"KING BROTHER! AFRICA IS VERY NICE! ME AND YOU WE ARE LIKE THE SAME, WE ARE BROTHERS. YES! KING BROTHER! IT IS NICE LIKE THAT IN AFRICA! BARACK OBAMA!" And so on, he shouted at me as I approached the ticket window at the bus station. The man in the window seemed nonplussed when I stated my inquiry. It was a rather simple question.
"How often does the bus run between Dori and Kaya, at what times, and how much does it cost"? However my question was overpowered by the tall man yelling at me in broken, rehearsed, english. I had gotten the same verbal assault the first time I arrived in Dori. That time he was wearing tight fitting jeans, beige boots, and a 50 Cent tshirt. Now he was wearing traditional african garb, complete with a white prayer cap. He stood directly next to me as I tried to communicate with the man in the window. I began to wonder, "when is this idiot going to ask for money like a normal bus-station leech". I finally got my information and continued to ignore the screaming moron to my left. It is common courtesy in west africa to say hello to people when they greet you. But I figure social decorum doesn't matter when I'm not concerned with starting or maintaining even the most casual of relationships.
I walked across the street and sat down at my usual spot at a roadside rice stand. Oh no, here he comes, hes following me, hooray.
"KING BROTHER, YOU DON'T EVEN SAY HELLO? WE ARE LIKE BROTHERS OUR SKIN COLOR THAT DOES NOT MATTER". The man who runs the restaurant and I exchanged a knowing look as he served me my plate of rice. I ate quietly while the man from the bus station stood next to me and attempted conversation, to which I didn't respond.
Finally, realizing that he was getting nowhere, he asked me.
"My friend I am hungry give me 300cfa". I felt some sense of relief at this as I now had a good excuse to tell him to bother someone else, that I wasn't a tourist, and that I don't give money away to people. I exchanged looks with the restaurant owner (a friend of mine) again, and he asked the man to leave politely in Mooré.
The bus station is rife with hangers on like this. There are the occasional tourists that make it out to Dori and these "guides" offer to take them on camel rides, to see the dunes, etc. There is even a man on the bus who telephones ahead if there is a "nasarra" bound for Dori. However tourism isnt an enormous industry in Dori so many of these "guides" find it hard to get work, and end up guilting people in to giving them money. Im a target because I'm white, and it is assumed that I have money. The result is that even when I pass by the station, or go to make a simple inquiriy, I'm harassed by these men. I've gotten pretty good at deflecting them though. If I feel particularly tired and have to go by the station I'll ask one of my Burkinabé friends to walk with me, which they are usually more than happy to do.
Well there ya go thats why I hate the bus station.
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hey evan. ,i skimmed through your journal today and i feel a little more updated.. how's everything going? what major life changes have you come up with so far? im jealous you get to go out there and learn all this cool stuff by experiencing it. even if it is just sitting next to a dude at a bus station.
ReplyDeletei had acid blow up on my shirt in chemlab today.. yup thats all i got.
<3 ya.
Acid blow up eh, sounds more exciting than what I'm doing here. I mostly sit around reading, and occasionally when Im feeling inspired I cook. As far as major life changes I don't know; I'm learning to take things slow and have developed a TON of patience. I've also become more content sitting around conversing with people for hours on end without any other distractions. I think that would have been hard for me in the U.S. without a game on the TV and a beer in my hand. I'm not saying that this is for the better or worse, it just is what it is. Tell the family I said hello, and that I miss everyone very much.
ReplyDeletehi evan- interesting entry! thanks for it :-) i'm just wondering what else you are doing there in dori... will they have you start working with an NGO? or do you have to start one yourself? also, did you bring a cheap and durable computer with you, how 'bout a camera?
ReplyDeletei've been told, when i start my volunteer time as a master's international volunteer, i'll have to organize and implement an NGO and i'm just curious what they have you guys doing.
-anna
Hey Anna,
ReplyDeleteThe GEE program is pretty nebulous. This is a double edged sword, while we have a lot of freedom; out jobs aren't that well defined.
Many volunteers run girl's clubs and camps to build confidence and interest in education. Some put on "sensibilisations" for parent organizations and women groups with topics ranging from the environment to personal hygeine.
Right now Im working on organizing an exposition with some Japanese volunteers. Basically it will be an opportunity for me to educate my community on what Peace Corps is about, and what I'm doing here.
I find it very interesting that you are going to implement and manage an NGO. That isnt really feasible for a lot of volunteers because of funding and sustainability issues. I'm trying to educate myself on the various organizations in the city so I can choose which ones I'll work with.
As far as a computer goes I didn't bring one. But many volunteers use the little netbooks. I think its a good idea to have one especially if you are going to be writing and book keeping. I had a cheapo camera that cost me about $130, and it failed on me after 3 weeks here. The heat and sand isn't good for electronics. I reccommend finding something that is both shock and waterproof. Definitley consult with someone who knows cameras and buy based on durability, and get yourself a decent storage case for extra safety. Im pretty bummed that Im not able to take photos at the moment and wish I had dropped a bit more coin on a decent camera.
I want to hear less about the bus station and more about those famous Wisconsin dance moves.
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