2009 Wrap-up (part 2)

December (cont.): After the parade on the 11th life started getting back to normal. Classes were supposed to start again on the 14th, but there were strikes on both the 14th and 15th in recognition of the murder of a journalist several years ago. I was ready to teach on the 16th, however, the students continued the strike. Everyone was finally at school on the 17th. At this point though, I had given up. So in then end, hardly any teaching was achieved the whole month of December.

On the positive side, one of the teachers I work with took great initiative in converting our grading system to a Microsoft Access program. Now instead of filling out carbon copy report cards and calculating averages by hand, the computer handles everything. Starting up was a little rough. We found several problems and bugs along the way that we managed to iron out with help from the program's author. Yamwaya is now the first lycée in Ouahigouya to have electronic reports cards.

After struggling to try to teach I decided to take a "break" by going to another volunteer's village to watch her group of women tie dye. It wasn't hippy tie dying for sure! The women dye sheets of fabric known as bazin (I'm not sure on spelling), which is a very nice cotton fabric with ornamental designs woven in, but they do their most business dying the old clothes of villagers so that they look new.

getting ready

folding the fabric

 

dying the fabric

 

finished product - so pretty!

Vacation: The last week of December, I went to Orodara (in the southwest) for Christmas. A group of us then biked to Banfora. The first night we stopped in Bérégadougou where we were able to take a tour of the SOSUCO sugar factory. This was also my first time trying sugar cane. Wow! It was fantastic. Too bad we only have sugar beets in the lower 48. To be fair, I haven't tried sugar beets; guess I should do that.

Christmas pizza!

road to Banfora

 

 

we passed a fire that was very close to the road

 

sugar cane

 

sugar factory

 

trucks loaded with sugar cane

 

washing the sugar cane

 

sugar cane field

After Bérégadougou, we biked to Banfora Falls and the Domes, two of the "must see" tourist attractions in Burkina. At the falls we discovered giant mango trees, Rastas selling artwork and of course a series of waterfalls. Then we hiked over to the Domes, rock formations that look a lot like bee hives. Amusingly a group of Burkinabè tourists were there and the ladies of the group (2 of them in fancy dresses) climbed a dome for a photo shoot.

unbelievable mango trees

 

the falls

 

the Domes (see the beehive resemblance?)

 

photo-op

 

all the lovely ladies

We then biked to another volunteer's village a couple kilometers away. Her village loves her so much, they through a 1 year anniversary party! It was a lot of fun and non-stop dancing was involved. Unfortunately that night I froze sleeping in a tent directly on the ground. I traveled light for this trip which meant no sleeping pad or warm clothes (I did bring socks).

party

 

dancing

 

balafon music

 

I loved the face of the girl in the middle

 

women do EVERYTHING with babies on their backs - even dancing

 

cows eating mango trees - So this is why the trees look like mushrooms!

The next morning we completed the bike ride to Banfora, but not before stopping a Lake Tengrela. There we all got into a rickety wooden boat with two guides and went to the far side of the lake to see hippopotami (or hippopotamuses – both are acceptable). Our guide keep knocking the side of the boat with his oar to inform the hippos that we were there and to get them to surface. We saw 5 of them! It was really nerve racking being in a boat just 20 - 30 feet from them and having them look straight at us. Did you know that hippo ears are really, really adorable? There was a woman washing clothes not far away, but the guide said that she was safe. He also mentioned that hippos and cattle are friends, but definitely not hippos and horses. Something about a horse breaking a hippo's heart...

Hippos

2009 Wrap-up (part 1)

The last time I wrote was in November.  That means I have a LOT of ground to cover here.

Mid-November:  Peace Corps Guinea closed in September and we received 5 transfers.  By chance one of them happened to be an alum from the Chemistry Department at UW... small world.  I hosted him for a week during which he shadowed me around Ouahigouya.  As a bonus having him watch my class allowed me to get a few pictures of me teaching.

This is me teaching my 2^nd PC class

December:  This was a strange month.  First I didn't teach at all because of festivals, holidays and strikes.  The first week I was in Ouaga for a VAC (volunteer advisory committee) meeting.  Then it was back to Ouahigouya to practice marching for the Dec. 11^th independence day parade.  The government of Burkina has started celebrating this national holiday each year in a different city.  In 2008 their trial run was in Fada and in 2009 Ouahigouya was the lucky city. 

For the last 6 months Ouahigouya has been destroying and building, painting and polishing, doing everything possible to get ready for a visit from the President.  What was done: 

• 3 new stoplights were added for a grand total of 5!
• the roads around town were repared(!) meaning fewer jaw jarring potholes.
• paved roads were extended, especially the one to the President's house north-east of town.  Also there's a new road out to Youba and many of the smaller villages around Ouahigouya have received electricity.
• new paved roads were added.  Ouahigouya used to be a "one road" town, now there is an entirely paved loop.  For those who know, the road by NEEED was paved, as well as the road Sol Beni was on. 
• Sol Beni and Chaine Avion were destroyed and rebuilt.  There's now a legitimate boulangerie.  Artwork was added around town, including a lion by the resting place of the Naba Kango, which was actually cleaned and weeded.
• worst of all... a whole new neighborhood was built in only 6 months.  The houses are huge, they have water and electricity (a neighborhood nearby has been waiting for water for years) and would fit in a suburb of Phoenix, AZ.

new neighborhood

people appreciating a new statue

 

Ouahigouya's red visitor

The big even on December 11^th was a parade.  All the important people from Ouaga came to Ouahigouya for this event.  There are two things people should know about parades in Burkina:  1) they are NOT like parades in the US and 2) the military oversees it and every MUST be perfectly aligned and marching together.  The participants in the parade basically march in groups.  No floats and no candy.

Last year volunteers marched in Fada, so this year Peace Corps was interested in having us march again.  After numerous parade practices and miscommunications a dozen of us marched.  There were also 3 JICA volunteers (the Japanese equivalent of Peace Corps) with us.  The best part was that we had to wear uniforms.  Trust me when I say we fit in and it wasn't awkward at all.  I don't think I'll wear it in the US though ... except as pajamas.

Since I was marching I didn't get to see the parade, but I do have photos from Rob Hartwig, another volunteer (all photos below were taken by him).  I did see the president of Burkina Faso as he inspected us marchers from his super dooper jeep.  Pretty cool...

lining up to march

 

 

a man selling live chickens from his bike

 

grand stand that the parade passed by

 

first lady of Burkina - Chantal Compaore

 

president of Burkina - Blaise Compaore

 

the parade

 

Peace Corps volunteers marching

I couldn't believe this picture ... there were cheerleaders!

 

show of mlitary force

 

secret military group