African Adventure 16

01 November 08

We all rallied in the morning, ate, packed and got to the Shell station by 7am where the taxi brousse originates every weekday morning. Bouba had replaced his taxi vehicle with a very comfortable newer one. We got to the capitol by 10:30am. The stagierres caught a bus to OHG, and I took a cab to PCB to use the internet. I wanted to go to the bank, but it was closed due to All Saints Day.

At 3pm we gathered in the conference room at the bureau for our Moringa meeting. We had 12-15 PCVs in attendance. Ryan gave a quick overview. I gave some of the parameters for joining the Moringa committee: attendance, demonstrated interest and project plans. There is lots of energy and interest in this group. Kevin talked about making good soil. I believe this is the time I prepared Kopto along with chips for our moringa snack. It went over well. We met for a couple hours discussing our Moringa projects and experiences in village.

It was almost dark when I called Katera for the second time to get directions to her house in “Ouaga de Mille”. The landmark I was looking for was the ritzy Hotel Joli. Katera came right after me when I next phoned her. She drove us to her very spacious luxurious home with a separate guest house next to the swimming pool. I watched the first TV since coming to Burkina, the CNN news on the upcoming election. The warm shower was certainly welcome, as was the firm mattress. I went to bed early.

On Sunday Katera was going up to the shopping area in Ouaga de Mille to the bakery, and I got a ride that far (on a main road) to catch a cab. Back in Zone de Bois, I found the ISO club where the four original members of the Moringa group met for a working breakfast. That lasted until noon.

I walked some 6 blocks back to the Transit House, changed clothes and went to PCB to use the internet, but it was down and wouldn't return. Back at the TH, I tried to get Skype to work there, but was unsuccessful. As evening was approaching, I went to Charles de Gaulle Blvd to catch another taxi to Katera's place. She was very gracious to offer her guest house to an older volunteer during this busy weekend of SIAO. The cost going way out to her place was 2500francs. I phoned her again, and her son walked over to show me the way back. Katera had a work friend with her two children over for a family meal, which was fun to be a part of. I excused myself to fill out my voting ballot, and Katera will put it in the shuttle to DC which leaves in the morning.

03 November 08

After a second night of sleep on a firm mattress, I gathered my things including the ballot and sat outside until Katera and Oudou came out to the car. She said they were going in to town to the American Embassy and I could ride along. Her other two children had caught the school bus earlier. Back in Zone de Bois, I got money from the poste and went for an omelette sandwich with Kait before going to the bureau. I checked my mail and packages. I received one box that had exploded when the bottle of olive oil broke and shards of glass cut into the vacuumed packed tuna. After a little damage control, Christina and I tied my boxes onto our bikes to ride to the transit house.

I got ready to visit SIAO the international art show, where there were displays in several large building. I grabbed a pork sandwich in one of the many food booths, and sat awhile before walking around. I was trying to discern where the main exhibit was, and finally found a German who spoke English as well. He pointed out the exhibit hall where individual countries showed off their treasures. And then he showed me the main hall, where individuals were showing their particular art. This exhibit was crammed full with little extra space anywhere. In contrast the country exhibits were spacious as well as attractive. There I found and bought some leather sandals, handcrafted that fit me. I found several other things I liked too.

Luckily I talked with Chris for an hour that evening. He's sent me an auxiliary battery for my laptop among other things. He updated me on happenings in the family, and at this distance it is reassuring to hear that all is well.

04 November 09

Idrissa one of the PC drivers came after me early for my Physical Therapy appt. We stopped by a jeweler he knew of downtown to have a new battery put in my watch. His wife Awa works nearby BIB and I was able to meet her. They were both bragging about their little son. At PT today the technician put me on sonar and increased the intensity until I felt it. After a half hour they put the hot packs on. Later I worked on typing my quarterly report in French for Dr. Claude, showing the work I did in village and with the school children.

I also ordered 24 pictures from Costco. Becky and I went for brochettes and beer at the Rezoo and talked about life in village. When I talked with Chris later on Skype he asked me to open box 6 of the ones he just sent me to get the new auxiliary battery pack he sent, as I need to charge it before going back to village.

At the Transit House they were getting a birthday cake ready for Vince from KDG, before all the new voters went over to the Embassy to watch the election returns. They planned to spend the night if necessary.

DEMOCRACY

Almost daily on BBC radio news, there are reports of an important upcoming election in some African country. For Africans all over the continent, radio is a main source of information. Even in small villages without electricity, people have battery operated radios. On the actual day of an election there is intense radio focus on the dynamics and process of the election. Many local voters gave opinions when interviewed by news crews. These are fledgling democracies.

Since establishing independence, many African countries are encouraging their citizens in participatory democracy. Long lines of citizens wait to cast their votes. They are patient and hopeful. And they want to influence the process by exercising their right to vote. A recent example is the presidential election in Ghana, which was peaceful and resulted in a new leader. On the other hand Kenya has had ongoing struggles with their most recent election.

As the American election progressed Africans paid close attention to the radio news. They talked about it a lot. Once the votes were counted and verified, many Africans approached Americans here to share their opinion that the strengths and character of the contenders are most important. They expressed hope in democracy as they witnessed the results of the American Presidential Election.

There are many, many anecdotal examples. Another volunteer and I were sitting at a table outside enjoying grilled brouchettes (meat on skewers) when a guy came up to us and talked at least ten minutes on how much “our” election meant to him. People in villages all over Africa were celebrating our election. It seems Africans idolize America. They are watching to see how an established democracy like ours works. Most of all, they can identify with our new leader, not only on externals, but more importantly on internals. And they tell us this everyday.


05 November 09

In the morning I finished working on my blog and essay to put in it. I also talked to my kids about the election results. They encouraged me to get on NPR and read Obama's acceptance speech, then I got the link to hear the speech as Obama gave it. It was truly exhilarating! The PCVs began returning from watching the elections all night, and they were happy and wound up.

I packed for the return home today. I ran errands i.e. to the Handicapped Organization for questions on mute boy and others. Rob helped me retape a couple of my boxes, while I called a cab. I figured he was on Bobanguida looking for the address, and sure enough I was able to hail him when I went out there. With 2 bags, 6 boxes and my bike, the price was 2500francs. After the cab dropped me and my stuff off, I went to the little restaurant and had lunch. We left at 2:30 from OUA and got to Thyeo at 6pm. I had help getting all my stuff up to my house. I gave some things I bought to my neighbors. I received calls from Connie and then Angie. It was so good to talk to them.

Early the next morning I got all the flip charts and school supplies and Moringa trees for the chef ready to go to Bouyou. When we arrived at that village, the school director was gone, so we gave the school supplies to his wife. We were also told there was a big crowd gathered for us yesterday as it was market day there. We stopped at maternite' and copied vaccination schedule, and decided to come back on November 18 for causerie.

We had lunch when we returned home. Then Ousmane came over so we could measure him for soccer shoes. So I text that info to Chris. Football (as they call soccer in Burkina Faso) is by far
the main sport here to the exclusion of everything else.

07 November 09

The major motoed over to my compound this morning to give Minata a ride to CSPS. She can hardly walk for the pain of strain in her back. Harvest is heavy work for a woman. I visited the clinic in the morning myself, and hung out for a while. There were lots of people here this morning.

At market that afternoon I found bread, balls of homemade soap, fry bread, and later at the boutique I bought a bag of candy for treats for the children. I gave Barnard the soccer ball I had for his brother, Claude. Their father, Jean Baptiste had saved me porc for sandwich in the mid afternoon. We went by the barrage in Thyeo to have my lesson because that's halfway between our two houses. At dusk when I got home, Abdoulaye said that the DVDs I gave the family did not work in his player, they need to say SVCD. I had so hoped the children could watch family movies, a break from their reggae ones.

Saturday we travel to Salo for a teacher meeting that Ky Simplice the director had invited us to. I didn't realize the planning that goes on routinely for the teaching staff, but today I got a sample of it. When George and I got there, Ky ushered us to where the group was just as a student was demonstrating the sound of the letter “y” with each vowel. After the handful of students finished the task with the teachers, we went into another classroom where the new director of Sala elementary led an exercise regarding how children best retain learning. They do better when teacher demonstrates a line and the children repeat it, mimicking the tone and quality of the words.

Lunch followed the morning's work. Then we walked to the marche' going on in Salo, and found the women in the photos I had made for them. Back at the school a causerie was taking place with the teachers from all over the district chatting with one another. The men were playing a table game. Soon a team of villagers started showing up to play soccer against the teachers. Two of the major's sons were among those, Abdoulaye and Ousmane. Before the game got very far along, we left for home as I
wanted to get home before dark.

On Sunday my self set task was to finish the quarterly reports for the district doctor, so I went to the clinic for information. Once that was done, I visited my friend, Fati who has a small restaurant near the road and the Sala boutique. I gave her my red tank top she had asked for. In the mid afternoon, I sorted all the t-shirts by size and sex for the kids in my compound, some 20-30 of them, organized the jewelry I would give their mothers and set out the bag of candy. When my neighbors returned from the fields that day around 1700 H, Abdoulaye and I invited the people of the compound to bring their children and come in, one family at a time until everyone had a chance and was outfitted with a new t-shirt. Soon there was a line on my porch waiting their turn to come in. Within two hours we were finished and most were very excited about their new things to wear.

Later when I was fixing dinner I heard my door open, I turned around to find this little cherub in his new orange t-shirt with trucks on the front, comfortable enough to walk into a now familiar home. I took this as a thank you, though he wasn't talking yet. Before retiring, I had Karim at the house and we were planning the next VIH talk in village by texting Garrett for his availability and settled on Nov 21.

10 November 09

This is my birthday week and I am going to Bobo on vacation. I had offered to Minata that I was willing to take some harvest down to Madi, who goes to school in Bobo. She tied a bag of millet on my velo for him with a letter and some money. Mom's are the same everywhere! They care about their kids no matter what age they are. I went to Sabou with my luggage and bike and waited a couple hours for a bus. That option was more comfortable than taxi brousse when you consider 280K and the number of hours on transport. For my bike and velo it was 4,500F. I bought local bread before leaving Sabou and after I ate my omelette sandwich. The driver followed a procession of sorts at one of the small towns, but also went through big towns, ie Boromo, which had a number of vendors. I bought some aloco (fried plantain) to munch on. It took 4 hours to get to Bobo, the second largest ville in BF. I text Solomon and asked for directions to PC office in Bobo and also directions to nearby Casa Africa. He let me know it is very close to “Les 3 Karite” and to ask any taxi driver. It is is a quaint little place with lodging inside and out and a discount for PCVs, so that was nice. My room was an outside cottage for 3mille. I wanted to visit the Bobo PCB, and ran into Jonathan and met Michael, a new PC teacher. He led me to the cyber cafe' at the poste. Because the computers were in French, I couldn't get into Facebook. But I could get into my email and answer some of it. I rode back home at dusk and then went to Les 3 Karite' for riz and sauce, arachide (peanut). It was fun to eat under the stars and moonlight.

11 November 09

Outside this morning were several campers and there was a French gentleman, Jilles who saw my PC bike and said I have a saddlebag that would fit your bike. He showed it to me and said it worked really well, but he has back pain and can't ride his bike anymore. He and his traveling partner have visited Benin, Togo and now Burkina Faso. I gave him the 15 mille and took the saddle bag for my causeries in petite villages. He threw in a patch kit and some other things too. Another camper in the yard had travelers who had been at Banfora the previous day and loved it. They swam in the pool, etc. She gave me a business card of the guide they used.

After breakfast I grabbed a cab and went to Lycee L'avenire (school) to meet with Madi and give him the harvest bag of millet and letter with money from his mother. We had a nice visit and I met his good friend Bukari too. An older gentleman, Demba who told me where the boarding school was walked several blocks with me back to the main road, where we caught another cab. We stopped off at his house and I met his wife, Aguerra and son, Simbo, who showed me around the International Art School, Centre Dje'lya. (See photos.) They invited me back for the 2nd International Festival which will happen Dec 24. I also watched Aguerra cook in a contained pot with fire below.

Back at the motel I napped a while then found the open market in Bobo, and bought flip flops, a pagne, coffee cup, a batik, and other toiletries, before going home. I found a chicken vendor roasting them on a spit basted with a special sauce and got one for dinner, along with a bagquet and a watermelon that was so delicious. I retired early to be ready for the bike ride out to Banfora.

The next morning I received lots of texts wishing me “Bonne Anniversaire” (Happy Birthday). After breakfast I got a cab to the Rakieta Bus depot and had a few minutes, so I walked over to the Cathedral next to it. But the caretaker wouldn't unlock the door to tourists and that was disappointing. Once on the bus it took an hour and a half to get to Banfora, the last hour of which they turned on the TVs and we all watched an African soap opera. I checked into the “Canne a Sucre” ( Sugar Cane) hotel. PC discount was 5 mille per night, so that was good. The hotel recommended the hippos at the lake, so that was a bike trip of 9K or so. The guide took several tourists out to paddle across the lake, but alas we saw no hippos. We did however get to see beautiful lilies on the water, and hear wonderful sounds from the birds that live nearby. The guide braided me a necklace of lilies, a crown for my birthday (See photos). On the way back, I found bengii, which is sweet and fermented and white in color, much better than the local dolo! It was a layed back birthday.

13 November 09

I packed for the day at the “Cascades de Karfigela”, lunch, swimsuit etc. Then hired a guide Mimoani to assist with my climbing. One can hear the cascades way before getting there. The entrance is surrounded on either side with big, old mango trees. Then the short hike up the slate steps and path to the top of the cascade range to the falls. It is spectacular! The guide showed me the swim pool formed by the waterfalls. I stood under the falls which felt like a shower and I played in the water a long time.

Then on to the domes some 3K away. The "Dunes du Sable” are rock formations that had been underwater for years until a dam for electricity was made. There are a lot of them and they are very interesting in shapes and sizes. Big black pipes carry the water away from the dam down to the sugar cane fields. We photographed the domes and the guide Mimoani went to the top of nearby domes to capture that view. I ate my lunch waiting for him. I could see some professional photographers filming up there. (See photos.) Returning to Banfora, I found Bengii and bought some grilled pork to make a sandwich before turning in for the evening.

I wanted to make one more attempt early the next morning to see the hippos, thinking maybe they are more visible in the cool of the morning. The guide, Dramane hit the side of the boat with his oar trying to wake the hippos, but we ere not successful in our efforts. The lake is quiet, beautiful and large any time of day. There are more lilies opened in the morning too. Again no hippo sighting! There is a campground near the lake and it was filled with 4X4s, which passed us as we rode back to the entrance of the park.

By midmorning I had packed up to leave and get to Rakieta in time to get a good seat on the bus. At Bobo I caught another bus to take me back to Sabou and pedal home. It was a great vacation!

Continued

15 November 08

This Saturday morning we motoed to Sune' (24K away) for a hygiene presentation with the students at school. We had to delay our talk an hour due to a broken wire in the moto fuel system. The director at school, Dieudonne was expecting us and was cordial welcoming us to the school, as he brought all 5 classes together for one large presentation on hand washing. The teachers for the students sat in as well. We engaged the students with questions on when and why does one wash their hands. Following this exchange five student volunteers demonstrated for their peers, proper hand washing with water and soap. And finally we presented the chant, after I introduced it, Georges led the students and they soon learned the little song and enjoyed singing it. We left some school supplies which the director showed the children and thanked us profusely for.

It was midday when we found the chef of Sune' to discuss the sensibilisation we wanted to continue with the villagers. He told us people were in the fields today. In addition there were funeral services for two known villagers, one who died in Ghana and the second one died in village. We rescheduled that talk for the following Saturday and he assured us everyone would be available.

Then I gave him two Moringa trees to plant near his home in an interior garden. He took us there and showed us the area, which already had trees growing nicely and protected from animals.

On our way home we stopped to picnic on the snacks we had brought and of course drank water. Later in the afternoon, Garrett came by for a visit and to hear about my trip to Bobo and Banfora. He reminded me of the pizza place on the way to the Cascade waterfalls. I will make a point to stop there on my next visit.

Issa, the teenager I gave a red Chicago jersey to last week, came by for a visit. I mentioned that Chicago was Obama's hometown and he said the other kids at school are envious. When Abdoulaye joined us we ate dinner, rice with Trader Joe's eastern sauce mix over it, and then played some cards. A relaxing conclusion to a long day.

Sunday was a pretty routine day with church in the morning and market in the afternoon. Since I had to buy propane gas, things are a little lean until payday. I did hand out a few more shirts to my two compound family chiefs. They seemed pleased. At the marche' today a lady friend, Silvie let me know she would like a shirt too. I will look for one her size in the donated shirts from America. That evening after dinner I read my new paperback “My Name is Red”, an interesting novel set in Afghanistan and the story of artists printing manuscript for religious leaders. The perspective from the thoughts of a dead person is also interesting in this mystery.

Issa's father came over twice today to thank me abundantly for the moustiquaire I gave him.

18 November 08

Today we are doing a sensibilisation in Bouyou on malaria. I packed my things for the talk, and again we had a delay due to a puncture in the moto tire. When the mechanic was done repairing that we left for Bouyou (12K away) and arrived within half an hour. The director met us under the big tree near his house and we went to the new hangar established as the school, with all CP1 students (72) approximately 7 years old. They were adorable! (See photos.) They became very involved in the discussion when they saw I was passing out candy to the participants. After I demonstrated proper hand washing, two students volunteered to do the same, and then they all learned the song/chant we taught them on this hygiene lesson. Due to some bug I caught, my voice was nearly gone. Georges led the children as they sang “Lavage des Mains” over and over. We donated soap for the class to use at school, along with some school supplies my friends at home sent for African children. The kids want us to come back soon for another causerie.

We found the health liaison in that village, Babou, and the woman who helped gather people last time. They said my message did not get to them in time to get villagers together today. His phone isn't working anymore and the chef just told him yesterday that we were coming. The villagers were in their fields harvesting so we rescheduled this talk too. Babou led us to the chef's place to visit, then he was gone a while, and when he returned, Babou had a gift for me. He handed me a live chicken, which is a distinct honor in the Burkinabe' culture and this is my first one!

In the late afternoon I pedaled to Karim's house, but they said he was in village. I went back to Sala and waited at the soccer field for him. When he came there he let me know our planned sensibilisation for Friday has to be postponed due to Yellow Fever campaign. We then discussed our Moringa Tree project a while. All the trees but one look like they will make it. There is a trench dug around every tree for watering. I have bartered the regular watering of the trees for some soccer shoes the boys want. Karim told me all the young men of village are involved in the new pump discussion going into the Sala barrage, hence the postponement.

On Wednesday morning I visited awhile with the major and we discussed my vacation to Bobo and Banfora. He let me know he rode on the new taxi brousse to Ouaga along with Garrett too. He bragged about the nice ride in the newer vehicle. As he was seeing patients, the major had me feel the spleen of a little boy with malaria, who is very ill. Even I could feel the enlargement.

I walked down to Fati's restaurant and watched her prepare the day's meal, chicken soup with peanut sauce over rice. A man came along with five charred rabbits and Fati bought them all for five mille. The charring I figure is for preservation. People en route to the market in Thyou that day, stopped by for a drink of water. The Burkinabe' culture is very generous with what little they have and gladly share it. I bought my lunch there.

On Thursday my temp went up with this cold I had and I sent a note to the major via Sakinata that I couldn't come and weigh babies due to illness, but also I did not want to give it to the babies. Friday was another day on the lippicot. I did sit outside while the kids swept my house, but the dust bothered me and I moved to the hangar beyond my porch to sit with less dust to breathe in.

22 November 08

This Saturday was the rescheduled Sune' sensibilisation with the men of the village. I rallied with effort and with the help of some cold medications, my voice improved. When George and I motoed to village there was a big flatbed with a bulldozer aboard that made us wonder if they were there to do roadwork or somehow prepare for a second well. We found and met with the chef of Sune', who encouraged us to wait under the tree where villagers gather for talks, and sure enough after awhile they came along. Around noon we began by having them discuss the five principle health problems in their village. We were conversing with 15-20 men and 6 women while many children listened. The upshot of the conversation was that for Sune' “Maladie de l'eau” (illness from bad water) is the principal problem. They have only one pump in village and often the water is dirty. I let the people know we will be back to bring information and discuss together solutions to their problem.

We had brought Moringa trees which a couple young men bought at 25 francs. Of the two trees the chef planted last time, one survived, so we will bring him another. Another man placed an order for ten. I talked with those gathered there about the benefits of Moringa to the health of the community. After we passed out biscuits and prepared to leave, a leader in the group asked us to wait a moment as he went to get a chicken and offer it to us as a token of their appreciation for the effort with their people. It was my second chicken in a week and I was very pleased with the gift. As is our custom we stopped by the CSPS and reviewed our talk with the villagers of Sune' with the major. We also brought along a Moringa tree for him and a vacuumed packed Salmon package. He loves the American fish!

When I returned to my house, I watered the Moringa trees on my porch and with the help of the neighbor children planted about 30 new seeds for trees.

Sunday was a day of rest for my continuing cold.

Mid-Service Conference & Thanksgiving Week:

On Monday I packed to go to Ouaga, and rode my bike to the Shell station in Thyou (3K), where the taxi brousse begins the trip to the capitol. The trip took 3 hours and I got settled at the Transit House before going to the PC medical unit for my midservice physical. Dr Jean Luc put me on antibiotic for bronchitis, which explains why this cold has zapped my energy. That night due to the antihistamine and cough syrup, I also did not cough all night long.

On Tuesday the workshop part of the MSC began with a welcome from Dr Claude, Health Sector Director and Doug Teschner, the Country Director. The morning was spent with participants sharing successes at site and hearing some great stories of what worked and what didn't for them. Then around break time, Dr. Claude brought out a beautiful cake to thank us for our work in village and Burkina Faso. (See photos.) Following that yummy treat, we talked about challenges and action plan-what we each want to do yet while we got input from others on our ideas. For example, Corey said when he did the dental care talk at school with the children, he had the kids bring the Nim (branch) sticks the Burkinabe' traditionally use and then passed out toothbrushes to students as prizes for correct answers.

In the afternoon a fellow came and spoke to us about third year projects and nutrition and AIDS. The next session was led by Dan Rooney, Director of Small Business Enterprises, who laid out the computer technology for a new reporting system that is done on a computer program and is easy to get the numbers of people served in a format that the main PCB in Washington DC can readily use.

That evening two other volunteers went over to Doug Teschner's home to make plans for our Thanksgiving Dinner, a request he had asked of me. I was happy they filled in for me.

Wednesday was a morning of tests to complete the midservice physicals we all participated in. But the afternoon was one in which we as volunteers gave our feedback to the administration on pros and cons of our work with the bureau in BF. For probably 30 minutes we debriefed with Dr. Claude and Mr. Teschner. They listened.

Afterwards I got 2 pkgs, one from Ang and the other from Lorraine full of things for villagers and me. Rob helped me put my Skype camera program on my computer.

Peace Corps Director and I had another discussion about Thanksgiving Dinner over a meal. Then I borrowed pie pans to use for apple pies as our contribution to dinner. Rob also helped with that as he loves to cook. I wrote Marti a note welcoming her home from the States, and telling her we had the holiday meal under good control with everyone helping out. I tried out the Skype with Angie and family as we could view each other and talk at the same time. What an amazing technology that turns out to be. Only 11 million people around the world were on Skype that night!

27 Nov 08 THANKSGIVING

I reviewed the assignments for dinner today and they looked good. I asked 2-3 people to go over by 11am to talk with Marti and see what may need to be done. I went shopping for some things, especially flowers for the table centerpieces. Everything I found was plastic but finally I was able to convey that I wanted fresh flowers and a gentleman biked with me to the end of Bobangita Blvd to the nursery area and we found some small potted plants with delicate blooms and some coleus, which has colorful leaves too. The gentleman tied the box of plants onto his bike and accompanied me to Doug and Marti's home, where other volunteers were busy with preparations. I asked them to be creative and wrap the blooms in some cloth or tissue, use a few candles and Voila! We have décor. After greeting Marti I returned to TH to help Lauren and Linda roll out the crust for pumpkin pies with clean quart beer bottles, a technique I learned to use last Thanksgiving. Lauren made the filling and we got the pies in the oven.

Mid afternoon everyone showed up at Doug and Marti Teschner's home for our Peace Corps family meal. Volunteers were helping out and the house smelled wonderful. Appetizers were on the coffee table to munch on with our sodas while Doug was getting ready to carve the turkey. As we began our meal, Doug read the remarks the PC Director from Washington DC had made two years earlier when he was in Africa on Thanksgiving. It was a delicious and fun meal so far from home. Marte whipped the cream for the apple and pumpkin pies later.

After 6 we all went to the American Ambassador's place for a program she had prepared and a table full of desserts for all. The children sang as did a Ouaga choral group followed by several piano and flute pieces. Jeanine and Mark have a wonderful back yard for such a gathering.

Friday morning Rob helped me and my bags get up to Charles de Gaulle Blvd for a cab to the bus station bound for Koudougou. It is the weekend of NAK (Night of Artists of Koudougou) festival. I text my friend Achille, who met me at the station when I arrived at noon and he helped me get to the Notre Dame seminary where I will spend the weekend. Achille returned in the late afternoon and we took some things for the evening as we went to see the NAK gathering. We joined five volunteers already there enjoying the brochettes with a cold Flag. As we walked around the booths and looked at things, I talked with Nana Daniel, a teacher from Salou I know. What a treat. The art was not in this area, but the stage where the nights entertainment was to be, was nearby and we got tickets to see a comedian, named Zongo, who said Barack Obama is every African's uncle, which got a big laugh. There was an outstanding group of dancers and another group of musicians too. Then two well known singers, Awa and someone like Dube' performed. It was a late night!

29 November 08

We went up the hill to get omelette and coffee, when a fire engine came by on way to six tires burning in the street. They were followed by a riot squad, who did some manuevers and then raced around. We heard the University students were demonstrating. I met Achille who went to marche' to look for some things for me. We tried to find cassettes of the NAK entertainers, the big draw of course was Alpha Blondy. We went to visit Achille's mother at home and I met his brother Bernard and a friend. His mom was very happy to see me and gave me small statue of the Virgin Mary. She fixed us to and sauce. We got back home to make preparations for the big evening with Alpha Blondy. We pedaled to Municipal Stadium for the event. We sat under a tree by gate, knowing we'd hear Alpha if not see him. The cost of the tickets was high. When the concert started at 10 it began with Zongo the comedian. 45 minutes later Alpha began his concert and he asked the police to let all the people on outside to come in. We walked in and up to within 100 feet of the stage. Blondy was awesome, with his unique voice and powerful messages. He sang way past midnight. We pedaled back tired but very happy to see Alpha Blondy in concert this evening.

30 November 08

Sunday morning Mass at the seminaire is always a treat, and today we recorded the music and singing. I mentioned before that the school boys' voices are so moving I'm sure the chant goes straight up to heaven. I can listen over and over on the MP3 now. We packed me up right away to go to the transport station, as the taxi brousse to Sabou leaves at 11am. When I got there after 12:30 I wait for Georges who shows up with his bike mechanic friend, Raphael. We three went to the marche' in Sabou for porc sandwich and dolo. While there Georges found out that the young chef of Sabou's mother died. We went to his home to pay our respects. Once we were accepted into his home, I spoke directly with the chef, saying that as a mother myself, I can tell him how proud she must be of him and his position. The younger brother of the chef, Claude is a solder, and when we spoke to him there we also told him how proud his mother is of him and his hard work. He is welding windows and a door for Georges' family. The chef was very respectful of me. (See pictures.) We left for home at 5pm. I had sent my boxes ahead to the boutique in Sala on the taxi brousse for a small fee. It was good to be home and in bed before 9pm.