2006 for those in the Mix!

I figured it was about time I sent out an update of my status here in Burkina Faso. Sorry, I’ve been a little busy, actually doing work--- of all things. Only 4 more months to go and I’m outta here in September. Hip-Hip Hooray!!!

I decided to use this blog format, because I can put photos up to and it’s more attractive than a boring old email.

Since it’s been so long, I’ve gotta a lot to say. I’ll break it up monthly. Here goes:

January

• After much indecision, I spent New Year’s Eve in Bobo with friends. I tried to explain the new dances I learned back home and play some new music too, thanks Michelle. Shake that Laffy Taffy. I have only vague memories of the count down to 2006 and me making people take shots of duty free Cuervo.
• Back to Sindou, eased back into village life and life in Burkina after my fabulous visit home that included stops in Atlanta, San Antonio, and New York.
• Left village for a LOST marathon MLK weekend. What’s in that hatch?

February

• My friend and fellow (French) aid worker, Nathalie with Doctors Without Borders left Sindou and prepared to close their office in Sindou.
• Went up to Ouaga for our yearly training, learned a bit about projects and a lot about the mass exodus of volunteers leaving in the coming months.

• HOT season + deciding you’ve had enough of PC = ET (early termination) time to go.
• Talked to lots of people about shea butter and helping the women that make it in my village.

March

• Mixed business with pleasure by going to Ouaga to talk to shea butter people and going to a COS (close of service) party for a group of volunteer about to go. Also, accompanied some of my friends to the airport, not to say au revoir, but à bientôt & après, I hope.

April

• Was a mess trying to get funding and trainers for a shea butter marketing workshop in Sindou. Ended up paying for the workshop myself and will hopefully be reimbursed by a PC fund. The first of two workshops went well and the ladies in my region agreed to form a union of shea butter producers to better organize their marketing efforts.
• Sindou finally gets cell phone reception! People automatically start balling out getting flashy cell phones that take pictures and have lots of ringtones.
• Bird flu hits Burkina Faso. What do I care, it not like I live with the chickens, oh wait, I do. Ok, it's not like I kill them and prepare them, whew.
• Easter weekend, I was très occupe with my best friends wedding and baptism. My friends, Mariam and Herman, with whom I spend way too much time, finally decided to make it legit and tied the knot Easter saturday. On Easter, Mariam and her daughter were baptized. It was a busy 48 hours, right in the middle of the hot season, but that didn’t seem to faze anyone. The weekend has capped off by a party at the local dancing bar, complete with DJ, in their honor of course. Everyone seemed shocked to find out that I do occasionally dress up and dance. Which I do of course, just not in village, what’s the point?)
• Oh happy day. Amber, my sister, bought her ticket to come visit me in June. Yeah, I get a visitor.

May

• Waiting on funding so I can go ahead with part 2 of the shea butter workshop with a concentration on marketing principles.
• Trying to organize my tourism projects before I go, like editing the brochures and tours info, translating them into English, and compiling the results of the questionnaires I have been giving out to tourists.
• Hallelujah! Found out I am going to be an English teaching assistant in France. Not just anywhere in France, but Nice, the freaking French Riviera. What a change from Burkina that will be. I applied to be an assistant in France back in January. I’ll be going there straight from Burkina and stay for a little less than a year. I’m so excited about it, I can’t think about anything else, except….
• …Planning Amber’s visit. I’m very excited about that too. I figure we’ll do a week here in Burkina and a week in Ghana. Oh yeah, a beach and good food, I’m going to go crazy down there.
• I am officially the Last Foreigner Standing in Sindou, now that the Cuban doctors have finished their 2 year service.
• My birthday is coming up at the end of the month, I think I’ll just stay in village and celebrate with my friends there.

Well, there you have it. If you want to contact me you can still email me or post comments.