African Adventure 2

10-17-07

This morning I was up at six, because a car was coming for me. We were going to town, OHG and have a little break from the intense schedule. The night had not cooled down much and the bucket bath was refreshing at this point. Before leaving our village, we trainees met with the community health board, a group of six members (one woman) plus the local male nurse, who is always the secretary on the board. We asked them questions we had prepared in French the day before. The RN led the responses, and the board members were very interested in who we are and what line of work we had done. Translating this into their language (Moore') was challenging for the RN it appeared. This health board is representative of the ones we will work with in any village we may be assigned to in BF, so this experience should serve us well in the future.

Right when we arrived in town we stopped at a gas station and got yogurt and drinks, anything cold is coveted by all of us at this time. The change of scenery did us all good, we even enjoyed our French class in town. We got on our bikes and went to get lunch, some of us went to the internet cafe, only to find that it shut down the night before, and was still not up and running. I had bought a cell phone by now and the office staff at the internet cafe helped me text msg my kids and set my phone ringer, an important thing really.

While on my lunch break, I biked to the big market in the center of town, a maize of little tables and huts, where the locals sell produce and handmade items. There are some unusual sales, you can get your motorbike washed on the spot, or your shoes shined, or you can pay to have your bicycle stored. There are always tables filled with flip flops and ones with cell phones, and local food sells well. I did purchase a roll of toilet paper for 400SFA, which is about a dollar. Not really a bargain, but my negotiating skills in French have a ways to go. I later learned that the PC pays 500SFA for a two roll pack of TP.

As I rode back to the training center all of a sudden my phone rang and it was Angie, what a treat to talk to her and find out about things at home. By now I was most certainly late for my class, but that's alright—it was conjugating French verbs in 100 degree weather! Later that afternoon we had a couple hours free time, and again my phone rang and it was Chris, so good to hear from him. He's getting a phone card, cheaper way to talk I hear. All I can do from here really is text msg. That reminded me I need to get post cards to send right away to all my grandchildren. I gave my kids a long list of things I need......I told Chris that I am an expert on bike tire repair, as I had three flats the first two days I had my brand new bike...I now know I can't ride over the grass beside the pathways, which have thorny brush in them. And that is a guaranteed puncture in my tire.

At 5pm with our bikes on top, the van took us back to village, about 7 kilometers, and from there we biked back to our family compounds (less than a mile) just as darkness fell. It is refreshing to cool down every night via a bucket bath under the stars in the sky as my douche is a brick structure, open to the sky above. I have since taken a picture of this structure to show you. My latrine is on one side, and the bath area (douche) on the other. At this time of night it is dinner, then bedtime. It is so dark out by 6:30pm and with the grueling schedule, it is natural to turn in early.

10-19-07

Peace Corps sends a car for me and my luggage by 7am, as we are stopping at OHG for classes and preparation for going to villages of current PC Volunteers all over the country. They call this the “demystification visit”. I assume that means it makes it real to us. Three of us from the Health sector are going to a village 100m. SW of the capitol, called Gao. Meanwhile after our language class, we had a couple hours of free time, and we rode to town and got on the internet at a local cybercafe. One hour is 350 SFA. After that we found the sandwich shop, Melissa one of the trainees is living with a family, whose mom has the shop and hand makes each sandwich as it is ordered. My favorite is hard boiled egg slices and avocado slices, with red onions and tomato slices on the long French roll. Yummy!

The afternoon session for all Peace Corps Trainees was hilarious—Siaka, Saliou, Printout, PCV and others did a skit on what it's like to take a bush taxi. People, animals, and baggage kept adding to an already full bus. Then a pregnant woman with a baby strapped to her back boarded. Then a guy with a goat got on. People had to move seats constantly. Pickpocketing happened. A Muslim got out his mat to pray at one stop. And the driving was erratic to say the least, first Siaka would floorboard it, then shift when the engine was revved up, and all the folks leaned way over as the load shifted. I'm telling you we were in gales of laughter. That was just a preview of things to come.......

We 34 PCT boarded a nice bus to Ouagadougou (the capitol) the next morning. After the three hour ride, we all split up to go to our respective sites in country. Our little group, three trainees and our language facilitator went to a small bus stop and waited over four hours for our bush taxi. Apparently we just missed the first one. Since my tent, mat, and potty chair were tied together, and the single strap wasn't quite doing the job, I bought a long rubber strap from a vendor. By then my pride had deserted me.

To pass our time we found a modern western grocery store in the center of town, We each bought ourselves a treat, mine was a chocolate croissant. Then Becky and I wanted to look in the big mosque nearby, and we had to cover our head with a scarf to look in. Some guy took us around to a doorway, and said we could look in, but not enter, and he allowed us to take pictures. For this experience he wanted us to each give the Imam 2000 SFA. Becky protested, and after a couple minutes we each gave him 500 SFA and left. Bintou told us the guy shouldn't have charged.

Still waiting for the bush taxi, I watched a shoemaker lace together sandals with a long threaded needle. It reminded me of Doug lacing saddles and other leather things. Two customers came by and got shoe shines while they waited, now there's a lost art. “Vous travaillez tres bien! Your work is very good” I told him.

]The bush taxi showed up around 3pm with the driver wanting more money for our luggage after we bought our tickets, but Bintou headed that off. We got on board this old long van with seats. Soon we made another stop several miles across town and lots of goods and people were loaded. We laughed as we watched the loaders stuff 4-5' high with cargo, then proceed to tie five bikes, standing erect over the cab. After that a stack of large metal bowls and a large watering can were tied on the top. We boarded the bush taxi.

A mom and toddler and 20 others got in this 8 person van. As we tried to leave, through the window, the driver and a customer had a long heated discussion about something. I thought they were discussing safety, but no it was the cost of transport for goods. It went on ten minutes or so, while all 2 dozen passengers sweated in the van. Finally we left. I was sitting right behind the driver and noticed he kept looking out the window back toward the rear wheel. About half an hour later the entire wheel separated from the axle with a loud noise. This happened after we had gone 50mph on the road to the south. As luck would have it, we broke down in front of a welding shop by the side of the road in a small town with a dozen little shops. An hour later we crossed the road to the bar and had a cold beer, sitting out in front so we could see the van. As the welder worked on the axle all the passengers sat around watching. The driver and one other worker put the wheel back on. I noticed they only had two lug nuts, and I started worrying about that when our LCF announced that Peace Corps was sending a car for us. Whew! I was so relieved. By now it was 6pm. The PC car arrived and we traveled back to Ouaga. By now it was feeling like Murphy's Law, as we came upon a huge traffic jam—the traffic stopped because the President of the Country was passing by. Our driver extracted our vehicle from the snarl and we proceeded to go 30 km around the back way until we reached the PC transit house (a hostel house for PC). It was sheer luxury, after our day. We ordered dinner in and had a real bed to sleep in for the night.

Now we leave for Gao at 8am for our demystification visit. A PC car drove us 3 hr and 100km south of Ouaga and 50 km east on a dirt road to Stephanie's place. She was awaiting our arrival, and had baked banana bread and sliced up watermelon to welcome us. She had an incredibly homey living situation. Her hut had 4 rooms, a bedroom, kitchen, la douche (shower) and a living area. Villagers had poured a concrete patio after Dr. Claude made a site visit and told the village chief “Fix this my son for Stephanie.” Voila! Stephanie had a compost pile from which two tomato plants were thriving. She had planted five trees nearby too. There was a wall around her yard, and a screen covering the entrance, so animals could not enter.

The four of us asked her questions after question about her life in village. She says the Loges doesn't work that well, but the person in the new mayor position is very helpful to her. As we relaxed we met neighbors who came by and also the girl she pays to help out everyday. The 15 yr old girl has family in Ghana. She lives in Gao with relatives and likes it here. She transports Stephanie's water, washes her clothes, cleans dishes and straightens the house.

Soon we all walked around the village, meeting Stephanie's friends to whom she speaks perfect French and some tribal language. The people adore her and she them, esp certain ones. Her neighbor, Rosalie, helped her get connected to small groups of women and men who already had gatherings. She also went into the village school and taught in the first three months there. Her nearest PCV is Marcos, who is a favorite neighbor. They visit each other weekly approximately.

We bathed in the afternoon, then Stephanie made egg roll soup and a bean dish out of the PC cookbook. We had several language sessions with our LCF Bintou, who is a great teacher. Late in the evening, a neighbor woman brought over dinner: barbecued chicken, rice casserole, cous cous, and sauce. We loved it, sitting out in the yard at a table under the night sky enjoying each other's company. We tented that night, me on the patio, and Becky out in the yard, Bintou on a mat (traditional African sleeping spot), and Natalie in the bed and Stephanie on the chaise lounge.

The propane stove top and the oven in Stephanie's kitchen offer a variety of possibilities for cooking, ie Pancakes. While we had language class the next morning and learned past participles in French, Steph went to market to get bread and cheese for tuna melts at lunch. Here in Burkina Faso I have noticed that food is a main source for conversation. Locals go to marche' (market) every several days, because the heat doesn't allow food to stay edible very long.

Monday morning we toured the health sites in Stephanie's village: CSPS, the maternity ward, the pharmacy. During this time we met the village nurse, called “infirmier”, the midwife, who had just delivered a baby, and the ICP and some village teachers. There were 12 women waiting in clinic for a prenatal visit, which was delayed due to the delivery. This gave us a glimpse of the health aspect of village life, which we will be involved with when we each get our assignment in our village.

We walked back slowly down a path near a cluster of animists, who were engaged in a fetish ritual. They had two poles with a pane (cloth) wrapped around them and guys on either end baring the poles in a ritual dance. Back and forth they went with a crowd of worshipers following them. Stephanie said the fetish is thought to be a spirit that comes to “life” after long periods. We watched from a distance. Further along the path we visited the mayor and asked him historical questions about the village. He said the village was two tribes coming together hundreds of years ago, some were Moslem and some were animists. They live cooperatively.

As we tracted back to the house, we came across the local bar and some of the guys there play music, so after the sun went down we had arranged for them to play drums and flutes and dance. That lasted several hours in the moonlight. When the men had danced a traditional African dance, the women and children joined in, then they enticed us to try it, which we did and had such fun. Their dance steps and rhythms don't come so naturally to we Americans. By that time we were tired and hungry so we each gave the musicians 500 SFA for both the dancers and them and headed home. The neighbor brought dinner again and we were treated to beans and chicken, “To” and sauce. We tented again.

We got up early for our 8am bush taxi ride, but had to scurry when the driver showed up at our door at 7:30. We went back to Ouaga (the capitol) and thankfully the return trip was uneventful. I had to stay overnight in the transit house because Sylvie, the medical officer, had arranged for me to get my front tooth repaired. The clinic PC sent me to, cares for the embassy personnel too. They did a beautiful job for me. The BF dentist spoke perfect English, which he learned in school he said. They had the latest equipment, hardened my filling with a blue light. A second dentist was present and haled from Bolivia, and then a third dentist arrived and he was from Brazil. They all spoke good French and some English, definitely an international dental group. My taxi picked me up in an hour and returned me to the transit house, where I could walk to the PC bureau and spend two hours on the internet for free. I was able to send a group email, which made me happy.

On the way back to the transit center I stopped at a nice restaurant and ordered a salad to go. I sat a watched a tape of an old movie “Miracle in the Woods”, a multi-generational family dilemma.

The next morning the van came to pick up several others with me to return to Ouahigouya.

For the next several days we had classes to process our visit with the PCV. we each visited last weekend. We started to learn about conducting a “Etude de Milieu” (study in the village setting). We were transported to another village and learned tools to use in our study at the village level. They are: Seasonal Calendar, Village Map, Roles of women and men in village, and “Needs Assessment” done on a grid. Because this is hands on training, we had then set aside time to train the village leaders on these same tools, having them do the exercises and drawings themselves. It was a real eye opener, comparing what we came up with and what they did. For example they highlighted the mosque and the six village wells, and we hadn't. We emphasized how hard the women work, and the gender roles we observed. We learned from each other!

One of the field trips we took on our bikes was to the cabaret, where a groups of women brew beer from millet mostly. The alcohol content is not regulated by the state and at times it can be as high as 8% we were told. I took a couple photos of this just to show my brother, Wayne, who worked in this business until he retired. And yes, I like a beer now and again.



10-28-07 Sunday

Today Orokia is taking me to meet Salimata, her mother. Her home is across the village of Somyaga. We biked there. On the way we met her grandmother in a field nearby working. Everyone here greets everyone else where ever they find them. I had saved a votive candle to give Salimata. She is blind in one eye, and doesn't get out much in terms of visiting. I think Orokia introduced me to her sister in law there too.

When we returned home an hour later, a group of women and the two of us walked to the next neighboring compound and visited with them. Many, many people were there, groups of mothers and babies, groups of young men, and also men. The women were together in a hut nursing their babies and visiting. It was close and hot in there. Boys were playing cards together. Other young men were hanging out, listening to music. An elder man in the courtyard was plucking peanuts off the picked plants, and I sat down and tried that too. Orokia and I went into one hut and were served rice with goat meat (a little tough to chew, but tasted OK). Azita went over to the neighbors with us, but returned early.

Sunday is such a restful day during training, and I had a nap. I watched Amadi and Madi (15 yr old son) tie millet into bundles to put up to dry. That is an art, tying those things together, using the stems and braiding them around the top securely. This also served as a hanger. The results were beautiful to see. (view pictures)

This fourth week in training was both exciting and hard. We all had our language level test, which I advanced one level up. When you start at the bottom the only way is up, right? The health sector, the group I'm in, had their interviews with the Director of the Health Sector, Dr. Claude, who is so personable and encouraging. It was like a visit, not an intense interview. We chatted about what kind of site I would like, and what skills I would use in village, and about the needs here in Burkina Faso. She thinks that the women need support about taking more time nursing their babies, and about the benefits of colostrum, the first milk, and also about not weening their babies abruptly. We agreed that all the mothers nurse in BF and that is good. I look forward to offering extra support to these moms.

Dr. Claude is an exceptional woman and had just come from an international conference elsewhere in Africa on malnutrition. Her husband is the fourth highest political leader in BF I understand. She has been with the PC here since 1995. She told me about the director's visit recently, and his hope that more seniors join up. You know how I feel about that.

After two days at the training center in classes, Friday I was picked up with the other trainees from my village and we went to Sissomba, another village to visit there and have class. All the Lori's live here, Lauren, Laura, and Lori, all of whom speak perfect French. We practiced conducting a community meeting. We had a great lunch of beans and rice with sauce.

On Saturday we five rode our bikes to town and went swimming at Hotel de la Mitte and ate American style hamburgers. They tasted extra good to us. What a treat! Just to give you an idea: 1500SFA to swim, 3000SFA for the burger, and 800SFA for a Flagg beer (a qt). Then to the internet (one hour cost 350SFA) and our bike ride home (7 km). A great day and break! Lots of pictures.

African Adventure 1

My Peace Corps Journey

Last weekend the Landis family machine went into full speed ahead—three days of intense moving activities, both getting “things together for my two plus years abroad” to take along, and the emotional roller coaster of emptying my home of 42 years and putting it all in a 10X15' storage unit. I had wonderful help from my family and friends. Someone said “after all this work, you are not missing that flight!”

Since 1961 when I first heard John Kennedy's words “Ask not what your country can do for you, but rather what you can do for your country”, it has been in my heart to join the Peace Corps. And on Monday this very week, I flew from Portland to Philadelphia for “staging”, a time for information and immunization to get ready.

37 of us (excited, scared, eager, sad) bussed from Philly to JFK to depart on an Air France 777. As we neared Manhattan we could see the port area with the Statue of Liberty prominently greeting one and all. When the Brooklyn Bridge came into view I shrieked a little (I had not seen it the other time I was in NY). We drove on for some distance to get to the airport. Now it's here! Today I am leaving for Africa, and what lies ahead. Every time I say that, I lose it.....

10-05-07

We flew overnite to Paris. Since I had requested a window, I got one, but that meant that between me and the aisle were two rather husky Frenchmen, all of us with our knees knocking the seat ahead and I did not get up but once to use the facilities. Boy did I regret that later when my feet and ankles swelled up!

Flying from Paris to Burkina Faso takes six hours, most of that is above the Sahara Desert. As we neared Niger and Burkina Faso and descended toward the ground—the earth suddenly greened up and muddy rivers became visible along with earth toned villages. Then suddenly we were here—in Africa! Being greeted by official PC staff, both local and American. As we deplaned, the African heat enveloped us. We climbed aboard another bus and were taken to SIL, a compound used for retreats. On the bus ride the culture shock began! Marketing in BF was evident everywhere, tables full of cell phones and flip flops, fruits (bananas and mangoes and watermelons) furniture, pagnes (cloth that women wrap up in here) radios and CD players, tee shirts, you name it and there was a shack with some in it....

The traffic flow is amazing—people walking, biking, motor biking, donkeys pulling carts (driven by boys less than teenage) and all kinds but less numerous cars, trucks, and other motor vehicles. The paved roads are two lanes, with sparse traffic lights.

This is harvest time in BF as I understand it. Between the rainy, humid season which just ended and the hot season which starts in February is this beautiful, bountiful time we are now in.

We spent two days orienting and assessing our medical meeds, language needs, and adjusting to the environment. More like culture shock! Our meals were provided in a common dining room. On the second evening our entire class was invited to the lovely and spacious home of the Assistant Peace Corps Director for a lovely dinner. Hors d'oeuvres and sodas were in abundance when we arrived, and we dove in; peanuts and crispy tortillas chips with salsa. All of a sudden a white filling on the corner of my front tooth (which I think I swallowed) was missing, which made me apprehensive to eat any more! Later I asked the host if her family had a local dentist, and they do. So that will probably be an upcoming event.

10-07-07

We received our next shots and our language tests. Right after lunch we all boarded a bus, air conditioning never felt so good, and we headed north 3 hours to our training center in Oauhigouya. We passed through several check points and finally arrived at ECLA, where we will spend the next eight weeks in classes for our volunteer work and a heavy immersion into French and Moore' tribal language, like 4 hours a day. Upon our arrival a huge group of Peace Corps staff and Africans met us with traditional toasting from shells, and an elaborate welcoming ceremony with drums and xylophone like instrument, with much dancing and music. The costumes were colorful and dramatic. The rhythms were contagious.

And there was a dance performance that was high energy and fun to watch. We were officially invited to live and work in this culture.

We spent the next two days at training learning to introduce us to life with our host families. The facilities at each succeeding place got more and more challenging. I was longing for my sons to fix the plumbing here. Leaky toilettes, sinks, showers. This felt like a test, to better prepare us for what was ahead.

We went to the castle of the regional chief of Yatenga at Ouqhigouya. We waited in the receiving room for over half an hour, when he finally entered. We all stood and zhen he sat; so did we. Siaka squatted on one knee and explained our Peace Corps mission. The chief welcomed us into his land, then he took our questions. Siaka translated the Eng for the chief and the French for most of us. The chief apologized for our wait as he was waking from a nap. Several volunteers asked him quest in French and I asked him about his people b ringing issues/disputes to him and if he has a board of little chiefs. He said the disputes are settled locally mostly and if not, then he can address them, and if not he refers them to the legal system. After several others posed questions, and he answered, the chief agreed to have a picture with us, on the condition that we share them with him. (He says he never sees them.) The chief seems like a wise older gentleman with a sense of humor. It was a memorable visit.

10-09-07

This morning we received bike training...how to take the front and back wheels off in order to patch a flat tire. In the next week I used this 3 times in 2 days! There are thorns in the fields that are dangerous for our bike tires. The lesson is to stay on the beaten path!

In the afternoon after our language class etc. we went to our villages, where the local people were gathered under a grove of trees. We numbered six to eight volunteers to each village, and at that time we were “adopted” by our host family. One bench filled with mothers and nursing babies was on our right, another bench with the village leaders, a third bench with the men, and a fourth bench for us to complete the square. The women were very colorfully dressed in pagnes and head dresses. School children stopped to watch from the background. As the PC leader, Siaka, called the family name and one of our names, we joined our host family on their spot until every one of us was “adopted”. I got very teary eyed at this was the moment my life long dream came true.

My father, Amadi, loaded all my bags on the back of his motorbike and headed off. My host mother, Orokia, and I walked home, a mile or more, greeting people all along the way, she speaking Moore' and me practicing. She laughed a lot at what was coming out of my American mouth. When we arrived at their compound, I made a total of 22 family members; 12 children, 3 grammas, 2 grandchildren, 2 mothers, 1 father, a son in law, and yours truly. There are goats and chickens running around the courtyard too.

Excitedly they showed me to my room, and everyone helped me make my bed, complete with a mosquito net. We looked through the rest of the steel box of items left by the Peace Corps, kerosene and a lamp, bleach, salt, tea, cooking oil, vinegar, sugar cubes, and bedding. The water bucket and filter system came soon thereafter. (That's what the bleach is for.)

The older teen girls, who spoke good French, asked me if I wanted to bathe. Their father was off getting a 5 gal bucket of water from the community well on his motorbike. He also had to pray, so it was dark by the time I had my first “bucket bath”. Imagine bathing under the stars in Africa, it's tricky when you know what you are doing. In the PC demonstration, the bather had clear water the entire time, it may take me a year to achieve that. It did remind me of the volume of shower water I used at home.

After my bath, I was hungry, when they brought spaghetti to my room. I picked it up to join the family, and the older daughter put it back down. We repeated this maneuver again, and I realized that I was eating alone! Eventually Fatimata, 17, took me to each part of the family compound, introducing me to the people in each space. I passed out hard candy to the children and votive candles to the women. Since it was already dark out, I could not put names and faces together. They giggled at my attempt to say a few Moore' words. That encouraged me to practice them again, and more laughter. Later we all sat on my veranda and watched the millions of stars in the African sky.

My whole village “Sumyaga” is Moslem. This time of year is filled with fasting during the day and prayer 5 times a day. The upcoming weekend is the Ramadan.

10-12-07

We returned to village to our family after 2 days of training at ECLA. Ramadan occurs after the moon was seen in the sky the previous night, then the celebration begins. All the women cooked special foods, and the men gathered to pray in the village center. We walked to the gathering place and went into a compound to meet the village chief, who wants our pictures sent to his email. Chief Abadon speaks 5 languages. As we walked back home the two little ones, Awa and Aziz let me hold their hands along the way.

Saturday and Sunday are days off from our schooling, but we trainees did meet for a tour of each volunteer's home, after which we drew a map of our village to get more familiar with the key places and our location relative to the rest. The maternity and pharmacie buildings are in the center of the common area with the head nurse's home nearby. The assistant to the nurse also lives close. The chief's house has a temple next to him. Our village has four wells scattered about.

Again we (the kids and I) sat on my porch in the evenings and discovered songs in French and Moore'. I sang “Frere Jacque” to start the entertainment, and the kids continued on....the blend of voices was so beautiful.