If only I had had more access to the internet while in Burkina, I possibly would have found out about Green Cross and its program in Burkina Faso. Then, I would have been able to work with them as a...
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Think you'll be immune to committing faux-pas in America? Ha, fat chance! Here are some things not to do in the USA (most of which I had already violated within the first 48 hours of being back). DO NOT: -...
After 28 months of being in Africa, it's finally time to move on. While it's true that I'm much more ready to move on than I was at COS two months ago, a huge part of me is still reluctant...
One of hundreds of fishing boats on the Beninois coast. They go out early in the morning to drop the nets, and return in the afternoon to pick up their catch. A photo of Tillamook during a flood, you say?...
After a 71-odd hour boat ride (in comfortable conditions, mind you), we are out of Tombouctou and in Sévaré, a large town 12km from Mopti in Mali. We're staying at Mac's Refuge, a great hotel owned by an "American" who's...
Home to: - a mud mosque built in the early 14th century- about 23,000 Islamic religious, historical and scientific texts dating from the 12th century on- Tuareg, Songhay, Fulani, Bambara, and Bozo populations- salt caravans, starting here and trekking 800km...
Hi all! Uploading photos has been quite difficult on the road. Which is why I just took advantage of the Peace Corps bureau in Niamey (capital of Niger) and spent about four hours getting them uploaded! There are about 150...
How could a country whose official language is my native tongue be so. dang. hard. to navigate? Whether it be trying to get the real (not naive tourist) price of a cab or bush taxi fare, making a phone reservation...
Hello from Accra! I've been in Ghana since August 4th, and my time here has been pretty great so far. Peter and Radhika (my PCV friend who's traveling with us) I spent a few days just playing in the ocean...
Well. An awful lot has happened since my last post. My brother visited. I organized and facilitated a 5-day girls' camp in Dori with two other volunteers (photo below, with our provincial director of girls' education). Peter arrived (and is...
My adopted family in Amsia. Yep, 30 people in one household. Yikes!
Exciting eh?? I can't wait! It'll be great to have him here for three weeks. For those of you who don't know, this is the first time he's even been on a plane. So, that will be interesting ha. Hopefully...
Hey friends,A couple posts back, I mentioned that my COS (close of service) date will be 23 July. Well, that has changed slightly--to 31 July. A bit more time was necessary because I really wanted to help train the new...
In going through all my old papers, deciding what to burn and what to keep, I came across a list detailing the reasons why I came to Burkina Faso--the goals I wanted to achieve during my two years here. Here...
Finally. Photos for you! Sorry it's been so long since the previous upload. Most of these photos are work-related. I have more, but the batteries in my camera died and I can't upload them. Also, I want to send a...
Today marked the first day of my Close of Service (COS) conference. Can I just mention how scary that is? I mean, I am definately looking forward to coming home, but the thought of leaving my village, Burkinabe friends, and...
I find it slightly odd that I had never heard of International Women's Day until arriving in Burkina Faso. Does no one in the US celebrate the holiday? I know other developed countries, such as the UK, have celebrated it...
Construction projects normally take an awfully long time here. Example: two bridges on the road from Ouaga to Dori were scheduled to be completed by June 2007, in time to avoid flooding during the rainy season. What's the date today?...
Bonsoir, mes amis! Shout Outs It's been five weeks since I've been to Ouaga (and internet), so this was a much needed break. Stocked up on non-whole powdered milk, raisins, oatmeal, tuna, and other "luxury" foods. But I didn't need...
Welcome to 2008. The year I leave Burkina Faso. That's an exciting, scary, and sad thought all in the same breath. But at least New Year's Eve was unquestionably nice! We even were unexpectedly privy to fireworks from the hotel...
Here's a little sample of our trip in Mali's Dogon Country! More to come, when I have time. Suffice it to say: the trip rocked.
Ted gets here on Tuesday. Woo! Looking forward to having someone from home actually experience Burkina Faso with me. Everything is so hard to explain in words alone because I forget to mention things that I used to think were...
Ch-ch-changes This year is proving to be quite different from my first year in Burkina Faso. There are obviously several contributing factors to this (i.e., I am more experienced and comfortable within the culture; I've learned from last year's challenges...
Last night I was getting my mind geared up to return to village this afternoon, when I received a text from a fellow volunteer asking me to reply ASAP if I was in Ouaga. So I replied, and it turns...
The first week of October in Burkina Faso schools is known as the "rentrée," which, depending on where you are, can have a myriad of meanings. If one is in Ouaga or another large city, the rentrée in practice means...
My sins: selfishness and gluttony (yes, I am aware that selfishness isn't one of the seven. shhhhh.)
Mom, Dad, and Noah: Thank you for sending my new glasses. And the card! I'll be able to see the blackboard from the back of the class again! Um, or something more relevant to my life here. But anyway, you...
Welcome to Dori, land of NGOs and cows. For some reason, Dori is an NGO magnet. I don't know whether it's because the town is so undeveloped or if there's another explantation, but they are everywhere. I had never spent...
First of all, I realize it's been over three months since my last post; sorry about that. I'll try not to go that long again without writing! Last night I stepped back into the 86 degree night-time heat, and was...
Wow. I don't talk much about my work on this blog, do I? I guess after writing about it in my quarterly reports I don't have the energy left to talk about it again. But I would really like to...
I always forget to talk about the importance of greetings in Burkina Faso, but someone recently reminded me and I want to share it with you. Greetings in Burkina are extremely important, and almost ritualistic. When you run into someone...
Have you ever wondered what an african market is like? Well, here's a small window into the chaotic world that is the african outdoor market. Basically any village that's on the map has a market (yeah that would be not...
Hi friends! I just spent the weekend enjoying FESPACO--the biggest film festival in west Africa--here in Ouagadougou. It was really interesting; so many foreigners and white people. It didn't seem like many Burkinabe participated; many of my Burkinabe friends said...
I was riding my bike from Bani to Amsia with the two Amsia girls who go to secondary school in Bani, and suggested they come over that night to study English. So after they finished the housework (i.e., 10pm) they...
Today, I saw a carrot. A whole stack of 'em! Welcome to Not-the-Sahel, Burkina Faso. I also got to ride to Ouaga in the nicest SUV in Burkina, fully equipped with air conditioning, a 6-change CD player playing Whitney Houston...
I had heard many stories from other volunteers about feeding Burkinabés american food, and Burkinabés hating it. Even though I believed them, I couldn't fully believe it until I saw for myself. How could anyone hate food that tastes so...
hello! Back online for a few days. I want to share this letter with you all; it's written by Chrissy Schantz who just recently left Burkina. She wrote it for our monthly news letter, the Zak Ramba (that means family...
So much for Planters' Way back in November, Pendo (my best friend in village, and my counterpart's wife) came over to take me to her peanut fields for harvesting. She pulled them all out of the ground and I sat...
Night I sit in my petit bois chair outside on the front porch. Oly (my cat) sits on my lap, the distinct and pungent odor of fish on his breath. The Milky Way shows itself tonight as there is no...
Yes I know it's frustrating that there are no captions yet; that will come in due time. I only have so much time on the computer, and there are way too many distractions to boot. I hope you had a...
Although this post will probably also be not long enough. Later this weekend I'll write to my heart's content. Okay, now I'll continue from where I left off...the bats in my house. Well, the bats went away after we covered...
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