does where it keeps going on like a rollercoaster but usually a pretty good one. Thunderbolt.

and now...it's me time.

A nice thing about having a friend fly over to visit is that it allows you to feel even more connected with your life here. At least this was my very recent experience. Showing someone around, introducing them to people, doing things, doing NEW things even. Sitting back eating yogurt at the round point and realizing that I am comfortable. Having a friend there who knows you and has known you when brings out the part of you that maybe sometimes you feel like you keep hidden a little bit. I felt a little bit more like me, a little less hesitant to let out a ridiculous comment or be a little weird. A little more comfortable hanging out, bringing different friends together because hey, I'm showing my friend around, why don't we all go out and eat chicken tonight? I think it had a lot to do with the timing too. A year is a good amount of time to have been here...there's a bunch to look back on and a bunch to look ahead to.

And don't it feel good

Midservice conference is a time for reflection and planning, for looking behind and looking ahead...and though I thought I knew exactly how everything was going to go, I've got to say I was plesantly surprised. I have a whole lot of new stuff coming up next year and I'm really looking forward to it. I feel encouraged by the process that the GEE program seems to be making, I am blown away by how good a job my fellow stageaires have been doing with the training of the next group of volunteers (the fruits of which are already being made evident to us who are already in the thick of things), and I thought that the whole day was overall pretty short and sweet and great. I'm running off of a high with all of this...our sessions just ended, and after a group photo that reinforced our collective reputation I am feeling very good to be a part of this bunch of people.

I've been at site on and off since the end of the school year, entertaining visitors and traveling and attending formations and such. It's weird to feel so disconnected, but I'm allowing myself to not worry about it because really there's a whole lot of waiting going on back there chez moi and also I'm doing good and important things. Third Goal is being well taken care of, what with my parents' visit last month and my friend's visit currently. All that being said, Ouaga is a sort of taxing place to be after a while, and even though I'm feeling pretty ok about the Peace Corps part of the Peace Corps, I really do prefer to be back at site.

Not too much to update in terms of the things that I'm actually doing. Bet you've gathered that. Not sure if I mentioned it already, but I'm going to be taking on some real responsibilities at my school next year in the form of TEACHING. Yes. That which we as GEE volunteers have in the past been encouraged not to do, I will be doing.

Here's the thing.

When I applied to join the Peace Corps, I very strongly expressed my aversion to being given a teacher assignment for many reasons. Curricula and the standardization of testing, the pressure of coming up with lesson plans, and just the general formal being a teacher parts of being a teacher were things that I was very much not interested. I did not want to go into a community and be put into a position of authority...I wanted to be a community development agent in the more grassroots sense of the term, working with community members to identify problems and solutions.

Turns out, the school where I was placed had already identified their problem: they needed an IT teacher. They already serched out a solution: request one from the Peace Corps. Along the lines communication got screwy and they ended up with me. Oops! They've been happy to have me and as you can tell from most of my posts I am very happy to have been placed where I was...but I haven't had any official place at the school...they're, all in all, doing pretty well.

When the end of the year teacher meeting was held and my counterpart expressed that he could really, really use help in the computer lab, I decided to speak up. I really like my school. I really like my nuns. I really want to be a legitimate part of the community there. It's been a year...and I can do it. So I will.

So...I am embarking on a learning experience, a growing experience. I'm rising to the challenge that has been presented to me. Good things will come from it...I'll have more cred as a teacher. An actual job to do, to identify with, and to build off of. More opportunities to connect with students, to encourage them to succeed, to teach them important things.

And I will live in a house in a neighborhood.

Soon.

Soon.

The norm

Waiting...waiting......
I am so close to being in my new house I can taste it. It's right there...RIGHT THERE! It needs screens on the window and a latrine before I can move in. ...and then after that a slightly higher wall around the (my!) courtyard and a door for said enclosure, a hangar to give me some shade, and a change of lock on the door. My nuns have to negotiate a rent price with the owner (a friend's brother) and then I can move in. Easy, right? That should take no time at all, right?
Neither of those two statements has ever seriously been a thought in my head.
This could take days (it will definitely take days). It could take weeks. It could, but for the sake of my sanity and heart rate I hope to Dieu it does not, take months.
So what do I do in the meantime?
Well...I wait.
I went on a little travel forray at the beginning of the month. That was fun and well timed. It was nice to come back. I like it here. I'll feel a little more relaxed when I have a house.
Ok, I'm pretty single minded these days. I could not fall asleep last night because thoughts of my new house, and what I'll need to get, and how I'll move all my things down there, and how I'll go about establishing routines and getting used to my changed environment and negotiating privacy and shopping...so many things to start living about my new life and I really can't do any of them from up in my castle.
Ok, I have some very important gmail chatting to do, so I will leave this at that. More substantial updates later...once there are substantial updates to give.

years!

There’s just so much to write about, I don’t know where to begin!

My parents’ visit was awesome, filled with fun and relaxation and new experiences and misadventures. We saw so much of my life, spent time with so many of my friends, and stayed in some of the rankest hotels I have ever seen anywhere! Cars broke down in the middle of the night in huge currents of water, tô was eaten twice, tiny little hands were shook, a season of Survivor was watched, meals were cooked and enjoyed together. Really it was great.

I turned 24 on June 13th, a birthday well spent climbing a hill that has been beckoning me since my arrival.

I take back my earlier denouncement of brining sneakers with me to Burkina…it was awesome having good shoes for this little hike, and since it won’t be the last time I venture up and around these hills, I know I’ll be glad to have them again.

Later in the day there was a caramel-icious cheesecake making adventure. …didn’t really work out the way it probably was supposed to (wrong kind of cheese, among other obstacles)…so no pictures to share. Not yet, at least. It will be done.

And now what? The world cup is on in full force and my future site mate and I have been watching thirstily as we wait for the details of our respective new houses to be worked out. I’ve been cranking up the assertiveness in my search a little bit as the house I was supposed to move into actually fell down almost completely during the first rain storm of the year. There’s pretty much nothing left of it. So, I have a second house, less ideally located, in my back pocket kind of. Lots of waiting in this game I tell you.

I’m also waiting for my directrice to sit down with me and talk a little about what kinds of computer class help I can give to the school next year. Yes, I’m giving in, for many good and wise and mature and growth-oriented reasons. I don’t mind waiting on her though, as school pretty much just ended and I don’t think she once stopped working during the academic year. Take your time, Sister François.

In the meantime, I’ve got an idea cookin’ for something I can do to help with one of the things Sister Elisabeth wants to do for the school…vague, huh? If all goes well, I’ll post some details at another time. Don’t want to jinx things.

So yeah. I’ve got a few things to do these days, but a lot more things to think about. I think I’ll feel good when I have a new house though life will certainly unfold a little differently each day, that’s for sure. Less privacy, less ability to write things and do work and mess around on my computer, more visitors and expectations to visit people…a challenge, challenges, but better ones and more fulfilling ones. And I’ll still have up here to come to, especially if I am as connected to the school as it seems like I will be next year. Next year could potentially be ENTIRELY different from this year, a weird juxtaposition of living in a sort of new place where I want to take it easy and villageois my way into things while also having an official teacher-like job doing non-villegeois things. Scheduled and busy as opposed to wide-open and free. Year two as opposed to year one.

I love ya tomorrow!!!

My belly is full of three and a half hamburgers from Chez Carlos, there are stage friends of mine all around the transit house watching 30 Rock on Bovard's laptop, and MY PARENTS ARE ARRIVING TOMORROW! Here is a 5:30am photo of me and my excitment!

...and that is all!

it goes

I'm happiest when things are going on around me. When the cuisinaire girls are dancing as they work, when Robert drives up with a car full of thing to unpack, when students are chatting and washing their clothes.

I like to walk down to Lioudougou. Leave my bike up by my house, wander down the rocky hill, meander across the paths, lose my way and enjoy the encounters that happen because of it.

Sixty six point seven of the Peace Corps goals have nothing to do with development. I overheard a friend giving another friend that consolation once and was reminded of it by someone the other day. Chatting with a friend about development and comparing the American school system with the Burkinabè one. Following Sister Elisabeth around as she goes about her many tasks. Showing students photos of themselves as well as of my town and family back home.

I was not too happy yesterday. I spent some time helping to 3eme girls practice English before lunch, but remained pretty solo otherwise, cleaning my house and such. Feeling stuck in a day is rough, when the time feels like it is just something to get through. When the dusty wind that comes before the sprinkling of rain makes it difficult to walk down the hill. When encountering a gaggle of loyal kid-followers is a bit daunting. When the initial reserve of effort needed to walk over and be a part of things is running low. Today is a better day…I have a bunch of little tasks to do, a teacher meeting to attend, things to prepare before this weekend. Cake to bake.

The day before yesterday I spent a good amount of time with some Lioudougou ladies. Soon-to-be neighbors. Talked, followed, had a nice time.

My move down to my new house is going to go well. Congo is coming here on Monday to check it out and after that I can start fixing it up. When I live down there, people will be able to come to me. It won’t always be me going to them. I’ll be able to pop over to visit for a spell, knowing that I can repose and take a bit of refuge in my house that is just there next to the well. I have ideas…I have lots of optimism…I am so happy that this first school year is over, that a change is underway, that the rain is going to fall, that my environment is going to shift, that my confidence is a bit augmented and my resolve has been strengthened.

This was a learning year. A learning nine-months. Isn’t it all?

Immerse, immerse.

I don’t think two years is enough.

But we’ll see.

Adventures in Hometownland

This past weekend was a weekend full of sights and scenes. A day in town with friend and neighbor Thomas brought us eventually to Lake Bam, the largest lake in Burkina, which is situated nicely in my town (though it continues up into others) and is owed a large amount of thanks for the almost-year-round production of tomatos and other such things with which we here are blessed. Our wanderings often take us towards this bit of the town, I think in part because the foliage becomes so gosh darned attractive as you approach. Dry hot and dusty turns to somewhat humid green and grassy, with fields in various stages of growth and a somewhat different feel to everything. And then bam!(ha) ...a lake.

As the water came into sight, I saw to my plesant surprise that the lake was full of jumping, splashing kids. We drew nearer. Momentarily setting aside fears of shisto, we bared our feet, waded in to around mid-calf level and walked slowly and carefully through the goopy, poop-like (I'm assuming) muck of the lake floor. Of course we were immediately approached by a steadily-growing crowd of drenched youngsters beckoning us to come in further...as their pleas became more insistant we both realized that it was time to perhaps increase the distance between the swimmers and ourselves. Rinsing out feet off as best we could, we set off walking.

...taken from a safe distance, after rounding a bit of a curve:

Much of where the lake was (and will be again come rainy season) is currently dry, cracked, thirsty ground. Enthusiastic swimmers left safely over there, we decided to venture across the dried perimiter, newly purchased pairs of sandals on both pairs of feet.

In many places, irrigation ditches have been dug to draw water from the lake towards fields where the delcious tomatos and such are grown. Some of these ditches were easily stepped/hopped over. Some required a bit of preparation on the part of the lady in the tight skirt:

Close one!

Some trenches we hopped over, some we traversed with calculated leaps, and some required circumnavigation, forging through a deep ditch or two.

...and sometimes you try to leap but your new shoe gets stuck in the muck upon landing and you smash into the ground:

...bruised and scratch-ed knees that later required a team effort during the adminstration of hydrogen peroxide! Ouchie. Further wandering was rendered slightly less care-free, but the day was nevertheless quite good. A lovely adventure, a walk in the sun...this is not a bad place to be.

So you're leaving for Burkina Faso...

When I was gearing up to head to Burkina, reading packing insights from current volunteers really helped. I posted my packing list before heading over and am re-posting it here with some commentary in case any of you lucky Burkina-bound folk stumble upon my blog in the coming weeks. Probably especially lady volunteers.

You’re probably going to pack things you don’t end up using all that much, and you may find that you left behind some things that would have made life a bit more comfortable. Don’t worry! When all is said and done you’ll be here, you’ll be able to buy or find everything you really need, and you can ask a helpful friend or relative to send over things you realize you want.

I packed pretty lightly – I think I only ended up using about 50 of the 80 allotted pounds – and was grateful for the lack of hassle this allowed in terms of getting around airports, moving in and out of training sites, etc.

Clothes
Notes: in the volunteer transit house there’s a “grab box” where people donate clothes they don’t want or need any more for other volunteers to take. Also; once you get to your site you can also get Western-style clothes at big markets, where Salvation Army donations are heaped into big piles, and get clothes made pretty cheaply.

3-4 short sleeved cotton shirts

2-3 tank tops

1-2 nice shirts

1 long sleeved shirt

1 lightweight zip-up long sleeved shirt
This was a good amount of tops. I tend to prefer shirts that cover my shoulders but the tank tops are good to have too. I actually had my mom send over a few during stage. During the chilly months, layering is helpful, and I found that I was ok without a big bulky sweatshirt.

1 long skirt

1 pair jeans

2 pairs lightweight capris

1 lightweight pair of long pants
I was glad to have brought one and only one pair of jeans. This was a good amount of stuff for stage. Pagnes, which are long sheets of fabric, are really versatile and I end up wearing them lots.

3 under wire bras, 2 sports bras
Cotton is wonderful. I had my momma send over another sports bra because I decided during stage that under wire bras were the craziest things ever, but now that I’m used to the constant boob sweat I wear them again.

15ish pairs underwear, 3ish pairs socks
I don’t think it’s possible to have too many pairs of cotton underwear. Again, hero mom came to my rescue with a care package full of cotton thongs…never thought I’d be a thong fan, but then again I never thought my bum would ever sweat as much as it does. I never wear shoes so I never need socks.

1 lightweight PJ pants, 1 pair PJ shorts
Perfect.

1 belt
Necessary.

1 hat with brim, my blue hair wrap
I wear my hat sometimes when biking, but I’m not really a hat person.

1 swim suit
Yes yes.

1 rain coat
This was the one thing I couldn’t find the night before leaving, what a pain in the butt to not have a rain coat during stage.

2-3 pairs sunglasses
Yes.

Chaco's sandals -- 50% off PCV discount
Wore them during stage, but really I’ve never been into Chacos type strappy foot binding sandals. Some people are and swear by them. I’m glad I have them, I’ve worn them on hikes and stuff but I don’t wear them every day.

Chaco's sneakers -- 50% off PCV discout
I have literally never worn these and I doubt I will before my time here is up. Even I end up going on a huge hardcore adventure, I’ll just put on my sandals. One can play soccer in Chacos sandals if one wants even, or buy white strappy sandals here. Not worth the space or the money. I wear sandals ALL THE TIME, as does every other lady here. You can buy nice leather sandals and cheap flip flops and everything in between at marchés. Sneakers too. Don’t bother bringing sneakers unless you love sneakers and can’t live without them for a couple of months.

2 pairs Teva's flip flops -- 50% off PCV discount
These are my favorite things ever, if I could go back in time I would have brought more pairs, they take up almost no room and they’re so comfortable (at least for the first few months of use). I’ve pretty much worn through the two pairs I have already but I still wear them because I’m frugal and lazy and really they’re still wearable.a few pairs of simple stud earrings, rings
I was super light with the jewelry I brought, but I’m glad I brought a couple of nice bracelets and such. Coulda thrown a couple more things in the mix.

Toiletries -- 3 month supply of what the PC does not provide/specific brands I like

my vitamins

heat wraps, Midol, Insteads
If you’ve got tried and true methods for fighting cramps and PMS, bring ‘em along…though I have miraculously found that my period results in less pain here than it ever has before in my entire decade plus of dealing with it, which probably has to do with numerous environmental and dietary things. But one can not count on these things.

face wash, dr. bronner's liquid soap, 1 bar soap/soap holder, deodorant

1 toothbrush, 1 tube of toothpaste

nail clippers, nail file, tweezers, small mirror

a few Burt's Bees chapstick

some makeup/hair goop, bobby pins, hair cutting scissors

Household Things
You won’t need any of this until you move into your site but it’s really good to have any kitchen-y things you can bring to aid in your food preparation processes.

can opener, plastic spatula/scraper
Yes yes.

10'' lightweight non-stick frying pan
Ridiculously worth it.

kitchen knife, knife sharpener, 3 cutting board sheets
You can get knives here but I’m so glad I have one from home because it works really well and is not scary.

small insulated lunch box, ziplock bags, plastic storage containers (various sizes)
Yeah man, storage containers and zip lock bags are really great to have, and really easy to pack since you can put stuff in them before sticking them into your bags.

taco seasoning, spices, powdered drink mixes, hot chocolate powder
Though you can get spices here it’s nice to have spices from home, I had some sent over to me. Gatorade or Emergen-C type drink mixes are really nice to have on hand to change the flavor of the water you will constantly be drinking.

1 pillow and pillow case, 1 flat full sheet
Like a wee child, I carried my pillow through airports and onto busses and I could not be happier that I did. The pillows here are mostly pieces of foam, and ever night I sink into a big, comfortable piece of heaven.

small travel sewing kit
Good.

Recreational Things

French books (Le Petit Prince, Le Petit Nicolas)

Catch-22, World War Z
Very nice to have some favorites on hand. There are tons of recreational books of various qualities circulating amongst volunteers, so don’t take up too much packing space. ALSO…don’t bother bringing 501 French verbs or a French dictionary or anything like that because you will get them. Those books are great and they are here already, so don’t waste the money or room. Also also, when you get here and you meet a volunteer named Coleman, please remind him that he still has my copy of Catch 22 and that I would like it back. Merci!

Back to the Future DVDs
Came over with not a lot of DVDs because my lil laptop doesn’t have a DVD player, but my techy Dad ended up sending me a DVD drive and a bunch of burned movies and TV shows. A blessing and a curse.

An accordion folder for storing papers
I’m glad I brought one, we get lots of handouts.

pens/pencils, colored pencils, pencil sharpenerpaper, scissors, journal
I like having construction paper and colored pencils and good pens for my own sake.

Reading material and other things to fill those solitary moments
…if you know what I mean.

world map, USA map, Africa map
I just love maps, and it’s cool to be able to point out where I am from. And daydream about future voyages.

Techy Things
I strongly advise you to steer clear of the “I’m going to Africa and therefore want to rough it” mentality because that’s just not the way things are gonna be. Really. I swear. Bring your ipod. Music is a source of sanity (and cultural exchange). Bring your laptop if you have one…Burkinabè have laptops too. And so will your friends who are sitting in the transit house when you go to Ouaga, checking their email and downloading TV shows using the free wireless internet.

ipod, headphones, ipod speakers

digital camera, funky weird mini tripod thing

Diskman
Sweet awesome thing to have because then you can ask people from home to burn you CDs and you can listen to them and you can also buy CDs of artists here….and when your ipod breaks down you have backup musical sanity. I’m glad I brought mine.

shortwave radio

rechargable batteries (AA and AAA) and charger

Outlet converter
I forgot to get one of these, but was able to acquire one through another volunteer before leaving for my site. Get one before coming over.

solar charging backpack (listed below)
Comments below.

super tiny mini laptop (Acer Aspire One)
This was a pre-departure birthday gift that I begrudgingly accepted (I’m not good at accepting new technology things right away) but that I’m really glad I brought. It’s small and portable and discreet, I can put it in my backpack easily if I want to take it anywhere. If you don’t have a laptop don’t worry…you’ll be able to use computers at the Peace Corps bureau and at internet cafés, and you’ll have Peace Corps friends who will let you use theirs when you are together. BUT…if you are in the process of deciding whether or not to being a laptop, I say bring it. You’d be hard pressed to find a volunteer who would advise otherwise.

USB card
I guarantee you will want to have a USB card, even if you don’t have a laptop.

Other Things

camping mattress (Thermarest)
Nice to have during stage, and for bringing with you if you spend the night at someone else’s place. Craigslist all the way.

screen tent (REI bug hut 2)
I am going to echo advice that I read about this…get this tent. Do not get any other tent. Do not get the bug hut 1. Get this one.

2 Nalgenes, head lamp, 2 caribeeners

Leatherman wave
Great tool to have.

duct tape, super glue, thermometer
Duct tape is great. Thermometer is cool to have for curiosity’s sake.

durable clock with alarm
I use my phone for everything time related, no clock or watch necessary. You will definitely have a phone here. It’ll be provided, in fact.

incense/candles
Nice to have comforting smells.

bike helmet, comfortable bike seat
My bike seat is just fine. Rumor has it you incoming folks’ll be getting new bikes, so your seats’ll probably be fine too. A squishy bike seat COVER might have been a nice thing to pack, but I ended up giving my bike seat to a volunteer friend whose bike seat broke, and who didn’t want to go into Ouaga to get it fixed.

photo album (personal and public)

TBD gift for host family

I brought Connecticut post cards and playing cards (which I bought at the airport) and ended up giving these to my host fam along with coffee, sugar, chalk, nail polish and fruit, all of which I bought in Ouahigouya. They were uproariously pleased.

...And It's All Going To Fit In

Voltaic converter -- 35% off Peace Corps discount
Ok. So this little piece of technology is pretty cool, but it has also been gathering dust in my closet because I have literally never used it during this my first year. Why? Firstly, I was placed in just about as opposite a site as was described to me in the welcome packet as well as during training. I have copious amounts of electricity at my disposal (I am currently sitting in my living room with my overhead fan on, three outlets in sight) and therefore never need the use of a solar panel. But mostly, the thing is not discreet at all. People know what solar panels look like and they know that they’re pricey, so to have three of them on my back is just waaaayy more attention-grabbing than I want here.
I will be moving into an electricity-free site during June or July or August and might therefore start to get some use out of this bag but not by wearing it around…by leaving it out in my courtyard in the sun at discreet times most likely. For my purposes, a Solio charger would have been better. Solar panels are available here too by the way, and you can buy one to set up at your house if you’d like.
Since you really don’t know what your site sitch is going to be before getting here, don’t go too crazy buying things you might be able to use. .

my old EMS backpack
My old EMS backpack, which I have had for ten years now, is the best bag I have.

Durable shoulder bag/purse thing
Perfect for biking around town, I can put my wallet and water bottle in here as well as a bag of tomatoes or a can of powdered milk or whatever little things I buy.

Kelty Trekker 3900 external frame backpack
Craigslist baby. A great type of bag to get things from the States to Burkina, but you won’t really be using it except for long hauls so don’t go nuts buying anything new or fancy unless you’re already in the market for something that you want to use forever.


I think that’s about it from me for now. I am more than happy to chat with anyone who’s getting ready to come over. But trust me, the best thing to do is to expect the unexpected and to be willing to just go with the flow…everyone’s living sitch is different, everyone’s method of adapting to their circumstances is different. Take all descriptions and advice with a grain of salt and peel yourself away from Peace Corps Journals a couple of weeks before heading off so that you can clear your mind and start getting prepared for the experience that lies ahead of you, without too much solid expectations built up from the experiences you’ve been reading about. You’re heading to a great country filled with welcoming and friendly people, helpful Peace Corps staff (many of whom will know your names before you even get here), and a really great group of smart, funny, interesting volunteers who are at least a free phone call and at most a bumpy bush taxi ride (or two or three) away. So go out and soak up all the time you have left in the States, quit your job a week earlier than you planned, lay out in the sun, eat lots of ketchup with your French fries, drink really good beer on tap, and just generally enjoy life, and we’ll see you soon!

Things are moving along

Yes yes, ladies and gentlemen and all. A successful workshop week, some good conversations with my nun friend and a couple of the APCDs, and it looks like things'll be changing up for me a bit next school year. Ideally I'll be staying in Kongoussi but moving OUT of my little castle on the hill and into a house in a community where I hope I'll be able to work more closely with primary/secondary school girls and parents.

So now I've got some action planning to do. The more groundwork I can do in all of this, the better my chances are at getting things moving at a reasonable pace. I also have a group meeting with the Country Director tomorrow to talk about site development. Considering my sitch, I feel it's pretty important that I go. Someone's gotta represent us boarding school volunteers.

That someone is me.

Man I am so ready for SOMETHING. Anything. A new start? It won't really be that, really, but in a way it will be, and in a way I'm looking forward to that. Coherent, huh? But yes. My mind is kind of mush and I want to go go go.

...but slow slow slow.

And so it goes.

Happy ALLLLMMMMOOOOOSSSSSTTTT my dad's birthday!