Training in Ouahigouya

I’ve been living in Ouahigouya for the past two weeks with my host family. Their house is very close to the training center and I have a short commute. The yard surrounding the house is closed off by a fence. There are three bedrooms in the house and mine is the first one on the left as you walk in. My window is also the only one with a screen on it. There’s a living room and the kitchen is in what might be called the hallway between the other two bedrooms, next to the back door. I really like my host family and they have been very welcoming and helpful in helping me get situated.

Life is pretty good and now that I have a routine it’s much easier. I think I’m finally feeling better too! Although the food is still not settling well, even though it tastes great. Go micro-organisms! I’ve been discovering the yogurt here and I must say it’s the best I’ve ever had. It also seems to be an amazingly effective stabilizing agent for my digestive system.

Right now we’re going through language and technical training. Half of my typical day is occupied by language class (primarily French right now). The other half is training specific to teaching in the Bukinabé school system or lessons in how to survive our two years here. For example yesterday was language in the morning followed by STD/HIV awareness after lunch. We also had a community meeting to discuss concerns and plans for our Fourth of July party. In my previous post I mentioned that we were given a sheep (for sure the correct species now). Well, Thursday he goes to the butcher to become the main dish for our party. Poor mouton!

So a typical day for me goes something like this:

5:30 am - I wake up and leave my mosquito net covered bed.

5:45 - A bucket bath in the shower room located outside my host family’s house, next to the street corner

6:00 ­­‑ Get ready and finish homework for the day (I’m back in school!)

7:00 - Eat breakfast with my host mom and sister. This is usually a baguette with butter, sometimes an omelet on the bread (scrambled egg patty with onions and green peppers cooked) and tea with powered cream (I just started adding sugar).

7:40 - Leave for the training center

8:00 - First class

10:00 - Short break

10:30 - Second class

12:30 - Lunch, which involves going someplace in Ouahigouya. Typical dishes include, riz gras (rice cooked in sauce), riz with sauce on the side, spaghetti, petit pois (peas), cous cous with sauce, sandwiches with some veggies or sauges/beef. The drink options are: water you brought with you, water in plastic bags, bottled city water, Coke, Fanta, Sprite, local bottled beer. Also bisap juice is found most places and I can not over emphasize how awesome this stuff is! Kool-aid is to bisap like Coors is to Fat Tire.

2:00 - Third class

3:30 - Short break

3:45 - Fourth class

5:15 - Go home and crash/study/sit staring at nothing in particular

7:00 - Watch soap opera on TV with family while studying french

7:30 - Eat a wonderful dinner while watching news on the Burkinabé TV station

8:30 - Eat mango, brush teeth and fall asleep

So that’s my typical day. I’m starting to exercise now too. I went running a couple days ago right before a rain storm hit. It was very difficult but I managed to endure a whole 15 minutes! And yesterday after classes etc. the trainees and staff played a football (soccer) game with a local girl’s team. They beat us pretty soundly 3 -1, but it was so much fun. The really amusing part is the field we played on is right next to my house and doubles as a local bar at night. We’ve started referring to it as the “field bar” as it is in the middle of the football field.

Following are pictures that I’ve finally taken after receiving a few requests. Sorry no camels, but I do hear rumors of them. I think one of the host families may even have one. I’m going to visit that village this week-end, so stay tuned...

yogurt

Street

The Market

toilet

yard - shower and toilet middle left

Businesses next to my host family house

my bed

my window

my bedroom - water filter is on the left

my room again

shower room

classroom

My host family's house

le mouton

my mosquito net