There is nothing like sitting on a bus waiting for a herd of Elephants to cross the road. Since arriving in Botswana, we have been lucky enough to catch a lot of African animals just chilling on the roadside. Our first encounter was with the caribou which are like the deer of Africa. Going from Francistown to Kasane, we go through the outskirts of a few big game parks. We saw a lot of elephants, a pack of zebras, giraffes, and a family of monkeys. In Kasane we took a boat ride through the Chobe National Park. The park is beautiful and we continued to see so many more animals. In the park you can either take a safari by land, or water. If we would of done it by land we could of gotten closer to the animals, but by water you get to see more, and don’t end up scaring the animals away. We saw hippos, crocs, monkeys, giraffes, multiple types of caribou, a weasel, elephants, and plenty of birds. The park is also on four countries, so while on the water we passed through Zambia and Namibia. After the boat tour, we ate dinner at the hotel we took the tour from. They have a buffet, which was my first buffet in 3 years, but it also serves game meat! I got to try Impala meat(like a deer) and Kudu (another deer) and a few different types of fish. After Kasane, we traveled north and crossed the border into Zambia. Going from Botswana to Zambia you take a ferry, which I can add to another type of transport we are taking on this trip. Crossing the border was easy, then we went to Jungle Junction. It’s a little island, about a 1km long on the Zambezi. We got dropped off on the Zambezi, and a guide came to pick us up by canoe. Since we were the only 4 people on the island we had a nice view of the river. Our chalet was like the house in the Swiss Family Robinson. In the evening it started raining, so we hung out in our chalet and relaxed. From Jungle Junction we went to Livingstone. That is were our group split for a few days. Two of us headed to Luska, and the other two into Zimbabwe. Upcoming Events: Victoria Falls, then heading to Namibia!
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Quick update: We finally met up with Heather, our final group member. We also made safely to Francistown, where our vacation officially starts! After being in West Africa for 3 years, Francistown is like mini America. There are shopping malls, grocery stores, and people don’t sell things from the top of their heads, or go to a farmer’s market for their veggies. Since there was no direct bus from Jo’Burgh to Francistown we had to stop in Gaborone. We arrived, EARLY, but at night, so we didn’t get to see much, since early the next morning we took off for Francistown. Since our arrival, we took a tour of the town, which is really nice. Francistown in the 2nd largest city in Botswana. It’s also halfway between Gaborone and Kasane, a large tourist city. Since there isn’t a lot of touristy things to do, we have been doing things, that Heather participated in while a volunteer here. Friday morning we went to the Prison of Immigrants and played volleyball all mornings. People who illegally sneak into Botswana, and then get caught go to this prison, while waiting for a visa, or asylum seekers. Most people here have been denied asylum or a visa and are awaiting to be returned back to their country of origin. Heather got involved here and would do educational programs for the women, and recreational activities for the men, since this was her last time going, we decided to play volleyball. I felt we gave them a good run for their money. They were pretty competitive, but I was on the winning team! Next leg: Kasane-boat cruise Livingstone- Fisherman’s village, Victoria Falls Luska
Burkina to Jo’Burgh (Leg 1) From the time we closed our service to when we actually arrived in Southern Africa!
3/4 of the group @ the bus station in Burkina Faso. Our bus left for Accra, Ghana at 9:30( only an hour late). The actual ride was great, we barely made any stops, no break downs, or major problems. We made it to Accra in about 20 hours. After sitting on a bus all night we arrived at 6:30am, and headed strait to the hostel. The Hostel is a nicely run place, that is home to a lot of British volunteers. We mostly laid around either in our room, or on the beach. Our week of COS was super stressful, then to get directly on a 20 hour bus was even worse, so two full days of nothing, felt nice. (on the beach, working on our tan!) Surprising the Accra Airport is really nice. We had to spend a few hours in the lobby, but when check in time came, it was efficient. The flight from Accra, Ghana to Jo’Burgh, South Africa was smooth. Air Namibia, was a good airline, even though their airport is super small. We left at 11pm on Monday night and arrived in Jo’Burgh at 9am, Tuesday. We stayed with one of my friends, aunt. She lives in a nice area just north of the city. We spent the day getting ready for our long haul to Francistown, and the actual bulk of our trip. Leg # 2: Heading to Botswana, and hooking up with the final member of our group, Heather! 
Our Calendar is as follows: 5 countries in 40 days! Chantal, Erik, and I start our trip Jan 20, by a long bus ride to Accra, Ghana. We are spending 3 days in the Capital, until our flight leaves. Jan 24 & 25th Jo’Burgh 26-28- Francistown, Botswana 29-30- Kasane, Botswana 31-3 Lusaka, Zambia Feb- 4-5 Livingston, Zambia (Victoria Falls) 6- ON A BUS ALL DAY 7-17- Windhoek and Swapamund, Namibia 18-27- Cape Town, South Africa 28- Qatar! 29- AMERICALAND!!! Will keep you updated along the way!!!
I did it, I’m done! Me and my children!! Kipthy and I @ our house.
Here it goes, I have 9 days left in village and 16 left in Burkina. For the last month I have been wishing away my days, so I could hurry up and leave. I spent Christmas in my old village of Nakaba. For three days I partied with friends, made promises to never forget them, and said my final good-byes. Christmas was a bitter sweet time to be saying good-bye, everyone was happy to be celebrating the birth of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, while I went from house to house to say “Au Revoir!” I tried to make it to every single house in Nakaba, but at the end of the day, it was way to much. I tired to keep a happy face, mostly because Burkinabe don’t like people who cry or are unhappy, but who knows if I will ever see these people again. My babies are going to grow up with out me. The hardest part was leave my faithful comrade, Benga. My old boss, finally got a job transfer to the main hospital in Koupela. He had spent 10 years in Nakaba, when most nurses only spend 2 years. He took his whole family, and even the family dog, he asked me what I thought was best for my dog, and I told him,Benga should stay in Nakaba. He now resides at the house of the new head. The day I showed up, I went to meet the new nurse and before I even finish saying hello, Benga comes running down the path way,and if he had been bigger, he would of tackled me to the ground. We spent 3 great days together, and saying good-bye to someone who doesn’t respond was really hard. I know my village will take care of my dog, and Benga will be a great keeper of the hospital. (On Christmas, with all the women in my Family.) Here is something I wrote about my village of Nakaba, which no matter how I phrase it, it’s true: “At the end of my two years in Nakaba, I know I helped change my community. I showed them how to combat their problems, by identifying and using their local resources. I may have been the push they needed, but they did the work themselves. During my service, this community showed me what it is like to be an agent of change.” For what it is worth,Thank you Nakaba! Now I’m in my other village, just hanging with the few friends I do have. These next weeks are going to go by so fast, I’m trying to savor everything. After I leave here, I’m in Ouaga for a week to finish up paper work,medical stuff, etc… which will be easy,since the hard part is already done!! I’ll update one last time before I leave, and also while I am on my AWESOME SOUTH AFRICAN VACATION! Mail: Kirstin Emerald Mom
*With just a little over a month left(35 days to be exact) left in Burkina. I have exactly a month left in village, and then a week in Ouaga to finish all my medical, and paper work. The end of my service is so close, but yet so far away. Hopefully things will start to pick up. Next week is my birthday, then Christmas, then New Years, and then I have 2 weeks left in village. *As for village, I started to give away my stuff, writing my final reports, “closing up shop” as they say. I don’t have anything to do at work, so I spend most of my days reading books, packing, and hanging with my favorite 2 year old. Overall, I’m bored, and ready to leave!!! *I don’t have anything new to update, just wanted to send a little note to everyone who reads my blog. No mail received.
So, September ended and now it’s November! My time in Burkina is coming to a close, I officially have 70 days left of my Peace Corps Service. This is my favorite time of year in Burkina and it is going to go by really fast. Let me recap on what’s been going on: 50th Anniversary Fair: “In 2011, the Peace Corps will commemorate 50 years of promoting peace and friendship around the world. Join us in supporting the agency's mission and legacy of service by honoring our past, demonstrating our effectiveness, and inspiring the next generation of Volunteers through education and engagement.” In Ouaga we held a fair or expo on Peace Corps. Each volunteer would have a booth to showcase the work they have been doing with their villages. Some volunteers brought in their tailors, sold soap, etc. While other volunteers actually brought in their dance or theatre groups. My association, Weog la Viim, had an informational booth. We also had general booths explaining Peace Corps, and a time line of volunteers in Burkina. Overall the fair was a great success. We had many Burkinabe come. My association have a 30 minute presentation on Weog, explaining our role in the community and some of our major projects. It was 3 long days, but I feel my association benefited from the fair,a long with a little networking too! Senegal: The first week in October, I took a week vacation to Senegal. I went with another volunteer to visit our friend who is in PC Senegal. We stayed in Dakar for the whole week, only taking a day trip to another village. We flew from Ouaga to Dakar, with a short layover in Bamako, Mali. Air Burkina is a really nice company, despite all that we heard prior to booking our ticket. Once arriving in Dakar, it was like being dropped into a downtown metro area. Despite being hassled by the taxi drivers, I didn’t feel like I was in West Africa at all. Each day was filled with swimming in the ocean, thanks to our friend, who lived only 2 blocks from the beach. We visited some of the “sights” Dakar had to offer. The trip was very relaxing, and much needed. I’m just sad that it had to end…. I added photos to my Pisca Album. Between Senegal and now I took my GRE, which is by far one of the weirdest experiences in Burkina. I studied all day every day for two strait weeks, prior to the test, the day of the actually test I felt confident. When arriving at the American Language Center I really thought it would be filled with PC volunteers and maybe a few expats, but it was packed with Burkinabe! Most of them have been taking a weekly class to prepare for this test, and had current copies of the book, mine being outdated my 2 years.. The proctor showed up 2 hours late! After taking the test, I felt glad to have it over, but I realized this would never happen in the US. The whole point of a standardize test, is for everything to be the same, and I defiantly don’t feel the same, as if I would have taken it in the US. I guess I will know better next time. November: The month of giving thanks, and parties!: I started this month long party off with Halloween! I carved a watermelon, and asked children to come to my house to ask for candy. The children were more amused with why I carved a face into a watermelon, than why I wanted to finally give them candy. The next day was All Saint’s day. It is hugely celebrated here by the Christian population. I started the day off by going to church, then hanging out with my local dolo (local beer) lady. We went to a few houses to celebrate the holiday, were I continued to eat and drink. The next day was All Souls Day, and the church met at dusk at the cemetery to pray for the departed. It was a really cool experience. Seeing the power of pray, all these people huddles around the headstones, saying the rosary, as the sun is fading into the background. The next Saturday was Tabaski. A little history of Tabaski: People are expected to dress in their finest clothing to perform the prayer, in a large congregation in an open field, or mosque.They are asked to sacrifice their sheep or ram as a symbol of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son. The sacrificed animals, have to meet certain age and quality standards or else the animal is considered an unacceptable sacrifice. The meat from the sacrificed animal is divided into three parts. The family retains one third of the share; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors; and the other third is given to the poor and needy. I dressed up in my best MouMou and headed to prayer with my family. I didn’t actually pray, since I wanted to take pictures of the experience. After watching the slaughtering of the goat, my family went to the house of a holy man, to “start” the party. After that I went back to my house to finish helping the women prepare the food. Around 1pm I finally ate, and that started the tour of food, as my friend and I joked about. After excusing my self from my house, my friend and I went to 7 other houses that night. We covered everyone I worked with, along with some friends I made. We ate a lot of meet, and drank Fanta's, while I passed out candy to the kids, only after making sure they knew my name. The night ended late and with a full stomach. The next day however is also acceptable wish people a happy Tabaski. My house was full of people this weekend, and I have never ate so much in my life. I experience Tabaski once before while I was in training, but never have I got the full experience like I did this year. Needless to say I think I will be stuffed until Thanksgiving rolls around! The next few weeks, are kind of lax. I don’t have much going on. I am going to be having a few new PC trainees at my site, and I have a small project I need to finish up. It will be a nice to regroup and exercise, before hitting Thanksgiving. I plan to eat as much Turkey as I can get! I’m going to have a small 3rd year Thanksgiving in Ouaga, then I was invited to another volunteers site to celebrate too! I added photos of Senegal and some of the stuff I have been doing these past few weeks in my Pisca Web Album (link is posted to the right.) Mail Received: Aaron Parents Bethany Tab
Ok, so I know I have not written a proper blog since June, but it’s rainy season and I am way to lazy to think of anything exciting or fun to write. So again, I am going to share some really random photo’s of things in my life. All is well, August ended without a problem, and September is finally starting. Everyone from my work is back from vacation and hopefully ready to work. It’s going to be a long month. I don’t have much planned this month as far as work, or personal fun, so I am just going to be in village counting down the days until Senegal! I promise a really good blog soon! Ramadan: Ready to head to Mosque The view from the women’s side The view from the men’s side CREEPY THINGS: The spider was crawling up the side of my house and the frog was outside my family compound in the trench, AND LASTLY:(Because no blog is complete without a photo of Chieck!) I was napping when he walked into my house saying, “Tantie, look what I got!” Silly me I was thinking it was candy or something, but in reality turning over to see a pintard (like a chicken) in my face! NO MAIL NO UPCOMING EVENTS
Making Lasagna @ a Wedding in Diebougou Getting Henna done. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST…. JAZZERCISE!!!! oh… I’M AN AUNT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mail Received: Kirstin Heather
I am officially more than half way through my 3rd year. I don’t really have much to update. Just the same usual things. I had the Director of Peace Corps Response come and visit with me in my village. I had Peace Corps do a tour of my village, meet my association, and then we went to a CREN(local malnutrition hospital) where I did a demonstration on Neem Cream. Neem is a tree that has a multiple uses. It’s a natural insecticide, reproduces like crazy, and it very durable. People can use the bark to brush their teeth, or mix leaves with water to make a natural insecticide spray, or pound a lot of leaves to get oil, to add to soap. Volunteers use this for a variety of projects. I love to use it to make a mosquito repellent. It’s a cheap way for women to protect themselves from mosquito’s. It’s rainy season which means it’s also malaria season!!!(I will try to upload pics next time I make this with my women) To make this awesome cream you need a bar of soap, some Shea butter, and a huge bowl of Neem leaves. To make it is 325 cfa which is about .70USD. Some women sell it and can make over 3 mille or 6.5USD. So lately I have been teaching women at this CREN to make it. I have gone twice to teach the nurse’s and some women. The CREN receives private funding, so they are really motivated to continue doing this on their own. I don’t think they plan to sell it, but they will make the women use it while their sick children are staying there. Some facts on Malaria: Malaria is responsible for 20 percent of all childhood deaths in Africa. 10,000 pregnant women in Africa die each year because of malaria-related causes. In 2009, only 10 percent of Burkinabe children under the age of five were sleeping under treated bed nets. About 90 percent of Madagascar's population is at risk for infection. Most Malian children under the age of five suffer at least two episodes of malaria each year. Over 4.5 million cases of malaria were reported in Burkina Faso in 2009. From a recent UN Human Development Report, Guinea ranked first out of 94 countries in malaria cases per year (with 75,386 reported cases per 100,000 people). I discovered a Bunny Farm in my village! Mail Received: Beth and Kristen Kirstin Sarah Mom
Dear Family and Friends of Peace Corps Burkina Faso,
Beginning August 31, 2011, Peace Corps volunteers from around Burkina Faso will be participating in Le Tour de Burkina, the second annual country-wide bike tour to raise money for Gender and Development projects in Burkina. Gender and Development projects encompass a huge variety of volunteer projects, be they organizing a girls’ camp to promote self-esteem and goal setting or helping a women's group conduct an income generating activity. These are of critical importance in Burkina Faso and represent a significant component of each volunteer’s work. The Gender and Development (GAD) Committee exists to support volunteer-initiated, gender equity projects around Burkina Faso; with Le Tour de Burkina we hope to generate funds so the GAD Committee can give small-scale project grants and volunteers can continue the essential work of promoting gender awareness and equality in Burkina Faso. We’re proud to say that last year’s tour raised nearly $5,000 – enough to fund 35 GAD grants. Please help us reach this year’s fundraising goal of $6,000 by visiting our blog and making a donation: http://burkinabiketour.blogspot.com To be certain your donation reaches Gender and Development projects, be sure to specify “GAD Gender and Development” in the Comments section. In Burkina Faso, one dollar goes a long way, so even the smallest contribution will make a big difference. Follow the blog to learn more about the tour, which projects were funded last year, and to stay updated while we’re on the road. This year we will be riding for 23 days, covering 1,700 kilometers (that’s the distance from New York City to Orlando), and passing by 32 volunteer sites. In addition to kicking off celebrations of Peace Corps’ 50th anniversary, the tour will increase awareness of Peace Corps Burkina Faso’s activities and reinforce the relationships within volunteers’ communities. Thanks for your support! Sincerely, Peace Corps Burkina Faso Gender and Development Committee 
Togo Quick Facts: Togo: Means –“Upon the Hill” in Ewe (local Language) 57,000 square kilometers (Half the size of England) Capital: Lomé French Speaking West Africa’s smallest nation Used to be a part of the Slave Coast Portuguese landed first in Togo where they set up trade posts Chantal and I left for our vacation on a Sunday, a really early Sunday. As usual the bus showed up two hours late, and full. We barely found seat and had to sit with most of our stuff in our laps. We made it about 5 hours into our trip with our bus tried to pass a semi, but failed. Our bus hit side of the Semi, ripping off our door and breaking the front two windows onto passengers. Luckily no one was hurt, but it did cause us to stop for a few hours while the driver decided what to do. We finally arrived in Lomé around 5am. We were traveling with other volunteers and decided to go ahead a find our hotel and check in. We got to our hostel before the guard was even up. Good thing it isn’t tourist season, because it would have been a pain to search for a room in the rain and 6 am, after 24hours traveling on a bus, but we didn’t have a problem so we checked in and slept until noon. After finally making ourselves get up, we went to the beach. We laid around the rest of the day. LOME: Founded by the Ewe people End of the 19th Century the Germans came and relocated the capital to present day Lome 10km from the Ghanaian Border The next day we went into Lomé. We picked a bad day because it was holiday, so everything was closed!! The first thing we did was hit up the Grande Market. It is set up really weird, so we spent a long time going in circles. Since Lomé is one of the major ports in West Africa, everything is really cheap. Most Burkinabé make trips here to buy stuff really cheap, in bulk and return to Burkina to re-sell it to us. In the morning we shopped, after lunch we went to the Fetish market. This is a traditional market, where you can find anything you want for you aliments. We first took a tour of the market learning what each different object does, then after that we met with the Chief of the market and he took us into a tiny room where he further explained some small objects, there was one for health, love, travel, family, etc. After that he blessed us and we were free to explore the market on our own. We also walked around the Port, but didn’t see much due to all the security, went to the Beach, which was not really pretty, and found a few nice supermarkets to hang in. The next day started a week long rain fest. We spent all morning in the hotel reading, playing uno, or in the restaurant. We hoped the rain would let up after a while, but it went all day and didn’t stop, so we decided to just go out anyways to the beach. It was a bum day, but ended up being nice and relaxing. The next day we left really early to head to Benin, which isn’t far, but stinks if you have to ride in a crowded taxi with the windows up while it is raining. Passing through the border was really easy. We got dropped off in Togo, got stamped out, then walked 3 feet and got stamped in to Benin. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Benin Quick Facts: Used to be called Dahomey during the colonial period, adopted its current name from an old West African Kingdom located in present day Nigeria. 113,000 Square miles (size of Louisiana) Capital: Port Novo Portuguese also landed in Benin to set up ports We arrived in Grand Popo around 9am along with the rain. We stayed at this little hostel on the beach run by some Rastafarian men. It was nice and if the sun ever came out it had a nice section of beach. That day we also spent in the hotel, but there were other tourists there, so we hung out with them for a while. The next day rained just in the morning, so in the afternoon we were able to go out on a canoe. 5km from Grand Popo there is a huge lake, that connects to another lake in Togo, by a river. This section of the lake connects to the ocean. We took a canoe ride to see some mangrove trees, ran into a fisherman who was picking up his daily catch, and then landed on this little island. We took a tour of it, learned about it’s history, voodoo, saw a few different style colonial houses, and had a man climb a tree for us and cut us down some fresh coconut. Grand Popo: During the years of the Slave Trade, Grand Popo was one of the major ports, after the fall of slavery, this town become nothing more than a relaxing beach town. The Next day we headed East to Ouidah. We arrived by mid morning, with no rain this time, found a place after searching for a long time. The city was a lot bigger than we expected. There were actual roads, with traffic. The afternoon turned into a nice day, so we made a picnic in the park, did a nice walking tour of the area. We took a tour of this old Portuguese fort, that they turned into the history museum for Ouidah. This fort once occupied 5 different countries, the Portuguese being the first and the French being the last. It’s a small, but well preserved. The next day we met up with some other volunteers and went to the Python Temple, Sacred Forest, and Point of no return, and Door of return. The python temple was fun, we were the first people of the day, so the building wasn’t crowded, and we got plenty of time to play with pythons. In this building they breed pythons, and will rent them to families for protection. Then we headed over to the forest, where we learned about all the different vodu Gods, and other sacred things. After this it started to rain really hard again, so we holed up in a restaurant for a while. The Point of no Return is referring to the slave trade that used to happen. There is a 4km stretch of road that you can take a tour of to learn about the final days/final walk of slaves in Africa. The Point of no return is the last stop on the beach, where a port used to be. Once a slave got onto a boat they would never be coming back. A few years ago a body of a slave was found and returned to the port where it was shipped from. The body returned to Ghana, and since then most other slave ports now have a door of return. It is in hopes that one day people will discover where their ancestors came from and they will return to learn about their heritage. Both places are funded by UNESCO, and worth seeing if you are ever in Benin. We planned to have a whole beach day in Ouidah, since this was our last place to see beach, but of course it didn’t happen because of rain. We planned 3 days here but since we couldn’t do a beach day, we saw everything we wanted to see in a day and a half, so the rest of the time was spent relaxing or wandering around the city when it wasn’t pouring. Ouidah: Voodoo and slave trading Voodoo: Voodoo is believed to be started in Western Africa- Benin or Nigeria(depending on who you ask). In Benin Voodoo became a national religion in the 90’s, but the people that practice it use voodoo consider it a spirit, demigod or intermediary. They use this to interact with other spirits, ancestors or their supreme God Mawu. Voodoo is only white magic (good stuff) but can be used badly by sorceresses. In this case people will other offer offering, or buy a fetish (a regular object infused with a sacred power) to counter act the black magic, protect the home, or help a sick person. Normally each village has a vodu to protect their village. They build a shrine to this vodu and each year villagers make offerings, sacrifices for their protection. When slaves were traded they took this religion to North and South America. When the Brazilians returned to Benin between the 17th -19th century they brought back voodoo mixed with their local traditions introducing different parts of that into the voodoo tradition in Benin (like voodoo dolls). Since we saw everything we wanted to see, we decided to leave early for Cotonou. We arrived in this port city and immediately disliked it. There are mottos everywhere, we spent most of our time in traffic. We found the first hotel we came across, which was a bad choice since it was dirty and near the Grande market, so it never quitted down. Since we didn’t like our hotel we spent the whole day outside. We went to the Grande Marché, where I bought a lot of shoes. Then we found a few other places to hang out just to pass the time. Cotonou: Economic Capital and Port City West Africa’s least enticing cities The next day we headed to Natitingou. It’s a 12 hours bus ride north. It was really nice, a lot better than the ride down. We got a hotel room and called it a night. The next day we went 17km to a village where there is a waterfall and hiking. We spent the whole day playing in the waterfall and finally got some sun. Later that day we did some final shopping, in the rain of course! Natitingou: Home of the President Mathieu Kerekou Industry Town We left Benin really early. Since we are so close to the Burkina border we took a bush taxi the whole way. It were so happy to be back in Burkina, where we understand the local language and prices for everything. Overall we had a good vacation, despite the rain. We still got to do everything we wanted and we got to relax, which was probably the best part. We are both 3rd year volunteers, and with all the problems Burkina was having the last few months, it was nice to be able to just get away. *All the facts were found in the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet Guide books **On the Map, cities highlighted in purple are the places we visited. Now I am back at site and planning some conferences. It’s also rainy season, which I love!!!! Well that’s all for now. Update later this month….. I also updated Photos of the trip(the link is on the right of the screen) MAIL RECEIVED: Kirstin Lyndsee Amanda
So I really don’t know what to write, I’m sitting here trying to come up with something, but I am blank. It probably has to do with the fact that I have nothing to report. I have no projects going on right now, nothing exciting worth sharing. I was talking with another 3rd year volunteer earlier and we were talking about why we willing did another year after doing nothing for two. I cant remember the reasons why I got myself into this! I don’t consider myself a work-a-holic but for most of my life I have been busy. Either school, sports, after schools projects, or work and now I really don’t do much. I know as you read this you are probably thinking I do more than I give myself credit for, and while living and working in a different language is hard, I’ve been in Burkina close to 3 years, and some days I do not feel like I have anything to show for myself. My little brother just left, after a two week visit. I am glad he got to actually make the trip. With all the problems going on I was worried he wouldn’t be able to come, but in the end it all worked out. Another volunteer asked him how his French was and he said non existent. He went on to say how we felt like a mute kid. He could recognize people were trying to talk to him, but he just couldn’t physically respond. That pretty much sums up my life in Burkina. I know I lived here for almost 3 years, but some days I cannot get a logical sentence out. Anyways, we had a great time. We visited parts of Burkina that I have never seen before. It was nice to finally see the south west of Burkina, plus it is soo PRETTY! We also visited my old village and spent a few days in my new village. We tried to see Elephants, but it didn’t work out due to all the rain the South has been receiving lately. So, this blog was of me rambling. I felt the need to update my life for all those loyal blog followers but had nothing really to report. I am heading on vacation to the beach next week, so once I get back I will be relaxed and more focused on my last 6 months in Burkina(scary!) Look for a better update in July! Here is a sneak peak of my little brother's visit: From Left to Right: 1st Picture- Our first donkey cart ride, 2nd Picture- Us at the Waterfall/Cascades in Banfora, 3rd Picture-Beouf in the Backseat, 4th Picture-Us at my work, 5th Picture- Aaron eating To, local food, 6th Picture- Me and the girls in my courtyard making S’mores!! Up Coming Events: VACATION IN TOGO AND BENIN!! Water Conservation Conference Rain, Rain and more Rain!!! Mail Received: Sarah K Sarah J Tab C Shanna K Mom Kirstin K Heather D
It has been a while since I last updated my blog and so much has been happening since I last wrote. If you have been keeping up with international news, you will know that Burkina Faso has been appearing in print. There has been some disturbances lately, so I am attaching some links on what's happening at the end of this entry. I do want to let you all know that I am fine. Most of the problems are in isolated cities, and I have not been affected by what’s been going on. My last April Hot season is finally over and I am waiting on the rain to come. For most of April the temperature was fine, I was handling it quite well, but all of a sudden is snuck up on me. Everyday is well over 100F, but this last week it has become so unbearable. The only plus side is that there are occasional showers. I celebrated Easter with some other volunteers in my regional capital. I had other plans with my old village, but they fell through due to the problems in Burkina. It ended up being a really good celebration anyways. I went to church in the morning, and I love seeing all the Burkinabe dresses up. Everyone pulls out their good church clothes for Easter. After church a village friend lent us the use of her stove and the other volunteers and I prepared a nice meal of deviled eggs, salsa, guacamole, tortillas’, custard, and crepes! My third year is going quite well. It took me a while to get the hang of things. At first I thought it was because I was having trouble readjusting back to Burkina after a month long vacation in the States, but really it was the fact that my office could never explain what they wanted me to do. This is a common problem with volunteers. A community thinks it’s a great idea to get a volunteer, but once they receive one, they really aren't for sure what to do with them. After working with my counterpart(like a co-worker) he helped to explain what they wanted me to do as my “official” job, and other project that they needed my help with. My official job is supervisor of the TB campaign going on in Burkina. The NGO Kasabiti gives funding to small organizations through out Burkina to do outreach education on TB. The organizations also get training on what is TB, how to spot TB in people, and they also receive materials like photos or videos to help with their speeches. My association gets funding to do supervisions. My co-worker and I do monthly visits to 10 different organizations through out the Centre-Sud(Center South) providence. We go and watch at least one outing per organization. We also do random office visits, making sure they kept receipts for everything they used or they actually do the outings they organized. The biggest part of my job is writing up reports on what I see during the office visits and outings. It is really to make sure, they are following the project plan that was laid out by the original NGO. What I really like about my third year, is having resources to do things. I work for an association that has a lot of contacts throughout the regions. I also could use a projector to show an educational film, or print off pictures if I need to give a speech. Using natural resources is a great way to make sure a project is sustainable after a volunteer leaves, but sometimes you just need some help to get your point across(especially when you don’t speak the same language). My first two years I just showed up and did what I thought needed to be done. Since I came straight from college I didn’t really have any experience in health education and outreach, so I learned all I could during training. But when I needed more information on a health topic or project I had to go to the capital to get my info, or try to ask my hospital staff, which normally I didn’t understand all of what they said. Now, if I need more help on a topic I can Google it from my office and I can even translate it! I know internet isn’t everything, but I really wish I had it my first two year, because I feel I would have been more confident in certain subjects if I would have had regular access to information. Its crazy to think people had what I have now during their original two years! I know I was a good volunteer, but if I had what I have now, during my first two years I think I would have been way more effective. Overall things are going very good. I am glad that I chose to extend, I get to see a different side of the development scale. Thanks for reading, hope to hear from you all soon! Upcoming Events: My little brother is visiting!!! Links:(if theses don’t work, just check out France24.com, BBC.com, or NYtimes.com) Burkina Faso Burkina Faso Shaken by protests Mail Received: Emerald Bethany Mom
The party in my village March 8th was the centennial of International Women’s day (1911-2011). International Women's Day (IWD) was honored the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on the 19th of March. More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination. In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations began celebrating 8th of March as International Women's Day. As a Peace Corps Volunteer this is a day often celebrated by volunteers and their communities with activities that honor women's contributions to their families, communities and countries. This year’s 100th Anniversary theme is: Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women! Activities that is popular with volunteers include: Essay and poster contests about women students admire, day‐long women’s fairs with skills‐building activities, games and music, Certificate presentations for girls who are outstanding in some way, parades, dances and community dinners with speakers on different topics of interest to women and families, Painted murals featuring International Women’s Day ,Bike rides, races and walks to raise awareness of women’s rights and/or contributions to their country. Volunteers are highly encouraged to participate in activities to show support for women and their community. Since being a 3rd year volunteer I do not know this my new community as well as I did my last so, instead of planning something myself, I participated in a 8k(4miles) bike race, presentation of women's groups, women's health demonstration/talk. The event was organized by the women of my household. She did such a great job!!!!! The event I participated in was the 8k bike race. I came in 7th out of 12th. The event was excruciating. I was running late, so I didn’t get to eat or put on sun screen, and of course the event started late, so instead of biking at 8am, we biked at 10am. It was already burning up, needless to say I got quite red. After that event was over, I sat through different women's groups talking about their own projects to empower themselves. At the end the ceremony I watched women perform traditional dancing. I did not partake in the all women's soccer tourney, because I was on the brink of dying. Starting lineBeing cheered on by my village Receiving my calendar and t-shirt, as a thank you for participating
Being a 3rd year volunteer is kind of like being a 5th year Senior that just doesn’t want to graduate. I love my village, job and life here, but sometimes it’s hard going into the capital realizing you don’t really know anyone, and you have no desire to be really great friends with all of them, because you’re leaving before they are.
I did my two years and I walked away with great friendships, some that are even those creepy 3rd year volunteers. My life and how I see myself as a volunteer is completely different from someone who has been is country 6 months. The only reason I am really writing about this is because people probably do think I’m a little strange. I’m fine with that because I love not leaving my village for months on end, or not knowing the current gossip. I’m secure with myself as a volunteer. So, since I won’t be hanging out in Ouaga anytime soon, or have great access to internet I’m going to need all my loyal friends and family to send me so good ole fashion mail. Just a letter will do nothing to fancy, (or expensive). Please fill me in on your lives, because the gossip in your life is what’s important to me. Plus I ALWAYS have time to respond! My address is:Audrey Kidwell 01 BP 6031 Ouagadougou 01 Burkina Faso West Africa Mail Received: Aaron Upcoming events… FESPACO-International Film Festival International Women`s Day
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I’ve been back in Burkina almost a month. After a week of waiting in Ouaga, I finally got to my new home. I arrived on a Monday by Peace Corps car. On the ride down I kept thinking how I felt that first time I was sent to site. The first time I was so nervous, but I kept telling myself it was going to be ok, but once we dropped off my closest neighbor, I realized I was next and I couldn’t do anything to control my nerves. The second time around I felt way more confident. I already knew the culture and the language.
I arrived really quickly, the driver helped me to unload my stuff, make sure my house was ok, and off he went. For the second time I had that awkward meet your association, host family, etc experience. For the first day everyone was like leave the white girl alone, she’s new. The second day however, I jumped right in. I went to work at 8, tried to get the lay of the land, like normal most people from my association was gone. The first few days went by normally, but once the staff started to appear, things picked up. One of the contributors to my association is an NGO from Canada. They are based in the providence of Quebec, specifically the Lac St. Jean region. So, I have had two different groups from Canada come to visit. Both are focusing on environment. They come to tour the area, my association takes them to see Elephants, other nature like things (Baobab trees, lakes, etc…) and we set up some projects for them to participate in, like helping with a theatre program. My Association is called Weog la Viim, (Nature, Its life!). We deal mostly with environmental issues, but there is a sector of health: malnutrition and infectious disease, and how the environment affects those issues. My job at this moment is to deal with Tuberculosis. I was given a partner to work with, and he explained to me that we won’t be doing any physical work on TB, just monitoring what other groups are doing. Starting in March we will be going to 10 community organizations throughout my providence and helping them to make an action plan on TB, once it gets approved, then my association gives them money to do the projects and then I will return to supervise these projects, and write up a report on whether the local organizations do their work and are reaching the goals of the funder. Pretty much right now I am working where ever help is needed. I’m actually fine with that, I’m getting a chance to see all different projects and programs. I am also living with a family. I share a courtyard with them, but my house is free standing. I don’t have electricity, or running water again but I’m fine with that. I spend all my days at my bureau; my house is just really a resting place. The family is super nice, I had reserves about living so close to someone else, but I couldn’t be happier with them. All of the children are older and are used to other foreigners, and I think that makes a difference, no kids asking for candy, or wanting to touch all my stuff. That’s all I can think of for now; I spend my week at work and weekends trying to get to know my village. Please send me MAIL to: Audrey Kidwell 01 BP 6031 Ouagadougou 01 Burkina Faso West Africa *Again a HUGE thank you to everyone I saw, visited or talked to while I was home. I had a wonderful vacation in Indiana. It was well needed after 2 years. See you all in 2012!
With only a few hours left in the US, I can say that my vacation home was a great one. Not too much had changed, the places stayed, people matured. I fiqured I would have been really lost coming back to a place I hadnt seen in 27months. But, overall I adjusted very well. There are definatly somethings that I was like, "WHAT?" or "People do that here?"
I'm heading back to warmer(much warmer) climate. It will be intersting to see how well I readjust to the Burkinabe culture. Im adding a clip of something I wrote, but it really describes my time in West Africa. When most people ask me to describe my 27months worth of experience in a sentence or two, I usually say, “It was great!” which is was, but it is better described as a rollercoaster. Once you start you’re normally scared for the future, you don’t really know what you got yourself into. Then you get used to the rollercoaster and start to like it. During the ride you have a lot of ups and downs, but in the end you love it so much it leaves you wanting more, and you beg to ride it one more time. That’s exactly how my Peace Corps experience was, it left me wanting more. After finishing my 27 month service, I decided to extend for another 12 months. I won’t be in the same village, but I will be doing a lot of the same things. I chose a village (with electricity) that has an existing association. Their employer is a Non-governmental organization (NGO) that made a project plan then went into the communities of Burkina to employ local associations to help with the work. I will be helping this association do their work, but also to help the association grow in outreach education. I am taking a blind leap since I haven’t met the association or been to the village. Since I did the same thing two years ago, I know that I won’t be in the dark for long. Thanks again for all the support over the two years. I really enjoyed seeing everyone over break and catching up with everyone. Stay Warm, and I will see you in 2012!
These are some videos I took of traditional Mossi dancing
This is of a Men's group. In Koupela every year they do a chiefs processional, the guy under the umbrella is the regional chief, and all the other village chiefs are walking beside him. After my village Chief died, they held a funeral for him. This is of his daughters doing a dance for him. As they walk in a circle, they throw money and the children scramble to pick it up. This is of my girls club doing a traditional girls dance in traditional clothing. 
I am HOME!!!!!!!! (until Jan 23)
If you didnt get a chance to send me mail the first time around to still have time! Audrey Kidwell, PCV S/c Corps de la Paix 01 B.P. 6031 Ouagadougou 01 BURKINA FASO 
(Halloween 2010 with the new volunteers and a watermelon!)
As time comes to a close in my village, I think back to the last 26 months I have spent in Burkina, all the flat tires, crying babies, RICE, and miss pronunciation of my name, and I think to my self, what a great time it was. I know my service wasn’t what I thought it would be, but on the other hand, I had no idea what I was getting my self into. My French/Moore isn’t as strong as I wanted it to be in the end, I defently didn’t do all the projects I wanted to, but I know that I did make a difference to my community. I am fully integrated into a culture unlike my own and I am flourishing. I could have done nothing for my entire 2 years and everyone would have still loved me. I know most people outside Peace Corps would think this too, but there are a few volunteers who do A LOT more than I did in their two years and their villages were not as grateful. Visiting villagers and living with them are completely different. Each person has a completely different service. We each made it how we wanted it to, and for the most part we all finished what we started. Now that I set a date for departure, I informed my village, they have been making me feel like a millionaire, asking me to not leave, or to take back their children, threatening to hide me from Peace Corps, so I can’t leave, and it’s such a sweet gesture. I know that staying in village would be great for me, but in the long run it may hurt my village, changing it up will be good for them, they can get a new perspective on things. With that being said, I am leaving my village the 13th of this coming up month. It’s going to be super hard. There is another volunteer replacing me in Jan. Since I know its going to be hard to leave I decided to stay in Burkina for another year! I am making a 13 month commitment to another area where I would be working with a NGO in a larger village. More details on the job later. I will be home for Christmas and looking forward to seeing you all. Thanks for the support these past two years. *AUDREY* 
I recently got back from a trip to Niger. It was a load of fun. We saw a hippo (Yes only 1), the biggest Baobab tree ever (well I’ve seen bigger, but I went along with the story) and lots of Giraffes. I went with 2 other volunteers for a quick trip east.
We left really early, but it seemed to take forever to get there. Border patrol took the longest, which I guess is ok, since it shows they are doing their job. Once in Niamey we dropped our stuff off at the hotel and started exploring. We took a canoe ride along the Niger River, which is where we saw 1 hippo. One day we went to a village about 45 mins away from the capital and saw giraffes in the “wild.” They are super cute. We got pretty close, which I didn’t think would happen. In this park there are 210 giraffes, but since they travel in packs, we saw 12. Later that day we went to some important island where there is a haunted baobab tree (Rafiki’s tree in Lion king) and supposedly the biggest in Niger, but like I said I have bigger ones in my village and we didn’t see any ghosts! The last day was spent shopping!!!!! On the way back, I was at the border patrol and I ran into someone from my village. Which is crazy because I just said my village name and he knew me!!!?? I thought he knew my name because it was on my passport, but it isn’t so it just goes to show how small the world really is. I’m back in village now. Trying to tie up a few lose ends, because I need to start winding down my projects. The biggest project I am doing right now is teaching women how to make a lotion to repel mostiquto. It’s really popular which is good because everyone is getting Malaria (well not me). The rain has basically stopped, so it’s gotten really hot. I know it’s always hot here, but during rainy season, hot weather means rain, now it just means HOT! ALSO, IF YOU WANT TO SEND ME MAIL NOW IS THE TIME TO DO IT. I WANT TO RECEIVE IT BEFORE I LEAVE THE FIRST OF DECEMBER!!!!!! (I’ll let you know the very last possible minute, but big items like packages or fat envelopes need to be done nowish!) Mail Received: Parents Aaron 
This time WAS for Africa!
I had such a great time with my soccer tourney this past month. I was a little nervous because my village changed all the rules and dates on me while I was on vacay. My biggest concern was the RAIN!!! Overall I feel my luck was ok, because it only rained during 2 regular games, but my villagers think I had bad luck because it rained during my final game. I knew in advance that it was going to rain because the night before I had asked my mother to look up the weather on the Internet. I told people this and they got kinda nervous. On Sunday morning however it was great. I went to church and it was beautiful! Everyone was like your wrong, the Internet cant tell you everything. The funniest part was trying to explain the Internet to people who don't get the concept of technology. I was in the local drinking spot talking about the final to some people and it started down pouring! Once it started people thought I was crazy because I said all along it was really going to rain. It rained from 11:30 am to 3pm non stop. Once it ended I assumed the game was postponed, but I had some kids come to my house and say lets go. I tried to convince the kids to wait 3 days until the next market day, but they weren't having it. So we started that game and hour later and once it started it ended up raining through the WHOLE things. I was really surprised how many people came in the rain, over 200 people 15yrs and up. Then I got kinda sad because I could have had A LOT more people if it wasn't raining. The game ended 1 to 1, but since it was the final they couldn't end like that we went into a shoot out. Each team got 5 shots, we had to bend the rules because we didn't have a lot of day light left. Once it was over both teams started arguing about the rules, or penalties, etc....Once I got the crowd settled down I gave my thank you speech and passed out the prizes for each team. What I was really impressed with was how soooo many people knew about it. I had people coming up to me and my village boss saying how much this event meant to the community, or how impressed they were by how it was run, etc. I got a lot of compliments. I really liked the support I got from my community. I tried to pay the people who helped me organize this, because they did most of the work, but they refused because they knew how much this event meant to me. I wanted to show kids how easy it is to do events with little cost. Things that are fun should not cost a lot, and I used local resources(besides soccer balls and pennies(mesh jerseys), which were donated) School aged children do not get the support and interaction that they should be getting. I feel there is no stimulation. If they get to go to school, they memorize what they need to get to the next grade, then go home and do pretty much nothing until the next day where they repeat it. I find it fascinating to watch a child who never gets do anything exciting be the center of attention, even if it is just for 90mins. I feel that I accomplished what I wanted to do with this activity. TO me that is the most import part of the whole thing! I want to say THANK YOU to all the kids of my brothers World History Classes who helped with the donations of soccer balls. Upcoming Events: I'm going to see Giraffes! I'm going on a little vacay safari! I will defiantly post pictures!!! 3 months and counting until my return. Time is FLYING!! MAIL RECEIVED: Sarah and Andy Parents Shanna Anna (This pretty much sums up the day on the finale!) (Me giving the award to the runner-ups and my village Nakaba) (The winners! Ounougou!) 
This time for Africa!
A little photo update on my life since I have been back.... "Working" in the field, this year is millet, beans, and peanuts Who doesnt love puppies and Freddy A really cool cameleon SOCCER TOURNEY COUPE DE L'UNITE -United Cup First Addition Nakaba 2010 There are 7 teams and 18 games... So far the games have been going well, its only rained once during a game. The community has really come together and are enjoying themselves. Enjoy the photos below: 
First; look through the bag of the nearest foreginer while she is working, once found scream OUI or Yes to signal you did indeed find candy then open the newly found candy.
After successifuly taking the candy off the wrapper, place it in your mouth. and chew very carfully. Then act sad because more of the candy got stuck to the wrapper than made it into your mouth, but then you make the descisions to stick the whole wrapper in your mouth to fully apprieciate the taste. Just make sure you dont actually eat the wrapper........ *The model in this is Appo, a classic cheeser!!
2011 will be the 50th year for Peace Corps. In Burkina we are starting the celebration NOW!
The kick off will start with a tree planting ceremony at the end of the month. Starting Sept 5th there will be a bike tour throughout Burkina to raise money for Gender and Developement. Please ckeck out this site for more detailed info! burkinabiketour.blogspot.com* Its such a great cause, so PLEASE take your time looking at it, and they also plan to update it as they go!!! Mail Received: Kristen Melissa Mom
This is a quick little update for all of you who actually read my blog.
I just got back from Italy, and it was GREAT! I am hanging out now and finshing up some work for the Bureau, then its back to village! Mail Received: Jean B Karla M 
To all the newbies coming to Burkina: Get ready for a GREAT experience, Burkina`s ready for you!!!!
Ahhh its June and I haven't written a blog in a very looooong time! I have been super busy these past 2 months and I feel like I haven't spent any time in village(which I have) UPDATES: Mother to Child Health Conference: This was a week long conference where I brought a lady and we learned about all things concerning mother to child health, like breast feeding, home-made pourage, family planning, etc. This conference was really great. I got to chose the women who went with me, and she is pretty motivated in village. After the program ended she cane up to me and said she wanted to help me get together a program to do pourage for the CSPS and other small educational talks. I happy for this, but I haven't been in village long enough to make it happen, but I'm going to this month. Shanna's Visit: On the Safari I had a friend from home come to visit. We had such a great time. It started off kinda rocky because she missed her first initial flight then when she got here the airlines had lost her luggage. But in the end the trip was great. We started out in my village, where she gave candy to EVERY CHILD. Towards the end everyone was following us around hoping to get a sucker. Im pretty sure everyone will remember her forever. I still get asked when is she coming back with more candy!!! After a few days we went to a game reserve near Pama (south of Fada) to see some animals. There aren't as many animals here as you would see in other parts of Africa, but I got pretty close to some Elephants, so I'm happy. It was pretty neat to expereince something like that semi- close to my house. The last day we spent in Ouaga, which it rained, giving us a little break during the heat. ELEPHANTS New Mothers Program: This was a program that I did in my village. It was designed for first time mothers. It also happened that all my mothers were ages 17-19. this program was for 3 days. The first day we discussed overall health and uses of my CSPS. This included things like if your child has a fever for one day do this, but if it continues for more than one day do this. The second day was mother health and hygiene, this included all things related to moms, like keeping the house clean, having good personal hygiene, and using family planning(or spacing). The last day was child health and hygiene. We talked a lot about malnutrition and child development. I explained that at certain months children should be sitting up, or talking, etc. I also explained how to make proper food for the babies after 6 months. This was a really good program, I loved how well the interaction with the women and their children went. Girls Conference: The Group I went to Kongussi ( a new place for me) and participated in a conference for girls. I also went with two girls ages 17 & 18. They learned a lot about reproduction, puberty, role models, and making good choices. This was a volunteer conference, so we had the girls busy from sun up to sun down. We learned how to make jam, paper, soap, jewelry, etc. we tried to actually do things they could do in village for little or no cost. This was a really great opportunity for these girls, most have never left their area of Burkina, let alone experience some great things. My girls love meeting new people from all over Burkina. Me and my girls Laafi Raaga: In my village we put on a “big day of health” during market day. This event was sponsored by PLAN international and my CSPS. It was basically to show appreciation to women in village who actually do things proper, like women who come to 4 pre natal consultations, or women who make healthy food for their children using ingredients they have at their house. There was a lot of traditional practices included, like dancing and singing. After the actual ceremony was over, the market started where kids could win prizes like cookies, or mosquito nets, t-shirts, etc. This market was really busy, its the most people I have ever seen in my market at one time. Traditional Dancers That leads me up to this week, where I am in Ouyoughua to help prep for the new trainees that are coming in the next few weeks! Its a week long training to help the trainers get all the kinks out, and hopefully allow the training period go smoothly. I will head back to village on Sunday, where I will stay for 2 weeks, then I am working training for two weeks, and going directly to Italy for my older brothers wedding. Im pretty much booked until August. There is so much to do, but not enough weeks to do them. As for me, I am still having a blast, things could never be better. Life is difficult most days, but the reward is worth it.MAIL RECEIVED: Tab
Hey. I'm in ouaga. Shanna was here visiting, and we are at the house. I am using her iPhone, technology is Crazy!!
Here is a Quick list of all the books I am currently looking for. This by no means you need to rush out and buy them for me, just if your a frequent used book buyer or you get good discounts at Borders....
I prefer books that have been used and that you dont mind getting back, bc once in Burkina, they will always be in Burkina. Here they are: Megan McCafferty -2nd Helpings -Charmed 3rds -4th Comings Kyra Davis -Passion, Betrayal and Killer Highlights Benokri -Finished Road Emily Arsenault -The Broken Tea Glass Meg Cabot -Queen of Babble in the Big City -Queen of babble gets Hitched -She Went all the Way Kavita Daswani -Salaam, Paris -Indie Girl -The Village Bride of Beverly Hills Jhumpa Lahiri -Unaccustomed Earth -The Namesake Victoria Dahl -Take Me Down -Crazy for Love -Start Me Up Louise Bagshawe -Desire -Passion -Glitz -A Kept Women -Sparkles -Venus Envy -Career Girls -Tuesday's Child Also if you have any books you think I might like I am open to them. I will read anything! If you do decided to send me a book off this list, PLEASE post which one in my comment box, so others know I already have it! Thanks in advance! .JPG)
Oh April, what a month. I never realised how much I missed heat rash….. I thought it was a figure of my imagination, but once I crossed the border back into Burkina, it appeared. Its like a pet that has on an invisible collar, it cant follow you everywhere, but once your on the perimeter the dog is all over you.
On a more serious note, the hottest month is over, and May promises rain. We even got a little preview last week. I forgot how much I love rain, not even just the actual rain so much, but the wind leading up to it, and the lighting show that follows, its also knowing that everything will be turning green soon. I recently took a trip to Ghana with some other volunteers. After this trip I’m glad I wasn’t a volunteer there. It was really hard to talk about people and things when everyone speaks your language. (In Burkina if I want to discuss the price of things at the market I speak in English and no one knows) In Ghana there is a lot of choices of what to eat and where to eat, plus the super markets have a lot of nice American food. Ie Betty Crocker and Aunt Jemima. Being in Ghana was like experiencing another world, sometimes I did not feel like I was even in West Africa. I also never realized how poor Burkina is, in comparison to other West African countries. Burkina is so happy and when I am in village I don’t need for materialistic things. In Ghana more people have cars and cell phones, and they wear more Western style clothing. Sometimes when we were traveling, I felt like the African, either my clothes were dirty, mismatched or I was waiting for public transport rather than getting into my own vehicle. Besides being a completely different experience than I expected, Ghana was nice. There is a lot to do, and I saw only a small portion of it. The details are as followed: We left Ouaga at 9am and sat on a bus all day. We stopped at the border of course, and 2 other times for bathroom breaks. We finally arrived in Kumasi at night in the rain. The next day we explored Kumasi. We went to the market, which is supposed to be the largest in West Africa. We spent most of the time exploring the city. The next day we headed to Cape Coast and finally saw the ocean! While in Cape Coast we saw the slave castle. This was a fort built on the water to export slaves to other countries. The castle I went to was built in the 15th century by the Portuguese to export gold, ivory, spices and slaves. Over the years it passed hands from one country to the next. After they didn't use the castle for slavery, so converted into schools, churches or used for governmental buildings. The castle I went to was the same one O’Bama and the First Lasy visited a while back. We took a tour of the castle and got to see all the ins and outs of the fort. The next day we went to Kakum National Park. This is one of the few last rainforests left in West Africa. Along with the park there is a canopy walk, which is AMAZING! It seems really scary, but really fun. You start by taking a walk through the park, then end on a series of 7 brings suspended through trees. Its pretty high in the air, but I'm not for sure of the exact measurements. Later that day we headed to Buswa beach. The rest of the time we spent at the beach, it was really relaxing and our place was a small shack, but right on the ocean. Each night we heard the waves crashing into the beach, as we fell asleep. We spent 5 nights on the beach. One day it rained, but mostly we spent out time collecting shells, getting sun and just relaxing. We went in off season, so there was not a lot of people, which was great. After leaving the beach we started heading back to Burkina. It took two days. The last leg of the bus ride, which was from Kumasi to Ouaga took the longest, and also the bus broke down. Something in the engine didn't work, so we waited 4 hours for the mechanic to come and fix it, which took all of 10 minutes. Over all the trip was really nice, but I never want to experience that bus ride again!!! Once back in Burkina, I have been busy. I went to 2 schools(which I rarely make it too) to do health talks, I helped a women make pourage for her child, and this past week I was at a conference on Mother to child health. Right now I am in Ouaga with PSDN, a peer support group. It seems like I am never in village and when I am, I constantly have things to do. Time is flying.... Upcoming events:SHANNA IS VISITING!!!! Conference on Girls Clubs. MAIL RECEIVED: Church 
(International Womens Day)
So, its the end of March and I do not know where the time as gone. I also do not know where the next 4 months are going either. I have lots of programs, visitors, vacations and a wedding to attend to. My service will be over before I know it. Past Events: My Best Friend and her husband came to visit!!! We stayed in village for 8 days, and Ouaga 3. The visit was so great, its nice seeing people I know. We hung around village, drank some dolo, helped weight babies, climb mango trees, etc... It was a really great time, and I am really glad that they came. In the end it was exhausting to always be translating, but it was really worth it. (A gift for me) Upcoming Events for April: Ghana.. New Mothers Workshop Ag workshop (My girls club) Mail Received: Parents ESA Headquarters 
So, I'm waiting for my friends to arrive in Burkina and I decided to upload some pictures. I couldn't get my photo albums to open, so I just added some strait to my blog.
(A blue sheep, a gift for my Chiefs funeral) (Aziz, a child whos mothers lives at the CSPS.) (Me with a shirt with my chief's photo on it) Thats all I could get, Enjoy! Mail Received: Lyndsee P 
(A baby being weighted)
I just finished a program called Hearth or FARN (in French). This program is for mothers with malnourished children. It is an intense program for two weeks where the mothers come for two hours. For the first hour the mothers learn about health related topic and then the second hour we made healthy pourage or local food. The three objectives for FARN are: 1. To rehabilitate malnourished children 2. Teach women health and hygiene 3. Teach women that it is possible to raise healthy children with local resources. My FARN was is a neighborhood of my village. This village of Birghin has about 1500 people. I chose 11 women with children ages 9months to 14 months. Everyday either PLAN Koupela or I gave a health talk to the women. PLAN did more serious stuff like HIV/AIDS, Family planning etc. I did more stuff on hygiene at home, hand washing, child development. Each day I had the women make either pourage, To and sauce or Rice. (Me, teaching women the importance of feeding their children 5 times a day) There are a lot of problems with doing a FARN and the number one is, that women never show up on time!!! Other than that it went pretty well. I learned a few things that need changed or added for the next time. After 2 weeks all my children gained weight. The average was 330 grams. The real test is in 1 month and 6 months when I go back to each women's house. Its to see if they are using what I taught them in their lives and that the children are still continuing to gain weight..... (My women feeding their children) Mail Received: Jen H Family (2 packages) Church (2 packages)
My New Years Resolution: To write more detailed and interesting blogs!!
My Birthday: Happy Birthday to me! It was such a great time. This is defiantly a birthday to remember. I made riz gras(rice with tomato sauce), with sheep, chickens, local gateau (cake)! I had enough food to feed over 100 people. I helped make all this food with the women at my CSPS. The whole day was busy, I started cutting veggies around 8 am, and the party started at 1pm and didn’t get over until 2am! I had a lot of people come, from my Chef de Terre (Chief of the ground) to my boss at the District in Koupéla and a millions children in between. Christmas: Well I was sick for the days leading up to it, so I didn’t go all out like I wanted to, but in the end it was good. I got an outfit made just for Christmas. I went to church with my CoGes (adopted) family, then afterwards I just went from house to house and ate and drank (water, I was sick!) I never realized how many people I interact with everyday. I wanted to go to everyone’s house that I see day to day, but it was so hard, since you have to spend more than 5 mins at each house. I ended up taking 3 days to go to everyone’s places to say Merry Christmas. Christmas day night, I went with my Major (Boss) to go and greet all the “official” people. New Years: New Years Eve I also stayed in village and spent the evening at our local dance club. When it actually turned 2010 I was will my CSPS staff eating salad, fried chicken, green beans, rice, etc…. There was no dropping of the ball, since I conviently made confetti, we had our own countdown, complete with ‘fireworks.’ They made me stay up until 4 am that night watching children dance. The next day I went from house to house to eat and drink again Needless to say I had a great holiday season; starting my b-day and ending with 2010 . I ate so much, and had a great time. I am defiantly happy that I stayed in village. I am just sad that I won’t be here next year to enjoy the fun again! 2009 was a great year, but 2010 will be unbelievable! Upcoming Events: HEARTH: 2 week program for mothers with malnourished children Hand washing demonstrations at local schools Mail Received: Anna Myers ESA Delta Kappa(2cards) Aaron Sarah H Kristen W( 3 cards) Family Karla M
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!!!
Mail Received: Lyndsee Priest Parents 
The Dogon are an ethnic group living in the central plateau region of Mali, south of the Niger bend near the city of Bandiagara in the Mopti region. The population number between 400,000 to 800,000[3] The Dogon are best known for their mythology, their mask dances, wooden sculpture and their architecture. The past century has seen significant changes in the social organization, material culture and beliefs of the Dogon, partly because Dogon country is one of Mali's major tourist attractions.
The principal Dogon area is bisected by the Bandiagara Escarpment, a sandstone cliff of up to 1,640 ft high, stretching for about 150 km almost 100 miles. To the southeast of the cliff, the sandy Séno-Gondo Plains are found, and northwest of the cliff are the Bandiagara Highlands.The current population is between 400,000 to 800,000. Historically, Dogon villages were established in the Bandiagara area in consequence of the Dogon people's collective refusal to convert to Islam a thousand years ago. Dogon insecurity in the face of these historical pressures caused them to locate their villages in defensible positions along the walls of the escarpment. The other factor influencing their choice of settlement location is water. The Niger River is nearby and in the sandstone rock, a rivulet runs at the foot of the cliff at the lowest point of the area during the wet season. The majority of Dogon practice an animist religion, including the ancestral spirit Nommo, with its festivals and a mythology in which Sirius plays an important part. A significant minority of the Dogon practice Islam, and some have been converted by missionaries to Christianity. Most men, however, have only one wife, and it is rare for a man to have more than two wives. Formally, wives only join their husband's household after the birth of their first child. Women may leave their husbands early in their marriage, before the birth of their first child. (All of this was taken off the internet) I went on a 5 day 4 night hiking trip. We started in one campgroundand throughout the 5 days, we walked up the side of a mountain, along the top, then back down again where we stayed the last night on sand dunes. The view from the top is AMAZING! Our guide was really good, he works 99% with Peace Corps volunteers. Dogon is really big, and we only saw a very small portion of it. It takes over a month to see it all. Overall the trip was really great. I have added pictures(with captions! 
The first Fete(Party) HALLOWEEN: FADA
Our `Pumpkin` Me and the pumpkin Our Group. I went as husband and wife with Josh a fellow PCV. Notice the matching outfits and HUGE ring.. haha Fada Market Second Party: an NGO came to visit... they came to do research on different types of agricultural farming and techniques. A Latrine. You pee and poo in different areas. The pees goes into a larger container and is then treated with chemicals and is used for farming. The poo just goes away. This is the container the pee goes into. This is the corn they produced. Each one is a different planting method with either the urine or regualr fertilizer. The biggest bag was produced using the urine fertilizer. Traditional Dancers A cool dude all dressed up My theather group playing drums RANDOM PHOTO: waiting for traffic to pass MAIL Received: Parents Aaron Andy Church 
It has been one year since I left the USA (Oct.13). All my memories of this past year have been of Burkina (Except Barcelona w/ the FAM) and all my memories I will make in this upcoming year will be based around Burkina.
Thinking back to my single most favorite thing about this year is my dog. I was hesanantant at first because I didn’t want to get a dog and then have to leave it after two years, and what do you feed African dogs anyways. Since I didn’t want a child to spend every night with me at my home, I was talked into getting a dog for “security.” I was told a dog won’t stop an intruder, but at least I will know when one is coming. So far he has been a great guardian. He hasn’t stopped any humans (but there hasn’t been any) but he has done a great job at warning me about donkeys, frogs and the occasional snakes in my courtyard. (As in snakes I mean only 2 and only a foot long each) I was given the puppy by a friends and I decided to name him Benga, which is Beans in Moore my local language. Most people find it odd because who names their dog after food? In my village most dogs are named Cuppy, Tutu or chien (dog in French). I am asked a lot if his name is Benga only or if his middle name is Rice, since Rice and beans is a popular dish here. The thing I like most about him is that he is a great housemate. 1. He works as a wake up alarm because he has to go out at 6:30 every morning 2. He eats whatever I make for him, even if what I make is questionable 3. He keeps me company when it gets dark at 6 pm and I have no one to talk to 4. He also sleeps most of the day leaving me to do what I want The best part though he has helped me integrate unto the community. He has made me leave my house when I haven’t wanted to leave. Instead of staying inside all day I have had to go in search of food or water or let him out to go to the bathroom He’s made me talk to people I wouldn’t necessarily talk to. Whether is be to explain why I named my dog Benga or to ask where he is, which is hard because I don’t know if they are talking about my dog or the food. He’s made me go places I haven’t thought about going. When I take him on walks he always running in multiple directions, so I have found many hidden treasures in my village. My Country Director always says, “Don’t just live here for 2 years, and makes this your home.” That’s what Benga is helping me to do, make this village, MY VILLAGE. Mail Received: Carolyn Shaw Delta Kappa Indiana ESA State Chapter Tammy Bryant Jenni Russ THANKS FOR MUCH FOR THE ESA LOVE! Bethany Mulhenkamp Gene Novak 
Over 9 hours of rain, over 10 inches, wiped out power for over 24 hours, wiped out countless houses and businesses. (Barrowed the pics from a friend of mine except my house photo)
The canal by the university - maybe 15 feet of water deep Road to Fada(Which is the road to my village) (what it looks like when its raining at my house) 
Its September Already?!?!
(Benga) Im in Ouaga this weekend to have a farewell party for the new COSers (COS= Close of service) The group met for a week to discuss their final 3 months at site. The remaining volunteers have a get together to say good-bye.Yes, I know its early but the next 3 months will fly by and COSer leave randomly, so this is the last time we will see them all together. These COSers are health and Small Enterprise. They were the ones who helped during my training and guided us with opur first projects. Since all new incoming volunteers will be coming together, as opposed to a group in Oct and a group in June, once these COSers leave my stage will be the only health and sed volunteers until the new group swears in in Augt 2010. Whats even scarier then being the only health volunteers for almost a year, is that in excatly a year that will be me at the COS conference. The past month or so has been good. The weather has coooled off which is awesome. Vegatables are back in season. I can now find patats, green beans, tomatos and even frut isnt that expensive. My days are filling out, sometimes I wonder if Ill get everything done that I want to do in my remaning 13 months. I started giving health talks now. I go from village to village talking about whatever I want. My first talk was a disaster. No one showed up except the 3 guys that I made come. My first topic was about a tree called Moringa. Its found in tropical and subtropical climates. Once its older is needs very litttle water to live. Its a great source of nutrition. It was first discovered in India, but can be found all over now. We like to call it the magical tree. It can do about anything. (Me at my Youth Center planting Moringa) For Example : If you plant them close together is works as a fence. If u take the seeds and ground them up they putfy water and honey The tree branches can be pulled apart and woven into twine The seed pods are good for animals Mostly importantly the leaves has great nutritional value. One cup of moringa powder is equal to 7 oranges for Vitamin C One cup of moringa powder is equal to 4 cups milk for cqlcium Since milk, fruit and most food is expensive and hard to find, Moringa is a cheap and easy way to get all those vitamins. So I have been telling all my villages about them and I even planted 10 trees, so when they are redy I can make power. Once I have enough powder Im going to do pourage demostrations and hopefully find a womens group who would be interested in selling the powder. Other News : Im finally getting materials for my Youth Center, hope to have grand opening at the end of October. (Me and Benga)
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO JULIE HANEY AND ST. ROSE BIBLE SCHOOL FOR THE WONDERFUL DONATION!
Its been 2 weeks since my vacation to Spain. I made it back to site and Im back in the swing of things in Burkina.
Leaving Paris for Ouaga, I was in the same terminal and section that i orgially was in back in October. As i set and watched people fill the lines, I remembered what it felt like to finally be leaving. All the nerves we accumulated on our 6 hour layover , knowing once we boared the plane there was no turining back. Paris was the last leg of the trip to Burkina. This time was a little different because i wasnt experincing it with 31 other people and i didnt get any special treatment. When i stepped of the plane this time, as with the first time the heat of the night hit me as soon as I got to the airplane doors. The airport isnt that big. Wal-mart is bigger than the airport, but it serves its function. I mean theres not a lot of tourist traffic, but hopefully that changes. Coming back to site was really welcoming. all the staff at the CSPS were waiting for me at my door and helped me unload my stuff. The one thing i love most about this place is no matter who you are or where your at everyone greets you like they have known you forever. Ive been pretty busy, rainy season typically brings a lot of sickness, since I cant do anything medical, i am usually the gofer(go for this or go for that) Which i dont mind because Im staying busy or sometimes I sit with paitents, it really depends on the day. Since it is rainy season the day after is rains EVERYONE is in the fileds. no one has time to go to the market, or come to the CSPS, or even drink dolo under the big mango tree. Its amazing how people survive when this place is like a ghost town most of the week. I did start my own field. Im going to plant beans and peanuts. My field is small but I can handle it. I found a guy to come with his plow and beef to plow my field. all it needs to do is rain. To practice planting my boss had me help his family plant. its no that hard to put a seeds in the ground, but i humored him anyways. I ended up with blisters on my hands. We will see if they actually grow! Other than that life is pretty much the same. I get up early go to bed early and try to fill my days with good African fun(or work)!! MAIL RECEIVED: PARENTS Mrs. Weber Katia and Katrina
Just a little up-date
*I am currently in Spain with ¾ of my family. We spent 5 days in Barcelona and then moved on to Madrid. Both places are equally gorgeous. It’s nice to have a change of scenery. The flight to Barcelona was nice and smooth. I made all my connections. The strangest thing was flying out at night from the same air-port that I flew into 9 months ago. It brought back so many memories of my first few days in country. *I have been a volunteer for a little over 6 months, but it’s been 9 months since I have seen the good-ole USA. I thought it would be hard to make the adjustment back into a more modern society, but so far it has been smooth. It’s also a lot easier since I’m not actually home, and I am going back to Burkina. Past Events: Burkina Faso v. Cote D’Ivoire: We Lost 3-2. Vaccination Campaign for MMR Up-Coming Events: World Map project and organizing youth center(Plan to open it Oct.) Extras: Below is the survey of my Village: *General info The geographical location My village is Nakaba in the area of the Center East, providence of Kouriitenga, and department of Baskoure. The place Chief of providence is Koupela 30 km of my village. Koupela is the Medical District. My Village is 166 km of Ouagadougou and with 520 km of Bobo-Dioulasso. The village of Nakaba counts 10 districts: Nakaba-Centre Birghin Wemtenga Sire Sambtenga Salmin Kindsabla Barguiongo Nioughin Tierboullin Population My village has a population of 6,500 inhabitants. The Person in charge, Naaba Kossodo is the Chief of the Village of Nakaba. His three responsibilities are: Organize the village traditionally, Take care of problems of a political nature and socio-economic. Deals with the administration of the village. History of the Village The Chief of Koupela was father of several princes. Each one wanting its autonomy, the chief decides to divide his kingdom between them. The village of Nakaba was thus reserve with Naaba Gnondogo. This one left Koupela to settle in Nakaba towards the 15th century. It is the founder of Nakaba. Ethnicity The principal ethnic group of Nakaba is Mossi. There is also Peulhs and Zhosse which are slightly represented has the geographical one of village causes. There is a royal court with Nakaba. The royal surname is KABORE and GNONDGO. They inhabitants Nakaba-Center. *Presentation of the medical surface of Nakaba Nakaba is continuation in the medical district of Koupela (30K) area of Center East. The area of Nakaba east composes of 5 villages. Village Distance Nakaba 0km Bologo 3km Komsilga 5km Nondo 2km Ounougou 4km The Functions consists in organizing all material logistics and finances for the implementation of the care of quality with the full participation of the community. Each day the CSPS does: consultations, pre and post native consultations, weigh the children, vaccinations, obstetrician assistance, to give the drug, boil demonstrations, and sensibilisations. The CSPS of Nakaba was open in 2002. Before its construction the patients went to Baskoure, Nioughin, to look after itself. The CSPS was built by a European Priest. Population Village 0-11 1-5 total Nakaba 130 451 3092 Bologo 06 22 152 Komsilga 49 169 1157 Nondo 30 105 721 Ounougou 49 168 1155 264 915 6277 3013-Hommes 3264- Femmes List of top 10 sicknesses Affections respiratoires 801 Respoiratory Infections Paludisme 772 Malaria Affections de la peau 211 Skin Infections Affections digestives 135 Digestive Infections Affections uro-génitale 133 Urinal Problèmes Maladie Diarrhéique 115 Dirrhea Affections osteo-articulaire 75 ?? Parasitose intestinale 58 Parasites Affections cavité buccale 43 Teeth Problems Affections oculaire 39 Eye problems COGES The COGES is functional since May 2007. The participation of the COGES in the activities of health professional training is insufficient 3 out of 6 are regulars with the meetings. It takes part in the management of the health centre with the team of health. It meets each 6 months to make a feedback with the community. Mail Received as of June 27, 2009 *Kristen Wilson *Grandparents 
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