poussa barka

its my last week here in burkina faso and we are slowly wrapping things up. the last two weeks have been a bit of a whirl wind at the centre.

two weekends ago we organized a soccer tournament for practically all of the boys in the cartier. it was 3 days long, involving a lot of water runs, dirt, trophies, and reffing. it worked out super well though and the kids loved it.

this past friday we organized a fete to say thank you to all of the kids and raise awareness to the community about all the positive things the youth centre is doing. we spent the whole week preparing and in the end it worked out quite well. the kids put on a theatre show, which was in moree so unfortunately i couldnt understand, but the audience thought it was absolutely halarious. one of the kids wrote a song and played guitar. the four of us did an african dance. it was pretty funny. then we had games, snacks and lots and lots of food, then awards and cakes. i had spent the whole morning buying ingredients at the market with the cook which was quite interesting because we bought an entire carton of fish, 25kg of rice, 5 litres of oil, etc! then we had to clean and cut all of the fish amongst the flies. never thought id be okay with handling so much dead fish but it was actually fun. in fact my tolerance for alot of things has significantly increased. anyway the kids had full bellies which was great.

so i start my voyage home on saturday but its taking me 3 days. im pretty stoked. there are some things that ive really missed from home. for example, refridgerators- truly and amazing invention, running water, and food in general. however there will be things that i miss here like the people, thunderstorms, and the mangoes.

im not sure if ill get back to internet before hometme but if not, i hope to see many of you soon and i hope you have all been enjoying your summers.

to dori and back

kristin and i decided it was time to see another part of burkina faso. so friday afternoon we headed off on an adventure in hopes of mounting on a camel. so we bought some bus tickets to take us about 5 hours noth, to dori, which is the beginning of the sahel desert. the bus ride was absolutely beautiful as we discovered that burkina actually has some hills. i was so excited. a couple hours in, we had to stop because the road was completely washed over with trucks pushed off the road into the lake. finally our bus went through the 150m stretch and made it out safe and sound. then we drove through a sand storm where there were lightning bolts lighting up the whole sky and purple clouds. it was so cool.

we arrived in dori to discover that cabs dont exist but rather donkey taxis would be the main mode of transportation. we decided to go on foot to our hotel to save some money but in the end it was a terrible decision and had to walk 2 hours in the dark around the lakes filling up the dirt roads, let by some random guide. it was a little sketchy and we were really tired. who would have thought that the desert would have so much water.

the next day, after a lot of negotiating we managed to find some camels and a guide. we met some french people and gallopped off into the dunes to sleep under the stars. we made green tea, ate spaghetti, slept on tiny mats, under the huge starry sky. it wasnt quite as authentic as we would have hoped but very cool none the less. and camels really are so cute!

we got back to ouaga late sunday night after a 7hour bus ride, having to walk through some roads that were covered in water and listening to the goat moan on the roof of our bus the whole way and then behind us in the cab of our trunk.

wooo what an adventure!

a change of scenery

so regarding project slash volunteering details- things have changed a bit. before we left for ghana, kristin and i took down our mosquito nets and packed up our bags in sapone to head to the big city of ouagadougu to live with our friends kat and anthony. basically the state of project was that there was a fundamental lack of resources preventing me from me from being particularly helpful. they wanted me to do research at the agricultural centre but they could not arrange a computer for me. after seven weeks of struggles and frustrations trying to make things work out with my project we kind of decided that it just wasnt going to work and i felt pretty strongly about having feeling like i had accomplished something by the end of all this. fdc, the organization truly is an incredible organization but they have a different way of communicating and organizing and unfortunately just didnt end up having the resources to capacitate the project. it is somewhat disappointing but i have absolutely no regrets. i was able to get incredible insight into the challenges facing ngo s in developing countires. and my time there was super interesting.

however it feels great living in ouaga now. so ive joined up with kat and anthony working with boys from the streets. while theres a lot that goes on at the centre the main thing that im focussing on is literacy. the majority of them are between the ages of 12 and 19 and most of them dont know even half of the alphabet. so well just be sitting there and someone will come up to me with some left over paper and a broken pencil crayon and start writing a,b,c, then stop and ask what comes next. its pretty rewarding. while they are incredibly energetic and you can never really have a minute of solitude, they are so eager to learn, extrememly respectful, and absolutely hilarious.

so the four of us are living together in quite small quarters with a host family 5 mins from the centre. its working out super well and im really happy. i feel much more productive here but i still really value all of my experiences in the village. plus its great being able to buy cold water here!

sapone styles

after all these tales im telling i realized that maybe i havent painted a very clear picture of a typical day for katie in sapone, the village life...so here it is.

I wake up at 5:30am because thats when the sun wakes up too and when there is no electricity you begin to subscribe to light- giving source. i tie up my mosquito net which is actually more appropriate for easing my mind that spiders and other creatures wont find my sheets in the night opposed to its intention of malaria protection. i visit the outhouse, choosing the one that doesnt have a lizard peeking out. i go for a good morning jog into the bush where people are already out cultivating their fields. i fill up my shower bucket- assuming there is enough water. i discovered warm powdered milk and cornflakes that i bought back from ouaga- no fridges remember. i leave for the centre on my moto but not before greeting every single peson with a hand shake and saying ne y bereogo, zakaramba because thats how it goes. besides the fact that my moto likes to break down, the biggest danger are the donkeys and pigs that cross the road. other than that there are no cars- too expensive- so its good to go. its a little over a half hour drive which i really love. i park my bike under the karite tree and go see the kids. we might do tree inventory or pick bean leaves or whatever until 10 because they go to eat tot. which if i havent explained is this repulsive flour jello that is the only food here that i just cant handle especially which the green stringy sauce they serve it with. yup they eat that ev ery single day.

at 12 its either hard couscous with dry peas, drenched in oil- to make swallowable, loaded with salt- for some flavour or its a mound of rice with dried sardine sauce- and we usually eat with our hands ps. in burkina everyone reposes from 12-3 always. so i go nap which is ridiculously hot and sweaty. we prune trees in the afternoon where the kids teach me moré and i teach them english phrases- like im wearing flip flops. driving home, children run out to the road as i drive by, selling bunches of wild grapes that cost less than a penny.

once at home in sapone, theres about an hour before the sun goes down so i might go climb my favourite tree to read and watch the sunset or kristin and i might walk into the village to buy so bread, water, and cell phone minutes. its about a15 min walk, and along the way, we here nasara bonjour by the kids and everyone else just stares. we pass by the dolo hut which is where the elders drink fermented millet in squash like bowls called calabashes. well probably get a few marriage proposals and requests to take them back to canada and then we head back. but everyone is very friendly.

terese and lydia cook usually and we eat all together. they are amazing cooks. the women here are truly so amazing. we have social-political discussions and then the kids come to play games and sing songs. then i usually like to stare at the stars a bit because theyre pretty amazing in a place with no electricity. at 9 pm je me couche to the awful noises coming from our guards radio. and thats it!

ps. dave matthews is playing in the background right now. we made a request cuz we just couldnt handle celine dion anymore. its a little broken but more amazing than ever!

akwaba abroni

on june 28th we took a 2 hour flight to ghana. and wow what an amazing country. im really glad that we were able to see another african country because if not i feel like i would have made some generalizations to africa that would not have been so accurate. not only was it not 40 degrees, but it was beautiful and lush, and all 3 resorts we stayed in were on the ocean!

so as i said there are a lot of contrasting elements between burkina and ghana not to mention that we were there for a vacation and got a little break from some of the frustrations weve been experiencing on project. first of all they speak english there so that took some getting used to - not speaking french. secondly, we noticed was how incredibly developped it was compared to burkina and also how much cleaner. oooh and good food!

the first resort we stayed in was in axim and it took about 7 hours to get there by cab from accra. but our driver, robert, was so great as he managed to get us there even through the thickest rain ive ever seen - so much so that we could not see the dirt path we were driving on at 9 oclock at night. yup i was a little nervous but we arrived safe and sound to be surprised by luxurious accomodations and an amazing view- check out the pic above. and by luxurious i mean that i had my first running shower in 2 months and it was in fact hot. weeee. so we met some other norweigans and canadians at the resort and hung out with them for the next 2 days which was passed by on the beach and in a rainforest that is the most biologically diverse in ghana, called ankasa. we ended up staying there an extra night because it was so great.

our second resort was ok but it was located in cape coast which is such a fantastic city. we went by tro tro which is the funniest method of transportation but so cool. its basically vans where they squish 20 to 30 people in to get from place to place, theyre ridiculously cheap, and are everywhere. so halarious. we visited the elmina slave castle and which happened to be the same day that there was a huge festival going on so everyone was dancing on the streets, there was music, and dragon boat races. very cool. the next day we went to kukum national park where we climbed up to huge bridges in the rainforest canopy. amazing. sadly no monkeys but i still have faith that i will see a monkey before i leave africa. we met some quebecois and hung out with them to continue onto the market in cape coast which is so halarious. you look one way and you see beautiful material and the other way, plates of pig hooves and fish. the next day we went to the cape coast slave castle. this one was the most affecting for me. its hard to describe but it was just so interesting to be there, learning about the history, walking through the dungeons and cells where thousands of people were kept and yeah... i really cant describe but it was amazing.

then we headed to accra for a bit of the city feel. we were staying at this place called big millys back yard where it tends to be just all volunteers that stay there and theres live music and dancing and drumming. we met lots more canadians and discovered the most delicious italian restaurant.

we were supposed to fly out on july 8 back to ouaga but air burkina just happened to have cancelled our flight. we spent 6 hours in an office trying to negotiate a way to get us back to burkina. it was so ridiculous. they were telling us we had to figure out, etc. anyway we were a bunch of other important people working for the un and stuff and they managed to work things out. we ended up staying another night in accra and going to togo the next day. which means that my passport is starting to look very cool.

so that was pretty long. unfortunately i didnt have enough room on my camera to take pictures so hopefully anthony will upload some on facebook so you can check them out cuz theyre actually so beautiful. so yeah if you get a chance- you should go to ghana, bear in mind that all of my impressions are relative to my last 2 months in burkina.

ps. the title means white person - welcome in trie language.

just another goat on the back of a bike

so the other day i was driving to work and i kept passing chickens and pigeons and goats on peoples bicycles. now this isnt such a strange thing except for the sheer number of them and then i realized...ahh it must be market day! so then i got thinking about how normalized so many things have become. and seeing how at is precisely the halfway mark of our time here, i find myself having to remind myself of where i am. i guess thats the thing when you are truly living some where else and get used to the lifestyle. like as i am walking down the streets, trying to dodge the mounds of garbage and mudpuddles from the rain, i remember that i am living amongst poverty here. everywhere.

before arriving here, i read somwhere that the majority of burkinabé live on less than 2 dollars a day. that seemed absolutley incomprehenisble. but now being here, i can understand how people live. with the combination of the heat and lack of selection, you can get by with less food. a little bit of rice goes a long way. and because everything is just a lot more basic, they dont have to pay the same kinds of taxes, ie the same daily expeneses that we are used to. theres simply not the choice or resources. but then again just because people are getting by does not mean that is sufficient. one of our village friends has an eye infection and has absolutely no means of seeking medical attention. it really makes you realize how much is simply available to us in Canada.

last night we went swimming in our moroccain friends pool. it was pretty strange how the tall walls surrounding their house were able to divide that physical line between the poverty just around the corner and the lush garden within and allowing us to truly forget where we are. enjoyable none the less.

6 more weeks to go!

special gunpowder

ok so last night we had this ritualistic tea ceremony during a thunderstorm. it was amazing. our friends that we live with in ouaga showed us how to make this green tea . we made tea from about 8 to 2 in the morning.the tea is chinese and called special gunpowder and it involves putting a lot of sugar and time. once the tea is steeped and mixed long enough, we poor it into shotglasses and add peanuts. i know- who would have thought that roasted peanuts would be so good in tea. the best part is the smell. its like steamy sweetness. yum. furthermore, it was storming. it hasnt rained in over 2 weeks so we were all pretty happy about a little cool air. for at least 3 hours it was just lightning sans thunder or rain and it was illuminating the entire sky. and then it just started pouring. so we finished our tea session inside. it reminded me of being at the cabin because there were like 10 of us all huddled in this little room listening to the drops. haha it was pretty sweet. and then i stood out in the rain for a while and got some goosebumps. it was so great to be cold for a little bit.

friday night we went back to the cultural centre for some more live music. not as good as last week but still pretty enjoyable.

i did an inventory of papaya, lemon, orange, mandarine, grapefruit, mango, and apple cinnamon trees at the centre where i work. so that was cool. other than that my project is still somewhat challenging in a frustrating way.

anyway thats it for this week. tonight were going to a bbq with our morrocain friends which should include some good food. yay.

mangos and music

another week gone by. last night we went to the french cultural centre to see a burkinabe music concert. definately this weeks highlight. the music was absolutely incredible and it was in this outdoor theatre under the stars. the musicians were dressed in traditional clothing, playing some crazy guitars, bongos, keyboard, bass, and calabasses. i feel like i havent heard quality music in a while so it was especially enjoyable. probs best 2.50 ive ever spent. we might make that a weekend event. also wierd to be surrounded by other white people.

after writing so much about cultural experiences, some of you might be thinking- wait didnt katie go there to do an agricultural development project. so let me explain a bit. this week i finally acquired a bit more information about my work. as i said things move frustratingly slow and in general everything is more difficult to execute. but anyway im working at a school that teaches students agriculture in a practical format. so the kids all look after the cows, grow fruits, and harvest natural oils, etc. my role is to do some research on citrus tree, fruit production, and inventory as well as working with the children cultivating, composting, and pruning. its a really lovely setting.

anthony and kats project is going really well, working with at risk youth in ouaga, so kristen and i might try to do some similar work at the same centre in sapone in order to spice up our work a bit.

just thought you should know that my heart will go on is blasting repeatedly in this internet cafe right now, which is quite typical as most people are obsessed with celine dion.

i dont think it will ever be possible for me to eat too many mangos. honestly they are the best things ive ever tasted. im going to be heartbroken as that season is slowly coming to and end.

ps. sorry if some of my blogs dont make so much sense and are totally random but as you know, internet is not so disponible chez moi. hope youre enjoying none the less.

love.

caffas et l'huile

so another has passed by. this week a local village woman taught me how to weave aka literally make material which is really cool. she spends her entire day weaving on this rickety old machine with dozens of kids swarming around here. the women are absolutely incredible.

favourite experience this week: friday night, we came into ouaga and went to the youth centre. the rainy season has started. it will only rain for like 20 mins but its a terenchal (sp) down poor. so the kids and i went running on the mud field, under the sheet lightning, absolutely soaked, and yet incredible warm. it was pretty funny.

yesterday was really cultural because we walked around downtown all day. went to some cultural centres, went to our favourite restaurant: jardin de l'amitie. went into our first grocery store with air conditioning which felt completely bizarre. its funny because we couldnt even believe that it was only 35 degrees. i guess we're beginning to get aclimatized. actually everything feels pretty comfortable now. as in getting around, the scenery, the starring, etc.

unfortunately i dont have extremely exciting stories to post about my work yet but they will come soon. all i can say is that things move very slowly here.

this weeks's title explanation: at night time, there are these lovely cocroaches that like hanging out in the out houses. they are called caffas. haha never thought id get used to that. and secondly, as i mentioned the food is quite interesting here. anyway everything is cooked in about half a bottle of oil. regardless. its still so amazing here.

much love and its great hearing your comments!

nassara bonjour!

so i cant even believe ive been in burkina for almost two weeks now. im in ouaga, at an internet cafe right now and the keyboard is a little bit different so bear with me. wow so much to say. let me start with amazing and just totally totally different. already i feel that i have learned so much on so many levels.

i think my favourite memory so far is the first night in sapone, i went for a run in the forest with the children. there i was, running at sunset with a trail of the cutest black little kids behind me, as a heard of sheep ran by us. actually every night before bed th e village children come to play with kristin and i and it just makes my day. we sing songs and play games under the stars. the night sky is incredible in sapone because there is no electricity aka no light to hide the stars and the crescent moon actually hangs opposed to being on the side.

in terms of what i see... it is all red sand everwhere and beautiful large mango and eucalyptus trees. and even in the middle of nowwhere there will be random children under the trees. there are these lizards that we like to call fanta lizards because they have orange heads and theyre aabsolutely everywhere. in terms of wildlife, no elephants yet. actually there are pigs, chickens, donkeys, goats, and sheep absolutely everywhere. hilarious.

the first week we spent in ouaga, the four of us, getting adjusted which was really good. then kristen and i went to sapone on friday. i actually really like being in such a small village and then getting to come to the city on weekends. this whole week, kristen and i went to all of these villqge schools to do evaluations. absolutely a,azing. we would drive in the middle of nowhere for like '2 hours, where there were no roads or paths to follow, just trees, and then randomly there would be school. i am starting my agricultural project monday which i am really excitedabout. tonight the four of us are going dancing i think and going on a mad search for some ice cream.

the food is interesting. i never thought that i would be able to eat the pigeon that i just saw alive next to me....but i did! the mangos are probably the best thing ive ever tasted. in terms of culture shock, not so so much but the main thing is that everyone just stares at us everywhere we go and yell out nassara all of the time which means white person. interestingly, burkina is the first place ive been that is practically untouched by globalization and tourism. really refreshing and allows us to really experience the culture.

aug 11 seems like a super far away time right now but im sure it is going to go by so quickly. not sure when ill be able to get internet again which is why i made this post rather ridiculously long but i hope everyone is well enjoying their summers so far and hopefully things are a bit cooler chez vous: à la prochaine!

standy by

so i am off to burkina faso, africa on monday, may 14th. just thought i would give a little background info so you know what i'm going to be up to this summer. i will be travelling with 3 other queen's students on behalf of queen's project on international development. the four of us are going to be volunteering there for 3 months. kristin will be my partner in a village called sapone, which is just an hour south of the capital ouagadougu, which is where the other 2 kids will be (anthony and kat). kristin and i will be working on an a preliminary agriculture community development project. i'll let you know more about the details when i get them. we're working with an ngo called la fondation pour le developpement communautaire. it's all french there as well as the traditional language, more [mor-ai]. so things are going to be pretty different this summer as there is no electricity, or internet, or running water and stuff. i'm so excited! we'll be going into the city every couple weeks so i'll be able to update my blog then. that just means that i might not be able to email everyone back all of the time but please email me with your summer news! looking forward to have crazy stories and hearing from you. peace.