Friday, August 27, 2010

Swear-in tonight!

Congratulations to all the new volunteers who will be swearing in tonight. I had the pleasure of working training for 2 weeks in Koudougou. Training is always a difficult time in the life of a volunteer, but the pay-off is more than worth it. I'll be at the embassy tonight in my freshly pressed suit and new shoes brushing shoulders with Burkinabe and American officials, go me.

In reality I'll be standing in the sun saying "Bonjour" and "Bienvenue" for a couple of hours.

I had the pleasure of meeting with a Burkinabe doctor last week. It was a remarkable experience. Simeon became friends with Mike Lavoie (a fellow Michigander) while Mike was a volunteer in the 70s here in The Faso. They have remained friends ever since, and have collaborated on many projects. Mike even brought Simeon to the US for a month a few years back.

My parents and Mike recently attended a concert at the DIA (Detroit Institute of the Arts, for all you philistines). The band they saw was called Burkina Electric. It is a French/Burkinabe collaboration. Mike spoke Moore with the band the band, and took many photos with my parents. He purchased a T-shirt, and asked that my parents bring it, and the photos, along with them to France. I had the great pleasure of presenting Simeon with the shirt, as well as photos of his old friend along side my parents. This is what it's all about man. Simeon even offered to give me and some health volunteers a tour of the Hopital Yalgado here in Ouagadougou. It is the largest hospital in Burkina Faso, so it will be a great opportunity to learn more about the health care system here in BF. We as volunteers typically see the village side of health care. Those of us who are (un)lucky enough to see the inside of a private clinic for medical reasons aren't really getting a realistic picture of what city folks do about health care here. I think that this will be a great experience.

I was in Yako, which is 100K NW of Ouaga this week. I was working on developing my future site. Everyone seems very excited to have me around, although housing is still an issue. Because I work in girls education, everyone assumed that I would be female (surprise!). The city was under the impression that I would be living with the president of the AME (mother's association). I was completely fine living in a family courtyard, until I found out that she and her 3 daughters are currently living there alone, while the husband is on Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). My moving in wouldn't be appropriate in any culture.

So the hunt continues...

Thats all for now folks. I have to go pick up my suit, which I just had pressed!



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