Blogs from Burkina Faso, Africa - page 8

Hello everyone!! Sorry for the lack of communication again. I know I'm pretty bad at this sometimes.. So.. updates from me.. Well.. mommy came to visit in March. It was a really nice time. She got used to Africa pretty quick and was actually better at adapting then I thought. It was also a cool experience in the sense that she speaks french. When Dee came.. there was some sort of a communication barrier and it was not as easy to meet people, but with Mommy, we got some nice conversations and interesting encounters done.. of which.. I rather not speak about :P ahah. But anyway.. She came with plenty of gifts, not only for myself. Bringing Dieubeni and Djeneba all sort of things, mainly school stuff and some books to learn english. They were both ... read more

March 8 was International Women’s Day, a huge fête in West Africa. For several weeks the villagers were planning a department-wide celebration in Satiri. Everyone from a dozen villages was invited to an all-day event. All of the planning and organization was done by village women who met each week at the Prefet’s house. Naturally there were a couple of important village men that couldn’t stand seeing something be organized without their direction; they attended and pretended to run the meetings. The women let these men do their thing but directed their loyalty toward their female leaders: the new Prefet and a few women fonctionnaires. Mme Sané, the doctor’s wife and the school secretary, was put in charge of organizing much of the ceremony. She is smart, trustworthy, and too nice to refuse to help ... read more

It was Sunday morning, around 4h30 AM, I was stupidly going back home after a night out in the clubs, things I have been doing about every weekend lately. My girl friend and I splitted up at the bar and as usual, said that we would send each other a message to make sure we were home safe. That night, I didnt send my friend a text message. I suposed the thieves have been spying on me or looking at my movements in the past week and maybe notice that white girl on her moto out late every saturday. I was driving on Kwame-Khumah, this big European street where you almost feel like you are in Toronto. Then, arrived at some point, I turn right on this somewhat not too safe road to go towards my ... read more

The weather in January was downright bearable. The dry winds from the north brought lots of dust and a strange coolness. The days were in the high 80’s/low 90’s but the sun was less intense and the nights were cool: below 70 even! This was freezing for the villagers. They were bundled up in your old winter coats and huddled around fires at night, all complaining about the cold. School started thirty minutes late each morning because it was considered unjust to expect the students to arrive in the bitter early morning cold. As for me, I’m enjoying each day that it’s cool enough to sleep in my bed on a mattress and not on a cot outside. But it won’t last long now. “The Cold” has already left us and we’re headed quickly toward ... read more

The start of the holidays started on Saturday the 22nd, when the girls from Ghana arrived, Courtney and Renee, 2 other WUSC volunteers. It was so much fun to have them here and to actually be able to celebrate the holidays with people you know and like. I showed them town a little bit. We got to eat amazing food and spend a good evening at the Gondwana Restaurant, where we had amazing shrimp fondue as an appetizer. Really, in a sense, I felt like good food for me is not a problem I am dealing with. There are a bunch of really good restaurant in town and I can always get something nice to eat whenever I want. It seemed like the girls were having issues with that and were missing the good North American ... read more