Um, a tad overdue…but here it is! Another blog entry!
So, I don’t even know where to start. I even shocked myself when I went on to my blog to see where I had left off, only to realize that it’s been the same blog since November! I express my apologies, and hope to make it up to everyone by posting an UBER LONG ENTRY! Party city!
So yes, I think that last time I wrote I was getting ready to go to Karangasso-Sambla, a little village 50km from Bobo, where I was invited to the AGM of ASKS, a woman’s association that supports women in their everyday lives. I was really excited to go, since it’s also where Emanuelle did her research, so I had heard lots about it! It was a really neat experience; village life has a whole different feel to it. Before leaving people told me I wouldn’t be able to survive in a real village, which I found rather insulting, and much to their surprise I absolutely loved it! It was neat to be cut off for an entire weekend, with no running water (not that that was anything new), no electricity, no phone signal, and no French for the weekend. The morning of the meeting all the women got together to prepare the mountains of food needed for all the guests. I helped prepare a sauce, and I stirred some to, but I drew the line at plucking chickens. There are some lines I just can’t cross…The meeting was really neat; it was under a mango tree, and all the village elders were there. After every speech, a traditional music group would play, and everyone would get up and dance. If only all meetings could be so entertaining! The one moment of terror was when the man beside me announced that my speech was next…I was totally uninformed and unaware, and after a small panic attack, had to get up and wing some random speech. I don’t even know what I said, but it’s probably better that way. Ehe…That night there was a huge party, and we danced until the wee hours of the morning. The music was great…djembe and balafon, and the freezing temperatures were soon forgotten.
The rest of November was taken up with preparations for a show I organised with my kids, the first children’s talent show in Houndé, ever. Their energy was completely infectious, and I don’t know who was more excited, me or the kids. We prepared a play on HIV stigma, did a whole bunch of playbacks and choreographed 2 dances. With the kids in Boni we also did a play on the treatment of orphans, and it was nice for them because even though they’re not in Houndé, they got to participate. I had lots of help from my favourite colleague, Pamtaba, and a friend of mine who works at L’Action Social. The show basically became our lives for 2 months, and it was really nice because we started seeing a lot more support and solidarity between the kids; they started spending more time together outside of our activities, and started organising events themselves. For me this was a huge success, since the most important thing is to make them more active and responsible.
On the 15 my mom and siblings arrived. We met in Ouaga, went to eat at the ‘Moulin Rouge’ (I ate PIZZA!!!) and the next day left for Houndé. I was in the middle of preparations for the show, and my family was very patient and very supportive. They adapted quickly to the different conditions, including the toilet hole, and got used to having an endless flow of people in the house, what with all the people who came to meet them, all the kids hanging out here, and all the young girls who wanted Adam’s attention. Teehee.
December 19th we celebrated Eid, and we went all out and did it the Burkina way. We bought a big lamb and the day of, Pamtaba came over and took care of the cutting up of said lamb, while I avoided the general area and helped Korotimi and Delphine prepare the rice, beans, salad and potatoes. At lunch we had a bunch of people come over, and throughout the rest of the afternoon people dropped by and were always offered something to eat.
The 22nd we finally had our show, and it was a huge success! Besides a whole bunch of last minute stresses, we managed to pull it off wonderfully. The High Commissioner (who apparently never comes to any events) was the patron of our show, and added a lot of credibility to the day. My mom was coerced into being the ‘marraine’ against her will and had to make a speech in front of tons of people. Representatives from NGOs, associations, the hospital, and other services all came to support us, and the kids did such a wonderful job I almost cried numerous times. After all the preparations and all the little things that we didn’t think would go right, it was such a relief to watch the kids do their very best, and they had such a great time. Now the problem is that they all want to organise another one, but this one was so much work I don’t know if I have it in me. That night I invited my team out dancing to celebrate, and Adam came! That’s right…little Buckley went dancing! Too cute!
After our week in Houndé, we left for a trip up north in the Sahel. We went with a crazy guide and the nicest chauffeur, and had a really nice time. One night we spent in Oursi and we were the only people for miles. We were right in the dunes, and slept outside on these wooden beds in the sand. The stars were amazing, and though it was freezing cold, it was such a neat experience! The next day we went hiking through the dunes, and Adam had his unfortunate dune jumping episode…ehe. That night we went to Gandefabou, a camp not far from the Malian border, and slept in traditional peulh houses. It was really fascinating to see how everything changed…the people, the dress, the landscape…it was much flatter with more grasses and sand. People dressed completely different, and everyone rode donkeys and camels. It was neat to be driving down the road and see a group of people going to market on camels. Speaking of camels…we rode 12km on camelback, and let me tell you, it looks easier than it actually is. The next 2 days I could barely walk! All in all it was a very peaceful, refreshing trip, and a much needed vacation. The 30th we went back to Ouaga and my family left that night. I spent the next few days in Ouaga going from friend’s house to friend’s house, and it was great to be in the city for a few days and to do some catching up with people I hadn’t seen in ages. It was also nice to see other Canadians, since it was a chance to debrief a little bit, share some cultural experiences, and just share some Canadian humour.
I came back on the 4th, and it seemed like I hadn’t been home in ages! It wasn’t easy coming back to Houndé, but it was nice to be back in my own home. Just after I got home, Nath and Courtney (two friends from school who are also on placement) stopped in Houndé for the weekend on their way back from Mali. I decided to show them Houndé by night, so we went to the one ‘happening’ nighstop, l’Auberge. It was pretty pathetic because the place was like a ghost town, and I was like, right, this is my town…where nothing happens…ehe…but then my dancing buddies came and we started the ball. As soon as we started dancing people started warming up to the dance floor. Three female ‘toubabous’ in my town at one time dancing is not something that happens everyday.
Of course, after they left I had to get sick almost right away, with a weird combination of amoebic dysentery, malaria and a cold. Not pleasant, and I spent all of last week in bed. I finally got better, and presently I’m just battling with my dysentery, but ca va aller.
Work is picking up again, and on the weekend I started a reading circle. Kids don’t have any opportunities to read for fun, and so with all the books my mom brought, we started little activities. I wanted to start a library, but didn’t know where to start, so my mom did some research and found an American NGO that builds libraries in African villages. She contacted them, and it turns out that they work in Burkina Faso. We then found out that their 5 libraries are in the Houndé region, and that their regional coordinator teaches at a school right beside my house! I met up with him today and on Thursday we’re going to a village to visit a library there, to inspire me and show me how they run things. Talk about a small world!
At work we’re also going to be starting focus groups, and begin rehearsals again, since someone who was at our show on the 22nd asked us to perform our play for a big event coming up in February.
For now I have lots to keep me busy, including a thesis research ethics proposal that is much overdue, and a trip to Nazinga, an animal reserve next weekend. I’m also trying to squeeze a trip to Ghana in to go visit Courtney in February.
So, there you have it…Sara’s life is once again up to date for all to read about! I hope you’ve all been patient enough to get to the end of this long entry…I apologize for its length, but I really had no choice.
Lots of love and bisous to everyone!
