what a loco month and we're just making it to the end... is March really starting next week?
this year was off to a kick. i had a lovely New Year's, spent with my friends here, dancing our little, ex-pat hearts out on a rooftop in Ouaga, hoping not to hear gunshots from the unrest between the police and army. it's all settled down now, but we didn't know that then. we were put on alert and updated so many times, i felt like i was back in NYC with all the rainbow-bright terrorist alerts.
the harmattan winds and dust brought me back to Gorgadji in the company of a friend and his visiting family. it was interesting for me to see my village through the eyes of strangers, even just for an hour. tomorrow, my mom and i will be heading up north for her to get a glimpse of my life au village. my neighbors, with whom i share a courtyard, were so happy to meet my friend's family, i can only imagine the welcome they will shower upon my own mother. i'm really excited (and a little stressed, mais, on va voir...).
i had training coming up in february, so i knew that january would crawl, as i waited in anticipation to be back with the 15 other Girls' Education and Empowerment volunteers for the first time since our affectation to our sites. i finished up my observations of classes at the primary school and am almost done observing classes at the secondary school. i started two savings-and-credit groups with some of the village women, which entailed its own headaches, but that is a story that i will save for another post... can't wait to see how they have survived in my absence (or rather, if). for the first time, i accompanied one of the nurses from the local clinic as she went on her vaccination campaigns to neighboring villages. it was so interesting and tiring. we had a ball together and i learned a lot about the grassroots level of global public health. watching mothers and children get vaccinated against tetanus, hep C and several other illnesses en masse, under a tree in the middle of nowhere will definitely give you a new perspective on things.
then, training came in february and it was great to be around my fellow volunteers. if there's one thing that really sustains me throughout this Peace Corps experience, it's the energy i get from other volunteers. we came together for four days of training in the town of Ouahigouya, where we completed our first three months of pre-service training. it was nice to be back in a familiar place - better yet, to realize that i had been in the Faso long enough to return to some place - that is what was most remarkable.
then, there was my birthday, which i regard as almost a national holiday. my birthday makes me so happy and my friends here made it wonderful! it was the last day of training in Ouahigouya, so we headed to Ouagadougou as soon as our sessions were over. had seafood (seafoooood. yes, seafooood, in a land-locked country!!!) at this uber-fancy, shmancy resturant. really, it was lovely.
now, my mom is here and we are going to visit the north tomorrow. i am really excited for her to see where i live. i know this has all been a stretch for her already and i really appreciate her patience and support with everything. she doesn't speak a bit of French, pas un mot, so i can imagine how tiring things can be. i remember how disorienting and frustrating life was during training when i first got here, so i can sympathize with how she must be feeling.
but!, our trip au Sahel will be lovely. i am so happy to live in the north and i am looking forward to sharing that experience with her. i'll be coming back to Ouaga with her, so i'll be back soon for lengthier, juicier posts.
wend na kond nidaare!
(your response: amiina!)
