Sucking out the marrow of life...

Africa » Burkina Faso » Centre » Ouagadougou
January 29th 2007

Published: February 9th 2007

I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life...to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
~Henry David Thoreau

Hey, everybody!
Ok, so maybe it's a bit cliche, but may I say that this quote has never held so much meaning? I feel like today is a good day in a string of good days, and I'm basking in all of them at once. I am SO enjoying being here right now; gosh it's about time! 😊 Would you like the details on this fabulous experience?? Of course you would; that's why you're here!

Let's start with last week, shall we?

Last Monday I hopped in the car and jetted off to the desert site to to a study on the state of education in the 5 schools surrounding that project. It was SO GOOD to get out into the field and feel productive again. I think some of the lethargy from the last few months is related to being stuck at a desk all day... I visited all 5 schools, and spoke to the teachers there, got pictures of their conditions, etc. I was feeling very capable as I had some experience with this already at our other site, and it was nice to have confidence in what I was doing. I've really felt the lack of mentorship here, and I think that is something I will definitely look for in my future work. The schools I visited were actually in very good condition compared to others I have visited, although the people working there would never say so! They are experts at obtaining aid here, since there are so many organizations around giving it... I was dressed in my mandatory field gear, and was often addressed as Mr., much to the delight of my colleague, Lamine, who accompanied me. They're just not used to women in pants!

While out at site, I was reunited with Marie-Chantal, the girl intern from my first 4-months here. Wow, that was a great feeling. It was definitely big hugs all around. She's back at site there on a 6-month contract, then we'll see what she does. Before I headed up, I called her to see if she wanted anything in particular brought up from town (since you can't get anything there) and all she wanted was junk food. So I happy obliged her and brought up two big grocery bags of nothing but candy and chocolate and junk! I also through in a bottle of vodka for good measure... That's a survival tool...

We weren't the only ladies at site this time, though. As usual, the place was crawling with consultants doing various studies and things for the project. It was really cool to meet them and learn about what they were doing. I even got to visit a drill rig for a water study that was being done; very cool! One lady I met in particular stands out... She's a professor of geology at a university in South Africa and she's QUITE something. Not only is she Dutch and about a million feet tall (built to play second row... should have been a rugger), she's very respected in her field. At 52 she's "retired from love" as she puts it, she's sarcastic as anything, and just busy busy busy doing EXACTLY what she loves doing: geology. She has a son who has graduated from geology also, so she's experienced motherhood. She's got all the signs of a woman who's had to fight to make it in a man's domain (a bit brash, a bit tomboyish, a bit arrogant) and I just respect the hell out of her. With all the societal pressure to settle down and find a partner and be a couple, etc., I think we could all take a long hard look at the path she's chosen and tip our hats to her. What's so wrong with being a strong woman on her own, anyway?? Especially when the men in your field call you for advice??? Needless to say, she and I hit it off almost instantly. We talked about my work here and my grad school plans, and she's all for it. She says the school I'm applying to is fantastic, and she's referred many students there. I was actually really relieved to hear that, cuz I mean really, do YOU know what schools in Australia are good???

Moving on, Saturday I hosted a dinner party for my friend Severine and her parents who were in Ouaga visiting from Paris. I met her mom when she came down to visit in November, and I really enjoyed that. The evening was great, mainly because I neither had to cook nor clean up after it. Yay household staff! Wow, I am OH SO SPOILED... I definitely had to call my mom before they arrived and rub it in. Sorry, Ma! It had to be done!

Sunday was the cherry on top of the weekend, though, no doubt. Myself, our new geo Steve, Guy, and a bunch of other people all took our bikes out for a 30k ride to the auberge where we went after the race in December. It was a fantastic time and we totally enjoyed it. We arrived around 11am, so we had lunch then spent the afternoon sitting around the pool drinking beer. Not too shabby! I've got the sunburn to prove it... Guy and Claude (his best buddy) got totally trashed and ended up jumping in the pool in their clothes afterward... They were hilarious. Even Steve had too much to drink and got very chatty in the car on the way home, yelling out to random people in the street "You guys are great! I love you guys!". Luckily it was in English so they had no idea. I tried to stifle my giggles.

Steve has turned out to be a fantastic companion for me here. For 39, he's a very fit guy, and into running and biking and photography and everything like me. He has fit right in with the group here, even though he's pretty quiet and doesn't speak much French. He's coming around slowly but surely, and making more effort all the time. He actually understands a lot, which is good, but he's shy to answer back. One on one he's really social and nice, and I really appreciate having him here, especially after my last roomate! Yikes, it's like night and day! We come and go to work together, take our meals together, and we're even planning to head out to the field together this week and next week. It's nice because it's not complicated (not only is he too old, we also work together) and we have a very brother-sister relationship. Mostly it involves me bringing him to social events and driving his drunk ass home afterward!

The social dynamic on Sunday afternoon by the pool was pretty funny, I must say. All the guys on the trip were white, and all the spouses but two (including me) were black. So in the afternoon, the other white lady went for a walk with her husband and the groups sort of split up into men/women. Guy told me later that it was funny for him to look over and see me in a group of all black ladies, just chatting away. I reminded him I could chat the ear off a lamp post. He agreed. I then made the point that it was weird to be in Africa and look over at the men by the pool and have them all be white! This situation really is telling of how it is here, I must say. Most of the men I hang out with are white, just because I find it easier to befriend white men than the local men. It's a harsh thing to hear if you haven't been here, but it's harder to read social cues from locals and there is always some doubt of their intentions in terms of being "their ticket out". As for local ladies, I don't really have those worries especially because most of the local ladies I hang out with are the wives/girlfriends of white guys! In fact most of the locals I hang out with I know through other friends who are already friends with them.

And what about these "cross-cultural" relationships? There's a can of worms I'm not about to open. That would take a blog on it's own... Maybe some other day.

I will admit that I am more readily friends, or make more of an effort to be friends, with the white people that I meet. But I don't think it's a matter of colour. If I met a black girl who was also from Canada, I think I'd put in just as much effort as a white Canadian. First of all, I have fewer reservations about their intentions. Second, it's a matter of familiarity. In this strange place we find a little comfort in people with social values, cues, and beliefs that are similar to ours. And maybe it's laziness, but I think expats here find comfort where they can. Just like the African Student's Association at Carleton U wants to bring people together so they can have some solidarity in their "strange" environment, that is Ottawa. Most of all, it's important to be nice to people and not close doors as there are definitely local people that I've met who stand out as special and amazing.

As for the title of today's blog...

Well, I was just feeling really ALIVE lately and I thought I'd share that with you. After so much struggle to belong and to fit with this place, I think I've finally achieved a situation that I really find pleasing. More than pleasing, but I can't find the word right now... I have friends, activities, a job I love that keeps me moving and challenged, and that's pretty damn good!

So, yay to all of you back home and elsewhere! And yay to me!

Today is a great day.

-Brownie

Sucking out the marrow of life...

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