Not Really What I Had in Mind...But It Works!

So I am getting more used to being here at site, away from my friends and my Burkinabé family in Koudougou.  I have been kept busy each day, exploring the area and meeting many people in the community.  Everyone here in town has been very friendly and accepting of me, which has made the transition much easier.

Some of the town highlights thus far are:

• The huge garden at the edge of town, where people in the community grow lettuce, peppers, piment, mangos, and spinach.  I visited the garden one evening with my counterpart, and he bought me some lettuce, straight from the ground!  After I soak vegetables in chlorine and filtered water for 15 minutes or so, I can eat fresh vegetables in salads, which is an amazing change from the peanuts, rice, and to I eat every day here.
• All the fresh fruit and vegetables available everywhere here!  Women sell papayas, mangos, tomatos, peppers, onions, and many other types of fresh food on the side of the road here every day, so even though our marche is only every five days, I can find all the produce that I want.  Cooking has been a big change for me, now that I do not have domestiques to make my food for me.  I have never enjoyed cooking anywhere, but West Africa has made this task even more cumbersome for me.  Thank goodness for these fruits and vegetables!
• The local, bustling marche.  I have only seen two market days so far, but it is obvious that I can get anything I need every five days here at site.  For sale are pagnes in every color and design, baskets, hardware supplies (necessary for my new house!), produce, rice, jewelry, and a myriad of other products.  Over time (here and in Koudougou), I have also become more adept at bargaining with the vendors, though I still get a bit confused with the French and Jula prices once in a while!
• The view from the goudron.  Goudron is the French word for “paved road,” and there is one that runs straight through my town (in fact, the only paved road in town).  My site is spread out along the goudron for about 5 km, so every day, I bike from my house to my association, the marche, a church, a school, or another village.  The view from the goudron, and the views of the southwest in general, are absolutely breathtaking, as the landscape is covered with mango trees as far as the eye can see.  There are also grand rolling hills and little cliffs that add more variety to the relatively flat scenery of Burkina.  Not only am I getting a lot of exercise every day with my biking, but I get to have a beautiful “commute” too.

The one little hiccup I have had here at site is my mouse problem.  I have seen about three in my house as well as two in my outdoor latrine/shower at night.  At first, I was pretty freaked out, and I took care to tuck in all the corners of my mosquito net for protection from the rodents, not the insects!  I bought a trap, and each night, my counterpart helps me set it.  I hear the snap of it when I lay in my bed, and the next morning, a mouse is confirmed dead.  At first, I would not come within five feet of the trap, but now, I have become as brave as to carry the trap out to my courtyard, wait for a neighbor kid to remove the mouse for me, and delicately use a piece of cardboard to dispose of the animal outside in the bush.

I brought up my concerns with my counterpart, and he thought the mice presence could be caused in part by the high brush that surrounds my house outside the courtyard.  He had an idea in mind as to solve the problem, but I did not understand his French very well.  I thought he planned to cut the grass a bit around me, but when he asked for matches, I was a bit confused.  He disappeared for a while, and I continued doing chores around the house until he returned.  We were talking, and I suddenly heard a loud crackling noise.  Suddenly, I realized he had set all the brush on fire!  I panicked a bit, as I pictured the whole neighborhood going up in flames because of my fear of mice!  I did not believe him at first that the fire would burn out, especially not as I saw flames as high as my house.  But he was right; the fire died down.  Now, I have not had a mouse for a couple of days, so I think his idea, though not what I had in mind, was effective!