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Happy Bobo Birthday

It's that time again - time to celebrate my 3rd birthday in Burkina Faso.

This birthday was bittersweet. Not only because of my ever-advancing age, but all of our friends from our training group are leaving. Soon they will all be in the first world while we continue using latrines in the BF.





There was one bright spot however - someone scrounged up two candles - a 3 and a 2. I was delighted that  I am not yet 32. Happy birthday!

Buggin'

Should I eat this grilled bug?

Ok, down the hatch.

And the verdict is....

Not bad! They could be served in movie theaters.

The Future

Happy Anniversary! June 23^rd, 2012 marked two years in Burkina Faso. We can’t believe how fast time has passed. At this point in our service, many of you may be thinking:

“Two years…shouldn’t you be coming home soon?”

Yes, we should. Our original end date was August 24, 2012, however, we’ve decided to extend our service until December 2012 in order to finish a few important projects. We officially “COS” (close of service) on December 5^th, 2012.

“What will you do until December?”

The school construction project is nearing completion (the full report and additional pictures will be shared in a future blog post). The transformation of the school was incredible and the village is so proud to have a finished school. Thank you again to those who donated!

To complement the new school building, Julie plans to paint health murals to promote the newly constructed hand-washing stations and latrines.  She will also create a small school library for students allowing access to books and study materials. This year only 15 of the 60 sixth grade students in our village passed the primary school exit exam required to enter middle school. During summer vacation, Julie will organize study sessions with the older students to help them prepare for next year’s exam.

I am working with Siaka to build Marley’s - the new restaurant and campground in our village. Construction of the sleeping huts is completed, and we’ll work on business skills development and customer service until our departure.

My most significant remaining project is La Vie Chère - the upcycled shoe and accessory business. Moussa and I have been busy creating new designs and Ten Thousand Villages (the world’s largest fair trade store) has requested samples of products as a preliminary step to ordering. To see more new designs, visit the website and “like” us on Facebook!

We’re also preparing for SIAO, Africa’s biggest art and crafts fair, which takes place in Ouagadougou every two years. This year the fair is in October, so we’re finalizing designs and will be building an inventory over the summer in preparation for the big event.

At the end of August, we’re meeting Julie’s parents in Europe for a two-week, whirlwind vacation, visiting London, Paris, and Berlin. Julie and I will remain in Europe another week doing something, somewhere.

“Interesting… so what are your plans for the future?”

 

Last fall, I applied to business schools and received an invitation to attend Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. Duke was very gracious and allowed me to defer admission until August 2013.

Julie will apply to business schools (including Duke) this fall.

“Wait a second. You COS on December 5^th and don’t start graduate school until August. What will you do with all that time!?”

We’re really looking forward to spending time with our families and friends! We’ll be home for the holidays, and can’t wait to reconnect with our families. Luckily, the timing of our return will also allow us to be quickly re-indoctrinated into American society through the consumerism and gluttonous eating that defines the month of December.

In January, in an effort to escape the horror that is a Midwestern winter, we’re planning a COS trip(s). We’re hoping to travel to Peru and trek the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and possibly Thailand to soak up some sun on the beach. We’d also considering driving along the Pacific Coast Highway in California, trying out Oregon wines, and hiking Bryce Canyon and possibly the Grand Canyon since Julie has never been.

Before graduate school begins, I will continue writing my yet-unnamed but future best-selling humorous travelogue about our experiences in Burkina Faso. The release date will be determined at a later time but in order to ensure its success in the U.S. market, the book may include vampires.

Miriam is Back!!

Three weeks ago, out of the blue, Miriam appeared on our porch! Last July, her family moved to a village 30 km away to work on a cashew farm and we’d always promised ourselves that we’d go find her. Before we could, she found us!

Awa (mom), Miriam, and her little brother have returned to Karfiguela indefinitely, according to Awa, because her husband is now a “fou” (crazy). We aren’t quite sure what that means – “fou” is thrown around quite liberally in Burkina. Miriam has jumped right back into old routines of going to the water pump and demanding presents and money. We’re so excited to have little Miriam back!!

We apologize for the blog drought – it’s been a hectic month or two. But we’ll increase our post frequency and explain what we’ve been up to. Coming soon.

Baby Goat!

Nasara Weekly

It should come as no surprise that Peace Corps volunteers stand out, especially in Africa. Our service is often described as two years of stardom, and I agree. In many ways we are treated a lot like celebrities.

People often stare at us. Burkinabé take pictures without permission or knowledge. Random Burkinabé frequently want to shake hands or greet me on the street. People of all ages yell and wave as I pass by. We’re regularly called Nasara or Toubabou (essentially translates to “foreigner” and is used on all foreigners -- Burkinabé and Westerners alike). Some kids even want to touch me – just to say they touched a toubabou. I haven’t had a real stalker yet, but I’m sure other volunteers have.

The only thing missing is the paparazzi and tabloid magazines. Host country nationals are so captivated by our every move that I’m surprised no one has created a weekly tabloid recapping PCV news.

Imagine you’re Burkinabé and walking into your local alimentation (small non-perishable grocery store) or street-side stand and pick up this week’s copy of Nasara Weekly. What better way to learn the latest PCV “celebrity” gossip?

Here is a mock-up of the first issue. What a great income generating activity for an aspiring writer!

Sorry U.S.readers - there are lots of inside jokes here, but you get the idea.