Nazinga and e. coli

A couple of weeks ago I left for Ouaga to go to Nazinga, an animal reserve in the north east of Burkina. I went with other Canadian volunteers Benoit and his adorable little son Remy, Jean-Francois, and a Burkinabe friend Natasha. On the Thursday night I met up with Nath and we went to the Moulin Rouge (again. And I ate the exact same thing as the two last times…) then went out dancing with some friends. Friday I finally visited the Village Artisanale, and were I rich, I would have bought everything. That night I had dinner with Antoine and Geraldine, two other Canadian volunteers, and my tastebuds were in heaven…lasagna, potato salad, and mango cake! And then, when we got back to Benoit’s house…strawberry pie for a bedtime snack! Ok, for those of you who are reading this and are thinking that I am extremely food obsessed, you would be too if you lived in my village for the past 7 months and ate rice and sauce all the time…
So the next morning we head off for Nazinga, and the first thing we saw when we got there was a herd of elephants taking a midday swim! I’ve never seen anything like it! We were so close, and there were so many of them. While we were eating lunch they came out of the water and we were warned to stay inside because they came up right beside the restaurant and into the parking lot, a first for the camp! That afternoon and the next morning we went out sitting on top of the 4x4 and saw lots of antelope, multicoloured birds, warthogs, and of course, lots and lots of elephants. We were very lucky, and at one point we were no more than 10 feet away from one, and had to make a run for it because it was about to charge.
It was a really nice trip, very relaxing and a nice change of scenery. On our way back we stopped in a little village famous for its animist culture and houses painted with animist symbols.
Now, the real highlight of my trip…I stayed with Benoit Sunday night, and he made a chocolate cake and thai stir fry. Monday morning, homemade yoghurt and leftover strawberry pie. For lunch Jean-Francois took me to the American club, where we had the best burger of my life, taco nachos, French fries, onion rings and strawberry milkshakes. He also lives in a village, so we honestly were the two happiest people on the planet. That night, we went out to a really nice restaurant for Geraldine’s birthday. Again, if I tend to go on about food, bear with me…it’s become an obsession.
I spent Monday at the CECI office, got to use the internet, and had a meeting with Angele. Tuesday I went and had some tests done to get to the bottom of some strange stomach pains, only to find out that I have E. coli. Yes…the thing is here, it’s not a big deal at all. I started treatment last week, (getting an injection in my bum everyday for a week) and tomorrow is the last day, alhamdulillah! My poor behind. I now know all the doctors personally, and they’re all very proud that I was able to support the ordeal all week long.
Last week I also had a major breakdown at work, due to some cultural misunderstandings and miscommunications. After I decided I wanted to quit, and that I was going to lock myself up in my house for the remainder of my stay here, I spent some time thinking, and decided to turn the situation around and try to use it as a catalyst for some positive change. It actually made things much better at work, and now I get along much better with everyone, and our work dynamics have definitely changed for the better.
We have two new interns, two Belgian university students studying occupational therapy, who have come with Medicus Mundi and who are based here at REVS+. One is working with me with the kids, and it will be neat to see what kind of an intervention she’ll come up with. We’re hoping to do something with our uneducated girl OEVS or with our little kids, since the others are already kept busy with our theatre and dance activities and our homework and reading club. We’re also trying to start a focus group where kids can come and talk, and be listened to. It’s nice to have someone else on the team, and to have some more company in the office.
I’ve decided to keep the remainder of my vacation time until the end of my mandate, and go to Ghana to visit Courtney and to Mali with my mom at the end of April. May I’ll spend in Houndé working on my thesis (looking at factors of vulnerability among our kids, trying to get to the bottom of what really makes them vulnerable and why), and then we’ll see from there. I can’t believe how time flies! On verra!

So, that’s it for now! A la prochaine!