Finally...

So after almost 5 months of living out of a suitcase, I am finally moving into a house. I’m going to be a bit selfish here, but nobody else in the Peace Corps deserve a home more than me and Peace Through Chemistry. We have been through a lot, stretching ourselves and tolerating as much as we possibly could, and finally we are being rewarded. Tomorrow, December 1st, 2009, I will be at a site for what I hope will be the last house I have in the Peace Corps.

I have heard many a good thing about my town too. I have electricity and running water, with multiple bedrooms, and a nice courtyard. I am very close to my school (within walking distance) and right in the middle of town. By the way, Wikipedia put my town at 40,000. Peace Corps puts the count at unofficially 200,000. 200,000 is a hell of a lot larger than my tiny village of Tormelin.

Oh and cool but unrelated, the biggest game reserve in Burkina is fairly close to my site. It comes complete with lions, elephants, leopards, and other furry and scaly critters.

But, I’m a city boy, and I think a big city will do just fine for me. It means food whenever I want it, cold beer, and the ability to “get away.” One thing that I have really learned about rural vs. urban communities is that in urban areas, you can actually escape much easier to the comforts of your own home than you can in a rural area. Of course that means that some of your “celebrity” is minimized and you may be considered to a tourist by those who don’t know you. But like everything in life, you have your positives and negatives. This whole experience, believe or not, has made me a much more positive and patient person.

So cool things about my site visit! I went to Bobo which is the most beautiful city that I have seen so far in West Africa. Tree lined streets with a relatively mild temperature makes for a very green and wonderful town. The area as a whole is teeming with interesting geography and hippo lakes. I did not get to see any hippo lakes this time unfortunately, but that only will inspire me to go again.

Last but not least, I wanted to wish everyone a belated Happy Thanksgiving and bon fete de Tobaski. Tobaski, for those unfamiliar, is a Muslim holiday associated with the moon that essentially means the end all for every goat on the planet, similar to how Thanksgiving is the end all for every Turkey. See the metaphor? Tobaski is the Muslim Thanksgiving and this year it just happened to have landed on the day after Thanksgiving.

I also wanted to say a few things I am thankful for.

-My friends and family back home for their love and support, without it my Peace Corps experience would not be possible

-My stupid cat Harry that continues to live in spite of us all.

-Being born in the USA. You really have no idea how much opportunity you have as Americans until you have lived in Africa.

-My fellow Volunteers, Guinea and Burkina. Without any of you and the experiences that we go through together, the Peace Corps would just not be the same.

-And a special “thanks” to my 4 fellow Gvac Volunteers. We have driven each other absolutely insane, and I would not