Spring Break!

Not a whole lot to report lately, I know my blog has been pretty dead in March, other than the posting of a mutt named Bob (who managed to find a pig jaw last night on our bike ride home from my friends house). Amazing how time passes once you become comfortable in a place. I'm making friends, working a lot, playing soccer and basketball on a regular basis, and keeping myself remarkably healthy. I have found strategies to counter the word Nisara that are both culturally acceptable and effective, and as a result none of the students dare call me that at school. I am known as Monsieur Dylan (They think Dylan is my family name) to a great number of people here in Tenkodogo.

Yes life is very good. Things no longer suprise me here, I've grown used to the music and food and have started to become my own person at site, not just that weirdo white guy. As most PCVs will tell you, the first couple months you agree to everything because you don't want to offend anyone. Now I don't care as much, and have zero problems in setting my bounds.
Though I will say I was suprised once, when I saw two guys on camel back rolling through. I sat there mesmerized as everyone else continued on their normal routines, as if camels are just as common as goats and donkeys. Hell, I draw more attention than a guy riding on camel back!

"Oh those are just the Peulhs, they come through here on camel back when the weather gets too hot up north. Nothing special."

However, I do expect some of the extraordinary as I prepare myself for my first full blown vacation. Yes that's right, I am taking a vacation.

First stop, Komthoega 40k west to do a computer workshop with my PCV nieghbor Kirstin (the one who gave me Bob) and her girl's club.

Second stop, Banfora, where I will be returning to my roots as a soccer ref coaching girls soccer games in a Peace Corps sponsored soccer tournament in the West. I can't wait to wear the old zebra stripes (in my case pink zebra stripes).

Third stop, Ouagadougou, for an enourmous Peace Corps gathering for the Volunteers leaving in the next coming months. I believe that all or almost all of the 102 Volunteers in Burkina will be in attendance.

Fourth stop (my real vacation), Togo. I am going to the beach baby! Going to stick my little feetsies in the Atlantic for the first time since summer, 2008. Note* I did not dare touch the ocean in Conakry.

In total that makes four stops in 17 days before I must resume, and readjust, to my life in Tenkodogo. Ahhhhh how I love Spring Break.

Annnnnnnd I Give You Bob!

Puppy Bob

Bob and his buddy, Bobby (I just vaccinated the two)

Bob in a basket

He's bigger than my backpack now.

The Life Of Dylan

So I receive the question, more often than I want, and more often than I would like to answer, "How's Africa?" Well I don't know how Africa is. I can tell you about Burkina, and maybe about the coup d'etat in Niger yesterday, but Africa? Oh yeah let's generalize 1 billion people and a boatload of countries in one cure-all adjective, Africa.

My dad was in Kenya the other day, and now passing through South Africa. I can tell you I have no idea of the life or events that go on in those two countries, they are other planets as far as I am concerned.

So a little bit about my life on a daily basis. Yes I'm sure many of you who have read other blogs have tapped a bit into the uneventful, normal life that we live in our respective posts around the world. Honestly, our lives are not that much different. We all have jobs to do and routines--I'm not going on a safari everyday or anything.

But while I'm not willing to admit my life is terribly exciting by any stretch of the imagination, I will concede that it is bizarre and different from the American life--and it suits me quite nicely.

I wake up every morning when it becomes too hot to stay in bed any longer, usually around 7:30 or 8. Twice a week I have 7am class, that being the exception to my normal routine.

Generally after being annoyed that I have to leave my amazing bed, I search for breakfast from several ladies selling avacado and veggie sandwhiches. After a cup of tea (Nescafé here is gross) I head across the path to my school where I then greet--as is custom--every single teacher that happens to be around.

After a few awkard conversations because of my not-so-amazing French, I make up an excuse like I have to teach a course or something, and head to the computer lab (or to an actual math class on the days when my excuse is true). In there I generally have to deal with a hundred kids yelling and running around all wanting to use computers. This is exactly what I want, to encourage kids to use computers, but managing all of them is not easy.

Then lunch time rolls around. Lunch here is so much better than in the States, not the food, but the idea that we go home, nap, and hang out with friends and families because it is too hot to work. The USA has a serious problem with the importance of family and chill time. During this break I generally eat some beans and rice, read a book, and play with the not-so-puppy anymore Bob.

Then the afternoon rolls around, where I generally return to the computer lab after greeting everyone once again and asking about their meals and naps. Being social on the job is super important for getting anything done here, and for that I really envy the Burkinabé way of life.

After the two hour afternoon session we are all done, and depending on the day, I either have teacher (and hopefully community soon) computer literacy classes or I simply play some basketball or football, the real kind, with my students and neighbors. They are all leagues better than I in football, but I get the respect with my basketball skills. Kids here are not so good at this sport, so it makes me look real good.

After that, it's go home, wash up, cook up a meal, play with Bob, and go to bed. Then tomorrow.

So you see, my life essentially is very routine, much the same as everyone else's. And besides the whole Nisara thing, I very much enjoy the routine.

Now on to more interesting matters.

Last weekend was the Tenkodogo village annual bike race. I wanted to enter as a joke, but after watching these men and women pedal these village bikes, I am glad I did not. They were awesome. Without gears these folks pedaled faster than I could ever do, and they did it in boiling hot Burkina sun. I would have been dead last (or dead) easily. I had three visitors for the weekend and the race, three other female PCVs, which has still been the talk of the town. They all ask which one I take as my wife, which I respond "no, the woman has as much of a right to choose her partner as I do."

I also administered my first test this week in math and held my first computer class. While I don't know how my students did on the test, I can assure you that there are 0 perfect scores. Because even with the sentence "Montrer tous les travails" (show all work), nobody did. The computer class was with the other teachers, all of which are eager to learn to type. They believe that with me they will learn typing in a matter of weeks. Unfortunately for them, they are the ones who must learn to type with practice and time, not with someone telling you how to use a typing program.

Oh well... Til next time!

The Word Nisara

No matter where we are on the planet, life is not easy. Take Washington DC, for example. My city has been absolutely pounded with snow. More than 2 feet, or a small child. That's an insane thought to someone living in a place where rain is difficult to come by. So in DC, we have the struggle to heat the home, make it to work, and get to the grocery store so we can put a plate of food on the table for our loved ones.

Take a 180 turn and you might find yourself in Burkina Faso where daily struggles are far different, but still are related to our basic needs as human beings. Over here, we struggle with extreme heat and infertile land to cultivate, leading us to the basic need of putting a plate of food out at night for our loved ones.

This world may have its extremes, but the basic human needs of water, food, and shelter still plague all of us everyday.

Except me. I have the good fortune of being a Peace Corps Volunteer, where we have enough money to eat everyday, the neccessary healthcare required to live in such extreme conditions, and a staff fully equipped to counter the problems that we may face. So my basic human needs are met, what next?

I struggle everday to fight the stigma of being a white guy. I have been a minority at middle school and high school, but I still grew up in a very good home in a good situation. I am one of the fortunate ones. For the first time in my life, I am experiencing the effects of being a minority. A student of mine who speaks pretty good English asked me the other day in a concerning tone, "Why don't you have friends here?"

That question has plagued me for the last week. And the truth is, I don't know why. I am limited greatly in my abilities to communicate, but it runs deeper than that. I come from a background that is impossible to describe to folks, even in English, and a culture with qualities that clash greatly with the culture I have been dropped off in.

The word Nisara is the most hated word in my dictionary. It means white person. While it does not have the connations of racial slurs in America, in fact having Nisara things (cars for example) is a good thing here, to me it is an extremely divisive word.

Today as I was returning from lunch I walked past a dad and his daughter, with the father pointing at me saying Nisara so the child would learn that is what you call white people. I struggle everday to fight the stigma, to have people call me "monsier" or my actual name "Dylan." I gave up trying to tell adults, but instead I try to tell the kids that words like "Nisara," "Toubabou," and "Le Blanc" are extremely impolite and disrespectful. While I have managed to get a few neighborhood kids, there are still a thousand more left to go.

Judge me not by the color of my skin, but by the content of my character. -Quote adapted from Martin Luther King Jr.

In other news, I met the President of Burkina Faso at a Taiwanese Fisherie last Sunday. The Taiwanese built a fantastic fish farm in Bagre, a town of my closest PCV neighbor Carolyn, that has been handed over to Burkinabe government. The meeting was actually a complete suprise--I was wearing shorts and t-shirt as it was Sunday morning. I was completely embarrased.

I am in the process of transferring computer lab rights to some students who formed a computer lab committee. While I still have full control, I am eager to lessen the rope of access so that I no longer have to spend every waking hour dealing with whiny students wanted to play Zuma and Pinball. For those of you who don't know the program DeepFreeze, familiarize yourself. It is the greatest program I have ever used.

Also, read up on Guinea with the link I have posted here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/world/africa/03guinea.html

Dogs in a Basket and My First Week

So I am full of real news this week, not like last week's horrid attempt at journalism. But hey, somebody has to take a chance at a calling that he was never meant to be right?

Sooooooooo,

Last weekend I went to Komtaegha (I honestly have no idea how to spell it). One of my close PCV neighbors and friends Kirsten, a health Volunteer, currently lives and works at the health center in this remote town. How did I get there? Well that is the fun part.

I biked it. Yeah you heard me. I biked it. 45k one way (and back) with a dog in a basket on the back of my bike. Little bob ain't so little anymore, but he can still fit in a basket. And he loved the ride. I mean seriously why wouldn't he? He just sat there while I did all the work biking against that awful Burkina wind. Dad, I remember back in the day when you biked with me and sis strapped in one of those carriage things. Didn't realize how annoying it must have been until now for you to ride while we complained about heat or whatever it was that little Dylan and Hannah complained about.

We had a grand ol'time in my friend's tiny little village. She, unlike me, has no creature comforts. She lives with a family over of over 50 children and relatives that speak little to no French, and no food boutiques to eat at if she is feeling too lazy to cook. No trees either for shade. Compared to her my experience is posh. So why did I bring Bob?

Bob was born there, and as such I thought it was neccessary for him to see his family--oh us Americans and our dogs. When we got to his house of birth we learned some unfortunate news, Bob's mom died and his dad was nowhere to be found. But he had two brothers still there, who I hardly doubt that Bob cared for. Between you and me, I think Bob is getting too used to his status of importance. These two starving brothers were desperate to play with him, and Bob wanted nothing to do with them.

So after the visit me and Kirsten went off to drink Dolo, a local drink made out of millet that is served all over Burkina. Had a few cups at this gathering (the awesomeness of this gathering cannot be put into words--you will just have to come and see) and then we headed off to meet more residents of the town.

There was one particular interaction that may rank has the most hilarious greeting in my life. This child was said by Kirsten to be one of the few kids, if not the only kid, that was not scared or timid of her presence when she first arrived in village one year ago. When I met this kid, however, he did something that would make me a millionare Youtuber. When he went to shake my hand, I jumped and scared him (which his dad thought hilarious) and this kid booked it. I mean booked it. He turned around, and ran full speed the equivalent of two blocks to his home not looking back once. I unfortunately may have scarred the kid, but for me, Kirstin, and this kid's father it was the laugh of a lifetime!

My first week:

I taught my first math class this week. And you know what, I loved it. It was a total blast. The kids (all 80 of them in one classroom) seemed to have a blast as well. While there was some confusion in class because I was not sure exactly where they left off from the last semester, nobody seemed to care.

For the first lesson I drew a map of the USA with some cities on it. While my map was horribly not to scale, it served its purpose. I connected each of the cities to form shapes like squares and rectangles and had the students calculate the perimeter and area of each figure. They had a good time of it asking questions about each city (New York, LA, DC, and Las Vegas--kids love Las Vegas for some reason) and which state was Burkina Faso. That was a fun explanation.

For another fun lesson I had kids measure the area of the school room and calculate the maximum number of students, 3 to a desk, that the room could hold. While already way overcrowded, we learned that we could actually stuff a few more in there, like another 90 students or so. That would of course leave no room to walk and I would have to teach by standing on top of desks, but why not, I like a good challenge.

Next week I have to start my computer classes for students and teachers alike (the teachers are desperate to learn about computers, even more than the students). Looks like I'll be teaching 7 hours of computer class to the older students, and 6 hours of private tutoring times for teachers. Like everything in Burkina Faso, on va voir (we will see).

So that's it and once again I am safe and sound. Sunday night is the Africa Cup Final between Egypt and Ghana (no Burkina sadly) and I will type it now, Egypt will win. I think they are angry about their failure to qualify for the World Cup, so they are pummeling teams right now. Take poor Algeria in the semi-final, who took the World Cup spot from Egypt last November. Egypt took revenge on them by beating them 4-0 and making Algeria receive 3 red cards in the process.

But before I leave you, I would like to tell make a list of particular items that students here in Tenkodogo would love to have. I don't like doing this because I feel there are so many people all the time asking us for our hard-earned money, but sometimes it is nice to give back.

So I'm not asking you for cash, I am asking for supplies that you all have lying around your homes.

Kids here love:
Stickers (I like to put them on students papers when they do well)
Crayons
Pens
Colored Pencils
Notebooks
Balls (soccer balls are a premium, but they, the students, are not picky)
Simple Board Games like Sorry and Trouble
Old Computer Equipment (mainly for me to put in the lab, but the kids will learn to love a good optical mouse)

So that's it. Feel free to mail anything like that via post, or as of today, you can send it to my folks who will be coming in July to visit! I am sure they will be more than overjoyed to bring in a truckload of trinkets for kids here to enjoy.

CAN and Daddiss...Again

Coupe d'Afrique Nations

That is the major theme of this week, and the following couple of week. It is the EuroCup of Africa, beaten only in popularity by the Coupe du Monde en Afrique du Sud.

The tournament consists of four groups and is being hosted in Angola. Burkina Faso is in Group B with Cote D'Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo. However, Togo's bus was attacked by Angolan militants forcing Togo to resign from the tournament. So as it stands, two of the ofther three teams will qualify for the next round. Burkina tied Cote D'Ivoire 0-0 in the first match, and Cote D'Ivoire spanked Ghana 3-0 in the next match bumping Cote D'Ivoire into the next round. That means that if Burkina is to qualify it must win or tie against a Ghana team fueled by an embarrasing loss to Drogba's Ivorians. Ghana must win.

In other big matches, FIFA ranked #12 Cameron lost to the tiny nation of Gabon 0-1, Malawi spanked World Cup Bound Algeria 3-0, and many other exciting results have taken place. In short, I am typing this to let people now just how far Africa has come in the football realm. These teams are far better than we know, and I believe that the USA would struggle to qualify for the World Cup if they had to go through Africa. Also, if any of you very depressed Redskins fan want to watch some real football this winter, check out the internet and watch some African football.

So that's it for my journalistic abilities. I will now switch to what I do best, writing quick updates about life here in West Africa and news tidbits. I also wanted to thank everyone for the positive emails that I received in response to my email about the URL change to my blog. Just knowing that there are some people out there reading my rubbish gives me the motivation to continue it.

But the most important news of the day, besides of course the my football obsession, once again has to do with Guinea. Daddiss is back--and he is resting comfortably in a villa in the luxorious Ouagadougou neighborhood called Ouaga 2000 (this country is poor, but one would not know that living there with Hummers driving past you). Yes he is recovering here in Burkina Faso, why? I don't think anyone has any idea. I have seen him on the news, and I can tell you this, he is a shell of his former self. The bullet wound left a 5 inch scar in his head and Daddiss is much more subdued. It's difficult for me to imagaine that this quiet man was once the loud military leader of the country that Peace Corps was forced to evacuate from. Amazing how being shot in the head changes your life. Hopefully that will never happen to me.

Six Months in the Peace Corps

Yes that is correct. It is written. I have been in the Peace Corps and West Africa for six months. I have survived stomach problems, a wild rash, an evacuation, a new site, and a very needy puppy. Not only that, this period marks the longest time that I have spent away from home. Thailand had to give up that throne sooner or later.

And through all of this, I am still here. Still here and very healthy. Heck, even my knee is feeling 100%. One year ago, for those who remember, I cracked my knee cap essentially cancelling my service in Uganda and sending me on this wild journey to where I now type this blog entry, Tenkodogo.

I am very happy to be here typing this to you, world. My journey to this point has taken me on a ride that I will never forget and that only a few people ever have the chance to experience. This adventure has made me proud of who I am and has increased the bonds of friendship between me and many of my friends. The temptation to leave, to return to the familiar, has been there--believe me--but I stuck it out, and as a result I am 1/4 of the way through.

Before I get into stories of my Christmas, I wanted to apologize to you. I have failed in getting you any pictures It's not that I have not taken any. In fact, it's quite the contrary. I have filled up three memory cards, two of which are safely at home, in the USA. I have learned to be patient in the Peace Corps, very patient, but even my adapted Peace Corps patience has its limit, and it wears thin at the "uploading pictures through Burkinabe internet" point. You can blame my parents if you would like, CONVICE them to post my photos for me. American internet is so wonderful, you have no idea.

So a little about my last month, as I just now realize that my last post was really that long ago. It's amazing at how time passes here. Everyday just blends togethor. You think that you have done nothing and that time is going at a snail's pace, and then you check your watch and all of a sudden you have been in West Africa for six months. Enough rambling.

I spent Christmas here in Tenkdogo with a few other visiting Volunteers and some Japanese JICA Volunteers. One of my friends even visited from Benin, a fellow G-Vac'er (It's what us Guinea evac volunteers call ourselves). I now owe him a visit. How unlucky for me, having to go to Benin and hang out on the beach in the country that created Voodoo. *Sigh* I guess I will manage. We made burritos and sushi, drank lots of different beer, made Christmas decorations, and even listened to Christmas music. It was a great Christmas despite it being the first Christmas away from home.

Highs and lows of Christmas-

Highs: Got a puppy. He looks like a tiger. And to save my mother from the questionning of "what type is it?," there are no types here. He is an African mutt.

Lows: Avatar. That movie really sucked. Maybe if I had seen it in theatres instead of on a laptop I would have a different opinion, but as a movie, it was awful. Plot has been done countless times. This movie reaffirms that CG does not make a good movie. Oh and that blue thing making love to another blue thing? What is that about? Totally not cool.

Shifting gears: New Years. New Years was very different from Christmas. While Christmas was very relaxed, New Years was wild. Forget the dancing at the outside night club until 5 am, Chez Simon, a bar at the heart of Ouaga's hotel district, was the rowdiest place I have ever been. Right at the strike of midnight, Chez Simon became a warzone. People were lighting of fireworks everywhere, shooting bottle rockets from hands and from car windows, exploding aerial fireworks on the ground like land mines, and generally blowing stuff up with no regard to anyone's safety. I'm actually suprised nobody was hurt. Despite all of this, it was a grand ol' time.

Fast forward to now. Life has returned to normal. I am back at site after completing yet another training last week. Bob, my puppy (think Bob Dylan), is happy and healthy and no longer pees on my apartment floor. And I am gearing up for two different events. Teaching, the being the most important, still has not started. This time around, however, I have stuff to do in place of teaching. I am busy fixing the computer lab and am in the process of forming a computer group to serve as a treasury for new computer parts and as a training center for several highly motivated students and teachers to learn computer maintanence. I am by no means an expert, but in this last month I have become very saavy with basic repair. I am also continuing with the English club. Despite this, I won't teach a formal class until the start of the next semester. And as usual, I have no idea when that is.

The second event: I am gearing up to travel to Dakar to play in the annual West African Invitational Softball Tournament (WAIST). Peace Corps Guinea/Mauritania have entered an evac team (both Peace Corps were evacuated last year) and I expect to play. The tournament consists of embassy teams, Peace Corps teams, NGO teams, and any others generally interested in playing. It is supposed to be a very entertaining event, and I, along with 8 other Burkina Faso Volunteers, are excited to be making the journey in February.

So that's it from my neck of the woods. As some of you may notice, I have updated my address. You can now send letters and packages to Tenkodogo directly, bypassing Ouagadougou. I left both address up. Also, you may notice a weather report. This was for my buddy Petar, who enjoyed rubbing in my face the snowfall that hit DC last month. So when it's bitter cold in DC, this serves as a little piece of friendly revenge to you Petar.

Best of luck everyone from me and Bob!