Togo/Benin trip
The last days of August and first week of September I began my sojourn east from Ouaga to Koupela, then south through Tenkodogo and Bitou, arriving at the frontier (border) with Togo before noon. The STMB bus with 60+ passengers onboard were mostly headed for the capitols and coastline of these two countries. A handful of us got off midway down the length of Togo at Kara. Guys on motos were waiting to take passengers to their destinations, but one man walked me to my Hotel le Sourire. It was clean and freshly painted for 5 mille per night. A large covered and separate patio was the dining area.
Softly as if in my dream I heard women chanting Muslim prayer at 4am and Catholic church bells at 5:30,as if competing for attention at dawn. After breakfast I explored the town, walking to the bank, past the police station to the cathedral, which was set on a big track of land on the hillside. The old and modern churches set beside each other. I toured the grounds taking photos. I lunched on fry bread, filled with spaghetti, grilled corn, and for dessert Bengue', a tasty combination of yogurt, milk, sweetened petit millet with ice cubes.
Tuesday morning I took a taxi to Tamberma Valley, where since the 17th century this tribe has lived in fortified round houses called tatas, which have one entrance, so as to trap visitors/enemies once inside. This warded off the slave grabbers. Interestingly the structures are made from clay, wood and straw, so tools weren't necessary.
Under the cone shaped thatch roof, grains are stored. Fetish and animal bones line the inside walls. The villagers come out of the hillside huts anxious for visitors, old women smoking pipes and men wearing hats with horns. We visited a Baobob tree, said to be 2000 years old, so big that there was a chamber inside with daylight beaming down through its belly. Early on, animist sacrifices occurred here.. An agile person can climb up the inside walls.
At another place in the valley an old woman was spinning cotton. She let me try it, and I could tell it requires lots of practice to do well. She had an penny-sized chin hole below her lip which she stuck the tip of her tongue through and then giggled. The men had made arrowheads with threatening points on either side of the sharp tip. Quivers and bows were also homemade. We tried their millet beer, Tchoukoutou. Back in Kara at the marche' I found Togolaise music to add to my collection of African music.
Wednesday was a long day of bush taxis, already full before I came along to squish in. When we got to Togo/Benin border there was a big hassle with drivers wanting our business. Some of us walked to the border which was in sight. We lunched under a big tree waiting for a bush taxi. The one that gave us a ride broke down many times, and the driver sucked water out of the distributor carburetor area. The fumes were bad, but the road was worse. The 30-40K took two hours and twice we had to get gas. At the roundabout in Benin where the road met the highway to Natitengou, we caught yet another taxi 85K to the north and our destination. We walked up the east hillside to our accommodations, Auberge de vieux Cavelier, where we found chicken, riz gras, and Beninaise beer.
Thursday I got a hold of Yesenia, my Benin PC friend, who invited me to her village 15K away that afternoon. At Tanquieta station I hired a driver who knew Yesenia and her village. Along the way I couldn't help thinking how much like the Columbia Gorge it looked there, green trees overhanging a steep gorge, and plush lowlands. We walked along several fields to Yesenia's house, past an unclad farmer cultivating his field, and past a Baobob tree with fetishes hanging from its massive trunk. Shortly Yesenia returned on a moto with her friend, the animator. We sat on her veranda and ate bananas and drank water, chatting the whole time about COS and her project, timed irrigation for vegetable garden. It was fun to compare notes on our lives in separate African Peace Corps countries.
Friday morning our guide through the Pendjari National Park came early, as I realized Benin time was an hour ahead of BF time. He drove to Tanquieta then east 45K to the park entrance. There the driver Alassine, put a seat on the top of the 4X4, like an African safari. We sat up there the duration, bouncing around when we hit chuckholes in the road. The rains had puddled water and creeks everywhere. We saw monkeys, coq du boufond and many birds, but no large animals. Apparently they most often come down during the dry season. We came to a stream swollen into a lake that was a dead end for us. Luckily we caravaned with another vehicle which helped us out when our rig got stuck in that creek.
Next we drove to the Cascades, water falling in sheets over huge ancient slabs of stone. Boys had crafted fishing poles and were hooking the fish from the pools of water.
On return to Tanquieta I arranged for a bush taxi to Fada in eastern BF early the next morning. The driver agreed to pick me up at the hotel by 4am. We drove north to BF watching the sunrise come over the mountains in the east. The hilly terrain changed once we got into BF. Since the floods alerts came this week, we decided to continue onto Ouaga. On the outskirts of the capitol we saw evidence, water up to the road on either side. Inside the eastern sector we saw one city block flattened. People were said to be housed in the local schools and churches.
While I stayed the weekend in Ouaga, I got a batch of pictures into the Close of Service folder for Emily to use in putting together a slide show for our Close of Service party the next week. Driver Michelle drove me from TH to the bush taxi, but the driver, Bouba did not come today, so we went over to the Car Cellular place to find the car that goes to Leo, 90K past my village. It stopped on the outskirts of Ouaga for over an hour. By the time I got home that evening, Lorraine called me and without missing a beat we ole' friends picked up the last conversation. She's excited about their Greek cruise with another side trip to spend time in Tuscany and Rome.
When I spoke to the Major he told me the rains flooded the road near Dana waist high, and I needed to postpone our HIV-AIDS talk in Sune', a village 14K past Dana in the bush. So my plan B was a sensibilisation with the women after the Thursday morning baby weighing time, continuing my talks about prenatal health care. The accoucheuse, Albertine was fine with that, as she was passing out mosquito nets to the women who had infants under one year old and there would be a big group to train. In the afternoon at the marche' I was able to discuss with Jonathan the reason he and I will postpone the AIDS talk. We had pork sandwich together and caught up on PC news before I shopped for veggies.
Thursday we did the second sensibilisation with the women about not working so hard during pregnancy and having the men carry the wood and help with the field work. We emphasized their need for extra rest for both herself and the fetus. Albertine added that she aids the women with medicine and information at prenatal visits. It is a good time for the husband to come too so she can answer his questions. She said the government pays her to help the people and they need to come. After our talk, the midwife passed out “Plumpy Nut” and vitamins for malnourished infants. By weighing and measuring the babies and using those numbers on the grid, some fall into this category.
When I inquired about a woman in labor, Albertine said she's referred her to KDG hospital to aid in delivering an unborn, deceased baby. The depressed woman refuses to leave the clinic and relatives/visitors were trying to persuade her to go.
I asked Laurentine to prepare the chicken Jean Baptiste gave me for dinner. Meanwhile I made cole slaw and baked biscuits in my dutch oven to bring to the table. By the time I got to their home, Laurentine was mashing garlic, frying it with onions and tomato paste and oil for sauce to cover the cooked chicken. She prepared rice with sombala and piment. What a terrific cook!
Adama, my teenaged neighbor, came with me to the school garden to weed the Moringa trees. We worked together an hour or more. Then he filled my large water bidon via many trips to the well. I worked on preparing spaghetti dinner for my neighbors that evening when they returned from the fields. I made biscuits again, cole slaw and sauce for the spaghetti and four bags of pasta. 16 showed up for dinner.
Next day I visited with the Major at the clinic to tell him I have Close of Service Conference in Ouaga this week. He told me he delivered the 20 Moringa trees to Bansmnore and they are all planted and doing OK. In the afternoon I went to two other compounds near me and distributed Moringa trees. I got ankle deep in water enroute but returned on another dry path. Zenabou and I sowed five dozen more seeds to sprout while I am gone. When I took the bush taxi we got a flat tire by Kokologo, and had a 30 minute wait for repair. Becky texted me and said we are lodged at ODE during the conference, a new place for me. We went to the kickoff dinner at “Mystique”, a French restaurant in downtown Ouaga. Excellent cuisine!
The sessions this week were carefully crafted for the PCVs who will return home for Masters degrees or to hunt jobs, so I was able to skip some. I attended the medical session about the physical exam before we go home. And I attended one on job interviews that Ellie thought I could lend experience to. A panel of ex volunteers talked one morning and that was fascinating. The country director had us all over to his place for a hamburger barbecue the second evening. Dr Claude led the final session on separating and reintegrating into American life. Saying goodbye to village is very difficult, think about it and do it over the last month, she advised. Give ourselves time to reenter life at home.
On 17 September 2009 I received a grandma call from Shawn and Jodi that their baby was born this morning. BoBrazon came feet first into this world weighing 8 pounds. “He is a beauty!” they said. Everyone is excited! Dieu est grand!
Friday and Saturday were filled with shopping, using internet and working on Moringa stuff. Then we all got dressed up for the Close of Service party held on the rooftop garden-patio of a new international school/residence. The hosts were very accommodating and friendly to us. !0 PCVs put on a synchronized dance, which was adorable and fast.
Drinks and hor d'oeuvres were served. A video of our group working, living and playing in Burkina Faso was shown with music. Lots of memories and chatting, then dinner was served.
Unfortunately I got sick with a temperature and had to excuse myself to the med unit. Sylvie said often volunteers get sick from eating street food in Ouaga. She put me on an antibiotic and in two days I felt fine. Andrea and I ate dinner while we watched Tom Hanks as a PCV in Thailand entitled “Volunteer”. On Wednesday Ousmane drove me back to village. I asked about Fr/Eng dictionary and a broom to take back so he was on a mission to find them for me and did! We dropped off Jonathan's packages in Thyou and then up the hill to my house in Sala, where Ousmane greeted everyone before he left. It was sooo hot, I slept on the porch for comfort.
Last week of September
On Thursday I went to the maternite' for weighing the babies and doing a talk with the women on “Anemia and Pre-eclampsia”. 40 women were in attendance with their babies. We discuss the symptoms of swollen feet and face, and the need to go to the clinic for help. The young nurse Emilie interjected that it's treatable during pregnancy, but more difficult if the woman only comes to clinic for delivery. Often the medical staff have to send the woman to hospital for caesarian. I gave two mosquito nets to the women who were most involved in the questions/answer period.
At market the vendors lay out a big tarp and dump a pile of donated clothes from America and elsewhere for all the shoppers to sort through for their new items. I found a few new things for the neighbor kids to start school with. I met my friend Cyrille, who has been treated and is recovering from malaria this week. Robert and Constant are also there to talk with. We went to the Kiemtore' family home to visit Maxime, who is going back to Bobo to seminary in the morning. We discuss his ordination next July and his wish to have his premiere Mass at St. Irene' Parish in Thyou. But his family is not able to foot the expense of the entire celebration. He plans to have a discussion with the church board at Christmastime when he returns home on his next break.
I made a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies to bake in my dutch oven, while Sanata and Madi watched. I explained that tea and cookies are good together. When Issa and Madi made their Burkinabe' tea they made me some sans sugar. I was able to pass out 2-3 cookies to each of the neighbor kids. I donated a few school supplies to Sanata and little Adama, both are going away this week to school. I spent the afternoon redoing my bulletin board, a source of attraction to all the neighborhood. So I grouped the photos under three headings: My American Family, My Host Family in OHG, and My Sala Family. The kids love to stand there and find themselves in the photos. I added our new baby, BoBrazon to the American group.
Saturday morning I had help inflating the big red exercise ball Angie sent me for my back and sciatic nerve. For over three hours the neighbor kids played on it on my porch. I read an interesting mystery book entitled “The Name of the Rose” about a twelfth century Franciscan Abbey in Italy, where a number of monks went missing and were murdered over access to books and manuscripts in the library.
I love the luxury of time to read. Due to the hot weather, I slept outside on the porch most of the week.
I took Zenabou to church with me, which she loves to do. Because Fr. Thomas came to hear confessions and say Mass, the congregation overflowed into the second hangar nearby. A young man gave us his seat there. Afterwards we went to the market, stopping by the bakery for warm French bread.
Zenabou tries on clothes at the market and finds some to her liking. Constant goes with her to pay the vendor 1500 francs. The tailor repaired my backpack by hand and only charged a couple hundred francs. When we get back home, I give the little girls each a pair of flip flops, and Zenabou shows off her new clothes funded by Angie. When Abdoulaye comes over, I invite him to visit me in America after he finishes his CEG (college, which is actually secondary school). He has mixed reaction, happy at the idea, sad that he has no money. I suggest he talk it over with his family.
That Monday Marie and her son Claude from church came for a visit, and I invited Georges to translate for the two of us. Marie said Jean Baptiste just told her this morning to come for a visit, as he promised to send her. She went too far past Sala before asking directions to my house. I make peanut butter cookies and give all the kids some, then I make tuna sandwich for my guests, always a hit with the Burkinabe'. Meanwhile there is activity going on outside my house that I am not aware of. The village chef comes over to tell us that my neighbor, Sanata's baby has died. I discover later that the baby gets buried at noon behind our compound and close to where Alizetta lives. That afternoon after my company leaves, I decide to try and visit Sanata, who is sitting in Kontim's hut alone. Other women are nearby in the courtyard. I sit with her awhile to give my condolences. Her heart is heavy and her breasts are full!
On Tuesday I practice for the talk Thursday at the maternite' on false labor, miscarriage and birthing. When George comes for lesson, his nephew Alexis came along to phone his father in Kokologo about tuition (25 mille) for a year of school in Thyou. Madi is going to OUA this week to register for University and pay 20 mille fee to enroll. He will try and find housing too. Then Karim and Saidou (major's son) come to visit. I take Saidou's number as he leaves tomorrow for school in KDG. I will call him when the photos from his brother's wedding feast come, as there is a good one of him.
I got my activity reports ready for the Major to take to Sapouy to the Medical Director of our area. While there I survey the Moringa Project both at the maternite' and at the school. The trees are dry and turning yellow. Rasmata helps me water the ones by the Major's house, and Karim helps me with the ones at the school.
I stop by the soccer field on the way home and the young men are out there running their legs off! I visit Issaka briefly and his shoes are in shreds. I note his size 43 with the hope of replacing them. Africa is very hard on feet, I soak mine somethimes and they are happy. Karite' butter works the best for the dry cracks on the soles of feet.
First two weeks of October
On Thursdays I did presentation to the women who bring their babies to be weighed. The lesson was on false labor, miscarriage and birthing process. Between 45-60 women filled the waiting room area, the hallway, and some out on the porch to listen, each with a baby. We encouraged the women to come to the clinic at the earliest sign of a problem to consult medical staff for solution and avoid further complications. The accoucheuse said it is also problem if the labor takes a long time and they need help. The women responded more come to clinic than stay home for birth. The accoucheuse finished by asking them to bring 800 francs for delivery when they come in. She added that if their husband has questions about sexual relations to bring him in for discussion between the couple and midwife.
October turned hot early on and I slept outside most nights. When I prepared my tent one night the sky lit up with lightening. It was a dazzling spectacle that I tried to capture in pictures. Ousmane indicated I was attracting the lightening and that was very dangerous, so respectfully I ceased my activity.
The Polio Campaign commenced for three days over the weekend with door to door visits. On my bike I met up with the vaccination team walking not very far west of the main route. We visited many homes, and witnessed harvesting, pounding the millet, and drying the stalks. At one house Gilbert plays with the baby, kissing it. At another the people show off their white furry dog.
They give us dried ears of maise, which we hang off my bike. We walk all morning covering long distance in the heat and drinking much water along the way. We ask for all the preschoolers in each compound and give them the polio drops, marking those vaccinated on the wall and tagging each child's finger.
The second day I find the team close to Ipala compound, Albertine on foot and Gilbert with a flat tire on his moto, which he goes off to repair.. He is happy to see me, because I can take his spot. I join Albertine the rest of the morning going west deeper into the bush. We visit many people, some working on harvest and chucking maise or weaving panniers. We note the calabasse vines covering huts and granary At one place Albertine shows me a very malnourished child who needs to go to the CREN. An eight year old girl was carrying the baby. She said her mom was at home and they have no money. At Odeille's home, she gave us citron, another gave us maise and another, peanuts before we headed home past the barrage.
Sunday morning I sprayed a insecticide solution called Rambo on all the Moringa trees at home, at CSPS and at the school garden. That day I noticed how tall the millet and maise grew this season next to our house In a short while the children harvested all of the corn and took the stocks down too for animal food in the future.
I prepared beans and rice to have inside the tortillas I was serving my neighbor kids that night, along with cole slaw and oatmeal cookies. I had Minata make citronade for dinner. Another taco fest, thanks to Chris. We sent food over to the adults at home, but the kids came over to fill up at my place. They each had 3-4 burritos.
That first week I paid school fees for Alima to attend this year, 1,250 francs (about 3 dollars). Hamadou asked for help paying for 3 of his children Emma, Sadia, and Moussa. I found Fati on the playground and she provided her mother's family name to register Alima. My Moringa counterpart Karim was there to assist with watering the trees at school.
Within a week I invited Jonathan to come have a Taco Fest with my neighbors and some friends at my house. I requested he bring his guitar and play for us. Jon is Garrett's replacement, a PCV teacher in Thyou. He hales from Chicago area and told me his gramma wanted to do Peace Corps.
After eating, Jonathan picked up his guitar and played and sang and whistled. The sound drew the other neighbor children into my house and soon it was overflowing. They kept time to the beat and engaged more as the rhythm and music got faster. We went on until 9pm and was a big hit!
The next four days I went to OUA to work on my quarterly report and get my blog done and onto the internet. When I arrived at PCB I met with Doug, Country Director and Dr. Claude, Health Sector Director and we discussed my schedule for ending PC service on a high note, considering everything. I had wanted to extend 3 months, but the heat was discouraging that idea. I will end on 17 December. It felt like a roller coaster ride that day, when I opened my email and found a request from Yvonne Recchia. She wrote that inspired by my PC service, she applied for a social work position in England and asked if I could give a work recommendation. I was only too happy to respond.
I worked on the job reference and my reports pretty intensely over the next few days. When I came outside I discovered a rainstorm with much thunder one evening. The guard advised I wait, so I read my book. Then another guard was ending his shift and leaving for home, when he offered to accompany me to the Transit House. People here extend themselves for PCVs and visitors. When Angie called me to plan her visit here, she said Cliff was pulling his pickup truck and trailer rig into the driveway, where the kids had been playing, when a speeding sports car hit his trailer and careened off nearly hitting a big tree. Luckily no one was hurt.
One day I had free time, so I planned to go downtown and visit the French Cultural Center, Biafca (bookstore), and Marina Market. I ate lunch at L'eau Vive, a place run by the Carmelite Missionaries. They specialize in French food. Salad D'avocate and Escalope de porc panee was my order and it was good. I met a young man Karim with a gentle persona, who showed me around and carried my bag. The vendors are less tenacious when a local is with me.
In the evening PCV Josh and I visited with Ansel, our driver to Zinaire Zoo last month. We had a nice chat and he invited us to his home whenever we are in Ouaga. His wife just finished veterinarian school. We will try to get Christina to join us.
Near the PCB is the Handicap International Inc. office. I stopped by to discuss the crippled 10 yr old in my area who needs appliance for his right leg. The staff were helpful in providing resource information about orthopedic assessment every Tues and Thurs in Goughin sector. It will take some coordinating to get there.
When I arrived in village the Major and Dicko Ousmane both helped get me and my stuff up the hill and home. I visited around in my compound greeting all the women, Yvette, Sampoko, Dougouma, and Alizetta. Zenabou brought over delicious benga for my dinner. Abdoulaye and Karim looked at my youth magazine. Quiet evening until the weather changed to wind and rain.
Thursday I was at clinic for baby weighing by 8am and throughout the morning we weighed 52 babies. By 10:30 we started our talk on Soutien (Care) after Delivery. Over forty women were there. It was National Handwashing Day, so we talked about
the universal precaution and value of washing hands with soap routinely throughout the day. Twelve ladies volunteered in pairs to demonstrate proper handwashing. The caveat for them was the ball of soap I gave each one for participating. It proved to be a good lesson.
The last two weeks of October
I spoke to both Angela and Heather about my new end date for Peace Corps service. They both thought they could move up their dates to come visit mom in Africa. Ang wants to visit Senegal while she's here, and Heather and I will travel to Kenya at the end of my service. They are checking prices and schedules to accomplish this.
We worked on the garden at the school to water all the trees and replant five of them. All the teachers were under the trees and offered to get students to help water and replant. Karim came to help dig holes in the very hard soil. The boys helped with this and also we saw that the beef had tore the fence down. We agreed to repair the fence next week.
The choral competition between all the parishes was a Saturday night performance at St. Luc's in Sabou. I packed up to go spend the night with the sisters at the CREN and attend the event. For two hours the choral groups sang, drummers drummed and theater folks put on skits. I taped some of it. The place was packed. The next morning we went to Mass at St. Luc's and I tried to tape the singing. We went to the market afterwards, so that I could see Yvette, my friend who moved there from Thyou. She continues her specialty, making dolo for the market there as she did in Thyou. She greeted me eagerly and we visited. Laurentine and I went to find pork sandwich but settled for chicken, which was very good.
I was bothered by the heat and returned to the CREN to nap. Sr. Mary shared an experience she had with a 2 day old baby, whose mother died. His grandmother brought him to the CREN from a remote village, because he was losing weight and malnourished. Sr. Mary said she baptized and named the baby and he began his recovery. A friend of the grandmother's acted as a surrogate relative and the baby, Francais recovered miraculously. Sr. Mary's faith is profound!
I arranged for a tour of the CREN on October 31 for our midwife at Sala. She makes referrals there and it will help her explain to the families what to expect. Early in the week the nurse Philippe went to Sune' for vaccinations and he talked with the chef there about our HIV talk planned for Thursday that week. We had to take Georges moto to get a new chain and sprocket set in order to make the 24K trip.
I went to Thyou to the bakery for bread one day and the baker was gone, so I hung out with two older women across the main route, who were pulling peanuts off their plants. They allowed me to participate.
When Karim came to visit we walked to school to regard the broken fence posts. We patched it until Wednesday when we will fix it. The neighbor women came for coffee and they shared stories with me of how many women in our compound had lost a baby. A large sad number....
Ali, then little Karim came over to color. They each have an ear infection, so I gave them a non-aspirin and antihistamine. Alima came over for 200 francs she needs for school supplies. I made pizza for dinner, which I'm doing better at now. I really like using the dutch oven for variety in meals. When I made oatmeal and raisin cookies that week, Sakinata was watching me, fascinated with the process.
On the way to repair the fence with Karim, I dropped off balls of soap and the list of women who participated in our handwashing demo last week. Albertine will distribute them this week, as I will be gone to Sune'. Karim and I spent 2 hours working on the fence and watering trees at the school. He dug holes one foot deep each for 4 posts he made. Then we tied the fence to the posts with wire I had. The older girls at school watered all the Moringa trees. Jonathan came by to practice our presentation for Thursday. Afterwards we walked the two compounds to meet the neighbors and Hamadou offered us dolo. He told Jon he heard him play the guitar at my house last time and enjoyed it.
Thursday morning we got our things together for sensibilisation, so that when PCV Jonathan came, we were ready to make the 24K trip to Sune'. We arrived there at noon, and the chef greeted us. We waited an hour under the big tree, where an old model A carcass rests. Some men were napping and the women were frying haricot balls in hot oil. When enough crowd gathered, we began the HIV-AIDS talk and condom demonstration using an ear of corn as a prop. For our first presentation together Jonathan and I were satisfied. Georges of course translated everything into Moore' for the villagers. At the conclusion the chef asked us to wait as he had something for us. Apparently the chicken got away, so we received this gift a week later from the village of Sune'.
On our way back to village that day, we stopped at Dana 10K away to speak to Seni Pele' and his grand brother about an evaluation of his twisted leg. The family agreed to the appointment. The school director will communicate with the family anything I need to text them about.
One of the joys for me has been to give photographs to villagers. Aminata, Ousmane's second wife, was pleased when I gave her a framed family photo, which she hung immediately in her newly constructed hut. She asked me for a solar light, which I was happy to give her.
October is the month of the Rosary and the Christian villagers gather under a tree in a clearing to pray the rosary. I went there one afternoon before dinnertime and joined in as different ones each said a decade of the rosary surrounded by nature.
Overnight thieves broke into Minata's house and ransacked it looking for money. They were even in her room searching, but she didn't wake up. Thank God the children were safe. No one woke up. Hamadou lost his phone to them. I had locked my door the last two nights, so was untouched by the scoundrels. Later I heard from the pharmacist that a woman recently from France was also robbed that night. They clearly were looking at foreigners I believe. When I opened my door the following morning I saw the courtyard full of people, even the village chef, all worried about the intruder.
I pedaled to Sabou, 15K away in about 1.5 hrs and caught a bush taxi to Koudougou. The chauffeur stopped at a school and picked up a load of pipes to transport to town. My friend Achille met me in KDG and got me and my things to a room in the petite seminary for the weekend. We went to the market and found Joseph, who parked our bikes in his lot. I gave him a photo of he and Georges, schoolmates from seminary days. We shopped at the market awhile. We went on to visit Odeille, Achille's big sister and her three sons at her home. She gave me a bag of peanuts and a photo. After a couple hours on the internet, we found “Marquis la Restaurante a Cote”, owned by another relative. We had brouchettes and riz gras with our drinks.
On Sunday we found that it was holiday at the seminary, which means no Mass, so we rode up to Burkina Parish for Mass, which I recorded. The choral voices were angelic. The pastor I had met at Fr. Frederick's 20th Anniversary Mass at Thyou. In the afternoon we looked at a series of Benin/Togo trip pictures and then I took a nap. When we got back together later, Achille took me to get a watermelon to give his mother and sister, Emilie and we visited Seraphim at a restaurant where he was chatting with his friends. They gave me all the information on BF documents required for passports.
Next we motoed to a small village 10K from KDG and met his father's big sister. They were very happy to meet an American. In generous fashion they also gave me two bags of freshly harvested peanuts. Achillle bought me a connection for the outlet so I could charge my laptop, which took an hour. Then we checked out of the Notre Dame petite seminary and returned to the internet at the post office. We got an American hamburger, Achille's first at the Wend-Kuni restaurant near the bush taxi place, while we waited for my ride home. George met me and we pedaled towards Sala, when Bouba came along in Air Thyou and gave me a free ride. At Sala two young men helped me up the hill to my house. It was good to be there.
I went to the clinic on Tuesday morning and saw four people on drip feed for malaria. One of them is Alizetta, one of my favorite neighbor women, the one who was honored for completing her course in the Koran recently. Her adult daughters and their babies were there, as well as her husband, who lives in Thyou. He has the high cheekbones I've seen in many of their children. (See photos.)
I discussed with the Major my plans to take Seni Pele' to OUA for evaluation of his leg. He said there is a facility in KDG too, but I responded the transportation there is more difficult. The Major also mentioned the 4 day Tetanus Campaign starting Thursday. That would be the day we take Pele' to OUA. When I got to market that afternoon, I ordered pork sandwich from Jean Baptiste's oven and the whistler came by and shared my food. Later Juliette, wife of Bado gave me dolo and practiced reading English from my Oliver Twist book. She hadn't done that since her schooldays.
We called the Orthopedic Clinic two times and finally were told to come the next day as the doctor would be in following surgery. We sent msg to family via the Dana school director. Wednesday evening as arranged Seni Pele' and his much older brother arrived. I was glad Georges was here to translate with them, because I think 10 year old Pele' was a little afraid, but Mathieu expressed how grateful the family is for this evaluation. We were able also to get the family names correct, father and mother. Pele' is the youngest of five children. Mathieu returned from Cote d'Ivoire when he was born to assist his parents. He told us the malformation occurred after Pele's birth and they enlisted traditional medicine for help, but....
When the two men had left, I tried to entertain Pele'. We sat outside and many neighbors came over to meet him. Through dinner and playing, Abdoulaye come over to talk with him. He said the boy speaks Garounsi, close to Moore' but not exactly the same. He liked coloring, so I gave him a book and colors to take home later. He slept on the lipicot for the night. In the morning Abdoulaye rode Pele' on his bike to the bush taxi, as it was on his way to school. I followed to the station, where there was a huge gathering of Muslims, lots of chairs and motos. Our bush taxi left on time and in Sabou, Georges joined us to help with the translation in OUA at the Handicap Clinic in Goughin district. We waited until noon to get seen by the team of specialists. They stood Pele' on the table to look at the movement in his right leg and foot. Pele' could wiggle his toes, barely. The doctor assessed that Pele' had a clean break in the ankle area of his leg at or after birth and the bones didn't align to heal.
Orthopedic Dr. Jean Yago ordered X-rays, called the clinic to confirm and gonewrote “Urgent” on the referral. He said to come back later for consultation. For the next hour we walked, first out to the main route to catch a taxi to Centerville, and then from the wrong x-ray clinic to the correct one, close to our bush taxi. Poor Pele' was fatigued by all that exercise. The clinic as most businesses in BF was closed for repose until 1500h. They took 3 views, which the technician took across the hall for the radiologist to see. That doctor said that the break was clean (through) and the bones were not properly set. He ventured that Pele' was probably born normal and then the break occurred. He emphasized that we need to return to the orthopedic clinic for consultation on the next step. The clinic wanted 15 mille per x-ray, of which I could give 5 mille down, and pay the rest when we pick up the x-rays for next appt.
The ride home was an adventure. Bouba had left typically at 1430h and we went to Car Cellulaire to find it was also . Then we got a cab to a place called ONEA on the main route to Bobo (our direction) and waited hoping to catch a bus. Most other bush taxis and buses were full, finally BIT stopped and wanted 1500 francs per person. Georges was negotiating the price and then I said it's getting dark out and told the man that a child should only be 1 mille at most. He let us on for 4 mille. We went not far at all, when the bus stopped and all the men got out to pray for an hour before it continued. We arrived at 20h at Sabou and had coffee hoping to see a bush taxi going our way. A huge camion (cattle truck) was idling there while the driver was eating. The driver planned to stay the night there and drive to Thyou market in the morning to pick up cattle. For 1500 mille he said he would take us this evening. He put Pele' and me up in the cab and Georges and his bike in the trailer. In 15 minutes we were at Thyou. Georges went home, got his moto and took us to my house by 22h. In one day's time Pele' had for the first time ridden a bush taxi, a bus, and a camion, plus a moto. Most kids never get out of village!
The next morning Pele' sat outside waiting for his older brother to come for him. When Georges came over I had him write down what the doctors said, so we could give it to the family. Mathieu came and George took about an hour to explain everything and talk about our return trip on November 12, when he would need to come too. This needs to be a family decision. He will talk with the family.
We went to the market, had lunch and then I biked to the new grotto in Thyou for the rosary. Marie and little Claude each led a decade of the rosary. The next morning I checked in with Albertine, who was working on the Tetanus Vaccination Campaign in Sala. She wanted to ask the Major when she could leave with me for tour of the CREN. Karim was working on the campaign and I mentioned the falling posts at the Moringa garden at school, so we can go fix them later. At 10h Albertine was ready to go, after we got her one liter of petrol. Her moto is very comfortable and fast. At the CREN, Sister Margaret led us on the tour in French. Albertine refers many malnourished children with mothers there and it is a nice visual reminder of what they have to offer. We saw mothers and children there and met all the staff. It was a good trip.
The head nurse, Philippe and Abdoulaye, a medical board member, thanked me for all my work and talks with villagers in this Sala health district. And I thanked them for being patient with me and my limited language. I will have no problem remembering Sala and all villagers I met during my stay.
