The Catholic Mass in Burkina Faso

Most people in Burkina will say that the religious make-up is 50% Muslim, 50% Christian and 100% Animist (local traditional beliefs). Majority of the Christians here practice Catholicism, though there are also Protestant and Evangelical churches here, too.

Born, raised and confirmed Catholic, I was pleased to be placed in a Catholic host family, though I would've been happy to learn different cultural values in any host family. But, I have never felt like such a bad Catholic. My host brother and mom cross themselves every time before they eat. They know I'm Catholic, so I'm honestly surprised that they haven't stopped me each time I hungrily dive into my breakfast or dinner. Pray or not, they're going to make me serve myself first anyway. I've been with them for 8 weeks now, and it amazes me how I start to eat and then see my host dad pray to himself and I'm like DANGIT I forgot again. I'm an American volunteer in West Africa…I think God will forgive me. Hmmm…I haven't yet written about the Catholic Mass in Burkina, but I've totally been meaning to! It is absolutely beautiful, and hot and sweaty and claustrophobic and super long, but beautiful nevertheless!!

Me and my host mom at church!

French Mass

The first time I went to mass was my second weekend with my host family; the first weekend I was oblivious to the fact that the French mass was Saturday evening and I was hanging out with friends at the pool at the local hotel…such an oasis…but such a bad Catholic. Anyway, I went the next Saturday evening with my host brother, his cousin and my friend Meghan. We got there early and sat on the bench. I would not even call it a pew, it's just a hard wooden bench with minimal leg room and no back. The altar is setup like any other Catholic church's alter, with a cross, altar, tabernacle, priest's chair, etc. There's a beautiful mural on the wall with angels looking down over the congregation. I was absolutely shocked when I saw the sound system setup: they have large speakers, multiple microphones; they also have a keyboard and drum set for music. There are definitely some wealthier people who live in Léo, but it's also possible that they sound system was a donation from Europe. Who knows!

Catholic Church, Léo, Burkina Faso

People started to file in to sit down and to my horror I realized that I sat on the wrong side of the church…my friend Meghan and I were surrounded by men as we watched all of the women file into the right side of the church. My host brother just smiled back so I just told myself I'm going to stand out as the bright white nasara no matter where I sit, so I might as well stay. Well, good thing we stayed because the priest's homily was about the need for a change in family dynamics. Rough French translation: "How can you talk about empowerment of women and gender equity, and then sit on opposite sides of the church? It's stupid!" His statement caused a lot of nervous laughter, but his point was absolutely valid. People won't listen to the foreigner say that, but someone respected like a priest? Absolutely.    

The beautiful thing about the Catholic mass is that the order is EXACTLY the same throughout the world. It's my little piece of home in Burkina Faso. Well, I don't understand the mumbled French half of the time, but I catch names and phrases during the readings, which jar my memory enough that I can follow along. "May the grace of God be with you always…et avec votre esprit." The greetings and congregational responses are exactly the same. "Et avec votre esprit" directly translates to "And with your spirit." They say the penitential prayer, they sing the Nicene creed, the sing the Our Father, etc. The worst part is that I'm absolutely 100% lost during every single song because I can't catch a word they're singing. Okay, not every song. I sing as loud as I possibly can during the Hallelujah because that is the only universal word I can catch! It's beautiful though because the songs have African influence in the beat and execution and it's SO COOL. Women sway their hips and wave their arms, men and women clap their hands, sometimes a couple women will do their yodel scream thingy of which I don't know the name, and every single verse is sung…always. In the US, it's usually only a couple of verses so that the mass' duration doesn't exceed one hour.

During the offering, anyone who can make a donation walks to the front to drop in a coin. Well, that's one way to do it. Up until here, every mass I've been to utilizes ushers to go up and down the aisles to collect the money in baskets. Nope, if you don't make a donation here, it's obvious. Well, it's obvious if you're "le blanc" (the white). Thank goodness I had small coins. Meaghan and I followed my host brother up to the front and I had to let go the number of eyes watching me. Yes, it's a spectacle that there's a white person here, but haven't you ever heard that staring is rude? Probably not because people stare all the time. I'm just so glad that I had coins.

When it was time to receive the Eucharist, my host brother leaned over to ask if I was going to go up and I said, "yes, I'm Catholic." In the Catholic church, you're only supposed to receive the Eucharist (body of Christ) if you're not in a state of sin, to put it simply. So, really a majority of people, including myself if we're being honest, should not be taking the Eucharist because they haven't been to confession since breaking one of the Ten Commandments, or since performing other unholy things. One of these things includes not receiving the formation to take the Eucharist. Most baptized children take their first Eucharist in second grade in the US, and adults usually receive the sacraments of baptism and communion at the same time when they convert. Anyway, we saw a Peace Corps friend walk up with his host family and take the Eucharist. He's Jewish. It's fine. Meaghan and I thought it was funny. It's not like lightning is going to strike down on him. There's a language, cultural and religious barrier here for a lot of us, so it's completely understandable that he had no idea he wasn't supposed to receive the communion.

The mass ended up taking about 90 minutes, which isn't bad at all. But, it started raining at the end of the service, so I walked back home in the dark with my host brother and to my host mom's horror, Meaghan rode her bike home in the mini storm. She asked about 3 times if Meaghan had made it home safe, yet. Our host parents are so concerned with our safety here. It's frustrating at times to be treated like a child, but comforting to know they're just as concerned with out safety as Peace Corps requires.

Stone benches act as overflow seating, or seating for mothers and fussy infants, outside the church.

La Grotte de Vierge Marie - The Cave of Virgin Mary
Before people go in the church, they often bow and/or cross themselves in front of the Virgin Mary

Summer Mass

During the summer, the French and Mooré masses are combined since a lot of the priests travel to Europe for formation. So, lately I've been going to the 7:30am mass with my host mom and brother. Well, not only do I still not understand the songs, I don't understand the half of the mass that's in Mooré. Probably the most unbearable part is once the end of the second hour hits and I'm sweaty and thirsty and antsy from sitting in the same spot and they read 10-15 minutes of weekly announcements in French. Then they read them in Mooré. Oh, then they also read them in Léo's local language, Nuni. Holy moly. But, ever since I've started local language classes, I've been able to pick up some of the words, though I can't comprehend the context.

After mass, everyone walks around to greet and socialize with each other.

Who knows what the Catholic Church at my site will be like!

Summer School

École de vacances - Summer School in Léo
You can see that the class size is relatively small during summer school. This classroom will be full with over 100 students during the regular school year.

We are now on Week 2 of 4 of practice teaching at Léo's summer school. Peace Corps calls this Model School since we observe, practice and review how to appropriately and effectively teach at our future sites. The 6 weeks of training before Model School prepared us with the French proficiency to get through an hour-long class, the structure of a lesson, the method of using the chalkboard and the interactions necessary for teaching a large class. I've been asked many times by family and friends at home how I'm qualified to teach science in another country without a teaching credential. It's a great question, especially considering I studied psychology/neuroscience and the past two weeks I've been teaching geology. The Peace Corps technical training sessions have been extensive in covering every aspect of teaching in Burkina Faso, including subject-specific material for teaching science. I felt extremely prepared going into Model School and felt like I was effective as a teacher after my first class. But my opinion of being effective is completely subjective. So, when the local Peace Corps staff who observed my class told me that I truly did a great job and my French was fantastic, I had a mental jump for joy as I thanked them for being so nice.

A classroom building at my future lycée (pronounced lee-say, meaning junior high) in Boussé

Lesson Planning in Burkina Faso

Inspectors travel throughout their respective provinces to observe teachers to make sure teachers are following the protocol for classes. Today an inspector observed my class. Burkina has very strict requirements for lesson plans, so our Peace Corps staff made sure our lesson plans were well prepared for today. Each lesson plan must contain the title of the lesson, the objectives, the materials required, the information, exercises to ensure retention and an activity.

Sample Burkina Faso Geology Lesson Plan (First Half) 

For math and science classes, the teacher divides the board into quarters. The left quarter of the board is strictly for information that will stay for the entirety of the class period. This includes the title and objective(s) of the lesson. The middle two quarters of the board are for the lesson's information and diagrams. The right quarter is reserved for vocabulary words.

Learning in Burkina Faso

American education is focused on critical thinking and creativity. Chinese education is focused on problem solving and results in higher scores on standardized testing. Burkinabe education is based on rote memorization. That's it. Many times after lessons in my K-12 education, teachers would ask us how we could apply the information to our personal lives. We'd brainstorm different ideas as a class. We'd critically think and maybe have a homework activity to create our own personal applications. If I ask my 4th grade (equivalent of American 8th grade) geology class how they can apply the properties of granite to their personal lives, they will stare blankly at me and/or regurgitate the definitions I'd given to them. Burkinabe children are very good at taking a definition and spitting it back to you verbatim. Ask the kids to put the definition in their own words on an exam? Volunteers say that's damn near impossible. Everyone rights down the definition the volunteer had given them. It's really hard to wrap my head around, especially since critical thinking has been so critical to my American education. The students that DO make it through the Burkinabe system to university are dumbfounded by the immediate need to critically think. It's literally dropped on them as an expectation of entering the university. It's very interesting.

All I have is chalk and a chalkboard in my classroom and a book to work from at home. Science, especially geology, has a lot of facts to memorize before it can be applied. So, each lesson I write vigorously on the board so the students can write the material down. Every so often, I'll check for comprehension by making sure that they understand the different words in the definition. French is their second language, too, so a lot of science terms have never been used in their daily lives up to the point of my lessons. I'll then ask the class to give examples of the word and usually a few can get in the ballpark. I then have to reach in my box of French vocabulary to try to find a way for them to understand a word I had only learned while writing the lesson. We then continue the lesson with a lot more writing. Why so much writing? We have to assume that they students have not purchased the textbooks. And when I say textbook, I mean pamphlet. If I could afford to buy books for my entire 110+ person classes, I would. But, our Peace Corps stipend only covers immediate needs like food and transportation, so that's out of the question. That's also not Peace Corps' purpose in developing countries. That's something I could talk to aid organizations about. Even then, it's great practice for them to write the material down. 

Peace Corps Office and Embassy Visit

On Saturday, July 12, Jamie and I arrived in Ouagadougou after the 2-hour ride on the Obama bus from Yako. We were on our own to find our way to the Peace Corps Transit House, where we'd be staying with other volunteers for the next two nights. Based on successful past experiences, Peace Corps provided us with a list of taxi drivers who know Peace Corps destinations well. I got ahold of Abel,, but the conversation was no easy feat. Phone conversations in West African French absolutely terrify me. I'm fairly fluent now, but most of my comprehension of the West African accent comes from my ability to watch their lips…not possible over the phone. I told him at least 3 times that there were two of us at the "STAF gare (pronounced gahr)." He didn't seem to understand, so I said we were Peace Corps volunteers looking to go to the Peace Corps Bureau in Zone du Bois, a specific NGO neighborhood of the capital. He said he'd be there in 5 minutes and hung up. Well, not only did I pronounce "gare" like "guerre (pronounced gehr)," which means "war" in French, Abel didn't hear "gare," he only heard "Zone du Bois." So, after 5 minutes, he called saying he was at the Peace Corps Bureau waiting for us. Oh man. I explained that were at the STAF bus station and then it took about 2 minutes more of talking to try to explain WHICH bus station I was at because apparently there are  a lot in Ouagadougou. Hot mess. Classic mix-up. Anyway, when he arrived 30 minutes later, I told him that we know the Peace Corps prices, so we'd know if he tried to overcharge.  He enjoyed this game and said, "well, what are these prices then?" After we told him 1,000 cfa each, he went on about how he went to wrong place first, so I gave him a hard time about not understanding me. When we arrived, we handed him the money and he just left. He knew there'd be no more discussion. It was amazing. Peace Corps prepared me well for that situation!

Zone du Bois

Transit House

The transit house is essentially a frat/sorority house for volunteers, but so much cleaner. Anytime volunteers visit the capital for work, health or personal travel, we have the option to stay at the transit house instead of a local hotel. There are two large rooms with bunk beds, two bathrooms (one for each gender), a kitchen with two fridges and stovetop, and a living room with couches, large tables and chairs for work, and a giant library of books that volunteers share. It's amazing! I brought my Nook, which is fantastic for travel, but it's so nice to have paperback options, too! I grabbed the first two Game of Thrones books. There's also free wi-fi. Score! I forgot to take pictures, so I will do a more detailed post about the Transit House and neighboring restaurants and hangouts after a future visit there.

Peace Corps Burkina Faso Bureau

Peace Corps Bureau, Burkina Faso, West Africa

The Peace Corps office is a 4-story building right next to the Transit House.  There are 110+ Peace Corps education, health and economic development volunteers here in Burkina Faso, so this office is here to support us. There are computers on the 4th floor for us to use when we visit. Anytime we have paperwork to fill out, we go to the 3rd floor, which is where most of the administrative officers are. The reception and conference rooms are on the first floor.

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Peace Corps Conference Room, Burkina Faso

Peace Corps Medical Exam Room, Burkina Faso

The medical offices are on the 2nd floor. We have two doctors: Jean-Luc, who is from Cameroon and has worked as a medical officer for Peace Corps for many years, and Crystal, who is a nurse practitioner from Canada who has had extensive medical experience in the US. As you can see in the pictures, we are well taken care of here! Peace Corps takes our health very seriously. Jean-Luc knows how much parents worry about our health in developing countries, so when I asked to take photos he said, "Oh yes, of course! Take a picture of the medical chair. Ooo, don't forget the supplies. Here, come to the pharmacy and show everything we have! Ooo, take a picture of the malaria meds!" It was hilarious. Jean-Luc is a character. With his Cameroon accent and joking demeanor, we trainees joke that he has the same personality as Rafiki in Lion King. He's definitely the medical boss and incredibly intelligent, but his delivery is energetic and engaging. He knows how to make us laugh when we're talking about a subject like post-diarrheal re-hydration.

Peace Corps Pharmacy, Burkina Faso

Peace Corps Malaria Meds

US Embassy

The embassy was by far the highlight of our Peace Corps tour of the capital. I've visited tons of US Government buildings in my 23 years, but I don't think I've ever felt like a part of the bigger picture. As a Peace Corps volunteer, I am just as much of the US Mission in Burkina Faso as USAID, MCC and the consulate, among other governmental affairs here. It was extremely motivational and inspiring!

But, before I get to that, let's just talk about how the US Embassy is an oasis in Burkina Faso. I have never experienced as sharp of a contrast as when I went from sub-Saharan Africa to inside an American business building. The next time you're in an office building, if you aren't right now, look up at the ceiling and register the lights, the central air conditioning, the clean carpet, the electric outlets, etc. (I could go on forever). Our jaws dropped once we passed through security into the Embassy conference room. We were just happy to be on American soil. We had no idea that it would be the exact same as any other business building in the US. In Léo, our training site, we've become accustomed to no minimum electricity, no air-conditioning and minimal access to running water. So, you can imagine our excitement to see the amount of electrical outlets for charging devices, the beauty of the pristine white ceiling, the lack of dirt and dust on the perfect leather chairs, the smell of a clean building. I actually forgot I was in Africa.  I probably appreciated the air conditioning the most, but this was also my first exposure to FRESH COFFEE. I brought a French press and coffee grounds, but I've been saving that for when I get to my site in 4 weeks since instant coffee is easy to come by here. Not only was there fresh coffee, there was MILK. Fresh milk is also hard to come by. Café au lait has never tasted so good. Probably the funniest encounter was in the restrooms, where we had the privilege to use super clean toilets and sinks. One of my girl friends said, "it's like I flew home and back for a second!" and one of my guy friends walked out and said, "ahhh, it feels good to pee on American soil." Let me remind you that this was only a week after 4th of July, so we were still in the patriotic spirit. 'Merica.

First, Tulinabo Mushingi, the US Ambassador to Burkina Faso, spoke with us about the US Mission in Burkina Faso. Peace Corps is very near and dear to his heart due to his involvement prior to becoming ambassador. To read his biography, you can explore the US Embassy site. He gave us an overview how important we are to the bigger picture of the United States' relationship with Burkina. We're at the local level, whereas the aid agencies are at a larger level implementing projects. Together, we make a well-rounded presence in Burkina Faso. Ever since I met him, I've seen him on the news every other night or so at various meetings. Pretty much every international meeting or national project meeting is shown on the nightly national news.

Second, Jim Parys, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Representative to Burkina Faso, presented an overview of USAID.

Third, Ali Wallace, Development Specialist for the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), gave an overview of MCC. Ali was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Burkina Faso from 2010-2012, so he definitely understands the local level perspective.

Fourth, Brenda Soya gave an overview of the Public Affairs Office in the Embassy and their job to have a presence in Burkina Faso's media, whether that's through current USAID projects or the ambassador's meetings. She gave us resources for activities with English clubs. She also talked about the American Library in the embassy that is free and open to the public. I might check it out during future visits to the capital just to be in that glorious American building.

Fifth, the Regional Security Office presented their role in the safety of Americans in Burkina Faso. Sixth, Cristin Heinbeck gave an overview of the Consular Office and their role in reissuing US Passports and issuing US Visas to Burkinabe, among other consular tasks. 

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!