In Gaoua for one last time.

Oh, Gaoua. My provincial capital only about 50km away...a mere 25-minute bus ride from my site. A weekend meeting point for all of us Peace Corps Volunteers in the region where we can use electricity, charge our laptops/cell phone batteries, get really cold drinks, use the Internet, get packages/send letters, eat good food and enjoy the company (and speaking English!) of fellow Peace Corps Volunteers.

I really can't express how important/how much this place means to me. It was nice to sometimes get away from site and the stresses/frustrations of living in a place where you really had no privacy. But like I said above, I got together with the other Peace Corps Volunteers that lived in my region (Jon, Brenda, Jane, Kyle, Daniel & Shannon) and we really became our own support network and family. I think we were closer knit than most other Peace Corps region groups in the country!

A typical Saturday would look something like this: all arrive at around 7:00am and meet directly at Chez François for omelettes, yogurt and café au lait. We'd head to the Poste (post office) to get money, check to see if we got any letters or packages from home, go to the APFG/Association de la Promotion Feminine de Gaoua (women's association) to use the Internet for a ridiculous amount of time, head to 4 Saisons for lunch - eating grilled chicken, fries, a really good peas dish, etc. with cold drinks while watching MTV in French, go to the marché (market) to go shopping, head over to Kyle or Daniel's and have dinner/cold beers, hang out/talk/watch a movie and just sleeeep. Seriously, it became so routine to all of us after a while!

I can't believe I discovered this on my LAST visit to Gaoua! A lookout point of Gaoua and the surrounding area. So beautiful!

Jikey.

I'm such an old man compared to Jon.

Way to ruin a perfectly cool picture, Jon! But really, look how ominous those clouds look in the distance. I really thought we were going to be rained on during our walk to Kyle's place.

Cold Brakinas, cheddar cheese slices from Ouaga (thanks Brenda!), bread and crudite/vegetable salad at Daniel's.

With some of Kyle's neighbors. They're so nice!

A snapshot of our lunch hangout: 4 Saisons. Check out the TV in the back and the fans above. Classy!

Hilltop view of Gaoua. You can see the mosque to the near right and a little beyond that, the marché.

Meet Hercules. Plus, pictures from Gaoua!

After an exhausting but enjoyable time working PST, it was back to site for me. Actually, it was more of a Jon-and-Mikey reunion because heck, we're like brothers from another mother and haven't really seen each other since PST began in June! I can't even begin to tell you how close you get to some of your closest PCV neighbors. You're each other's support networks and I think Jon and I both really lucked out.

Anywho, I come back to a relatively empty site. People are still traveling because it's vacation time or are out in the fields because it's rainy season. Madame Constance and her baby, Grace, are back though. I drop by to say hi and low and behold, one of the cutest things I've seen here in BF comes running to my feet: Hercules! Yes, Hercules. Or in French, Hercule. It's their new puppy who is just about the cutest thing ever. Only about 3 weeks old, from what I heard. But I'm super excited because Madame Constance is my closest neighbor, and I feel like I'm not up to take care of a dog (plus I leave in a year...don't wanna get too attached, you know?)...and yeah, it'll be like having my own dog without all the hassle, haha.

Jon and Hercules. Look how tiny that guy is!

Drinking milk...out of a Vienna Sausage can. So cute!

So Jon slept over and we just caught up over what's been going on during the last couple of months. Jon was teaching English for month at this English camp in Ouaga while I've been busy working PST. For the longest time, I've been wanting to do a video tour of my house and we finally got that done (Internet connection is slow here so y'all will have to wait until later). Afterward, we both took our regular trip to Gaoua (provincial capital). It would be the last time I'd see Jalila, our Belgian friend, before she leaves to finish her work in Mali and then eventually return to Belgium. So we all did some shopping and Brenda came by, too! It was her first time so I gave her a little tour of Gaoua. Man, I really do love where we live!

Jon and I roasting marshmallows in my house. No, seriously! His sister sent them all the way from Portland, Oregon. And it was a little chilly that night, too.

Sneaky Jon. A candid at our regular lunch spot in Gaoua, PP (a.k.a. Poni Paradis). Such a great place to chill and get some basic food.

At the marché.

Again at the Gaoua marché. Jon had to be discreet about taking pictures...we feel weird doing it in public settings because it makes us feel like tourists, you know? I promise to get more pictures soon. Especially the vegetable/fruit section of the marché -- so colorful!

Jon, Jalila and I at the APFG (Association de la Promotion Féminine de Gaoua), the women's association of Gaoua. Great place!

On that note, I'll end it with this: I realize this is a public forum and not many people know, but I head home tomorrow for vacation. I can't believe it! The school year doesn't start until October and I am officially done with training so this is the perfect time to leave BF for a bit and get in touch with family and close friends again. I fly out tomorrow evening, get to Paris and take a connecting flight to New York. I spend a couple of days in New York hanging out with the one and only Devin (!!), then head home for a couple of weeks. Not planning anything big -- just a simple visit home. Celebrate my Grandma and Mom's birthdays, do some Peace Corps presentations with my old high school French teacher and my old 8th Grade teacher's classes, among other things. So yeah, it's completely surreal but I'll be sure to keep updating this during my trip back home after one year. Let's go!

Halloween and birthday festivities continued...

So I'm back in Gaoua for the day with Jon...just to buy a couple of things and check the poste (post office) for anything. Last weekend, several of us met up in Gaoua for Halloween/23rd Birthday festivities! Marita and Julie came first and we ate at one of our normal hang-outs...then Leslie came and it was really like a mini-reunion for all of us. Headed to Kyle's and because he has electricity and his laptop, we watched movies like no other (plus it was starting to rain so it was perfect for being indoors)...movies like one of my all-time favorites: Mean Girls!! Headed back en ville (downtown/in the city centre) to grab some dinner and Emily eventually made it! It was my first time experiencing the nightlife in Gaoua and I have to say...it was pretty good. Some cold beers + PC friends + music/dancing + really chilly night weather = a good time! Whenever we go out, there are always Burkinabè guys flirting/hitting on female volunteers so us male volunteers play the role of boyfriends/husbands...which is always lots of fun! Turns out those 4 years of acting/theatre really helped in high school.  =)

The next day, all 6 of us took a bus to Jon's site because there was a huge fête (party). He lives in more of a village so it was a big deal. One of the highlights was archery which is big in Lobi culture. Toward the end of the day, we biked back to my site (about 17km south of Jon's) and I made village tacos & mixed veggies for dinner plus canned peaches & pears for dessert. Basically, I opened up a lot of my canned food but it was totally worth it!

Believe it or not, we somehow found a pumpkin leaving Jon's site, so when we got to my site, we did a little pumpkin carving to truly celebrate our Halloween celebration in BF. Ignore the Pert shampoo bottle...inside joke...

The following day, we biked the 19km to the Loropeni Ruins...since I'm too lazy to explain what it is, here's a brief explanation from Wikipedia:

• Loropéni is a market town in southern Burkina Faso, lying west of Gaoua. Local features include pre-European stone ruins, about which little is known. One theory is that they formed the enclosure of the courtyard of a Kaan Iya (king or paramount ruler of the Kaan people) from antiquity. There is a similar, though much-degraded ruin around the current royal courtyard in Obiré. Another theory is that the ruins may have been a slave holding site for slave raids in the area.


• The Loropéni ruins were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009. The ruins are the country's first World Heritage inscription. Surrounded by mystery, the 11,130m2 property is made up of an array of stone walls. Loropéni is the best preserved example of a type of fortified settlement in a wide part of West Africa, linked to the tradition of gold mining, which seems to have persisted through at least seven centuries. Loropéni, given its size and scope reflects a type of structure quite different from the walled towns of what is now Nigeria, or the cities of the upper reaches of the river Niger which flourished as part of the Empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhai. It thus can be seen as an exceptional testimony to the settlement response generated by the gold trade.

It was quite a bike ride but I think it's amazing that I don't live that far away from a World Heritage site! I'll let the pictures and little captions tell of our adventure over there...other people took better pictures of our adventures this weekend but these are the ones I had on my camera:

Outside the Loropeni Ruins. The first and only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Burkina Faso (just got accepted to the list this year). AND I live only 19km away!

Yours truly outside the Loropeni Ruins. According to Leslie (she read this somewhere), these rocks were put together with honey and shea butter.

Marita and Julie inside the Ruins.

Emily and I looking off into the distance...wearing our Obama gear. Gotta represent Obama in Africa!

Biking back was harder than I thought but I was able to show everyone my site's centre-ville and for dinner, I made something that I've crafted as my specialty: Mikey's Minestrone Soup (noodles, tomatoes, onions, garlic, a little bit of powdered milk to thicken it, tomato paste, lots of spices/salt) and Grilled Vache Qui Rit Cheese Sandwiches...delicious!

Everyone left to head back to their sites on Tuesday and it meant back to work for me = continuing class observations at the Ecole Primaire. It's been no doubt an interesting experience and as I said in my last entry, I'm getting more and more ideas for projects. I realized that many students have trouble reading aloud and I think starting some type of Reading/Book Club would be a good idea. Observing classes really forces me to think of creative ways to make school more interesting for kids here so that they're more likely to continue their studies until high school and beyond. I'm observing classes Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday all the way way up until December when I have VAC and IST...so I'm keeping myself busy.

Aaaaand I'm starting to really love my site. I think it really has to do with the fact that I chat it up a lot with my neighbors (Ali's family -- the Ouattara's) everyday and kind of see them as my own family here. I was reading on my porch one afternoon and it was getting really dark. Madame Ouattara (Ali's aunt) comes by and tells me not to read in the dark because I'll ruin my eyes...something my Mom would tell me back home, haha! They even make the most delicious peanut brittle and toffee hard candies I've ever had. Jon and I are addicted! I even invited the Ouattaras over at the end of the month to celebrate Thanksgiving with me so we're going to have American and Burkinabè dishes! Now if I can only think of a way to cook a Filipino dish, too...

The first two weeks at site = (one of the) hardest/most challenging.

It was (and still is somewhat) difficult. Plainly put. As much as I’d like to paint a rosy, cheery picture of my first week, it’s best to be real. Not surprisingly, it was also expected, too. Thinking about my first week at site while I was still in the US or even during training, I knew it was going to be a challenge but really thought nothing of it. This definitely has to be one of the top 5 most difficult things I’ve had to do in my 22 years of living!

The day after the Swearing-In Ceremony, I took a bus to Gaoua (my regional capital) and spent the night at a hotel while a PC vehicle brought down all my stuff, as well as the belongings of other new PCVs in my region. The next day, I did some quick shopping for the basics, then headed to my site with Kyle (another PCV who’s in my area). Driving down was even more beautiful than I remember. When I got to my house, Ali and Armel (2 teenage neighbors of mine) helped me unload all my belongings into my house. I was so ready to make my house my own/get to cleaning that I didn’t even really notice the PC vehicle leave (unlike what I expected/heard). I mean, I did see the white Peace Corps vehicle drive off from my elevated balcony, but the moment was very short lived. Ali, Armel, and I cleaned everything – sweeping the floor, wiping clear the tables, removing the cobwebs on the ceiling, re-arranging the things that Clay left behind, etc. It was great to finally make this house comfortable for me to live in for the next 2 years!

It wasn’t until the third day that the novelty of living in a new place wore off…fast. It’s different for everyone (so I’ve heard) but for me, that feeling consumed me so quickly. I started getting antsy and for one of the first times while here in BF, questioned what I’d do in this new place, my reasons for doing the Peace Corps, and felt the loneliness/depression start to hit. Which is why I slipped into an immediate coping mechanism: eat a whole damn lot. I ate most of the candy in the care package I got from my parents a while ago, and binged on the majority of snacks I got at Marina Market. No doubt, a really hard day for me and I have even more respect (if that’s even possible) for those who move to a place completely different from their own and have to adapt to the new culture and language immediately – people like my Mom and Dad, Tito Vic and Tita Imelda, who all immigrated individually to the US in the early 80’s. I got a call from Mom and a surprise call from Mahmoudou (my host dad) which helped a little.

I woke up the next morning not feeling so well (emotionally) but forced myself to get out of the house and go to the church I heard was relatively close to my house…which, spiritually, helped me center myself immensely. Plus, I was getting my face out there despite all the stares and giggles. After, I needed to get more water and for the first time in 3 days of arriving at site, I finally met some young girls and women at the pump (not too far from my house, right next to the school). Little side note: a lot of the people that hang around me have been Ali’s friends – all teenage boys – so I definitely got excited to meet new people! I ended up walking en ville (kind of like downtown)/to the goudron (paved road) with Ali to buy bread, onions, bananas, and other food but also to again get my face out there instead of hiding within the confines of my house. Of course, there were the stares and yelling of ‘Chinois’ or ‘Japonais’ but I explained to a lot of them who I was, where I actually came from, that I’m an American volunteer for the Peace Corps, etc. Walking back home, I even saw a guy I met when I was on my site visit a couple months ago who helped me with my bike. Finally, a familiar face! In all honesty, a complete 180 from the day before.

Lesson learned: when I’m in a situation like this again, GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! Get over the initial fear of being seen as a stranger and force yourself to meet people. Give yourself a reason to get out: Buy some food at the market. Go to church. Introduce yourself when people stare. Speak/greet in the local language despite the laughter. Yeah, it’s awkward but hell, this is your home for the next 2 years so you might as well get over all of the awkwardness now!

To go from a completely structured schedule with fellow Americans for 3 months to being dropped off at your site with no set structure (by yourself) is a sudden and dramatic change. So my strategy was to balance being at home and going out into the community. At home, I tried new things to cook and decorated my walls with pagnes (colorful African-patterned fabric) to add some color to my house. I’ve been having lots of dreams of my family and close friends recently, so I made a little picture thing on the wall above my desk. I texted fellow new PC volunteers to see how everyone was doing (and plan the next time some of us would reunite!). I finally finished reading “Three Cups of Tea,” a gift from my friend Leslie and started reading Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart,” a farewell gift from my Uncle Stan. In the community, I went to the Grand Marché (big market day) every Tuesday, pumped more water and met more people just by introducing myself in French or local language. Even just reading outside on my porch invites people over to causer (chat/talk). One example was when I was helping Ali take the weeds out of my courtyard and the lady cultivating in the field next to my house came over, was entertained of the sight of a foreigner doing manual labor, and began speaking to me in Mooré. I used the little that I knew and it seemed to completely change her view of me. Another instance was when I was washing my dishes on the porch and my neighbors invited me to a Burkinabè tradition: drinking tea and causer.

Last Saturday, I biked to visit my closest PC neighbor, Jon, who lives less than 20 km north of me. Riding on the bike, despite the little hills, made me appreciate more where I live. It was a good day trip/break from my site. While we talked about our 2 friends back home meeting for the first time (thanks to us!) and just about PC life thus far, there were 2 highlights. One was seeing the cutest line of puppies imaginable pass through Jon’s porch. I asked the kids if they were for sale and he said yes…so I think I’m pretty set on getting a dog instead of a cat. Yeah, they’re more dependent on you and take longer to train but if I’m going to be living here for 2 years, I want to be really happy! SO hopefully in the next few weeks, you’ll see pictures of me with my new friend/housemate! Second, Jon was telling me a story about something and mentioned the song “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and it instantly reminded me of the last road I took with my friends since high school – Patrici, Mari and Gina – to Las Vegas and I just straight up laughed out loud. Amazing how a song can elicit such funny memories!

My second week at site so far has been really good and I’m slowly (but surely) meeting people and finding my niche. At the last Grand Marché on Tuesday, I heard several people call out my name which is a sign that I’m progressing little by little with community integration! Even while biking along the paved road, I’ll hear a couple of “Michaels” instead of the equivalent of foreigner/stranger/white person/Chinese/Japanese. Coincidentally, I met the chef du village (village chief) who invited me over for tea and causer (talk/chat) in his courtyard. He’s Muslim so was fasting for Ramadan – and also invited me to join him and his family to break the fast that evening! I felt like such an honored guest, and the fact that I’m the first American he’s actually exchanged ideas with and genuinely talked to makes me even happier! On Tuesday, a few of us PCVs in our region met up in Gaoua (our regional capital) for a little day trip -- eating good food and shopping for things we can't necessarily get at our sites. It was just nice to speak English for a little bit and share our experiences. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, I got to check out the famed Lobi Museum, and even established our own PO Box (so you all can send me things to this address instead and I can check it on a weekly basis since it's only a short bus ride away!).

If there’s anything I could take from these first 2 weeks at site, it’s to really just force myself to break free from my timidity, and just get out and meet people! To really cherish the small accomplishments of meeting a new person, learning a new word in French or the local language, etc. While I haven’t started any projects with the school (and won’t until January), it’s reassuring to know that the moment I arrived, I already started my ‘work’ – of changing people’s perceptions of Americans by simply living among the Burkinabè for 2 years of my life.

Currently, I’m in Ouagadougou for the next couple of days for a VAC committee meeting…running water for showering, a toilet, electricity, Internet access. It’s living the privileged life for a couple of days before I return back to site. So I’m happy I’m able to post all these blogs I’ve been backed up with/been storing on my USB drive.

I’ll end with what the Burkinabè always say, regardless of a good or bad situation: Ça va aller! (It’ll be all right!/That’s the way it goes!)…perhaps another mantra for my life?

Site visit!

Last week, we spent most of our time at our sites…finally!! We had a couple of days of training with our counterparts (counterpart = a person in the community that is assigned to each of us to aid in integration, meeting key people in our communities, etc.) and took public transport all throughout BF to spend a couple of days at our sites.

I’m fortunate to live about 17km away from another fellow GEE trainee/volunteer (Jon -- special shout-out to his grandma who I've heard has been reading my blog!) so we headed together the whole way with our counterparts...who, by the way, are ridiculously hilarious! The further south we got, passing Ouaga and various other big towns, it got progressively greener and greener. We stayed the night at a hotel in Gaoua (our regional capital) and were able to explore the huge market. Gaoua is about 40+ km north of my site. The next day when we had to head back to the bus station, I was really thrown off because I saw a Japanese guy at the bus station. Seeing another Asian here in the middle of BF was quite a sight, and I’m almost certain he was a Japanese NGO worker.

After an hour bus ride from Gaoua, I finally arrived at my site! Because I’m closer to the Côte d’Ivoire border, it literally felt like I was in another country…and for several moments, I didn’t think I was in Burkina Faso. My site looks more like the Amazon or the tropical parts of the Philippines. Lush greenery everywhere and hills…absolutely incredible! So different from what I’m used to up in the north of BF. I began to slowly realize how lucky I am: next to the goudron (paved road) which makes all the difference when it comes to biking/transport; the last bus station stop coming from Ouaga; relatively close to a market and other small boutiques/stores; live next to fonctionnaires (civil servants/teachers); live right across from the primary school which is coincidentally next to a water pump…and did I mention lots of greenery and hills everywhere!!!!

To have my own house is a mixed blessing. Outside, I have two little gardens which the volunteer I’m replacing planted, a little storage area, an outdoor latrine and shower area, and an elevated porch. Inside, I have a big living room/kitchen area and two bedrooms…absolutely huge for someone like me that loves being around people all the time!

A picture of where I'll be living for the next 2 years in the southwest of Burkina Faso! Pictures don't really do the area any justice. More pictures to come when I decorate it and make it my own after training.

I was able to meet the local authorities (thanks to Jean, my counterpart and teacher at another primary school...I’m starting to see him less as a counterpart and more as a friend since we seem to be around the same age and relate to each other more.) but since I had a lot of time to myself, I realized that that loneliness will probably be my biggest obstacle since I have this whole house to myself. I’ll definitely get a dog or cat to keep me company. I'm more of a dog person but a cat seems like more of a practical option since they're really independent and can eat all the little lizards and spiders that are in my house...I just love dogs so much more so this is definitely a tough decision! I haven’t met many people in my community since it’s rainy season/vacation time, so people are either out cultivating or out of town. The Burkinabè down south are different from the ones I live with now – more independent, don’t care much for greetings/salutations, and are little more distant. Just another thing I’ll have to get used to but I’m hoping it won’t be too bad.

After staying for a couple of nights, I had to head back by myself on transport…with my bike. Public transport is great since I’m on the goudron but it sucks when I have to bring my bike because it’s such a hassle! After several hours of bus riding, I got to the Transit House in Ouaga with some other trainees…and we all treated ourselves to some pizza!! We headed back to Ouahigouya the next day to the training center and celebrated Devin’s birthday!

Colette, Devin and I at the training center in Ouahigouya. Note the cute flower thing one of our fellow trainees made for Devin's hair. Us three...I swear, we're attached to the hip but I love every moment with these two!!

The following day, we headed back to village…by that point, it had already been 11 days since I’ve seen my host family. I don’t think I’ve been so excited to see them and my host dad even hugged me out of happiness! It was a nice little welcoming and they gave me some tea. Sadly, my host grandfather had left for the rainy season and wouldn't be coming back until well after I'd left for my site. Even though he didn't speak any French, he was such a calming presence because he reminds me so much of my grandparents back home (who I miss terribly)! When I went to bed that night, it really hit me that I’m done with training in less than a month and will be moving to my site immediately after! Crazy! PS: Keep commenting, please!

Site announcement and trip to Ouagadougou!

On Thursday (July 9th), after waiting for almost a month now…the moment has finally arrived. Our site announcement a.k.a. where we’ll be living for the next two years after training!

Seriously, the days and hours leading up to it felt like getting ready to open up presents on Christmas. I couldn’t help but feel all these knots in my stomach but the wait was well worth it.

The PC staff created a huge map on the floor of Burkina Faso outside of our training center. Our LCF (language instructors) blindfolded us and guided us to our site location on the map. We took off our blindfolds and saw our site name below us but also saw who we’d be relatively close to (a.k.a. our lifelines when things get rough). We headed inside and were given little paper stick figures of ourselves to place on a map on the wall. We’re pretty much scattered all over the country!

A view of the map of Burkina Faso on the floor (with our sites).

Blindfolded and making our way to our sites on the map of Burkina Faso on the floor. 

For me, I’m the furthest stagiaire (trainee) in our stage (training group or another word for training) south. I’m essentially in the Southwest, bordering Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana! I’m replacing a volunteer who is ending his service by the end of July. I’m actually really happy about my site because I’m not too far south of Gaoua (one of the regional capitals like Ouahigouya), will be living near a paved road, am not too far from fellow volunteers, and will have a market where I can have a variety of food (more fruits and vegetables!). Access to transport that heads to Ouaga and Bobo-Dioulasso (the two biggest cities in Burkina) isn’t bad at all (so I’ve heard). And since I’m in the South, the weather is a little cooler, there are hills and greenery, and there’s just a lot to see (heard there were cascades and some archeological ruins in the area, too…probably far from me but not as far if I lived up in the North). French is widely spoken in my village but I’ll also be learning Dioula and possibly, Lobiri. Dioula is a regional trade language (lingua franca) that’s not only used in Burkina Faso but also in parts of Mali and Guinea, too. Excited to learn another language. Niiiiice!

A lot of us went out for dinner later that night and coincidentally, the guy that I’ll be replacing was in town (at our same restaurant!) because he came up to Ouahigouya to visit his girlfriend (also a fellow PCV). He basically gave me the low-down on everything and said that the house I’ll be moving into (his house) is actually a fonctionnaire (civil servant) house with a living room and two bedrooms. There’s a latrine outside and also an outdoor kitchen area which makes where I live sound huge. He said that he planted some flowers and made a little garden to make it a little homey, and will be leaving a lot of his old furniture and stuff for me!

Overall, things are looking good but I want to read up more on the Southwest, particularly the region where I’ll be in. I think two of my biggest fears are having everyone compare me to the past volunteer and not being seen as ‘American’ (what’s new, haha)…but after talking with the current volunteer, it seems that won’t be as bad to adjust! We’ll see…ça va aller!

Now in Ouagadougou, the capital...

Fast forward to yesterday, we were in Ouagadougou (the capital city…called ‘Ouaga’ for short) on Friday and Saturday. We took the public transport buses (coach) for the first time (our main mode of traveling everywhere) and those were packed. And because I felt a fever coming, it was one interesting ride…we finally arrived at Ouagadougou after a couple of hours and headed straight to the Peace Corps Burkina Faso headquarters. Literally, everything was there…the director, other PC staff, our mail, the medical units, computers and a mini library for the volunteers, etc. etc. Fortunately, I got checked out by one of the medical officers and they gave me the right meds needed to get me back in check!

We headed to the Transit House in Ouaga. If I’m not mistaken, every country with Peace Corps Volunteers has at least one Transit House which is solely for volunteers. Basically, it’s a house that volunteers can go to a few days a month if they want to get away from site for a little bit or need to get business done in the capital city…filled with couches, a kitchen, bathrooms with toilets and showers, shelves of books, rooms, mattresses in a screened porch area, etc.

Ouaga has SO many ethnic restaurants, and Devin, Colette, Marita, and I were on a quest to get Chinese food for lunch. We finally found one called “L’Orient” and I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to be in a Chinese restaurant. Legitimate Chinese food…all I could think of was wonton soup and I ordered so much of it, I was beyond happy. The only thing is that food in Ouaga is expensive (compared to everywhere else in BF) so I’ll have to be sure to splurge whenever I’m in Ouaga. We had dinner at one of the Associate Peace Corps Directors’ house and we had Mexican food! So damn good, with guacamole and sour cream. I felt like I was in heaven…Chinese for lunch and Mexican for dinner.

The next day, we ate at this restaurant that had an endless supply of American food and I was beyond happy (again). Having this much variety in food was enough for my little heart to handle! While we left to take the bus back, it was the funniest ride ever sitting next to Colette and Devin. We had a random child under our seat who kept kicking us with her feet…the most random thing ever! That said, I can’t wait for more adventures in Ouaga. With a city that big in BF (and so central to all the volunteers), I’m sure we’ll all be meeting up as many times as possible during our 2 years of service. SO EXCITED!!