I'm back. It's over. Can you believe it? I know, it's hard for me too. Peace Corps is now just a part of my history. Just a crazy blur of 2 years of my life. Putting myself to the test and passing. I'll go ahead and answer publicly some of the questions I've been asked privately...

Do you miss it?

Well, there are certainly people that I miss, but I am very happy to be back home. I do not miss africa. It never really felt like home to me. Although I am amazed at how far I went to adapt to my surroundings. I sure as hell don't miss the food.

Was it worth it?

Yes. I consider the whole experience part of my education. It isn't the kind of knowledge you can get from a text book. It's life. I learned that happiness and physical wealth are completely independent (provided your basic needs are met). Yeah, you hear all the time that money can't buy happiness, but I've seen this principle in action and it gives me hope. I've learned what I'm capable of. I've got a much better idea of what it means to be American, and what common values we share with other cultures. As well as where our differences lie. I've learned I don't know everything. All the expensive knowledge I acquired in school didn't do me a damn bit of good out there in the real world. It was quite humbling, and I did need to be knocked down a peg or two. I learned that so far in my entire life I haven't had a real problem. Not like the problems faced by the people I lived with in Burkina Faso. Maybe next time I won't freak out when my computer crashes, or I stain my carpet. So it was worth it, because I needed that time to get my head on straight. But now it is time to move on to other things.

So did you help a lot of people/ did you make a difference?

Tough question...Yes, I did my job. I taught my students, and I think they learned something from me. I made real connections with my colleagues, we learned alot from each other. Still, all things totaled up, I probably got the better end of the deal. Other than fractions and atomic structure, and stories about America, I didn't have a lot of knowledge or skills that are useful to a developing community. But hey, they were all sad to see me leave and I was well liked by almost everyone. So I do not doubt that there were many intangible ways that I affected the people around me. But I'm not fooling myself into thinking I really changed the future of Bani.

Well there are other questions I've been asked....and if you have one for me please don't hesitate to ask. I enjoy sharing what I've learned. When you think of africa, I urge you not to picture what you've seen on TV. There is another way to look at what you are seeing. These people are not helpless, they are humans, like you. Don't forget that.

This is the official end of this web log (unless I think of something really important to add)

Thank you for following me on my adventure

Adam.

Me laughing at Ghana's money. Their largest bill is worth $2.

I was afraid of this monkey, but actually he was very friendly

Picture Perfect

Sushi!? Where am I...oh in Ghana.

The Fort in Apam Ghana. I slept here. Amazing

The Frenchies patrolling in Armored Vehicles. This worried me.

Kintampo Falls, One of the many times we stopped to smell the roses.

Axim Beach Resort. Nuf Said.

God I'm so cool. Orange rims..

I hope Abijan falls into the sea. I'm ready for that global warming mess to start kicking in. Having never traveled through a war ravaged region, I don't know what I was expecting from this little adventure, but nevertheless I was disappointed. Ivory Coast, and Abidjan specifically, is one fucked up place.

Crossing the border was the first sign of a poorly made decision to traverse this country. It was the most blatant coruption I've ever been party to. 50 bucks for a signature on a piece of paper! The man had a large gun, so what can you say... In fact I saw large guns at every police checkpoint, which appeared about every 20 km on the road. The police looked like they were on standby for war. Each checkpoint was a makeshift bunker. Men in uniform with a kalashnikov in one hand and a Guiness in the other.. And this was the safest part of the country!

After 2 slow days of stop and go travel, we finally reach the "Paris of West Africa". As we roll into the city, we spy the only white people we are to see for 2 days. Its the french, and they are riding in armored vehicles with large guns. Now I feel pretty dumb, and exposed, on my POS chinese motorcycle. Despite these alarming warnings, we continue, not feeling directly threatened. The disposition of the ivorians is significantly different from both the Ghanaians and the Burkinabe: they always seem to be pissed off. And they are racist, and not in the good way. They hate the french, and I guess to many of them we look like them... There were a few unpleasant incidents, none of which ended in violence (thank you jesus). Almost everyone I met tried to scam me, and I think I bought my way out of more than one fight. THIS IS NOT HOW THE REST OF WEST AFRICA IS!!! NOT AT ALL!

So we had to make a decision: continue the fight and try to make the Guinea border (a country whose political situation has recently become less stable), or turn around to a full retreat to Burkina and find safe passage to Sengal through Mali. No one was having fun and I wanted to get out as soon as possible and I had no desire to check out the rebel held territory...

So now we are just a day away from Burkina, in Ghana... Retreating, back to the green zone.

Don't judge me.

Adam

Its fun. The bikes are sweet. The road is long.

I have pictures to put up, but i forgot the damn cord at the hotel room. So I'm in Accra, the Ghanian capital. I spent last night in a 17th century dutch fort overlooking the ocean. $5 bucks a night.Can you believe it? The tiny fishing village didn't have any restaurants but you can buy a chicken back on the street for 80 cents. Now I'm sitting in an american style food court...its very very strange. I can't believe this is the same country. The driving on the coast is fantastic. It rains from time to time, which on a bike is certainly uncomfortable, but thats just part of the adventure. The bikes, while new, are most definately chinese pieces of shit. We've already had malfunctions and parts failures, but nothing a few rubber straps can't fix. Coming across the burkina- ghana border was no picnic. When we bought the bikes the salesman told us it would take 3 to 4 weeks to get license plates, and that just wasn't an option. So we just went without, which doesn't really fly when you try to get across the borders. We were stuck there for a whole day trying to convince people we weren't smugglers. We ended up paying the taxes twice (for each country) and went to the DMV in the next town. It seriously could have been a DMV in South Carolina! The difference between Ghana and Burkina is about the same as the difference between Ghana and America. This place is so far ahead. We got the plates in one day (it was however a very long day). It's been about a week since we left ouagadougou and it's gone by fast. We still have a long way to go. We don't know if we're going all the way to morocco, but we'll definately be in senegal before it's all over.

I promise I'll put up pictures (maybe by tomorrow).

Bye Bye

Adam

I'm excited.

The open road. Wind in my hair. Bugs in my teeth.

This trip is going to be memorable. I've got the bike picked out, I'm just waiting for the check so I can go cash it in. The plan is now to buy the bikes in Burkina and start the trip there. But it's only a matter of time now. One more month. One more lunar cycle.

And then its back to America.

I have to admit this transition is a bit scary. What's going to happen when people expect me to answer emails every 5 minutes? I'm used to a 2 week response time, and I like it that way. I like not being a slave to time. I like not needing a watch. I like being my own boss. I like having 7 hours of free time every day. I like being the big shot in my town. I even like sleeping outside under a tree.

Its going to be an adjustment, but at least it comes with all the perks. I'm going to be sad to leave here, it's true. But all good things must come to an end. C'est la vie, quoi.

Hello again.

Charlie and Janet, thanks alot for the package. I really appreciated it. You guys are good friends.

How am I doing? Glad you asked.

Things are winding down for me here in Burkina Faso. Only 10 weeks left of service. 10 weeks. Hard to believe that I'll soon be back in the states. So I'm sure you're wondering what my plans are after this, it's a question I usually get within the first 5 minutes of meeting a new person. Of course I've thought alot about it, I'm very aware that peace corps is a temporary gig. In fact lately I've been thinking about little else. But after much reflection I have a plan ready to be executed.

First thing is first. A vacation is direly in order. It's time to celebrate an accomplishement well earned in my blood, sweat (oh lots of sweat), and tears (metaphorically speaking). My end date is June 3rd, and soon after I am going with the rest of my training group down to the beaches of Ghana. It is there in Accra that I, along with Josh and Malcolm, will use the money we will get from selling our plane tickets to buy new chinese motorcycles (they aren't that expensive, about $1500) and start driving up the coast. We plan to cross Ivory Coast, Guinea, Sierra Leonne, the Gambia, and end up in Dakar, Senegal (skipping Liberia, that place is fucked up). If after all of this travel we are still feeling adventurous, we can continue through Mauritania and western sahara to get to Morocco, A country I've been dying to visit (not literally mom). If not we can just sell the bikes in Senegal and get back to the USA by boat or plane. Ideally we could sell the bikes for enough to take a cruise back. Should be one hell of an adventure.

So then what? I can't just live on my parents couch. Well not for too long anyways. I won't feel too guilty about it because I'll be going back to school in the fall. Thats right, I've been busy. I've sent in applications, taken tests. I'm going to Duke University in September. I've enrolled in a two year masters progam in Clinical Medical Physics. It looks like a pretty sweet deal. Check it out for yourself if you're curious: http://medicalphysics.duke.edu/

So yeah, I told myself I wasn't going to move back to the south. I wanted to see other parts to the country, but Duke has a solid program and it is a new field of study. So you can come find my in Durham, NC. I'm gonna be a cameron crazy. I heard they got knocked out in the first round this year, but don't doubt coach K.I'll see a champoinship game.

But in the 10 weeks that are left I'm going to keep on working to help my little village. Right now I'm working on gettting a project together for a community garden to generate income for the parents of my students. I'm going to experiment with drip irrigation, a system which will supposedly drastically curb the amount of water wasted compared to traditional dry season gardening. I will be a funded project and I will need your financial support. There are official channels through which to help me but I have to write up the project first and deal with some red tape. I will give you more details later but this will be a way for you at home to directly contribute to the developement of my village. Thanks in advance.

Adam.

So it has been a long time since I've posted anything. I wonder if anyone still checks this site. If you do I owe you an apology. I've just sort of been absorbed here. But I'll fill you in on some news.

I almost got kicked out of Peace Corps for being in the right place at the wrong time. For about 3 days I really thought I was coming home. I even told people to cancel trips to visit me. what happened? Well I was on vacation on the coast of Ghana and it was absolute paradise. When it came time to head back, I didn't want to go. Neither did the group I was with. I stayed with them and I didn't inform the administration. Then the bad luck hit. Ouagadougou turned into a warzone for about 2 days; the police and the militiary were having their own personal gang war in the capital. I was in no danger because I was on the beach learning to surf at the time, but the country director starting looking for all the volunteers because they were going into crisis lock down mode. Needless to say they couldn't find me for days and were about to call washington to report me missing when I finally contacted them. They were not happy. It was a risky call and I got busted; being out of country is a serious offense and I'm lucky to still be here. By the way, I'm not in any danger if you were scared by the political instability I just mentioned. Let's just hope it goes away.

That said, Ghana is amazing. Not at all touristy, cheap as hell, and as close to paradise as I would need. I'm going to look for jobs in Accra. It was that much fun. Pictures will be posted as soon as possible.

School is a breeze now. There is no substitute for experience. I discovered that really enjoy teaching, that maybe I should think about doing it professionally. I suppose I should be thinking about what I'm going to be doing after Peace Corps since I only have 5 months left of service. I sent out a few grad school apps, so we'll see if anything bites.

My other projects are getting started. I helped organize a tree planting at the school, I even got funding from the local Parent Teacher Association (not a trivial accomplishment). So now we have 28 new saplings, mostly eucalyptus. My neighbor and I also started a girls club with the female students. We've only had a few meetings so far, and we are working out the kinks, but it seems to be a positive experience for everyone involved. We are teaching them about family planning, female sexual health, career advancement, savings and credit, and even thinking about doing a little amateur theater. Its a start, but a good start. I've even had some of the boys come visit me to tell me that they are jealous and they too want a club. go figure.

Other things have happened, but for some reason I haven't opened my journal in 2 months. I'll get on that. But I'm getting to the end, and I guess its making my lazy or something.

Pictures to come.

Adam

A little Ramadan touch.

El Hajji poses.

And flypaper...with flies...lots o flies.

From my Journal:

October 5th

Being back home felt really good. Better than I thought it would. So much so that being back here in Bani made me a bit homesick. It wasn’t so much the creature comforts that I missed. I can go without papa johns and sushi and air conditioning, wireless internet…etc. It was that I wasn’t a foreigner, that I was around people that understood where I was coming from. I cannot exaggerate how good it was to see my family and friends.

So for the first few days back I was kind of in a bad mood. But I’m already starting to snap out of it. I’m headed back to the classroom on Monday, so work will keep my busy. All of the students and teachers have already returned. Bani is no longer a ghost town.

On a sad note, my schools financial officer died last week in a motorcycle accident about 20 miles up the road. He was riding back from Dori at night after having a few beers and ran into a kid on a bicycle. He fell and suffered a serious head injury because he was not wearing a helmet. The boy on the bike was only slightly hurt. The entire teaching community is shocked and heavy hearted. The community as well.

My return to village coincides with the beginning of the Ramadan holidays; one month of fasting marked by a long party at the und. Last year I tried to fast, but it didn’t really work out. Allah didn’t give me the strength. But I told everyone I’d give it a go on Friday.

In this diary I’ve proposed or vowed to complete various secondary projects. There’s the cheese making, the basketball court, and the local bank. I’ve been contemplating others as well. I’m working on a curriculum for a health. I was a bit taken aback by their lack of knowledge about the most basic ideas of hygiene, nutrition, and sexual health. I hope to incorporate this class into the students’ schedule or hold after school sessions. The first class will be on microbes and the importance of using soap. I’m going to try and get one of the microscopes working, so I can prove to them that bacteria actually exist.

I’m also hoping to help start up a girls club. It could give me a more appropriate forum to talk to them about issues that relate specifically to them and their community. I’m thinking half fun/ half work. One day we plant trees, another we can have a soccer game.

As far as my previous projects go, I’ve pretty much abandoned the cheese making. Its an idea better suited to a larger town that already has some kind of supply structure (like a dairy) and electricity (for conservation/ refrigeration). I’ve also backed out of the basketball court because I’m still not sure how I feel about doing funded projects. If I id have the extra money I would still consider doing it, but I’m afraid that the first time the rim breaks, everyone is just going to say “ fuck it, its not my court”. No one will maintain it because that didn’t build it, because it isn’t a priority to them. In a year all it will be is a monument to good intentions and arrogance. It still would be a nice gesture, maybe I’m just being cynical.

Lastly, if that bank doesn’t open its doors before I leave I’m gonna hurt someone. I will make this project happen. I only have 8 months left so I had better stop talking about it and get off my and do something. Not right now though, it’s too damn hot.

Oct 8

So I did try the Ramadan thing this week. I made it until 3:30 before I gave up. I had stopped sweating around 2 which is only alarming when it’s 110 degrees outside, which it was. My mistake was that I advertised to everyone that I was going to attempt the fast, so when I gave up I had to admit it publicly. Now it’s a big joke how the whitey is a wuss because he can’t go a day without water. Ok fine, laugh it up.

Sharing my courtyard has been a bit more problematic than I initially foresaw. My shower area has recently become a public urinal. If I went to a strangers house and took a piss in his shower, do you think I’d be a bit ashamed? Not here. I watched people do it right in front of me with a giant smile on their face and then tell me to have a nice day. My solution was to put in a door (with lock) in order to encourage my visitors to relieve themselves at the hole in the next stall over. I thought that was pretty clever but I found out the villagers were one step ahead of me. Instead of peeing directly “in” the hole as God intended, I ended up with a constant pool of urine around it. It’s not like someone aimed and missed, that I can understand, they went in the corners for some reason that must make sense only to them. Anyways, I’ve been forced to put up a second door. Tried it the nice guy way and I don’t care if they do call me “complicated”, a word I generally find related with white people and their weird habits and customs (like not standing in someone’s urine while I’m trying to bathe myself). I’m not really that angry about it, but I do feel the need to vent my frustrations. There are some advantages to having a new neighbor. His wife does sweep the courtyard from time to time…Actually that’s about it. Sometimes the company is nice. Although we really only talk about how cool my cell phone is.

Enough of that. School starts in 2 days. The regional director is finally going to have mercy on us and supply a full compliment of teachers. That’ll make 4 of us. My schedule is even better than it was last year. I get Fridays off and I don’t have to teach the youngest class; I had a hard time controlling them. The curriculum is also way to basic for me to enjoy teaching it. ‘This is a square, look, an angle; behold the fraction.” Now I’m just taking the two middle classes in math and science. I’m looking forward to getting back in the classroom.

Oct 11

In preparation for taking the GRE at the end of the month, I’ve made an effort to write something everyday.

Since I’ve been back 3 people have separately come up to me to ask when this bank I keep talking about is going to show up. At first this makes me happy that one of my ideas is generally considered a good one. Right after that I get angry that I’ve waited so long. It was a bad decision to work with Kabore, he is far more concerned about his own interests than that of the public which elected him mayor. If he ever does help me make this project a reality, it will be because he will somehow benefit. He’s not a bad guy, I really believe that. Boly calls him mediocre, I think it is pretty accurate.

When Mssr. Le Maire showed up at school yesterday I asked him what his platform was and what he was going to do for Bani. He laughed, said he had no agenda, and suggested that I propose one to him. Was he joking or serious? Probably a mix of the two with more of the latter. Since his inauguration, he has done little but travel to various training sessions all over the country. When I ask him what he learns at these “formations”, he answers simply “how to be a mayor”. I admit that it would be impossible to create a municipal government from scratch without some outside guidance, but he doesn’t seem to be doing any of the functions that I would expect from a local government. Many of the details concerning this transition of power are unknown to me, and Kabore may have many projects he isn’t telling me about. I just don’t see how among farmers and shepards, a man can be a born politician. But there he is.

So anyways while he was at the school (probably paying the tuition for the 4 or 5 kids/orphans he supports financially) I told him I’m tired of waiting and I’m going to talk to the bank people in Dori on Friday, with or without him. Of course his response was that he was “waiting for me to come back from vacation.” Ok, whatever. He said he would try to find time in his busy schedule but that they were breaking ground on the mayor’s office in the next county over, so he had to go to that. In Africa you don’t turn down a per diem, which I assume was included Despite that fact that I don’t give out per diem, he did seem genuinely interested in trying to make it to the meeting. I told him if he couldn’t make it to send someone else. He said ok but my bet is I’ll just be doing this thing alone, or looking for another partner.

I gave my first classes of the year today. I’m pretty pleased with how far I’ve come as a teacher here. The biggest difference is the French, sometimes I even think in it. But I’m not going to tolerate bad behavior like I did last year. They aren’t bad kids but then there are 97 of them packed into a little room like sardines. You just can’t stay in control without military discipline. It’s a volatile situation. If one kid gets excited, that’s it. Forget it. Game over. The laboratory is already showing potential. It’s been cleaned and I’ve moved in two big tables. All the materials still need to be washed and organized, but it should be open for business by the end of next week. I took out the microscope after class today and we took a closer look at some flies and grasshoppers. Pretty cool.

I want to congratulate myself on winning the war over my latrine. The doors are installed and they work perfectly!

October 20th

To my surprise my meeting with the credit union went off without a hitch. Kabore send his 2nd in command to help me and we had an interesting conversation with the regional director. I learned a few things. First is that there are a few people in Bani what are pretty far in the red already with the bank. Not encouraging. Second, once you have use a cow patty as a pillow, you can’t sleep on anything else. I’m not exactly sure how our conversation descended to this but we spent a lot of time talking about Peuhl culture. The idea of saving money in a bank is almost contradictory to the way people live here. Not here in Africa, but here in the very north where agriculture is pretty much a waste of time. The Fulani are shepards, they raise beef and goat. At first glance you wouldn’t suspect that this fact has anything to do with banking, but this is because Americans are not emotionally attached to their steaks. To put money in the bank, you have to sell livestock, something the Fulani refuse to do. They would much prefer to measure their wealth in cattle than in francs, despite the fact that cows die and money doesn’t. The attachment to their herd is comparable to the feelings I would have to a dong I’ve had for 10 years. Actually it may be ever stronger because they actually live for months solely off the milk. So it’s more like a dog that keeps you alive.

This is why a Peuhl would rather go into debt than sell off his friends. This is why the credit union is having such a hard time up here in the north. And the regional director admitted this much in our meeting. He even sympathized, telling us about a goat someone gave him for Tabasci (a muslim holiday). He just couldn’t bring himself to eat it. Eventually his wife got fed up and made him sell it but he said he had to leave the house when it actually happened.

The best way to sum up this phenomenon is a rule that is particular to Fulani culture. If you buy a cow from a Peuhl and as you are walking away he starts to cry, you are obliged to sell it back to him.

Anyways, we’ll see if anything actually comes of this meeting. Kabore needs to find a plot of land in the village and start gathering building materials. We’ll see what his plan is.

October 23

Last night signaled the end of the month of fasting for Ramadan. In the spirit of the occasion I decided to do something nice and share a bit of my culture with the Burkinabe. I went to the market to buy materials to carve a jack-o-lantern, but unfortunately pumpkins are unknown to this part of the world. So I ended up making a special Ramadan watermelon-o-lantern. It had the desired effect. I put it in front of the mosque and it was admired by everyone who walked by. I also gave them the fruit to break their fast with.

Finally some encouraging developments at school: The ministry sent us 3 new teachers and we now have a full staff. Since all three are starting their first year as teachers, they are considered volunteers by the state. Officially they are still in training and thus receive no salary. Regardless they seem to be motivated and capable. It is also worth mentioning that one of them is a woman. It is rare to see women in any position of authority. Times appear to be changing, but it’s still a man’s world.

As a result, the director has reduced my weekly hours to 9. I’m rather ambivalent about the change, I could actually use the extra free time to work on secondary projects.

My American vacation is coming to a close. Only a few more days left. I didn't do anything really special (well I did see the Raconteurs at the Tabernacle); I just tried to resume the life of leisure I led before Peace Corps. I ate everything I wanted to, saw almost everyone I could, watched too much TV, saw the latest films, drank real beer, tried the new X box, went to the mall, walked around wal-mart, etc... Best meal: all you can eat sushi at Rusans Atlanta.

I'm flying out thursday morning. You might be wondering if I'm dreading my return to the dark continent. No, I'm not. I am however looking forward to finishing my service and coming home. 8 more months, one more school year. It should go by quickly.

In the meantime, one more monday night football game: Atlanta at New Orleans. give 'em hell.

Adam.

So for those of you who didn't already know, America is freakin awesome. Everything works just like its supposed to. Its amazing. I can understand everything anyone says to me at any time. I haven't caught one intestinal bacteria, amoeba, or virus. I actually want to eat(understatement of the year)! There are toilets everywhere. Stores are the size of entire African villages and the people are the size of small houses.

Yes, I'm just sitting on a comfy leather couch on a lazy sunday moring watching college football on the big screen tv, and blogging on my laptop with wireless internet. I'm satisfying all of my culinary cravings. All the jew food I can handle (read: lox and bagel), seafood, landfood, skyfood...Whatever my heart (stomach) desires. I hope I never take my confortable life for granted ever again, but chances are that after a few weeks of being back, I'll start bitching about the stupid little things like everyone else.

I've spent the last week with the parents. They're doing well, happy and healthy. But now its time to cut loose a bit. I'm starting a little road trip this afternoon to Hotlanta, just to see what I can dig up.

I have a cell phone for my stay stateside: 803 322 2735

Get ready.

Ok friends and family. I'm coming to see you. I'm getting on that plane monday night headed for the eastern seaboard. I'll be making stops in Columbia and Atlanta at some point during my vacation, so be ready.

While you are waiting, take a look at a few photos that I haven't had the chance to post up until now:

So I don't have any pictures of me actually teaching in Bani, but here I am in front of a model school class during training. I am teaching a lesson on combustion.

Same thing.

Big Malcolm. Training 2006How to push start a semi.

A village Wal-Mart. Let me list what I can buy in my town: Spaghetti noodles, detergent, soap, bubble gum, cookies, cloth fabric, tomato paste, oil, vinegar, rice, flashlight, fake batteries, matches, cigarettes, kleenex (10 in a pack), a warm coke, chinese green tea, sugar, rubber straps, super glue, bike tire patches, kerosene lamp, kerosene, gasoline, mayonaise, salt, mosquito coil, nescafe, teabags, and flip flops. I'm sure I missed a few things but you get the gist.I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone again. Adam.

The larvae of the guinea worm is ingested by drinking contaminated water. Once the baby worm is in the stomach of its host, it grows to the length of many meters. It pierces through the lining of the stomach and makes its way through the connective tissues of the body and after about 9 months of incubation, exits the body usually in a lower appendage (usually through the foot or leg, but sometimes through more delicate places I will not mention here). Once the worm has eaten its way through you, its magical journey comes to an end by poking its end out and laying thousands of new larvae when the host comes in contact with water (usually the drinking source for the village, thereby renewing the contamination). Once the worm has made it's exit, the only way to remove it is to roll the bugger around a match, inch by slow inch. This treatment can take weeks, and if the little bastard breaks in the process, you have to start all over again. The process is extremely painful for the host as you can imagine, painful enough to keep people from working the land which keeps them alive. Not only is the parasite excruciating, but also devastating to the economy of the family as well as the entire village.

Jimmy Carter has taken on the challenge of eradicating this organism from Africa (and thus the face of the planet) through his organization, Global 2000. The solution is simple enough in theory, don't drink contaminated water. The problem is that in the many places that don't have pumps, the villagers are forced to drink the rainwater that collects in ditches and ponds. The mission is carried out by installing pumps, and organized trips into villages called "sensibilizations" (its a buzz word meaning to educate people in common sense). In these sensibilisations, one of which I had the opportunity to participate, we distributed filters and taught the villagers how to use them properly. We also talked about treatments and quarantine for those afflicted by the worm.

Burkina Faso has all but won the fight against the guinea worm. There were a reported 34 cases last year, compared to many thousands just 10 years ago. The program is working. The only countries that are loosing this fight, do so because war and violence keeps health workers from doing their jobs. Paradoxically enough, in my attempt to help with these sensibilizations, I became more jaded about development work. I won't go into it too much, but the substantial money budgeted to this project seems to have been completely wasted in my opinion. Most of the money was spent throwing an extravagant opening ceremony for a lot of high level government authorities. Once the party was over and everyone drove off, no one from the program wanted to do anything. In fact I got the feeling that we were not even welcomed, because this means than those responsable actually had to do work. The problem with development work is that it's goal is to eliminate the need for it's existance. Can this formula possibly ever lead to the results we are looking for? If the Burkina Faso Guinea Worm Project is successful, everyone that is employed by it will loose their jobs. It is therefore not in their interests to fullfill their mission, a fact that was very obvious to me throughout the experience. It was very interesting to see what it was like to work alongside the Burkinabe government, I found it educational.

The opening ceremony included theater, dance, music, and catered food for the invited guests.

Here I am distributing water filters. This poor kid is scared of me, but this is not uncommon.

When in the fields, it is impossible to find clean water. These orange tubes have filters in them, and the children use them as straws and tie them around their necks. This kid is being taugh how it works.

This is me stoping the Guinea Worm.

Things are moving along here in Afrique. I finished my month at training. I gotta say I dropped some serious knowledge on the new volunteers. Thanks to me they are now all fully armed to fight the battles against ignorance, poverty, and inequality. So I'm exaggerating...slightly. But seriously, It's a really good group of people, not one person quit volunarily (to the surprise of everyone because it's a first as far as I know).

As one group comes in, another has to leave. This make me a "senior", meaning I am part of the next group to close service. Its kinda scary. Seniors rule!

The way I wrote this the first time was understandibly confusing

I am coming home to visit for a few days. Then it's back to burkina to finish out my service.

I’m flying in on the 12th of September and leaving on the 28th.

I’ll be down in the ATL during that time as well, so get ready to throw down.

With that out of the way, other things:

Working training has been like a vacation for me. I live in a real house with a fridge and fans and a kitchen and a shower and a toilet seat and a Playstation and…..tons of other things I don’t see too often. The new trainees are all very nice and motivated people, and I’m having fun spending time with them.

Ok, so not much other news. But I am coming soon to a state near you. So do your best to meet up with me.

AC

I think I write less because the biggest transitions have passed. My life has taken on some level of normalcy. I don’t really see African life as weird or strange anymore (just frustrating and amusing). I don’t claim to understand everything the natives do or think, but most of the time I manage to interpret not just what is said, but more importantly what is not said. Actions and behaviors have become somewhat predictable, which means that shocks and surprises are no longer an everyday occurrence. I discover new things everyday, but the major barriers have been broken down. Life is easier and less stressful. In short, nothing big to write about.

Things are still going well for me. My school had a dramatic improvement on test scores this year, shocking the town and myself! We had nearly 50% of the students pass the national exit exam (last year it was under 10%). A lot people in the village give credit to the Peace Corps, and I really appreciate it. Making a difference, changing lives, that’s what I’m about.

One of my good friends in village (Mssr. Kabore) is officially the first mayor of Bani. I’m allowed to attend the local assemblies and listen in on the decision making process (theoretically since my fulfulde is still pretty weak). Anyways I hope I can offer the local government my perspective as an outsider and learn more about the needs of the village. It should be educational.

I’ve decided that I’m going to have a pow-wow with “the prophet” before I leave. Honestly I’m somewhat afraid of him but damn it, you only live once! So what if he had a man killed for sleeping with his daughter. I’ve already got a translator lined up. I want to know what this man/ demi-god thinks. He believes he’s Mohammed, and so does half of the town.

It’s the rainy season again, my last one. This means there is no school so I have no primary responsibilities and all the teachers have left for the capital. It means almost every villager has left his home to go live in his/her fields. Bani is a ghost village so I can’t really undertake any secondary projects at the moment. So what am I doing? I’m training new volunteers. For the next five weeks I’ll be living in a comfortable villa in a big town (that has a pool!) instead of my leaky shack in the desert. Am I excited? You bet. I get to meet new Americans, which is good because I’m tired of the old ones already (no offense).

This leads me to my next big news bulletin: I’m getting a site mate! Bani will get a second volunteer. I don’t know exactly how I should feel about this but it’s happening so I’ve just accepted it. I just hope we get along because it’s a small small place. I’m looking forward to meeting her.

Thanks to my friends from the ATL for the package. The pictures were a real morale booster. It was the most homesick I’ve been in a long time. We had some damn good times at “the hill.” If anyone wants to send me something, I could use some boxers (knit/large), kool-aid, sauce packets, processed cheese packets/cans, American cigarettes (Parlaments), whiskey or tequila.

Much love from the Faso

My trip to Europe is coming to a close. I've seen some art, heard great music, ate real food, swam in the sea, got some sun (on a toplesss beach), danced till dawn, met some new people, and caught up with friends. Paris and Barcelona, two awesome cities. Tomorrow I will be back in the Faso.

I've learned from this trip that I have changed quite a bit in a year, and I can't say its all welcomed. Living in such isolation has made me somewhat anti-social, or at least thats how it appears to others. Village life is very lonely and I've learned to be very comfortable with my own company. It is confusing to other people and I think they take offense. Its difficult jumping back into modern life and western culture, but I feel (and hope) that these feelings and behaviors would pass with time.

I've also said things that were rediculously self-rightous and condescending, things that I instantly regretted. That has got to stop. I'm no good at the ''holier than thou'' routine. It's not me. Its one thing to be proud of what I've done, its another to try and make others feel bad about not caring.

The number one question I got asked about my Peace Corps experience: ''So what do you want to do after you get out of the Peace Corps?'' It invariably comes up within the first five minutes of an introduction. I shouldn't find this odd, I should expect it being American. But it is odd. Here you ''are'' what you ''do''. Definition by accomplishment. I'm not saying this is a wrong way to evaluate self-worth, but it isn't complete by my standards, and it certainly doesn't apply to village culture.

Back to Burkina. 11 months and 2 weeks left (but who's counting).

Adam.

4 days in Paris. This vacation was much needed. I feel so clean here, like I don't even need to shower (I shower). And the weather is perfect. I thought this change would be a bit overwhelming, but in reality I've had no problems. I do notice I've become somewhat preachy, in a peace corps way.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Live in Paris. Its only rock and roll but I like it.

Notre Dame.

La Seine.

After months of anticipation I am finally here in the City of Lights. Paris is a beautiful (and extremely expensive) city, truly worthy of its reputation as a cultural nexus. Everything is world class. It is not even really possible to compare or contrast this place with Burkina Faso in any meaningful way: it is a completely different world. I am tempted to want to say that I have returned to civilization, but that would really be unfair. There are civilized Africans just as there are savage Americans. Nevertheless, I belong to this world and it feels good to be back in it.

If you want to call me in Europe: +33633688937

In the church of ...our lady... something... There are too many churches to remember the names.

The Louvre. Easily the most impressive museum I've ever been in. Culture. Voila

The view from Dan's appartement. Lucky bastard.Paris nightlife. It may not be obvious but I've had way too much to drink by this point. Dan is happy.

I know I know. You haven't heard from me and you thought I was dead. Not today junior. Still kickin it in the Faso. I had full intentions of putting up a real post with interesting observations and opinions...but this will not happen because of technical issues.

To those who tried to call...Thank you for trying. The cell phone people activated the tower yesterday so hopefully from now on you can avoid the complicated process at the telecenter. Don't feel bad if if you couldn't get through, nobody could. Feel free to call and congratulate me on finishing my first year teaching in Africa. Its over, I win. Lets all hope that the next year will be much easier than the first. But right now I'm looking at 4 months of "summer vacation". I don't really see it as a vacation for anybody. The students get to spend the whole time laboring in the fields, and I (with the exception of 2 weeks in Europe) will be doing the best I can to entertain myself without water parks, beaches, big gulps, bikinis, ....... etc. I really miss big gulps.

The good news is that the hot season is coming to a close, and the rains are about to start. I guess thats good news. Actually, the rain makes the very large bugs come out of their very large holes, and with the holes in my roof.... Anyways, its not as hot. Focus on the positives.

The point is that I'm still here, and I'm still healthy. I encourage you to write me, or at the very least leave a comment on the blog. Expect a real post sometime in the future.

Adam

Well I'm back in village for the 3rd trimester. I'm starting to feel more comfortable in the classroom. I swear I'm going to learn all of the students' names before the end of the year. Two more solid months of work and I'll be going on a real vacation (2 weeks in France).

So everybody, get excited, because Bani now has telephone service! I know, I can't believe it either! I was kinda getting used to the freedom of isolation. The cell tower should be operational within two weeks. If by chance my cell phone is off (remember I don't have electricity), then there is another number you can call. If you are fluent in Fulfulde this process will be a breeze, otherwise it could be a bit frustrating.

226 40467201

This is the phone number for the new telecenter next to my house. A telecenter is nothing but a human payphone. It is certain that you will not be able to understand the person who picks up the phone, nor will he understand you. I suggest you repeat my name or the word tubaku (white person). Then hang up and call back in 5 minutes. If it worked I'll pick up the phone. I think they will assume that any call in English is for me.

Since I haven't written much these last few weeks, I'm posting a few pictures for your enjoyment. They were all taken in my village last week. I hope you like them.

Don't be fooled by their docile postures. These 2 bulls don't like me. I have to pass between them to get into my house. The one on the left kicked me in the knee this week.

For those of you who don't read French, the motto of the bus company for my town is "better late than never." Its funny because its true.

The village blacksmith lives across the street from me so I often hear a distant thud of the hammer during the day. Metal working is a skill often kept in the family. Here a youth develops his ability by making jewelry.

Burkina Faso cultural lesson: This is a garibou and Bani has an army of them. They are easy to spot by the tin can on a string. The garibou system is an Islamic practice in which groups of male children are placed completely under the care of a man called a Marabou, who will teach them about their religion. In exchange, the children beg in the streets and thus support the Marabou. They claim that this teaches a young man humility, but I see it more as institutionalized panhandling. By the looks of most of them this Marabou doesn't feed them so they go around the village collecting food in their cans. I give them food when I have extra, but they don't come to my door because I'm not Muslim. This is why there are almost no students from the village at my school. This picture really makes me laugh because I asked him to pose for a picture and he did that.

The sun is no longer my friend. I swear its only like 20 feet away.

This is where I work. This is the college of Bani. There are 4 classrooms, there are 4 grades (do the math). Our enrollment is around 120 students, small compared with other sites I've heard of. I am one of two full time professors. As you can see, its pretty much the desert.

A morning in Bani. Greetings are very important part of African culture and simply not saying hello in the morning can offend someone.

In the hot season I pretty much live outside under my hangar. The tin roof turns the hut into an oven.

This is where the magic happens. Bathing area on the left, hole in the ground on the right.

Hitchhiking can be a convenient way to get around Burkina Faso. It can also cause you to sit by the side of the road for an hour to change a blown tire.

This is a common sight.

The future is now.

This is the view from my courtyard. On the left is the Mosque of the Good Idea (Named so because it was built from rocks instead of mud). On the right are workers building the cellular tower of the better idea.

Study Hall at my house. My students are polite and sometimes really funny. They are good kids. Here we are using a graduated water bottle and a tin can to verify the formula for the volume of a cylinder.

Monkeys were just hanging out at our hotel.

They weren't really afraid of us either

Its been a long time since I've seen a natural body of water.

Safari!

Gazelles

Woman cooking freshly caught fish

Fishermen and nets

22nd Fevrier

I consider Yerwa, the shopkeeper just next to my front door, one of my good friends here in Bani. Neither of us really enjoys making small talk so we get along very well just by sitting around. When I finally did start asking questions I was rather astonished by how little I know about him. He is El Hajji’s nephew and son in law. I didn’t even know he was married, much less to his cousin, who he was forced to marry against his wishes. Now I know why he always looks pissed off all the time: He hates his wife and he really is pissed off. I feel bad for the both of them, not being able to divorce without causing havoc within the family. Plus, you don’t marry our cousin, it’s just fucked up. But they’ve made it through 8 painful years, and have a 4 year old girl. My host father in Yako once told me when we were discussing forced marriages: “If you are not hungry at first, start eating, and your appetite will come.” Not buying it. Luckily for Yerwa he can go for door #3, he can take a second wife. The wife, not so lucky.

The local elections are starting to heat up. I came home from school the other day to find a political rally inside my courtyard. This to me confirms that “the Haj” is the leading candidate for the PDS party. I even had the honor of eating a free lunch with the head of the party. It was like meeting the John Kerry of Burkina. It was interesting but in the end they made a real mess of my courtyard. Once I saw that someone took a shit in my shower, I was angry. They did clean it up, but….still angry.

The second trimester is coming to a close. I haven’t left the Sahel since it started so I’m feeling a little anxious to get out and find some civilization and speak some English. The other teachers are feeling it too. They are always talking shit about Bani and how worthless the villagers are. And if you didn’t know, Africans are racist, very racist. I’m sure the condescending tone they take with the farmers isn’t helping them improve enrollment at school. I have to admit however, that there have been occasions, like when someone craps in my shower, where I feel that on a fundamental level I am somehow better than they are.

23 Fevrier

Interesting story: My counterpart expelled a student today, and he almost lost his cool in class. He was not pleased when she stopped showing up for his classes and when he confronted her about it she told him to mind his own business. This is HIGHLY atypical behavior even for the upper class students. Boly told me that ever since she MOVED IN with the other science teacher (on school grounds!), she thinks she can do whatever she wants. Oh my, that was news to me. This is certainly one aspect of this culture that I will never be able to come to terms with. Again, no wonder no one wants to send their daughters to school! Give these girls a chance to be girls for a few years! I’ve even heard these types of things happen at the primary school level, and I refuse to believe it. But by the time they make it to 3eme (10th grade?), sleeping with the teacher makes you the most popular girl in school. It is bizarre watching them walking to school together in the mornings. I don’t like it. I was told that Bani means “peace” in it’s local language. I sometimes however find the French translation more appropriate: Banished.

25 Fevrier

Approaching the one year mark has made me a bit reflective lately. It feels like the longest year of my life; it has been tough. Of the 15 volunteers that made up our group, 11 remain. Africa just sucks you in and the memories of America seem like a dream world, almost like I’m not sure they ever even happened. 15 months left.

What have I got to show for my trouble? Have I accomplished anything by being here? Is this rash spreading? These are all normal questions for a PCV. The answers are not so clear. The goals of the Peace Corps however are unambiguous: provide technical knowledge and share culture. Yes, I fulfill my commitment to the Peace Corps, but honestly, this alone is not enough to keep me here. In fact I suspect that these grass roots aid projects are terribly inefficient if not completely ineffective as development programs. I always feel like I’m swimming against the current. This is not to say that what I’m doing has no value. I get a great deal of satisfaction from teaching my students, and if one of them grows up to help his people then my work here might be vindicated. I’m also doing a service to my country by doing positive things in the name of America. It is my theory that Peace Corps has survived many administrations solely on its value as a public relations tool.

But in the end, I’m not as selfless as I like to believe. I didn’t come here to serve my country or even to try to save Africa (although these are important parts of my service). I did all of this to change my perspective. This was my primary goal, and I feel I’ve made some good progress. It has been a painful process and a lot of lessons were learned the hard way, lessons that aren’t taught from textbooks. I grew up with certain priorities and a set of basic assumptions, and all of a sudden they stopped working. The sky is now green, deal with it. And eventually, you just get used to the sky being green. Then you start to question all of you assumptions, and therein lies the value of the experience. I am where I am supposed to be. I’m not wasting my time.