Swear-In Ceremony!

The big day. Finally here! After 9 weeks (and 11-12 weeks for a few) of intense training in language, sector-specific technical training, cross-culture, medical & safety and security, the newest group of Peace Corps Burkina Faso Volunteers swore in on August 27th at the new US Embassy in Ouaga. This was by far the biggest (and nicest!) Swear-In Ceremony we've had, particularly because it took place at the new US Embassy. You walk in and it's seriously like America. Bathrooms with motion-sensored soap dispensing machines, cold water fountains (had to teach a fellow Burkinabè colleague how to use it) and the like! Many dignitaries showed up, including Madame Chantal Compaoré, the First Lady of Burkina Faso. The drinks (wine!!) were a-pouring and the good times just kept coming.

I'll just keep this short and let the pictures speak for themselves...enjoy!

Some of the GEE Tech Team! Evan, Dame (GEE Tech Trainer from Mauritania, Kim, Diallo, Jessi and Emily). Good work, team!

Shannon (Peace Corps Burkina Faso Country Director), Madame Chantal Compaoré (First Lady of Burkina Faso) and Deborah (Chargé d'Affaires of the US Embassy -- Acting Ambassador). Madame Chantal's skin is lighter than mine! Insane!

Madame Ouattara and I. Love her! She's seriously like my aunt.

Sabrina! My GEE partner-in-crime since May. I loved working with her! Plus...West Coast!

The new GEE Volunteers with some language teachers and PCVFs. Holla!

SOUTHWEST Volunteers, whaat up! <3

My loves, Emily and Jessi. Really, I had such a good time working PST and got even closer to my fellow training groupmates.

Asian glow! But seriously, it's Shannon, our Country Director and I. Good work!

Homestretch (round II), tree planting & crocodiles.

Remember this a year ago? I was in the trainees' shoes, waiting for PST to end as quickly as possible so I could get the hell over to my site! It's funny how things never really change.

So yes. The homestretch. It's here and it's an atmosphere full of anxiety/sadness/happiness/etc. all combined into one big clump. Tech sessions are coming to a close, trainees' language levels in French and local language have improved dramatically and people are starting to realize that the next 2 years of their service are ahead of them.

For me, it's been both enjoyable and exhausting. Exhausting in that the preparation since May and the execution of it all these past few months (planning sessions, facilitating sessions, answering questions 24/7, being known as a constant resource, etc. etc. The list is really endless!) have been constant. Many times, I'd get frustrated but realize that I just have to go with the flow as this is a new experience for everyone (Trainees and PCVF/Ps). This training group, however, has been quite the exception. The first training group in Peace Corps Burkina Faso history where we've had all 4 sectors (Secondary Ed, Health, Small Enterprise Development and Girls' Education and Empowerment) all come at once. We've also moved to 3 different training sites in a matter of 9 weeks (Ouahigouya, Ouaga and Koudougou) but regardless, everyone's spirits have been up (for the most part) and they're all another addition to the PC/BF family.

At the end of the day though, I realize how much I truly enjoy doing this. Working PST has made me more appreciative of my life here in BF, the obstacles I've had to overcome and the successes that have kept me going. It's hard not to put yourself in their shoes and remember what you went through a year ago.

I also feel so proud of them! I've seen them since the beginning and have noticed some crazy growth these past 9 weeks. Seeing them conduct their club meetings, coordinate their youth camps, teach Life Skills...it's utterly amazing! And to think of the great work they'll do once they get situated at their sites.

Jessi, Emily and I. Love these women!

GEE Tech Team, Week 7. This was one of my favorite weeks because the trainees got to put their knowledge into practice -- final Girls' Club meetings, Youth Camps, teaching Life Skills and conducting their needs assessment meetings with the parent associations. Huzzah! By the way, our two GEE Tech Trainers/Coordinators are Awa and Diallo. They're so amazing!!

In the midst of all of this, International Youth Day in Burkina Faso was celebrated with a huge Tree Planting Extravaganza in Dori. Because there were so many people, the tree planting itself took less than 20 minutes! But it was a great event to meet other Burkinabè youth and other volunteers (Japanese, French, etc.) here in Burkina Faso. It was also great to develop an even better rapport with the Burkinabè government and it seems as if the Minister of Youth and Employment absolutely loves the Peace Corps. It's great!

Free shirts and hats...and ready to work!

Some of us Peace Corps Volunteers who could attend the Tree Planting. The woman in the middle of this picture is Dr. Claude, the Associate Peace Corps Director (APCD) for Health.

With a new friend, Frederic, planting some trees.

Working that daba! Note the Peace Corps logo on the back of the tee shirt.

This may looks disgusting but it made for a good photo. =)

In other news, the last weekend before Swear-In, our whole GEE team took a trip about 25 km to Sabou. There's a lake filled with sacred crocodiles but I felt as though they were accustomed to the massive amounts of tourists. It started off with one of the guys that worked there luring the crocodiles with a dead chicken at the end of a long piece of rope. Eventually, it would really the crocodiles in and...well...we all got to take pictures next to it!

Sacred crocodiles in Sabou. I'm touching its tail! Holy @%#$!

The whole experience itself was a little anticlimactic BUT I enjoyed it nonetheless and it's just another thing I can check off my list.

The trainees come for a visit...

Every year during PST, the new trainees either do a site visit or do something called 'demystification' (or 'demyst' for short). Demyst consists of a small group of trainees, accompanied with their language teacher, who visit a current Volunteer for a couple of days to see how life is like in Burkina Faso. It's a great way to get a better idea of how your life will be like for the next 2 years...also, it's a way to get away for a couple of days from the hecticness/craziness that is PST!


When they arrived on Friday in the afternoon, it was pouring rain. I mean, raining cats and dogs to the extreme! There were mini 'streams' all around my house and I was drenched as I biked to meet them on the main road. When they arrived I could tell they were completely exhausted because it was their first time on transport in Burkina. We ended up relaxing and snacking at my house. One of the trainees, Paula, used to teach Yoga around the world, so we did some Yoga at my school -- that hurts! I did Bikram Yoga with one of my best friends once a couple of years ago. That was intense but the Yoga I did in Burkina...for some reason, my body could feel it more. Anyway, I had the trainees get water at my pump for the first time. Absolutely hilarious! As nightfall hit, my neighbors came by and cooked the national dish of Burkina Faso -- tô -- with leaf sauce. Tô has the consistency of jello and grits & looks like mashed potatoes. Hard to explain but actually really good -- really, it depends on the sauce.

Getting water at my pump! Talk about a workout. Seriously!

Some of the trainees enjoying tô with leaf sauce. So good! You can see my neighbor, Madame Constance, to the left of the picture.

Saturday was the big day where we did a long walking tour of my site. We met all the authorities that were there (the mayor, the police, etc.) and I was able to show them centre-ville (downtown, but not in the American sense...don't get it twisted, haha), the market, etc. Before the trainees arrived, I talked to the Directors of my high school and primary school, asking if I could borrow the classroom keys so the trainees can observe a typical Burkinabe classroom and make their observations/comparisons. So we were able to do that as well. In the end, it was an absolutely tiring and busy day, however, I think they got a better idea of how their lives would be like for the next 2 years.

At the sign nearby my house. Getting ready for a day full of walking and getting to know my site.

At the end of the day on my porch with some of the neighborhood kids (including a couple from my Girls' Club!).

Sunday was the final day and I offered the opportunity to see Jon's site. Jon was up in Ouaga teaching English at a summer camp-type thing, but we have the keys to each other's house, so I thought it would be a good opportunity for the trainees to see more of a village (since my site is more of a small town). Jon's counterpart, Papa, is seriously the best -- super motivated and willing to go above and beyond his 'call of duty,' so to speak. I texted him the night before, asking if he'd be able to give us a little tour. We saw Jon's house, dropped by the church, saw the market/common meeting grounds area and also took a look at the lake. Coming back, it was more relaxed and Jillian (another GEE volunteer in my area) came by to speak with the trainees on her life here, the activities she's implemented at site and to answer any questions they had -- all under my neighbors' big, shady tree. And Rachid made them try traditional African tea (3 glasses, which each consecutive glass getting sweeter and sweeter)! For dinner, I invited my neighbors and Frederic, the French volunteer at my site, to eat some American and Mexican food...totally improvised. We had tuna pasta salad, grilled 'cheese' sandwiches, village tacos (thank God for taco seasoning from the US!) and cucumbers with vinegar and black pepper. Mmmmm!

This is at Jon's site which has a little lake. The trainees are with Papa, Jon's homologue.


Drinking dolo, local millet beer here in Burkina Faso.

The trainees trying African tea for the first time. That courtyard under the tree is where I probably spend most of my time (chez the Ouattaras). Rachid's laughing in the background!

Mixing tuna pasta salad. With no electricity and multiple ingredients, it apparently takes 3 people! This picture is deceiving because it was super dark.

Grace-Victoire, the baby daughter of Madame Constance. So cute!

I'm a hot, sweaty mess but look at how cute Grace-Victoire looks!

The next day was our long journey back to the new training site in Koudougou, the third largest town in Burkina Faso (after Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulassso but before Ouahigouya). It was my first time traveling to the western part of the country and so far, I'm liking it!

Overall, I will say that preparing for demyst was stressful. I only had a day or two to prepare, meaning telling everyone at my site that they'd be coming, cleaning my house like no other (I regularly sweep my house but this time around, I cleaned everything) and just running around like crazy. But in the end, it was all worth it and I had an amazing time with the trainees and their language teacher. We're even thinking of doing a little reunion once they become settled in their sites and are official Peace Corps Volunteers!

More importantly, demyst made me appreciate my site that much more. Now that I'm moving on to my second and final year here in Burkina Faso, I feel like my footing on the ground much more solid and that, my friends, is an amazing feeling (especially if you look at me from a year ago)!

PST is in full swing again!

It's been a year since I've been in Ouahigouya but damn, does it feel good to be back. There's something to be said about spending your first three months in a foreign country and calling it "home" -- and coming back after a year elsewhere, it feels like...well, it feels like home. Like going back to the US. I guess it's that sense of nostalgia that's tied to Ouahigouya that's made me feel so comfortable.

Anyway, PST (Pre-Service Training) for the new group of Trainees is finally here and I got here a week before their arrival (around the middle of June) to help prepare with our Technical Trainers, Diallo and Awa. They are absolutely amazing and it's bizarre being on the other side of the training realm. Hectic, exhausting but enjoyable all at the same time!

Before really getting in the full swing of things, Gwen, Marita, Ilana and I headed to my host family's village (Komsilga) to visit the host family!! I was so excited and anxious at the same time -- it's been a year since being there. Fortunately, Ilana was with us and her Moore is really good. Long story short, what I thought would be a quick "hello-bonjour" visit for no more than 30 minutes turned into a three-hour ordeal of greeting everyone. I almost forgot how long greetings were in the north of BF! Greeting the chef (village chief) and the rest of the village community was exhausting but something that I really, really miss, especially since the people in the south where I live are less keen to greet. When I went to visit my host family, it was just as I had left it, except my host grandfather was there. Man, talk about feeling like I was at home for a bit.

My host dad, Mamadou and I, next to the new mosque built at Komsilga, my old host village. My my, how things have changed! But my host dad is still the same -- laughing all the time!

Me with my host family's compound in the distance. Second home!

Fast-forward to June 23, I was lucky enough to go meet the new Trainees (Peace Corps Trainees = PCTs) at the airport in Ouaga. It was overwhelming seeing 57 Americans walk out of the airport and start their two years of Peace Corps service. Fielding all of their questions was quite the experience -- I forgot how many questions I asked as a PCT! We headed up to Ouahigouya, had a great welcome ceremony and started the nine-weeks of training. I don't even know where to begin in describing the hecticness of PST but what I do know is that I love it. In total, there are 79 PCTs here in Burkina Faso and it's the first time that all four sectors (Secondary Education, Girls' Education and Empowerment, Small Enterprise Development and Community Health) are coming together at the same time. Love being busy, meeting new people and getting PCTs acclimated to their new life. Sure, there were a few unfortunate glitches in our training but for the most part, things have been going well! The idea of the Peace Corps family is what keeps me (and everyone else) going.

Welcoming the new Trainees at the airport.

Marita, Jessi and I in our wonderfully awesome and decorative GEE cubicle!

Come July 4, the Peace Corps helped organized our celebration in Ouaga. Cake, cold sodas and beers, burgers, potato salad and chilling by the pool = the perfect July 4th celebration! I also came to the realization that this is my second time celebrating July 4th out of the US. Crazy!

Audrey and I chilling at the pool during the July 4th celebration. Second one for me outside the US!

I'm heading back to site after being gone for almost a month. I'll be having a few GEE PCTs come to my site next weekend for demystification. Demystification (or demyst, for short) is where PCTs visit a current PCVs' site and see how their life is like for a couple days. I'm a little nervous for that seeing as how I haven't been to site for a while due to PST, plus no one will be there since the school year's over and everyone either heads back to the big cities or visits their family in Cote d'Ivoire and elsewhere. Wish me luck!

Note: All pictures are taken courtesy of Gwen, the picture queen. Seriously, she takes pictures all the time and I love it.

Camels and cute kids. And life in a nutshell.

I realized it's been too long since I've blogged, so I've decided to share some pictures with you all.

Jonas & Demetrius drop by!

Cute kids...although they are starting to become really mischievous. I remember that age!

Camel riding in Bani (northern Burkina Faso). Sadly, my camera battery died soon after this picture...Gwen has more though!

On a completely different note, things have been absolutely busy! Since the end of May, it's been lots of traveling back and forth between my site and Ouaga. I haven't even had the time (or energy) to write in my personal journal which has been a must for me since I first got here. Training Design and Evaluation (TDE) Workshop for a week in Ouaga with all the PCVFPs, Technical Trainers and other Peace Corps staff to re-evaluate each sector's project plan and create the Calendar of Training Events (COTE) for our training group. Lots of work but it's something I really enjoyed because I felt like we were able to implement a lot of the changes we wanted for our training a year ago. Then I had Peer Support & Diversity Network (PSDN) training, which is a Peace Corps committee which provides emotional support to our fellow volunteers. Luckily, I was elected Co-Chair with Bovard, so this should be one interesting year!! Takes me back to my RA days, senior year at LMU, haha! I went back to site for a little bit, then headed to Ouahigouya (haven't been there since training a year ago!) in June for Training of Trainers (TOT) Workshop. All the PCVFPs, PCVFs and Technical Trainers got together to learn how to properly facilitate sessions and what to expect as the Trainees arrive. It was like a mini-reunion for us all! As well, Madame Ouattara got the post as Language and Culture Facilitator (LCF) so she was there as well. It was interesting bringing my life at home/site and my Peace Corps life together! And it felt like having an aunt with me throughout TOT. Haha! I headed back to site to do a little work and start a Moringa pepiniere (nursery) with my CM Girls' Club (more pictures in the next blog post). I'm here in Ouaga for my VAC meeting and come tomorrow, I head to Ouahigouya to prepare for the arrival of our GEE Trainees. About 20 Trainees coming to Burkina Faso in a week. Exciting!!

April heat.

Despite the crazy April heat, since I live here in the Southwest of Burkina Faso, temperatures have been relatively cooler and there have even been a few days of rain! Which can only mean one thing: rainy season is coming!! Meaning cooler temperatures and greenery everywhere.

Jon biked over one day and being the climber that he is, he climbed a couple of the huge trees near my house. Ali followed suit and they both ended up taking pictures, especially this cool aerial shot of me and my house. More pictures of my house to come when it gets greener down here!

Ali!

Jon the Fearless Climber!

Aerial view of me and my house. What up, world?!

And some pictures for your viewing pleasure that helps describe 'a day in the life...'.

Madame Ouattara and some kids, pounding away some corn. Mmmmm.

Madame Constance and one of the cutest babies ever, Grace-Victoire.

Me taking a stab at pounding the corn. Talk about exhausting labor after doing it for a while. That's Clemence in the background, Madame Ouattara's niece.

A photo of the sky the other day. Look at how ominous the clouds look. While I love the rain, I absolutely hate the bomb-like thunder that comes with it. Which explains why I ran over to my neighbor's house that night because I was scared shitless/shaking from the thunder. Insane!! But thank God for amazing neighbors.

It's insane to think it's almost the end of April (Happy Early Birthday, Dad!) and in a month or two, the end of the school year! I've been selected as a PCVFP (Peace Corps Volunteer Facilitator Permanent) for the upcoming training (PST = Pre-Service Training) for our new set of Peace Corps Trainees come June. I'll be helping to formulate the training content, getting them acclimated to life here in Burkina Faso and just being a part of their support group. Exciting stuff! Since the students will be on vacation, this falls perfectly. And to think, I was in their place a year ago!

I swear -- and I'll say this this time and time again -- the days feel like they take an eternity but the weeks and months fly by! There have been so many instances where I think, 'Wow, you've been living here in Africa for almost a year!' If you look at the Michael back in September 2009 when I first arrived at site to the Michael right now in April 2010, you'd notice a considerable difference.