Back to back posting

I am posting again within a mere 24 hours ...

more or less that is.

The reason is in the picture. Yup, my same old

bicycle but ... with a new Gucci look and feel

to it. I am actually excited about it.

Today is a lazy Sunday and I decided to ride

the bike to the nearest town I usually go to.

I was in need of some new tires seeing as I 

wore out the ones that were on there. 

So I went to a somewhat main bicycle supply

store in the market area. 

Asked for two new skins (tires) that fit my bike.

The kid comes out with these two big bum 

white walls. Kind of wanted them plain but with

only one option ... let's do it I thought. 

Another kid suggested the blue foam covers

you can see on the handle grips and brake 

levers. 

To top it off ... a new seat cover which was really

sorely needed (literally) and has some pinache

as you can see and also an orange strip in 

the back for visibility, was purchased.

Another really great part was I got a dollar USD

discount off each tire. Which is usually more

like a twofold increase due to being white and

assumed to be having more moolah than god.

So I was really kind of like ...giddy about that.

All toll ...

2 tires @ 7.00 ea. US money

1 seat cover = .90 again US

Foam grip covers = .60 cents of that ole USD

Total being 15.50 USD

Oh yeah, the tires are made here
in Burkina. Buying local helps
the economy. A good thing.

I am looking fly and also trying to figure out

how to drive with a gangster lean through 

the bush without hitting a tree, falling off 

or looking as bizaare as heck. Nothing 

obvious or practical as to how has come to mind.

So, not so big a deal as far as development

is concerned other than I can now cruise 

around in the bush of Africa looking like 

a pimp my ride recipient.

Addition then subtraction equals ?

The addition ... a brand (and I mean brand) new

ambulance for the health clinic. 

It's a SUV type vehicle and doesn't have any

equipment. It is for transporting to a bigger

hospital and despite the lack of equipment ...

it's really nice. Definitely a step in the right

direction of progress.

Now, the subtraction, that being the sports teacher

at the middle school. The one I mentioned about

talking crap too in my last blog post. It seems he

got transferred to another region. 

So now the teachers for the theatre group and 

the sports activities are gone. They were the 

base of my projects last year. 

I guess the cookie crumbles that way at times.

So, it's back out there looking for opportunities. 

Just the ebb and flow, that's this gig.

Thank goodness for the against teenage pregnancy

project. I went to a fellow volunteer's village and

we're going to introduce the project there. 

I am going to be assisting for the first time and 

will facilitate the project and my colleague can take

it from there.

We were supposed to have a session here today

but the school had a strike day and that made

it a bust. But we'll reschedule for as soon as we 

can work out a time. Hopefully this Thursday

or the Saturday that's coming up.

So ... the addition and subtraction equals to ???

Just another day in the life of a Peace Corps

Volunteer.

I'm back posting

It's been a bit since I last posted. The reason

for the absence has been that it's been a slow

time of the year. A lot of my activities have 

centered around the schools in the area. 

But school is back in session and I'm back in

business. I have kept myself occupied during

but it's been only baby weighings (mal-nutrition

based activity), promoting a cleanup campaign

(definite challenge), beautification (planting 

flowers at health clinic) and getting around and

visiting the kiosks and boutiques in the 8 villages

I pass through during my bicycle rides.

We had the feast of Tabaski a few weeks ago.

It is a Muslim holiday and I went and prayed with

the villagers. Also, received a new name in front

of about 700 people. I can now be called 'Abraham'.

The picture above is of a few girls who live

in the area. They just returned from praying.

I had no trouble being a christian and attending

the Muslim prayers.

It is picking up with plans for sex education

classes (mainly against teenage pregnancy) at

the middle school. We are at the organizational

stage but within the next week or so, we should

start. It is actually a continuation of what we

started at the end of last school year. 

It worked out great with at least 8 girls coming

for family planning and several others coming

for condoms, both male and female. 

This has been one of the best activities I've done

so far and it has demonstrated some success.

Also talking to the teachers about things like

mathelete competitions and spelling bees.

One teacher I tried to get into spelling bees last

year (but was hesitant) saw 'Akila and the Bee'

and now is interested. I guess my explaning what

a spelling bee is in my French didn't work but

thanks to the movie.

The teacher who was in charge of last year's 

theatre group left. So, us not being professionals

like he is, have come up with plan 'B'. Which is to

have the kids write skits and then perform them.

The goal is of letting them be creative and build

confidence. It's at the drawing board stage but

this is one activity I'd like to see happen.

 The sports teacher has returned and I am talking

crap about getting a kid from the village up to

the capital 'Ouagadougou' to compete in the 

100 meter final sprint races. Just trying to

motivate him but this is one area where lack

of resources hurts. We'll figure how to make decent

starting blocks with no cash in hopes of making

the crap talk a reality.

For now that's about it and I've got to say that 

I'm happy that things are starting to pick up.

September '14' update

After school finished activities really slowed down.
Instead of going off to schools in the outlying
villages, it's been every morning at the maternity building.
There, it's been basically weighing babies to monitor
mal-nutrition and repairing little things around the building.

It's been giving me a lot of time to go out and ride my bicycle
out on the bush trails. There are a myriad of trails going out to
an equal amount of villages.
It is also in the middle of the rainy season and these little
ravines full of flowing water are obstacles along the way.
It is off the bike, take off the flip flops and walk across.
At times there is water to the knees and upon return the
bike is full of mud that if left to dry, turns to brick like
hardness.
By going out on these trails I am getting the chance to meet
villagers and especially where I have become competent in
the local language ... it's becoming fun. I have established
a network of kiosks and little boutiques where I have become
a somewhat regular.

On the list of 'never seen it before' ... in the maternity building
waiting area there was a chicken sitting on her eggs for a few
days. The people were sitting on the bench while the chicken
was underneath sitting on her eggs. It was away from any
area where germs would be of importance.

For my service here I am in the dog days and in a month school
will start and things will pick up.
Last year it was girl's soccer teams and theater troupes and
with luck they will continue. It depends on which teachers
return and so forth.
Hopefully it will be a new season of expanding those projects.

I am in the capital Ouagadougou for a conference this week so
it's a different environment with running water and electricity.
Time to catch up on news and re-charge everything.
But got to say that the life in the village has been ok and it's
like a normal life. Just have to make the adaptations and accept
what's available and what isn't.
It's a good exercise in character building.

So, for now I will have to adapt to running (and hot) water and
electricity. Probably easier to go to ... than from.

Till next time.

One advantage ...

Of living here is demonstrated in the picture above.

As you can see a bunch of sandals on display ... it is

most certainly in need of an explanation.

When I left the USA last year in October I packed

a set of sandals (top pair). They are really nice and

comfortable but only lasted about six months. That

was with constant wearing and used to walk and

ride bicycle only. It has a double big toe strap

and one strap ripped making the sandals not so

pretty and on borrowed time. 

What to do to replace and resolve the sandal issue?

Basically do what the people do and that is buy 

the flip flop sandals you see below the top pair.

There is a striking difference in cost from the pair

I brought and the ones I've purchased here. The 

pair I brought cost 31,000 cfa (general rule is 500 cfa

to the US dollar). The ones bought here 400 cfa 

or 80 cents US. A difference of 30,600 cfa.

For that price I am finding myself becoming the 

Imelda Marcos of 80 cent flip-flops. It seems 

like it would be stylish to have the color of the

flops match the wardrobe. 

So, there are black, gray, green and blue color

straps in this collection. But there are a few 

more colors that are available.

I use them non-stop. Walking, riding bicycle, working

and at the end of the day's bucket bath. The bucket

bath actually washes them off at the same time.

Two pairs are going on 5 months use and are still

in good shape. I didn't anticipate a pair lasting 

longer than a month or two.

What is the point I'm trying to make here? One of 

the unknown mysteries is that one can live with

80 cent sandals and function just fine. 

It is one of the lessons I've learned and never get

to forget when living in this type of environment.

Maybe bragging about 80 cent flops isn't the 

'chic' thing to do but some of the nicest people

I've met ... wear the 80 centers.

It's funny that development may bring down the 

cost of electronics but not the cost of sandals.

So does development also lead to more expensive?

A mysterious question ... n'est pas? 

It's the running water ...

That's the amenity. Not the running for water

as I am trying to depict in the picture above.

There are no taps or fawcetts here. It's lugging

gallons of water daily that's the rule. This

is where a bicycle is a handy 'mule'. (Poetry)

Usually once a day I take my bike to the pump

which is about a quarter mile away. The pump

has a big spoked wheel that takes between 55

to 60 turns to fill up the plastic jerry can. After,

it is strapping it to the back of the bike and off

to the house.

Some people strap two jerry cans across the back

and others have an old fuel drum on a two wheel

carrier. I am not sure of the volume but it's heavy

when full.

This is the way to stay in shape without the need

to go to a gym. People here are solid and in great

physical condition.

It is about 50/50 Muslim and Christian here and

last Monday was the last day of Ramadan. I did

a half fast during the month. I didn't eat but I

did drink some water. I did the full fast twice

when back in Senegal.

I did lose a few pounds but actually feel better

than before. Maybe a little cleansing doesn't 

hurt.

It is again the slow time so I am using it to fix

a few things around the maternity building. One

'little' project was to fix the three baby cribs. All

were missing bolts and as a result some of the 

metal got bent and distorted.

I just don't feel that a newborn's first impression

should  be that of a shaky world. It took a bit 

of hammering and bending ... plus cleaning but

now the kids are getting a solid bed to start out.

It's also malaria time and the people are coming 

to the clinic because of the increased mosquitos.

It's the rainy season and the mosquito that transmits

the malaria uses water to lay it's eggs. Something

between 50 to 200 at a time.

The strategy is sleeping under the mosquito nets.

But they basically come out between dusk and 

dawn and it's the time between when the people

are out and about that's giving the mosquito the 

opportunity.

It's a challenge to prevent malaria as a result.

So going to make another trip for water there's no

one at the well and I'll be ahead for tomorrow.

Strange events

Strange things happen everywhere and a few happened here recently.

While riding my bike out on one of the bush 

trails I meet this old gent standing by his

1 cylinder motorcycle.

He flags me down and I thought he had a

problem but he just wanted to chat a bit.

We talked for a few minutes until another

motorcyclists came by that he seemed to

know.

So off I go down the path and the nearest

village was about 10 minutes away, tops.

There is the folklore of people appearing

mysteriously at any moment.

Well, it happened with this old gent. I pedaled

down this path and no one … I mean … no one

passed me.

As I arrived in the village and stopped to buy a

bag of water … I look across and there is the

old gent sitting on the bench of a kiosk.

What happened I don't know and there must

have been an alternative route that he took …

though I didn't hear a motorcycle's engine.

Of course there is the logical excuse but I am

not interested in knowing and I am dubbing

the gent 'the African magic man'.

Knowing would just ruin the fun of the

encounter.

Another strange but bitter sweet happening

occurred a few days ago. I work at a rural

health clinic and the clinic has a building

dedicated to maternity only.

Usually every morning one of the mid-wives

fills me in on the new Burkinabe who have entered

this world the previous night.

She said that that night there was only one baby

born but it was part of a sad scenario.

The baby was born exactly at 5 a.m. and at the

exact same 5 a.m. the new mother's mother

passed away.

The new mother's mother was sick but the point

is the timing.

Was there spirit exchange at the moment?

Who truly knows?  

Not earth shattering in it's strangeness but

still has a strange tone to it.

In my opinion even stranger because of the

African mystique.