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.
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| 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!
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| "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!
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| 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!
