Hello From Koudougou!

Written on Monday, October 18, 2010

Hello from Koudougou!

I have finally found some internet connection so I want to give some updates and show you some pictures of where I am. The next couple of blogs were written on my computer as the days went by while I was awaiting some internet connection.

Traveling to Burkina was challenging. It took about 24 hours including 2 flights and long layovers in airports. When I stepped off of the plane in Ouagadougou, an immediate flush of heat and humidity hit as I walked down the steps of the airplane onto the hot cement. By the time the shuttle got to the base of the airplane ten minutes later, we were all sweating profusely. When the shuttle dropped us off twenty feet in front of us we were all shocked. We could have easily walked to the building directly in front of us and would have bypassed the long wait in the direct sunlight. The terminal for arrivals was a dilapidated building…it was simply a large mud hut with nothing inside. I cannot believe that was the international airport of the country’s capital. We were told that the conveyer belt for luggage was under construction (although it seems like a conveyer belt never existed and will not anytime soon), so we all waited while 3 Burkinabe men carried in every airplane’s luggage, which was then thrown into a pile. Once we got our luggage, we piled into a Peace Corps van and headed to our hotel in Ouagadougou.

The hotel we stayed in was really nice for Burkina standards. There was a lot of greenery, which provided nice shade in the late afternoon and evening (although keep in mind it is still approximately 90 degrees at night). Our training staff is a combination of Peace Corps employees, current volunteers serving in Burkina and local Burkinabe language and culture facilitators. The current volunteers (called PCVF’s) told us that this weather is not even hot (some of them shivered when we entered a venue with AC- I strive for the day when I feel even slightly cool in this country). The hot season averages at 120 degrees every day. The heat reaches the point where you can barely go inside of your mud hut to grab stuff because the tin roof heats it to unbearable temperatures. We are all trying to imagine how we will possibly be able to survive those conditions we have to look forward to in April.

Our training in Ouaga included a lot of introductory lectures about the country and what we will be experiencing (we have already had 2 lectures devoted entirely to diarrhea- who wouldn’t want to listen to diarrhea discussions for 2.5 hours?!). We also took a language placement exam. I was so exhausted from travelling and the heat that I couldn’t even remember how to say “health” in French (keep in mind I am here as a health volunteer). The only word I could remember that was close enough was “doctor.” So for twenty minutes, I talked about how I am here volunteering as a doctor and how I am exciting to learn about doctor (what I was saying literally translates to this completely ungrammatical sentence). I even told the examiner that I knew this was the wrong word but I was going to use it anyways for lack of a better one. When I walked out of the room, the first thing I said was someone please tell me how to say “health” before I go crazy. It’s difficult to be experiencing such a drastically different environment and to switch my mind to think and speak only in French. The staff in Burkina seems very supportive and I know that we will be relying on them immensely.

After only two days, we moved from Ouaga to Koudougou, our main training site for the next nine weeks. I think that Koudougou is a more accurate depiction of the rest of Burkina Faso. The greenery in Ouaga was atypical and was only present because the mini rain season just ended. The landscape here in Koudougou is very reddish brown, dusty and dry. When I walked down the streets for the first time, my first impression was that it was exactly what I was expecting to see. It looks like the commercials on television for impoverished countries that want Americans to help by “adopting” children to support financially. The structures are made of mud, tin and leaves. The majority of these shacks are disheveled. There are piles of garbage on the side of every road and in the middle of every road due to a lack of disposal options. The air is filled with the smell of warm waste and burning garbage. Burkina really is a poverty stricken country and I am glad that the Peace Corps has a place here to offer some aid.

No matter where we go everyone yells “Nasara” or “Les Blancs” which translates to foreigners. You would think that with almost 200 Peace Corps volunteers in this country they would not be surprised every time they see one of us. But I guess we provide endless entertainment. I laugh when I imagine how this would pan out in the US. Every time a foreign person walks by, you must yell or chant “Foreigner” repeatedly and point at them.

I can’t even find words to describe how hot it is here. I have never felt heat and humidity like this before. A lot of us are suffering from insomnia- partially from the temperature, partially from the malaria medication they have us taking. It is extremely humid, and I have a crazy schedule. Everyday I wake up at 5am (because that’s when the sun comes up and animals make more noise than during the night), I have classes from 8am to 5:30pm every day with no air conditioning, then I eat dinner at 7 and go to bed around 9. They were not exaggerating when they said we would undergo intensive training. We are learning so much, so quickly and we are so exhausted that I feel completely defeated by noon. With so much going on each day, it feels like I have been in Burkina for a month. I cannot believe I have only been in this country for five days. And with all that we are going through together it feels like I have known my fellow trainees for years.

Tomorrow night we will be introduced to our host families. We are all going to be apart from each other in different regions of the city and in a village called Ramongo. For the remaining nine weeks, we have to live with our host families (who we can barely communicate with at this point) and be apart from each other. My host family is located in Dapoya, a quarter of Koudougou. I will be a 40 minute walk or 20 minute bike ride from the training center. We are all experiencing extreme anxiety about leaving each other right now when we are experiencing a roller coaster of emotions.

When I was preparing to leave for Burkina I think I was in a state of denial. I had no fears at all and was beaming with excitement for what was ahead. Right now, I am feeling exhausted, homesick and frustrated. When I get through this experience, I know that I will be able to handle any situation thrown my way. I know that I am just in shock right now with so many changes happening at once. All I can do is try my hardest, keep positive thoughts and look forward to the rest of my time here once I am settled in!