I looked at my calendar today and was shocked to see that May is already over! Where has the time gone? Have I actually been in Burkina Faso
Yes, with the start of June, hot season is on its way out, though I imagine I will have to live through some more brutally warm days in the future. Yes, I have been here in Burkina for over half a year, and fortunately, I do have some things to show for my service (language ability, village integration, small community projects, etc.) But along with the change of seasons following my in-service training, the most important question I have been asking is: What do I want to accomplish in the nineteen months that I have left?
Thankfully, after our mid-May in-service training, when all my stagemates reconvened for a two-week long technical session, I feel very equipped with resources and ideas to hit the ground running at site. At our training in Bobo and Ouaga (see Scott’s blog for pictures, etc…he’s a much more proficient blogger than I am…you’re welcome, Scott, for the increased blog hits!), we learned the specifics on how to design and manage a community project, run a girls camp, apply for grants and funding, and work with our local health clinics. With this information and the input from the community members I interact with on a daily basis, I am developed a general plan of action for the next couple of years.
My primary project continues to be the collaboration with ATTA, the Association de Tailleurs and Tisserands Assimiles (Association of Tailors). ATTA trains young adults that have dropped out of the formal education system for various reasons (lack of money, familial support, etc.) and trains them to be tailors, through an apprenticeship program. ATTA was founded to provide opportunities, other than agriculture, for these young adults to have a source of income. The apprentices spend about four or five years in Toussiana, learning the art of cutting, tracing, sewing, and embroidery. After the formation is complete, ATTA helps place the young tailors throughout the southwest, setting them up to be small business owners. Throughout the last five months, I have spent most of my time working and sharing with these young kids, aged 16-25. In a couple of weeks, I am going to start teaching English and business classes to the apprentices. In addition, I work closely with ATTA’s accountant (my counterpoint, Omar) and the president of the association, improving their accounting system and business records, searching for partners and funding, and searching for projects that can help generate income for the association. Soon, we should have a website up and running too, so I will send the link on when it’s up!
In addition to my primary project, I am hoping to work with our CSPS (health clinic) and local schools, as well as local small business owners and groups of women. I have started visiting the health clinic once a week, hoping to get acclimated with the processes that go on there. Thus far, my contribution has been zero, but with time, I should be able to feel more comfortable and get some sensibilizations (awareness campaigns) started. Slowly but surely… I also have been making several presentations about American culture to English students at the high school. I am also going to have weekly English help “office hours” this summer at the school. Ideally, any students who want to informally work on their English skills can come and converse with me in this time, and I am going to prepare games and other activities too. These sessions should keep me busy.
Other than that, Burkina has been quite wild the past few months. In late April, the country broke down into civil unrest, and for one week, all of us PCVs were consolidated in different points throughout the country. All the southwest volunteers were consolidated together, and we had a great time relaxing at a hotel, eating ice cream, playing daily pickup sports games, and dancing a lot. We even pulled together a really nice Easter dinner. Between consolidation and in-service training, I painted my house, which was QUITE the chore (especially after a mouse incident). Omar and I, with a little help from my next door neighbors, spent 20 hours painting my living room and bedroom a lovely sunshine yellow, and unfortunately, my kitchen was pepto-pink (I was hoping for a bright red…fail). I shall be repainting my kitchen VERY soon.
My favorite thing about site right now is the feeling of summer coming. Even though Burkina is always hot, there is definitely a different summerish vibe in the air these days. Kids are almost done with school, beautiful rainy afternoons turn into warm evenings, little fields and garden plots have sprung up everywhere, and the paradisiacal countryside is ALL green. After coming back from Ouaga for training and seeing the SW landscape, I realized how beautiful my neck of the woods really is. In this case, the grass is not greener on the other side, that’s for sure!
Sorry for the delay in blog updates; with training, consolidation, and very spastic internet access recently, I have been a bit slow J Be sure to check out my new pictures on the left…in a couple of weeks, I should be updating again! Kofe!
Paradisiacal! Nice word. Miss you girly!
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