Staging in Ouagadougou

We spent Friday, June 6 - Wednesday June 11 at a Catholic convent in the capital of Burkina Faso. I have since been spending time in Leo with my host family and so far so good!! My host family is amazing and knows French, thank goodness. However, this post is about my time in the capital, so I'll do my best to tell you everything without going overboard in length…wish me luck.

We passed around a random adorable baby. No diaper on...yikes!

Interviews

Language - I had my language interview with the head of our language training for the next 3 months, Siaka. He and his staff are all Burkinabe (pronounced Burkina-bay), so they are able to assist with our French language and cultural training. My interview went fairly well. In French, we talked about who I am, where I'm from, what my goals are for in country, and talked through some scenarios.  I ended up placing into the Intermediate-mid class, which is the minimum proficiency level required of being sworn in as a volunteer at the end of training. However, since I'm a science teacher, they require that I eventually hit Intermediate-high. Considering a lot of my friends here speak zero French and will be proficient in 10 weeks, I am confident that I can increase my level, too. We will also take a language exam after one year of service. If you hit a certain level, then you achieve international fluency, which will be an awesome skill to put on my resume.

Medical - Volunteers weren't joking when they said that this is the best medical care you'll ever get. I met with Jean-Luc, one of our Peace Corps Medical Officers, for my medical interview. When I arrived for the interview, Jean-Luc had my entire medical history with his own notes. I was impressed.

We were all given two weeks worth of Doxycycline, a malarial prophylaxis, when we arrived. However, one of the side effects is nausea and upset stomach, especially in the mornings since we take the pills at dinner. I've had a history of sensitivity to acidic foods and drinks, so naturally this med didn't work so well. By the fifth pill I was so over the nausea. So, now I'm taking Malarone. It's just as effective, so no worries there! The medical unit is extremely flexible, so I can switch meds at anytime.

We were also each given a medical kit with every med I could possibly think I might need in West Africa. They refill the meds when we run out, all at no cost to us.

Cultural Director - Then, I met with another staff member to talk about my site placement for after training. This will be where I'm living and teaching for the next 2 years starting at the end of August. Then, I met with the Country Director to discuss how my experience has been so far. She's the acting Country Director and will only be here for another week. Our official country director will arrive sometime in the next week.

Tasks

Bike fitting - I hopped on the bike that the Burkinabe men pointed to. And when I say hopped, I mean hopped…like 4 times. Riding a bike while wearing a full-length skirt is tricky because the skirt rides up, but we have to keep our knees covered. Anyway, I got on the bike, gave a thumbs up to the men to show them that it was the right size (hoping that I could just get off) and before I even had a second think about getting off I received a push and I was on my way for a 100-meter trip around a statue and back. I am proud to say that I didn't fall off. I haven't been on a bike in years. Ya know, they have that saying, "it's like riding a bike," for a reason.

Money - Most of West Africa uses the cfa as its method of currency. 1,000 cfa is a little under $2. So, I received my walk-around allowance for during stage, the next 10 weeks of training. I also setup my bank account with one of the local banks. Peace Corps reimburses the cost of my bike helmet and checked bag fees, so that will be put into my bank account in addition to my biweekly stipend once I go to site. I also exchanged any US dollars I'd brought with me.

Phone - Part of my walk-around allowance covers the cost of a cellular phone that will be used for Peace Corps work, but also can be used for personal use to contact friends and family in the US.  It is free for me to receive calls and texts. The cheapest method to call me is through Skype, unless there's another known method out there. Please shoot me an email or ask my mom or Donnie if you'd like my number! I'm using a simple phone, throwback to T9word days, so unfortunately using WhatsApp isn't an option…yet.

Immunizations - Since I've arrived, I've received three additional immunizations: typhoid, meningitis, and the first series for rabies. I told you…great medical care!

Classes

For the next 3 months I am back in school for 44 hours per week. So far we've received a wealth of knowledge!! In Medical we covered the basis for malaria, dehydration and diarrhea…yes, diarrhea. Diarrhea and vomiting are a common occurrence for travelers to West Africa. There's bacteria EVERYWHERE, so our facilitators have extensively trained our host families on how to cook for us. We also have special water filters in our rooms. We've also had classes on language and culture, host family etiquette, safety and security, teaching technique, etc. I'll do my best to update as often as possible!

Meals

We were served 3 meals every day during our stay. American men usually lose weight during service in Burkina due to the drop in protein in their diets. Women usually gain weight due to carb-heavy nature of the meals. My diet in the US was already carb-heavy, so I'm not too worried, though I am definitely feeling the effects of the drop of protein.

Food - Breakfast is usually a foot-long baguette with jam, butter, or nothing. Yes, I'm in heaven. Though, the mornings with no spread options were rough. Lunch and dinner are usually a carb with sauce. At the convent, we mostly ate rice with sauce, though one evening we had spaghetti and another evening we had macaroni. The convent also spoiled us with seasonal fruits and veggies, so we ate a lot of mangoes, cucumbers and onions, with the occasional option of bananas. The mangoes are huge and the bananas are tiny. They're great though!

"Riz gras" literally translates to "fat rice" and served with chicken, potatoes and carrots 

Drinks -  For breakfast, Burkinabe mostly drink Nescafe, or its equivalent, with the option of adding powdered Nestle milk (fortified with vitamins) and/or organic sugar cubes. There's also the option of just mixing the powdered milk with hot water, which isn't too bad if you add sugar to it. I wouldn't say it tastes like milk, though! A local drink we tried is called something along the lines of bee sap. It's super sweet, so most of us drowned it in water. I was MOST excited about the soda options because they're made from real sugar and bottled in Burkina Faso. Awesome.

Bonding with friends

There are a lot of athletes and musicians in this group, so I fit right in and have connected with a lot of people. A couple of the guys brought out their guitars to the gazebo one night. I grabbed my ukulele and played the 4 chords I know and then all 31 of us were singing songs and having a great time. It's truly amazing what can happen when you're unplugged from the electronic world!

I couldn't believe there was a Shell station here. My little piece of California/USA. :)

Have a great weekend and I'll post about my time in Leo soon!