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!