Fêtes galore...COS party, Easter, oh my!!

I feel like I haven’t blogged in a while but it’s because I’ve been all over the place these past couple of weeks!

At the end of March, I had my VAC meeting and finally got to meet our new Country Director, Shannon. She’s done years of work in international development and everyone loves her! Since it’s Easter Break; I got the chance to do some in-country travelling; visiting other volunteers and heading to Ouaga too. We had the annual COS (Close of Service) party which is one of the few events where all volunteers can get together and have a good time. The the,e this year? Rubix Cube party. Genius! It’s a way to say farewell to the next group of volunteers that are near the end of their 2 years of service. Crazy to think that’ll be me in a year!

Colette and I at the Rubix Cube party. We miss you, Devin!

April’s been off to a good start as well. Despite the sweltering heat (they say April is the hottest month of the year), mango season has officially begun! Gwen came over to my site and spent Easter weekend with me.

First mango of the season!

Gwen cracking a coconut. Loves it!

Doing laundry!

Easter morning, I headed to my church and after mass, ended up talking with a lot of my friends in the community. At lunch, the Ouattaras invited me over and I had the best couscous dish. I can’t quite explain the sauce except that it had a lot of onions, tomatoes and such and even had some goat meat. Delicious! Add in a little bissap and ginger juice plus good company and consider it a great Easter. Gwen came later and she ended up being our ‘family photographer.’ It was great! I took so many pictures with the Ouattaras…here are a few:

My tailor, Mathieu and I. Sporting our US/Burkina Faso shirts. He made them!

Madame Ouattara and I eating her delicious couscous dish.

Rachid, Ali and I. These two are like two more crazy little brothers.

Clemence, Aicha, Farida and I.

Otherwise, the months ahead look to be really busy! April and May constitute the last trimester of the school year. Aside from the normal alphabet/literacy and math activities with the younger kids, I still have the Reading Club going and finally got a Girls’ Club up and running with the CM1 girls (equivalent is 4^th grade). More details on that as it progresses…first meeting so far has been a success with a combination of activities in class and soccer in the end. Ali even helped me out! Baby weighings have been good as well, and I feel like the number of mothers that come in fluctuate from week to week. Jon and I even discovered a small class that teaches the blind how to read Braille…and it’s literally just past the school where I work, which could make for another interesting secondary project.

My family here in Burkina Faso.

Frustrations...and also being reminded that no matter what, I'm still an American.

What a week! To start, I get back to site after a weekend in Gaoua (the Internet connection has been down for some reason and I needed to send some e-mails so I stayed longer than expected). I'm using this here blog as a venting board, so here it goes:

I turn on my laptop on Monday and...nothing. NOTHING! Nothing shows up on the screen, but I can hear the fan under the laptop slowly 'wheezing.' Ugh! So frustrating and I had a feeling this would happen. It's especially frustrating because I do work on this more than I expected (quarterly reports, things for projects/activities, etc.) and the fact that it could be broken upsets me. But Kyle's going to take a look at it so hopefully it'll be okay.

The heat is also getting ridiculous and I'm sweating like crazy. I think I might be getting heat rash on my forearms and hands which is kind of expected since I'm not used to this kind of heat. But damn is it itchy! Stomach problems during training and now this. Oyy!

A tell-tale sign that I've been living here for a little bit: my clothes and sandals are definitely showing it. I'm starting to see all these tears in my clothes, although I will say that was expected. My Rainbow sandals (most comfortable footwear ever!) are starting to tear (the strap on the left sandal) and it makes me sad because I wear these everywhere!

Work-wise, I started my Reading Club with the CE1 students (US equivalent is 2nd Grade). The teacher helped me divide up the class into 9 groups of about 6-7 students, each group with a chef (student leader) who can read well at grade level. Talked with the class as a whole beforehand and told them that after I met with all the groups, we'd do a big class competition to see which group understood the most, with a big grand prize at the end. They all seem motivated and excited!

I met with the first group on Wednesday and of course, they come late. But I was excited to work nonetheless and used the children's books I got in Ouaga. The two books I'm using are about manners/being polite in school and a book on a boy that loves soccer (the most popular sport here in Burkina Faso). I read aloud first and then each student took their turn reading a page aloud. I'd correct them on pronunciation and ask a couple comprehension questions after each page, awarding stickers to those that got the questions right.

I knew that there would be kids that couldn't read at grade level but I noticed one girl who couldn't read at all. I mean, I could hear the group leader whispering the words in her ear as she was 'reading' aloud. It was insane, but it's something I want to target now so they don't fall behind in school later. It's no easy task, and my first group meeting was exhausting but I'm here to help as much as I can.

Some of the Peulh kids on my porch after school. Look at the little boy (Hussein) with the white shoes. So cute! He was initially scared of me but I think we're all good now!

But the optimist in me is determined to not let these frustrations get to me!

This week, I was also reminded of how much of an American I am. No matter how integrated you are in a culture, you still carry traits/parts of you from your original culture. Here's a quick list of mine this week:

• I wanted to get this Reading Club up and running a while ago but it's been hard trying to get in contact with the teacher. In the Burkinabè culture, whenever you want to start a project/activity, it's customary to consult with many people, particularly authorities, even if the project could be done by yourself immediately. While I could've easily gathered all the students, discussed logistics and run everything myself, I still needed to consult with the teacher.
  
• The Ouattaras always mention 'time is money' (I guess it's a saying that they got from the American movies they watch and they always joke how Americans say it all the time). But it's true! It was getting dark one evening and I was talking with Rachid and a few friends. But I wanted to rush out and get bread for dinner before it got too dark/late because I hate biking at night. I grab my bike and as I leave, Rachid says: 'Wow, you always seem to be in a hurry.' Which I guess I didn't really realize until he said it. I wonder if his conception of 'being in a hurry' is my conception of 'doing things at normal speed,' if that makes any sense.
  
• My laptop. It reminded me of the convenience we have back in the US. Whenever something like a laptop is broken, you can just drive to Best Buy and have it fixed in a day. No problem. Here in Burkina Faso, not so much...
• One afternoon, one of my neighbors was washing his moto and he asked if back in the US, I wash my car every week. It was such a random question but it reminded me so much of how much I missed riding in my car. And with my friends! I blame all those years of college in LA, driving everywhere! Haha.
• Personal space. The concept doesn't really exist here...usually I'm pretty open with people but after living next to the school and having 20 kids peep through your windows and door all the time, it can get exhausting. Like a fish in a fishbowl. But I'm getting a wall soon! haha
  
• One of my neighbors is a teacher and she recently had a baby. And now her mother-in-law cares for the baby as my neighbor goes to work. Seeing the grandma reminds me so much of my Grandma back home and reminded me of the accesibility to family back in the U.S. And even if I was far away, all it took was a simple phone call or a drive back home for the weekend.
  
• Thinking ahead/the future. A couple of people (like Ali) have already asked me what I'd be doing after the Peace Corps and if I'd be extending for a third year. But I haven't even reached the halfway mark of my service yet! Anyway, it's got me thinking...

And that's that! I apologize if this seemed more like a bitch (excuse the language)/rant list...Heading to Ouaga again next week for a VAC meeting and I get to meet our new Country Director. Holla!

Christmas on the beach in Ghana!

Finally!! We leave Cape Coast and take the relatively long trek to Busua, a small beach town along the Ghana coast. When we arrive, we thought all the resorts were in one location but it turns out the Green Turtle Lodge is farther away. Every volunteer that's been to Ghana has recommended the Green Turtle Lodge and I'm glad we made the journey over there...

Its location is so remote but regardless, there are still other people there. It seems to be a haven for other volunteers when they vacation in Ghana and just want to take a break from it all and chill on the beach. So we set up our tents (cheapest accommodations yet! Only 4 cedi/1200cfa/about $3 per person/night to set-up your tent!) and pretty much hit the beach. So we get there on Christmas Eve and immediately jump into the water...it felt so refreshing especially since I hadn't seen the ocean in over 6 months. =)

Colette setting up her tent. I'll say that it wasn't as comfortable as it looks.

The next day (Christmas Day) we woke up to breakfast on the beach and we each decided to do something special. When we were at the Koala Supermarket in Accra, Devin had this amazing idea of each of us buying something to share on Christmas Day at the beach with one another. The idea was food -- one salty and one sweet -- but it could really be anything. But we had to surprise each other Christmas Day with all of our stuff!

So Colette got these Christmas popper things that have stickers and a little joke inside each of them. It's a tradition in her family and she brought it all the way to Africa to share with us!

Devin, Colette and I after opening our Christmas poppers. There were little paper crowns inside along with stickers and the corniest jokes everrrrrr.

We chill on the beach some more and it was just nice to take in the warm beach breeze and watch the waves crash onto the shore. Next to the Green Turtle Lodge, there's this place called Paco's Tacos which seems completely out of nowhere. I've been craving Mexican food for a while and this was the perfect thing to satisfy my craving! The older couple that owns this is actually from California and they built their house along the beachfront....and Paco's Tacos as their business.

At Paco's Tacos for lunch. Chicken tacos and avocado tacos!

Again, more chilling at the beach. I forgot to mention that the Green Turtle Lodge is remote enough that there isn't cell phone reception. Except for this one distinct spot that we discovered. So I sent some text messages to family and a couple close friends. Before I left site, I promised Madame Ouattara that I'd call the family and say hi...but since reception was kind of choppy, I decided to text them. She texted me back almost immediately and wished me a very Merry Christmas and said that the family missed me. Really made me miss site! I also got a call from my Mom that afternoon and it was the morning of Christmas Day back home. They were all at my Tito Vic's house since the whole family does a little sleepover. I got to talk to a couple of uncles and aunts, my brother and my grandpa but it really made me miss home! I don't think I've missed home more than I did at that moment...

All three of us get ready in our Global Mama's outfits and head to Happy Hour at the bar. And walked around the beach until sunset. For dinner we had garlic roasted chicken and potato salad! Delicious! And to top it off, we had a huge bonfire on the beach with the other guests.

I just couldn't resist taking a picture in front of this. Oh man...

Enjoy our first drinks of the night -- Deep Blue Sea and Tequila Sunset. Yum!

The three of us in our Global Mama's outfits and drinks in hand.

The sunset setting on the beach. Amazing.

Look how huge that bonfire is!

The day after Christmas, we had breakfast again on the beach and got ready to leave for our next destination: Kumasi!

Relaxing one last time on the beach before heading out to Kumasi.

FAMILY. Thanksgiving. Tabaski. And damn, it’s getting cold in Africa!

I feel like everyone has a few words and/or phrases they use all the time. They’re words that actually mean something to them, that elicit feelings of comfort or are just ingrained into their brains and are used incessantly whenever they talk. I read an article in the October 2009 GQ about a speechwriter from the Bush Administration. He talked about how President Bush liked using the words “bold” and “resilient” in his speeches and it got me thinking about the words/phrases I use a lot in my life.

Family. In high school at Saint Mary’s (SMCHS), I think I used the word “community” a lot but when I went to LMU, it transformed into “family.” It defined not only my blood relatives (the de Leons and the Berinos who I love to death!) but also the people I met in life that I consider my close friends or people I just felt connected to on multiple levels. Another sense of family. At LMU, I had my IB (Isang Bansa Filipino-American student organization) family; my Magis Service Organization family; my Doheny (freshman year dorm) family; my McCarthy Hall RA (Resident Advisor) family…the list is truly endless, but it was a word that was so deeply rooted in my daily vocabulary that I would use it so often and didn’t even think about it.

Coming to Burkina Faso and doing the Peace Corps, I think I’ve gained another family with my fellow volunteers. They really are your support base when things get rough, when things are going well, or when things get so boring that you want to text someone!

Not so surprisingly, that same sense of family is something I’m slowly finding here at my site. Because of the Ouattara family, I’m starting to feel genuinely comfortable and at home at site. For example, the other day, I whipped out my old Dioula/Jula notes from training and the girls (Aïcha and Farida – they kind of remind me of my two younger cousins back home, Ianne and Isa) helped me with some pronunciation so I could at least greet many of the women that pass by my house to get to the pump or the women that work at the market. Or maybe it’s when I came back home one day and wasn’t feeling so well and Madame Ouattara told me, like a good aunt, that I shouldn’t joke around with the sudden change in weather even if I am used to it being cold in the U.S. She pointed to the fact that I was wearing a tank top and it was “cold” (mind you, it was probably 80 ºF which isn’t quite cold to me…but still). Or when Clémence and I joke around and laugh whenever we see each other, simply because we both love laughing! Or maybe that one time when Ali and Rachid asked me to help them carry something that was ridiculously heavy and jokingly said that if I was truly a part of the family, I’d do it without hesitation (which, for the record, I did, haha). Or because on Thursdays, the Ouattara family does their laundry and subconsciously, I’ve been doing my laundry the same time, too – and how Madame Ouattara said that since I pretty much follow their schedule, I’m a part of their family and should now be called “Michael Ouattara.”

I’m beyond glad that this idea of family transcends all cultural barriers. A universal concept, really. Particularly here in Burkina Faso, the idea of everyone being a part of your extended family is so essential to the Burkinabè’s daily way of living.

Lately I’ve been missing my family and friends more than usual. I’ll have dreams of family and friends, have random memories come to mind throughout the day, or think a little more pensively when songs that remind me of certain people come up on my iPod. Perhaps it’s the holiday season coming up? I don’t know. Really though, it’s this sense of family that I’ve found here in Africa that resonates so deeply with me and in a way, keeps me sane and strong when things get a little tough at site.

Like this past Thursday was Thanksgiving. I told the Ouattaras about this a month ago and said that we’d celebrate it together = eating lots of good food at lunch. I cooked a simple pasta dish with chicken and tomato sauce, plus had salad (yes, I discovered a little garden that sells lettuce! I love it!!).

Farida with the food I cooked for our Thanksgiving lunch feast. Opened up the can of chicken breast that I got from Dad. Mmmmmm!

Cleaning and washing the lettuce the night before.

Ali really showing me how it's done!

The next day was a Muslim holiday called Tabaski or the “Fête des Moutons” (Feast/Celebration of the Sheep). Here in Burkina Faso, they celebrate everything – government holidays, Muslim holidays, Christian holidays, etc. I’m sure as hell not complaining! And for Tabaski, regardless of whether you’re Muslim or not, you’re celebrating with lots of food and causeries with your neighbors, family and friends! So I was invited to Bakari’s house (chef du village) since he’s Muslim and there was lots of food, including meat! Having meat at a Burkinabè celebration is a big deal because it’s relatively expensive here and is bought during special occasions only – also since the average Burkinabè eats a carb-filled diet on a regular basis without meat and many times, without vegetables, having meat is quite the luxury. I came back home and Madame Ouattara said they were looking for me during lunch to fête (celebrate) with them and invited me over for dinner – and I had such a good time chatting it up with the family! My first time celebrating Tabaski!

On a completely different but equally important note: the weather! Holy moly, the change in temperature and atmosphere has been dramatic for the past 2 weeks and counting already. It’s dustier outside and I’m starting to get a little sick with a sore throat and coughing. And my nostrils are always so damn dry that I have to apply Vaseline a couple of times each day. It gets noticeably cooler once the sun starts to go down and I actually have to heat up my water before taking my bucket bath in the late afternoon/early evening! It’s kind of a funny site to see everyone bundled up in parka gear as if they’re heading to the snow. In the morning when I wake up, I check my thermostat and it says 65ºF which is freaking cold over here! I hear in December and January, it can get as cold as 55ºF which I don’t even know what to think. Haha!

Causeries: the PCV's key to integration

Causerie: conversation; chatter.

Causer: to chat.

During PST (Pre-Service Training), the words/terms “bien integré (well integrated),” “community/village,” “learn the local language,” and many more were pounded into our heads as PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees). Okay, maybe not pounded into our heads…but they were repeated multiple times a day that it became a part of our daily vocabulary. But one word that really stood out was “causer” (to chat). PCVFs (Peace Corps Volunteer Facilitators), LCFs (Language and Culture Facilitators) and all PC staff used this term incessantly. Even here at site, I hear those words all the time. In all the years I’ve taken French (high school and college), I’ve never heard of this verb before. By no means am I saying I’m an expert in French, but it’s just bizarre to have this word used many times while here in French-speaking Burkina Faso but not once did I ever come across it when studying French…

Anyway, almost 3 months at site, I see why the Peace Corps drove this point home with us during training. Causer. Causeries. This really is the PCV’s key to integration. It can be in the form of saying a quick “Bonjour-how’s your day-how’s your family-did you sleep well” to your neighbors in the morning, or a five-hour (seriously, not kidding) conversation over three small cups of African-style tea and tô with gombo sauce (it’s a staple Burkinabè dish – like hardened, bland Cream of Wheat…the sauce really makes or breaks the dish) on a lazy, sunny afternoon.

These happen all the time, even during training. At first, they would just be awkward and sometimes even a little uncomfortable -- the language barriers, many moments of sitting in silence, etc. As Americans, we're used to quick conversations and debates, and rarely make the time for long conversations (unless, say, it's 2 in the morning at your college dorm [read: LMU] and you chat it up with your friends because you don't want to do anything else but be with your friends). But in a culture that values getting to know your neighbors/thinking of everyone as your extended family, causeries and food are at the heart of this. One time, I mentioned to Madame Ouattara that there are many parts of the US where people don't know there own neighbors, even after living there for years. It's true in a lot of the suburbs outside of big cities (I live in one, so I think I'd know). She was completely shocked by this but I explained it's a different kind of culture.

I think I really appreciated these causeries immediately after my birthday lunch when I invited the Ouattaras over to eat. From that point on, I really felt like I was a part of this community and this network of neighbors. These causeries didn't feel so awkward or forced anymore; like it's slowly becoming second-nature for me to leave the confines of my house every so often and sit under the shade of a huge tree and causer with my neighbors. We chat about the everything -- life in Burkina Faso and the US; about our days, families and work; my years at LMU; my background as a Filipino-American (honestly, being both Filipino and American have worked to my advantage because Burkina Faso and the Philippines share so many cultural values that I've been raised with -- more on this in another blog; hopefully); pop culture and music; food; really, just about everything!! Even if there's not much to say verbally, there's lots to be said about being present and surrounded by people, even if few words are spoken.

I'm still, and always will be, adjusting but I think that I really feel like I'm gradually becoming a member of this community. There are moments where I'll feel like a complete foreigner/alien, moments where I'll feel like an American missing home/family/friends and moments where I'm Burkinabè and feel integrated (granted, many moments like these are mixed in one day which can sometimes be an emotional/mind fuck [excuse the language])...it's just finding the right balance that's important!

...and on a completely unrelated note, my mom told me that Manny Pacquiao (one of the best, if not the best boxers in the world who hails from the Philippines) is fighting Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas! How I wish I had HBO to watch it -- Pacquiao! You've got fans all over the world, even one here in the middle of West Africa! As the Burkinabè say: "Du courage!!"

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...