Everyone: meet Demetrius.

Hello friends!

I'll be posting a more thought-filled blog entry soon but right now, I shall spoil you all with pictures!

Long story short, there's this kid named Demetrius that lives in my village/town. I don't quite know how old he is but I'm guessing around 4 or 5. He came by my house one day back in September/October and seriously, he's become one of my favorite kids! He doesn't speak much French except for: bonjour (good morning/hello), ca va? (how are you?) and donne-moi un Bic/un bonbon/un cadeau/etc. (give me a pen/candy/a gift/etc.). So he'd come fairly regularly to just chill on my porch. I figured, why not teach him a little French so I informally taught him how to say words such as une porte (door), une fenetre (window) and other simple things to keep him up to speed so that when he finally starts going to school, he'll have a little more knowledge.

In any case, after a week or two of coming by almost everyday, he stopped coming and I hadn't seem him since...until this past week! As you know, the one New Year's Resolution I have is to take more pictures of my community and man, do the kids sure love taking pictures. Demetrius kept asking if I could take pictures and since Armel was there, I was like, thi

Meet Demetrius! Enjoy!

Our normal picture.

Haha!

I love this kid!

Notice how Demetrius' face always changes in the pictures while mine remains constant.

This photo best describes my reaction to Demetrius everytime he comes by.

Gotcha!

Armel and Demetrius!

Back at site with an Action Plan!

Ahhh yes...back at site. After being around Americans for so long (IST, Ghana and New Year's in Ouaga) plus enjoying hot showers, toilets and the like, it's a definite change being back at site. Don't get me wrong -- it feels good to be back!

I was welcomed home with this chalk drawing on my door. I'm going to take a wild guess (sarcasm) and say it's a drawing of me...doing karate. Oh, the joy of living right across from the Primary School! I still love the kids though. Haha!

I guess getting back into the flow of things is probably the hardest part. And now that I've finished my first three months at site, I keep asking myself, like anyone else in my GEE training group, what next?

During our IST, we were asked to make an Action Plan which details what we'll be doing in the next few months at our sites. While most activities you list won't go as planned, it's a great guide to have at site since we have no structure in our daily routines. Plus, translating it into French gives you an actual document to present to the Director of the school or the Inspecteur (in charge of all the primary schools in a certain district; like the boss of all the school directors within a school district). I showed it to Jean, my homologue (assigned counterpart in the community) and it was just good to discuss my future plans and see if we can implement them elsewhere if it works.

I've thought of about 6 activities I'd like to implement from now until May, two of which I want to at least start this month (January): 1) completing Clay's World Map and 2) doing alphabet and number drawings for CP1 and CP2 classes. I figure starting small is the best idea, plus it'll give me more motivation to take on the bigger projects/ideas that I have in my Action Plan.

Clay, the volunteer I replaced, painted this incredibly detailed World Map on one of the big walls at the Primary School across my house. It's so well done! When I first arrived at site, many people, especially teachers, asked me "When are you finishing the World Map?" I looked at it and asked what was unfinished, and they said that not all the countries were listed. So I figured, why not name all of them to help students with their geography, plus add a few other things (a compass, the Peace Corps logo, a "Carte du Monde" [Map of the World] title, a list of the 5 major oceans and the major continents...by the way, the education system here teaches students that there are only 5 continents while in the US, we were taught there are 7. Interesting, eh?). It'll be a good initial project to get me out of my house and doing something productive. Just need to buy the paint and translate all the countries in French. Let's go!

An idea I got from an older GEE Volunteer was doing alphabet and number drawings for CP1 and CP2 students (the equivalent of Kindergarten and 1st Grade). It not only helps students with literacy but can make the classroom a little more decorative and conducive to creative learning. The idea is to write/color the letters individually on regular sheets of paper. I'd come in to the class a couple of times a week and present a few letters, have kids repeat them, write them on their little chalkboards, write words on the big chalkboard and ask them to identify the letter, and possibly do drawings of objects that have the discussed letter in them. In the end, I would tape these letter and number drawings/letters around the classroom and teach them the alphabet song to ensure proper pronunciation and memorization. Hope the kids are receptive to this! I've noticed that there isn't much (rather, any) creativity in the lesson plan and I'm hopng this will spice it up a bit and motivate kids at an early age. We all know this -- literacy/education is key to having a successful and productive life, and in a country that has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world (if not the lowest), this small activity is one small step to changing that!

On another note, I'm not one to make many New Year's Resolutions, partially because I never really follow them. But if there's one that I definitely want to stick with, it's this: take more pictures of your community, the people you live with and where you live!! I regret not taking more pictures of kids during my first three months at site. I was afraid they'd view me differently if I just whipped out my camera but I realized that they love pictures, plus before I know it, my two years will have passed and I would have no pictures to show for it!

A little girl named Aneq. I thought she was at least in the eauivalent of Kindergarten but she's not old enough to go to school.

Aneq, Armel, Karem and another young kid (it's hard to remember everyone's names) on my porch. You can see the Ouattaras' house in the background. Armel is one of the first kids I met and has helped me out a lot. Also, this picture is a perfect example of the age hierarchy here...look at how Karem is about to hit the little kid to get out of the picture! Oyy vey.

Wish me luck and please, please, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers!

So I live in a village...

It's so surreal to finally say that I live in a village in Africa! Say whaaaat?!

Several days ago, we each moved in with our host families...the Secondary Education trainees all had places to stay in the city (Ouahigouya) while the Girls' Education and Empowerment (GEE) (me!!) volunteers were sent off to three separate villages (ranging from 4-10 people in each). The people that tested highest in French language proficiency were sent off to the farthest village and since I had some French background, off I was with 3 others to the farthest village (maybe about 10-12 km) from Ouahigouya.

The adoption ceremony was funny, inspiring but also extremely awkward. The PC truck dropped 4 of us off at our village (due to PC security reasons, I can't give out my village name so I'll be referring to it as 'K' from now on) and we had this welcome ceremony with the village chief in front, along with the male village elders, followed by the women and hundreds of children!). After, our host families grabbed all of our belongings and we made our own individual treks to our family compounds within the village...

In true organized Mikey fashion, I've broken up different categories (it helps me remember most of what I want to say and I figure it helps you all pick and choose what you want to read, haha):

• Food/Drink: You better believe I've been fed well! Food here consists of a lot of carbs...pasta noodles, rice with sauce, potatoes and yams, etc. They also have brochettes (meat on a stick) and other meat varieties. Not many vegetables except for onions, tomatoes and a few others. They have your normal fruits like bananas and apples but also have mangoes since they're in season!!!!! They're not as sweet as Philippine mangoes but they're still just as good on a hot day. As for drinks, PC provided us with water filters but we still have to put bleach in it to kill all the bacteria. It pretty much tastes like warm swimming pool water but I need to stay hydrated so it'll do. Because I'm sweating so much, I drink at least 3-5 liters a day (no joke). It's insane! They also sell bissap juice (hibiscus), ginger juice, and various other juice drinks in plastic sachets that you can drink out of. The best part: they're COLD and beat our lukewarm, bleach drinking water ANY day!


• Health: I've been doing well for the most part...I think my stomach is still getting acclimated to the food but for the most part, I'm okay. Let's hope it stays that way! Again, the PC provided us with a very thorough Medical Kit so it's all good over here.


• Transportation: I BIKE EVERYWHERE. No joke; I've never biked so much in my life. Or sweat so much either! The mountain bikes the PC provides us are being used to the max. Biking in the heat from Ouahigouya to 'K' (my village) was so exhausting! 10-12 km one way is no joke either but I need to get used to it. Fortunately, we try to bike earlier in the morning when the sun is still rising or in the afternoon before it gets dark, so the weather is a little cooler. We bike together but I think I'm gathering my bearings so I will be able to bike on my own soon. My worst fear is getting a flat tire but they've given us the tools to fix that. Also, I have a greater appreciation for paved roads and detest (but am gradually getting used to) the gravel/unpaved roads...especially the ones leading to 'K'...those are killer! The plus side is that I'll be getting toned legs/calves LOL.


• Language: Those years of French sure have come in handy! I just need to expand my French vocab and speak more with the instructor...since I was fortunate enough to place higher on the language proficiency test, I'm starting to learn one of the local languages (Mooré) which will be especially useful in village. It's so tonal and relatively hard to grasp...but lots of fun to practice with the locals! They get a kick out of it. And since greetings are SO important here in BF, it helps.


• Weather: HOT. Even if it is the rainy season. It rained yesterday so it was a lot cooler but it's back to that heat again! Sitting in the shade is glorious. That is all.


• Where I live (my hut & compound): Cozy and amazing! When I get to taking pictures, I'll start posting. My family's compound is located on a little hill, composed of about 7-8 other huts for my host parents, host brothers, host grandfather, etc. etc. They also have a prayer area (they're Muslim), a place to store their millet, and other things. I have my own mud/clay hut with a straw roof...it retains a lot of heat so I try to be outside as much as possible. Inside, I have my bed with a mosquito net, a clothesline, 2 windows with screens, and all my clothes. Can't wait to decorate and put up the map and pictures on the walls! They also built me a covered courtyard with a big straw gate around it so I can keep my bike inside! I chill here most of the time to write in my journal, eat, talk with my family, etc. I LOVE IT. We also have a lot of goats, sheep, roosters, etc. which serve as my very own alarm clock. I'm not gonna lie though...it smells a little like an animal farm, but I'm already used to it. My toilet (latrine, which is essentially a hole in the ground) and bucket bath area are side-by-side. Bucket baths are a God-send when I get back home and you only really need one bucket of water to bathe! I've been able to bathe with a view of the African sunset or the night sky, and love it...


• My host family: Let's just say they barely speak any French and only speak Fulfulde and Mooré (two of the bigger local languages). So you better believe there is a lot of awkward laughing, charade-like actions, and what I call 'French vomit' (where I say as many things I can in French and they pick up the few French words they understand). My host dad, Mahmoudou, is the guy who interacts with me the most and he is so COOL! There are a lot of men in my family and sadly, only 2 or 3 little kids. As relegated by society, the women do most of the domestic tasks but the men in my family help out, too. Since so many people come and say hi to me, I don't really know if they're part of the family or not so it gets kinda confusing from time to time. They call me Michaël in Mooré (pronounced mee-kai-yell) and my last name is Diallo (my host family's last name). I don't know what else to say but will say more later when I think of it.


• Training itself: SO mentally, physically and emotionally exhausting. The days and training sessions are long (especially in the heat) but I'm learning so much. Two days ago, we talked about the education system in Burkina Faso and it was so interesting! Training is extremely structured and getting through training itself is an obstacle to overcome (and for good reason), but so far, I like it.


• The people (the Burkinabè): Strong (both mentally and physically) and extremely friendly. As I've mentioned before, greeting EVERYONE is absolutely essential in BF...even if you don't know them, it's customary to greet with the usual "Good morning, how are you, how's the family/work/etc.?". So a 10-minute walk can easily turn into a 30-minute walk (kind of like LMU lol)!

• Fellow PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees): Like I've said before, we all come from different places, have different personalities and so forth, but our common thread is to do the Peace Corps and effectuate change through education. I'm getting to know everyone slowly and am finding my niche (as is everyone) so it feels kind of like college all over again.


• Being viewed as an 'American': One of my worst fears was not being viewed as an American because I didn't fit the standard perception. When I first got to my village, my host dad asked if I was American and I explained that while I was born in California, my parents were born in the Philippines. He seemed very receptive, smiled, and from that point on, that very fear was dispelled right away! After 20 seconds of slight awkwardness, he mentioned Barack Obama's name and we all laughed in joy! Hopefully the same will happen at my placement site.


• Reminders of home: Two things: 1) Yesterday, we had a walking tour of my village where we met the chief again and saw where we each lived. When my fellow PCTs came to my village, I showed them the photo album Camille gave me for graduation a year ago. I added more of my own pictures too and I felt so good sharing this with others; and 2) Burkina Faso reminds me a lot of the Philippines, especially the province where my dad is from. That's probably why I feel so at home in many places!

I haven't taken many pictures yet (especially at my village) because I don't want to immediately be labeled as the wealthy American...but in due time, I'll be sure to take more and post them.
Again, keep those comments coming and follow my blog. They're exciting for me to read.  =)