Fun in Bobo

Ani sogoma!

Here's a little entry with the latest updates! I got back from Morocco safe and sound (with my 30kg of supplies...ehe...), and got to stay with Nathalie before heading back home to Houndé. When I was arrived REVS+ was in the middle of a campaign to offer 1000 free HIV tests in Houndé's surrounding villages. I accompanied the group out to 2 villages, and it was super interesting! We had hundreds of people come to get tested, and it neat to do the pretest counseling, and then deliver the results. I also got to experience the harder side of our work, when we had to tell one man that he was HIV positive. I was amazed at how he took it...calmly and seriously, and I can only pray that he doesn't get discouraged, but that he realizes that it's not the end and that he can live a normal and rewarding life.

Just as I started to settle into Houndé life again, I was sent off to Bobo for the annual Uniterra meeting for the HIV/AIDS sector. We spent the last two days collaborating with other partners and discussing our work. I think that it will really help us continue our work, since now my role within my organization and within Uniterra is much clearer for everyone. I also got to spend some time with the other volunteers, including Nathalie, and I've been the official Bobo guide for the weekend. I also get a whole lot of sympathy from everyone, since they all come from Ouaga, and think that I'm really living the extreme in Houndé. But I also realize that my experience is very different from theirs, and I really don't think there's too much I can be scared of after this. By the way, I don't know if this is too much information, but if we're talking about adapting to new and different situations, I should mention that I don't use toilet paper anymore. Ok, don't panic or let your imagination get ahead of you...first of all, there's no toilet paper in Houndé. I found one roll, once, and I'm probably the only person who ever bought it. So, short of not going to the bathroom, I had to explore my options. Since everyone here uses a little plastic kettle-like thing, and they all seem to be breathing and still living, I figured it couldn't be the end of the world. When I told my Ouaga people that, I thought that I had caused a collective cardiac arrest. But it's a matter of getting used to something.

So, back to the present. We've been having lots of fun in Bobo, and I've been getting spoiled. We're staying in Bobo's finest hotel, but which, according to our standards, is super tacky (think orange and brown carpeting on the walls), but it has a pool, is comfortable, and oh, it has toilet paper.It's been fun to be with some crazy Canadians...I even got thrown into a swimming pool fully clothed, had to hide from the hotel staff, then walk through the lobby dripping wet pretending that nothing happened...

Today is the celebration for the 10th anniversary of REVS+, so we're here for the day, and tomorrow's the official ceremony with the First Lady of Burkina Faso, and I get to wear my new outfit I got made! Jubilation!

Well, this one was short and sweet. A la prochaine!
Sara